"Huh…"
Half an hour later, Kakashi finally rolled off Hiruzen's swollen, battered body and collapsed flat onto the ground. His chest rose and fell heavily as he sucked in air, drenched in sweat.
"My arms are sore from punching… This is the first time I've ever been this exhausted from pure fist fighting," Kakashi muttered, letting out a long sigh.
From the side, a weak groan escaped Hiruzen, who was barely regaining consciousness. His face was so swollen and bruised it resembled that of a beaten pig. Through the haze of pain, he caught Kakashi's words.
"Kakashi… am I really that bad?" he asked weakly, his voice trembling.
Kakashi froze, blinking in disbelief. Wait. Did I just hear that right?
Hiruzen—the once proud Hokage, the so-called "Professor of Ninjutsu"—was reflecting on himself?
Don't tell me… I beat him so hard I actually rattled his brain? Kakashi thought, his lips twitching. If I drag him back to the village like this, will I just be bringing home a broken old man? Well… I suppose that wouldn't be the worst outcome. Maybe I've unlocked a new technique: Beat the fool into enlightenment!
Still, despite the sarcasm boiling in his heart, Kakashi kept his face calm and indifferent.
"Yes," he said flatly, his single visible eye narrowing. "You finally figured it out."
"So that's how it is…" Hiruzen muttered, his expression twisted with regret. "I understand now, Kakashi."
His swollen lips trembled as he continued, voice solemn.
"When I return to the village… I will commit seppuku. Only with my death can I pay tribute to Sakumo's spirit in heaven. From that moment on, the protection of Konoha will fall to you."
Kakashi's gaze sharpened instantly.
Hiruzen's words weren't just resignation—they were the words of a man delivering his last will. He had realized something Kakashi already suspected: Minato, with undeniable evidence of corruption, was going to shake the very foundations of the Leaf. The settlement that followed would ignite a backlash from the four great clans, and Hiruzen's very existence would be the banner those clans rallied under to oppose Minato.
Even if Hiruzen no longer sided with them, the elders would still use his name. And once again, the village would plunge into chaos.
Hiruzen had seen the darkness within the great families firsthand, but… he couldn't bring himself to crush them personally. They were families that had once stood by him, that had raised him. He could not condemn them to destruction with his own hands.
If his death could end that corruption… if he could remove himself as a pawn from their board… then at least he could do one last thing for the village.
"That way, the fighting will end. This will be my final act of atonement," Hiruzen whispered.
But Kakashi's voice cut through the air like a blade.
"You wish!"
The words were sharp, cold, and unyielding.
Hiruzen's eyes widened. "Kakashi, you don't understand. As long as I remain alive, the elders of the clans will use my name to oppose Minato directly. If that happens, the village will descend into true danger!"
Kakashi sneered. "Oh, really? You think too highly of those four families."
His tone dripped with disdain.
"They don't even have a single Kage-level fighter among them—not one besides you. And you think they could cause real trouble for Minato? Keep dreaming."
Kakashi's voice hardened as his gaze bored into the old man.
"I know you want to atone by dying, but don't delude yourself. You're still a Kage-level shinobi. You've mastered nearly every conventional ninjutsu in the entire ninja world. Do you have any idea how difficult it is for the village to train someone like you? If you just die here, without repayment, do you think that's redemption?"
His voice grew sharper, a whip lashing into Hiruzen's shame.
"What—you make a mistake, and then you want to escape it all through death? There's no such cheap way out in this world!"
Hiruzen opened his mouth, but no words came. He knew Kakashi was right. Dying now would only be running away.
Kakashi stepped closer, his eye blazing. "If you truly want to atone, then live. Live, and show it through your actions."
He raised two fingers.
"I'll give you two choices."
---
Kakashi's First Choice
"First," Kakashi said coldly, "you resign. Step down as an elder. Cut yourself off entirely from the Sarutobi clan. From this day forward, you live as a commoner. No status. No privilege."
Hiruzen's eyes flickered in shock, but Kakashi didn't stop.
"You'll work as a simple teacher in the Ninja Academy. You'll lead by example. You'll compile the crimes of Danzō and the rest of the council into new textbooks—and you'll teach those lessons yourself. You'll tell the students the truth with your own mouth."
His voice grew sharper, more bitter.
"And while you're at it, you will clear the Uchiha name. You will undo decades of lies and propaganda, correcting the distortions you allowed in the textbooks. We're all ninjas of the same village. Why should the Uchiha—who bled and died on the battlefield like everyone else—not be remembered? Why were they vilified, while two so-called Hokage advisors were praised endlessly for petty contributions?"
Kakashi's scoff was like a blade.
"You should be ashamed."
Hiruzen's swollen, pig-like face flushed red with humiliation. He didn't need Kakashi to name names—he knew perfectly well that he himself had been guilty of this arrogance. Fortunately, his swollen face hid the color.
"And think about it," Kakashi added dryly. "As a ninjutsu master, you're well-suited to teach at the Academy. After all, ninjutsu training should start early. The problem is that the teachers there are too weak. When I was five, I could already defeat most of them."
He shook his head, sighing. "The Academy's system is fine for civilians. But for geniuses? It's useless. That's why I sent shadow clones to class instead of wasting my time."
Hiruzen bit his lip. Despite his shame, he couldn't deny the logic.
---
The Second Choice
"What about the second option?" Hiruzen asked cautiously. Despite himself, Kakashi's words carried a sense of conviction that shook him.
Kakashi's expression darkened.
"Ninjutsu: Soundproof Wall."
With swift seals, Kakashi raised an invisible barrier around them. No sound would escape.
"When I was on an Anbu mission," Kakashi said gravely, "I discovered something. An organization calling itself Akatsuki."
"Akatsuki?" Hiruzen repeated, frowning.
"They present themselves as mercenaries, living off bounty work. But that's a cover. Their true purpose… is to capture all the tailed beasts and forge a weapon that can destroy the world."
Hiruzen snorted, though his swollen face winced with pain. "Gather all the tailed beasts? What a grandiose dream! Ridiculous—"
But Kakashi's glare silenced him.
"Ridiculous? What if I told you their leader possesses the Rinnegan?"
Hiruzen's entire body froze. His swollen eyes went wide. "What did you say?! The Rinnegan… actually exists?!"
"Oh? So Uncle Jiraiya never told you," Kakashi said coldly. "During the Second Great War, he took in three orphans as disciples. One of them awakened the Rinnegan."
His voice dropped lower, slicing into Hiruzen's heart.
"Tch. Look at you. You've fallen so far that even your own disciples no longer trust you. None of them confide in you. Not even Jiraiya."
The words pierced deeper than any kunai.
Hiruzen felt the phantom sting of a blade in his chest. He staggered, but his mind latched onto one thing.
"The Rinnegan… If that's true, it's immeasurable in power. But… if he was Jiraiya's disciple, why would he oppose the Five Great Nations? No. I refuse to believe it. Jiraiya would have instilled the will of peace in all his students. He would never have allowed otherwise!"
Despite his shame, despite his battered body, Hiruzen's voice was full of conviction. He believed in Jiraiya, without hesitation.
Kakashi's eye narrowed, observing him silently.
---
Hiruzen's Quiet Hypocrisy
Yet even as he defended Jiraiya, Hiruzen's mind betrayed him. He remembered… embarrassing things.
Yes, Jiraiya had been foolish—too fond of peeping at women's bathhouses. But wasn't that… his own fault, too? After all, hadn't Jiraiya caught him once, as a child, using the Telescope Technique to peek at the women's baths through the crystal ball in his office?
Of course, I'd never admit that, Hiruzen thought hurriedly. Jiraiya's just a fool. Why go stand at the bathhouse gates to peek when you could sit comfortably in the Hokage office with a crystal ball? That's efficiency!
He ignored the fact that he alone had that privilege thanks to his mastery of the barrier crystal.
Still, his faith in Jiraiya's heart never wavered.
Kakashi, watching, could almost read his thoughts. He shook his head slightly.
This old man… still hasn't changed enough.
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