Naruto: They are all reborn.

Chapter 12 What is a Ninja?

Kakashi hasn't come to school since that day. When asked, Yoshino Yuuki said he had taken a long leave of absence.

During this time, rumors and gossip spread throughout the village, even reaching izakayas, ramen shops, and the hot springs.

Shi Xu didn't understand why everyone was talking about White Fang abandoning the mission, as if Konoha Village was destined to be surrounded by enemies and have little chance of survival for him.

He was clearly a hero of Konoha, yet he ended up like this.

Among them, the one most affected was not Sakumo Hatake, but Kakashi, who refused to become "the son of the White Fang" in people's eyes.

Can he accept that he has gone from being the son of a hero to the son of a sinner overnight?

With no word from Kakashi for a long time, Toki became increasingly uneasy, so he asked Tsunade for a day off after school today.

When passing by a bookstore, Shi Xu stopped for a while, went inside and bought a copy of "The Ninja Code".

The Hatake family home resembled a small villa, three stories high, with a stone wall surrounding the yard—a standard Japanese-style detached house. It even had a doorbell, which gave Tokio a long-lost sense of familiarity mixed with strangeness.

Shi Xu pressed the doorbell, and after a short while, Kakashi appeared behind the door.

"Why are you here?"

Shi Xu didn't answer his question, but instead said, "What happened to you? Your hair is a complete mess."

Kakashi took a pair of slippers from the shoe cabinet: "Come in and sit for a while, I'm going to wash my face."

Shi Xu changed her shoes and had just sat down in the living room when she heard a somewhat dejected voice coming from upstairs.

"Have any guests arrived?"

Sakumo came down the stairs and smiled when he saw Toki.

"Tokio, it's you! Where's Kakashi?"

Shi Xu stood up and bowed: "Uncle Sakumo, Kakashi said he's going to wash his face."

"Honestly, he didn't even prepare a cup of tea. What a poor hospitality."

Shuo Mao took out tea leaves from the cabinet next to him and poured them into the teapot. He picked up the thermos, but the water flowing out of it was not hot at all.

"cold water……"

For a moment, he was somewhat dazed.

Shi Xu took the initiative to step forward and take the thermos from his hand: "Uncle Shuo Mao, come and sit for a while. I'm just a little kid and I don't like drinking tea."

"I'm so sorry." Sakumo smiled and let Shio pull him over to sit down.

Just then, Kakashi came out of the bathroom and saw his father sitting at the table. His usually calm expression changed slightly.

Then, Kakashi sat down next to Sakumo and called out, "Father."

"Um."

Shuo Mao gave a nonchalant reply, and then the father and son had nothing more to say to each other.

This is bad...

Shi Xu couldn't help but mutter a complaint in his heart, then took out the "Ninja Code" he had bought on the way from his pocket.

"Kakashi, do you remember when we first talked about this book?"

Logically, he should have been more polite and tactful, but he was also quite anxious and had no time for beating around the bush.

Moreover... he believed in Kakashi, that he wouldn't be unable to withstand even this small setback.

Kakashi opened the "Ninja Code," and his memories were immediately drawn back to the day Toki entered school.

"I remember now, you asked, 'What if you receive orders to kill or betray your comrades?' My answer was, 'The village would never issue an order to... kill a comrade.'"

Kakashi's speech slowed down, and he no longer had the confidence to say those words.

He's not stupid, nor is he completely ignorant.

A few seconds later, he spoke again: "Shi Xu, you are right."

"Sigh!" Shi Xu sighed and said irritably, "What do you mean I'm right or wrong? What have you even understood?"

Upon hearing this, Hatake Sakumo's eyes brightened slightly, and his gaze fell on the "Ninja Code" on the table.

He was somewhat curious about what insightful opinions Shi Xu would offer.

Then, Toki asked, "Kakashi, what do you think a ninja is?"

Kakashi thought about it seriously for a while before answering: "Being a ninja... is a... profession that is something to be proud of."

He spoke with great difficulty, especially those last two words.

"Being a ninja is just a profession."

Shi Xu, however, had no reservations and tore away all the seemingly sophisticated pretense, pointing directly to the essence of a ninja.

"Kakashi, your father was a ninja, your friends are ninjas, everything around you tells you how great and proud ninjas are."

Not a single mistake, not a single poem, not a single post, not a single piece of content, not a single look!

"But I'm different. Because the ninja's wars brought hunger, cold, and death, I have no liking for ninjas at all. In my opinion... ninjas are no different from farmers or merchants; it's just a profession."

Shi Xu picked up the "Ninja Code" on the table and shook it, as if he were holding not the principles that many ninjas practiced throughout their lives, but an insignificant piece of scrap paper.

"In other words, the 'Ninja Code' is just a set of rules. So what if you break the rules? At worst, you just quit being a ninja. You're taking it too seriously."

Kakashi instinctively tried to defend himself: "But... Father's matter is far more complicated than that. Even if the villagers accept your explanation, what then?"

The problem with Sakumo Hatake is not that he abandoned the mission or saved his comrades; the real issue is that his choice caused losses to the village!

"When did I mention Uncle Sakumo?"

Shi Xu suddenly asked a question, which completely stumped Kakashi.

"You come to visit at this time, carrying a copy of 'The Ninja Code,' you...you're just being blatantly obvious, aren't you?"

Shi Xu raised his hand to interrupt him, then took a deep breath and stared intently into his eyes: "Kakashi, I'm saying this to you."

Kakashi was stunned for a moment: "What?"

Shi Xu placed a mirror in front of him: "You don't actually think that only Uncle Shuo Mao is affected, do you? Look at your disheveled appearance, your hair that hasn't been washed for days... I even think it wouldn't be out of place to throw you into a garbage dump."

Toki's target was Kakashi. As for Hatake Sakumo... he's an adult, what storms hasn't he experienced?

Besides, so much time has passed, the Hokage will definitely have to make a move; he can't keep waiting forever.

"You bastard..."

Kakashi rolled his eyes, raised his hand and covered the mirror, but felt a warmth in his heart.

Shi Xu smiled and took out the snacks she had bought on the way: "Uncle Shuo Mao, let's have some together."

"Okay, thank you."

Sakumo readily agreed, and his gaze softened considerably as he looked at Toki and Kakashi in front of him.

"With friends like Kakashi and Tomoyuki around, I can rest easy. As for what's going on outside... it's time to put an end to it."

He was well aware of just how big of a mess he had gotten himself into.

For now, the villagers' discussion is still focused on themselves. However, after some time, they will likely discover the conflict between the Will of Fire and the Ninja Code.

Both of these are important, at least more important than myself, so they absolutely cannot have any problems.

I'll deal with the trouble I caused myself.

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P.S.: There was an error in the scheduled release settings, which caused this chapter not to be released normally. Luckily, I just checked and am giving it a shout-out to everyone.

orz.

(End of this chapter)