Kakashi's Near-Death Experience

Several members of the Uzumaki Team were busy recording the bizarre effects of the food they'd consumed, too preoccupied to notice Kakashi as he strolled over to sample the feast.

Kakashi picked up a steak that was shifting colors rapidly in his hand. The light flickered seven times a second, casting strange hues across his masked face. For a brief moment, Kakashi had the odd sensation that he was in a nightclub rather than a training ground. He swallowed nervously, the aroma of the steak tantalizing his senses.

The food smelled incredible, better than anything he had ever encountered. But something about it seemed off. Kakashi recalled the mysterious potion Naruto had given him earlier—it had a similar weird vibe. Could this be another one of Naruto's special items?

Kakashi hesitated only for a moment. After all, the potion had healed his injuries before, so surely this steak couldn't be too dangerous. Besides, he thought, a piece of meat can't kill me, right? He glanced at Naruto's clones, who were happily munching away, and felt reassured.

He took a bite. The flavor exploded in his mouth, more delicious than anything he had ever tasted. But almost immediately, Kakashi felt a wave of dizziness wash over him.

Feeling unsteady, he decided to stand up, but as soon as he did, his body froze. With a loud thud, he collapsed to the ground, convulsing uncontrollably. His eyes rolled back, and a bit of foam seeped out from beneath his mask. Kakashi looked like he was having a seizure.

Naruto, who had been studying the Totem of Immortality with Uzumaki Starrk, noticed his sensei writhing on the ground. He quickly spotted the flashing steak in Kakashi's hand, and suddenly, the word "death" flashed ominously in red above Kakashi's head.

"Damn it!" Naruto cursed, glaring at the nearby Shadow Clones. "Why didn't any of you stop him?"

Before the clones could answer, they began to vanish one by one, unable to handle the bizarre food themselves. As their memories flooded back to Naruto, he realized just how reckless they had been—each clone had consumed six or seven different dishes, all of them lethal in some way.

They really don't care about my feelings, do they? Naruto thought, exasperated.

Naruto's eyes darted between the Immortal Totem and Kakashi, who was still twitching on the ground. Without a second thought, he grabbed the totem and, using a javelin-throwing motion, hurled it directly at Kakashi.

The totem, as tall as Naruto himself, slammed into Kakashi with a resounding bang, making a crater in the ground. The force of the throw was a clear indication of Naruto's "concern" for his sensei's well-being.

The totem landed squarely on Kakashi's stomach.

However, something seemed wrong.

Kakashi had stopped moving entirely.

"Uh, Naruto..." Uzumaki Starrk said hesitantly, "I think... you might have killed him."

Naruto stared at the motionless Kakashi, his face flushed with panic. "No way! The Immortal Totem can't kill anyone, right?" He quickly tried to reassure himself. "Come on, tell me I saved his life just in time!"

Starrk remained silent, skeptical. In his opinion, Kakashi might have had a chance if Naruto hadn't used the totem so... violently. But now...

Sasuke and Sakura, who had been training nearby, rushed over, eyes wide with shock at the sight of their fallen sensei.

"Is he... dead?" Sasuke asked, his voice shaky as he took in the scene. It didn't take much to deduce that the massive golden statue lying on Kakashi's chest was the likely culprit.

Sasuke couldn't believe it. He had always respected Kakashi's strength, assuming that as a high-ranking Jōnin, Kakashi would have the ability to withstand anything, even a surprise attack. But here he was, seemingly felled by a golden statue.

With trembling hands, Sasuke reached out to check Kakashi's pulse. His face turned pale as he stiffly shook his head, letting out a heavy sigh. "He's... gone. He's dead."

Sakura and Sasuke were stunned, unable to process the absurdity of the situation. Their team leader, the formidable Kakashi, had just died—not in battle, but at the hands of his own teammate.

Sasuke was even beginning to consider the logistics of defecting with Naruto. After all, this could easily be seen as treason.

"Naruto!" Sakura's voice was high-pitched with panic. "This... this has to be a joke, right? You and Kakashi-sensei are just messing with us, aren't you?"

Naruto, however, remained calm, his usual grin firmly in place. "Relax, it's not a big deal. Kakashi-sensei is just taking a nap. He'll be back on his feet in no time."

Sakura stared at Naruto, horrified. Did he really just say that? He thinks he can just wake Kakashi-sensei up after... after killing him?

Naruto gave his teammates a confident smile and gently patted their shoulders. He then carefully adjusted Kakashi's body, positioning it so that the Immortal Totem was making maximum contact with him.

Now, it almost looked like Kakashi and the totem were one.

Sakura's face turned even paler as she watched, imagining gruesome scenes from the battle with Haku and Zabuza.

But Sasuke, after hearing Naruto's words, seemed to accept them without question. While Naruto's methods were often unorthodox, the results usually turned out okay... somehow.

Meanwhile, in a strange place, Kakashi slowly opened his eyes. He was seated in front of a campfire, the flames crackling warmly. Across from him sat a familiar white-haired man, poking at the fire with a stick.

"Father?" Kakashi exclaimed in disbelief. "What are you doing here?"

Hatake Sakumo looked up, his face serious. "Kakashi, you shouldn't be here. It's time for you to go back."

"What?" Kakashi mumbled, his mind still foggy. He remembered eating something Naruto had given him... then darkness. And now, he was face-to-face with his deceased father. Did that mean...?

Before he could make sense of it, the world around him began to spin, voices calling his name pulling him back.

When he finally opened his eyes again, Kakashi found himself lying on the ground, with three concerned faces peering down at him.

"Kakashi-sensei, you're awake!" Sakura cried in relief.

"Ah, sensei, you finally woke up," Naruto said, smiling.

"I'm... going back to practice," Sasuke added, already heading back to the training area, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.