Chapter 32: Which Is More Important? I Want Both!

Words : 1445 Updated : Sep 12th, 2025

Late update. My wi-fi was dying the entire day. "Kakashi, we finally have a hot spring with few people. Are you really not going to take a bath?" Yuhi Kurenai asked. Kakashi shook his head. Take a bath? It would delay his training! His mind was filled with thoughts of mastering the Rasengan, and he didn’t want to think about anything else until he succeeded.‎ Although he had made some progress, he was still far from fully mastering it. He needed to keep working hard! Kakashi held the ball in his hand, but soon, he couldn’t maintain it, and it quickly dissipated. He had learned it. But not completely. However, Kakashi had only been practicing for a few days, which was already a very fast learning speed. Kyohiko was watching from outside. Seeing this, he immediately walked in. "Let’s go together. The bathhouse is right next door, so we can keep an eye out in case of an attack." Kakashi hesitated for a moment and asked, "What about them?" He was referring to the two Kirigakure ninjas. Kyohiko said, "The teacher is keeping an eye on them. Don’t worry. Let’s go, relax, and chat. Maybe it’ll help you master it faster." With that, he didn’t give Kakashi a chance to refuse and went into the house. Kakashi hesitated but eventually followed. He grabbed his clothes and removed his mask. The two of them soaked in the hot spring attached to the inn, feeling the fatigue of the day melt away. But. Kakashi glanced over and couldn’t help but think about what had happened earlier. As Kyohiko and the others had said, many missions weren’t that important, and delaying them for a while wasn’t a big deal. But if Kyohiko had been like him in the past... He couldn’t have done what Kyohiko did. Who was right, and who was wrong? He didn’t have an answer in his heart and felt deeply confused. Leaning against the stone edge, Kakashi looked up at the starry sky and suddenly spoke. "Kyohiko." "Hmm?" Kyohiko was lying in the hot spring, his body relaxed, but his mind was always alert to the outside world. His chakra seeped out with the mist, scanning for any potential ambushes. When Kakashi spoke, he immediately focused. At this moment, Kakashi sat up straight. His face, without the mask, was handsome but filled with confusion. "I don’t know how to say this." "Just say what’s on your mind." "If you had to choose between the mission and your teammates, which would you choose?" Kakashi sounded casual, but his upright posture and tense expression showed he wasn’t as calm as he seemed. This question was a continuation of Hatake Sakumo’s suicide. Kyohiko had to take it seriously. He thought for a long time. He didn’t fully agree with Kakashi’s later life choices. There was a rustling sound from the next room. Clearly, Yuhi Kurenai was also curious and leaned in to listen. Kyohiko said, "I think there’s no standard answer to this question. As the Second Hokage once said, many things in the world don’t have clear-cut answers." "Why?" Kakashi was puzzled and even more shocked. Could this question really involve the Second Hokage? According to his past thinking, there was only one answer— the mission was more important! He had always lived by that. But. Recently, various events had gradually given him new perspectives, which clashed fiercely with his old beliefs. This was also the source of his inner turmoil. Kyohiko answered. "According to the Second Hokage, not everything is black and white. We should make different choices based on different situations. For example, for a mission like today, should I abandon my teammates?" "..." Yes. Kakashi thought to himself. From his perspective, people who weren’t helpful to the mission and were holding the team back were undoubtedly dead weight. Even if that person was himself now, he should be abandoned. "At the very least, we shouldn’t waste energy protecting him, right?" "Our team has the ability to do both. Why should we abandon him?" "..." Kakashi was stunned by the question. He pondered, recalling some of the minor conflicts that had occurred in the past two years since graduation. Yes. Why? He was immediately stumped by the question. Kakashi was speechless. Yuhi Kurenai next door was also puzzled by Kakashi’s thinking. Because Kyohiko’s decision seemed perfectly normal to her! Shouldn’t a ninja be like this? Kakashi was silent for a long time before saying, "Then when should the mission come first?" "If we’re on a mission to save more people, and we’re prepared to sacrifice from the start, then in a desperate situation where we can only choose one, I’ll prioritize the mission." Kyohiko leaned against the stone. Missions had priorities. White Fang’s decision had indeed been impulsive, but the subsequent public opinion backlash... Kyohiko didn’t believe there wasn’t more to it. Kakashi’s eyes dimmed. "So, it’s true that the mission should come first?" "???" Kyohiko tilted his head, looking confused. Did I just waste my breath? He fell silent. Kakashi had listened for a long time, but the last sentence seemed to have the most impact. Are you Yuan Shao or something? I give up! Kyohiko couldn’t comment on the "White Fang suicide" incident. Because the higher-ups had publicly stated that White Fang died on a mission, not by suicide. Senior ninjas naturally knew the truth, but Kyohiko wasn’t supposed to know. He could only remain silent. "Kakashi, you can’t be so stubborn!" Yuhi Kurenai called out from next door. Kakashi snapped out of it and, after a moment of confusion, remembered what Kyohiko had said earlier— this matter wasn’t absolute, and he shouldn’t go to extremes. He was silent for a long time before saying, "Let me tell you a story. Would you like to hear it?" "Of course." Kyohiko sat up straighter. Kakashi said, "Once upon a time, there was a samurai..." He wove the story of Hatake Sakumo into an early samurai tale and recounted it. Then, he cautiously asked, "Do you think this samurai did the right thing?" "He may not have been right, but there’s one thing I find very strange." Kyohiko’s tone was serious. Kakashi was momentarily stunned. "What is it?" "If the samurai’s companion really wasn’t afraid of death, why did he return to the village alive in the end? If he truly saw death as a homecoming, why didn’t he commit suicide after learning that the samurai had come back for him, forcing the samurai to give up saving him? Maybe there was still time to go back?" Kyohiko asked doubtfully. Kakashi was stunned. This... he had never considered it! Kakashi sat there in a daze, his brain completely blank for a moment. In the past, he had only thought about whether his father was right or wrong, never considering the situation of the person who had been rescued. That’s right! If he was so righteous, why didn’t he commit suicide at that time to force his father to go back? "Especially since that person should have known very well what kind of person the samurai was, right? Otherwise, how could they have become partners?" "..." Kakashi blinked, momentarily speechless. Then, Kyohiko got up and dried himself. "I don’t understand the deeper issues, but I think that samurai was amazing." "Why?" "I’ve been reading some books recently, and I’ll borrow from them to give a shallow understanding. The problem he faced was essentially this: is a samurai a tool or a person?" Kyohiko’s tone was also filled with confusion. "I don’t have an answer." "A tool or a person?" Kakashi muttered to himself. So that’s the problem! He woke up from his daze, only to fall into a new confusion— which is more important? "Kyohiko, this question is so profound. I never even thought of it." Yuhi Kurenai’s voice came from next door. Kyohiko shook his head. "I’ve just been reading a lot of books, and there are similar questions in them." "Then what did he do?" "He established ninja villages and ninja schools, stipulating that children could only participate in missions after graduating at the age of twelve. This not only ensured mission efficiency but also protected the lives of children." Kyohiko answered. Kakashi and Yuhi Kurenai immediately understood— it was the Second Hokage! "There’s also Lady Tsunade. In the early years, to reduce casualties, she pushed through the medical ninja system despite opposition." "Medical ninjas..." Kakashi’s gaze gradually cleared. Although Kyohiko didn’t say it outright, he vaguely understood Kyohiko’s thoughts. Both missions and teammates are important! Ninjas are not tools; their lives should also be valued. After all, Kyohiko’s parents also died in the war.

Chapter 32: Which Is More Important? I Want Both!

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