"Kakashi, Kakashi~"
Hearing Rin's voice faintly in his ears, Kakashi slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was Rin's smiling face, glowing like a warm summer morning.
"Rin? Why are you here?"
"This is my house. After you passed out yesterday, Lady Tsunade brought us back. There was no one to take care of you at your place, so..."
Rin's cheeks turned slightly red, clearly a bit embarrassed, though the small smile on her lips suggested she didn't mind too much.
Kakashi looked around. The room was small but meticulously tidy. The bed he was lying on was soft and—he blinked—wrapped in a very pink comforter.
"...I slept with my mom yesterday," Rin added quickly, noticing his expression. She looked down guiltily, as if she'd been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. "Don't get the wrong idea!"
She certainly didn't want Kakashi to know she'd spent an hour sitting by his bedside last night, watching him sleep like some lovesick guardian spirit.
"Also, Tsunade-sensei said we've been given a short break from the Academy to focus on our training with her. She told us to meet at the usual place at 8:30."
"Right. Time to drag myself back into the chakra pit."
Kakashi sat up, but before he could stand—
Gurgle~
His stomach made a mournful sound, as if demanding reparations.
"...Seriously?"
Kakashi rubbed his belly, trying to look dignified. Rin burst into laughter.
"My mom made us breakfast before she left. Come on, eat first—training's hard enough without an empty stomach."
After breakfast, the two walked out the door just as Obito appeared outside, standing as if he'd been pacing for a while.
"Kakashi? What are you doing here?"
Obito blinked in surprise.
After school yesterday, he realized the Rin in class had been a Shadow Clone. He'd come early this morning to ask what she'd been up to—and unexpectedly ran into this guy coming out of her house.
Rin quickly explained everything that had happened the day before.
Obito's face twitched. He tried to mask the disappointment, but it was as subtle as a kunai to the chest. Kakashi, of course, noticed instantly.
"Obito," Kakashi said with a slight smile, "our training runs later than school. If you're up for it, come find us in the Konoha Forest after class. We can walk home together."
"Yeah! Come pick us up, Obito! The walk back feels weird without you."
Rin chimed in with a bright smile.
"Ahem, well... since Rin asked so nicely, I suppose I could go a bit out of my way."
Obito tried to sound casual, but even his hair looked happier.
Later That Evening – Konoha Forest
Tsunade and Shizune had already left for the day. Only Kakashi and Rin remained, still training diligently under the dimming sky.
Suddenly, Kakashi's eyes sharpened—his Shadow Clone had just relayed intel: Obito was about a kilometer away and closing fast.
"Rin, do you trust me?"
His tone was serious, eyes locking with hers.
"Mm-hmm." She nodded without hesitation.
"Then sorry about this—I'll explain everything later."
Before she could respond, Kakashi struck her with a swift, precise knife-hand to the neck. Rin collapsed unconscious, and he caught her gently.
He summoned a Shadow Clone, doused it with animal blood from earlier practice, and positioned it nearby, lying face-up like a tragic battlefield extra.
Then, Kakashi used the Transformation Jutsu to disguise himself as a hostile rogue ninja.
Right, clock's ticking. Let's hope this works before Obito decides to take a scenic detour.
He knelt by Rin and pressed his chakra-laced hands to her chest, mimicking a medical technique.
Meanwhile, Obito—still sulking slightly about the whole "Rin training without me" thing—rounded the corner... and saw hell.
There was Rin, unconscious. A foreign shinobi—hands on her chest, no less. And nearby—Kakashi. Covered in blood. Not moving.
"...What the—"
"You bastard!" Obito's voice cracked as a surge of raw emotion flooded his body. His eyes turned bloodshot, and rage exploded from him like wildfire.
Without thinking, he lunged forward, kunai aimed to kill.
Bang!
The "rogue ninja" caught Obito's arm mid-thrust, kneed him in the gut, and launched a spinning side-kick to the head, sending him flying into a tree trunk.
Obito hit the ground hard. His whole body ached, but his eyes—those stayed locked on the enemy, blazing with hate.
"Heh... What a look," Kakashi said, voice gruff and cruel in his rogue persona. "That girl—she your crush or something?"
"Tell you what—I'll kill her first. You can join her after."
He raised his kunai, then stabbed it downward toward Rin's chest. A fountain of blood spattered the grass.
"NOOO!!"
"YOU—YOU MONSTER!!"
Obito shot up like a bolt of lightning. Rage tore through his injuries. His body screamed, but his soul didn't care.
With impossible speed, he lunged and buried the kunai into the rogue ninja's chest.
Poof!
The clone vanished in a puff of smoke.
Obito immediately shielded Rin's body, kunai clenched, panting, eyes scanning the shadows.
His body trembled, tears welling up—but his stance stayed firm, unwavering.
"Ugh~ Kakashi, why'd you hit me...?"
Rin groaned and rubbed her neck, sitting up slowly.
"...Obito? What's going on?"
Obito blinked. "Wha—"
"Ahem~ Yo, Obito. Good evening."
Kakashi casually stood up from the bushes, wiping fake blood off his face.
The moment of silence that followed could've broken boulders.
"...What. The. Hell."
Obito's eye twitched.
"Explain. Now."
"Relax, it was a performance. An... immersive trauma workshop, if you will."
Kakashi chuckled. "Rin was playing the damsel—though technically, she didn't know she was playing."
"You didn't tell me?! You knocked me out!"
Rin stomped her foot, glaring at him.
"What? Your acting is fantastic when it's unintentional"
Bang!
Obito's fist slammed into Kakashi's face. He didn't dodge.
"You're crazy!! Do you know how scared I was?! I thought you were dead, you idiot!"
Tears streamed down Obito's face, mixing with dirt and sweat.
Kakashi let out a quiet sigh and gently placed a hand on Obito's shoulder.
"Sorry. I pushed it too far. But... look at your eyes."
Obito blinked. "...Huh?"
Rin leaned in. "...Your Sharingan—it's changed."
"...Two tomoe?"
"I-I awakened again?"
Obito took a shaky step back, stunned.
"Yep. The Sharingan responds to strong emotions—love, hate, fear. Looks like you hit the jackpot."
"Wait—this is what the whole thing was about?"
"Yep. Consider it... an unorthodox awakening ceremony."
Kakashi grinned. "Mission accomplished."
"You're the worst," Obito muttered.
"And yet, your eyes look fantastic."
"Alright, to celebrate your glowing red peepers, I'm treating you both to barbecue. On me."
"And you still owe me an explanation!"
"All in due time, Rin. Let the man with eyeball upgrades have his moment."
"Shut up, a**hole Kakashi!"