Chapter 110: Kakashi's Purpose
Kakashi?
Fugaku was momentarily confused, taking several seconds to remember who this was—son of White Fang Sakumo Hatake, disciple of Yellow Flash Minato Namikaze, and currently the only non-Uchiha legally possessing a Sharingan.
What did this youth want with Ritsu?
He didn't immediately respond but cast an inquiring gaze toward Ritsu.
"Kakashi is looking for me?"
Ritsu was also somewhat surprised.
The relationship between himself and Kakashi wasn't particularly deep. Initially they'd connected because his cousin Akiba had been assigned to Kakashi's squad. Later, on that night when their intelligence was betrayed, they'd shared adversity.
But even with that shared hardship, it shouldn't bring Kakashi running to the Military Police Force looking for him, right?
Could Kakashi have discovered the rumors about his father were spread at his behest through Teacher Hiruko and the others? Was he now here to cause trouble?
"Clan Head Uchiha, could you arrange a room? I'll go meet this disciple of Yellow Flash."
"No problem."
"Also, Sensei, this isn't fast at all. I actually think the progress is already slow enough. What we're doing ultimately amounts to rebellion. Rebellion has always been about racing against time. The longer we drag things out, the more variables emerge... In any case, Sensei, you all can discuss first."
Having finished speaking, Ritsu walked out the door.
Leaving behind Hiruko frowning in thought, Izumo and Arima exchanged glances. Under Fugaku's arrangement, they came to a nearby small conference room. He found an empty seat and sat down, quietly awaiting Kakashi Hatake's arrival.
Half a minute later, Kakashi pushed the door open and entered.
"Clan Head Hyuga, pardon the intrusion."
"Like you, I'm a guest here. What do you want with me? Did Akiba do something wrong?"
"This has nothing to do with Akiba. Besides, Akina is excellent."
"Then what exactly do you want with me?"
From the moment Kakashi entered, Ritsu had been observing this youth. Though his outward appearance showed no obvious changes, Kakashi's aura felt very different compared to their last meeting.
Somewhat unfathomable for the moment.
"Clan Head Hyuga, do you know about the rumors spreading in the village recently?"
Standing beside the table, Kakashi looked at Ritsu seated in the chair. He didn't directly state his purpose but instead asked a question.
"Just heard about them."
"Then, Clan Head Hyuga, what do you think of the rumors about my father? Do you think my father's death was voluntary or forced?"
This question was so nakedly direct.
Watching the youth barely restraining his violent killing intent, Ritsu couldn't help his mouth twitching, nearly failing to suppress a laugh.
This was truly an unexpected delight!
Initially dragging out White Fang's old matter had only aimed to muddy the waters. He'd never hoped to achieve any specific purpose with this old case.
But as the saying goes—deliberately planted flowers don't bloom, carelessly planted willows provide shade.
Now this surprise had voluntarily delivered itself to his door.
A storm immediately swept through his mind. His face remained unchanged as he showed a seriously contemplative expression, pondering for several seconds before saying: "Though the village characterized it as suicide, in my view there are too many suspicious points. Perhaps White Fang-senpai truly ended his own life, but definitely not willingly—most likely a helpless choice. By the way, Kakashi, have you seen Suikazan Fuguki's interrogation confession?"
"No."
"Then conveniently I have a copy here. You can look at it."
Ritsu placed the confession document he carried for just such occasions on the conference table.
Kakashi didn't hesitate, immediately picking it up and flipping through. He skimmed the earlier content, but when reaching the section about White Fang, his hands began trembling uncontrollably.
After quite a while, he finally placed the document back on the table.
"Clan Head Hyuga, do you think what Suikazan Fuguki said is true or false?"
"Fuguki definitely didn't lie, because this is a confession extracted through Uchiha Shisui's genjutsu interrogation. But we can't rule out the possibility Fuguki was also deceived, received false intelligence, or that these are his own speculations."
Ritsu spoke honestly, not deliberately guiding Kakashi to believe this confession.
Kakashi Hatake wasn't a fool.
Facing such clever, sharp-minded people, using tricks was actually the stupidest behavior. The best method was presenting facts, reasoning logically, only stating the absolutely certain parts, letting these smart people fill in the rest themselves. Answers obtained this way would make them deeply believe.
"But you just said you think my father's death was forced."
Kakashi stared straight at Ritsu.
"That's correct—that's my view. But you should understand, my view doesn't equal truth. It's very likely just because I dislike the Third Hokage and his people. They recently tried to use the Mist ninja to take my head, so in my eyes, even their breathing pollutes Konoha's air. If you ask me, my answer is definitely that White Fang-senpai was forced by them onto the desperate path of self-termination!!!"
Ritsu openly stated the intensified conflict between himself and village leadership, so naturally he saw everything village leadership did as tinged with conspiracy.
"...Clan Head Hyuga, why does the village persecute you?"
After two seconds of contemplation, Kakashi asked again.
"You should ask the Third, ask Danzo Shimura that question. They know most clearly why they persecute me. Of course, if you want my view, I can only say Suikazan Fuguki was right—the Third Hokage is no longer that ambitious hero of past years. He clings to power and authority, eliminating anyone who might threaten him. In the past, that person was your father. Now, that person might be me!"
Ritsu spoke honestly.
Truly, after overthrowing the Main Family, Ritsu genuinely hadn't expected the village would actually interfere in Hyuga Clan internal affairs. He'd believed as long as he could stabilize the clan and ensure the Hyuga remained Konoha Village's unshakeable foundation, he should receive village recognition—because major ninja clan autonomy was a rule established at Konoha's founding.
But Sarutobi Hiruzen had openly acknowledged Ritsu as the usurping clan head while secretly wanting him to disappear.
This left Ritsu with no choice.
Even if Sarutobi Hiruzen now willingly gave up and proactively admitted his mistakes, Ritsu would absolutely not accept such an outcome. Because the fact of being schemed against couldn't be erased. If he forcibly swallowed this grievance, what had all his desperate efforts been for?
Simply to avoid looking at others' expressions, to prevent his life and death from depending on others' whims.
At the end of the day, it was to live freely and openly with unobstructed thoughts!
Otherwise, he might as well have peacefully remained a cautious Branch Family jonin!
"Your father back then had no backing and was burdened by you as a young child, so facing persecution from the Third and his people, he had no choice but suicide. But I'm different. I'm the Hyuga Clan head. The Hyuga Clan is my most solid and stable support. So I won't yield. They want my life—then I can equally want theirs. That's what's called fair, isn't it?"
Ritsu looked at Kakashi, not concealing his intentions at all.
Simultaneously, he prepared to restrain Kakashi. Or rather, from this moment forward, Kakashi wouldn't leave his side until the final step of his plan began executing—only then would Kakashi regain freedom.
However, hearing Ritsu's treasonous declaration, Kakashi issued no accusations. Instead, he closed his eyes as though thinking. After quite a while, he suddenly opened his eyes, looking at Ritsu: "Clan Head Hyuga, I want to personally use this eye to ask them why they forced my father to death!"
He pushed up his covered left eye, revealing the crimson eye with two pitch-black tomoe rotating within.
Looking at this crimson Sharingan, Ritsu asked: "Kakashi, do you truly know what you're saying? Some words carry corresponding consequences once spoken. If I fail, they can dig these words of yours from my brain. At that time—"
"Clan Head Hyuga, ever since Father committed suicide, I firmly believed ninja who can't complete missions are trash. So I thought Father's death was his own fault—was... deserved, because he abandoned his mission, was a failed ninja."
Speaking these words, Kakashi's facial muscles twitched as though suffering an epileptic seizure—even his mask couldn't conceal it. His voice was filled with regret and self-loathing emotions.
Ritsu sat motionless, patiently being a listener.
"But later, Obito... the close friend who gave me this eye, told me a principle. Perhaps ninja who can't complete missions truly are trash, but those who don't know how to cherish comrades are even worse than trash!!!"
"So Father wasn't a failure. He shouldn't have committed suicide for that. Conversely, those who should die are those bastards who used rumors to force him into desperation!!!"
Kakashi roared, his killing intent nearly solidifying into substance.
These words thoroughly revealed Kakashi's position and intentions. He wanted to clear his deceased father's name and seek revenge!
To this day, Sakumo Hatake still bore the stigma of failure. His remains couldn't be buried in Konoha's cemetery, his name couldn't be carved on the memorial stone. Previously, Kakashi had been indifferent to this because the information cocoon wrapping him told him Father was a failure, the village's disgrace—naturally unqualified to receive posterity's worship like heroes.
But now the information cocoon shrouding Kakashi had been torn open. His perception had turned one hundred eighty degrees. In his view, all this treatment Father suffered was genuine humiliation. What shamed him even more was that he as a son had previously thought all this was as it should be.
"Beautifully said!"
Ritsu clapped in praise.
He stood up, looking at Kakashi with burning eyes. "Kakashi, you're absolutely right. Those who should die are those old things who hold positions without merit, who've become puppets of power lust. Because of their selfishness, Konoha went from easily single-handedly facing the other four great ninja villages to now only barely achieving mutual destruction with them!"
"If Sakumo-senpai were still alive, he alone could have cut through Sand ninja like vegetables, defeating them utterly. Then we could concentrate superior forces to crush Rock ninja, easily defeat Cloud ninja, and drive Mist ninja into the sea to feed fish. We wouldn't need to pay such enormous costs to barely achieve this hollow victory!"
"One could say those old bastards' selfishness not only killed Sakumo-senpai but destroyed Konoha's prosperity. They bear inescapable responsibility for the village's current difficulties and straits!"
These words were somewhat exaggerated.
However powerful Sakumo Hatake was, he couldn't single-handedly defeat all Hidden Sand Village ninja. Just like the Third Raikage trapped in ten thousand Rock ninja's encirclement ultimately dying of exhaustion, if Sakumo truly solo-challenged Hidden Sand Village, death would be certain.
But these words weren't entirely without merit.
In ninja combat, one more top expert could indeed very possibly rewrite a war's outcome. It might turn small defeat into small victory, might turn small victory into great victory. Victory could snowball, advantages could continuously accumulate. If Sakumo Hatake had truly lived, these past years' war situation definitely wouldn't look like this.
"Kakashi, do you have any plans? How do you intend to find those people and ask clearly about your father's matter?"
After completing empathy with Kakashi, Ritsu immediately asked more practical execution questions. Just having similar goals wasn't enough—the key was how to implement specific actions.
"My plan is to find you, Clan Head Hyuga."
Kakashi's answer made Ritsu freeze, then he couldn't help showing a smile.
"Why do you say that?"
"Because my thinking and intuitive judgment both tell me the village's rumors should be your handiwork, Clan Head Hyuga. From these rumors, I determined you must be plotting something. So... I came to find you this urgently."
Kakashi was very frank.
"So... you want to join my plan?"
"Yes."
Kakashi nodded heavily.
"You trust me this much? Aren't you afraid I'll sell you out to that old bastard?"
"If not for your helping hand, Clan Head Hyuga, Rin would have died that night. Precisely because of your help, I could keep my deceased friend's promise. This debt of gratitude is worth repaying with my life. Moreover, I trust my and my friend's eyes. We won't misjudge people!"
Ritsu stared at Kakashi for a moment, slowly nodding. "With your joining, Kakashi, many parts of my original plan need modification. Our plan will become more complete and feasible. However, from now on you'll need to move with me."
"That's no problem."
Kakashi agreed readily.
****
50+advance chapters at patreon.com/Eatinpieces