The next day.
Kakashi woke up early, packed his things, and prepared for school. Dressed and ready, the little guy had just stepped out of his room when he caught a tantalizing aroma.
"Time to eat, Kakashi!"
That familiar, warm voice called out.
Hearing it, Kakashi couldn't help but smile beneath his mask.
Walking to the dining room, he found his apron-wearing father already seated at the table. Fried eggs, bread, natto, sautéed potatoes... all laid out perfectly.
Looking at these foods he used to love most, Kakashi pressed his lips together, feeling no appetite whatsoever.
Damn it!
It's all Uncle Rinjin's fault!
Now all I can think about is sizzling grilled meat with fragrant rice!
That Mei Terumi girl is probably stuffing her face right about now!
He wasn't wrong—Mei Terumi, Shizune, and Rin were sitting in the cafeteria at that very moment, working away with both hands, eating until their mouths were greasy.
Back to Kakashi—the little guy steeled himself, pulled off his mask, and shoved the fried egg and bread into his mouth all at once.
"Dad, I'm full!"
Watching Kakashi wolf down his food, Sakumo nodded with satisfaction.
Looks like this kid still loves my cooking as much as ever!
Tomorrow!
Tomorrow I'll make him bread and eggs again—double portions!
Afterward, Sakumo straightened Kakashi's collar and walked him to school.
At the school gate, after chatting briefly with a friend in a green jumpsuit, Sakumo headed toward the Hokage building.
After passing through security checks, Sakumo finally reached the Hokage's office door.
He knocked, received permission, and entered with an expressionless face.
The Hokage's office maintained its usual organized chaos. Behind the document-laden desk, the nearly fifty-year-old Hiruzen Sarutobi sat with his hands steepled on the table. On the nearby sofa, Konoha's Shadow Danzo Shimura wore his black-and-white robes, leaning on his cane with eyes closed in feigned sleep.
Seeing this scene, Sakumo instantly felt a chill sweep down his spine, and even the faint trace of a smile on his face disappeared.
"Lord Third!"
Bowing his head and kneeling on one knee, Sakumo displayed deep humility.
"Mm."
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded expressionlessly, his narrowed eyes fixed intently on Sakumo.
The mission had failed!
Sakumo Hatake had to bear responsibility—no one could dispute that.
However, Sakumo was different from ordinary jonin. His reputation in Konoha was enormous. Back during the Second Great Ninja War, when Sunagakure launched their surprise attack, it was Sakumo who led his squad to repel the fierce assault. Combined with his outstanding performance in subsequent battles, Sakumo's fame rivaled that of the Three Sannin.
But now, two of the Sannin had left, and the remaining Orochimaru was obsessed with his experiments. Only Sakumo continued completing missions and building his reputation.
Though this man had no ambitions, when it came to the Fourth Hokage position, Sakumo's existence was clearly an unstable factor.
Thinking about this, Hiruzen Sarutobi let out a slow sigh.
Honestly, he felt reluctant.
Sakumo Hatake spoke little and worked hard—no different from a tireless old ox. His private life was simple: reading, raising his child, never meeting privately with any village higher-ups.
Any leader would actually like such a subordinate.
What a pity.
This guy's reputation was just too big!
Even now, most villagers still believed Sakumo had done the right thing. After all, the Will of Fire emphasized inheritance and bonds. Sakumo's decision to abandon the mission to save a comrade's life hadn't tarnished his reputation—it had actually won him more fans.
Obviously, this wasn't what Hiruzen Sarutobi wanted to see.
What he wanted was a thriving village with rising new stars—not old-guard remnants like Sakumo dominating the trending topics.
This was also why he allowed Tsunade and Jiraiya to leave the village. In peacetime, these people only served to deter other villages and pass on their legacy. The spotlight should go to the new generation.
On this point, Hiruzen Sarutobi quite liked Rinjin!
That kid kept a low profile but had enormous impact—though his students were both lovable and infuriating.
Actually, Hiruzen Sarutobi knew Rinjin did this deliberately.
Thinking about this gave him a headache.
He'd already figured out how to handle Sakumo Hatake behind the scenes, but publicly, it was actually a big problem.
If nothing was done, what if other mission-going ninja followed his example? Konoha Hidden Village was ultimately a mercenary village—ninja were weapons of war who needed to feed their families.
This was reality!
The Will of Fire, however, was what bound the village together and served as the entire village's spiritual symbol.
This was the ideal!
Simply put, how to handle Sakumo wasn't actually important—what mattered was giving direction to the villagers and ninja who cared about this incident.
Complete inaction would damage the village's credibility, making clients doubt Konoha and affecting the village's income.
But being too harsh would shake the ninja's faith. Then people would start saying things like "if comrades drag you down on missions, who cares if they die."
This would completely violate the First Hokage's original intention in founding the village and shake its very foundation.
Why couldn't Sakumo just quietly die?
That way, he could come out and smooth things over—comfort the villagers while letting those paranoid merchants imagine whatever they wanted.
Thinking about this, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally cleared his throat and spoke slowly:
"Sakumo, I don't blame you for this incident. Rescuing comrades is exactly what a Konoha ninja should do. But! This incident has caused many of our long-term client partners to develop negative opinions about the village. This directly affects the village's economic income. How about this—you suspend missions and stay home quietly for a while. We'll actively communicate with the clients, and once things settle down, you can resume missions. Is this acceptable?"
Hearing these words, Sakumo's eyes dimmed, then he nodded humbly.
He wasn't unhappy about being unable to do missions. Despite always wearing Konoha's standard jonin outfit, this guy was genuinely wealthy.
The Hatake family—even a fallen phoenix was bigger than a chicken. Just that house alone had made Rinjin envious for ages.
Plus, he'd been doing missions for years, building up quite a nest egg. And since he had no bad habits except collecting certain illustrated books, his expenses really weren't large.
What saddened him was the village's attitude toward him.
Back then, he'd worked his way up to ANBU Captain, but because he'd blocked certain people's paths, he'd stepped aside. Now, just because his reputation had grown a tiny bit, the village wanted him to stay home in seclusion.
What was this about?
He might not talk much, but having grown up alongside the scheming Rinjin, when it came to conspiracies and plots, he really wasn't amateur.
Subtly glancing at Danzo who was feigning sleep on the sofa, Sakumo sighed inwardly.
Forget it, I'll just go to Amegakure and guard the gate! Perfect chance to keep Kagami company~
Thinking this, Sakumo rose steadily and left the Hokage's office expressionlessly.
As the door clicked shut, the Hokage's office fell silent again.
After a long silence, Hiruzen Sarutobi took out his pipe, took a long drag, and said in a low voice:
"Danzo, what do you think we should do about this?"
Hearing this, Danzo slowly opened his eyes, a flash of brilliance passing through them.
He knew Hiruzen already had a plan in mind. What looked like asking for his opinion was actually wanting him to handle this matter~
However, he had to get involved in this.
Sakumo Hatake definitely couldn't be touched! This was beyond question!
But not touching Sakumo Hatake meant no way to explain things to those clients, and failing to explain could lead to economic losses for the village—something he equally couldn't accept.
Though he aspired to become the Eighth Hokage, the prerequisite was that Konoha could survive until there was an Eighth Hokage.
Thinking about this, Danzo's face turned cold as he spoke in a raspy voice:
"Let the villagers recognize how much this incident has harmed the village—recognize how it's damaged their personal interests."
Good idea!
Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression remained unchanged, but inwardly he gave a thumbs up, then pressed further:
"And then?"
"And then?" Danzo asked back, then smiled meaningfully, glancing at Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"I heard insurance is quite popular lately?"
Hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately frowned with displeasure.
"You said just a few days ago you wouldn't participate."
"That was this old man being overly worried about Konoha and falling asleep!"
"Shameless!"
"Just give me a straight answer! Yes or no!"
"Three percent!"
"Oh, Teacher Tobirama! Look how Sarutobi bullies me! Please open your eyes and see!"
Hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi's face instantly turned black as a pot bottom.
"Five percent! That's already a lot! Don't be greedy!"
Hearing this, Danzo's fake crying instantly stopped, returning to his original cold smile, then continued:
"Then have the person Sakumo Hatake saved come out and stab him in the back. By then, he'll have no place to stand in the village, and we'll use his child's safety to make a deal with him. Even if he doesn't want to commit suicide, he'll have to!"
Finishing this, Danzo's eyes flashed with brilliance as he sneered inwardly.
Old Hiruzen, witness my open conspiracy!
In the next couple days, I'll find time to visit Sakumo Hatake, trick him into joining my Root, then have him fake his death and exit the stage. Then I'll find Rinjin, who has a good relationship with Sakumo Hatake, and sell him some sympathy! Tell him Sakumo isn't dead, that I risked my life to save him, then have him tell me how long the insurance company can keep operating!
Damn!
One operation gets me insurance company shares, a gold-medal enforcer, sells that dog Rinjin a favor, and I learn when the insurance company will explode!
I'm fucking brilliant!
Danzo Shimura, you truly are a late bloomer with exceptional talent, destined to become the greatest Hokage ever!
Tsk tsk tsk~
I'm so awesome!
...
In the blink of an eye, three days had passed.
Using White Fang's household fame, many strange voices began stirring as undercurrents beneath Konoha's surface.
Evening. Kakashi walked home from school as usual.
Walking down the street, the little guy keenly noticed many people secretly staring at him, and these gazes carried ill intent.
Seeing this, Kakashi's previously dissipated unease surged back.
What's going on?
Today I only sparred with Guy—I didn't do anything else!
The next second, deliberately lowered, disgusted discussion reached his ears.
"That kid's White Fang's son, right?"
"That's right."
"Like father, like son. Covering his face at such a young age—clearly a little pest who's done terrible things and doesn't dare show his face."
"Keep your voice down..."
"HmphPtui
What's there to keep quiet about? His father cost us half our D-rank missions—what are we supposed to live on?!"
"Exactly! The village has way fewer merchant caravans coming through lately."
Hearing these vile words, Kakashi instinctively wanted to stop and beat these people up.
But right now, he was more worried about his father's mood and safety.
He was a very filial child.
Thinking this, Kakashi immediately accelerated, rushing toward home.
Reaching his front door, little Kakashi didn't bother looking for keys—he pushed off with both feet and vaulted over his family's wall.
Seeing the house still had lights on, Kakashi relaxed slightly, then tiptoed quickly toward his house.
Just then, conversation sounds came from the tea room.
Seeing this, Kakashi tiptoed over, approaching the tea room quickly and quietly.
Don't underestimate his six years—this child's abilities had already reached the level of an average chunin. Combined with Rinjin's occasional "Seven Wolves" education and Sakumo's intermittent training, his stealth and movement abilities exceeded those of average chunin.
Getting closer and closer, the conversation in the tea room gradually became clearer.
"Sakumo, let me speak from the heart—I've never agreed with Hiruzen's foolish move. You've made great contributions to the village, and our village promotes caring for comrades and juniors. So I tried to persuade Hiruzen for a long time. But he just wouldn't listen! I don't have any good solutions for this, since he's the Hokage! However, having worked with him for so long, I can guess his difficulties and intentions. He simply wants you to disappear. I estimate he wants you to commit suicide, then everyone can save face. After all, this incident has caused quite a stir with very bad effects. The village's mission office now has nearly half fewer mission commissions. S-rank missions are one thing, but those D-rank and C-rank missions are what many ninja depend on to eat! Like your good friend Might Duy—that guy relies on D-rank mission payments to support himself and his child!"
At this point, the unfamiliar voice paused, then continued earnestly:
"Cough cough... But! Sakumo, having worked in ANBU, you should know my character. What I can't stand most is when the village's talent has problems! So I chose to come see you personally without any guards! Now that I've met you, I feel I didn't come in vain! So Sakumo, I'm willing to give you another choice—fake your death! Then come to my Root! This way, we can eliminate the bad effects of this incident and stop Kakashi from facing villagers' criticism. Most importantly, you can secretly protect your son from within Root! And our Root will be Kakashi's strongest support! The best resources, the most complete training, the most powerful secret arts, and the strongest protective stance! What do you think?!"
Outside, young Kakashi frowned deeply.
Honestly, if things were really as serious as this stranger claimed, he was two hundred percent willing for his father to join this Root rather than commit suicide.
However, having endured Rinjin's "Seven Wolves" beatings, he knew the principle of staying calm during major events.
Suppressing his inner unease, Kakashi lay on the ground, quietly waiting for his father's response.
After an unknown amount of time, with the sky outside already dark, Sakumo finally spoke.
"Lord Danzo, I'm truly grateful for your care and concern. Without your reminder, I absolutely wouldn't have thought that my rescuing a comrade would produce such terrible effects! However, I still have a son! Please give me three more days to prepare. Please trust me—I absolutely won't disappoint you!"
Hearing this, comfortable laughter immediately came from the tea room.
"Excellent, excellent! Sakumo is truly my good general! Very well, this old man will wait three more days. When the time comes, I'll host a grand banquet at Root to welcome Sakumo's arrival. Believe me, I care more about talent than Hiruzen does!"
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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