By the time Kakashi left the hospital, he couldn't even recall how he got out.
His mind was a complete mess, utterly jumbled, tangled in confusion.
In just two short days, after participating in two so-called "small experiments," Kakashi felt as though his very perception of reality had started to shift.
The first experiment had shown him that a falsehood didn't need to be true to become accepted, just repeated by enough people. If enough voices agreed, a lie could become truth.
So then, wouldn't the reverse also be true?
Could something right be twisted into something wrong?
And today, the second experiment, Kei had deliberately chosen a father and son. Wasn't that clearly intended to stir up memories he'd tried so hard to suppress?
Worse yet, that father's choice had left Kakashi speechless.
He had seen, from another angle, what a father's love could look like, how deep it could run.
So then…
Was his father's suicide really just an act of weakness?
Could it have been… something else?
Kakashi didn't dare let that thought continue. He was afraid that if he followed it to its end, the entire foundation of his beliefs would collapse.
What terrified him most was that Kei seemed to see straight into his heart, drawing out memories he had buried long ago with just a few subtle setups. And worst of all, he had no choice but to face them.
He'd been observing Kei in secret all this time. His initial assessment? A competent psychologist with a warm and approachable smile.
But now… he realized how wrong he'd been.
That kind smile, was the most terrifying thing about him.
Somewhere deep within a nameless forest, Kei sensed that Kakashi was still shaken and said, "Get it together. This is just the beginning. We've got many more places to visit."
Kakashi's heart clenched instinctively.
If yesterday's events made him cautious around Kei… then today's made him want to run.
If he continued like this, he felt he'd go insane.
But he had no choice.
He feared having his worldview shattered, yet, somehow, he also craved the truth buried within.
The contradiction gnawed at him.
In the end, after much internal struggle, he quietly accepted Kei's next arrangement.
Kei, for his part, didn't proceed with a third experiment just yet. The impact from the first two was already sufficient. What mattered now was deepening the impression.
Psychological treatment was never instantaneous, it required repetition, reinforcement, and time.
Just like forging steel: tempered again and again before it becomes a finished blade.
And so, over the following weeks, Kei took Kakashi from one small town to another throughout the Land of Fire. Each time, they visited the local hospital.
And each time, Kei would find cases like the father and son they saw earlier, forcing Kakashi to confront the same scenario over and over again.
And each time, the answer was always the same.
Eventually, Kakashi stopped speaking entirely.
The first few times, he could convince himself they were outliers. But the more cases he witnessed, the more that lie crumbled.
Nearly a month passed.
Kakashi had long since lost count of how many hospitals they'd visited.
And finally, when Kei instructed him to head to the next town, Kakashi couldn't suppress it anymore.
His voice trembled as he said, "Enough. That's enough…"
He couldn't walk into another hospital.
Every time he saw those parents choosing to suffer for their children, it felt like he was seeing his own father.
The man who had chosen death over betrayal.
The man he had always thought of as weak.
"…I thought you'd last longer, Kakashi," Kei said quietly.
Kakashi turned away, unable to look Kei in the eye. "What do you want from me?" he asked bitterly. "Do you need to drag me into hell before you're satisfied?"
Sensing the emotion in Kakashi's voice, Kei gently shook his head.
"I just want you to understand something very simple."
"Kakashi… I truly want you to escape the prison you've built around yourself."
"No matter what choice your father, Sakumo Hatake, made… believe this. He loved you."
"He was a hero of the village. He gave everything for the true Will of Fire. A man like that… could never be weak."
Kakashi stared at the ground, unwilling to lift his gaze. As if the fallen leaves were more bearable than Kei's words.
But Kei didn't mind.
He continued, "Did your father really make the wrong choice that day? Was abandoning the mission to save his comrades truly a mistake?"
"Kakashi, what you saw was everyone pointing fingers at him. But did you ever consider… that someone may have manipulated public opinion? Just like I made you do."
"Did he really take his own life because he couldn't bear the villagers' scorn? Or was there another kind of pressure?"
Kakashi remained silent, hoping silence would shield him.
But Kei pressed on.
"You're wrong. Your father didn't take his life because he couldn't endure the villagers' condemnation."
"He did it for you."
"He was afraid that his 'mistake' would bring shame upon you, that you'd be mocked, ostracized, pressured. So he made a choice… for your sake."
Kei's words struck like needles, piercing straight into Kakashi's soul.
His legs gave out slightly, he nearly collapsed.
"Stop it… just stop talking!"
Kakashi's voice cracked into a hoarse shout, trying to silence him.
But he didn't realize his eyes were already brimming with tears.
Kei stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Kakashi… stop holding it all in."
"If you're angry, cry. If you're hurt, cry. If you feel wronged, let it out."
"You don't need to carry everything alone. Just cry. Once you're done, everything will feel lighter."
"I believe your father, in the Pure Land, would much rather see you cry now than stay silent forever…"
Kei walked away, leaving Kakashi alone in the forest.
Only by stepping away could he allow Kakashi to finally remove the mask he'd worn for so long.
Kakashi had carried too much for too long.
And this, this was the release he needed most.
In the quiet woods, the faint sound of sobbing began to rise.
It wasn't loud.
But it echoed.
And it didn't stop.
Kakashi howled in grief as though pouring out every drop of sorrow in his heart.
Kei listened from afar and knew, this therapy was nearly complete.
Some might say crying is a sign of weakness.
But to a psychologist… it's one of the purest, most honest expressions of emotion.
After all, the first sound we ever make in this world, is a cry.
Crying is how we purge ourselves.
It helps us cleanse the toxins in our hearts, our minds, and even our bodies.
And for Kakashi, this emotional detox was more powerful than any medicine.
More healing than any bond.
More liberating than any speech.
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200 P.S = 1 Extra Chapters