Kakashi's empty eyes twitched almost imperceptibly.
He slowly turned his head. Half a step behind him, Shinichi Higashino stood quietly, holding an ordinary dark umbrella to shield him from the torrential rain.
Shinichi didn't look at Kakashi; his gaze was also fixed on the brand-new tombstone in front of him, his eyes calm and deep.
"You...."
Kakashi's lips twitched slightly beneath his mask, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he said nothing. He turned his gaze back to his father's tombstone, as if that was the only world he could anchor himself to.
Shinichi didn't speak, offer any comfort, or ask any questions. He simply stood there silently, providing temporary, wordless shelter for his former rival, who perhaps needed an umbrella more at that moment.
The rain lashed down on the cemetery, and in this corner, only the dense sound of rain hitting the umbrella and the frozen silence between the two boys could be heard.
"For ninjas..."
After a long while, Kakashi's voice pierced through the rain, hoarse and dry.
"... Is completing the mission more important, or protecting your companions?"
Upon hearing this, Shinichi remained silent for a moment, his gaze still fixed on the cold tombstone, before slowly speaking: "The first Hokage was born in the Warring States Period, a time of frequent wars. In that era, ninja clans fought each other, and children were forced to go to the battlefield. Their lives were as short as morning dew. The sacrifice of companions was a common occurrence at all times."
"Even someone as strong as the first Hokage, who was later revered as the God of Shinobi, experienced the pain of being unable to protect those he cared about during that cruel era."
Shinichi's voice was soft: "The documents say that the young first Hokage lost many of his relatives and personally experienced the helplessness of seeing his loved ones disappear before his eyes. It is because of this that he understood the difficulty and preciousness of protection more deeply than anyone else."
"Therefore, the first Hokage devoted everything to creating a different world, a world where children don't have to rush to the battlefield at a young age, and where companions can entrust each other with their backs. The core of this is what was later known as the Will of Fire, cherishing the village, protecting companions, and safeguarding the next generation that will be passed down."
"You mean that companions are more important?"
Kakashi turned his head, his sharp gaze piercing Shinichi.
Shinichi still didn't give a direct answer to this either-or question; he continued: "The reason why ninjas, as a profession and a system, can function and why mission rules are strictly followed is because they collectively maintain the order and credibility that allows the village to survive. Completing missions and protecting the interests of the client is to maintain the reputation and peace of Konoha, which is also to protect the village and all the comrades living in the village."
"So, you think the mission is more important?"
Kakashi asked in a low voice.
"No, Kakashi."
Shinichi gently shook his head, shifting his gaze from the tombstone for the first time to the rain-blurred cemetery beside him, as if looking towards a more distant future.
"What I want to say is, I don't know."
"I have never experienced the desperate situation that Sakumo-sama faced, nor have I ever borne such a heavy burden of choice. Perhaps only when I am truly pushed to that point, in that split second, will I know what my instincts will choose. Before that, any judgment that is not my concern is rash."
"But."
Shinichi's tone shifted, becoming calm yet firm, "Before that day may come, I will do everything in my power to do one thing."
He turned his head and looked Kakashi straight in the eyes, saying: "Strive to become stronger! Strong enough to avoid being forced into a situation where you have to choose one of two options."
"Strong enough to find a way to complete the mission and protect all my companions even in dire straits; strong enough that perhaps one day in the future I will have enough power and wisdom to influence or even change certain rules so that I, my cherished companions, and our next generation can face fewer of these cruel predicaments."
"That's what the first Hokage did. He may not have fundamentally changed the inherently cruel nature of the ninja profession, but he was using all his strength to try to build a framework that could protect the important things as much as possible and push the world in a better direction."
"And the second and third Hokage, who inherited his will, as well as countless nameless predecessors in Konoha, are all doing their best in their respective positions."
"I don't know if Sakumo-sama's choice is right or wrong, because I wasn't involved. But I do know that if we just stay in the debate about mission versus companions, we won't change anything. The only way forward is to become stronger than we are now, strong enough to be qualified to rewrite the premise of the problem."
"What if you faced this predicament before you had enough power?"
Kakashi's tone suddenly became somewhat aggressive, and before Shinichi could answer, he quickly added as if to block all escape routes: "Imagine you are the captain now, and I and a few others are your team members. Our mission is to escort a crucial piece of classified information back to Konoha. Right now, we are being hunted by the enemy and are in dire straits."
"As the captain, if you choose to abandon the mission, it will bring great losses to the village. If you choose to complete the mission, you must leave one or even several team members behind to cover the retreat. You may even have to kill your own teammates with your own hands who might be captured, to prevent the possibility of intelligence leaks."
His gaze was fixed on Shinichi, his tone filled with urgency.
"Shinichi Higashino! Tell me, what will you do?!"
"I'll cover the rear."
Shinichi's voice wasn't loud, but it was resolute.
"If that day ever comes, the one who will cover the team and take the greatest risks should, of course, be me, the captain."
He looked into Kakashi's eyes and said clearly, word by word, "And you, Kakashi, from now on, you are the captain. The intelligence will be entrusted to you for protection, and you will lead everyone back."
For a moment, the air under the umbrella seemed to freeze.
After a long while, Kakashi suddenly came to his senses and sneered, "You... You're still just avoiding the question!"
Before he could finish speaking, as if he could no longer bear the space under the umbrella and the person in front of him, he suddenly turned around, plunged into the torrential rain, and ran away without looking back, quickly disappearing into the gray rain curtain.
Shinichi didn't chase after him.
He remained standing in the same spot, but the subtle, fleeting feeling that had been vaguely present since he arrived at the cemetery not only did not dissipate, but instead became clearer and stronger.
[Auspicious Omen (Green): Your fortune is beginning to take on a mysterious stage; you may occasionally sense subtle auspicious omens and promising signs of development.]
Just as he had anticipated, after hosting a lively, banquet-style thank-you feast, unusual in this world, his Apprentice Swordsman quickly leveled up to Swordsman, and he also gained a chance to draw a green attribute.
The Auspicious Omen (Green) was the new talent drawn, one that seemed to relate to the mysterious and esoteric realm of fortune.
However, when he first obtained this talent, Shinichi didn't notice any changes until just now…