Escape From Konoha
Chapter 90: 86: The Death of White Fang (2)

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"Do you not care about what people are saying about you?" Kakashi asked Sakumo softly as they sat in the courtyard.

Kakashi was genuinely puzzled by the rumors that were circulating about his father. He couldn't understand why so many people were targeting Sakumo. To him, one mission failure shouldn't tarnish his father's reputation. Yet, the hurtful words from outsiders were making Kakashi increasingly uncomfortable.

Sakumo smiled and asked Kakashi, "Kakashi, if you were in my shoes, what would you do?"

Kakashi hesitated, clutching a sword tightly, torn between his emotions. After a moment, he replied, "I'm sorry, I don't know what I would do."

Sakumo reassured him, "Why apologize? Kakashi, you still have a long way to go."

Kakashi nodded, acknowledging his father's wisdom.

"Did you get into a fight with someone today?" Sakumo inquired.

Kakashi hesitated briefly, then nodded. "Yes, I confronted a few individuals who were speaking ill of you. What they said was truly ugly."

"I'm glad you stood up for me," Sakumo said. "So, in your opinion, were they right or wrong?"

Sakumo's smile faded, and his expression became serious. He posed a challenging question to his son.

Kakashi found himself pondering a profound moral dilemma. In the shinobi world, the mission should always take precedence, as dictated by the Will of Fire. But that was a principle handed down by previous generations; it couldn't be wrong, could it?

However, Kakashi was uncertain. He had always excelled in theoretical knowledge, but this question had him stumped.

"I don't know," Kakashi finally admitted, shaking his head. He looked up to his father, hoping for guidance.

Sakumo didn't provide a direct answer. Instead, he patted Kakashi on the shoulder and gazed at the distant, beautiful sunset. The golden hues of twilight cast a warm glow on his face.

"I don't let others' opinions bother me, and you shouldn't either," Sakumo advised.

"But, Dad, the person you saved is also insulting you," Kakashi protested.

Sakumo replied, "Don't let others' negativity deter you from doing what's right. Don't let their ridicule and accusations afterward make you regret your actions. Stick to the beliefs and convictions that a Konoha ninja should uphold."

Kakashi nodded, his head lowered. He admired his father's wisdom but knew he couldn't be as magnanimous.

Others might be forgiven, but the person saved by Sakumo, who now blamed his savior, was something Kakashi couldn't forgive.

Sakumo ended their training session for the day, saying, "That's enough training with knives for today."

Kakashi agreed with a nod and followed Sakumo's instructions, returning to his room.

As time passed, it grew late into the night. The rumors had taken a toll on Kakashi during the day, leaving him mentally and physically drained. Despite the events, he was still troubled by the hurtful words circulating about his father. Kakashi went to bed early, hoping for a new day with fewer shadows.

On the rooftop of Hatake House, Sakumo stood alone, gazing up at the sparse stars and moon above, savoring the cool night breeze.

Suddenly, he sensed movement behind him. Someone had ascended the roof silently and approached him.

"It's easy to catch a cold out here in the nighttime breeze, Sakumo-sensei," Shiraishi remarked, walking up to him with a friendly smile.

"Ayane visited during the day, and now you're here at night?" Sakumo asked with a smile of his own.

"Ayane? She was here today?" Shiraishi seemed surprised.

"Yes, she came by after lunch and left not long ago."

"Ah, I see."

Shiraishi shifted his gaze from the night sky to the stone statues of the three Hokages below, the architects of the village's history.

The First Hokage, who founded Konoha.

The Second Hokage, who formulated important development strategies for the village.

And the Third Hokage, the current leader.

In the future, more names would be added to the revered list, worshipped by the people of Konoha. The Fourth Hokage, the Fifth Hokage, the Sixth Hokage...

In silence, both Sakumo and Shiraishi watched those shadow rocks quietly.

Breaking the silence, Sakumo asked, "What do you think will happen to Konoha in the future?"

His question seemed directed at Shiraishi, at himself, and perhaps at something greater.

"I believe there's no need to ask that question, Sakumo-sensei. You've already found the answer you seek, haven't you?" Shiraishi replied, offering his perspective.

"You truly are a unique individual among the three of you," Sakumo observed with profound meaning.

Sakumo knew that Shiraishi had discerned the decision he had made in the face of these rumors.

"Since you've made your choice, I suppose my visit here is unnecessary," Shiraishi said, letting out a sigh.

Different from Ayane, Sakumo had moved past the point of questioning his own identity. He understood why he had made his choice. He might not know whether it was right or wrong, but he knew that not making a choice would lead to prolonged suffering.

It was like abandoning a mission to save comrades. Regardless of whether the person they saved would blame them for the mission's failure, people like Sakumo wouldn't waver. Blame from others was someone else's concern; saving comrades was their duty, and the two weren't necessarily connected.

They simply followed the principles instilled by the Will of Fire, firmly believing that prioritizing their comrades over the mission was the right path, even if it meant breaking some rules. Others' opinions could only serve as reference points and not as determinants of their beliefs.

"Sakumo-sensei, you should get some rest. I'll head back," Shiraishi said, knowing that his presence couldn't change anything.

The night was growing quite cold.

As Shiraishi walked away, Sakumo's voice reached him from behind. "Take care of Kakashi for me."

Under the silent night sky, Shiraishi paused briefly upon hearing those words and nodded slightly.

When Sakumo turned to look, the place where Shiraishi had stood was now empty.

◎

The next morning, the air felt unusually chilly. Kakashi, up early, prepared breakfast in the kitchen but couldn't help noticing his father, Sakumo, was notably absent.

At this hour, he should have already been up and about. After all, their mornings typically began with breakfast, followed by their morning exercises.

Carrying the breakfast, Kakashi proceeded to Sakumo's room, opened the door, and began to call out to him.

"Father, breakfast is ready—"

But he dropped the breakfast tray with a loud crash.

The nutritious meal he had prepared scattered all over the floor. However, the food wasn't really important compared to the sight that met his eyes: a man lay in the middle of the room, surrounded by a pool of blood.

In his hand was the fabled White Fang, which had tasted the blood of countless foes. In silence, he had chosen to end his own life.

Kakashi's mind went blank, and he couldn't process anything further.

.....

Sakumo had died.

The news of his death spread, spread by the village's police force, and it was confirmed that it had been a suicide, not a murder within his home.

There was no trace of deception, and no evidence of a violent struggle or confrontation with an enemy. Instead, he had chosen to end his own life by stabbing his sword into his body.

Word of his death quickly reached the ears of the villagers in Konoha, and even the higher-ups became aware of it. As for the rumors, they ceased, fading into a heavy silence.

In a vast, shadowy corner of Konoha, inhabited by the village's own ninjas, a group of individuals who had forsaken everything - their names, emotions, and even their own lives. They thrived in darkness, deeply rooted within the village.

They were known as the "Root," an organization originating from the Anbu but operating outside the jurisdiction of the Hokage. Their leader, Shimura Danzo, found himself in a meeting room where one of Konoha's own ninjas erupted in fury, directing his anger towards the Root's leader.

"Why did this happen? Why did Sakumo... Captain Sakumo commit suicide? Elder Danzo, didn't you say everything would be fine? Why did it turn out like this?"

If not for the restraint of two Root ninjas, he might have rushed at Danzo and attacked him.

Danzo, too, was feeling restless and agitated. Why had Sakumo taken his own life? The rumors were indeed propagated by the Root, and the Anbu remained silent, neither endorsing nor stopping them. This was because Sakumo couldn't ascend to the position of Hokage.

As such, his reputation had to be tarnished. If his reputation diminished, Konoha White Fang could remain a respected Jonin, still a prominent figure among them, but forever distanced from the Hokage's seat.

However, the question remained: Why had Sakumo chosen suicide? Rumors of this level shouldn't have been lethal. Danzo had initially planned to stop the spread of these rumors later that day.

But now, he was left stunned

"Take him out, I need to calm down."

Unable to understand why Sakumo committed suicide, Danzo waved his hand irritably, asking his Root to take away the Konoha ninja who questioned him.

He also wondered why Sakumo killed himself, and no one came to answer his question.

.,...

Sakumo's funeral took place on a day that wasn't too gloomy. Few attendees were present. Apart from Kakashi, Shiraishi, Ruri, and Ayane, only a few familiar faces like Tsunade attended.

They still couldn't grasp the reality of the situation, replaceing it unbelievable that Sakumo would succumb to such rumors, considering him a resilient figure.

"Life is born, and life dies away," Orochimaru commented sadly, observing the proceedings. Everything seemed meaningless.,

Like his parents.

Nawaki too.

And now Sakumo.

He might meet a similar end one day.... He couldn't fathom why, but a sense of dread had settled in Orochimaru's heart. He shook his head and was the first to depart from Sakumo's funeral.

He had seen too many deaths in his lifetime, and Sakumo was but one of them, unlikely to be the last. Many people connected to him would meet a similar fate, and life, it seemed, was incredibly fragile.

"Jiraiya-sensei, why did Sakumo-sensei do this?" Minato asked, glancing at Jiraiya, his teacher, with a look of pity and sympathy.

"Who can say why these things happen? The deceased are gone; there's no need to dwell on it," Jiraiya replied, and Minato nodded in agreement.

Minato tactfully refrained from asking further questions and looked at Kakashi, who stood at the forefront of the procession, his heart heavy with sorrow.

Tsunade approached Shiraishi, unsure of what to say to comfort him in this moment of grief.

Shiraishi, seeming to understand her unspoken thoughts, smiled and said, "Don't worry, Tsunade-sensei. This has nothing to do with you. Don't concern yourself with me."

Tsunade nodded, and soon after, she departed with Jiraiya and Minato, leaving only Shiraishi and Kakashi behind.

Shiraishi placed the flowers he held in front of Sakumo's grave. "Sakumo-sensei, you embodied the true spirit of a ninja, upholding the very essence of our beliefs."

The higher-ups hadn't been entirely wrong in their thinking. By suppressing Sakumo's reputation, they had intended to allow him to live peacefully as a Jonin. Their intentions were well-meant, with the best interests of Sakumo's future in mind. However, their execution had been flawed.

In this world, many individuals valued their honor and principles more than their own lives. To their enemies, Sakumo was the despised Konoha's White Fang.

To those on his side, he was the trusted companion they could always rely on. He was a ninja who considered his comrades his responsibility, placing their lives above his own. What he truly upheld was the untainted Will of Fire in his heart, a principle that had never been marred by external factors.

Now, even the village's high-ranking officials seemed to have strayed from this path, intentionally dismantling the very principles upon which the village had been founded. They had used the rumors as a pretext to suppress him, a profound humiliation.

But what had this village been established for in the first place? It had been created out of a sense of unity and loyalty, yet the very ninjas who had chosen to bear the village's burdens were being slandered by rumors. This was the bitter irony.

Those who believed they had inherited the Will of Fire never questioned it, even when they were confronted with discrepancies. They had forgotten why the village had been founded and strayed from its foundational principles.

Shiraishi believed that the perspective and starting point of the village's higher-ups and Sakumo had never truly aligned. Sakumo-sensei's death, he hoped, would serve as a wake-up call, causing those in power to reevaluate their actions. As he concluded the funeral, this silent prayer resonated deeply within him.

It was also the sincerest form of blessing.

Otherwise, if this cycle of actions continued, Shiraishi could foresee that Konoha White Fang was merely the beginning, not the end.

More individuals within the village would follow this same path, losing themselves in the wavering rules and becoming tragic victims of their own making.

Life was an exceedingly fragile thing.