Chapter Text
"Hey," Kakashi greeted his former teammate from the opposite side of the prison bars. He glanced at the hair that had once turned white after the Ten Tails was extracted from his body, now reverting to the black Uchiha color it originally was. This confirmed that Obito's body had recovered well thanks to the First Hokage's cells. "Naruto and the others tried to unmask me again, so I ended up being a bit late."
Obito didn't immediately turn at the sound, but he knew it was Kakashi. No one else would willingly visit a condemned prisoner like him. "I don't know the time. You could be hours late and I'd never know."
The sealing that suppressed his Sharingan had been removed for a while now. The guards deemed chakra restraining jutsus alone were secure enough. This allowed the dark obsidian eyes of the Uchiha to be visible—eyes he never thought he'd see again. Kakashi gazed at them for a moment before Obito's next words snapped him out of his reverie.
"And if Naruto and Sakura were serious, they'd have unmasked you a long time ago." The young jonin smiled faintly under his mask. There was no excuse for that claim. His former genin students had grown into war heroes, no longer the kids struggling to snatch a bell while he can read a novel.
And the man in front of him was one of the strongest Uchiha in the world, no longer the crybaby hero of the Kannabi Bridge. Kakashi had accepted that long ago.
"You’re really taking this chance to belittle me, huh?"
The young Jonin sat down, bringing his gaze level with the man on the other side of the bars. Obito still didn't turn to face him. Those gentle eyes were fixed on nothingness, under the dim light from the ceiling. This cell had no other light source, not even a small window for ventilation, as it was the deepest underground prison in Konoha.
"Maybe I can request a reconsideration of your cell…at least to have a window." Being reprimanded by the higher-ups would be a minor inconvenience if Obito wanted it. The Copy Ninja Hatake Kakashi, a ninja devoid of principles and admirers, could arrange that.
"No need. This cell suits me well. No—it's too good for me."
"Is that so..." The lump in Kakashi's chest ached slightly, blaming it more on the clash from yesterday's solo mission than Obito's demeanor.
Though Obito was one of the few he could truly call a friend, their nearly twenty-year separation had created a chasm too wide to bridge. Even after months since the end of the ninja war, Kakashi had to accept that they could never go back to what they once were.
Obito's hatred towards him was probably still immense, but because Obito was the kindest person than anyone, he overlooked that hatred to help the people trapped in the Infinite Tsukuyomi together with team 7.
Kakashi knew that the hatred remained. He sensed it and accepted it.
He lived to atone for everything. Obito lived to receive what he deserved.
That was how it would be.
"You don't have to visit so often, Kakashi, if all you're going to do is stare." The young jonin in uniform flinched, guessing that enough time had passed for Obito to grow annoyed. Obito’s voice was cold, leaving Kakashi at a loss for a response.
Kakashi remained silent. The man in the cell continued.
"I'm under constant watch here, and I guess you have plenty of S-rank missions to do rather than standing guard over a condemned prisoner like me."
It was all true. First, the deepest underground prison was well-guarded, secure enough that a prisoner couldn't think of escaping. Second, the ninja world was still far from peaceful, with S-rank missions lined up for him every day. Third, standing guard over a prisoner like Obito wasn't included in those missions. Yet Kakashi chose to lie with a straight face, as he often did.
"I...have free time."
Obito probably found that quite irritating, judging by the click of his tongue.
"You're a terrible liar."
Kakashi sighed softly and changed the subject. "Actually, I didn't just come to guard you. The Five Kage have ordered to start your trial and judgment."
The prisoner showed no surprise or interest.
"Oh..." Obito's indifferent response made Kakashi's heart feel even heavier.
Uchiha Obito was guilty as a war criminal, having taken countless lives. The man in front of him had killed his revered teacher, led the Akatsuki targeting his students as jinchūriki, led Sasuke into darkness, killed his comrade Asuma, destroyed Konoha, and even took his own life once.
Obito's crimes couldn't be easily erased, but it couldn't be denied that none of it would have happened if he had protected Rin that day.
If Kakashi had protected Nohara Rin.
Hadn't acted like scum by abandoning his comrades.
Hadn't been drowned by the hatred caused by his father's suicide.
Had truly accepted Obito and Rin as comrades, none of this would have happened.
"...I want you to tell the truth." Say that everything was his fault...
"Of course, I don't intend to make excuses."
"That's not what I meant, Obito."
Pitch-black eyes peered skeptically at his former teammate. As Obito looked deeper, he understood what Kakashi meant. The prisoner let out a dry laugh, recalling that night.
The Fourth Great Ninja War, when he was pulled from the Ten Tails by Kakashi’s students, and Kakashi emerged from Kamui’s dimension, holding a kunai. It would have pierced his throat if Minato—no, the Fourth Hokage—hadn't stopped him.
He thought he was prepared.
The Copy Ninja Hatake Kakashi, an elite jonin of Konoha, had taken countless lives... there should be no reason for him to look at Obito with such eyes.
Eyes filled with longing and sorrow, deeper he looked, the more he saw the severe cracks and the dark, cold hell within.
Obito didn't remember much, but all those titles indicated how well his teammate had fulfilled his role as the village's perfect tool.
Cold-hearted Kakashi, the one who killed comrades to complete missions. It was a cruel moniker, evidence of how deeply he had once sunk into darkness.
"No matter what I say, the final judgment won't change." Obito dismissed, dashing away futile hopes.
And within that haze, Kakashi's exhausted face smiled faintly.
"Konoha is in spring... I just wanted you to see it before the cherry blossoms wither."
"Then you should let go of that hope. It won't happen."
Obito had once planned to confess his love to Nohara Rin on that day… the first sign of spring, when the cherry blossoms were in full bloom. Those pink petals scattered with the wind of a new era.
But Rin was gone.
What worth would such things have now?
_____________________
"I still stand by my decision." The clear voice of the young jonin echoed through the conference room, making the elder council members of Konoha shake their heads in exasperation at the extreme conclusion. Homura's eyes showed clear disappointment, Tsunade, the current Hokage, looked troubled, and even Nara Shikamaru, the new Hokage advisor, appeared surprised, as if he couldn't believe his ears.
Hatake Kakashi, an elite jonin of Konoha, held significant sway in the high council as an advisor post-war and the next Hokage candidate. His opinions were highly regarded in many areas, from village restoration to inter-village relations post-war. But not in matters concerning the fate of a war criminal who took countless lives. Kakashi knew what he was up against. The silver-haired jonin sighed to ease the pressure from those gazes before explaining further.
"Obito has the potential to use Wood Style, which is crucial for the village's restoration and defense. The cells and chakra of the First Hokage in him are significant for medical advancements. Since he's shown no resistance to imprisonment since Kaguya's sealing, I believe we should utilize him as a key combat asset for Konoha. The ninja alliance lacks many capable of fighting threats like Otsutsuki Kaguya in the future."
Kakashi spoke candidly, but it wasn't enough to clear the doubts of the council members.
“What if he becomes a tool of the Otsutsuki again? We acknowledge his potential benefit to the village, but compared to his past crimes and the risk we must bear, it’s incomparable.” Homura argued, his tone serious and reprimanding.
“Moreover, other villages wouldn’t agree. He has caused immense suffering and remains too dangerous.”
That was an undeniable truth. Not that Obito was inherently dangerous, but that he had inflicted deep wounds on many, making it hard for the ninja world to accept him a second time. Nonetheless, it wasn’t entirely his former teammate's fault. Kakashi fell silent for a moment before bringing up a sensitive topic.
"He was manipulated by Madara and Otsutsuki Kaguya."
That pushed the patience of the Konoha elders to its limit.
"You're letting personal feelings interfere. Don’t you realize, boy? It's evident he wasn’t under a genjutsu!" Homura rebuked, exasperated.
"Obito was only twelve when he was saved by Uchiha Madara," Kakashi's fists clenched. He held firm to his beliefs, even though the ninja world never saw sending young ninjas to die on the battlefield as a problem.
"Madara, under Black Zetsu's influence, created situations to manipulate Obito into cooperation."
“What has happened to you, Hatake Kakashi? You were once known as someone who would kill his comrades to complete a mission, weren't you? Why are you still clinging to the past and betting the village's future on it?” The old moniker was brought up again, sending a wave of numbness through his chest. Tsunade cast a guilty look his way, but she couldn’t rebuke the two elder advisors of the Land of Fire.
But it was okay...he had grown numb to it. This wasn’t the first time, and it wouldn’t be the last as long as he still breathed. The name he had earned would forever remain a stigma, one he could never wash away.
“I have to admit that the origin of that name is related to Madara's plan,” the young Jonin replied in a calm voice.
Because of that title, Kakashi did everything he could to prevent it from happening again, even if it meant standing against the whole world.
No matter what, he wanted to...protect Uchiha Obito.
The last remaining teammate he had.
“I don't want to say this, but it’s a lesson from the world of ninjas that the previous generations have created. The last war forced children from the five great nations to bear hatred and face loss at a young age. You saw ninjas as emotionless tools whose only duty was to protect the village, sending them to die on the battlefield without considering that they were children who had feelings, were vulnerable, and easily influenced.
Like the events recorded in history, Madara lost his brother in the war and came to hate this world. That’s why he turned Obito into the same, to carry on his will. The world has never learned from past mistakes. We let these things happen repeatedly. Thus, we should bear these sins equally, not just Obito alone-” Before he could finish, one of the elder advisors interrupted, unable to listen any longer.
“Kakashi, do you realize what you are saying!” The young Jonin didn't know what expression to show or how to react. His coal-colored eyes, devoid of life like a fish that had died, stared flatly at the person in front of him. The demeanor of those in the meeting made him feel hopeless... The Land of Fire and the ninja world were still trapped in a never-ending cycle of hatred.
He didn't even have an apology for his antagonistic opinion because Kakashi remained adamant. “I am well aware, Lord Homura. I'm not asking you to lessen his punishment or set him free. Uchiha Obito will still be a war criminal. But I just want you to reconsider your verdict carefully...” His throat was dry. Kakashi swallowed his bitterness before continuing, “If the ninja world stubbornly insists on solving problems in the same way, as the First Hokage said, a new Madara will keep emerging from this cycle of hatred, and we might not have another chance to correct it-”
This time, it was Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage, who had been silent for a long time, who interrupted. “That’s enough, Kakashi.”
Though mixed with confusion, regret, and guilt, her eyes remained resolute as the village leader. No one dared to speak further. The room fell silent, with only Homura and Koharu's grim faces and his own expressionless one.
Kakashi the Cold-blooded...
“We will thoroughly interrogate him again and discuss it at the upcoming Five Kage Summit.”
“Tsunade-” The Hokage's decision was final, and no one could defy it. The two advisors could not object, even if they disagreed. The Konoha Council meeting on the matter of war criminal Uchiha Obito ended there.
“Kakashi, you may leave now.”
It ended with the heavy burden still weighing on his heart.
Until he was sure that Obito would be granted a new life, happiness as a ninja of Konohagakure.
No matter what it took, Kakashi was willing to give everything.
Even his own future.