"Kakashi, Kakashi~"
A soft voice called out, echoing faintly in his ears. Kakashi stirred, his eyelids fluttering open. The first thing he saw was Rin's lovely smiling face hovering above him.
"Rin? Why are you here?" he asked, blinking sleepily.
"This is my home," Rin replied, her voice sweet and a little shy. "After you passed out yesterday, Sister Tsunade sent us back. Since there was no one to take care of you at your place... well..."
Her cheeks flushed pink, her expression a mixture of embarrassment and quiet happiness.
Kakashi looked around and finally noticed the unfamiliar surroundings. The room was small but incredibly tidy, filled with warmth and care. He was lying on a delicate, soft bed with a pink quilt covering him—clearly a girl's room.
"I, um, slept with my mother last night," Rin said, quickly noticing his surprised look. "I didn't want to leave you alone, so I stayed close just in case."
She looked away guiltily, clearly trying to hide the fact that she had spent a long time watching over him before going to bed.
"Sister Tsunade also said she'd arrange some time off from school for us," she added. "She wants us to focus on our training, so we're supposed to meet her at the usual place at 8:30 today."
"Alright," Kakashi said, beginning to sit up. "Let's head out then."
Gurgle~
Right on cue, his stomach let out a loud growl. Kakashi rubbed his belly with an awkward look on his face.
Rin couldn't help but burst into laughter. "My mom left us some food before going out. Let's eat first. You need energy to train properly!"
---
After a hearty breakfast, the two stepped out of the house, walking side by side. Just as they reached the gate, they saw Obito waiting there.
"Kakashi? What are you doing here?" Obito asked, surprised to see him.
Yesterday after school, Obito had discovered that the Rin he spoke to had actually been a Shadow Clone. Puzzled and slightly anxious, he had come over early this morning to find out where she had gone. He hadn't expected Kakashi to be with her.
Rin took the initiative to explain everything that had happened the day before.
When Obito learned that Rin hadn't been attending school and had instead been training with Kakashi every day, a wave of disappointment washed over him. Though he quickly masked it with a forced smile, Kakashi still caught the flicker of sadness in his eyes.
"Obito," Kakashi said, "our training usually ends later than school. Why don't you come to the Konoha Forest after school and walk back with us? That way, we can all go home together."
"Yeah, Obito, come and pick us up!" Rin added cheerfully. "It feels weird not walking home together."
"Ahem—well, since Rin asked, I guess I can take a few extra steps," Obito muttered, turning his head to hide his embarrassment. But despite his awkward tone, his expression noticeably brightened.
---
That evening, deep within the Konoha Forest, Tsunade and Shizune had already left after finishing the day's training. Only Kakashi and Rin remained, continuing to practice under the fading light.
Suddenly, Kakashi paused, his expression turning serious. He had just received a signal from one of his Shadow Clones—Obito was approximately one kilometer away and closing in fast.
"Rin," Kakashi said solemnly, "do you trust me?"
Without hesitation, Rin nodded. "Uh-huh."
"Then… I'm sorry. I'll explain everything later."
Before she could react, Kakashi delivered a precise chop to the back of her neck, knocking her unconscious. He gently laid her on the grass.
Working quickly, he summoned a Shadow Clone and covered it with animal blood he'd collected earlier during a mission. The clone took Rin's side and lay down as if dead. Meanwhile, Kakashi used a Transformation Jutsu to disguise himself as a rogue ninja.
Good. If I time this right, it should work perfectly.
He placed his chakra-infused hands over Rin's heart, carefully memorizing her cardiac rhythm and chakra flow for his plan.
---
Meanwhile, Obito, still brooding about being left out of Rin's training, was trudging along the forest path when he caught sight of a horrifying scene up ahead.
Rin lay unconscious on the ground, and a strange ninja had his hands pressed against her chest!
Kakashi's body, drenched in blood, was sprawled lifelessly beside them.
"You bastard!" Obito roared. "Let her go! What the hell have you done?!"
A surge of fury exploded within him. His vision turned red, and without thinking, he lunged at the rogue ninja, kunai in hand, fueled by blinding rage.
But the enemy was prepared.
Bang!
The rebel ninja caught Obito's arm mid-swing, then kneed him hard in the stomach, lifting him off the ground. With a swift follow-up, he delivered a sidekick to Obito's head, sending him crashing into a tree.
Obito collapsed in a heap, his whole body trembling with pain. But even through the agony, his eyes burned with hatred as he glared at the ninja.
"Hehehe, what a great expression," the rogue ninja sneered. "Let me guess—these two are your precious friends, huh? Or maybe… you like the girl?"
He smirked wickedly. "Tell you what. I'll kill her first—then I'll deal with you."
With a cruel laugh, he raised his kunai and plunged it into Rin's chest.
Blood splattered everywhere.
"No!!" Obito screamed, the agony in his voice echoing through the forest.
"I'LL KILL YOU!!!"
Suddenly, a powerful surge of chakra erupted from within him. Despite his injuries, Obito shot to his feet and dashed forward with incredible speed.
Bang!
His kunai stabbed straight into the enemy's chest. The rebel ninja disappeared in a puff of smoke—it had been a clone!
Obito immediately positioned himself in front of Rin, shielding her with his body. Clutching the kunai tightly, he scanned the area for the next attack.
Tears streamed down his cheeks, and his arms shook violently, but he stood firm—determined to protect her no matter what.
---
"Ugh… Kakashi, why did you hit me?" Rin groaned, slowly sitting up and rubbing her neck.
"Eh? Obito? What are you doing?" she asked, startled to see him standing protectively in front of her.
"Ahem~ Yo, Obito. Good evening," came a familiar voice.
Kakashi stood up from where he had been "dead," waving with a smile.
He had switched places with his clone during the final moment and simply pretended to be dead.
Of course, there was no blood on him—the biggest giveaway—but thankfully, the enraged Obito hadn't noticed.
Obito looked utterly stunned. "What... what the hell is going on here?!"
"To put it simply, I asked Rin to help me act out a scene," Kakashi explained casually. "Of course, Rin didn't know she was part of the act. I had to knock her out first."
"WHAT?! Kakashi!" Rin shouted. "Why didn't you tell me?! You even knocked me out?! Do you really think my acting is that bad?!"
Before Kakashi could respond, Bang!
Obito's fist connected hard with Kakashi's face, sending him stumbling.
"Acting? You call that acting?!" Obito yelled, voice breaking. "You knocked Rin out and made me think you were dead! Do you know how terrified I was?!"
Tears streamed freely from his eyes now, falling silently to the ground.
Kakashi didn't fight back. He rubbed his cheek and sighed. "I'm sorry, Obito. I made you go through that. But… didn't you notice? Your eyes have changed."
Obito froze.
"What do you mean?" Rin asked, stepping closer.
"It's true!" she exclaimed, peering into Obito's eyes. "Your Sharingan… Two Tomoe! Congratulations, Obito!"
"I… I awakened it?" Obito stammered, taking a step back in disbelief.
Kakashi nodded. "Yes. Strong emotions—grief, rage, love—they can trigger the Uchiha bloodline. That's what I was counting on."
He paused for a moment, then added seriously, "You've always dreamed of awakening your Sharingan. You protect your eyes carefully, wear those goggles all the time, even use eye drops religiously… but in the end, it wasn't care or patience that opened them. It was your heart."
The Sharingan—an ability so few Uchiha ever awakened—had finally manifested in Obito's eyes.
Kakashi had staged the entire scene to bring it out.
---
"Well," Kakashi said with a grin, "mission accomplished. Come on, I'll treat you both to some barbecue to make up for it. And we'll celebrate Obito's eye-opening too."
"Yes! And you still owe me an explanation for what happened after I passed out!" Rin said, glaring at Kakashi.
"Later, later~" Kakashi said nonchalantly. "Obito won't mind, right?"
"Shut up, you bastard!" Obito growled, but there was no real anger behind his words anymore.
As the three of them walked toward the village, the stars above sparkled like scattered dreams.
And within Obito's eyes, a new power had truly awakened.