Early in the morning, after washing up and having breakfast, the first thing Yue did was check the cell samples.
His own cells had been stored for almost forty hours now—their vitality had weakened but was still holding on stubbornly. Yūhi Kurenai's cells had been left for around sixteen hours, with an estimated 50% death rate.
As for Itachi's cells, they had already completely lost their signs of life.
Based on the existing samples, Yue's life force seemed to be far stronger than an average person's, but more data was needed for a precise comparison.
After carefully observing the samples for a while, he stored away his tools and prepared to begin his training.
"Bang!"
As usual, Yue used the Shadow Clone Technique to create five clones for training, but one of them immediately left through the window.
Yue planned to inform Itachi about his findings. If possible, he also wanted to ask for a sample from another Uchiha clan member for further observation.
Additionally, he intended to suggest that Itachi go to the hospital for a checkup—just in case there was indeed some underlying defect or illness.
"This Kakashi… does he never rest?"
Before going to sleep, Yue had sensed that Kakashi hadn't left. Now, in the morning, he was still nearby. Did he even rest at all during the night?
Adjusting his body's condition, Yue left four shadow clones behind in the room to meditate, train, and study sealing techniques, while his real body quietly leaped out of the window.
He slowly sneaked toward Kakashi's location. This time, Kakashi was hiding outside Kushina's window—a spot that remained shadowed in the morning, making it a good place for concealment.
Yue lightly stepped onto the roof, moving carefully until he was right above Kakashi. But instead of making any moves, he simply squatted there, completely suppressing his presence.
Yesterday, Kakashi had blocked his attack instantly. However, Yue wasn't sure if that was because Kakashi had already detected him or if it was just an instinctive reaction to an attack. So today, he decided to spend the entire morning testing him.
As time passed, neither of them made any moves.
The only reaction Yue noticed was when the clone he had sent out earlier returned—Kakashi had a slight response.
The sun gradually shifted, and as the shadow grew smaller, Yue estimated that Kakashi would soon have to relocate. When that happened, he would likely move to the other side of the house.
"Swoosh."
"Are you following me for some reason?"
Kakashi's figure suddenly appeared behind Yue, one hand resting on his shoulder.
Yue could have reacted, but since he hadn't come here to fight Kakashi today, he remained still.
"Did you notice me from the start?"
Yue was a little puzzled—he had taken every precaution to suppress his presence, even controlling his breathing and heartbeat.
"No, your concealment was nearly perfect. But you overlooked a small detail. About an hour ago, a gust of wind blew your hair."
"I see… so you noticed the shadow of my hair?"
To stay as close to Kakashi as possible, Yue had kept his shadow aligned with the edge of the eaves. He hadn't expected Kakashi to catch even such a minor detail.
"So, what do you want from me? You should know I'm on a mission."
"Just evaluating my own skills. Nothing else."
Both of their tones were cold and indifferent, devoid of warmth.
"I don't have time to play ninja games with you."
"You struggled to even notice me. Do you really think someone of your level can protect my mother? I'd say you're the one playing games."
Kakashi was speechless. He believed that if he had been fully focused on his surroundings, he would have noticed Yue.
But… just now, he had fallen into his painful memories again…
"Don't get too full of yourself. You're still far from my level!"
"Maybe. But right now, I think you should eat. Mother asked me to call you down for breakfast."
"No need. My mission requires me not to disturb Lady Kushina."
"She noticed you before I did."
…
Kakashi fell silent. He wavered for a moment but then felt an instinctual urge to stay away from everyone around him—otherwise, he would only bring them disaster.
"What are you conflicted about?"
Yue interrupted his thoughts. Since the employer had already noticed him, what was there to hesitate over?
"Answer a question for me first."
"Alright, go ahead."
"Yesterday, you mentioned the 'Will of Fire'… What do you mean by 'Konoha above all'?"
"From what I read, the First Hokage personally killed his best friend, Uchiha Madara, for the sake of Konoha."
"And what's wrong with that?"
"Did Madara ever do anything to harm Konoha?"
Kakashi had no answer. He didn't know much about history—he had only heard people claim that Madara was evil.
"That doesn't really prove anything."
"I'm not trying to prove anything to you. But I do think that the so-called 'Will of Fire' is just a justification for sacrificing anyone in the name of the village. You must have felt that to some extent, haven't you?"
To Yue, the best example of the "Will of Fire" being nothing more than "Konoha above all else" was the Uzumaki clan.
He had done extensive research on his mother's clan.
As Konoha's most loyal allies, they were wiped out without a sound—right when the Second Shinobi War had just ended and Konoha was at its weakest.
As the strongest military power in the world, even in a weakened state, Konoha had to maintain its dominance.
Endless appeasement was merely a way to preserve strength—an attitude of selfish indifference.
All the so-called pioneers, founders, and inheritors of the Will of Fire fundamentally upheld Konoha's interests above all else.
For the sake of the village, they could sacrifice their parents, siblings, lovers, children, friends, comrades—even themselves.
Was the Will of Fire right or wrong? From a Konoha loyalist's perspective, it was the epitome of righteousness. But from the perspective of the innocent souls sacrificed under it, it was pure cruelty.
There might be no place for sentimentality between nations, but at the very least, there should be a basic sense of morality.
…
Kakashi seemed shaken by Yue's words. His grip on Yue's shoulder tightened unconsciously, and his pupils slightly dilated.
"Come eat. Mother has already finished cooking."
Brushing off Kakashi's hand, Yue climbed back into his room through the window without caring whether Kakashi would follow.
"Rin… Were we all wrong?"
Looking at his right hand, Kakashi sank into memories once again.
For a long time, he remained motionless, ultimately choosing not to go downstairs to eat with Kushina and Yue. Instead, he adjusted his cloak and disappeared into the shadows once more.
…
"Yue, is Kakashi not coming?"
Sensing Kakashi's position, Yue figured he wouldn't come.
"Let's eat, Mom. I have to deliver dango to Yūhi Kurenai later, and I'll bring Kakashi a bento too."
"Delivering dango to Kurenai? What's this about? Are you giving her a gift?"
Hearing that her son was bringing something to a girl, Kushina's curiosity flared. Could it be that her aloof son was opening his heart to someone?
Feeling a headache coming on, Yue hastily came up with an excuse—that he owed her a favor and was just treating her to dango.
Still, Kushina was pleased. For the first time, she urged him to eat quickly and head out…
______________________________________________
If you want 15 chapters ahead, check out my Patreon:
patreon.com/PureParadox