Naruto: The Nine-Tails' Legacy

For no apparent reason, Kakashi Hatake suddenly thought of a former teammate from his ANBU days—

Itachi Uchiha.

That boy, younger than even Kakashi himself, had constantly received praise from their comrades after joining ANBU.

But what Kakashi saw was something entirely different—

A burden and anguish that absolutely did not belong on a child's face.

Back then, as ANBU captain, Kakashi had once been asked a question by Itachi.

That day, Itachi leaned quietly against a tree trunk.

He wasn't wearing his mask.

Looking toward Kakashi, who was also taking a brief rest nearby, he asked softly:

"Senpai... your Sharingan was entrusted to you by a friend, right?"

"Then... must a friend's wishes always be fulfilled?"

Kakashi instantly understood who Itachi meant—

Shisui Uchiha.

His eye... was in Itachi's possession?

Years of ANBU experience allowed Kakashi to realize the truth almost immediately.

Yet before he could continue questioning him, Itachi had already closed himself off, unwilling to say anything further.

The boy's departing back then...

Had looked as though he were silently accusing himself for accomplishing nothing.

Although Kakashi had already left ANBU now, as an elite Jonin, he naturally understood the growing conflict between the Uchiha Clan and Konoha's upper leadership.

As members of the Uchiha Clan—

Both Itachi and Shisui had faced the exact same dilemma.

The choice between clan...

And village.

Had Itachi found his answer?

And what choice had he made?

Kakashi stood there silently for a long while.

Then he suddenly rose to his feet, entered the bathroom, splashed cold water across his face, and forcibly gathered himself together.

Without changing out of his black shinobi attire, he left home once more.

He did not head toward the Hokage Building.

Instead, beneath the night sky, he walked alone.

Along the way, Kakashi encountered no one.

Or rather—

He deliberately avoided everyone.

Eventually, he arrived at Konoha's memorial cemetery.

Staring at the massive stone monument standing at the center, he lowered his head.

This was the Memorial Stone engraved with the names of shinobi who died as heroes.

Those who had fallen during the Great Ninja Wars.

Those who sacrificed themselves protecting the village.

Kakashi's gaze stopped upon several names he had already looked at countless times before.

Obito Uchiha.

Minato Namikaze.

Kushina Uzumaki.

As he stared at those names, another figure surfaced in his memory.

Someone whose name was not engraved upon this monument.

His father—

Sakumo Hatake.

That lonely yet magnificent back.

During a mission long ago, Sakumo too had once faced an impossible choice—

Should a shinobi prioritize the mission and the village?

Or abandon the mission to save his comrades?

He chose his comrades.

And the result of that choice...

Was something Kakashi could never forget.

"Your father violated the rules as a shinobi!"

"He abandoned the mission to save his teammates! He doesn't deserve to be called a ninja!"

"The White Fang of Konoha discarded the village's honor!"

"He... he probably couldn't endure the pressure anymore. That's why he committed suicide."

The voices of countless people echoed in Kakashi's memories.

Back then, still just a child, Kakashi had stared in disbelief at his father's corpse hanging lifeless within their home.

The cruel reality seemed to tell him only one thing—

For a shinobi, there was only one correct answer.

The village came first.

But then—

Another image appeared.

A boy wearing goggles grabbed Kakashi fiercely by the collar.

His soul burned with blazing passion.

His gaze was incomparably resolute.

The boy roared at the wavering Kakashi—

As though he were shouting directly at the present-day Kakashi himself.

"Kakashi, remember this!"

"In the ninja world, those who break the rules are trash!"

That young voice thundered like a bell striking the soul.

"But..."

"Those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash!"

At some point, a gentle drizzle began falling from the sky.

Rainwater soaked Kakashi's silver hair.

He reached up and touched the forehead protector covering his left eye.

Beneath it—

The Sharingan seemed to pulse softly, as though trying to tell him something.

Gradually, Kakashi's expression softened.

Shinobi.

Village.

Comrades.

Sensei.

Everything that had once plunged Kakashi into despair and self-blame echoed repeatedly within his mind.

And finally—

He understood.

"Father... Obito..."

"You were right."

"This time... I won't regret my choice."

Kakashi had made his decision.

The seal upon his neck quietly vanished, as though it had never existed in the first place.

Yet he failed to notice it entirely.

Still standing before the Memorial Stone, he quietly voiced his resolve:

"This time... I will protect Naruto."

"And I'll protect the village as well."

"I'll shoulder this responsibility."

"If the Nine-Tails truly threatens the village someday..."

"Minato-sensei..."

"This time... let me take your place."

A subtle transformation appeared within his eyes.

At this very moment—

The fate of Kakashi Hatake, the prodigy who had set Konoha's historical records for fastest promotion to Chunin and Jonin, began to change completely.

Meanwhile—

Inside the Hokage's office, the Third Hokage looked toward the silent figures of Danzo Shimura and the two Konoha advisers.

Their expressions stood in stark contrast to his own.

The Third radiated confidence and composure.

Meanwhile, the other three looked gloomy enough for water to drip from their faces.

Just as the Third had predicted, they had received news almost immediately regarding the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki being attacked—

And escaping completely unharmed.

More importantly—

Within the intelligence reports, all of them had recognized the identity of the attacker.

Though none dared say it aloud.

Because every one of their informants had delivered the same decisive conclusion:

Kakashi Hatake had fought seriously.

That result left Homura Mitokado and the others speechless.

And looking at the smug expression upon Hiruzen Sarutobi's face, they could not help recalling—

The last time this old man wore such an irritating expression...

Was when Minato Namikaze had been officially selected as the Fourth Hokage.

"Well then."

The Third wasted no time while the others remained silent.

"Regarding the proposal to remove the village restrictions placed upon the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, Naruto Uzumaki—"

"To end his full-time surveillance and permit him to study village ninjutsu."

He looked toward everyone present.

"Any objections?"

Konoha adviser Homura Mitokado seemed ready to argue further—

But upon seeing Danzo remain completely silent, clearly acquiescing, he ultimately swallowed his words.

Because within the shinobi world—

Strength was true authority.

A six-year-old genius capable of escaping unharmed from the full-force assassination attempt of a former ANBU captain—

Without even using the power of the tailed beast inside him.

That level of talent and ability, combined with his identity as the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, was enough to leave everyone speechless.

After all—

Even the previous Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, Kushina Uzumaki, had still struggled to properly control the Nine-Tails' power well into adulthood.

Yet despite the mutual influence between the Nine-Tails' chakra and Naruto's own chakra...

The boy still displayed such monstrous capability.

It even made them begin questioning just how profound the Fourth Hokage's sealing techniques truly were.

At that same moment—

The Nine-Tails, currently watching Naruto asleep and painfully struggling through lessons within his dreams, suddenly sensed the disappearance of the seal.

The beast paused briefly.

Then let out a faint, nearly imperceptible chuckle.

"Faster than I expected."

"Well done."

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