After vetoing Might Guy's insane "special training plan," the three of them just did some normal sparring at Kakashi's place and then went their separate ways.
Leaving the Hatake house, Uchiha Feiyu headed home. Halfway there, though, he suddenly felt Hatake Sakumo's soul beside him ripple with agitation.
"What's wrong? Saw someone you know?"
Feiyu glanced over, following the direction of Sakumo's gaze, and spotted a ninja who looked vaguely familiar.
He was sure he'd seen this man before, but couldn't put a name to his face. That meant they weren't close—just someone who'd left a strong enough impression to stick.
…Right. Wasn't this that bastard teammate Sakumo had saved?
"Oh, it's him…" Feiyu's eyes narrowed. "Want revenge, Sakumo-senpai?"
Sakumo gave a bitter smile.
"Look at me. What revenge can I take like this? Besides, he's still a Konoha shinobi. If you attack him without cause, it won't end well for you."
"Relax," Feiyu said. "Don't forget how old we are. A little impulsiveness at this age is perfectly normal, right?"
"I don't see you as the impulsive type," Sakumo shot back. "Didn't you say your life goal was to 'do less, earn more, and get something for nothing'… Wait. We?"
Sakumo really didn't think that "we" meant him and Feiyu—he wasn't exactly a hot-headed teenager. So who else could it be?
Obviously, his precious son.
Feiyu's next words confirmed it. His tone turned almost casual.
"Of course it's 'we.' I'll sit in the back and do the planning, then let Kakashi and Guy go beat that guy up. Shouldn't be a problem, right?"
"In theory, that guy has a hand in your death. For Kakashi, that's pretty much a 'killed my dad' grudge. Just beating him up is already being polite."
"The main issue…" Sakumo muttered, "probably isn't just beating him up."
"See? You do get it, Sakumo-senpai," Feiyu said dryly. "And yet you still let yourself get pushed to the point of suicide?"
Hearing his own suicide brought up again, Sakumo felt his face burn. After several days of Feiyu's relentless commentary, the great White Fang of the Leaf had begun to classify that whole incident as his personal black history.
But now wasn't the time to dwell on that. Sakumo's expression turned serious.
"I did notice something off back then," he said quietly. "The things Bangyan said at my door… They were clearly meant to ignite public opinion. Someone was behind him."
"Just say it straight: he was acting on orders from Konoha's leadership." Feiyu snorted. "So, Sakumo-senpai—who do you think is behind him?"
"How would I know?" Sakumo frowned. "And it might not even be the higher-ups. It could be some foreign spy—"
"If he were a foreign spy," Feiyu cut in, "he'd already have been dragged off and interrogated. No way Konoha would spare a spy who played a role in killing a ninja of your level."
Sakumo went silent.
Even if that guy had been a spy, after his death Sakumo should have been the trigger for a full investigation. The teammate who caused the scandal would've been the first person they hauled in.
The fact that he hadn't been touched spoke for itself.
If no one suspected him, that meant the leadership knew very well he wasn't acting on his own.
There was only one explanation: he'd been following orders.
Seeing Sakumo fall silent, Feiyu shook his head.
"Looks like even you can't lie to yourself with that theory."
"…Aren't you worried you'll draw the attention of the higher-ups?" Sakumo finally asked.
"That's why Kakashi has to go first," Feiyu replied calmly. "His father died. Doing something impulsive over it is completely normal, don't you think?"
"And don't forget—after you died, public opinion did a one-eighty. If we don't use this window, we'll lose it. Wait too long and that's when it'll be too late."
"I really don't believe Konoha's leadership is going to seriously punish Kakashi for losing his temper in a situation like this."
Sakumo froze.
His memory had stopped on the day he died. He hadn't considered what kind of chain reaction his death might have caused.
"To think… public opinion flipped after I died," he murmured. "Seeing how quiet my house was, I thought the whole village was still cursing me."
"People respect the dead," Feiyu said. "As long as you're not some utterly inhuman monster, dying tends to polish your reputation."
"Enough," Sakumo groaned. "I already regret what I did. Now I'm convinced I must have been out of my mind back then. Why would I ever think suicide was a good idea…?"
He let out a slow breath.
"But even if the excuse is there, Bangyan is a tokubetsu jōnin. Without your help, Kakashi alone isn't his match yet."
"Tokubetsu jōnin, huh? That's about what I expected."
Feiyu's expression didn't change at all.
Anyone qualified to go on an S-class mission with the White Fang was obviously no ordinary Chunin or genin. At minimum he'd have to be a tokubetsu jōnin with some particular specialty. Otherwise, on a mission like that, he'd just be dead weight.
But since Feiyu already had a plan, he naturally had countermeasures prepared.
"Don't worry, Sakumo-senpai. The Soul Marshal technique isn't limited to my own body."
"I can use it to let you directly possess Kakashi. You're father and son—your blood connection is strong. Possessing him won't cost much."
"With your battle sense and combat experience, even in Kakashi's body, taking down a tokubetsu jōnin shouldn't be that hard, right?"
The Soul Marshal technique had already reshaped Sakumo's soul, making him more like those spiritual entities from The Outcast's world—capable of direct possession.
But only Feiyu, who practiced Soul Marshal himself, could fully exploit Sakumo's spirit:
no backlash to Sakumo
no harm to Feiyu
and Feiyu could even draw on part of the spirit's power for himself
Anyone else being possessed would suffer damage, and Sakumo's soul would be strained as well.
Kakashi was the one exception.
As Sakumo's direct bloodline, he was naturally compatible. Possession might not boost him in the way it did Feiyu, but it also wouldn't harm either of them.
That was the only reason Feiyu dared suggest this plan.
The chakra system of this world was focused on techniques—not deep metaphysics—so most ninja didn't differ much in their fundamental life essence.
Even piloting Kakashi's body, Sakumo could rely on his battle instincts and the boy's physical condition to exert power beyond a typical jonin. Taking down a single tokubetsu jōnin… really wouldn't be that difficult.
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