"How can there be a mission to kill a comrade in this world! That kind of order is simply wrong!"
Kakashi's voice was low, but it carried an undeniable truth.
A remained silent, but the other figure beside him spoke up.
"What right do you have to judge? You killed a comrade with your own hands! Or have you already forgotten Rin Nohara?"
The reply was ordinary in tone, but the weight of that name made it land like thunder.
The emotion that Kakashi kept buried deep within his heart exploded all at once.
"What do you know?! I never intended to kill her!"
Kakashi's roar took both of them by surprise. The always composed and aloof Copy Ninja — furious?
But anger often leads to mistakes, and they noticed it immediately.
The Root ninja turned to A and said, "A, now's our chance. He's open. We'll take him down together."
"Understood."
A replied calmly, but his heart wavered. Was Lord Danzo truly right?
Memories tumbled inside A's mind — from leaving Orochimaru's lab to his growth under Danzo's guidance. Faces, missions, doctrines — they all flickered by, and his expression turned conflicted.
The Root ninja didn't hesitate. He flung three shuriken into the air, forming hand seals rapidly.
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!"
With a sharp command, the three projectiles multiplied into dozens, hundreds — a storm of deadly steel aimed at Kakashi.
Too many... impossible to dodge completely!
But Kakashi's instincts hadn't dulled.
"Ninpo: Needle Jizo!"
His silver-white hair burst outward, wrapping around him like a protective cocoon. The barrage of shuriken clattered harmlessly against the spiky armor of chakra-hardened hair.
Jiraiya's defensive ninjutsu — now perfected by Kakashi.
The Root ninja's eyes widened. So that's where I've seen it before... But how did Kakashi—
He didn't get to finish the thought. Kakashi, seeing that negotiation would go nowhere while this one was still interfering, made his move.
Retracting the hair shield, he stepped forward — but another wooden stake rose from the ground, targeting his chest.
One slash from his chakra blade — the wood shattered like brittle glass.
Enough. One down first, Kakashi resolved.
With a burst of chakra, he vanished.
Both Root members tensed — too fast! They lost sight of him completely.
Three years of refining the Body Flicker Technique made Kakashi's speed almost match that of Shisui Uchiha — the famed Shunshin no Shisui.
Wait… Shisui's about twelve or thirteen now… probably just joining the ANBU, Kakashi's thoughts flickered.
He reappeared behind the Root ninja.
"You're in the way. Sleep."
"Huh?! When—?!"
Before he could react, Kakashi slammed the blunt side of his chakra blade into the back of his neck. Darkness.
The ninja collapsed.
Kakashi didn't kill him. He's still a comrade, a Konoha shinobi. It's Danzo who twisted things, not them.
"Senior! What did you do to him?!"
Jia's voice cracked as he saw his companion fall.
"It's nothing. He was being difficult. I made him rest. Don't worry. I won't harm a Konoha shinobi."
Jia's tension eased, though his mask made his expression unreadable.
A prepared to strike, but Kakashi appeared before him again — faster than sight. He caught A's hands mid-seal and locked eyes with him.
"A... are you really going through with this? After everything we've been through?"
"For a shinobi, the mission comes first!"
"Really? Then let me ask you: is there a mission to murder your own comrades? Missions can be abandoned. But comrades… without comrades, a ninja is worse than trash!"
His words struck deep.
Jia froze. His hands fell from the forming seal.
"Then why... why did you kill Rin Nohara?"
The name again. It always hurt.
"She… she jumped into my Chidori on purpose. She chose to die… so that the Three-Tails wouldn't be released in Konoha. I never wanted it to happen — but she made that decision. I was her friend… and she trusted me to end it."
Kakashi's voice was calm, but his trembling hands betrayed him. These weren't just his memories — they were also his original self's pain, passed down and merged with his own. Kakashi today was a fusion of past and present — and he felt every scar.
A stared at him. That wasn't the look of a man who could kill a comrade by choice. This wasn't a cold killer.
He slowly lowered his hands.
Kakashi let go and said quietly, "I don't want to raise my blade against you. Wood Release is precious to Konoha — not just for power, but for what it symbolizes. You could do more good working directly under Lord Hokage than buried in Root. Think about it. He'd accept you."
Jia didn't expect this. He was silent, unsure how to respond.
Kakashi saw that and didn't push.
"I've said what I needed to. That one's yours to deal with. I need to report back and complete my mission. I'll leave it at that."
He turned and began to walk away.
Jia stared at his back. For the first time, he questioned everything.
"Was… was Lord Danzo really wrong? What is a comrade? What does it mean… to protect them?"
He whispered aloud, "Xuejian… you used to talk about this. If you're still out there, what would you say?"
But Xuejian's fate was still unknown — lost somewhere beyond the borders, maybe in Jinren Village, maybe nowhere at all.
No answers came.
Jia sighed, his head aching with thought. He looked at the unconscious Root operative beside him.
"…Let's return. Some things… only Lord Danzo can answer."
He lifted the fallen ninja and headed back to Konoha — but this time, something in him had changed.
The Root and the Village… they were no longer the same in his eyes.
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