Kakashi didn't understand why his father, who had upheld the most important principle of a ninja—treasuring his comrades—was met with curses and criticism.
It was a long time before Kakashi finally notified others.
Soon after he reported it to the village, Jiraiya was the first to arrive.
"Sakumo actually..." Jiraiya frowned inside the house.
He and Sakumo Hatake were about the same age, both born around the 13th year of Konoha.
However, Sakumo Hatake's reputation was far above theirs.
The title "Legendary Sannin," while an honor in the eyes of outsiders, was actually a source of shame for them, the three of them had narrowly survived Hanzo.
Although years had passed and the three had made their own advancements, the moniker "Sannin" had already spread.
Only Sakumo Hatake was different.
His title, the White Fang, was earned entirely through his own effort!
Sakumo Hatake's body had already been taken by Medical Squad ninjas for an autopsy to rule out the possibility of murder.
"Kakashi, are you alright?" Jiraiya asked, looking at Kakashi, who had clearly lost his vitality and become much colder.
"I'm fine, Lord Jiraiya. A ninja should prioritize the mission above all else. Father broke the rules of a ninja, so he chose to..."
Kakashi didn't finish his sentence and turned to walk out.
The house was filled with busy ninjas checking for any signs of espionage or Ninjutsu intrusion.
Only Jiraiya stood there, his brows tightly knitted.
Because he was preoccupied with an important mission, only Tsunade and Orochimaru had come earlier.
He never thought that separation would be eternal.
"That old man..." Jiraiya sighed.
That's why he didn't want to stay in the Hidden Leaf year-round, preferring to travel to gather material and search for the Child of Prophecy.
Although the great tree of the Hidden Leaf was lush and basked in sunshine, even through the gaps in the leaves, there were still patches of darkness.
"Heh heh, giving up one's life, how foolish. Sakumo's understanding of the world is even inferior to that Uchiha brat's." Orochimaru walked in.
Tsunade followed closely behind.
"Shut up, Orochimaru." Tsunade frowned. Sakumo was still a comrade in the village, and Orochimaru's words sounded like cold mockery.
Orochimaru saw Tsunade's tightly clenched fists and closed his mouth, though the veins beneath Tsunade's fair skin were still faintly visible.
He turned his gaze towards the distance, in the direction of the Uchiha clan.
"A strong man chose death under the wind of the Hidden Leaf, while an ignorant weakling pursues this wind, seeking to live and go further."
Was Kiyoshi Uchiha truly the same kind of person as himself?
The look of interest in Orochimaru's eyes grew even more intense.
Because he, too, was currently chasing after this... wind of the Hidden Leaf.
***
Days passed, and Sakumo Hatake's death seemed to have changed nothing.
The criticism and gossip in the village abruptly diminished significantly.
Rumors began to circulate that Sakumo Hatake was a hero who bravely sacrificed himself to protect the village.
"Kiyoshi, are you graduating with me?" Kakashi invited.
The dead-fish eyes in his face now held only extreme stubbornness.
"Have you finished writing your application?" Kiyoshi threw a shuriken.
The shuriken cut through the air and struck the tree trunk. Three of the four metallic points had sunk deep into the bark.
From a distance, it looked like it was fully embedded.
After a few days of training, Kiyoshi had quickly acquired the Shuriken Throwing Trait.
The power of the shuriken, just as the Trait promised, had increased by 10%.
"Yes." Kakashi's voice betrayed no emotion.
He showed Kiyoshi a form.
Kiyoshi glanced at it. It was nothing more than a request for early graduation.
Kakashi had mastered the Three-Body Technique a long time ago. He had merely lingered in the Academy without graduating.
He could already perform Earth Release: Mud Wall, let alone the mere Three-Body Technique.
"Then I'll be quick as well." Kiyoshi nodded.
The Three-Body Technique was the graduation assessment standard.
However, the Ninja Academy didn't just teach the Three-Body Technique, there was also some theoretical knowledge Kiyoshi needed to become proficient in.
His time entering the ninja world was, after all, short.
"... Is that so."
Kakashi retrieved the form. His eyes, visible beneath the black mask, showed neither disappointment nor any other superfluous emotion.
Since his father's death, Kakashi began maintaining distance from everyone.
Rin Nohara, Might Guy, Kiyoshi, Obito...
The reason he invited Kiyoshi was that he felt being with Kiyoshi could increase the success rate of missions.
A ninja's greatest duty is to ensure the mission's success.
Ninjas who cannot adhere to these rules are failures.
"Remember to tell me your insights after you graduate. We can still spar occasionally." Kiyoshi said.
Aside from swordsmanship Traits, Kakashi might also yield Lightning Release Traits.
In the future, after losing his Sharingan, Kakashi didn't return to practicing the White Fang's swordsmanship but instead turned to developing new Lightning Release Ninjutsu.
This showed that Kakashi abandoning swordsmanship wasn't just about severing the past and inheriting Obito's Sharingan.
His own talent in swordsmanship might not have fully inherited Sakumo Hatake's.
"I can." Kakashi nodded, turning to leave, preparing to submit his application.
Kiyoshi's sight followed Kakashi's retreating back.
"This afternoon, I should probably go take a look." Kiyoshi threw another shuriken, and it sank deeper into the tree trunk than the previous one.
The extremely worried Rin Nohara would probably come to him for help.
Kiyoshi thought so.
Well, what should he do now?
A reddish tint appeared in Kiyoshi's right dark eye, and a slight curve formed on his lips.
Rin Nohara should live.
And if used effectively, she could also be a means to deal with Obito.
Of course, Rin Nohara was kind to him.
Kiyoshi couldn't bear to see her repeat the original path and die in the trap set by Madara Uchiha.
Madara Uchiha was not someone Kiyoshi or anyone else could currently deal with. Who knew what residual techniques he had after detaching the Gedo Statue tubes?
To keep Rin Nohara away from this trap, Obito needed a replacement trigger for his awakening.
Obito needed to be subjected to a tremendous emotional shock to awaken his Mangekyō Sharingan.
For example... Taking Rin Nohara.
What could be more heartbreaking than eternally losing your beloved and witnessing ruin all around?
Let him be the one to redeem all this.
As long as the outcome was good.
"It seems it's time to awaken the Sharingan." Kiyoshi mused.
***
This class was for free training. Kakashi crossed the wide practice field, heading toward the edge.
"Kakashi, are you going somewhere?" Rin Nohara ran up and asked.
As a girl, she was sensitive and sensed that Kakashi's mood was somewhat off.
Moreover, the highly publicized news a few days ago about Sakumo Hatake's mission failure causing severe losses to the Land of Fire had quickly been overshadowed by another event:
Sakumo Hatake had gloriously sacrificed himself for the Hidden Leaf.
***
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