The wind after the rain carried a biting chill.
Kakashi Hatake moved his legs mechanically, walking down the damp streets. His mask was back in place, concealing a face that was deathly pale, leaving only a hollow, lifeless right eye visible. Beside him were several Anbu colleagues he had just met up with; they were escorting the bodies of the comrades brought back from the valley.
Lord Jiraiya's words still echoed in his ears.
"Stand up."
So, he stood up.
But his body felt like nothing more than a puppet, robotically performing patrol duties. Even the Anbu members following him could sense something was wrong. The words of the Masked Man replayed constantly in Kakashi's mind.
"He gave up on you."
"Just like you gave up on Rin at Kannabi Bridge."
Is it true? Kakashi wondered, his heart heavy and stifled. Did Sensei really treat us as pawns? He didn't want to believe it, but the cold corpses of his comrades and the enemy who had bypassed the barrier so easily seemed to mock his naivety.
Unknowingly, the squad had reached the southeast corner of the village. High walls, a vermilion gate, and the prominent red-and-white Uchiha Crest upon it marked their location.
The Uchiha Compound.
Kakashi's pace gradually slowed. His mind was involuntarily drawn to that crest. The fan—the clan that controls fire.
That was Obito's family.
The dam of memory broke at that moment. He saw the boy who always wore goggles, the 'dead last' who was always late but always talked about 'comrades,' the best friend who entrusted his eye to him beneath a giant boulder.
"Kakashi, you have to become my eye and help me see the future."
Obito...
If you were still alive, what would you say seeing me now? Seeing Sensei now? Would you call me out to my face as a failure? Or would you be like that Masked Man said—completely despairing of this hypocritical world?
Kakashi's fingers trembled slightly, instinctively reaching for the left eye covered by his headband. For some reason, that eye was throbbing with pain right now.
I failed to protect Rin. Now, I can't even tell if Sensei has betrayed us. I don't deserve this eye.
"Who goes there?"
A low inquiry broke Kakashi's train of thought.
The gates of the Uchiha Compound were open. A squad of Uchiha clansmen in Police Force uniforms stood ready. The middle-aged man leading them had his arms crossed, a serious expression on his face and deep, piercing eyes.
The head of the Uchiha Clan, Fugaku Uchiha.
Fugaku's gaze passed over the Anbu in front and landed directly on the silver-haired youth at the back. He recognized this boy: Kakashi Hatake, the Fourth Hokage's most trusted disciple, and the outsider who had inherited a clansman's eye.
Fugaku's expression clouded with complexity. The moment the alarm sounded tonight, he had gathered the clan's elites. He was waiting.
He was waiting for Minato's order.
On a night six months ago, Jiraiya—the Hokage's teacher—had arrived carrying a secret missive from the Hokage, hoping Fugaku would assist at a critical moment. Fugaku understood that if he executed the tasks Minato had arranged, then under Minato's influence, the Uchiha's situation in Konoha would surely improve.
Thus, he had waited until now. By today, he had a premonition that perhaps the time had come. Fugaku had kept that promise in his heart. Tonight was the time to fulfill it.
Seeing Kakashi appear with the Anbu, a flicker of hope flashed in Fugaku's eyes. Since it was Kakashi, perhaps the Hokage's deployment order had finally arrived. Fugaku strode forward, ignoring the wary looks of the surrounding Anbu, and stopped directly in front of Kakashi.
"Kakashi." He spoke in a low voice, his tone carrying a rare sense of urgency and gravity. "What are the Lord Hokage's arrangements?"
Kakashi stared blankly at the dignified clan head.
Arrangements? What arrangements?
Kakashi was still immersed in the pain of feeling abandoned by his teacher. Seeing that Kakashi didn't speak, Fugaku assumed he was wary of the surrounding eyes. He lowered his voice, his tone even more earnest.
"The Uchiha Clan is fully assembled and willing to lay down our lives for the village. As long as the Lord Hokage gives the word, no matter who the enemy is, the Uchiha's blade will clear the path for him."
Fugaku stared intently at Kakashi's visible eye, waiting for the long-anticipated command. He was waiting for a "Please, Uchiha, enter the battle." He was waiting for the opportunity for the Uchiha to truly integrate into Konoha.
However, the only response was silence. A deathly silence.
Kakashi's mind was a complete blank. He knew nothing of any promise. He only found it ironic.
The Uchiha are willing to sacrifice everything? But that mysterious Masked Man who attacked the village possessed the Sharingan! And right now, I don't even know where Sensei is.
Kakashi opened his mouth, but no sound came out. What could he say? That they had been abandoned? That Sensei's fate was unknown?
As he looked into Kakashi's hollow, confused, and even slightly despairing eye, the light in Fugaku's eyes faded bit by bit.
Is that so? It's still not time?
Seeing this, the Anbu member next to him stepped forward to block Kakashi and shook his head at Fugaku.
"My apologies, Clan Head Fugaku," the Anbu's voice was cold and hard. "We have received no special instructions regarding the Uchiha. Our current mission is to reinforce patrols within the village. Please return inside."
These words were like a bucket of ice water, dousing the last spark in Fugaku's heart.
Is it happening again? Even at a time like this, Konoha still doesn't need the Uchiha's strength? Was the so-called promise just a joke?
Fugaku's body swayed slightly. He looked at Kakashi, who still had his head down and looked like a shell of a man, and a deep sense of disappointment welled up in his heart. Even Minato's most trusted disciple had this attitude.
It seemed that promise was, after all, just his own wishful thinking.
"...I understand." Fugaku closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and gave his response. "In that case, the Uchiha will strictly adhere to our duties as the Police Force and guard this area."
He turned around, his back looking exceptionally lonely.
"We're leaving," he waved to the clansmen behind him.
The hot-blooded young Uchiha glared indignantly at the Anbu, veins popping on the hands gripping their weapons. But under their leader's command, they could only grit their teeth and retreat into the depths of the compound.
"Let's go, Kakashi." An Anbu colleague patted Kakashi on the shoulder.
Kakashi took one last look at that Uchiha Crest. He didn't know what he had just missed. He only felt like a wandering spirit, drifting through this wind-blown and rain-swept night.
Obito... if you were still here, what would you do?
The Anbu squad led Kakashi away, disappearing at the end of the street. Only the gates of the Uchiha Compound remained, creaking softly in the night wind like a helpless sigh.