In the morning, being two and a half hours late could be explained by not having enough cultivation time, but in the afternoon, he really had no idea what he was practicing.
Normally, when Teacher Mokgetsu explained and demonstrated, he could mentally rehearse it automatically, but today he couldn't.
Even though Mokgetsu didn't know what Kakashi was dealing with, he could tell something was off from Kakashi's demeanor.
"Kakashi, your mind is unsettled," Mokgetsu said.
Armament Aura is a Yin Release and relates to Spiritual Power; if the mental state is poor, cultivation will be twice the effort for half the result.
"I'm sorry, Teacher Mokgetsu, I'm not in the best state today. I'll try to adjust by tomorrow," Kakashi said apologetically.
Kakashi felt a bit guilty because Mokgetsu was teaching him so earnestly, yet he couldn't even concentrate on learning.
"Do your best, and remember to have faith in yourself," Mokgetsu said with a warm smile.
"Thank you." Feeling the warmth emanating from Mokgetsu, Kakashi felt slightly relieved.
Due to being late during the day and not making progress in his cultivation, Kakashi gave himself extra training at night, practicing the Breathing Technique in his yard to make up for it.
However, the training was still not going smoothly; Kakashi couldn't find that sense.
At ten in the evening, Kakashi took a shower and went to bed.
As soon as he lay down, Kakashi subconsciously thought of the criticism his father had faced, his teammates' lack of recognition, and then he recalled Obito's words, and Mokgetsu's words.
His mind was a jumble of thoughts—sometimes it was the idea that a ninja must adhere to the rules and complete the mission even at the cost of a comrade, then it was that comrades are the most important and must be protected.
"Sleep, sleep…" Kakashi repeatedly murmured the word "sleep" to himself, having heard that this method might help to cure insomnia by suggesting sleep to oneself to induce drowsiness.
Whether it was the method or something about himself, Kakashi still couldn't fall asleep. Checking the time, he realized it was already two in the morning.
Sighing softly, Kakashi made another effort to sleep.
"Late again…"
The next day, Kakashi woke up to the blazing sun outside, knowing he was late again.
Quickly tidying up, he headed to the Southern Border Forest to begin training.
"Kakashi, you're two and a half hours late again. Were you up all night training till dawn?" Obito looked at Kakashi suspiciously.
He suspected Kakashi was secretly competing with him; for someone like Kakashi to be late twice in a row, and for so long each time, was unbelievable.
"No." He answered succinctly and expressionlessly, then approached Mokgetsu to explain.
"Teacher Mokgetsu, I'm sorry, I was sleepless again last night," Kakashi explained.
Mokgetsu asked with concern, "Is your body alright? Why the sudden insomnia?"
"Thank you for your concern, Teacher Mokgetsu, but I'm fine," Kakashi answered, feeling a warmth in his heart.
"As for the insomnia, it might be because I've been thinking too much lately."
Mokgetsu patted Kakashi's shoulder with a smile and said, "Health is the most important. If there's anything the matter, just tell me, don't feel like you're bothering me. To a teacher, a disciple's issues are never a bother."
Kakashi nodded slightly, feeling somewhat relieved.
Maybe the extra practice last night had some effect; this morning after finishing the Breathing Technique he made a little progress, but in the afternoon, he still couldn't find the feeling with Armament Aura.
After afternoon training, Kakashi bought an alarm clock, determined not to be late again tomorrow.
Tonight, Kakashi didn't train; he finished washing up and went to bed by eight o'clock.
Kakashi thought that since he couldn't sleep until after three in the morning if he went to bed at eleven, then if he went to bed at eight, even if it took four hours to fall asleep, it would still be midnight.
But when he lay down, he found that he couldn't sleep without even thinking about those things. He ended up opening and closing his eyes, his mind uncontrollably thinking about various things.
This time, besides considering the relationship between ninja missions, Kakashi also thought about what he should do if Guy and Obito were in danger during the next mission, whether to save his teammates or continue executing the mission.
Ding ding ding!
In a daze, Kakashi heard a crisp ringing and snapped to alertness at the thought of going to train with Mokgetsu. Possibly due to too little sleep, his eyes felt sore just from having them open.
Kakashi completed his morning routine with his eyes closed, then quickly ate breakfast and headed to the Southern Border Forest for training.
This time, Kakashi was not late, and he wasn't the last to arrive either.
"Hey, Kakashi, you're not late today," Obito said, a bit surprised at the sight of Kakashi.
"Don't lump me with you," Kakashi said coolly.
"When I'm late, it's because I was helping elderly people; I won't be late just from staying up late," Obito retorted.
Although Kakashi wasn't late today, too little sleep left him in low spirits, and his training results suffered.
Mokgetsu could tell that Kakashi's depressive mood was becoming severe again.
In fact, Mokgetsu knew that Kakashi's problems hadn't been completely resolved, but here, with his few friends around and with Mokgetsu as a warmhearted and understanding teacher—combined with the heavy demands of training—they suppressed Kakashi's issues.
Mokgetsu could understand Kakashi; when White Fang committed suicide, Kakashi was just seven years old.
A child so young, having their admired father commit suicide at home due to criticism—not being depressed and withdrawn would be strange.