Chapter One: Rebirth of Kakashi

Silver-white long hair, black cloth mask, and the leaf headband over the left eye.

Is this... Kakashi Hatake?

Under the cover of the night, a slender youth stood before a mirror, his face filled with shock.

"What's going on? How did I become Kakashi?" murmured the youth beneath his astonished expression.

After a moment, a rush of memories flooded his mind, and with a groan, the youth collapsed.

As the moon reached its zenith, the youth shook his heavy head, slowly rising to a seated position on the floor.

Gazing around the distinctly Japanese-style bedroom, a bitter smile tugged at the corner of the youth's lips.

Looking out at the devastation beyond the window, the youth sighed lightly.

The chaos of the Nine-Tails!

The death of the Fourth Hokage!

And the loss of Minato, Rin...

This was the world of shinobi, and he had become Kakashi Hatake, the tragic man whose life was marred by sorrow.

Losing his father at a young age, then his best friend Minato, and later, killing another friend, Rin, with his own hands. Now, he had lost his mentor, Minato, as well. Perhaps it was the intense emotional turmoil that allowed the soul from Earth to occupy Kakashi's body.

But Kakashi's soul did not dissipate; instead, it merged with the soul from Earth. This was why he had just fainted.

Kakashi rubbed his silver-white hair and stared blankly at his reflection in the mirror, letting out a sigh. He recalled the saying of transmigrators: "When in Rome, do as the Romans do."

It was now midnight, the first night after the rampage of the Nine-Tails. The entire village of Konoha was steeped in silence, its residents and shinobi alike exhausted.

Except for necessary precautions, everyone had retired to their dreams early.

Tomorrow would be the funeral for the deceased, including Minato Namikaze, the youngest Hokage in the history of Konoha and Kakashi's teacher.

Perhaps influenced by the residual consciousness of Kakashi, the youth felt deeply troubled. Exhaling a breath, he stood up and walked to his bed, lying down with a perplexed expression in his eyes.

Kakashi, known as the Copy Ninja, may have had decent combat abilities in the early stages. However, in the later stages, especially during the Fourth Great Ninja War, Kakashi's role diminished. Apart from bantering with Obito, his contributions became secondary to the main characters.

His only significant assistance came from the complete Sharingan temporarily granted after Obito's death.

Moreover, Kakashi had died once before, facing Madara Uchiha's Limbo: Border Jail. If not for Naruto's persuasion and the use of Outer Path — Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique, Kakashi would have long been buried.

But Kakashi was hailed as a genius, achieving the rank of Jonin at the age of twelve, breaking records in Konoha. So how did he end up like this?

Towards the end, Kakashi felt like he had become just another face in the crowd, strong but not as formidable as expected. He could hold his own for a while against anyone, but often fell short on chakra. Thus, he was jokingly referred to as "Kakashi of the Scarecrow".

Some said Kakashi's growth slowed significantly after the Fourth's death, making it increasingly difficult for him to keep up with the main characters later on.

When the Fourth died, Kakashi was barely thirteen or fourteen, a period when ninja strength typically skyrocketed. Look at Naruto and Sasuke, whose power soared between the ages of thirteen and sixteen, reaching Kage-level status and even surpassing it, becoming the most powerful beings in the shinobi world.

This suggested that the deaths surrounding Kakashi caused him to slack off during a crucial period of rapid improvement, making it too late for him to catch up when he finally decided to strive harder. Although he made progress, it was not a significant leap forward.

Thinking up to this point, Kakashi organized his thoughts. Observing his not-so-bulky but explosively powerful arms, Kakashi knew the world was dangerous. To survive, he had to work hard.

Fortunately, he wasn't starting from scratch. Kakashi's physical attributes and ninjutsu were intact. Once he familiarized himself with his body, he would have temporary combat capabilities, thanks to his Jonin-level strength!

At the age of fourteen, Naruto had just been born. The plot would not start for another twelve years, and the final showdown was seventeen years away.

Seventeen years!

Kakashi clenched his fists, thinking, "Seventeen years... though it's still a long time, I must seize it."

Kakashi was well-rounded in terms of abilities, excelling in taijutsu, genjutsu, and ninjutsu, coupled with outstanding intelligence. He was undoubtedly a remarkable character, which attracted a large fan base.

Kakashi was most famous for his Sharingan, known as the Copy Ninja. Many believed that Kakashi's successes and failures were all tied to his Sharingan, and there was some truth to this.

Undoubtedly, Kakashi achieved great feats with his Sharingan. However, on the other hand, it also restricted his growth.

Kakashi was a natural genius with exceptional talent. Without the constraints of the Sharingan, he might have reached even greater heights.

Some argued that Kakashi had a low chakra reserve. While it was evident in the plot that Kakashi often complained about running low on chakra, was his chakra really that scarce? Not exactly. Kakashi's chakra consumption was high because of the Sharingan.

As a non-Uchiha, Kakashi faced significant limitations in using the Sharingan, primarily because it couldn't be deactivated, resulting in constant chakra drain.