Chapter 606: Reuniting Kakashi and Yamato

[Yamato: Medium Bullying Value.]

[As someone who inherited the First Hokage’s Wood Release kekkei genkai, Yamato failed to inherit the First Hokage’s bond-type spirit and instead somehow inherited the Uchiha clan’s furry-loving tendencies.]

[Even possessing Wood Release wasn’t enough for Yamato. He also wanted to invoke Uzumaki Mito’s legacy and claim his beloved Nine-Tails.]

[However, Yamato once accidentally discovered Uzumaki Mito enjoying one of Konoha’s local “specialties.” He secretly followed her afterward, intending to eliminate his romantic rival, only to discover that the other person was Kakashi.]

[To make Yamato keep the secret, Kakashi offered him one favor. Yamato refused.]

[Unfortunately, that refusal exposed the fact that Yamato wasn’t a bond-type shinobi and had failed to inherit the First Hokage’s true will. Kakashi immediately turned the situation around and blackmailed him instead.]

[If Kakashi reported the truth to Danzō, Danzō would undoubtedly dispatch four enormously imposing specialists to “correct” Yamato’s distorted ideology.]

[With no other choice, Yamato and Kakashi ended up mutually restraining one another, each holding the other’s secret. Thus began their tangled relationship of fate.]

[However, Yamato copied the Uchiha’s furry-loving tendencies without inheriting their natural kindness. He did inherit something from the First Hokage after all—his willingness to use any means necessary.]

[Yamato secretly leaked the fact that Kakashi had once performed under the alias Doll Boy. As a result, Kakashi was forced back into his old line of work and had to continue entertaining elderly women just to keep the secret contained.]

[Yamato then deliberately allowed this information to reach Uzumaki Mito. Believing Kakashi had never truly changed, Mito severed all ties with him.]

[But Yamato still wasn’t finished.]

[To completely destroy Kakashi, he quietly encouraged the villagers to bully Kakashi’s father, the White Fang of Konoha, eventually driving Sakumo to his death.]

[Yamato planned to exploit Kakashi’s vulnerable state, approach him while he was emotionally shattered, and gradually drag him into depravity.]

[Unfortunately, right at that moment, Danzō ordered Yamato to assassinate the Third Hokage.]

[If Yamato refused, Danzō would have reason to question his loyalty. But if he accepted, Yamato’s peaceful life would be shattered and he would lose his chance to continue approaching Kakashi.]

[With no alternative, Yamato accepted the mission.]

[Yet during the assassination attempt, the naturally wicked Yamato pretended to be moved by the Third Hokage’s words and switched sides at lightning speed.]

[After transferring from Root’s darkness into the Third Hokage’s direct command and becoming Kakashi’s colleague, Yamato had no choice but to suppress his true nature and work hard at pretending to be a normal person.]

[He could only watch helplessly as Uzumaki Mito passed the jinchūriki legacy onward.]

[Today, Yamato received reports from concerned villagers that Uzumaki Naruto, the Nine-Tails jinchūriki, had gone insane.]

[That news finally broke Yamato’s restraint.]

[This was the perfect opportunity. No matter what, he intended to use it to obtain the Nine-Tails!]

[Recommended punishment: Enter Sage Mode and permanently destroy Yamato’s vulnerable area.]

“Whoa.”

Naruto stared at the enormous wall of text.

“That’s a lot of information.”

Makoto’s profile had been short and simple, but the moment Naruto encountered Yamato, the system suddenly dumped an entire biography on him.

Still, the more Naruto thought about it, the more impressed he became.

This ability was incredible.

He wouldn’t even need to keep sneaking into the archives anymore.

The information in the archives might be false, incomplete, or deliberately altered, but anything displayed by the system had to be reliable.

‘Captain Yamato…’

Naruto stared at him through the wooden bars.

‘I never knew you and Kakashi-sensei had this kind of relationship in this world.’

Then Naruto began thinking.

There had to be a reason the mission specifically recommended using Sage Mode to break out of the Four-Pillar Prison.

Naruto could obviously escape using Nine-Tails Chakra Mode too.

Wood Release might naturally suppress Tailed Beast chakra, but the sheer difference in power was too great for Yamato to restrain him.

Well—

Naruto wasn’t technically a perfect jinchūriki.

He was the Tailed Beast itself.

Either way, his stats were far beyond anything Yamato’s Wood Release could suppress.

So why insist on Sage Mode?

The answer was obvious.

It was to keep Yamato from enjoying himself.

Yamato had been obsessed with the Nine-Tails for years, enduring humiliation and pretending to be a decent person all for the sake of one day obtaining it.

If Naruto used Nine-Tails chakra against him, wouldn’t that be giving Yamato exactly what he wanted?

That logic made perfect sense.

Which was precisely why Naruto decided not to listen to the system.

Naruto had always believed that people should be changed through love, understanding, and compassion.

How could he use such a cruel method?

If Naruto transformed into his Nine-Tails form and earned Yamato’s affection, wouldn’t that bring them closer together and give Yamato a chance to understand him, reform, and return to the right path?

More importantly—

Naruto also needed to reconcile this world’s Yamato and Kakashi.

He remembered what Kakashi had told him before he entered Engraved Tsukuyomi.

This illusionary world wasn’t merely a game.

It was also supposed to train Naruto’s ability to handle difficult situations, giving him valuable experience for the day he eventually became Hokage.

And wasn’t helping Kakashi and Yamato repair their broken relationship exactly the kind of complicated problem a future Hokage should know how to solve?

Naruto suddenly felt the enormous weight of responsibility on his shoulders.

He took a deep breath.

Golden Nine-Tails chakra erupted around him.

Fox ears appeared.

Tails unfurled.

Naruto transformed once again into his fox-like feminine form.

Yamato’s eyes widened.

His entire body trembled.

Even the hand seal maintaining the Four-Pillar Prison shook for an instant, causing the wooden structure itself to wobble.

Naruto immediately seized the opening.

One golden chakra claw smashed straight through the prison.

Another wrapped around Yamato and lifted him into the air.

“So this is…”

Yamato closed his eyes.

“The power of the Nine-Tails…”

“Ah…”

He stopped struggling altogether and simply enjoyed the sensation.

Naruto said nothing.

Still holding Yamato in the giant golden fox claw, he sprinted straight toward Kakashi’s house.

…

Kakashi was exhausted.

He had only just survived Neji’s attempt to use him in the scheme against Naruto, Orochimaru’s coercion into helping with the Konoha Restoration Plan, and Kushina’s subsequent investigation into the conspiracy.

Physically and mentally drained, Kakashi had absolutely no desire to participate in another chaotic gathering anytime soon.

Nor did he dare openly test Kushina’s authority again so soon.

Unfortunately, without those usual outlets for his emotions, Kakashi had begun sinking into depression.

At that moment, he wished more than anything that the Sage of Six Paths would descend from heaven and bestow upon him one enormous muscular man.

“Kakashi-sensei!”

Naruto’s cheerful voice suddenly came from outside.

“Open up! I brought you a present!”

“?”

Kakashi opened the door.

There stood fox-like Naruto—

Holding Yamato in one giant golden chakra claw.

Kakashi stared.

“What exactly is this?”

“Captain Yamato got drunk because he was miserable and finally opened his heart to me.”

Naruto spoke with complete sincerity.

“He admitted that he’s actually been in love with you for years, Kakashi-sensei.”

“He just never had the courage to confess.”

Kakashi’s visible eye widened.

Naruto, having witnessed far too much absurdity inside Engraved Tsukuyomi, could now fabricate nonsense without even pausing.

“He also said he couldn’t bring himself to betray his original dream.”

Naruto continued solemnly.

“He’s always had feelings for the Nine-Tails too, so he’s been suppressing his feelings for you all this time because he didn’t want to betray that attachment.”

Kakashi swallowed.

“And now?”

“No!”

Yamato immediately began struggling.

“He’s lying! Kakashi, order Naruto to let me go right now!”

Then Yamato hesitated.

“Wait, no. Don’t let me go. I mean—”

His words dissolved as another wave of Nine-Tails chakra surrounded him.

Yamato’s expression immediately softened again.

“…Ah.”

Kakashi nodded thoughtfully.

“Looks like Yamato really is drunk.”

“He’s already talking complete nonsense.”

“Kakashi-sensei.”

Naruto lowered Yamato toward him.

“I’ll leave Captain Yamato with you.”

Then Naruto reached out and patted Kakashi on the shoulder.

Scarlet Nine-Tails chakra immediately flared around Kakashi’s body.

Yamato’s expression changed dramatically.

Naruto wasn’t planning to—

For Yamato, who had suppressed himself for so many years, Nine-Tails chakra might as well have been the strongest drug imaginable.

He had absolutely no resistance to it.

Naruto copied what he had done during the Fourth Shinobi World War, transferring Nine-Tails chakra to Kakashi so that, in Yamato’s eyes, Kakashi suddenly became irresistibly appealing as well.

Kakashi himself was baffled.

He might once have been a bond-type shinobi, but after the previous incident, he and Guy had already converted into furry enthusiasts.

Yet something strange happened the moment Nine-Tails chakra enveloped him.

It was almost like someone had placed a filter over Kakashi’s eyes.

Suddenly, everyone looked furry enough.

Which meant—

He could accept Yamato too.

“Naruto…”

Kakashi swallowed.

“What exactly are you trying to do here?”

He couldn’t tell what Naruto’s intentions were.

Had Kushina secretly sent him to test whether they had truly reformed?

“On my way home, Captain Yamato suddenly jumped out and restrained me with Wood Release.”

Naruto put on an earnest expression.

“After I broke free, I realized he’s under so much stress that he’s already starting to lose his mind.”

“If this keeps going, Captain Yamato is seriously going to snap.”

Naruto looked pleadingly at Kakashi.

“Kakashi-sensei, I’m counting on you. Help Captain Yamato relax properly.”

“Then what’s the Nine-Tails chakra for?”

“Part of Captain Yamato’s job is suppressing jinchūriki if they ever lose control.”

Naruto sighed dramatically.

“He’s spent day and night worrying about Tailed Beast chakra for so long that he’s become obsessed with it.”

“At this point, you can’t even approach him without some Tailed Beast chakra on you, or he’ll fight like his life depends on it.”

Naruto deliberately concealed the truth that Yamato was actually a furry-loving shinobi.

Deep down, he sincerely hoped Kakashi could correct Yamato’s personality and guide him back toward the proper Will of Fire—

Meaning, naturally, that Yamato would become a bond-type shinobi again.

After explaining everything, Naruto casually raised one hand.

The Nine-Tails chakra around Kakashi disappeared.

Kakashi immediately understood and reached toward Yamato.

“Kakashi, what are you doing?!”

Yamato bared his teeth.

“Get away from me! I’m not the one who’s insane—Naruto is! Let me go!”

He snapped viciously at Kakashi’s hand, forcing Kakashi to jerk it back.

Naruto silently transferred Nine-Tails chakra to Kakashi again.

Kakashi reached out once more.

Yamato, who had been practically hissing at him a moment earlier, immediately narrowed his eyes in bliss and leaned into Kakashi’s hand.

The experiment had produced an obvious result.

Naruto had clearly been telling the truth.

Kakashi nodded.

“All right, Naruto.”

“Leave Yamato to me.”

“No! NOOO!”

Kakashi hoisted Yamato over his shoulder and carried him inside.

Yamato’s despairing cries echoed through the house.

Naruto, meanwhile, watched them go with a deeply satisfied smile.

“So this is what it feels like to do the right thing, bear all the blame, and remain misunderstood…”

He sighed contentedly.

“This feels amazing!”

Whether Naruto had awakened some strange new personality trait was anyone’s guess.

He resumed his journey home.

Then—

[Penalty applied: Your equipment has gained permanent Kamui intangibility.]

Naruto: “?”

The previous punishment had merely reduced its size.

Naruto hadn’t cared much about that.

Even if the penalty stacked repeatedly, worst-case scenario, he would simply end up permanently female. That still wouldn’t interfere with Sage Mode.

But what the hell did permanent Kamui intangibility mean?!

Naruto hurriedly checked.

Sure enough—

He could still see it.

But he couldn’t touch it.

“How am I supposed to enter Sage Mode now?!”

Wasn’t this basically the same as sealing one of his abilities?!

Naruto’s face collapsed.

Even so, he didn’t regret his decision.

“Who cares!”

“Even without Sage Mode, I can still clear this game!”

Naruto pumped himself up.

…

Meanwhile, in another Engraved Tsukuyomi beginner world—

Obito, still playing as Kakashi, had finally managed to pierce Rin through the heart.

He threw his head back and sighed in relief.

At last.

He had completed the final beginner quest—Kill your rival.

And by “rival,” Obito naturally meant the person competing with him for Kakashi.

Since Rin had previously become the Three-Tails jinchūriki and gone berserk, killing her should also have earned him the villagers’ approval.

He was finally going to escape this damned illusion.

There had been countless moments when Obito wondered how much longer he would have to endure.

But now—

Freedom was finally within reach!

Except…

Quest evaluation failed.

The villagers of Konoha responded with ruthless clarity:

‘When did you develop the illusion that saving the village and pleasing us would make us stop bullying you and recognize you?’

The White Fang of Konoha had been a war hero.

He had still been bullied to death.

Uzumaki Naruto would someday save the entire shinobi world during the Fourth Shinobi World War.

His son and daughter would still be bullied.

Uchiha Sasuke would become Naruto’s Supporting Shadow, the man behind the Hokage, and another savior of the shinobi world.

His wife and daughter would still be bullied too.

And you?

Uchiha Obito?

You killed one Three-Tails jinchūriki with your own hands.

What made you think that was enough to earn our recognition?

“…”

After learning the truth, Obito desperately wanted to curse someone out.

If he had known this earlier, then during the Night of the Nine-Tails, he should have controlled Kurama and fired a few Tailed Beast Bombs into Konoha first.

This village really should have been destroyed.

Just as Obito sank into despair, the system produced another notification.

[Dead-end save detected.]

[Restart the cycle?]

Obito’s eyes lit up.

He got another chance?!

‘If I can start again, I’ll take back everything!’

“Yes!”

“This time I’m playing as myself!”

“Kakashi’s character is way too damn difficult!”

Without hesitation, Obito selected Yes.

Except—

What Obito entered wasn’t another copy of his beginner world.

He was transferred directly into the Engraved Tsukuyomi world Naruto was currently playing in.

Makoto had personally adjusted the settings after noticing that Obito’s scenario was nearing its end.

It was also the perfect opportunity to test Engraved Tsukuyomi’s multiplayer functionality.

From the Jinman series to the Limited Tsukuyomi series, Makoto had never considered himself particularly questionable.

He was always willing to learn.

He remained humble.

In his previous world, even the final great Go master had once made bizarre short-form videos and earned the joke that—

“He can beat anyone at playing Go, but not at getting on top of Go.”

And what did “getting on top of Go” mean?

Exactly what it sounded like.

The female leads in those videos were literally Go boards.

There had been equally absurd literature during the Ming and Qing dynasties.

One old novel, The Jade Toad Record, even featured a reincarnated Yu Qian marrying gender-swapped versions of the twelve treacherous officials responsible for his death.

So Makoto had never believed there was anything particularly wrong with him.

He had merely made a tiny contribution to the field.

For example—

That penalty giving Naruto’s “equipment” permanent Kamui intangibility?

That had actually been Makoto using his administrator privileges to give Naruto’s guidance process a tiny helping hand.

And it wasn’t only about guiding Naruto.

Because—

“What is this place?”

Obito entered Naruto’s Engraved Tsukuyomi world and quickly inspected his situation.

Then his face lit up.

“This is perfect!”

“This time, I’m definitely getting out!”

His circumstances in this world were almost better than in reality.

Akatsuki was still effectively under his influence.

They were still people whose goals aligned with his own.

He retained the same Kamui intangibility he possessed in the real world—

And on top of that, this version of Obito had gained an additional ability.

Obito couldn’t care less about this world’s nonsense claiming that all Uchiha were naturally kindhearted.

What interested him was the Uchiha clan’s Fourth Power, something beyond Susanoo, their so-called third power.

For example, the Uchiha Madara whom Obito had spent so long impersonating possessed Back to Basics, an ability that massively strengthened all his ordinary techniques while preventing him from using his unique Mangekyō ability.

Obito personally believed his own Fourth Power was even better.

Whenever he entered the Kamui dimension, all of his attributes received an enormous boost.

And if he killed an enemy inside the Kamui dimension—

He could permanently absorb a portion of that enemy’s abilities.

There was only one flaw.

This world’s version of Obito had apparently turned into an absurdly kindhearted do-gooder immediately after awakening his Mangekyō Sharingan.

He had never killed anyone afterward.

“What’s that?”

Obito happily entered the Kamui dimension to look around.

Then he stopped.

Something strange was floating in midair.

It looked suspiciously like… someone’s “dick.”