20

( before the tombstone )

Ken- yo , kakashi . I have been right here for an hour now and you haven't noticed me at all . I wonder if it's right as a jonin or not ? ( smile )

kakashi - uchiha Ken... I somehow find peace here so it's fine..

ken - hmm.. peace huh . I wonder about that .. maybe this place is just right one to remember your fallen comrades. but one also remembers the pain of losing them and our own weakness . I wonder if it can still called peace or not ..

kakashi- dont know . I want to forget everything but something inside tells me not to do so . so I just somehow find myself here everyday ..

Ken- ( oh? so he is not swallowed completely by darkness yet . maybe that rin girl is doing that for him . but you have to find your light yourself kakashi chan , rin can only help you maintain your conscience for a while . so kakashi in the story was broken after minato was dead huh . well I'm not going to let that happen so this teen still has time ..) then you are fine now. hokage wanted me to help you somehow but it looks like you already have someone helping you ..

kakashi - help ? from what ?

Ken- darkness kakashi. you are assaulted by nightmares frequently right ? then you subconsciously find your way here where you find your light .. kakashi , dead ones become the light for the ones that they leave behind . in your case , they will be your father , Rin etc . you see nightmares because you want to forget the feeling of loss , uselessness, remorse etc but your subconscious knows the right answer ..

kakashi- what is the right answer then ?

Ken- well if you see nightmares then it means you haven't forgotten your loved ones yet . and that's the right answer...

kakashi - but why do I see nightmares then ? whether I'm awake or asleep..

Ken- ( you are really a teen yet kakashi) well you just have to accept all your shortcomings like powerlessness, remorse etc . only then you can move forward in life . time is stopped for the dead kakashi but we the left ones have to live while looking forward. if you haven't accepted yourself yet then your time is not moving forward then .. we are alive so it's our duty to live our time . well maybe you will forget this advice from a teen like you but maybe you will find the right path too.

kakashi - ( thinking ) ... so that's why.

Ken- looks like you have found the right direction now ( smile ) . life is mystery kakashi , you will find more loved ones from now on but the ones that are gone , are the ones that either destroy you or show you the light . try to live for the sake of someone else kakashi , like most of the ninja do . some live for their family , friends , village , peace etc .. you will find the most important thing to you in time when you are looking forward too ..

kakashi - then what is the most important thing to you uchiha Ken??

Ken- me ? like I said I'm in the search for it right now.. maybe we have a long time ahead so there is no need to rush. when you find it , you will automatically know your goal then like the hokage . he found his goal quickly so he survived the darkness called war and achieved his goal.. maybe is still in the process of achieving it like peace .. you must find your own goal as everybody is different. just see the world and become stronger kakashi , you cannot move forward if you are always looking back ..

kakashi - hmm.. okay then . I got your meaning . but you sound much older and experienced man Ken.. I wonder why ?

ken - ( of course baka I'm a middle aged man inside . well darkness is present in every world just like the light . I found my light in science and research when I was in process of being swallowed by darkness called solitude in my past life . maybe I will find my important thing in this life too .. well the process is always unexpected so let's live my best while looking forward to the future ..) come here kakashi , let me solve one problem I can for you ( smile ) ..

kakashi - ( confused ) okay ...

Ken- ( touching his sharingan with my hand ) okay it's good now ..

kakashi - ouch .. what is good ? it's just painful .. huh?

Ken- looks like you are feeling the difference now . well i just placed a seal on your sharingan now . now you can activate it at will and your chakra capacity will not be stagnated like before .. if you want to thank someone then thank hokage . as he was the one who requested me to help you... see ya...( shunshin no jutsu ) ..

( after a while inside hokage office )

minato - thanks ken for helping kakashi .. he came here now and told me everything.. I'm truly happy as he looked refreshed now..

Ken- it's just that kakashi was lucky to have you and your students ( smile ) . you are the ones who showed him the light . I just pushed his back a little .... that's all ..

minato - you really are always modest Ken chan .. oh yes now you have to call me bro ..( happy ) I've heard everything from kushina and fugaku...

Ken- ( it's fine with me anyway . but fugaku looks like he is skipping work. sigh .. just how many times you meet minato everyday...) okay bro .. happy now ..?..

minato - happy ... oh .. thanks for placing a seal on kakashi sharingan too ..

Ken- dont mention it . he is in fact my bro's student after all ..( smile ) .. but he is really a genius . he mastered the way to control the seal just after trying once .. maybe bro should train him a little personally in your free time ..

minato - ( serious ) so you think kakashi is a good material for future hokage then ?

Ken- ( smile) as expected of my bro , you got it quickly . well he knows both darkness and light , he is intelligent too . maybe hokage is a good path for him ..

minato - that's true but I want you to be the 5th hokage after me Ken chan..

Ken- you know already bro , I'm not that type ( smile ) . giving orders and all .. is not like me at all ..

minato - okay , Bro . you win . oh yeah I complete forgot about that ( embarrassed) . bro , you are officially promoted to a jonin now so here take your uniform and bingo book ...

Ken- it's fine to skip chunin RANK? well I'm fine with any of them though..

minato - consider it a privilege of being hokage ( smile ) ... but really nowadays there isn't any protest from danzo or civil council .. strange (looking at me ) ..

Ken- why are you looking at me then ? ( playing innocent )

minato - you know bro , you really suck at lying .. ( smile) forget it . it's a good thing anyway ..

Ken- I'm not that bad ( stubborn ) .

minato - you are , well not that bad actually ... ( smile )

Ken- you .. you tricked me didnt you ?

minato - ( laughs ) see . you feel like a teen now ...

Ken- ( sigh ... well dont blame me . I'm not that big of liar in the first place . but this is seriously embarrassing though ..) see ya..( shunshin no jutsu ) ..