Chapter 80. Let Go
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The scene froze with Kakashi and Obito standing face-to-face, their cheeks nearly touching, each of their right hands brushing past the other's ear.
At the last moment, Kakashi made the best decision possible—truly living up to his reputation as Konoha's genius. As for Obito… in the end, he gave up as well.
The two stood still, staring at each other.
Minato entered the "dance floor," visibly relieved. Smiling faintly at Rin, he said, "You're all tired, right? Head back and rest."
With that, Kakashi retracted his hand, placed his arms behind his head, and walked away with an impassive expression. Rin hesitated briefly before bowing slightly to Minato. She then glanced at Obito, who stood frozen in place, bowed again, and whispered, "Sorry."
Then, she turned and left.
Obito remained standing, unmoving, and resolute.
[They truly have grown, haven't they?] Minato thought with satisfaction, nodding as he patted Obito's shoulder. Though he wasn't entirely sure what had transpired, it didn't seem to be a big deal.
"Obito…"
Just as he began to speak, Minato froze.
He looked at Obito's face, his lips twitching in disbelief, unsure of what to say.
At that moment—
Obito: (益)
Tears and snot streamed down his face as he stood there, biting his lower lip, silently staring toward the door.
Yuto, having wrapped up some other tasks, sighed and walked over to Obito. Patting him on the shoulder, he said, "Don't be sad. How about your teacher, Minato, takes you out for some fun? Dad will cover the cost!"
Minato awkwardly chuckled, shaking his head. "Yuto, I have no idea what you're talking about. It's late—where exactly would we go for fun?"
Honestly, he didn't know.
Obito glared at Yuto. "Leave me alone!"
His sobbing made the words barely understandable.
Yuto immediately caught on, giving Obito another pat on the shoulder. "Looks like your teacher's busy tonight. Don't worry—Dad here will take you out instead!"
Obito: (▼皿▼#)
"GET LOST!"
Before Obito could respond further—
"Yuto, where are you planning to go for fun?"
A soft, gentle voice chimed in behind him.
Yuto froze, shivering slightly.
Turning slowly, he saw Suzune standing there, smiling sweetly with her eyes curved into crescents.
Why is Suzune here?!
Quickly, he forced a grin. "Oh, I was talking about going for some barbecue! Just barbecue, I swear!"
Honestly! No lies here! He suddenly just felt like having barbecue.
Meanwhile, in the shadows—
"Did he just… get dumped?"
"Yeah, dumped."
"Already? That fast?"
"Yep, that fast."
An old woman watched the scene in silence, her expression one of utter disbelief. Just days ago, she had personally sown the seeds of love. How had it unraveled so quickly?
"Should we report this to Madara-sama?"
"And what's with that Uchiha Yuto again? He keeps popping up everywhere!"
"Forget it, let's leave. You'd better keep trying, kid!"
With a ripple of the ground, a few figures vanished quietly, unnoticed by anyone.
The old woman, however, returned to her cheerful demeanor, hands clasped behind her back as she strolled away.
…
The next day.
The "dance-battle" incident spread like wildfire, becoming the talk of the town.
Particularly among the older generation, the tales grew more extravagant with each retelling.
It was said that night there were flashes of lightning, thunderous roars, and the clash of dragons and tigers—an utterly thrilling spectacle.
As a result, many discovered a newfound appreciation for the excitement the dance hall could offer.
Thrilling!
Exciting!
However, due to damages, the hall would be closed for repairs for several days.
Today, the weather is pleasant.
Yuto, having enjoyed a rare chance to sleep in, finally got up.
The Uchiha clan had recently received orders from the Third Hokage to prepare for deployment to the battlefield. At the same time, Konoha's police duties couldn't be neglected.
The clan was busy reorganizing its missions. This meant that Fugaku had no time to look after little Itachi, who was instead sent off with the Chief Elder to learn dancing.
After freshening up, Yuto headed toward the Uchiha district. He didn't bring Suzune along today; after all, conversations about war were no place for her to get involved.
Yawning as he strolled through the quiet streets, most shops were empty, with little business to speak of.
The atmosphere was undeniably bleak. Yuto shook his head, sighing at the sight. Then he froze, staring ahead at two familiar figures locked in an intense stare-off.
Muttering to himself, he said, "What now? Thinking about fighting again?"
…
Kakashi walked idly with his hands behind his head.
With the dance hall closed today and no desire to train in the back mountain, he found himself wandering the streets out of boredom.
Besides, he was set to leave for a mission in a few days, so he considered this a chance to relax.
Even now, he couldn't quite figure out what had happened yesterday.
Why had that idiot gotten so angry out of nowhere?
In the end, everything had ended in a confusing blur.
Kakashi walked at a leisurely pace. Since his father's death, moments like these—calm and aimless—had become rare.
"Things feel a bit bleak," he muttered to himself before continuing on.
Suddenly—
"Ahhh! Kakashi! Let's spar! I've gotten stronger!"
A voice so dramatic it made his eye twitch rang out.
"You truly are my lifelong rival! You've already become a Jonin so quickly!"
Kakashi raised his head, expressionless, to see a figure in green spandex, a flashing grin, and a thumbs-up.
"I'm not interested."
All he wanted today was to rest.
"Don't bother Kakashi," Kurenai interjected with a helpless smile as she glanced at him.
"We heard about yesterday—it sounded pretty intense."
"Asuma sighed wistfully. "You even dared to provoke Obito-sama. Ever since Guy ended up in the hospital, even I—the Third Hokage's son—bow and scrape in front of him now."
Especially given Obito's active presence on the battlefield.
His accomplishments were… impressive.
Not that Asuma feared him, of course—just that camaraderie between comrades in the same village should be prioritized.
"Hahaha!" Guy's expression froze for a moment before he placed his hands on his hips and burst out laughing.
"This is youth!"
[No, no, no! It's not!]
Everyone else shook their heads in unison.
Also…
Guy, your laugh just now was a little stiff.
"So, what exactly happened?" Asuma asked curiously as he walked up to Kakashi and lowered his voice.
"Why was there a dance-battle? I've been to that hall once since returning. It's full of grannies—pretty hard on the eyes!"
The only remotely pleasant sights were the chubby little kid and the adorable girl behind the dance floor. Believe it or not!
"…Nothing much," Kakashi said, shaking his head. "Just a little sparring."
"Brave of you! You're still up for sparring? Hey, I've got these custom Land of Rain boxers—unused. Buy four, get one free, and I've got an extra."
"I've already got some," Kakashi replied, shooting Asuma a strange look.
"Of course! They're selling like hotcakes! And you're on the same team as Obito—why wouldn't you be prepared? Anyway, we're back, so how about a round of milk tea at Yuto's? My treat—extra taro balls to celebrate your promotion to Jonin! Don't worry, your Uncle Asuma will catch up in no time!"
But before he could finish, Kurenai twisted his ear with an exasperated smile. "Is that really how you celebrate?" she asked before hesitating. "By the way… Obito, he…"
"???"
Everyone turned their heads curiously and saw the figure of Obito walking alone, hands in his pockets.
Yet, as he passed elderly villagers, his cheerful grin and willingness to help were evident.
Asuma and Kurenai sighed in admiration.
"Classic Obito."
But when they turned back around—
"Where's Kakashi?"
Realizing something, they turned back again—only to see Kakashi walking toward Obito.
Panic struck them.
"Oh no! Are they going to fight again?"
They quickly ran after him.
But at that moment—
"Here to make fun of me?"
"Yep."
"…"
Obito clenched his fists, glaring at Kakashi's impassive face.
This guy… was the second most annoying person after that jerk.
And since that jerk wasn't here, Obito hated Kakashi the most right now.
After a while, Obito crossed his arms, trying to act indifferent. Letting out a whistle, he looked away. "Fine, about last night… I'm sorry, okay?"
He understood now.
Ninjutsu was what really mattered.
As long as Rin was happy, it was fine.
Though… his heart still ached a little.
"???" Kakashi gave Obito a puzzled look but decided not to ask. Instead, he remained calm.
For a moment, they both stood silently, looking at each other.
The others, who had caught up, stared at the scene in confusion.
What were these two doing?
Couldn't they see all the people around them?
After what felt like ages, Kakashi finally said, "Want to spar again?"
"I'm busy today," Obito replied, surprised by the sudden question.
And again, they stood silently, gazing at each other.
The autumn wind rustled past them, carrying fallen leaves.
And then—
"Hahaha!" Obito suddenly clutched his stomach and laughed loudly.
Kakashi rolled his eyes in exasperation.
The scene left Asuma and the others utterly baffled.
"Hey! You two! Can't you see us standing here? This is gross—two grown men staring at each other like that!"
"Who's staring at him?! This poker-faced jerk!" Obito yelled indignantly.
Kakashi rolled his eyes again.
"Idiot."
"Damn you, Kakashi! Want me to send you to the hospital?"
"…Idiot."
The surrounding air filled with cheerful laughter.
From a distance, a tall figure observed the scene, shaking his head with a smile that only a proud father could wear.
He continued walking toward the Uchiha clan.
After three heartbreaks…
Maybe Obito had finally learned to let go… right?