Hatake Seiko's face softened as he recalled old memories. "My uncle was the most respected shinobi of our clan," he said quietly. "Even now, I still honor him. I still remember his face — calm, gentle, and kind."
He hesitated before continuing. "But I don't understand why things turned out that way. The Hatake Clan was once admired, but after my uncle's death… we were shunned by everyone."
Uchiha Gen crossed his arms, his dark eyes narrowing. "Seiko, do you think the White Fang of Konoha truly made a mistake back then?"
Seiko looked up, meeting Gen's piercing gaze — sharp as a drawn blade. He felt the weight of that look sting his eyes and turned away.
"I… I don't know," he admitted in a whisper.
Gen's tone deepened. "Tell me, Seiko. When you become a ninja, would you rather serve alongside someone like your uncle, who would protect you at all costs… or with a comrade who'd abandon you just to complete the mission?"
Seiko opened his mouth but hesitated. Under Gen's steady stare, his thoughts tangled. Finally, he said, slowly and sincerely, "I'd rather be with someone like my uncle."
Gen's expression broke into a bright, almost mischievous smile. He clapped Seiko on the shoulder. "Congratulations — that's the right answer."
"Seiko, your words prove you're the same kind of person as the White Fang."
Seiko blinked, startled. "Then… isn't it wrong to value comrades over the mission?"
"No," Gen said with quiet conviction. "It's not."
"So my uncle wasn't wrong, after all."
"Right."
"But…" Seiko frowned, conflicted. "That way of thinking goes against what the Village teaches us."
"Then the Village is wrong," Gen replied flatly.
He turned his head toward the Hokage Rock in the distance. The faces carved into the stone glowed under the evening sun, and a faint, mocking smile touched Gen's lips.
Seiko's eyes widened. The Village… wrong? The thought itself felt blasphemous. For a moment, his world tilted.
Gen looked back at him, his voice calm but heavy. "Seiko, before we are shinobi, we are human. We're not tools to be thrown away when the Village is done with us. We have hearts — we laugh, we grieve, we fear. Even courage isn't the absence of fear, but the strength to keep moving forward despite it."
He took a step closer. "Are you training so hard just to become an unthinking weapon that follows orders without question?"
"No!" Seiko burst out. "I don't want that!"
Gen's gaze softened.
"But…" Seiko's voice trembled. "Even if my uncle wasn't wrong, his decision made the mission fail… and that harmed the Village."
Gen shook his head. "A failed mission can be redone. A lost life can't. We only live once. If a shinobi dies, the Village replaces a name on a roster — but to their family, it's a wound that never heals."
He continued, his tone firm but gentle. "Protecting your own life isn't cowardice, Seiko. It's the truest form of strength. When the time comes to sacrifice yourself, that choice will have meaning — but don't throw your life away for a mission that the Village insists must succeed. No mission is worth more than the smiles of those who love you."
Seiko slowly nodded, eyes glistening. "Gen-kun… I think I understand a little." He paused, then murmured with regret, "If my uncle could redo that mission, maybe… he wouldn't have died."
Gen's expression darkened. "I don't know what kind of classified mission Sakumo Hatake took on," he said. "But a man of his caliber — a veteran jōnin, said to possess strength near a Kage — wouldn't have made a reckless choice. Even if the mission failed, it likely wasn't disastrous enough to truly endanger the Village."
He looked away, thoughtful. Maybe that mission itself was a setup… meant to break the White Fang.
"But the Village said the failure caused enormous losses," Seiko protested.
Gen let out a dry laugh. "That depends on whether what the Village said was true."
"Why would the Village lie?"
Gen shrugged. "Who knows? But it was strange, wasn't it? How everyone knew about Sakumo's so-called failure almost overnight. Just like how rumors about the Uchiha are spreading lately."
Seiko frowned. "What's strange about it?"
Gen gave a faint smile. "Tell me, do you know what kind of missions Kakashi Hatake usually takes on?"
Seiko blinked. "No… I don't."
"Exactly," Gen said, turning to leave. "Think about that. And don't repeat what we've discussed. I'm heading back."
He disappeared around the corner, his footsteps soft against the stone.
But as he turned, he stopped. His eyes fell upon a large, quiet house nearby — the Hatake residence.
It wasn't far from the training ground. During his talk with Seiko, Gen had felt a faint, watching presence coming from that direction — cold, weightless, almost inhuman.
And now, at the gate, he saw it.
A faint, translucent figure stood behind the fence. Silver-haired. Calm-eyed. Familiar.
The White Fang of Konoha — Sakumo Hatake.
Gen's pupils shrank in shock. His breath hitched, though his expression did not change.
A spirit… still bound to this world by regret.
For a long moment, Gen said nothing. He only let his gaze drift past Sakumo's spirit, pretending not to notice as he murmured, "Kakashi-senpai's home… A big house, but it feels lonely."
Then he turned and walked away.
As he passed the gate, the air grew colder. His shoulder brushed close to the lingering soul of the White Fang — so close, yet untouched.
Sakumo stood motionless, silently watching him until he disappeared down the path. Then, slowly, his spirit began to fade, like mist under morning light.
Feeling the weight of the gaze lifted from his back, Gen exhaled quietly.
He had known that Sakumo's soul lingered in the world, unable to pass on. But to see him — today of all days — was something else entirely.
Did you hear me just now, Senior Kiba? Gen wondered silently. Did you appear by coincidence… or were you listening all along?
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