The Story of Hagami III [Naruto Fanfic | Uchiha] [Completed]

40.1 | Reason

Part II

Before Hagami could draw her hand back, Sasuke grabbed her shoulder with his right hand and then wrapped his other arm around her from behind and suddenly drew her off her feet. Hagami's eyes widened as she saw something begin to warp space around and then spit out another shinobi. Sasuke held her protectively, knowing that the shinobi may not know, or forgot in his rattled state, that Hagami wasn't an enemy anymore.

The shinobi that appeared placed a hand roughly on Obito's chest to hold him in place, his other hand drawn back like a viper with a kunai as its fangs. Hagami recognized the shinobi immediately.

Kakashi. Flashed briefly in Hagami's mind.

"I'll explain everything later." Kakashi said in a hasty tone. "I apologize for appearing so suddenly, but I was once his classmate and friend, so please let me take responsibility for him."

His grip tightened around the hilt of the kunai and he drew his arm back farther.

"Kakashi-Sensei!" Naruto shrilled as Kakashi brought his hand down. But, for the second time a sharp weapon neared his face by centimeters or inches, it was stopped. A hand cloaked in Kurama's chakra stopped Kakashi in his tracks.

"Kakashi, wait." Minato ordered without sparing him a glance. "...Obito, when we had that chakra tug-o-war just now, I got to see inside your heart. It seems like my son nagged and lectured you quite a bit. I think he might have gotten that from his mother.

"But that duty actually falls...on you." Minato looked at Kakashi, to which he looked up but then turned away. "I think the one who truly understands Obito and should talk to him...is you, his friend, Kakashi." Minato addressed him as the anger and betrayal in Kakashi's eyes began to fade.

"Isn't that right, Naruto?" Minato asked as Sasuke released Hagami; the latter wasn't going to lose her again. Without so much as an answer, Minato, Kakashi, and even Obito knew that Minato was right. "Naruto, you two and the Allied Shinobi Force should go and help Lord First, and seal Madara away." He suggested after confirming the answer between a silent conversation between eyes.

"Oh, right! We still need to deal with him!" Naruto exclaimed in realization. "Let's go, Sasuke!"

"I think you were younger than Naruto is now." Minato chuckled to himself. "Do you remember?" Minato asked Kakashi as Sasuke left. However, Hagami hung back, knowing that she couldn't very well assist Naruto and Sasuke in their fight against Madara when she herself barely lasted five minutes. "All the missions that the four of us went on?

"As a Medical Ninja, Rin did her utmost to protect you two. She would never have wished for a situation like this." Minato drew in a breath as he remembered the days where they're all together, "But what caused this is my responsibility." Minato let go of Kakashi's wrist as his arm slackened. Both Kakashi and Obito had a soft spot for Rin and nothing could change that.

"It's not coincidence that I, who should be dead, am standing before you two like this." Minato continued. "Perhaps it was Rin who made it happen, as a way of scolding me for failing as your teacher.

"I'm sorry I couldn't protect Rin." Minato's voice was laced with remorse and Hagami kept her distance, knowing this was a moment that was best left alone.

"Rin..." Kakashi trailed off. He swore to protect her, and ended up being the end instead. To this day, it still haunted him.

"Rin was my only light and hope." Obito murmured. "After I lost Rin..the world as I saw it, changed. It became a pitch black Hell. There's no hope in this world. I took Madara's identity and walked the world. But all it did was confirm my belief." Obito drew in a sharp breath, partially because Kakashi was crushing his diaphragm. "Even with my Sharingan, I couldn't see anything... Or rather, there was nothing to see."

"I don't know anything for sure either..." Kakashi admitted and Obito's breath hitched; he had always known Kakashi to know everything and even Minato seemed slightly shocked.

"Then...my new path is--"

"Without a doubt, your path is just one of many." Kakashi interrupted Obito, an old habit. "And it may not actually be wrong either." Obito's eyes widened slightly when he saw the vulnerability in Kakashi's face. "I've thought this world was Hell too. I thought that you had died...and right after that, I lost Rin. And I lost Minato-Sensei as well.

"But...even though I don't know anything for sure, I tried my best to see the world with this eye." Kakashi referred to the Sharingan he had received from Obito many years ago. "I felt that as long as I had your Sharingan and words...I could see it, and what you saw in Naruto."

"How can you be sure his path won't fail?" Obito asked defiantly and Kakashi got to his feet.

"No, he may very well fail too. Of course." Contrary to what Obito was thinking, he expected some snarky saying from Kakashi instead of being agreed with.

"How is Naruto different from me?" Obito asked. "Why do you go so far for him?"

"Because I can say without hesitation that he is less likely to fail than the current you." Kakashi responded simply.

"Why is that?!" Obito demanded as he began regaining his strength.

"Because if he trips and stumbles on his path, I'll help him." Kakashi answered.

"But...why would you help him?" Obito asked as Kakashi's words drove him deeper into more questions than answers. Kakashi didn't answer right away, but instead turned to Hagami and then turned to the top of the Divine Tree.

"He would never give up on his dreams, or on reality." Kakashi finally said. "That's the kind of guy he is. And the way he forges ahead draws others toward him. He makes you want to reach out when he's about to stumble. And the greater the support behind you, the closer you can get to your goal. That's the difference." Despite there being parallels, Naruto's light in his heart is what set him from Obito apart.

"Do you really believe such a thing is possible in this pitch black Hell?" Obito asked; he was striving for an answer, something to bring him out of the Hell inside his own head.

"I'm sure you could've seen it too, if you had tried." Kakashi assured. "After all, you and i have the same eyes. If comrades that you trust gather around you, hope can take physical form and become visible. That's what I believe, Obito."

Shisui landed beside Hagami as Kakashi finished speaking to Obito.

"We should head out. Most of the Allied Shinobi Force has mobilized in the direction Lord First and Madara are fighting at. We should see if we should lend a hand because I know Sasuke's heading directly over there while Naruto is about to launch a massive Rasengan in that general direction." Shisui explained.

"Ah, let's go then." Hagami nodded and the two of them turned heel.