Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, two days had passed.
To avoid the strange looks from others, Kakashi deliberately took the back alleys home after school today. But just as he neared his front door, the excited clamor of an angry crowd shattered his hopes.
In front of his house, a large crowd had gathered.
Leading them was a man in a wheelchair, his legs wrapped in bandages, glaring furiously at the Hatake family's front gate.
At the same time, shouts erupted from the crowd.
"Sakumo Hatake, come out!"
"You betrayed your mission and violated the ninja code, you piece of trash! Get out here!"
"Bastard! Your teammate is here! Ask him if he wanted you to save him back then!"
Vile voices rang out as the furious villagers' eyes burned red, like a pack of mindless wild beasts.
Just then, the man in the wheelchair frowned and spoke in a heavy voice.
"Sakumo Hatake, I never asked you to save me back then!
You abandoned the mission and violated the ninja code—do you know how much pain I've lived with?
It's all your fault! Everything is your fault!
You should have let me die back then! At least then I'd still be a hero of the village!
You bastard! Come out here!"
Hearing these words, Kakashi's head instantly filled with rage.
He could ignore the villagers' insults, but this ungrateful beast his father had saved—not only showing no gratitude but actually coming to their door to cause trouble—
"You deserve to die!"
A furious, beast-like voice erupted.
Without thinking, Kakashi pulled out shuriken and immediately hurled them at this ungrateful wretch.
As the shuriken flew, Kakashi drew a kunai and instantly charged toward the crowd.
However, his actions were quickly discovered. There were ninja in the crowd, including several chunin.
"You brat! How dare you attack people from the village!"
"Take down this bastard kid and storm into that coward Sakumo Hatake's house!"
"What White Fang of Konoha—more like Mangy Dog of Konoha!"
The crowd became even more frenzied. The reckless mob blocked Kakashi's shuriken and rushed toward the child.
But at the instant both sides made contact—
A flash of silver-white blade light cut through the air!
In that moment, the ground between both sides split open with a perfectly straight gash!
White Fang, unsheathed!
Sakumo Hatake stood there in his black tactical combat uniform, his entire body radiating a bone-chilling murderous aura.
"Take one more step, and die!"
Standing in front of Kakashi, Sakumo looked at everyone with an expressionless face and ice-cold eyes, his gaze slowly focusing on that ungrateful teammate in the crowd.
"Try it. Even if I become a rogue ninja, every single person who appeared here today—
Every last one of you—I'll wipe out your entire families!"
Emotionless words spilled from his mouth.
He was truly angry!
This man who had always been so mild-tempered, who remained calm even on battlefields, was showing his blood-soaked fangs for the first time!
In an instant, his cold and ruthless aura swept in all directions.
Everyone facing Sakumo felt as if their skin was being sliced by sharp blades, the stinging pain unbearable.
For the first time in their lives, they experienced this bone-deep killing intent.
Instinctively, the crowd took a step back.
Sakumo's image in Konoha had always been silent and very easygoing. But now, they realized they were wrong—terribly wrong.
His previous easygoing nature was simply because they had never touched his breaking point.
And this man's breaking point was his only son standing behind him!
Just then, two masked ANBU suddenly dropped down from the rooftop.
"What's happening here?!" A stern, business-like voice rang out.
Immediately, the ungrateful man in the wheelchair became excited, pointing at Sakumo and shouting:
"Sakumo Hatake—he threatened us with his sword!
He even said that even if he becomes a rogue ninja, he'll wipe out our entire families!"
Hearing this, the ANBU looked toward Sakumo and said coldly, "Is this true?"
Seeing this, Sakumo slowly sheathed his blade on his back, tilted his head, and spoke with an expressionless face:
"Want... to try it?"
The next second, both ANBU froze, their faces beneath the masks filled with terror.
They had been ordered to come end this farce, not to throw their lives away.
A person's reputation precedes them.
Sakumo had led a five-man squad to slaughter over thirty elite Sand ninja. Fighting such a Kage-level powerhouse—you'd definitely see your own back before you died!
Their thoughts raced. The lead ANBU swallowed hard, his voice trembling despite trying to sound stern:
"Sakumo Hatake, the ANBU Commander orders you to come with us to ANBU headquarters!"
Hearing this, Sakumo said nothing. He turned around, showing his back to the troublemaking crowd, then slowly took his son's hand.
"Come on, let's go home! What do you want to eat tonight?"
Looking at his father who was still smiling gently, Kakashi's eyes reddened. He lowered his head sharply, his voice choked with tears:
"Salt-grilled... saury and... and miso soup... miso eggplant."
"Alright!" Sakumo nodded, ruffling Kakashi's spiky hair. Ignoring everyone's stares, he led his child through the front door.
As the door closed, everyone present finally let out a long breath, their hearts pounding wildly with fear.
As the sun set...
Tonight, Konoha Village was unusually quiet, as if a terrifying beast lurked beneath the surface.
In the Hokage building, the lights in the Hokage's office were on. Hiruzen Sarutobi stood at the window with his hands behind his back, looking seriously toward the Hatake house.
He had miscalculated.
He thought Sakumo would quietly die for the sake of the village, but Sakumo had done something completely unexpected.
Rogue ninja!
This phrase appeared in Hiruzen Sarutobi's mind again and again.
He was no longer the young man who firmly believed in the Will of Fire. Now his strength, like his will corrupted by politics, was weak and full of insecurity.
However, the house he was staring at so intently had long been empty.
66 Mingcha Street, Konoha.
Sakumo sat in Rinjin's tearoom, his face full of exhaustion. Beside him, Kakashi lay on the tatami, sleeping deeply.
Across from him, two Rinjins were grabbing each other's throats and rolling around on the floor.
"You bastard! The main body said when he's not here, this house is under my management!"
"Bullshit! You only manage the kitchen! Receiving guests is clearly my job!"
"Damn it, I think you're getting too cocky! Tomorrow I'll feed you shit!"
"Ha? I'm a shadow clone—I don't need to eat, you fucking idiot!"
"My wife is your wife!"
Watching Rinjin greet his own family members, Sakumo pressed his throbbing temples, his head buzzing.
What the hell!
Rinjin, you bastard—even with just your shadow clones, you can give me a splitting headache?!
I should never have accepted that damn surveillance mission!
No!
I should never have joined ANBU! Wouldn't it have been fine to just stay a chunin?!
No!
I should never have graduated early from the Ninja Academy!
Damn it!
I should never have been born at all!
Covering his forehead, Sakumo reached behind his back.
Whoosh! A flash of blade light.
The shadow clone responsible for hospitality exploded into white smoke.
He had to keep the one responsible for cooking, but as for the host—screw him!
Across from him, the Rinjin clone wearing an apron grinned wickedly and gave a thumbs up, showing his pearly white teeth.
"Dog! Well done! I've been annoyed with that guy for ages!
All he does is hide in the tearoom drinking tea—doesn't help with the kids, doesn't clean—a complete waste!"
Sakumo wore a mask of pain, covering his forehead and nodding in despair.
What was he supposed to do? Help him insult himself?
I'm so screwed!
After taking deep breaths for a long time, Sakumo finally calmed down.
Fortunately, Rinjin's clones were as patient as his main body and didn't rush him.
"Do you know about the recent events in the village?"
Hearing this, the clone nodded.
The clones were very bored and relied on village gossip to pass the time.
Seeing the clone nod, Sakumo asked again:
"So... is there any way to solve my problem?"
"Nope!"
The Rinjin clone answered decisively.
Rinjin had long had a plan for Sakumo's problem, and even these later-created clones knew the specific situation.
"Dog bro, your little problem is actually quite troublesome!
First, Konoha doesn't understand that your main issue is that you're too capable, and moving against you would make those with real brains change their behavioral logic.
If someone like you, who protects teammates and abandons missions, gets suppressed or even killed, then protecting teammates' lives over missions becomes empty words.
Over time, the Will of Fire becomes meaningless bullshit.
Most importantly, children born from civilian families are naturally different from those born into great clans.
When they become ninja, the gap naturally emerges.
If they execute missions together, it will inevitably cause the strong to despise the weak.
This kind of atmosphere could instantly split Konoha's great clans and civilians!
But not dealing with you is also impossible!
Simply put, you strut around in that Hokage half-sleeve looking cool, but you're actually just asking for trouble.
Your fame is big enough, but fame needs to match birth, strength, virtue, and status!
I'm not looking down on you, but except for strength, you don't measure up in the others!"
Hearing this, Sakumo, who had been quietly taking the lecture, suddenly perked up.
"Bullshit! When did my virtue not measure up?!"
Hearing this, the Rinjin clone chuckled, saying nothing more, then continued explaining:
"Simply put, your status and birth don't match such great fame.
Take the Three Sannin—their teacher is Hiruzen Sarutobi. Let's talk about my wife Tsunade!
No matter how famous she gets, no one dares to act up around her!
Why? Because she's the Princess of Konoha!
Everyone in the village who enjoys peace owes the Senju brothers Hashirama and Tobirama a debt of gratitude!
Nawaki couldn't bear this debt, but Tsunade can!
In the end, Sakumo, you're blocking someone else's path~
And one last point!
Even if war breaks out again and you make great contributions to Konoha, these villagers will still dislike you!
They think you're a bad person now, so they'll say so for the rest of their lives!
You know why?
Because the vast majority of people will never admit their mistakes and ignorance!
When you achieve greater merit, they'll just find more angles to viciously attack you!"
...
Thorough!
After Rinjin explained it this way, the matter was quite clear!
But Sakumo couldn't spare time for admiration—his eyes were full of gravity.
After a long while, he asked seriously:
"So... besides suicide, do I have any other options?"
As he spoke, Sakumo glanced at Kakashi, who was sleeping deeply after being knocked unconscious, his eyes full of reluctance.
"Yes!"
The Rinjin clone nodded emphatically.
"Gatekeeper at Amegakure, monthly salary of 3,000 ryo, two shifts, work five days rest two. Interested?"
Hearing this, Sakumo trembled as he reached out with both hands to cover his already twisted face.
Damn it! This bastard was waiting for me here?!
If you weren't the cooking clone, I'd slice you into sashimi right now!
He was truly furious!
At his life-or-death moment, this guy was still talking about being a gatekeeper in Amegakure!
Brother, can you be serious?!
Watching Sakumo shake like a rattle, the Rinjin clone chuckled, formed a hand seal, and his figure instantly disappeared.
In less than three seconds, the clone reappeared, carrying a man Sakumo knew all too well.
Him... self...
"What the hell! Rinjin, why did you transform into my appearance?!"
Sakumo roared, thinking Rinjin was messing with his mind again.
However, the Rinjin clone released his grip, and this "Sakumo" with closed eyes instantly went limp on the ground.
Except for his slightly rising and falling chest, there was no reaction at all.
"Look!" The clone's voice came at just the right time.
"This is Amegakure's latest technology—cloning!
Uh... how to explain this?
Eh... forget it, you wouldn't understand anyway!
Just think of it as me creating another body for you, except this body has no soul—it's just a pure shell!"
Seeing this scene, Sakumo's pupils uncontrollably shrank to pinpoint size.
"What... what does this mean?!" At this moment, Sakumo felt his throat was terribly dry.
What do you mean by creating another body for me?
Bodies can be created too?
This thing won't suddenly open its eyes and give me a set of Hatake sword techniques, will it?
Cloning was simply too difficult for a science illiterate like Sakumo to understand.
Seeing this, Rinjin helplessly sighed and patted Sakumo's shoulder.
"Brother, take it back and kill it! Guaranteed perfect body double.
Just don't do it at my place—the tatami is hard to clean!
Oh, and report to the gatekeeper position in a couple days. Don't be late!"
The clone said calmly, then waved and walked out of the tearoom.
Looking at himself in front of him, Sakumo suddenly turned his head and roared hysterically:
"You bastard!
You want me to... to carry this thing to my house?!
Do you expect me to walk through Konoha's streets carrying myself?!"
...
The Hatake house, Sakumo's bedroom, crime scene.
Facing the curled-up clone on the ground, blood everywhere and clearly dead, Rinjin's clone and Sakumo stared at each other.
"Did I... commit suicide?" Sakumo asked expressionlessly.
Too many unexpected things had happened tonight—he had temporarily lost the ability to manage his expressions.
Nearby, Rinjin nodded with a strange expression.
Originally, he thought he'd have to do it himself to spare Sakumo the struggle.
Who would have thought this guy truly lived up to being Konoha's fastest man—one swift stroke and he'd stabbed his unconscious clone to death, doing it so smoothly.
He even left his signature White Fang short sword in the corpse's heart.
"So... what should I do now?" Sakumo asked dryly.
"What else can you do?
You've killed someone—get away from the crime scene!"
"What about Kakashi? Could you find time to explain for me?"
Hearing this, even as a clone, Rinjin shook his head mercilessly:
"Let me tell you, with this kind of thing, either you hide it for life and never reveal your identity,
Or you tell the kid right now!
Don't worry, I participated in this child's education too—he's definitely tough enough!"
"So what's your opinion?"
Sakumo was completely flustered now and unconsciously looked to Rinjin.
He was used to asking smart people when he had problems.
Besides, given his relationship with Rinjin—
Thank goodness he was male, otherwise Tsunade would never have had a chance, and Kakashi would immediately change his surname to Sakufang!
Glancing at the somewhat panicked Sakumo, the Rinjin clone scratched his head and showed an embarrassed smile.
"Sorry, I really didn't think that far ahead.
How about I bring the main body over and you ask him?"
"Go quickly, go quickly!" Sakumo waved his hands anxiously.
Soon, Rinjin's main body, wearing turtle pajamas and yawning, was dragged to the crime scene by the clone.
"Clone bro! Please! Can't we talk about things during the day? My back hurts!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Rinjin, who quickly scanned the surroundings, was slightly stunned, then his pupils suddenly brightened and his mouth instantly stretched into a grin.
"Yo! Dog bro, you finally made your move!
Hey~ Congratulations! Congratulations!
I told you! You'd definitely come to our village to be a lackey!"
...This vibe was too strong!
As soon as this guy opened his mouth, you knew it was definitely the main body!
Having spent so much time with Rinjin, Sakumo clearly understood the difference between Rinjin's clones and his main body.
That's right! The clones always seemed a bit stiff when telling dirty jokes!
But the main body...
As Sakumo frantically complained internally, Rinjin broke free from the clone's grip, walked to his side, patted his shoulder, and calmly spoke.
"Now that you've killed him, it's time to head to Amegakure!
As for your precious collections, don't bother taking them!
Amegakure, 1 Chiba Lane, Building 1, 11th floor, Room 1101. The key is above the door frame—my collection is yours now!"
Hearing this, Sakumo's mood, which had been depressed all night, finally improved a little, and a touched smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
Seeing that Sakumo still had no intention of leaving, Rinjin's eyes rolled, then he slapped his forehead and spoke again:
"Still worried about your precious son?"
Hearing this, Sakumo nodded with a moved expression, looking at Rinjin with eyes full of expectation.
"How about this—wake that kid up now and bring him here!
As for whether Konoha's higher-ups will make moves against him later...
Uh... let's do this—we'll also show our fangs and give Konoha's leadership some pressure!"
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
The story isn't over...
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