Because of Kakashi, he had already half-abandoned the swordsmanship of the Hatake Clan.
Otherwise, how could he have lost in a duel of blades against that shinobi from Iwagakure during the Battle of Firelight?
His cherished White Fang blade, used by his father for decades, had even shattered in the fight.
"And yet you still treat me like this?" Nohara Rin said, her face full of disbelief.
"Let me ask you this, then," Shimizu Uchiha countered. "What exactly is your relationship with Kakashi?"
"I… we're…" Rin faltered, suddenly at a loss for words.
She and Kakashi had never truly been anything to each other.
At most, they were just friends.
Kakashi had never seen her as a romantic interest—it had always been her own one-sided affection.
Seeing Rin sink into confusion, Shimizu continued, "But Kakashi cares deeply about the keepsake Obito left behind. If he loses his emotional anchor, who knows what might happen to him?"
Rin's mind flashed to earlier that day when she had visited Kakashi. He had looked utterly worn out, haggard.
He was even suffering from war-induced trauma, plagued by visions of strange, inexplicable things.
All of it pointed to one thing: Kakashi's mental state was hanging by a thread.
"If someone had been there to pull White Fang back from the edge, maybe he wouldn't have taken his own life," Shimizu said with a sigh-like tone.
"No… no!" Rin cried out, her voice sharp with panic.
She couldn't accept that future. She wanted Kakashi to live, to be okay.
Even if he didn't want to be with her, she was content to watch him from afar, silently protecting him, wishing him genuine happiness.
Shimizu shook his head inwardly.
What a pitiful lovesick fool.
The original story made it clear that Nohara Rin was in love with Kakashi.
When Kakashi sparred with Might Guy, Rin had watched him intently, her eyes fixed on his every move. The manga even highlighted Obito's dejected expression in a close-up panel.
Later, Rin had willingly thrown herself onto Kakashi's Chidori.
The manga included a caption, stating she had resolved to die at the hands of the one she loved.
But Rin's devotion had always been one-sided.
Kakashi had chosen to distance himself from her, while Obito, the hopeless romantic, never stopped chasing after his goddess.
Their love triangle had, in its own way, shaped the course of the entire shinobi world.
Rin loved Kakashi, and he was aware of it.
When a girl visits you every day, smiling at you, no one would mistake it for mere friendship.
But Obito loved Rin, too—a fact she knew, and Kakashi knew as well.
Before everything fell apart, Kakashi had been lost in his own world, rigidly adhering to the shinobi code, striving to be an emotionless ninja. He had never reciprocated her feelings.
And by the time he might have wanted to, it was too late.
As Obito's best friend, Kakashi couldn't bring himself to pursue the girl Obito loved. He could only bury his feelings deep inside.
"So… I suppose Rin has prepared herself for what's to come," Shimizu said quietly.
Without another word, he turned and ascended to the second floor.
Rin's delicate brows furrowed, and a trickle of blood seeped from her bitten lip.
After a moment, she slowly stood and followed him.
Tap, tap, tap…
Her footsteps echoed as she reached the second floor, a place she had visited once before.
Shimizu removed his shirt, revealing a chiseled, muscular frame.
His muscles were sleek and powerful, his abs carved like marble.
If someone with the Byakugan peered into his body, they would see countless arcs of electricity crackling within, interwoven with a faint green glow that slowly healed him.
Rin's cheeks flushed slightly.
She had never seen a body so brimming with raw masculinity.
Back at the Kannabi Bridge, not long after Shimizu had left, they had been ambushed. Kakashi had been wounded in the back, and Obito had taken a Fire Release jutsu to the abdomen.
She had treated both of them, but neither of their bodies had the aesthetic perfection of Shimizu's.
It was on a level beyond their peers, a dominating presence that felt like a dimensional leap.
In the dimly lit room, the silence was so thick it amplified the sound of her own breathing.
Shimizu raised a hand, summoning the massive, horned beast that always shadowed him. The creature lowered its head, inching closer.
Its low, guttural growl rumbled like a warning.
Shimizu turned to Rin, gesturing for her to approach.
"Come here."
Rin hesitated, her heart resisting, but she slowly stepped forward.
An undercurrent of unease stirred within her. She lifted her gaze, her eyes still clear and resolute, staring toward the far end of the room as if chasing a distant dream of freedom and hope.
Outside the window, the night had fallen, and Konohagakure's streets flickered with sparse lamplight.
Seeing Rin's reluctant expression toward training, Shimizu shook his head.
Rin's rehabilitation plan could not be delayed any longer!
Did shinobi train only when they felt motivated to grow stronger?
Of course not.
Daily, consistent training was essential. Otherwise, the mind would grow lax, and the body would dull.
Take Boruto's Naruto, for example. He was supposedly the strongest force in the world, yet he nearly lost to Uchiha Shin.
Shin was just an ordinary Mangekyo Sharingan user, not even an Eternal Mangekyo.
Rin felt suffocated by Shimizu's unspoken expectations.
Then, Shimizu began forming hand seals.
Time passed—how long, she couldn't tell.
Rin's short, tawny hair was disheveled, strands falling across her cheeks, obscuring much of her face.
Her throat felt constricted, as if something were lodged there, making every word a struggle.
Shimizu was relentless, and it was no wonder he was a genius.
Every hand seal, every pathway of chakra through her meridian system, was scrutinized with exacting precision, as if a single mistake were unforgivable.
He was determined to maximize efficiency, ensuring no moment of practice was wasted.
Shimizu observed it all without a trace of pity.
His gaze was icy, detached, as if none of it concerned him.
Despair gnawed at Rin's heart. Shimizu was forcing her to learn Water Release ninjutsu.
Clumsy and out of her element, Rin struggled under his unyielding pressure, laboring to master the techniques.
Over and over again.
Shimizu was determined to engrave the mechanics of Water Release into her very bones.
Finally, Rin managed to perform a Water Release technique.
But her expression remained sour.
She was a medical ninja, not a Water Release specialist.
She had no interest in this.
Just as she thought she could finally rest, Shimizu patted her cheek.
The training wasn't over.
Another round of Water Release practice began.
…
Meanwhile, at the Hatake residence.
Kakashi stared into the mirror, feeling an unsettling sense of unfamiliarity with his own reflection.
He picked up a photo of himself, Obito, and Rin.
It was from Rin's birthday, when she had invited him and Obito to celebrate. They had taken the picture together.
In it, Rin wore a party hat, smiling as she blew out the candles.
Kakashi, his face half-covered by his mask, looked exasperatedly at Obito, who was making a goofy face.
"I was too harsh. Rin's probably crying her eyes out right now," Kakashi muttered with a sigh.
He pulled out Icha Icha Hell, a book Shimizu had given him, and began flipping through it.
Where Shimizu had gotten it, he had no idea. Supposedly, it was published in the Land of Sand.
A place covered in dunes—what kind of quality literature could they possibly produce?
Kakashi decided he'd give it a thorough critique. It was, after all, his only source of mental solace.
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