"What exactly are you trying to say?" Kakashi's gaze darkened, his eyes fixed coldly on Kevin Cross.
"I'm just curious," Kevin said, his voice calm, eyes sharp. "Was your father's death really just a tragic accident or was it part of some hidden plot within the Leaf? A ninja of your father's rank, carrying out top-secret missions… You'd think it'd be kept quiet, right? But the moment the mission failed, the whole village seemed to know. Doesn't that strike you as odd? Like someone wanted everyone to know?"
Kakashi said nothing. His face remained unreadable though, to be fair, half of it was hidden beneath his usual mask.
Growing impatient, Kevin stood and, without warning, tugged down Kakashi's mask.
Honestly, Kevin had always been curious about what Kakashi looked like underneath.
"Hmm… not bad," Kevin said after a glance. "Pretty good-looking, actually. Not as good as me, of course but you're not losing out to that Sasuke kid either. So why keep hiding it all the time?"
Kakashi, unsurprisingly, didn't respond.
"Nothing to say? Fine, back to the point. Your father… He was a ninja, and a strong one at that. He should've had a rock-solid mindset. So why would someone like him choose to end his own life over a few rumors? You ninja are trained to face death, right? Old or young, male or female it shouldn't make a difference. Your mental toughness should be second to none. So why suicide? Doesn't that smell like something deeper, something darker?"
Still, Kakashi kept his mouth shut. Whether Kevin's words struck a chord was anyone's guess.
"Oh, right what about Naruto?" Kevin continued, switching gears. "He's the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki, that's no secret. And he's also the son of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze. You were Minato's student, weren't you? Yet in all these years, it seems like you never once helped Naruto. Why? Did Minato mistreat you? Or was Kushina cruel to you somehow? Is that why, after they died, you took it out on their son instead?"
"Enough!" Kakashi snapped, finally breaking his silence.
"Oh? Touched a nerve, did I?" Kevin sneered. "But tell me I'm wrong. Just look at Naruto a teenage boy, still shorter than most girls his age, malnourished, living off expired cup ramen. If not for the Uzumaki blood in him, he'd be nothing more than a stunted weed."
Kakashi's eyes flickered with emotion rage, guilt, something else Kevin couldn't quite place. Maybe not the classic "three parts mockery, three parts coldness, four parts apathy" kind of expression but definitely something deeper. Something even the best actor couldn't fake.
"Hiding the fact he's a Jinchūriki? Changing his name from Namikaze Naruto to Uzumaki Naruto?" Kevin scoffed. "Come on. Everyone in the ninja world knows the Uzumaki are prime vessels for tailed beasts. Hashirama's wife, Mito Uzumaki. Minato's wife, Kushina Uzumaki. Then there's Naruto same surname, same bloodline. Who wouldn't guess he's the Nine-Tails' container? Not to mention the 'Demon Fox' nickname spreading like wildfire. Everyone knows. So if hiding his Jinchūriki identity was pointless, why bother hiding that he's the Fourth's son? To protect the Hokage's reputation? Or maybe to erase it?"
Kevin's words cut deep, and Kakashi couldn't help but feel their sting. He thought back to the days when Minato and Kushina had gone out of their way to help him crawl out of his own dark pit. And now…
"Whatever. Enough talk. You're not going to answer me anyway." Kevin flexed his hand, and a blade materialized in his palm. "Let's test this Tsukuyomi's edge."
Shunk!
"AAAHHH!!" Kakashi screamed in agony as Kevin drove the blade straight into his side.
Tsukuyomi's illusionary world allowed Kevin to torment Kakashi endlessly but truth be told, he didn't enjoy torture. He held no real grudge against Kakashi; sure, the guy had given him a few scrapes in their earlier fight, but that was nothing. So after stabbing him a few more times for form, really Kevin released the Tsukuyomi.
Thanks to his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, Kevin's eyes only felt a brief sting before clearing up again. No fatigue, no lingering pain.
Kakashi, however, didn't fare so well. Though Kevin hadn't stretched the illusion to days on end, those few stabs each one aimed at the soul had left him shaking. As the illusion faded, he collapsed to one knee, unable to withstand the phantom pain.
"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto and Sakura rushed forward, faces filled with panic. Sasuke, meanwhile, kept his eyes locked on Kevin, a strange gleam in his gaze part fear, part longing.
"Izumi, I'm done playing," Kevin called out.
At his words, Kakashi's heart sank. Just Kevin alone had pushed him to his limit now there was another?
Thud!
Bodies hit the ground nearby, masked faces staring blankly into the dirt.
"ANBU!" Kakashi's heart dropped. He wasn't surprised they were there after all, both a Uchiha survivor and the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki were in the field. Of course ANBU would follow from the shadows. But what shocked him was that they'd been killed.
Moments later, Uchiha Izumi stepped out from the darkness and joined Kevin's side.
Sasuke blinked in confusion. She looked… familiar. Had he seen her before?
Then he heard Kevin say her name Izumi and the memories came rushing back.
Uchiha Izumi… She used to visit my brother all the time. Sasuke had even been a little jealous back then, worried she might steal his brother away.
Now, seeing her again, Sasuke's heart leapt. A familiar face! Someone from the clan!
"Izumi Uchiha? It's really you! You're alive? That's amazing!" Sasuke's voice trembled with relief.
"I'm alive, yes," Izumi replied coolly. "But for you… that might not be such good news."
"Huh?" Sasuke stared, confused.
Before he could react, Izumi vanished then reappeared before him in a flash. A glint of steel. A flash of pain.
Sasuke screamed as agony exploded through all four limbs.