Two months later.
Shiro Gen-ryu Sword Art: Flame-Light Phantom Blade.
Dazzling firelight burst forth, laced with the shimmer of illusion.
See it, and it takes hold.
Shiro Gen cut once, and a scorching arc of flame shot out, wrapped in blazing light that rolled a wave of heat across the air.
The ten meter blade of fire crossed fifty meters in a blink, then struck a tree dead on.
Soon,
flames swallowed the trunk, water flashed to steam, wood caught and crumbled to ash, and even the earth charred black.
"Good."
"This move finally fuses Fire Release, genjutsu, and swordplay. With multiple entries boosting it, the power is terrifying."
"Wide control plus wide damage."
"Perfect for clearing small fry."
He smiled, then slid the blade back into its sheath.
"The principle is simple. Start from the Uchiha sword style, then thread in a trick that casts genjutsu through firelight."
"That trick can be built into Armor of Fire and the Fire-Stepping Body Flicker too."
"If Armor of Fire projects illusion through its glow, it will be far easier to draw enemies into genjutsu."
"In a fight, that decides life and death."
"As for weaving it into Fire-Stepping Body Flicker, I can improve much more."
He turned the idea over.
The simplest path was to reference the future Crow Clone style of Itachi Uchiha.
Despite the name, that technique's applications were exquisite.
For instance, suddenly vanishing into a storm of crows, then appearing out of nowhere.
Or shattering into crows the instant the enemy's strike landed.
He could even have the crows cast illusions.
It was a secret that braided together clone arts, body flicker, substitution, and genjutsu.
Modify Fire-Stepping Body Flicker along those lines.
Not only practical, but stylish.
The body scatters into flame, then regathers, reappearing from the blaze.
When struck, the body breaks apart into fire, then reforms and rises from it again.
And every lick of fire the foe sees might hold the shine of genjutsu.
Strong and beautiful.
"Worth a try."
"I will upgrade Fire-Stepping along this line."
"The upgraded technique can be called Phantom Flame Flicker."
...
...
Time flowed on.
Suddenly a rumor spread quickly across the village.
"Did you hear?"
"Lord White Fang abandoned a mission for his comrades."
"I heard it was a top secret assignment. If it fails, the village loses a fortune."
"What, seriously?"
"Will that failure hurt us?"
"Of course it will."
"Have you not noticed prices climbing lately?"
"And shop rents and home prices are going up too."
"..."
When their own interests suffer, people start to condemn.
"Damn it."
"How could Sakumo Hatake do that?"
"How could he abandon the mission for comrades?"
"And when the intel was so important."
"Damn, damn, damn."
"Prices high, rent higher. I can barely live."
"All his fault."
"..."
"Tsk. Prices and rent rise because of war, but they will pin that on Sakumo too."
"Still, villagers do not understand."
"They hear it and believe it."
A glint of thought flickered in Shiro Gen's eyes.
Whether Sakumo would take his own life did not matter to him.
But he wanted to witness the White Fang's famed sword.
So,
glancing at the academy gate, he decided.
"I will look for Kakashi later."
...
...
After class, he found Kakashi on the rooftop.
Right then, Kakashi was brooding, head bowed.
"Dead fish eyes, thinking about your father?"
At Shiro Gen's voice, Kakashi blinked and looked up.
He had not expected Shiro Gen to seek him out, much less ask that.
"What do you want to say?"
Shiro Gen did not waste time.
"Your father's mission was top secret. Few knew of it. Even failing, it would not spread, much less explode across the village."
"Someone is pushing this from the shadows."
"Put simply, someone wants to smear your father."
"Missions matter. Comrades matter too."
"No shinobi succeeds one hundred percent."
"Plenty have abandoned missions to save their comrades."
"More importantly, rising prices and rents are because war is close, not because your father chose people over a task."
"This is a frame-up."
"Villagers, hurt by higher costs, are condemning him."
"A storm of fingers pointing hurts."
"You should go home and be with him."
Kakashi's pupils tightened. Understanding struck. He rose and bowed deeply.
"Thank you for the guidance."
"I need to go home."
"I will repay this properly next time."
He bolted from the school at full speed.
"A good student cutting class."
"I am not writing his excuse."
Smiling, Shiro Gen strolled back to class.
Teasing Kurenai every day made life pretty pleasant.
Yet he also suspected Sakumo would not die because of rumors, but because he knew the village leadership was behind them. His Will of Fire, or rather his faith, would crack, and death would follow.
Why would the leadership do this?
Because Sakumo was an outsider, yet carried the standing to be Hokage.
The Second was the First's brother.
The Third was the Second's student.
The Hokage seat had never held an outsider.
Even the leadership was largely a circle of fellow disciples.
So they blackened Sakumo's name.
Otherwise, if war broke out and he won even more renown,
what then?