Chapter 2: Chapter 2 Sixteen Years Ago, Twelve Years Later
'White Fang?' Yuto was inwardly shocked. He hadn't expected Kakashi to choose this name for the game.
"Your father was a truly unparalleled Ninja, renowned during the Second Ninja World War, striking fear into the hearts of even the children of Sunagakure."
Yuto said, offering a compliment in Kakashi's presence while silently apologizing to Sasori in his heart.
Kakashi was slightly taken aback. He hadn't expected anyone to still remember his father's title and deeds.
That part of history was almost a blur even in his own memories, and the young man before him didn't seem much younger than himself...
"Yes, he was a remarkable man... a remarkable Ninja," Kakashi nodded.
His father's reputation had actually suffered greatly after his death.
Yuto noticed Kakashi's hesitation and continued, "I think that abandoning a mission for the sake of comrades might be seen as shameful, but those who abandon their comrades for the sake of a mission are worse than trash. I believe he was a true Ninja!"
Kakashi looked up and studied Yuto carefully, then lowered his gaze back to the phone screen.
The young shop owner had just said something eerily similar to what his childhood friend had once said, though that friend had long since passed away.
"Hmm…"
The two fell into silence as the game finished loading and entered the pre-set storyline Yuto had prepared.
[Sixteen Years Ago]
The screen displayed these words, with a full moon shining in the background.
As the scene unfolded on the screen, Kakashi pulled himself from the memories of the past back into the 'game.'
The camera panned down to reveal a massive creature with nine tails wreaking havoc in a village.
As someone who had lived through it, Kakashi was all too familiar with this scene.
It was one of the most unforgettable moments of his life… the Nine-Tails Attack!
And the colossal beast on the screen was none other than the Nine-Tails itself!
Then, a ninja wearing a Hokage robe flashed onto the scene.
Even though the Ninja only showed his back, Kakashi immediately recognized who it was.
Especially since there was a caption introducing him.
[The Fourth Hokage - Minato Namikaze]
'This is... Minato-sensei!'
Kakashi was deeply shocked. He hadn't expected to relive that scene again.
He became completely engrossed in the storyline.
[We can't let it run wild here!]
In the game, Minato spoke, and behind him, a masked man in a black hood appeared.
[Your opponent is me!]
The mysterious masked man declared, but his hand reached out and grabbed nothing as Minato vanished.
[Did he run away? He's very fast.]
'As expected of Minato-sensei, the speed of his Flying Thunder God Technique was truly remarkable.'
Kakashi watched intently, his left eye's Sharingan spinning slightly faster without him realizing it.
The scene shifted, and the two ninjas appeared on an open grassy field. The screen transitioned into a side-scrolling battle format.
Kakashi hadn't yet realized what was happening and thought it was still part of the storyline.
He watched as the masked man jumped toward Minato, swinging chains back and forth, while Minato seemed to take hits without fighting back.
Kakashi was stunned, 'Why was Minato-sensei being portrayed so poorly? This was outright slander!'
Yuto, standing nearby, couldn't bear to watch any longer. He coughed lightly and reminded Kakashi, "This isn't part of the storyline anymore, it's the combat phase."
"The joystick on the left controls your character's movement, and the buttons on the right are for normal attacks and skills."
"The top-left corner shows your Ninja's health bar, the blue diamond-shaped blocks below are your Chakra, and when your Chakra is full, you can unleash an ultimate technique"
"The third button on the right... uh, the Ninjutsu. The top-right corner shows the enemy's health..."
'As it turned out, geniuses often excel in many areas.'
With just a brief explanation from Yuto, Kakashi quickly got the hang of it.
But he still felt a sense of awe.
'I'm... controlling Sensei Minato? This battle carries too much weight. I can't lose!'
Driven by this determination, Kakashi quickly grasped the importance of 'combos' after seeing the enemy enter a recovery state twice.
As the enemy's health bar dwindled, Kakashi activated Minato's ultimate technique: Space-Time Rasengan.
Minato held a Rasengan and strikes the masked man fiercely, then teleported using Flying Thunder God Kunai to deliver another devastating Rasengan.
'With such a powerful attack, the enemy must be finished...'
Kakashi let out a sigh of relief but remained vigilant, not letting his guard down.
The screen transitioned once again, and Kakashi noticed that the joystick and skill buttons had disappeared.
After trying to tap the screen a few times to no avail, he realized that the game had returned to the storyline.
In the scene, the two figures charged toward each other. Minato held a Rasengan in his hand, while the mysterious masked man approached empty-handed.
However, Kakashi had already experienced the masked man's strength and knew about his 'intangible' ability.
'Be careful, Minato-sensei!'
Kakashi couldn't help but cheer for Minato in his heart.
As they closed in, Minato threw a Flying Thunder God kunai, but the masked man dodged it using his intangible ability.
Kakashi sighed inwardly, feeling a pang of regret. However, in the next moment, Minato teleported using the Flying Thunder God Technique and struck the masked man's back with a Rasengan.
Yet, the masked man didn't die from the blow. Instead, he caught his breath and teleported to the side.
[Sooner or later, the Nine-Tails will be mine]
As soon as the words were spoken, the masked man vanished into thin air.
---
Meanwhile, on the other side, the Konoha Ninjas were still facing the rampage of the Nine-Tails.
One by one, the Konoha Ninjas stepped forward. Kakashi vaguely remembered that he, too, had been among them that day.
Facing the colossal Nine-Tails, even through the screen, Kakashi could still recall the overwhelming sense of helplessness.
A Tailed Beast Ball began to form, and Kakashi's expression turned grim. He was fully immersed in the memory of that night.
At this critical moment, a yellow flash appeared!
The giant toad, Gamabunta, landed on the Nine-Tails, interrupting its Tailed Beast Ball.
And Minato, in order to prevent the Nine-Tails from further destroying the village, teleported it alone to a forest outside Konoha.
[Dead Demon Consuming Seal!]
A ferocious, grimacing demon appeared above Minato.
Holding a dagger in its mouth, the demon's hand clutched at the Nine-Tails' spirit, pulling it back.
But the Nine-Tails didn't give up struggling. Its sharp claws thrust toward a newborn baby wrapped in a blanket.
The massive Nine-Tails... striking with full force at an infant. Kakashi suddenly couldn't bear to watch what would happen next.
However, a figure stepped in front of the newborn.
The striking red hair was especially vivid at this moment.
'Kushina-san?'
And this time, Minato wasn't late either. He stood behind Kushina, shielding her.
The Nine-Tails' claws pierced through the young couple, and the blood-drenched claws were mere inches away from the baby...
[Naruto…]
Kushina's voice echoed in Kakashi's ears once more, a voice he hadn't heard in so long.
Kakashi's eyes widened. At this moment, he was so immersed that he could no longer distinguish between the game and reality.
"Kushina-san..."
Kakashi whispered, murmured softly, completely forgetting that Yuto was still standing beside him.
[Eight Trigrams Seal]
With his dying breath, Minato used his final Sealing Technique to seal half of the Nine-Tails into the newborn's body...
The storyline came to an abrupt halt.
Two lines of text appeared on the screen.
[Over a decade later...]
[This story truly begins...]