They're promoting the "Konoha threat" theory, and spouting nonsense about the Hidden

Chapter 219 Gunshots in the Sunlight (Part 2)

In just half a month, Sakumo Hatake was no longer a hero of Konoha.

Two weeks ago, when Sakumo Hatake walked down the street, people would often stand up to salute him, and some even felt excited when he returned the salute.

But now, when Sakumo Hatake walks down the street, he is met only with disdainful looks and cold mockery.

"Ah, it's Lord Sakumo!"

On the roadside, a child saw Sakumo Hatake and was excitedly about to go up and greet him when his father grabbed him.

"Shh...don't go over there, Yamada!"

"He's no longer the village hero 'White Fang,' he's now a sinner to the village!"

"A sinner? Why? What did Lord Sakumo do to offend Konoha?"

The little boy looked up at his father, his small face filled with great confusion.

"That's right, it's because of him that the village suffered such a major setback; now he's the sinner of the village!"

His father glared at Hatake Sakumo with hatred, his eyes also revealing a hint of pleasure that even he himself couldn't perceive.

For people at the bottom of society, the most satisfying thing is seeing someone more famous or richer than themselves suffer misfortune.

Not to mention that in this environment where people tend to follow the crowd, ordinary people who lack the ability to discern are most easily swayed by public opinion.

From a purely emotional perspective, seeing a person who lives a far better life than oneself, a well-known celebrity, a great hero of Konoha, reduced to this state of being universally condemned...

That was enough to fill his heart, which had been worn smooth by life, with joy.

"But even if he caused damage to the village, he also brought much glory to it, didn't he? Doesn't that mean his previous contributions to the village don't count?"

The child's innocent words left the man speechless, so he could only forcefully adopt his adult authority and admonish the child.

"...Everyone says so, which proves that this Hatake Sakumo definitely has a problem, a big problem, you understand, Yamada? And let me tell you, you absolutely must not be like that Hatake Sakumo when you grow up, you hear me?...

As the man spoke, fearing the child might ask some "strange" questions, he tugged at his sleeve and pulled him away.

"..."

Kakashi Hatake glanced at the father and son over there, and finally could no longer suppress his anger. He gritted his teeth and was about to rush over.

Although the father and son were not speaking loudly and were quite far away from the Hatake father and son, what kind of strength did the Hatake father and son possess?

The distance and volume were nothing; the conversation between the father and son was practically whispered in their ears. Kakashi, who had been holding back for several days, could no longer contain himself and wanted to go forward and teach the man a lesson.

But just as he was about to step forward, a large hand suddenly pressed down on his shoulder.

"...Kakashi!"

Hatake Sakumo shook his head at his son, signaling him not to act rashly.

"But they're slandering you!"

Kakashi excitedly broke free from his father's hand and turned to look at him.

"...They didn't slander me. I did cause significant damage to the village due to my own mistakes during the mission. I am indeed a sinner against the village."

Sakumo Hatake lowered his eyes, not looking directly into his son's gaze.

Although he didn't remove his mask, Kakashi's burning rage could still be seen in his exposed eyes.

"I don't know exactly what happened during the mission that caused you to fail in order to save your companions, but everyone makes mistakes. I can accept that your father's wrongdoing caused losses to the village and that you have to face people's criticism."

"But what I can't accept is why even someone who has never contributed anything to the village can stand up and criticize you so brazenly!"

"Furthermore, if you truly believe your actions—abandoning the mission to save your comrades—were right, why not defend yourself in the face of these accusations?"

"Do you know what the people I've encountered on my missions these past few days have been saying about me? They no longer call me 'Son of White Fang,' but rather 'Son of a sinner of Konoha!'"

Faced with Kakashi's excited words, Sakumo Hatake was speechless.

What else could he say?

He is easygoing, but he is not stupid.

From the time he returned to the village after his mission failed until now, it has only been three days at most. In these three days, news of his mission failure has not only spread throughout the entire village, but even the vendors on the main street know all the details.

As an experienced Jonin, how could he not know that someone must be behind all of this?

That person's identity must be extraordinary; at the very least, they must be a clan leader of a powerful ninja clan.

Considering his previous conversation with Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura in the Hokage's office, it's clear who's behind this.

Having guessed the identity of the person behind it all, and recalling the uproar in the village about Jiraiya's return and the ensuing discussion about the successor to the Hokage, it only takes a little thought to understand why Hiruzen Sarutobi did what he did.

It's nothing more than damaging his own reputation and getting himself kicked off the list of Hokage candidates.

But how could he tell all this to his son?

Even if he is a genius, he is still just a five-year-old child!

Putting aside the fact that all of the above is just my own conjecture without any evidence, just the fact that if I told him, given Kakashi's current personality, he would definitely cause a huge uproar, and might even draw the village's attention to him.

Since he is a child, what he needs most right now is to grow up safely and peacefully. As his father, he will naturally bear all the other hardships.

"Kakashi, a mistake is a mistake. There's no point in arguing in this situation."

Sakumo Hatake shook his head, not telling his son the reasons behind it.

"……coward."

Kakashi looked at his father, whom he had once been so proud of, remained silent for a moment, then gave him a disappointed look before leaving quietly.

Sakumo Hatake sighed deeply, said nothing more, and followed closely behind Kakashi on the way home.

And so, the father and son, one after the other, ignored the whispers and pointing gestures from the street and returned to their own front door, where they saw the crowd gathered there.

It's not hard to tell from the noisy chatter of the group that they've gathered here.

"Is this the result you wanted? You'll have to bear all the consequences yourself?"

Kakashi looked at the crowd, glanced at his father, and then left, intending to go home through the side door.

Sakumo Hatake stared at the crowd silently for a while, then sighed and prepared to go home through the side door at the back of the crowd.

But when he turned his head unintentionally, he suddenly discovered that his companion, whom he had risked his life to save during the mission and who was the culprit who caused his mission to fail, was standing in the crowd, excitedly pointing at his home and shouting something.

He listened intently and finally heard the person's voice.

"...Sakumo Hatake, did you think you could earn my gratitude by abandoning your mission to save me? You're wrong! On the contrary, I only feel resentment towards you now!"

"I would sacrifice everything for the village, including my life. That scene was the moment I had always dreamed of dedicating myself to the village, but because of you! My dream is shattered!"

"You think you're so great, so high and mighty! You traded information concerning the safety of the village for me, didn't you even ask for my opinion? Did you even consider my feelings?"

"Do you know what they call me now? Do you know they're all blaming me?"

"Now look at you, you've become a hero who abandoned the mission for your comrades, you've earned the reputation of valuing your comrades above all else, but have you ever thought about me?"

"Did you even ask my opinion? It was you, you ruined my chance to be a hero!"

boom!

Upon hearing these words, Hatake Sakumo was struck dumb, his mind reeling. He had to hold onto the shoulder of the person next to him to keep his balance.

He never expected that the comrade he had rescued at the cost of everything, even at the risk of mission failure, would appear here at this moment to accuse him in this way.

For the first time, Hatake Sakumo's heart wavered on the principles he had always upheld. Were ninjas really just tools to complete missions? Should they really not value their comrades and not deserve to have bonds?

However, being White Fang, he quickly reaffirmed his decision.

He did nothing wrong!

If ninjas are merely tools for completing missions, then why did Hashirama Senju go through so much trouble to join forces with his mortal enemy, Madara Uchiha, to quell the chaos and establish Konoha?

Isn't it all about eliminating the image of children as young as three or four going to the battlefield, and ninjas being dominated by hatred and missions?

So, if he is not wrong, then who is wrong?

Could this be the world?

Sakumo Hatake was engrossed in his own world and didn't notice that he had been noticed because he was holding onto someone's shoulder for support.

"Hmm? You are... Sakumo Hatake?"

The man's voice was so shrill that everyone present heard it, including Sakumo Hatake's companions, and all eyes turned toward him.

"Huh? Sakumo Hatake?! You've finally shown up!"

A hint of surprise flashed in the eyes of the ninja who had just been spouting nonsense. He immediately pushed through the crowd, stood in front of Hatake Sakumo, pointed at his nose, and began to curse.

Sakumo Hatake then snapped out of his reverie and looked at his former comrade, whom he had once regarded as a junior, with completely unfamiliar eyes.

The man's gaze at Sakumo Hatake, perhaps out of respect for his past reputation and strength, or perhaps because he recalled Sakumo Hatake's gentle smile, made his heart skip a beat.

However, he immediately thought of Shimura Danzo's calm gaze and the Root ninja who appeared at his door in the middle of the night. With a determined heart, he continued speaking according to his pre-planned words.

"What are you looking at? For your own reputation, you've placed me in a position of disloyalty and injustice. Do you think no one can see through your little scheme?"

Sakumo Hatake didn't speak; something suddenly occurred to him.

The question is whether his partner's betrayal was his own doing, or whether someone was behind it.

The commotion surrounding Jiraiya's return to the village, the discussions about the next Hokage, his own mission, the coincidence of his comrades being captured by the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, the speed at which news of the mission's failure spreads, and now, his comrades who are here...

All of this makes one want to think a lot.

As the "White Fang of Konoha" who often fought guerrilla warfare behind enemy lines alone, Hatake Sakumo was certainly not a brute who only knew how to use force. He vaguely saw some clues from this series of coincidences.

If he could laugh off the villagers' gossip and ignore it before, then this backstab from the side of his companion whom he had personally saved truly shattered his psychological defenses.

However, what was shattered was not his principle of prioritizing his comrades over his mission, but his love for Konoha and his faith in Konoha's "Will of Fire".

Hatake Sakumo is nearly forty years old. Born in the era of Senju Hashirama, raised in the era of Senju Tobirama, and made his name in the era of Sarutobi Hiruzen, he is truly the first generation of ninja that Konoha has cultivated since its founding.

His life can be said to have witnessed the founding, development, prosperity and decline of Konoha.

That is why he had such faith in the "Will of Fire" that had been passed down from Hashirama Senju in Konoha.

Protecting his comrades, cherishing the village, caring for the younger generation... Looking back on Sakumo Hatake's life, it can be said that he followed the "Will of Fire" envisioned by Hashirama Senju.

In this situation, Hiruzen Sarutobi's actions were nothing short of a shattering of his faith.

Is this the same beautiful and warm Konoha I remember?

Sakumo Hatake stared blankly at the crowded people before him, listening to their cacophony of voices.

In a daze, he could no longer make out the faces of his companions and the crowd in front of him. His only memory of that noon was...

The sun was bright, and the figures were blurry.

-

Night, in the study of the Hatake residence.

"Honey, you should get some rest."

After saying something to Sakumo Hatake, Nao Hatake slowly closed the door with a worried expression.

As a wife, although she was aware of the situation outside, there wasn't much she could do.

Having long since retired from active ninja duties, all she can do now is to gently forgive and tolerate Hatake Sakumo.

After his wife left, Hatake Sakumo ignored the dinner on the table, drew the short sword from his back, and gazed at the ninja sword that had been with him for half his life under the moonlight.

The razor-sharp ninja sword, polished to an unparalleled sharpness, clearly reflected the figure of Hatake Sakumo in the moonlight.

"...A coward?"

Sakumo Hatake let out a long sigh and finally swung the short sword in his hand.

Pfft!

Fresh blood flowed slowly onto the ground, reflecting the bright moon.

-

Swirling the crimson wine in his hand, he looked up at the bright moonlight. In the evening breeze, Hozuki Crescent Moon's eyes seemed unfocused, lost in thought.

After a moment of silence, he downed the glass of red wine in one gulp.

People with faith are respectable, but they are also pitiful.

Although he orchestrated this tragedy and even went so far as to exploit his wife and son, it did not prevent him from paying the highest respect to Sakumo Hatake.

"Rest in peace, Sakumo Hatake!"

(End of this chapter)