When Kakashi and Rin stepped out of the Intelligence Division, the sunlight was blinding.
Kakashi raised a hand to shield his eye, and the moment he squinted, he instinctively glanced to the side.
At this time, Rin was holding her hard-won identification and Chunin forehead protector.
She seemed to have sensed something, then turned her head and looked, and happened to meet Kakashi's eye.
Rin was not wearing thick clothes. She was wearing a light pink skirt and white thigh-high socks, with her face bathed in sunlight. The girl's entire silhouette seemed to glow softly, as if dipped in honey.
Kakashi flinched and looked away immediately. It wasn't that he had some secret crush… he was just afraid of losing her again. Even though so many people had seen Rin now, he still couldn't fully believe in this resurrection.
He was afraid that if he wasn't careful, she might vanish like fireworks into the sky, never to return.
Rin also turned her head away, but a strange emotion flickered in her heart. She had seen the worry in his eye… something that made her chest ache, like watching a wounded animal curl up in a corner, licking its injuries alone.
'Is he looking at me? Or is he concerned about himself?'
Once this thought took root in Rin's mind, it refused to fade. It coiled around her heart like a thin thread, twisting and turning until she could no longer distinguish her own feelings toward Kakashi.
At first, she had been nervous, after all, she was facing this unfamiliar world twenty years later.
But Kakashi's presence had slowly eased her fears. He still gave her the same sense of reliability as before, and now, he had even become Hokage.
While she was just an ordinary Chunin who had just woken up after a long sleep.
'What right do I have...'
…
At night.
Click!
The key was inserted into the door lock, and the sound of the door being pushed open was heard.
"You can stay here for now while you adjust to life in the village." Kakashi said as he led Rin into an apartment. After glancing around, he added, "I've already paid six months' rent, so don't worry about it."
"When you adapt to life here, I will arrange a job for you. At that time, you'll have no trouble supporting yourself."
"Mm." Rin didn't have much luggage, so she was only carrying a bag here, "Thank you, Kakashi. I'll pay you back for the rent later."
"Don't worry about it." Kakashi brushed it off. After all, money was the least of his concerns. He turned around and then said with a smile, "Rin, do you want to go for a gathering? They've prepared a welcome party for you. Guy will be there too."
"Guy? How is he now...?" Rin blinked, and the image of that stubborn boy who used to walk around the village on his hands surfacing in her mind, "Is everyone... doing okay? It's been so long since I last saw them."
"Guy is still the same as ever. He leads a Genin Team now, and all of his students are already Jonin." Kakashi explained, "As for Asuma and Kurenai, they are married and have a daughter named Sarutobi Mirai."
"Anko's still as eccentric as ever. She recently went to the Academy and become a teacher there. As for Ebisu and Genma, they haven't changed much. Gekko Hayate died in the village's defense battle, and Uzuki Yugao became the Anbu Commander."
He rambled on, and when he mentioned the current situation of those old friends, his words flowing more freely than usual.
"And... what about you?" Rin suddenly asked.
She wasn't even sure why she asked such thing. Maybe it was because he had talked so much about everyone else but avoided mentioning himself. But right now... Kakashi was the only one she felt closest to, so she wanted to know about him.
Yesterday, she hadn't felt this strongly… just nervous, scared, even a little awkward.
But now... she didn't know. Maybe it was because Kakashi felt so dependable, or maybe it was that look in his eye.
Either way, she blurted out this stupid question before she could stop herself.
"Me?" Kakashi was stunned for a moment, "I took missions, led a Genin Team. You've already met two of my students… one trained under Tsunade-sama, and the other trained under Jiraiya-sama. They're those two you saw yesterday."
"As for third… his situation is a bit complicated and he is not in the village for the time being. As a teacher, I failed. And somehow, I ended up as Hokage. That's... pretty much it."
"You're doing great." Rin said softly, as comforting as always, "Kakashi, you've already done so well. As a teacher, as Hokage... you're amazing. Your students are outstanding too."
She actually wanted to ask something else, but quickly gave up the idea.
…
"Cheers!"
Naruto raised his glass, clinking it with the others at the table.
At the table, Neji, who had not appeared for a long time, sat quietly and slowly sipping his drink.
Next to him, Choji had already picked up his chopsticks and reached out to pick up the barbecue without hesitation, only for Naruto to snatch it away at the last second.
"Hey!"
"What?" Naruto slurped up the meat in one bite.
"I think I saw Guy-sensei earlier. They seem to be having a gathering too." Neji remarked calmly, drawing the others' attention.
"I saw Asuma and Kurenai as well." Shikamaru added, "They're probably in one of the private rooms upstairs."
"Maybe they are celebrating something. Why don't we go up and take a look?" Kiba suggested mischievously.
"Don't do anything stupid. Why would we crash their party?" Naruto stopped this group of mentally retarded children in time. After all, he knew exactly what Kakashi and his group were celebrating, "Give it a rest, guys."
"Tch." Kiba scoffed.
…
Upstairs, in the private room.
At the gathering, glasses clinked as Asuma and the others raised their drinks, their gazes lingering on Rin with mixed emotions.
Yugao was even more surprised. She didn't expect that someone who had died for many years was resurrected.
Her intuition told her that this matter must be related to Naruto. After all, the timing was too perfect.
Naruto left just before Rin was resurrected, who would believe it if he said that was a coincidence?