At The Cemetery

The next day, at Uzumaki Naruto's exclusive training ground—

"What!?"

Naruto's eyes were dark with frustration as he stared at Kakashi. "You're making me train alone?"

Naruto had been waiting all morning for his teammates at the training ground, but Sasuke and Sakura hadn't shown up. By noon, Kakashi finally arrived, but only to inform him that Sasuke was off for special training and Sakura had gone to Konoha Hospital to practice medical Ninjutsu.

"Um…" Kakashi scratched his head, looking somewhat evasive. "Didn't you practice by yourself well before?"

Naruto's gritted teeth revealed his dissatisfaction. "Sure, but it's clear you're favoring Sasuke too much. I bet it's all because of Obito…"

Naruto's mind simmered with frustration. He added another reason to his list of grievances against Obito.

"Don't worry," Kakashi said, his gaze distant. "Someone else will take you for training."

As Kakashi's thoughts drifted to Jiraiya, Naruto's expression turned even more perplexed.

"Oh, right…" Kakashi continued, "Do you still have that steak I had last time? The one that's supposed to make people dream about the deceased?"

Naruto's face twisted with confusion. "You think eating that steak could make you see the dead? Really?"

Despite Naruto's bemused reaction, he dutifully took out the colorful steak and a totem of immortality.

Kakashi's eyes widened at the sight of the steak but grew even more confused when Naruto handed him the totem.

"Uh… what's with the statue?" Kakashi asked, puzzled. "How does this work?"

"It's simple," Naruto said with a straight face. "If you want to see the deceased, just hug the statue and eat the steak."

Kakashi, though skeptical, was desperate to see his deceased loved ones and decided to follow Naruto's strange advice.

With a mixture of hope and doubt, Kakashi took the steak and hugged the statue, then walked away eagerly.

Naruto watched Kakashi's retreating figure and silently crossed himself. "Good luck, Kakashi-sensei. I hope it works out for you."

Turning his attention to his own plans, Naruto decided it was time to confront Obito. He used a space door to teleport to Uchiha Obito's cemetery.

Rows of neatly arranged tombstones greeted him. The fallen heroes of Konoha were all laid to rest here. Naruto's disdain for this display was clear, though he begrudgingly acknowledged Obito's death.

The tombstone of Uchiha Obito, adorned with a photo of him as a child, stood out. Fresh fruits, meatballs, and flowers surrounded it, and Naruto noticed that the tombstone of Haruno Lin, also nearby, was similarly decorated. From the freshness of the tributes, it was clear that they had been recently placed.

"Did Kakashi visit every day?" Naruto wondered. "Could he really not have moved on because of Obito?"

Determined to make his mark, Naruto took an apple from the offerings, wiped it on his clothes, and took a bite, treating it as if it were Obito himself.

He then poured water into the flower vase, intentionally missing it and splashing water everywhere. "I'm just giving the flowers a little extra boost," he reasoned.

Just then, a booming voice interrupted him. "Hey! What are you doing?"

Naruto, caught off guard, turned to see Jiraiya, one of the Sannin, approaching with an apple in hand. Jiraiya's expression was a mix of anger and confusion.

"Hey, kid!" Jiraiya continued, "You're showing no respect to the heroes of Konoha. What are you doing?"

Naruto, unimpressed, responded, "Jiraiya, why don't you put down the tribute you're holding before lecturing me?"

Jiraiya's face flushed with irritation. "You brat! I'm known as the white-haired sage, not some old man!"

"White-haired old man," Naruto repeated deliberately, enjoying the irritation he caused.

Jiraiya's patience wore thin. "You little punk! Let me tell you…"

Before Jiraiya could finish, Naruto turned and fled, not giving him a chance to respond.

Jiraiya, now enraged, chased after Naruto, calling out, "Wait! You don't want the Hokage to find out what you did in the cemetery, do you?"

Naruto's pace quickened as he ignored Jiraiya's threats, convinced that he had nothing to fear. He soon made his escape, leaving Jiraiya fuming behind him.

At that moment, Obito, the masked man, arrived at the cemetery. He placed a bouquet in front of Lin's tombstone and noticed the water-stained flowers next to his own.

"What's this?" Obito growled, recognizing the scent of the water. Enraged, he crushed the mask he wore with his foot. "Kakashi!"

Obito's anger flared. He had seen Kakashi's tribute as an insult and was infuriated by the state of his own flowers.