Hiss—!
As Uchiha Kai finished speaking, the whole camp fell into stunned silence.
Shisui's squad was somewhat better prepared — they had already been exposed to Kai's views before.
But even so, hearing him say such things openly in front of outsiders made their hearts pound with fear.
Words like these… how could anyone say them aloud so casually?
What if they spread?
Unlike Shisui's team, Minato's squad was utterly floored.
Good heavens.
Just… good heavens!
If the stories about Hashirama and Madara earlier had been shocking, almost like ancient gossip, then these latest words were downright terrifying.
As long as you have a thick skin, what does public opinion matter?
What kind of wolfish, brazen talk was this?!
Even if they knew he meant it for their good, they couldn't easily accept it. At the Academy, from day one, they had been taught only one thing: the Will of Fire. That creed was carved into their bones.
"Kai-kun, you…" Rin's voice wavered despite herself.
But Kai waved her down with calm finality.
"Relax. Don't worry about me. Since I dare say these things, I'm not afraid of them spreading. The Uchiha's reputation is already in ruins — one more stain won't change anything."
His tone hardened.
"Besides, just a short while ago in Konoha, the Uchiha and the village leadership nearly tore each other apart. I slaughtered plenty of Danzō's Root operatives myself. It was practically an open civil war. Do you think I'd be worried about something as small as this?"
The fire snapped loudly, throwing his shadow long against the valley wall.
"To tell you the truth, in my position as Uchiha elder and Head of the Police Force, I wasn't required to be here on the front lines at all. I've officially withdrawn from active shinobi duty. The only reason I came is because the Hokage bargained with two forbidden jutsu sealed in scrolls."
He sneered.
"You don't think just blowing up Kannabi Bridge is worth paying that much, do you? You think Konoha has no one else? Your teacher's Flying Thunder God is more than enough to complete this mission."
"No, the real reason they used two forbidden jutsu to lure me out… was so they could kill me outside the village."
His words dropped like thunder into the firelit quiet.
"Chances are Root's spies have already colluded with enemy shinobi, setting a grand trap just waiting for me. Of course, you don't need to worry. Kakashi, you and your team are under the Hokage's faction. The village won't move against you. Shisui as well. Kazama and Aya both have powerful clans — the Nara and the Hyūga — behind them. So you're all safe. None of this will touch you."
Kai's lips curled in scorn.
Yes. He was openly declaring his defiance now.
But beneath that cynicism, he did have a purpose: planting seeds of doubt in the younger generation, shaping their thinking in advance.
As for causing trouble?
Heh. Not at all.
These three were Minato's students. With Minato himself already aligned with Kai's camp, could he not manage his own disciples?
On the contrary—better to let them adapt now, so that when Minato eventually acted against Hiruzen Sarutobi, they would accept it more easily.
"…How could it be like this?" Rin's face went pale. "I don't believe it!"
Obito too shouted, voice cracking, "I don't believe it either! How could the Uchiha—"
His whole body trembled. He didn't want to accept it. But he wasn't stupid. No matter how naïve or kind, how could he completely ignore the tension between the Uchiha and the village leadership?
Only Kakashi remained silent, his face hidden in shadow. He ignored the politics. Instead, his mind clung desperately to one thing Kai had let slip — something about his father's death.
His father… a hero?
Stopped a civil war?
What kind of nonsense was that?!
His heart raced, pounding in his ears.
At last, he blurted out, almost choking on the words:
"My father — what really happened to him?"
"I want to know the truth!"
"Uchiha Kai, I beg you!"
With that, Kakashi dropped to one knee before him.
Yes.
This had haunted him for years. His father's suicide — the shame, the whispers, the weight of that legacy. Now, for the first time, he'd found someone who seemed to truly know the inside story.
How could he possibly hold back?
For this answer, he would kneel if he had to.
Shisui and Aya both gasped softly. Obito's eyes went wide, his mouth opening but no sound coming out. Even Rin looked stricken — seeing proud, aloof Kakashi kneel was unthinkable.
Kai sighed softly, looking down at him.
"Do you even know what your father's true status was?"
"My father? His status?" Kakashi blinked, stunned. "Wasn't he just the commander of the Anbu?"
Kai nodded slightly.
"Correct, but not the whole truth. Let me explain. In addition to being Anbu commander, your father was also leader of the Jounin Corps, head of the Interrogation and Torture Department…"
"…and even received the title of 'Hokage's Right Hand' from the daimyō."
Kakashi frowned. Even with that explanation, he didn't understand.
"And what does that mean?"
Kai let out a low sigh.
So ignorant of politics, these shinobi.
Helplessly, he continued:
"As leader of the Jounin Corps, he could convene a council of Jounin. If the Hokage was absent, and most of his allies also happened to be away — then with the right pretext, your father's council could vote to remove Hiruzen from office."
"Don't think it's impossible. Sakumo Hatake's supporters back then were no weaker than Sarutobi's. If the council passed such a vote, Hiruzen's position would be gone."
"And if any opposed him? That was fine too."
"As Anbu commander, your father could arrest them. Toss them into the Interrogation and Torture Department… which, incidentally, he also ran. Slap the label of 'enemy spy' on a dissenting Jounin — not hard, is it?"
"And don't forget — your father was the Hokage's Right Hand. If the current Hokage was deposed, Sakumo wouldn't even need a new election. By law, he would naturally become acting Hokage. At that point, even the daimyō would have no choice but to accept it."
Kai leaned forward, voice lowering.
"So you see? With Sakumo's power then, with the White Fang's fame shaking the entire shinobi world, with so many supporters behind him… if he had wanted to, he would have been Hokage already. You, Kakashi, would be the Hokage's son."
"But alas."
"Your father was a great shinobi. A pure shinobi."
"Do you really believe that a mere failed mission could drive a man who held three of Konoha's greatest powers, and the daimyō's title, to suicide? What a joke."
"And missions of B-rank or above require strict secrecy. His mission was of the highest S-rank, with the strictest confidentiality of all. An S-rank mission's failure would only be known to the top brass. Yet somehow, news spread across Konoha in a single day?"
"Where was the secrecy? Did the dogs eat it?"
His words were sharp as kunai, cutting into the quiet.
"And when your father killed himself, did the village ever investigate this supposed leak? S-rank information compromised — under normal circumstances, it would demand a massive inquiry. Did they investigate? They did not."
"And what does that tell you? Even a fool could see it."
"The leak was the leadership itself. Do you think they'd investigate themselves?"
Kai's gaze pierced straight through Kakashi.
"So why did Sakumo still take his own life? Because he knew — if he resisted, if Konoha descended into civil war, could the village survive the other hidden villages' attacks?"
"That is why."
"He chose to embody the Will of Fire. For the village's peace, for Konoha's survival—"
"—he chose death."
The flames crackled, but no one spoke.
Kakashi's eyes were wide, his face ashen, his body trembling. Rin covered her mouth, Obito clenched his fists, and even Shisui lowered his head in grief.
The night air pressed heavy over them all.
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