Uchiha Kai narrowed his eyes.
Shisui's question had merit, and Kai silently pondered how best to phrase his answer to teach his clansman a lesson.
As for Obito?
Heh.
Before his descent into darkness, Obito was nothing but a goofball. Not worth engaging. The more you entertained him, the more insufferable he became.
After a moment's thought, Kai finally spoke.
"First, let me teach you a trick—the 'under the lamp' effect. Ever noticed how a lamp lights up the whole room, except for the tiny space directly above it?"
"It's the same principle. The most dangerous place… is often the safest."
"Imagine you're the enemy commander. You just found out a squad of ours slaughtered some shinobi near your base a couple hours ago. What would you think?"
"Logically, a small squad like ours wouldn't linger here if we had an important mission. Of course not. We'd keep moving forward."
"We know that. The enemy knows that."
"So what's the natural response of a commander? He'll send his scouts forward, expecting us to keep advancing."
"The further we go, the more dangerous it gets."
"And think about it—after a full day of marching and fighting, if we can't rest tonight, will we even have the energy to continue tomorrow? We're still three days away from Kannabi Bridge, even at today's pace. Do you really want to spend those three days being chased by enemy forces?"
"And even if we reached the bridge, exhausted and worn down, how would we complete the mission?"
"Of course, I won't deny—staying here is also risky. The enemy commander might consider the reverse strategy."
"But I don't fear it. Even if a jinchūriki shows up, I can still protect you. At worst, the mission fails."
"So, weighing it all, this path suits us best."
Kai's voice was calm and measured.
The fire crackled. The others sat in silence, staring at him, the orange glow dancing across their faces.
Shisui's eyes lit up in realization. He had to admit Kai's reasoning was sound. Under normal circumstances, deceiving the enemy wouldn't be too difficult—after all, not every village had a clan as sharp as the Nara.
Only Kakashi remained unconvinced.
His hand tightened around his father's blade, knuckles white. He hesitated, his lips trembling, then finally burst out:
"You admit there's still a chance of failure?"
"Yes, I won't deny it." Kai shrugged, giving him a curious look. He could already guess what Kakashi was about to say.
And indeed—
Kakashi snapped, his voice sharp with anger:
"A ninja's duty is the mission! How can you prioritize safety over success? If the mission fails, will you take responsibility?"
His voice rang through the quiet valley, so raw it startled the others.
Obito froze. As Kakashi's friend, he understood where this anger came from. But he didn't know how to comfort him.
Rin, too, was torn. Dealing with Obito was already stressful enough—now Kakashi was adding fuel to the fire. Helpless, she rose to grab Kakashi's arm.
But Kai's calm voice stopped her.
"Rin, no need."
He turned his gaze on Kakashi, unflinching.
"I'll tell you all this clearly—I am the leader of this squad. The one giving orders is me, Uchiha Kai. So if anything happens, of course I will take responsibility. This is my decision alone. You can place all the blame squarely on me."
Hiss—
Everyone froze at his words.
Especially Kakashi.
He stared at Kai's steady gaze, unable to understand why he would make such a choice. His chest tightened, his breath shallow. For a fleeting moment, Kakashi thought he saw a shadow of his father in Kai.
"Kai… don't say that!" His voice cracked. "If the village holds you accountable, I'll share the blame!"
"And I as well!" Shisui, Kazama, and Aya declared together.
Rin's eyes hardened as she added:
"Count me in too!"
Obito, deeply moved, raised his hand with sudden fire in his chest.
"Me too!"
The flames reflected in everyone's eyes, their determination clear.
Only Kakashi was left trembling, drenched in sweat.
This wasn't what he believed in.
Weren't shinobi supposed to put the mission above all else?
After all, his father had…
The thought overwhelmed him, his voice breaking into a hoarse cry:
"Why?"
"Kai, tell me—why would you make that choice?"
Silence.
Everyone knew what he was alluding to. The tragedy of Sakumo Hatake weighed heavy in their minds.
So none of them spoke. They all understood Kakashi's outburst.
Only Kai remained steady, his voice calm as he finally answered.
"Kakashi, I understand. I know your outburst stems from what happened to your father, Sakumo Hatake. So I won't hold it against you."
"Because Sakumo was a great shinobi. In my eyes, his character can only be compared to the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju."
"Hashirama was willing to let go of the Senju-Uchiha blood feud for the sake of the village. Before Konoha was founded, when he negotiated with Madara, Madara demanded he kill Tobirama—or take his own life—if he wanted Uchiha to join."
"And what did Hashirama do? He declared that the feud ended with him, and raised a kunai to his own throat. It was that resolve that finally moved Uchiha Madara. That's how the alliance was born. That's how Konoha came to be."
"Sakumo was the same. To prevent Konoha from tearing itself apart, he chose to sacrifice himself. I admire him for that."
"In the whole of Konoha, only Hashirama and Sakumo deserve to be called heroes. The rest? At best schemers and opportunists."
Kai's eyes glinted in the firelight, hard yet strangely sincere.
"But me? I'm not Sakumo. My skin's thicker than most."
"So don't worry. Even if the whole village claims I disgraced Konoha, I'll still stand under the Hokage Monument and shout to the world—'I don't give a damn! What can you do about it?'"
"I'm not even a shinobi. I'm a Uchiha elder, head of the Police Force—I'm just here to lend a hand. It's just a mission. If it fails, it fails. As long as my face is thick enough, no one can touch me!"
The fire popped, sending sparks into the night sky.
Everyone sat in silence, processing his words.
For the first time, Kakashi lowered his gaze. His hand trembled on the hilt of his father's blade, his chest heaving.
And yet, buried under his turmoil… a seed of doubt had been planted.
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