After finishing the meal, Kakashi left together with Obito and Rin.
The night was calm, the sky washed in a pale silver glow under the full moon. The streets of Konoha were quiet, lit only by the lanterns that lined the roads. Kakashi and his companions walked side by side, their shadows long and stretching across the ground.
Kakashi recalled the food Kushina had cooked that evening and couldn't help but smile under his mask.
"I never thought that one day I'd be able to eat food cooked by my master's wife," he said quietly, voice tinged with nostalgia.
Obito chuckled, his expression softer than usual.
"Yeah," he agreed. "I didn't expect that one day I'd be able to walk through the village so leisurely, without worries… just like this."
Rin, who was walking between them, looked at her two teammates with a gentle smile.
"You two… you're getting sentimental over everything," she teased lightly. "But honestly, I think it's natural. Even though the way things are now isn't perfect, with Naruto's efforts the world really has become a better place."
Kakashi and Obito both nodded silently, agreeing with her words.
For Obito especially, the thought hit deeper than he expected. The Eye of the Moon Plan he once clung to had seemed flawless at the time, an escape where all the world's pain could vanish into a perfect dream. But he had come to see the truth: dreams ended, illusions collapsed, and the cost of forcing peace was unbearable.
Now, standing here in reality, it was different. Naruto had shown him another path — one where regrets could be confronted, not hidden, and bonds could be felt in the real world, not in fabricated illusions.
When they reached an intersection, Obito slowed, preparing to say goodbye. But Kakashi glanced at him and Rin, then shook his head.
"It's too late to leave the village now. The gates are closed for the night. You'd better come to my house and stay over."
Obito looked uncertain for a moment, but Rin's eyes lit up with quiet happiness.
"That sounds perfect," she said warmly, leaving no room for argument.
Kakashi's visible eye softened. Truthfully, he had wanted to extend that invitation for a long time, to sit down with them not as shinobi haunted by war, but as friends.
He led them to his modest home on the quieter edge of the village. Using his key, Kakashi unlocked the front door and stepped inside, switching on the light. He held the door open, allowing Obito and Rin to enter.
Rin walked in and looked around.
"Kakashi, I didn't expect your place to be this tidy," she remarked with a teasing smile. "Living alone, I thought it would be a mess."
Kakashi gave a short laugh as he slipped off his sandals and headed toward the kitchen.
"I manage."
Obito, meanwhile, glanced curiously around the living room. His eyes fell upon a photo placed neatly on a wooden partition along the wall. He froze, recognition flooding him.
It was their team photo.
Minato-sensei standing tall at the back, Kakashi stiff and stern-faced, Rin with her bright smile, and himself, Obito, grinning wide and foolishly with goggles on.
For a moment, Obito said nothing. His gaze lingered on the photo, memories rushing back — of training, arguments, laughter, and promises. The past felt alive again.
From the kitchen, Kakashi opened the refrigerator, pulling out a bottle of clear soju. He also fetched two glasses, setting them down on the low table. Turning toward Obito, he gave a small smile.
"I didn't drink at sensei's house earlier. But now," he said, "come have a drink with me."
Rin raised an eyebrow, amused.
"Oh? You won't include me just because it's alcohol?"
Kakashi shrugged lightly.
"Sorry, Rin. You can't drink right now."
Rin crossed her arms and huffed, obviously displeased. "Hmph. First I couldn't taste Kushina-san's cooking properly, and now this. I give up. Forget you two."
With that, she yawned and added, "I'm sleepy anyway. Kakashi, where's your guest room?" Without waiting, she wandered off on her own to find it.
Kakashi chuckled under his breath. Of course, he understood — Rin had left intentionally, to give him and Obito the chance to talk privately.
He shot Obito a knowing glance, then slid open the French windows of the living room. The two men stepped outside and sat down on the wooden engawa. In front of them was Kakashi's small yard, its grass glistening faintly with dew under the moonlight.
Kakashi sighed as he poured them each a glass.
"Obito… I've imagined this scene countless times."
Obito remained quiet, watching him.
Under the moonlight, Kakashi raised his glass. Obito followed suit, and the two clinked their glasses together. They both drank in one gulp, grimacing at the sharp burn of the alcohol.
Obito coughed. "How the hell can you stand something that strong?"
Kakashi's voice was steady.
"When alcohol burns your throat, it gets you drunk faster. And when you're drunk… it's easier to fall asleep."
The weight in his words wasn't lost on Obito. He set his glass down slowly.
"You must have been suffering all these years, Kakashi."
Kakashi silently poured another round, clinking his glass with Obito's again before speaking.
"To be honest… I often have nightmares. I see Rin, screaming at me in her final moments. And I…" He stopped, his visible eye clouding. "Every time I stand in front of your tombstone, Obito, I don't know what to say. I feel like I failed you. I failed the promise I made, and the eyes you entrusted me with."
Obito gave a faint smile and reached out, patting Kakashi's shoulder firmly.
"That's enough, Kakashi. Our torture of each other ends here."
He then grabbed Kakashi's glass, poured another drink for both of them, and raised it high.
"Come on. They say a drink can wash away a thousand worries. Let's test that."
Kakashi chuckled and nodded. "Fine." The glasses clinked again, and the two began to drink in earnest.
As the night deepened, their conversation shifted. Between sips, they complained about the lack of alcohol until Obito groaned dramatically.
"You're out already?"
Kakashi snorted. "Wait here."
He went back inside, returning with the rest of his stash from the refrigerator along with snacks — dried fish, salted beans, and rice crackers. Soon enough, the quiet yard was filled with their laughter, curses, and clinking glasses.
Meanwhile, in Kakashi's room, Rin sat at his desk. Before her stood another copy of the same Team Minato photo. She picked it up carefully, running her fingers along the frame.
Her expression softened. She could imagine Kakashi sitting here at night, staring at the picture for hours, clinging to memories and promises left unfulfilled.
"Kakashi…" she whispered, emotion heavy in her voice.
She pressed the frame to her chest for a moment. The bond between the three of them — her, Kakashi, and Obito — was something even death and time couldn't sever.
Back outside, Kakashi and Obito were well past tipsy, sprawled across the wooden deck as they looked up at the glowing moon.
Kakashi's cheeks were flushed as he asked softly, "Obito… what do you plan to do from now on?"
Obito laughed, his words slurring slightly.
"Heh… I've already decided. I'll just stay with Rin. Stay by her side, protect her. My Hokage dream… you already fulfilled that for me, Kakashi. But protecting Rin? That's something only I can do."
Kakashi snorted, half-amused, half-bitter.
"Damn bastard… I couldn't do it, but you can. Figures."
Obito laughed louder at that, almost smug. He knew Kakashi was admitting, in his own way, that Rin's heart was still tied to him.
Kakashi grew quieter. "But… Obito, Rin's still here because of the Impure World Reincarnation. You'll just keep guarding her like this?"
Obito hiccuped, completely unfazed.
"Yeah. So what?"
Kakashi shook his head, exhaling. "No problem. Maybe that's exactly what's best… for both of you."
Obito tilted his head back, gazing at the bright white moon. His tone softened.
"The moon is beautiful… but in the end, it's just an illusion. Naruto was right. Instead of clinging to beautiful dreams, it's better to create them in reality."
His eyelids drooped, voice growing drowsy.
"Kakashi… Naruto said he'll help me… bring Rin back completely. Do you think… that's possible?"
Kakashi's eye widened in shock, the weight of those words sobering him instantly. He turned toward Obito — but Obito was already asleep, breathing deeply, the traces of a smile still on his lips.
"Obito… you idiot…" Kakashi muttered, helplessly.
He leaned back, staring at the moon overhead. His chest ached with hope and doubt as he whispered to himself, as though answering Obito's last question:
"Maybe… just maybe, what Naruto said is true."
Closing his eye, Kakashi finally let exhaustion wash over him. And under the silver moon, the two old friends drifted into sleep — together at last, not as enemies or broken souls, but as comrades sharing the night
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