Disposal
As Kakashi prepared for a death match, Chi Yu and Minato Namikaze arrived on the battlefield.
Seeing the Sharingan in Kakashi's left eye, Chi Yu sighed inwardly.
Although Kakashi was currently far stronger than he had been in the original timeline, Chi Yu's non-intervention had still led to Kakashi's left eye being injured and replaced with Uchiha Obito's Sharingan.
Chi Yu had once assumed that if the timeline shifted, Obito's Sharingan might end up with someone else—perhaps Takei Katsuhiko. But now it was clear: even without interference, fate had a stubborn way of circling back to its original path.
The man Chi Yu held by the shoulder, an Iwagakure ninja named Sumashi, trembled violently.
"Blood-Eyed Shura… Yellow Flash... Weren't you both supposed to be at the front lines?!"
Minato offered a faint smile. "We were. But the fifty Iwa-nin there were too weak. Not enough to kill time. So now… it's your turn."
Chi Yu twisted Sumashi's neck with a single motion.
In a blur of movement—flashes too fast for most to follow—Chi Yu reappeared again and again, and within less than a minute, every Iwagakure shinobi on the field lay dead.
Chi Yu approached Kakashi, who stood silently, head bowed.
"I'm sorry, Chi Yu-sensei…" Kakashi muttered.
"Why apologize?" Chi Yu asked, his tone flat.
Kakashi covered his newly implanted eye, voice low and strained.
"I… I was too weak."
Chi Yu knelt before him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Then grow stronger. You think an apology is enough to change what's happened? The only person you owe anything to is yourself. Ask yourself—have you lived up to your own expectations?"
Kakashi inhaled deeply, steadying his heart.
"Chi Yu-sensei, I'm going to find Takei Katsuhiko and bring him back."
Chi Yu frowned. "Takei… Katsuhiko? Who?"
"Oh. Right. Minato's subordinate," he recalled. Clearly, the name hadn't left an impression. To Chi Yu, unimportant people were just that—forgettable.
Kakashi clenched his fists. "He's the one who caused Obito to be crushed. I told him to apologize, but he said he never asked Obito to save him—said it wasn't his fault. But it was him. He begged for help!"
Kakashi's voice trembled, his mind flashing back to his father, Sakumo Hatake.
Sakumo had once saved a comrade who'd begged for his life—and that same man had later turned his back on him. Betrayal had killed Sakumo more surely than any blade.
Chi Yu placed a hand on Kakashi's head. "Your chakra is almost depleted. You need to focus on regenerating it. Since your Sharingan is transplanted, you won't be able to deactivate it—at least, not yet. It'll constantly drain your chakra and wear you down."
He rose to his feet. "I'll bring you that bastard."
And with that, Chi Yu vanished.
---
Elsewhere, Minato Namikaze had learned the full situation from Rin Nohara.
He let out a weary sigh. "This… is going to be a problem later."
Using advanced sensory techniques—notably a variation of Observation Haki—Chi Yu quickly located Takei Katsuhiko.
The moment Katsuhiko saw him, a chill raced up his spine.
He knew exactly how grave his actions had been.
Leaking intel. Leading a teammate to death.
Falling into Chi Yu's hands was no different from receiving a death sentence.
Before he could flee or even speak, Chi Yu appeared before him and kicked him squarely in the head, knocking him out cold. Without ceremony, he slung the man over his shoulder and returned to Kakashi.
---
Chi Yu threw Takei Katsuhiko at Kakashi's feet.
Katsuhiko groaned as he hit the ground, pain waking him from unconsciousness. His eyes widened in terror as he looked up at Chi Yu—and then at Kakashi.
Before Chi Yu could speak, Minato Namikaze Shunshined to his side.
"Chi Yu," Minato said, voice firm, "he's my subordinate. Let me handle this."
Chi Yu didn't even glance at him. "Kakashi's the captain. As such, the authority is his. He can punish his subordinate however he sees fit—including execution."
Minato's expression darkened. "Chi Yu! He's my subordinate. I'll take full responsibility and ensure Kakashi receives justice!"
Chi Yu looked sideways at Minato, voice laced with disdain. "You said Kakashi was team leader. Leaders deal with their own men. Don't contradict yourself."
Takei Katsuhiko began to sob, crawling to Minato and grabbing the hem of his pants.
"Minato-sensei, I was wrong! I didn't mean to—I was just scared! I'll accept any punishment, please don't let them kill me!"
Seeing that Chi Yu wouldn't budge, Minato turned to Kakashi, hoping to appeal to his emotions.
Kakashi rose to his feet.
He looked at Minato, face blank and empty.
"When the cave collapsed," he began, voice steady, "this guy begged us to help him. I refused. The situation was too dangerous—we'd all die if we tried."
"But Obito said… 'I won't abandon my comrades.'"
"He went. No hesitation. He found Katsuhiko, untied him. Tried to help him escape."
Kakashi's voice wavered.
"And Katsuhiko… pushed him to the ground and ran."
Silence.
"Obito threw me to safety. But he stayed behind."
Kakashi clenched his jaw.
"I asked him, 'Why would you save someone like that?' You know what he said?"
Kakashi's lips quivered, and he repeated the words.
'Because he's a comrade.'
Kakashi turned to Minato. "Is that a comrade to you?"
Minato stared at Katsuhiko, face tight with restrained emotion.
Katsuhiko clutched at him, sobbing. "Minato-sensei, I didn't mean to! I was just afraid!"
Minato said quietly, "Kakashi… hand him over to me. I promise you, I'll see to it he receives the most severe punishment allowed by our laws."
Kakashi stared at Katsuhiko, unblinking.
"I didn't plan to kill him at first. If he'd just apologized to Obito—even once—I would've let it go. But he said, 'It wasn't my fault. Obito chose to save me.'"
Kakashi stepped closer. "That kind of person? He'll stab anyone in the back the moment things go south. People like that don't deserve comrades."
He turned his eyes to Minato.
"You said he'll receive the most severe punishment? Fine. But tell me—will that punishment kill him?"
Minato had no answer.
Katsuhiko stared at Kakashi, face pale, disbelief and fear freezing him in place.
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