"Kakashi, go and make the arrangements," Tsunade said, rubbing her temples with a headache. "I will discuss your proposal with Jiraiya. In the meantime, please refrain from moving about the village too much."
As she watched Orochimaru and Minato leave, Tsunade fell into deep thought.
Both the Wood Release cells and the Mangekyo Sharingan were assets Konoha could not refuse. If researched and utilized properly, they could undoubtedly produce several more Kage-level shinobi for the village. But this time, they had to choose the candidates carefully. They absolutely could not afford to cultivate another traitor.
Tsunade glanced at Obito, her eyes filled with disgust. "Don't you worry, kid. We'll take good care of you. Soon, you'll experience what a fate worse than death feels like."
Walking through the streets, the Fourth Hokage and Orochimaru transformed into ordinary merchants. Kakashi walked silently ahead, and they followed behind.
"During your stay, please abide by Konoha's regulations. You are not permitted to..." Kakashi began to explain, his tone stiff.
"That won't be necessary. I was the Fourth Hokage; you don't need to spell it out for me. Don't worry, we won't make things difficult for you," the Fourth interrupted him directly.
The group fell into silence once more.
Kakashi had so many questions he wanted to ask, but the words wouldn't come. Orochimaru and the Fourth remained silent simply because they were being watched by other ninja.
Soon, Kakashi led them to their designated lodging for quarantine: a small cabin on the outskirts of Konoha.
"Sensei... Mister Minato, I'll have to trouble you to stay here for the next few days. Supplies will be delivered daily," Kakashi said.
"The accommodations here are rather poor. Can't you arrange something better, for the Fourth's sake?" Orochimaru asked, a playful smile on his lips.
"These are the Hokage's orders. Remember, your current status is still that of a missing-nin," Kakashi replied coldly.
Minato and Orochimaru simply shrugged, not pursuing the matter further, but their smiles were unsettling.
After leaving them, Kakashi walked away, feeling lost and empty. Being so close to his teacher, Minato Namikaze, again, he found that his heart was anything but calm. In fact, he was confused.
The former Fourth Hokage had been flawless. He was everyone's sun, a hero who died protecting Konoha. So even now, as Minato stood in opposition to the Leaf, Kakashi couldn't bring himself to hate him. Instead, a question lingered in his mind.
Why is everyone defecting from Konoha? Has everyone fallen? Or... has Konoha fallen?
Without realizing it, Kakashi found himself standing before the grave of Konoha's White Fang.
Patter. A heavy rain began to fall from the sky, soaking Kakashi to the bone.
His father, Konoha's White Fang, had abandoned a mission to save the lives of his comrades. But upon returning to the village, he was met with scorn and blame. Unable to bear the weight of the accusations, he had taken his own life.
His comrade, Uchiha Obito, had entrusted Rin and his Sharingan to him with his dying breath. But in the end, he had turned against Konoha.
His student, Uzumaki Naruto, everyone's little sun and the inheritor of the Will of Fire, had ultimately chosen to defect and stand against the village.
And now, only he was left, barely living.
"Why did it turn out like this?" he whispered, collapsing to his knees as rain streamed down his face.
Night fell.
Soaked to the bone, Kakashi returned home, stripped off his wet clothes, and collapsed onto his bed. Drained by the day's inner turmoil, he quickly fell into a deep sleep.
Whoosh!! A violent gust of wind roared in his ears, and a wave of scorching heat washed over him.
The sleeping Kakashi's eyes snapped open, and he found himself in a deep crimson domain.
In the distance, Minato was walking slowly toward him.
"Sensei?!" Kakashi scrambled to his feet, instinctively taking a step back. His Sharingan spun wildly, but no matter what he did, the illusion wouldn't break.
Or rather... this was no illusion!
"Kakashi. We were interrupted before. This time, no one will disturb us," Minato said, a nostalgic look on his face as he gazed at his student. "I can't believe you've grown up so much."
"Sen... Sensei," Kakashi greeted him hesitantly.
"So you still acknowledge me as your teacher," Minato said with a self-deprecating laugh. "As a Hokage who defected from the village, I must have dealt a huge blow to everyone's morale."
Hearing this, Kakashi fell silent. It was true. The shinobi of the village had been on the verge of a mental collapse these past few days. If even a Hokage could defect... they couldn't trust anyone anymore. If not for Jiraiya and Tsunade holding things together, the entire village might have crumbled. Konoha, in its current state, could not afford any more turmoil.
"Sensei, why have you come to Konoha?" Kakashi asked, drawing a kunai and watching Minato with a grim expression.
"Relax," Minato said with a helpless smile. "I know you must have many questions. Why even I, a Hokage, ultimately chose to stand against Konoha." His expression was sincere. "Seeing everything that has happened today, do you still not understand?"
"I don't understand. All I know is that you all betrayed Konoha."
"Do you really think the Konoha of today is still worth protecting?" Minato's face turned cold, and his words struck Kakashi like a physical blow.
"Sensei, have you truly fallen?" The light in Kakashi's eye began to fade as he murmured, "You were the one who taught me that a ninja who abandons their comrades is worse than scum. You were the one who taught me the true meaning of the Will of Fire. And now, you're the one shattering it all with your own hands." Kakashi's face was etched with pain.
"The times have changed, Kakashi," Minato said, his expression compassionate, his eyes filled with pity. "Konoha has changed, I have changed, and even the ninja world has changed."
"I can promise you, I am still the same Minato Namikaze who yearns for peace."
"But I have come to see that Konoha cannot bring peace," Minato's voice grew passionate, a fire burning in his eyes. "Those who have not known pain can never understand the value of peace. I believe you, of all people, can understand that."
"Naruto brought pain and hatred to Konoha, but at the same time, he did not harm a single innocent person."
"Now, the ninja of Konoha fear war, because they know its consequences will be far more severe than before."
"It is because of fear that they have learned to cherish what they have."
"This is the purpose for which we established the Seireitei."
"To stand against the entire ninja world, to crush all the hidden villages, to reshape the system of rules, and to establish absolute fairness and justice. To make humanity feel pain, understand pain, and fear pain. Only then can true peace be achieved!"
"Kakashi!! This is our dream!"
Minato tapped a finger in the air.
The next moment, the entire domain rippled with red, and a white screen of light slowly unfurled.
The screen displayed the prosperous nation of the Land of Demons and the vibrant, energetic Shinigami squads. If Konoha was an aging lion, then the Land of Demons was a young, vigorous lion king.
Minato's expression then turned serious as he extended a formal invitation:
"Kakashi Hatake, I now, on behalf of the Seireitei, formally invite you to join the Shinigami squads."
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