"Let's go, as well."
The Third Hokage rose to his feet. Since Amegakure insisted on standing firm, he had no reason to keep arguing. Even among allies, some friction was unavoidable—he certainly wasn't going to have Konoha subsidize others.
Originally, this was mostly about discussions with the Land of Wind; the civil war–ridden Amegakure could go home and sleep for all he cared. If words wouldn't work, then conflict would have to settle things.
Chiriku (the monk) looked rather helpless. He stood and said, "Lord Hanzō…"—but Link didn't hear how the Fire Temple head tried to calm Hanzō. Exiting the conference hall alongside the others, Link discreetly sent his shadows to keep watch in the vicinity.
He had zero faith in the Fire Temple. A group of ninja monks that had been slaughtered by Kakuzu and Hidan couldn't possibly fend off the Akatsuki. Since he was already suspicious about the real identity of this "Hanzō," he needed to be on guard.
None of the monks inside noticed the shadows. They swiftly infiltrated the entire conference building.
No abnormalities, Link noted with some relief. Together with Kakashi, he escorted the Third Hokage back to the hot-spring inn—after that, they could move about freely.
Whatever the Third Hokage and the old monk Bansai discussed in private, neither Link nor Kakashi were invited. Most likely it involved personal matters. Bansai had quite a good relationship with Asuma, and Chiriku was Asuma's close friend. As Asuma's father, Sarutobi Hiruzen naturally had his own private topics to talk about.
With free time on his hands, Hatake Kakashi slipped off somewhere unknown. But Link stayed on alert, sitting on a bench near the entrance of the inn, continually dispatching shadows to patrol. Meanwhile, he mentally reviewed the medical books he'd read in the past.
Tap.
A footstep echoed, alerting the shadows that someone was drawing near. Link turned his head, hands already weaving seals with Mystical Palm Jutsu in an instant—summoning a clone.
Five "Eight Gates Shadows" formed Link's guard, primed to strike and enclose the newcomer.
"Gaara…" said Rasa, wearing civilian attire without his Kazekage hat. His voice was subdued. "Thank you for taking care of him."
Rising, Link answered, "You're too kind, Lord Fourth Kazekage. They are, after all, my subordinates."
Even if the Third Hokage defeated him easily, Rasa was indeed a Kage—his Body Flicker was extremely fast. Although Gaara was also a long-range "cannon" type, Rasa's physical prowess clearly surpassed his son's.
"No need to be tense." Rasa noticed immediately that Link had cast a jutsu, but calmly took a seat next to him. "This time, I'm here as a father. Please just call me Rasa."
"…"
Link couldn't think of a polite response. He simply couldn't muster any goodwill toward the man who had attempted to assassinate his own child six times. It was reminiscent of how he couldn't comprehend Itachi wiping out the entire Uchiha Clan for the village. If Rasa genuinely believed Gaara wasn't a suitable Jinchūriki, why torment him all these years instead of killing him outright?
Without understanding, and with no personal ties, Link found he had nothing to say.
"I'm…glad." Rasa's face showed no emotion, his tone even. "I'm glad Gaara was able to meet you."
Much like Sasori, he'd abandoned all unnecessary emotions long ago—for the sake of the village. Yet, as a flesh-and-blood human, he still felt exhaustion, pain, sorrow, and despair.
Gaara couldn't sleep because of Shukaku's presence.
Rasa couldn't sleep because of endless responsibilities.
"After each war ends, the members of an alliance start fighting over the spoils. Whichever village emerges the winner takes control of future power…"
Rasa suddenly shifted to another topic. "This time, Konoha won—so we lost everything."
"In truth, there's no such thing as 'trust' between villages—only raw self-interest. You—"
"Lord Fourth Kazekage." Kakashi was squatting under the nearby eave, tone unhurried. "Some life philosophies aren't exactly suited to lecturing the younger generation."
He hopped down and approached Link.
Rasa glanced over at him, then continued: "Gaara's seal will be undone. If he can't fully rein in his emotions, he'll die—just as before."
"That's the shinobi world."
Kakashi said nothing. He too had experienced war and understood that, ultimately, no trust existed between villages. Even treaties among allies often proved worthless in the end. The "Konoha Crush" was a brazen example.
"So, Rasa-san…" Link's expression stayed calm, eyes fixed on Rasa. "Are you here to warn me that my friend will die? Or to caution me against trusting Sunagakure?"
"…"
Rasa didn't reply. He trusted no one. This conversation shouldn't have occurred at all, and he himself barely knew why he was saying these things. Hearing Baki say Gaara was doing well, that Kankurō and Temari lived peacefully in Konoha—he'd bottled up a lot. Emotions he'd suppressed now spilled out unbidden.
"If you really are Gaara's father, then try trusting him." Link smiled. "Trust him, as his father."
"I believe he'll succeed—not just to keep living, but out of genuine faith."
"Rasa-ojisan."
At this sight, Kakashi's gaze softened slightly. No matter how dark the shinobi world might be—how cruel and merciless among adults—children remained the hope and warmth for the future.
"I understand." Rasa stood. His expression had never shifted once. After taking a few steps, he paused before moving on again, not looking back.
A father's trust, huh…? He seemed torn.
As Rasa left, Link sat down again and looked up at Kakashi, a more relaxed grin on his face. "So…how was I? Didn't what I just said sound cool?"
"You little punk…" Kakashi joined him on the bench, chuckling. Sometimes, this kid seemed so mature; other times, he acted naive. Odd as it was, Kakashi didn't dislike it. A reliable junior gave him motivation, too.
"I've heard that those who serve as a Kage's guard often become Kage themselves," Link teased, raising an eyebrow. "So that'd make you my rival, Kakashi."
"I certainly won't hold back on you."
"Hmm, with your age, you're probably more likely to end up competing against Naruto," Kakashi replied lightly. "He's always yelling about becoming Hokage."
Their conversation had the comfortable feel of genuine friends.
Link spread his hands. "Do you really think Naruto could challenge me?"
"Don't underestimate him," Kakashi said with a squinty-eyed smile. "He might surprise you."
"Then let him beat Sasuke first, then come challenge me," Link quipped back, also grinning.
Pulling out Icha Icha Paradise, Kakashi smiled happily. "Getting to be Hokage…well, power alone isn't enough…"
~~~
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