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"Even if what you say is true, so what? I'm just an ordinary ANBU captain in Konoha," Kakashi replied indifferently.
However, Ye Wen's lips curled into an evil smile because he knew that Kakashi's heart had already been stirred.
He had begun to think for himself.
Thus, Ye Wen decided to add fuel to the fire.
"Kakashi.
Do you know why you've kept losing everything important to you ever since you became a ninja? Do you know the reason?"
Ye Wen's words dredged up all of Kakashi's painful memories. His body, once as steady as a pine tree, began to tremble uncontrollably.
"The root cause of all this suffering is that you're too weak—both in strength and in power. You're far too feeble.
Even after all these years, your abilities remain disappointingly lackluster.
So, Kakashi, are you prepared to lose yet another precious thing?"
At this point, Kakashi's body inexplicably calmed down.
Ye Wen could sense the overwhelming desolation and loneliness radiating from him.
"Such things no longer exist," Kakashi said in a slightly hoarse voice.
A flicker of realization passed through Ye Wen's eyes. Wasn't this the same heartbreaking line Kakashi had spoken with a bitter smile when Sasuke threatened to kill those close to him?
It seemed he had overplayed his hand. Ye Wen inwardly cursed himself.
But who was Ye Wen? He was someone who had truly watched Naruto in its entirety.
"Really, Kakashi? Do you really believe there's no one left in this world who matters to you?"
Ye Wen gently placed a hand on Kakashi's shoulder and whispered almost imperceptibly into his ear.
"Let me tell you some good news first: there's still someone you care about alive in this world."
Kakashi, whose heart had been as cold as ashes as he sank into memories, suddenly stiffened and turned his head toward Ye Wen in disbelief.
"Who?!"
But years of ninja experience quickly steadied his mind. Shaking off Ye Wen's hand, he said cautiously,
"Your earlier words were far too cruel, even as a joke. If you have any demands, feel free to make them—but don't insult my fallen comrades."
Ye Wen wasn't angered by this response.
After all, Kakashi was the most bromantic character in the entire *Naruto* series—despite not being overly muscular, he somehow attracted the attention of other men. Truly unmatched.
Moreover, Ye Wen wouldn't have dared to speak so confidently without solid evidence.
"I'm telling the truth.
You still have a comrade alive, secretly observing Konoha and plotting a grand scheme to overturn the entire ninja world."
Though Kakashi's mind kept rejecting Ye Wen's words, the longing in his heart couldn't be suppressed so easily.
Seeing that the timing was right, Ye Wen decided to stop teasing Kakashi and got straight to the point.
"That's right—your former teammate, Uchiha Obito, is still alive."
At this, Kakashi's body trembled violently. Could it really be that dead-last teammate he'd always looked down on? He was still alive?!
As for the possibility that Ye Wen was lying, Kakashi quickly dismissed the thought. With Ye Wen's overwhelming strength, effortlessly crushing him without breaking a sweat, he could have easily beheaded Kakashi and extracted his memories. Why would he resort to such elaborate lies?
The answer was clear: Uchiha Obito was indeed alive.
But soon, Kakashi grew confused. His impression of Obito was still that of a naive Uchiha who constantly talked about becoming Hokage and never stopped mentioning Rin.
Kakashi's reputation as a genius in Konoha stemmed not only from his talent in mastering ninjutsu but also from his ability to analyze intelligence.
Instinctively, Kakashi's left hand touched his mask. Beneath it lay the left eye injured during the Third Great Ninja War—an eye gifted to him by Obito in his final moments.
Kakashi remembered clearly: when he first received this Sharingan, it had only two tomoe. But after personally killing Rin, it inexplicably evolved into a three-tomoe Sharingan!
At the time, Kakashi, lost in a haze of grief, hadn't questioned this change. He only noticed afterward that the Sharingan now consumed even more of his chakra.
The Sharingan, entrusted to him by Obito to protect Rin, had evolved after he killed her.
Perhaps this was Obito's curse upon him, Kakashi had subconsciously thought at the time.
But this explanation didn't hold water.
After all, Sharingan had been taken by enemies before, yet evolving under such circumstances was unheard of—until Kakashi.
Moreover, Kakashi recalled the strange events following Rin's death:
All the enemies were dead.
Rin's body disappeared.
The detailed mission report was classified beyond his clearance level.
Combined with Ye Wen's revelation that Obito was secretly observing Konoha with grand ambitions, it was clear that immense power was required to pull off such feats.
All the clues now formed a perfect loop. Kakashi's heart first surged with hope, only to plummet into icy despair.
As a direct disciple of the Hokage lineage, Kakashi was privy to certain secrets of the Nine-Tails' attack that fateful night.
The leaked intelligence about the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki.
The Sharingan capable of controlling the Nine-Tails.
The mysterious masked man who revealed only his right eye.
The clues were glaringly obvious: a powerful Uchiha with only one visible eye.
A deep despair welled up within Kakashi. To think that the person most important to him had killed the last two people he held dear.
A torrent of complex emotions swirled in his mind, leaving his once-clear thoughts in utter chaos. He didn't know what expression to wear.
Should he accuse Obito of attacking Konoha? But hadn't he himself failed to uphold their promise to protect Rin? Perhaps it was precisely this failure that drove Obito to lose all hope in Konoha and commit such reckless acts.
When people were at their most vulnerable, they were easily led by others.
And at this moment, Ye Wen delivered the final blow.
"Kakashi, I know you're confused and tormented about Obito. Would you like to make a deal with me?"
A glimmer of life returned to Kakashi's despairing eyes.
"What kind of deal?"
Ye Wen's lips curved into a tempting smile.
"A deal to change fate.
Do you want to undo the regrets of the past? Do you want the people you care about to live again in this world? Do you want this world to be filled with laughter and joy?"
With each word Ye Wen spoke, Kakashi's icy heart began to heat up uncontrollably.
The vision of such a beautiful future was overwhelmingly enticing.
But Kakashi knew well that nothing in this world came without effort.
Yet, the greed in his heart made him swallow hard. Still, he persisted and asked,
"What must I pay?"
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