Kakashi Masters All Elements, Rewrites the Ninja World for Rin!

"Hey, why are you still tailing me?"

Sara, already back at the palace entrance, pressed the elevator button while glaring at the silver-haired boy casually walking after her.

"Well~, turns out I've got a new gig. Royal babysitting. Congratulations—you're officially under my protection."

Kakashi replied with a lazy drawl, hands in his pockets.

Chi~

As the energy receiver above flickered with purple light, the elevator doors slid open.

Sara stepped in, waited for Kakashi to follow, and then pressed the button. She turned her back on him, arms crossed and face tilted away.

"Hmph. You don't even know Anrokuzan, yet you act like some kind of expert!"

Kakashi shrugged, saying nothing. A sigh barely escaped him, as if he'd already had this conversation five times in his head.

Ding Dong~

The elevator stopped. The doors slid open, and Sara stormed out.

"Just wait! I'll prove to you Anrokuzan is innocent!"

"Ah!"

Sara barely had time to shout before a hand grabbed her from the shadows and yanked her into a side room.

Kakashi blinked. "Huh. Well, that's not suspicious at all," he muttered, following casually.

Inside the dimly lit room, about a dozen masked figures—slim, and oddly short—stood holding farming tools like rakes and hoes. Sara, now pulled forward by the apparent leader, quickly yanked herself free and ran to Kakashi's side.

"So it was you! You're the ones who tried to kill me, aren't you?!"

Her eyes burned with righteous fury. For her, this was a win. She could finally prove Anrokuzan wasn't behind the attempt on her life!

The masked woman leader stepped closer, arms crossed, scrutinizing Sara from head to toe.

"Are you truly Lady Sara?"

"Yes! I am the Queen of Roran!" she declared, straightening with full royal authority.

"If you're here to take my life, just try it. But do it with some honor!"

The woman looked unimpressed.

"Give it back to us now!"

"...Huh? Give what back?"

Sara blinked, suddenly confused. Weren't they assassins?

"Otherwise, we don't know what we'll do!"

"Give it back!"

"Return it to us!"

The others echoed angrily, brandishing their makeshift weapons.

"Alright, alright. Let's all take a breath," Kakashi finally spoke up, his voice calm and dry.

He raised a hand like a bored substitute teacher stopping a class squabble. "Sorry to interrupt your dramatic moment, but maybe we're all jumping the kunai here. Ever consider talking like normal people?"

The masked figures hesitated.

Their whispers filled the room.

"Who is that?"

"Is he her bodyguard?"

"Never seen him before..."

Oddly enough, all the voices were clearly those of women and children.

"Listen," Kakashi said, flipping the room's light switch with a flick of his finger. "She's been lied to by Anrokuzan. She doesn't know what's really going on. Maybe, instead of yelling 'Give it back,' try using nouns?"

The leader, taking a long look at Kakashi, finally pulled down her mask. Her face was tired but kind.

Seeing this, the others followed suit.

"I'm sorry. My name is Masako," the woman said, bowing slightly. "We have a request for Lady Sara."

A chubby boy stepped forward behind her, scratching his head. "Yeah! We need something back!"

"What... exactly do you want me to return?" Sara asked, still completely baffled.

"Let's talk somewhere else," Masako said, opening the door.

Outside, the square was alight with energy. Music played. Lanterns floated. The seemingly endless "crowd" was still celebrating, as if nothing could stop their joy.

From a manhole in a quiet corner, Masako led the group back to the surface.

"It's so beautiful…" Sara gasped, watching the colorful parade before her.

She hadn't been among her people since her mother's death. It all seemed so warm—so sincere.

"This parade was organized by Anrokuzan. After my mother died, he used this to cheer me up."

Her voice was full of gratitude.

"That's weird!" piped up the boy, Sarai, eyebrows furrowed.

"What do you mean, weird?" Sara turned cold instantly.

"Everyone makes fun of you. They call you a puppet princess."

"What...?!"

"Shut up, idiot!" Masako scolded, bowing deeply. "I apologize, Your Majesty."

"But Sarai isn't completely wrong. Many were taken away one night—workers, families. They said it was under your order."

"That's a lie! I never gave such an order!" Sara snapped, cheeks flushing with anger.

"But my dad and brother disappeared..."

Sarai looked sad, confused.

Masako's face darkened. "They were forced to build weapons—hidden deep in the country. That's why we came to you."

"I can back that up," Kakashi added, nonchalantly. "Saw it myself on my scenic underground tour."

"You're unbelievable!" Sara turned on him. "No one 'tours' the sewers!"

"And yet here I am. Elite sewer ninja."

"If what you're saying is true, then why does everyone out here still welcome me with open arms?"

She gestured to the roaring crowd. "You're telling me they're all in on some grand act?!"

"Actually..." Kakashi vanished in a blink, reappearing with two human-sized figures under his arms.

"Your adoring fans?"

He dropped the ceremonial puppets at her feet with a soft thud. Their fake smiles stared up, lifeless and eerie.

"Ah?!"

Sara stumbled back.

"See that?" Kakashi pointed toward the balcony of the palace.

As if on cue, a mechanical version of Queen Sara stepped forward to address the crowd.

"That's... me?"

Sara's voice cracked. And as the puppets below screamed "Queen!" with robotic cheer, she broke.

Tears welled in her eyes.

"This… none of this is real... Anrokuzan wouldn't..."

Her world crumbled.

Without another word, she turned and ran, tears trailing behind her.

"Hey! Sara—"

Kakashi took off after her.

Cruel as it was, she had to see it with her own eyes. Being wrapped in a comforting lie was one thing. But being used by the man who killed your mother?

That was the real cruelty.

And Kakashi wasn't about to let her face it alone.