Might Guy was not the sort of man to wallow in the past or drown in sorrow. He lived by the creed of hot-blooded youth. Thus, even when visiting to honor his late father, he didn't linger for long.
After offering a bouquet of flowers and praying with his hands pressed together, Guy finished his vigil. He turned to Kakashi and said, "We're both Jonin now, Kakashi! How about a duel for old time's sake?"
Kakashi was different from Guy. Though he appeared cold and detached, he was actually a man of deep and turbulent inner emotions. Hearing Guy's invitation, Kakashi shook his head. "No... let me stay here in peace for a while, Guy."
Guy opened his mouth to protest, but the words died in his throat. He reached out, patted Kakashi's shoulder, and offered a word of comfort, "Kakashi, whether we are shinobi or ordinary people, we have to look forward. If you stay trapped in the past and never move on, neither Rin nor Obito will be happy."
Kakashi continued to stare at the names on the Memorial Stone, his gaze lingering on the engravings for Nohara Rin and Uchiha Obito. After a long silence, he finally spoke: "No... I'm not trying to stay in the past. I just..."
But before he could finish, Guy, having no intention of listening to a somber speech, gave Kakashi's shoulder a final, firm shake and let go.
"Bye-bye!" With that, Might Guy turned and strode away with the momentum of a falling star.
Kakashi didn't look back. He kept his eyes on those two names. Long after Guy had left, he murmured softly, "I just... can't see the future anymore, Obito..."
You said you would become my eyes and help me see the future. So why is it that I can't see anything ahead of me?
In truth, for a very long time, Kakashi remained in a state of passive aimlessness, a state that would persist until he met "Team 7." That excuse he would eventually use for being late, "I got lost on the path of life," was perhaps never a mere flippant dismissal. It was the truth.
Guy was gone, and it seemed Kakashi was truly alone. He didn't realize that in the nearby woods, the very man he felt so much guilt for, Obito, was hiding his presence and watching him.
Obito had heard Kakashi's mutterings.
"Can't see the future... is that it?" Obito whispered to himself.
For a brief moment, his emotions surged. He wanted to forgive Kakashi; he wanted to rush out and tell him he was alive. But in the end, he did not.
"Your hands are stained with Rin's blood. How could you ever use my eyes to see the future again?" Obito whispered coldly, before adding with a world-weary sigh, "Kakashi..."
Obito hadn't come to Konoha with any grand design. With Black Zetsu away, he simply couldn't sit still. Given his increased strength and the acquisition of Kamui, the ultimate infiltration technique, it was only natural for him to want to see the village again.
Though he claimed to have severed his bonds with Konoha, the village was still paved with his memories. Even a random stroll would bring him past a bridge, a house, or a ramen stall that reminded him of the beautiful times he'd spent with Rin. Here, he could almost feel that Rin was still alive, alive within his will.
As Obito immersed himself in the past, he saw Kakashi step forward and place a hand over Obito's engraved name.
"Obito, Rin... I have some good news. I'm sure you'd both be happy to hear it, even down there. Minato-sensei and Kushina-nee... they're going to have a baby. Minato-sensei told me this morning, it's likely going to be a boy..." Kakashi said with a strained smile, sharing the joy in hopes it would lighten his own heart.
It was a tragic sight. Kakashi believed both his teammates were dead, while in reality, Obito had become a dark overlord and Rin had joined the "evil" Yorozuya organization as a little witch. Only he remained, pitiably mourning at the Memorial Stone.
In the forest, Obito froze, shock coloring his eyes. Minato-sensei... no, Namikaze Minato is having a child? Kushina-nee is pregnant?
His resolve wavered. He remembered Minato's kindness and Kushina's gentleness. Others might be at fault, but he had to admit that Kushina, the woman who always forced them to call her "Onee-san," had done nothing wrong. She had never owed him anything. For a fleeting second, he almost wanted to abandon his plans.
"Eight months from now, sensei's child will be born. I hope he grows up healthy and becomes a magnificent ninja. It would be even better if I could be his teacher," Kakashi said with a smile.
Obito heard every word.
Eight months!
"The Nine-Tails!?" A sharp glint flashed in Obito's eyes as the pieces clicked together.
To create a world where Rin existed, he needed all nine Tailed Beasts to trigger the Infinite Tsukuyomi. The Nine-Tails was an inevitable target. Thanks to the vast knowledge he'd inherited from Madara, Obito knew that a Jinchuriki's seal is at its weakest and most dangerous state during childbirth. That would be the perfect moment to seize the beast.
"But... but Kushina..." Obito hesitated.
As Minato's disciple, he knew his master's wife was the current Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. He also knew that extracting the beast meant certain death for the host. To take the Nine-Tails from Konoha meant killing Kushina.
He held deep affection for her; she had been like an elder, a mother, or a big sister who looked after him in the village. He remembered the last time he saw her, before the mission to Kannabi Bridge, she had fussed over him, telling him to be safe. He had been annoyed then; now, he missed it.
Pain and struggle warred in his heart. To create Rin's world, he needed the Nine-Tails. To get the Nine-Tails, Kushina must die. This agonizing choice tore at him as Rin's smile and Kushina's kindness blurred together in his mind.
Obito pressed his hand against his mask as if to stifle the pain, his palm trembling. After a long while, his hand steadied. He lowered it, revealing eyes that were now cold and pitiless.
"Is this... what it feels like to walk in darkness and bear hatred? Truly a sorrowful pain," Obito murmured to himself.
"I will take the Nine-Tails. Kushina, Minato... you will taste this pain as well. But I forgive you. When I create the world with Rin, you will all live in my world. And then... only then, I will apologize to you properly, Kushina-nee."
His decision was made. In the end, Rin was the only light he refused to let go of. From the moment he decided to kill Kushina to take the Nine-Tails, the old Obito was gone forever. He could no longer turn back. No matter the justification, the Obito who made this choice was an ungrateful, cold-blooded bastard. The malice of the world had officially extinguished the last spark of kindness in his heart.
"Kakashi..." Obito looked at his friend one last time. After a moment, he smirked. "Thank you for the information, Kakashi."
The space spiraled. Kamui activated, and Obito vanished from the village.
At the moment of his disappearance, Kakashi seemed to sense something. He snapped out of his grief and looked toward the trees. Seeing nothing, he assumed it was his imagination. He looked back at the names of Obito and Rin one last time before turning to leave in silence.
Walking through the streets, Kakashi remembered he was low on ninja tools and headed toward a different district. He made his way to the main branch of Konoha's largest tool shop: "Tenten."
The shop was something of a legend. The original owner was a commoner who opened the shop at the village's founding, calling it simply "Ten." His son eventually took over and renamed it "Tenten." Now, almost every shinobi in Konoha bought their tools there. Rumor had it they'd even expanded to the Daimyo Castle. Though the owner was a commoner, he was a true "Hidden Millionaire" of Konoha.
As Kakashi entered, he saw the owner holding a small infant, happily discussing business with a young boy whose back was turned.
"Yo, Kakashi! Haven't seen you in ages," the owner greeted with a smile.
Kakashi nodded. "Is that... your child, Oji-san?"
"Yeah! The little one was born not long ago. Hahaha! Her name is Tenten. Isn't she a cute little lady? She'll definitely inherit the family business and become a great merchant one day," the owner boasted.
"Tenten?" Kakashi smiled and nodded. "That's a good name."
The owner's prediction was spot on. After the Fourth Great Ninja War, Tenten would indeed inherit the business and open a shop called "Tententen."
"Want to hold her? A betrothal wouldn't be a bad idea, hahaha!" the owner joked.
Kakashi wanted to hold her, but he looked at his hands and shook his head. "No... my hands are a bit dirty. I'd better not."
"Hahahaha! Wash them next time and then you can hold her," the owner laughed, missing the subtext.
Kakashi nodded, but whispered in his heart: Maybe they can't be washed clean...
Just then, the young boy buying tools turned around. "Kakashi-senpai, it's been a long time."
Kakashi looked over and smiled. "Long time no see, Itachi."