"Eight years ago," Sarutobi Hiruzen began, sitting at his desk, his voice heavy with the memory of tragedy, "a Nine-Tails rampage broke out in the village. Because a great figure had once helped us quell a rampage before, we naively underestimated the danger. We thought Konoha was safe from that risk, and it led to heavy casualties..."
Hiruzen knew he couldn't hide the truth from Kakashi. He had to explain the 'why' behind the rogue ninja warrant for Obito, or risk pushing the already fragile Kakashi over the edge.
"A great figure..." Kakashi recalled the name that Konoha had once tried to bury. The one who taught his father Storm Release. The one who was always on Lady Tsunade's mind.
"Emiya Shirou," Hiruzen nodded, finally saying the name aloud. "The ninja world can't hide his brilliance. You must have heard his name often as you grew up. He helped the village quell the Nine-Tails rampage, and it was with his help that we successfully sealed it, giving Konoha its first jinchuriki."
In fact, Shirou had helped Konoha a lot. He'd left a rich legacy: countless medical scrolls, the cursed seals on himself, Danzo, and Tsunade, and most importantly, his unique approach to the Nine-Tails.
The first jinchuriki, Uzumaki Mito, had mastered its power because of him. The second, Uzumaki Kushina, had learned from Mito how to soothe the beast, sharing stories of that "great figure's" past and awakening a flicker of emotion deep within the Nine-Tails' heart.
This method was surprisingly effective. The Nine-Tails, despite its hatred for being used, was inevitably drawn to the warmth in those stories. A full-blown rampage had never occurred during Kushina's time.
"I remember you were once ordered to protect Kushina," Hiruzen said, looking Kakashi in the eye. "You should know her favorite stories were also about Lord Emiya."
"Yes," Kakashi lowered his head. It was an order from his teacher, Minato. During a particularly dark time in his life, he was made an ANBU to protect the pregnant Kushina. "I was ordered to withdraw from protection only when she was about to give birth."
At that time, a higher-level operative took over to prevent any accidents.
"Nothing was supposed to go wrong," Hiruzen recalled Kushina's confident assurances. That confidence had made him, an old man, a bit careless. "But that night, a mysterious one-eyed man in a mask appeared. He killed the ninjas guarding her childbirth."
His expression darkened. "He also killed Biwako, who was helping Kushina give birth." Hiruzen always remembered his wife. Perhaps only he still did.
"!!!" Kakashi's face changed abruptly.
"That masked man possessed a space-time dōjutsu. He released the Nine-Tails from Kushina's body and used his Mangekyo Sharingan to unleash it on the village."
"Was it... Obito?" Kakashi touched his eye socket. A masked man could be anyone, but a space-time dōjutsu linked to a Sharingan?
The only one left was Obito, who had the other eye.
"At the time, he called himself Madara Uchiha," Hiruzen continued calmly. "However, Minato saw through the flaw. Even a one-eyed Madara would have been able to use the overwhelmingly powerful Susanoo. The man Minato fought never did."
"Looking at it now, the one who took advantage of Kushina's weakness was Uchiha Obito."
The Nine-Tails rampage left a mountain of bloody debts. The Fourth Hokage, his wife, the Third Hokage's wife, Kurenai's father, and countless others... dead.
To call Obito's crimes "heinous" felt too light. That night was a tragedy that had scarred Konoha deeply, forcing Hiruzen to become a leader he never wanted to be, one who had to acknowledge the dark warnings of his predecessor about the Uchiha clan.
No one had expected the culprit to be the long-lost Obito.
"I..." Kakashi's throat was tight. "It was because I caused Rin's death... that he wanted revenge on Konoha."
"It's not your fault," Hiruzen's eyes were serious. "Regardless of whether he knows the truth of Rin's sacrifice, the village, still bearing the scars of that night, could never tolerate him."
Even the villagers couldn't tolerate Naruto, who symbolized the demon fox.
"Alright. Don't worry about this. Perhaps I should arrange a more suitable mission for you." He stood and gently patted the kneeling Kakashi's shoulder. "Now you finally look like you're alive again. Protecting the living is always more meaningful than chasing the past."
"I want to continue the mission to retrieve Anko," Kakashi said, his head still lowered, knowing it would lead him back to Obito.
Hiruzen's headache returned.
"Also," Kakashi added, "we encountered Itachi. There might be something hidden behind the Uchiha clan's destruction."
The headache intensified. "Uchiha Itachi... What about him?"
"He was the one who secretly told me about Obito," Kakashi said, trying to defend the rogue ninja. "He also said he'd find a way to resolve the Anko situation. I suspect the main culprit for the clan's destruction might not be him."
Hiruzen was at a loss for words.
Was Itachi still carrying out his mission as a spy?
"Don't reveal this to anyone," he ordered, his voice stern. "No one is allowed to know about Uchiha Itachi."
Kakashi's eyes sharpened. That confirmed it. There was more to the story.
Hiruzen fell into thought. Should he tell Kakashi the truth?
It was, after all, the fault of Konoha's leadership. A strategic move he himself had made. But Itachi passing on intelligence was a huge risk, a sign of trust in Kakashi.
"Take a walk with me," Hiruzen said, picking up his pipe and putting on his Hokage hat.
He led Kakashi to the deserted Uchiha clan grounds, the air still thick with the lingering smell of blood. "Since the time of the Second Hokage, the Uchiha and the village have not gotten along. The conflict deepened after Obito's attack, to the point that the Uchiha were planning a coup..."
Kakashi clenched his fists.
"But some of them didn't want conflict," Hiruzen continued, looking out over the once-prosperous grounds. "Like Itachi and the long-dead Shisui. But the prejudice in people's hearts is a difficult mountain to cross. Itachi passed information between the clan and the village, hoping to resolve the conflict, but he was helpless."
"In the end, to prevent the coup, Itachi was instigated by Danzo and chose to destroy his family to protect the village. Obito was also lurking in the village at the time, so Itachi chose him as a helper."
He sighed. "I was supposed to arrange things for him, but after he destroyed his family, he reported that he would defect and join the mysterious masked man's organization. I believed this could be an opportunity to find out the man's true intentions, so I agreed."
It was the only choice Hiruzen felt he had at the time. He needed information. But he never expected results so quickly.
"Itachi is an excellent ninja," Hiruzen turned to Kakashi. "Let's leave the matter of Obito and Anko to him for now. It was already extremely dangerous for him to pass information to you. What I've said today ends here."
"Yes," Kakashi lowered his head, overwhelmed. He couldn't imagine his kind friend from the past causing such a tragedy.
"Protecting the living is our most important responsibility," Hiruzen said, adjusting his hat. "Kakashi, you should let go of your past now. Come with me to see Minato's child."
He believed the bond between them, established by Minato, was still there. "That child loves Lord Emiya's stories. A great coincidence. When he grows up, he will surely have a boundless love for everyone, just like Lord Emiya."
After all, that child was also the third Nine-Tails jinchuriki. If he liked Shirou from a young age, it might help him connect with the violent beast inside him.
Unfortunately, Hiruzen didn't know. The Shirou of today was not the Shirou of the past.
As Hiruzen issued a worldwide warrant for Obito, Emiya Shirou was standing in his own Kamui dimension. It was empty, meaning it wasn't connected to Obito's. Perfect for temporarily storing the reward he'd just received.
SSSSS-Rank Request: Tell the whole world, and make them believe, that the mysterious masked man is Uchiha Obito. Reward: Become the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki, Six Paths Ten-Tails Coffin Seal, Tailed Beast Release Seal!
The reward was absurdly generous, comparable to recovering the Sage's remains. When the Ten-Tails entered his body, his chakra levels reached astronomical figures.
"Come out, Ten-Tails," Shirou raised a finger, a faint light flashing in his Rinnegan. A terrifying chakra burst forth, transforming into a huge, grotesque beast.
The Ten-Tails. The most powerful Tailed Beast in the world. And the incarnation of the God Tree that Black Zetsu so desperately wanted to revive.
If Black Zetsu saw this, it would probably lose its mind on the spot.
He'd have to keep this hidden for now.
"Fortunately, I'm in an immortal reanimated body," Shirou sighed, feeling a rare bit of goodwill towards Orochimaru. "Otherwise, just separating the Ten-Tails from my body would have left me bedridden for months. Now then, in a few days, I'll go recruit Kabuto to be my spy."
He now had an empty request slot. He planned to see if he could trigger another terrifyingly rewarding request from some other important figures.
A single Ten-Tails couldn't guarantee victory against Kaguya. After all, her space-time dōjutsu was terrifying, not like his own Kamui, which felt like a child's toy in comparison.