The gathering took place at a barbecue restaurant.
All the faces were familiar: Might Guy, Sarutobi Asuma, Yūhi Kurenai, Ebisu, Morino Ibiki…
Hmm—when was the last time they had gathered like this?
It must have been after the Chūnin Exams.
Back then, everyone had been promoted to chūnin. Even Kakashi, who was already a jōnin, shamelessly joined the exams, forming a team with Obito and Nohara Rin…
Now, none of the three were here.
Things had changed. Too much.
"Yo, Yuzuru! Long time no see!"
"You're a busy man these days—hard to catch you!"
"Ah! Yuzuru-kun! You've gotten even more handsome!"
…
The girls' enthusiasm was especially intense, which wasn't surprising. Among all the boys at the table, none could really compete in terms of looks.
"Sorry, sorry. I've really been busy lately. Good thing I ran into Anko, or I would've missed this reunion," Yuzuru said, wearing his trademark gentle smile.
"Bastard! Why are you ignoring me?" Hyūga Tetsu shouted.
"Huh? So Tetsu-kun was here too?" Yuzuru replied with a genuinely puzzled expression.
"Pfft… hahahaha!"
"Damn it, pretty boy! I challenge you to a duel!"
The word 'duel' made a pair of white teeth flash brightly in the crowd.
"Yo, Yuzuru! You haven't forgotten our promise, have you?" Guy suddenly appeared, slinging an arm around Yuzuru's neck, his face brimming with passion. "As lifelong rivals, we haven't had a proper, youth-celebrating duel in ages!"
"It's decided! After the meal, let us burn our youth together!"
"Please, have mercy," Yuzuru said helplessly as Guy dragged him to sit beside him. "You know I'm terrible at Gentle Fist. I fell behind you all a long time ago."
"Absolutely not! Youth does not allow surrender!" Guy pulled him even closer, their faces nearly touching.
"Ew, gross! Let go of Yuzuru-kun!"
"Guy, are you trying to become every girl's enemy?"
"Yuzuru-kun, you're the most talented medical ninja among us. I—I've always admired you!"
"Of course Yuzuru-kun is different from those crude guys. He'll become a great medical ninja just like Lady Tsunade!"
…
The restaurant filled with noise and laughter.
"Tch, he's still ridiculously popular with girls," Yamashiro Aoba muttered enviously.
Asuma nodded in deep agreement. Seeing even Kurenai joining the group of girls fussing over Yuzuru, a quiet melancholy welled up in his chest.
This reunion felt very different from the last one.
Back then, everyone had been weighed down, joyless even after becoming chūnin.
Because they all knew what awaited them.
The battlefield.
Facing an uncertain fate, a group of twelve- and thirteen-year-old children could only feel fear.
War was simply too heavy a word.
But this time, everyone felt genuinely relaxed.
Despite the pain war had brought, in this moment they wanted nothing more than to set everything aside and savor this rare, precious happiness.
Even their mannerisms and speech unconsciously reverted to how they had been before the war, as if doing so might let them return to those carefree days at the Ninja Academy.
But… they couldn't go back.
Some things had already happened. Some people had died. Others had been changed forever.
Time would not stop.
Awaiting them ahead were even heavier responsibilities—the price of growing up.
Still, their eyes shone brightly.
That light was called hope.
The ninja world was moving toward peace. The new Hokage was young and capable.
Surely, everything would move in a better direction.
…
"How can you… laugh?"
The voice was clenched with rage, soaked in hatred, a fire within that seemed capable of burning the entire world to ash.
A figure cloaked in black watched from afar, one hand buried deep in a tree trunk, unaware of the pain.
His posture was slightly hunched, as though his shoulders bore an unspeakable burden. He drew in a deep breath.
"So many comrades died… and you can still laugh?"
His body trembled—whether from fury or grief, it was impossible to tell.
Once, he too had been part of that group.
But now, that joy and happiness had nothing to do with him.
He could only watch from the shadows.
Why?
Why were they so happy, while he had to endure such pain?
At that moment, those smiling faces seemed unbearably dazzling—utterly hateful.
"Hahahaha… hahaha…"
The man in black threw his head back in wild laughter. Tears spilled from the corners of his scarlet eyes beneath the mask.
"Nothing… has changed… hahaha… you bastards… hahaha… you really didn't disappoint me…"
Laughing and crying at once, he staggered away.
"Rin… do you see this? They live so happily. They never once mourned for us!"
"They could never understand our pain… those people rejoice in this filthy, cruel world… hahaha… I'll destroy it all… I'll destroy their happiness… hahaha!"
…
"Huh? Kakashi is coming too?"
"Yeah, he was invited. You two are the most mysterious—always disappearing."
"I'm really looking forward to it. It's been a long time since I last saw him," Yuzuru said with a gentle smile.
— Konoha Cemetery —
Kakashi stood before the memorial stone engraved with the name Nohara Rin. He slowly crouched down and wiped the dust from its surface.
"Sorry, Rin. I haven't been able to visit you for a while."
"I never forgot you."
"There's something I can't tell anyone else yet… but I want you to know."
"Sensei Minato's child is about to be born. They'll grow up in an era of peace. If only we had been born a few years later…"
His voice caught.
An uncontrollable wave of sorrow surged from his heart, his nose stinging.
If only we could have lived in a peaceful era.
Not wanting Rin to see his weakness, Kakashi stood up.
"I should go talk to Obito as well. I'm leaving now, Rin…"
After Kakashi disappeared, a figure in black emerged from the shadows of a nearby tree.
He walked up to Rin's memorial stone, picked up the white flowers Kakashi had brought, and viciously flung them aside.
"Kakashi… at this point, why are you still pretending?"
"A child? Sensei Minato… you were always busy. Always one step too late."
"When we needed you most, you were never there. Where were you when Rin died?"
"Someone like you… deserves to be Hokage? Deserves happiness?"
"Rin… I'll make them experience the same pain we endured."
The man in black raised his head toward the sky, forcing the tears back.
"Then let's create chaos," he thought. "Let the Tailed Beasts bring them suffering. Only then will they understand how great Rin was—Rin, who gave up her own life to stop a Tailed Beast from destroying the village."
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