"Personally kill my own teammate?"
Kakashi's question caught Natsuhiko off guard. He hadn't expected something so strange—and frankly impolite.
But after thinking about it, he began to understand why Kakashi would ask such a thing.
The very nature of ANBU work made it cold, ruthless, and bloody.
During missions, eliminating a teammate who held everyone back wasn't impossible.
Just look at Kirigakure.
Their ANBU would even kill all of their own teammates to prevent intelligence leaks.
All of them.
And in the eyes of most people, ANBU units were the same everywhere, no matter which village they belonged to.
So Kakashi's question was perfectly natural.
After all, he himself had once killed his own teammate.
Even if it had been an accident, his hands were stained with blood.
He wouldn't dwell on the circumstances.
Nor would he think about why his teammate had made that choice.
He would only fixate on the fact that he had done it.
"Sorry… I'm not even sure whether what I did counts."
Natsuhiko spoke gently, though his tone was somewhat ambiguous—and faintly tinged with a sigh.
"You understand the nature of ANBU missions. Otherwise, you wouldn't be asking me this.
"And I know about what happened to you. In the ANBU, very few things are truly secret.
"But since you've asked, I'll tell you something."
"It was around my third year after joining the ANBU. We were assigned a mission to seize intelligence from Iwagakure.
"At first, everything went smoothly. But later, our luck ran out. We were targeted by Iwa's ANBU.
"After a prolonged pursuit, only one teammate and I remained. He was already gravely wounded…"
Although Natsuhiko's voice remained gentle, there was a trace of sorrow in it.
The incident he described had truly happened.
He wasn't fabricating anything.
Though in reality, he hadn't felt quite as sad as he now sounded.
But storytelling—especially when speaking to someone like Kakashi—required the right tone.
The story itself was simple.
That wounded teammate, knowing he wouldn't survive, begged Natsuhiko to complete the mission.
And beyond that—
He asked Natsuhiko to kill him.
Dying at the enemy's hands would be humiliating.
If captured alive, the outcome would be even more horrific.
The ANBU did possess techniques that allowed one to dissolve one's own body to prevent information leaks.
But the pain caused by such techniques was unimaginable.
It would be better, he said, if his comrade ended his life swiftly.
That way, he could avoid suffering.
And since Natsuhiko was also ANBU, he would know how to properly dispose of the body.
Natsuhiko had hesitated only briefly before refusing outright.
Instead, he gave his teammate a suggestion.
"Rather than dying by my hand, why not draw the enemy away and wait for reinforcements?"
He had meant it plainly.
But in that moment, his teammate seemed to misunderstand.
The man believed Natsuhiko was encouraging him to live.
So he chose to believe him.
Using the last of his chakra, he created a Shadow Clone disguised as Natsuhiko to lure the enemy away.
As for the outcome—
It hadn't been pleasant.
Natsuhiko hadn't gone to rescue him.
He had reported the situation to the Commander instead.
And the commander had made no plans for rescue either.
That was where the matter had ended.
It was basically concluded that the ANBU member had died in the line of duty.
But a story could be told in many ways.
Natsuhiko had subtly altered the details—changing his own suggestion into something the other ANBU had volunteered to do himself.
That small adjustment completely changed the tone of the story.
"In truth… I probably should have killed him myself and spared him the suffering."
After finishing his revised version of the story, Natsuhiko let out a faint sigh.
"In that condition, with injuries that severe, he had almost no chance of survival.
Rather than letting him endure such pain, it might have been better to give him a quick end…"
He trailed off.
Turning his head, he looked at Kakashi—the confusion visible in the single exposed eye behind the mask.
Natsuhiko's voice became exceptionally gentle.
"Actually… I really envy you, Kakashi."
"Me?" Kakashi snapped out of his thoughts, confusion flickering in his eyes.
"Yes." Natsuhiko nodded.
"I don't know what situation you were facing. I can't judge what you were thinking at the time.
But you did something I didn't dare to do.
You're a hero. A brave man.
And so was Rin.
For a samurai, swinging a blade only requires courage.
But for a ninja—especially when it's against your own teammate—the burden you must carry is far heavier."
There seemed to be a trace of sighing in Natsuhiko's words, yet also genuine praise.
The ambiguity left Kakashi at a loss.
He understood what Natsuhiko meant.
But he didn't know how to respond.
He didn't agree with Natsuhiko's words—
Yet, for some reason, deep down he desperately wanted to.
That heavy, conflicted emotion lingered in his heart.
Had what he done… or what Rin had chosen… truly not been wrong?
Kakashi was filled with doubt.
But he couldn't find an answer.
Nor did he even know what answer he wanted.
Seeing Kakashi fall silent, Natsuhiko didn't continue pressing the conversation.
He had already guided things toward what Kakashi needed to hear.
For now, that was enough.
As for what happened next—it would unfold gradually.
"Still… the fact that he took the initiative to approach me is a bit unexpected.
Was that his own decision? Or did the Fourth Hokage give him some advice?"
As they continued forward, Natsuhiko couldn't help thinking to himself.
If his guess was correct, then things would become far more interesting.
At first, he had only casually intended to stir the pot between the Third and Fourth Hokage.
But after receiving the Flying Thunder God Technique, his perspective had changed.
Previously, he had been unsure whether that move would prove beneficial or harmful.
But Kakashi's current attitude suggested one thing—
The Fourth Hokage held no ill will toward him.
"It seems that if I push just a little more, I might be able to get Kakashi to do me a favor."
At the thought, a faint smile appeared beneath Natsuhiko's mask.
His mood improved considerably.
"Still, I need to put in more effort. After we return, I must continue maintaining my relationship with Kakashi. And…"
His gaze shifted inward once more, toward his system interface—something resembling a data panel.
He couldn't help but sigh softly.