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Escape from konoha 99
🕑 Added 2023-09-19 02:31:00 +0000 UTCChapter 99 Kakashi and the Will of Fire (End)
"Sakumo-Sensei, I'm here to visit you."
In a room on the second floor, Shiraishi whispered to the photo on the stand.
This is a photo they took together when the fifth class was first established.
Ayane and Ruri were also on it, and when I was taking a photo, I was caught in the middle of the two, and it was really hard to think about myself at that time.
Sakumo stood behind the three of them, with a white light sabre on his back and a ninja forehead protector, showing a hearty and happy smile.
Just as Shiraishi was recalling these things, the door suddenly opened.
"You enter someone's house, don't you know you can't just run around?"
Seeing Obito's carelessness, Shiraishi walked in without hiding anything, and got a headache.
"I still want to talk about you, what's the matter with leaving me behind there alone?"
Obito also responded unhappily.
"I just came up to see something."
"Then I also come up and take a look."
Obito learned to be smart, and followed Shiraishi's words.
Afterwards, he also discovered the existence of the photo, and stared at it carefully. Although it was taken when Shiraishi was twelve years old, and it was a bit different from the current Shiraishi, Obito still recognized it immediately. This is the old Shiraishi.
"So you used to look like this, and there's nothing special about you."
Obito said some embarrassing remarks.
Then he looked at others.
"This eye belongs to the Hyuga clan. Then this one over here must be senior Ruri. As expected of a senior, even as a younger person gives people a reliable and powerful feeling."
Looking at Ruri in the photo, Obito immediately turned into a little fanboy, and said in an admiring tone.
"Hey, who is this white-haired uncle? Is it your squad captain?"
Obito asked curiously.
"Yes, he is also Kakashi's father, a ninja known as 'Konoha White Fang'."
Shiraishi nodded, this kind of thing can be known by just asking around, it is not a secret.
"No wonder it looks so similar to Kakashi... However, Konoha White Fang... I seem to have heard of it somewhere... Strange, where did I hear it?"
Obito tilted his head and began to think.
I vaguely remember that it was a few months ago.
What it is, Obito can't remember clearly.
"Knowing this kind of thing is not a good thing for you."
Shiraishi interrupted the topic.
The rumors about Sakumo are basically only spread among adults. It is normal for students like Obito who are still in school to not know much about it.
Besides, after Sakumo committed suicide, many people kept silent about it, as if it never happened.
But the scars have been exposed, no matter how much you try to make up for them, the wounds will not disappear, but will only be hidden deeper.
"What, I'm not a child."
Obito said dissatisfied.
"Okay, let's go down."
Shiraishi took Obito downstairs and returned to the living room.
There, the Takeout ordered by Kakashi had been delivered, and Kakashi himself was sitting there, waiting for the two to come and have dinner together.
( Takeout - unhealthy foods like cup noodle , chips etc )
"Kakashi, you haven't been eating takeout recently, have you?"
Obito frowned when he saw that there were many Takeout boxes in the trash can that hadn't been cleaned up in time.
"Um."
Kakashi nodded.
In addition to his tasks, he spends a lot of time exercising at home every day. He has no time to cook at all, and can only survive by eating takeout.
Seeing that Kakashi replied indifferently, Obito frowned even tighter.
When I wanted to say something, I saw Kakashi's eyes that didn't want to argue, so I swallowed the words back.
Kakashi with this appearance gave Obito an indescribably bad feeling.
I feel that no matter what I say to him, I can't get close to him.
Even if he wanted to ask Kakashi why he had a dispute with his companion on the mission, is it true that, as those people said, the life value of his companion is lower than the value of the mission to him...
In the end, Obito hesitated for a long time, but failed to talk to Kakashi about the issue he was most concerned about.
Kakashi's home gave him an unusually deserted and unfit feeling.
What the hell happened after this guy graduated? Obito muttered in his heart.
Kakashi sat at the dining table, casually ate two bites of takeout, and closed the takeout box.
"I'm full, you can go back after eating, I don't have anything to entertain here."
Kakashi threw his unfinished Takeout directly into the trash can next to him, and walked towards the yard with the White Fang dagger on his back.
“…Are we here at the wrong time?”
Obito glanced at Shiraishi with a guilty conscience.
Shiraishi replied: "This has nothing to do with you, don't think too much about it."
"Is that so?"
Obito is doubtful.
After the two quickly ate the Takeout, Obito thoughtfully took out the garbage bags filled with many Takeout boxes and disposed of them. If they stay here for a long time, they will definitely become moldy.
"It's amazing, have you practiced White Fang Sword skills to this point?"
While Obito was going to dispose of the garbage bags, Shiraishi came to the yard, looked at Kakashi who was constantly trying to swing a Blade, and was filled with emotion.
Although in his eyes, Kakashi's white fang sword technique is completely incomparable to Sakumo's, there are many flaws. But the sword posture already has a bit of Sakumo's demeanor, and it is definitely not a big problem to deal with ninjas of the Chunin level.
Continuing to accumulate in this way, relying on one's own talent and hard work, it is a matter of course for Shiraishi to pass the Jonin assessment before the age of twelve.
Kakashi was unmoved by Shiraishi's emotion, and just focused on sword training.
"Why, haven't you calmed down completely for so long?"
Leaning against the courtyard wall, Shiraishi asked Kakashi with a smile.
Kakashi's movement of swinging the Blade in his hand suddenly stopped, and the air became condensed.
"After becoming a Chunin, you shouldn't be so vulnerable, right?"
"What do you want to say in the end?"
Kakashi turned his head and sighed helplessly.
I don't know why, but I always feel that there is something in Shiraishi's words.
But the other party is an old subordinate of his father, so it is not good to be rude to him.
"I promised Sakumo-Sensei that I would take good care of you after he passed away."
"As you can see, I'm doing fine."
Kakashi replied nonchalantly.
Compared with the so-called care in Shiraishi's mouth, he believed more in the power brought by the blade in his hand.
"That being said, if you go on like this, there will be fewer and fewer jōnin who can accept you, until you can no longer gain a foothold among Konoha. So, do you still want to stick to your mission-oriented philosophy?"
After so many changes, even a fool should understand that some of them are obviously very contradictory.
In order to save his companions, his father gave up his mission, so he was rejected by the villagers, and committed suicide due to the rumors.
But I chose another path, the task was greater than that of my companions, but I was still rejected by my colleagues in the village.
This is a fact that Kakashi has personally realized, and it is by no means just random imagination.
Although Kakashi concealed his expression very well, there was still a trace of hesitation and hesitation in his eyes.
He was wondering the real cause of his father's death.
Facts have proved that...whether it is choosing a mission or choosing a companion, it is wrong.
It is also very likely that it was not the reason for his father's suicide.
Kakashi, who can become a Chunin at the age of six, cannot be treated as an ordinary child in terms of actual combat ability or theoretical knowledge.
Although thinking sometimes leads to a dead end, this matter, combined with the cause and effect, cannot be explained logically at all.
There are too many doubts and places worthy of scrutiny.
"You did very well."
Shiraishi suddenly said something.
"What?"
"It seems that you have indeed calmed down, at least you know dialectical thinking."
Shiraishi smiled, if it were previous Kakashi, he might have left with a cold face and impatient look.
During the past six months or so, he had enough time to personally experience the contradictions in this village.
The villagers and ninjas usually cannot notice this kind of contradiction, because they have not experienced it personally.
Unfortunately, Kakashi is the one who has gone through the whole process.
My father's suicide, and the path I have chosen now, are to a certain extent mainstream ideas that cannot be accepted by the village.
So, how is it right? How could it be wrong?
"I don't know what you're talking about, I'm just following..."
"Then do you want to know the real cause of Sakumo-sensei's death?"
Accompanied by Shiraishi's words, a terrifying murderous aura burst out from Kakashi's body, making the surrounding air heavy, making it difficult to breathe, as if he was trapped in a swamp.
"Don't talk nonsense to me!"
Kakashi seemed to be stimulated by something, his body moved violently, disappeared from the spot, and drew a bright light in the darkness.
However, he stopped in front of Shiraishi.
His face was covered with cold sweat, and he stared at Shiraishi with frightened eyes.
Unknowingly, a large number of slender shadows were wrapped around his body, like a solid iron chain, sealing his whole body and making him unable to move.
Around, dozens of spears and swords formed by shadows stopped at deadly positions such as his throat, heart, and back of the head.
Just move forward, and a large number of shadow blades can easily plunder his life. ( plunder = take away , steal , loot etc.)
While Shiraishi, always leaning his back against the courtyard wall in a relaxed manner, did not move a step.
"Who the hell are you...?"
"Chiba Shiraishi, Konoha Chunin, part-time assistant teacher of the medical ninja experimental class of the ninja school."
Shiraishi gave all his information without any fraud.
Kakashi was silent.
Chunin?
Do not make jokes.
Even his current leader, the Jonin, would not be able to make him fall into such a dangerous situation without him noticing.
However, when these black shadows emerged and surrounded him, and all the shadow blades touched his deadly parts, he didn't realize it until then.
If you want to harm him, you can kill him silently at any time.
This kind of strength, even ordinary Jonin, is impossible to achieve.
"At 0 o'clock in the morning three days later, you come to this place, and I will tell you the answer. Of course, it doesn't matter if you don't come. Then, you can only find the answer yourself."
Shiraishi took out a card, walked up to Kakashi, and gently stuffed it into his pocket, with a vague smile on his lips.
The shadow disappeared from Kakashi's body and surroundings.
Kakashi's body seemed to be drained of strength, his face was pale and limp on the ground, recalling the feeling of brushing past death just now, he still had lingering fears in his heart.
White Fang's dagger fell aside, as if it had lost its luster.
"Don't forget the agreement."
Shiraishi left this sentence and walked out.
Before Shiraishi walked out of the yard, obito came into yard and saw Kakashi sitting on the ground and couldn't help being surprised:
"Hey, Kakashi, what are you doing sitting on the ground?"
"It's obviously caused by overworked training. Well, it's almost time, we should go."
Shiraishi said to Obito.
"I haven't talked to Kakashi yet, why are you leaving so fast?"
" You both are from the same village anyway, Can't you meet him again? And soon Rin will come to me for medical ninjutsu, so be careful I sneak in, she's such a cute girl after all."
While walking forward, Shiraishi smiled maliciously.
Obito was really stimulated, and immediately exploded on the spot.
"You despicable guy, how many times have you told me not to try at Rin!"
Then he turned to Kakashi.
"Kakashi, I'll come back to you in a few days, and don't always eat these innutritious Takeouts. I'm leaving first."
After speaking, Obito quickly chased Shiraishi and ran out.
Kakashi ignored the farce between Shiraishi and Obito, but watched Shiraishi's figure going away, and murmured to himself:
"Is this guy really as simple as a medical ninja..."
With this kind of strength, it is no problem to become a jounin in the village. Why hide his strength in the village?
Moreover, what did he mean by the answer...?
Kakashi's eyes flickered, and he didn't know what he was thinking.
•••
Three days passed in a flash.
At noon, at the entrance of Konoha Village, Kakashi and his companions in the team separated and rushed back home.
Jōnin Leader saw Kakashi's absent-minded look, he didn't say anything, but felt that Kakashi was rather strange this time.
He has already decided to kick Kakashi out of the team.
If this continues, other people in the team will have great opinions, which will eventually lead to the split of the entire team.
As for the arrangements on Hokage's side, that's beyond what he can know.
Kakashi dragged his tired body back home, basically had no room to think, and fell asleep on the bed defenseless.
When I woke up, it was pitch black outside the window.
With the help of the bright moonlight outside, you can see the alarm clock at the head of the bed, and the time displayed on it is nine o'clock.
"Three hours left?"
Three days ago, Shiraishi told him that he would tell him the so-called 'answer' at midnight tonight.
Kakashi has been hesitating whether to follow Shiraishi's order and go to the meeting as agreed.
but…
"That guy is deliberately hiding his strength, is he really trustworthy?"
After all, he didn't even know the reason why Shiraishi wanted to hide his strength. If he rushed to the appointment rashly, something unfavorable might happen to him.
Treating this matter, Kakashi felt that he had to be more cautious.
Feeling hungry, Kakashi went to the kitchen to see if he could find anything to eat.
In the end, he found a few pieces of dry and hard bread, and Kakashi didn't care about it. After boiling hot water, he poured himself a cup and ate the bread, as if he had solved the problem of dinner.
Kakashi watched the time on the clock pass by second by second, only to realize in a daze that it was already 11:30.
There is only half an hour left before the agreed time.
Kakashi took out the card in his pocket, on which there was only one location—
Hokage Rock.
Kakashi exhaled.
Now there are three choices before him.
The first one is to go to the meeting according to Shiraishi's agreement.
Second, act as if nothing happened, follow the path you chose unswervingly, and cut off the connection with Shiraishi. What purpose the other party has has nothing to do with him.
The third one is to report to Hokage and let the Anbu agency intervene to investigate Shiraishi.
There is also a problem. To reveal the secret to him so easily, does this kind of person really have no way to escape and protect himself?
Or, did I unknowingly be within the surveillance range of the other party?
Except for the second option, both the first and third options have certain risks in them.
Which one to choose has become the most difficult problem for Kakashi to face now.
—Konoha Hokage Rock.
It was almost exactly 0 o'clock in the morning, and a person was wearing a white hooded coat, with his hands casually placed in the sleeves, standing on the portrait of the First Hokage in a relaxed and unsuspecting posture.
From this angle, you can see the whole Konoha village.
There are only street lights, and a few sporadic lights are on, and most of the area is plunged into darkness.
With the help of moonlight, you can see the outlines of the buildings in the dark.
"You are really sneaky in this dress, do you want to tell me some of your ulterior deeds?"
Footsteps came from behind, Kakashi was already standing there, facing his white back and said.
"It's just that the air is too cold tonight, and I expect there will be light snow in the second half of the night."
Picking back the hat on his head, Shiraishi turned his head and explained to Kakashi, revealing his true face.
"Yeah?"
Kakashi took a few steps forward, and together with Shiraishi looked down at the panorama of Konoha Village from here. (Panorama - an unbroken view of the whole region surrounding an observer.)
"How do you feel?"
Shiraishi asked a question.
“It’s completely different from watching during the day, it’s so peaceful.”
When I came to Hokage Rock, it was always during the day, and it was the first time for Kakashi to look at the whole Konoha from here at night.
"The calmer the water, the more terrifying its depth."
"I can take it as, are you dissatisfied with the village?"
Kakashi narrowed his eyes, tilted his head, and glanced at Shiraishi with the corner of his eyes.
"No, not at all. Because how this village has become has nothing to do with me. It will be wiped out one day, and it is just a historical choice."
Shiraishi said in a light tone.
There is a coldness and determination in the tone that abandons everything here.
"It's completely different from the usual you."
"Don't worry, whether it's the normal me or the current me, it's my truest face."
"..."
Kakashi remained silent.
"Since you chose to come to me to find the answer, then let me hear your opinion on this village."
"The village?"
"Didn't you study in the ninja school? The will of fire handed down from the First Hokage Senju Hashirama."
Shiraishi sat down on the portrait of the first Hokage, overlooking Konoha Village shrouded in darkness.
"Protect the fellows of the village, eliminate the barriers between everyone, and then protect the next generation, so that the children of the next generation will become the cornerstone of the village."
"Since you understand the essence, why do you still choose to put the task first? To you, aren't those companions the same as 'family'? Aren't they worth protecting? Or are you afraid that you will end up like Sakumo-Sensei?"
"I don't know, don't ask me these questions..."
Kakashi touched his forehead, his brows frowned slightly, and the pain started to hurt again.
Every time I think of this incomparably contradictory question, I get a headache.
But I couldn't get the answer in the textbook of the ninja school, and even went to the library to check a lot of information later.
Seeing Kakashi caressing his forehead, Shiraishi knew that he was in trouble again.
"Kakashi, you understand very well, it's just that you don't want to think about it. Then let me remind you again, a very important reminder."
Shiraishi showed a meaningful smile.
"hint?"
"Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen is almost fifty years old."
Kakashi is Unaware about how old is the third Hokage, and what does it have to do with him?
However, Kakashi also understands that once a ninja is over fifty years old, he will continue to decline. Both his strength and energy for doing things are not as good as before. He can only hand over his work to the next generation and start Training the successors of the next generation.
Wait-
Kakashi's mind flashed, as if he had grasped some important information.
Third Hokage is about to turn fifty...
retire…
Electing the next four generations of Hokage...
Who are the candidates for the Fourth Hokage?
Although there is no official election yet, everyone knows who is capable of serving as the Fourth Hokage in the village.
Konoha White Fang, Sannin, and other than that, there are only a very small number of excellent Jonin.
Kakashi doesn't understand everything, because once many things are noticed, everything will become a coherent clue.
The Fourth Hokage's campaign has nothing to do with them, the Chunin and Genin, but his father, Konoha White Fang, is definitely capable of participating in this campaign ceremony.
Coincidentally, his father suddenly failed in the mission, and because he gave up the mission and chose a companion, he was slandered and committed suicide by his colleagues.
I later thought that my father Sakumo’s path was wrong, so I carried out the task with the belief that ‘the task is greater than that of my companions’, but I still couldn’t get the people in the same village to agree.
Kakashi once wondered if he was not good enough to be recognized by his peers.
But as time went by, I was more and more rejected by others, that is to say, those people hated their behavior of putting their tasks first and ignoring the lives of their companions from the bottom of their hearts.
But, if this is the case, why did my father still commit suicide because of rumors?
The fourth generation of Hokage campaign.
Father committed suicide by choosing 'partners are more important than tasks'.
If you choose 'the task is greater than your companion', you will be rejected and not recognized.
All the clues are connected.
Kakashi suddenly realized why he chose the path of 'tasks are greater than companions', which is still the reason for being rejected.
From the very beginning, there was no option of 'tasks are greater than companions' or 'partners are greater than missions'.
"Senior Shiraishi, father...was forced to death by high-level officials, is that true? Because of the Fourth Hokage position?"
Kakashi's voice was trembling, already filled with uncontrollable anger, and there was also a terrible violent breath in his eyes.
Suddenly I felt sorry for myself.
I was struggling because of this kind of thing, and I even blamed my father for why he chose to commit suicide.
And I didn't realize it.
Shiraishi fell silent.
Kakashi is a smart kid. There are some things that you don’t need to explain yourself. You just need to give him some hints. With his intelligence, he can quickly figure out the cause and effect of things and analyze the problem clearly.
After all, most six-year-olds play ninja games in school, and Kakashi has passed the difficult chunin exam at this age to become a qualified chunin.
To become a Chunin, the first thing you need is to have analytical ability beyond ordinary people.
After all, this is the backbone of the team. When the Jonin has problems, the Chunin is the acting team leader.
Thinking about his wasted time in the past half a year, Kakashi really felt like a fool who was played by those high-level applause.
They don't care about these problems that he is struggling with, and they have never cared about him, let alone give him any answers.
Because the answer was given, they couldn't explain the cause of his father Sakumo's death, and they didn't have the face to explain it to him.
"That's right, so I was the clown they fooled me all along..."
Kakashi walked forward in a daze, and when he was about to fall from the Hokage Rock, he stopped tremblingly.
stand right here.
Look at the village.
It's like standing in a thick foggy forest.
It was pitch black all around, and I couldn't see any roads.
Fragments of memory flooded into my brain.
The day after his father Sakumo failed in his mission, rumors spread throughout Konoha.
All the rumors are one-sided, targeting his father.
Even the rescued companions were criticizing him.
All people are denying and shaming.
Then connects to the clip of his father Sakumo lying in a pool of blood, using his white light sabre to end his own life.
And those ninjas and villagers who slandered his father before, they are still alive as before, and no one came to apologize after his father committed suicide.
—Don’t stop doing things that should be right because of others’ negation, and even regret it afterwards because of others’ ridicule and accusation. I just abided by the belief and persistence that a Konoha ninja should have.
His Father's words still ring clearly in his ears.
In the end, there was no hatred or remorse, and he died with a calm attitude.
He must not want his son to have any resentment towards the village.
Because he was dying as a Konoha ninja from beginning to end.
Until death, hide the truth of the matter.
Kakashi looked at his palm, no matter what, he couldn't be calm in his heart.
He couldn’t do what his father Sakumo said, that he should not have any resentment towards the village and those high-level officials.
"So, what is your choice? No matter what it is, I will support you. Follow me, or follow Sakumo-Sensei's last wish, generously forgive all this, love this village deeply, and protect this village."
Shiraishi stood up from the Hokage Rock, walked to Kakashi's side, and patted his shoulder.
"Neither Sakumo-sensei nor I can make the decision for you. Because this is the choice you, Hatake Kakashi have to make for yourself, someone else will not make the decision for you. No matter how difficult the future is, you must grit your teeth and persevere until the moment you die. You can choose which way to go..."
This is the end of the conversation, and the rest is left to Kakashi to judge by himself.
If he chooses to continue protecting Konoha, he will seal his 'memory' about this part, allowing him to live as an authentic Konoha ninja.
If you choose to follow yourself...
"I will surpass my father."
Kakashi said this sentence.
Shiraishi turned his head sideways to look at Kakashi.
"Yeah?"
Shiraishi nodded, knowing that Kakashi had made a choice.
He turned around and left, leaving Kakashi alone here.
Moonlight shrouded the Hokage Rock and Kakashi looked up.
Father, I will use my strength to surpass you!
And let those high-level pay a painful price!
Perhaps this could be a wrong decision that would disappoint his dead father.
But Kakashi has decided that this is the path he wants to take.
A completely different path from what his father Sakumo had envisioned.
—The scene where his father, Sakumo, commits suicide with a blade and falls in the room.
—Idiot people who know nothing and are deceived by the top.
—The high-level people who enjoy the fruits of victory in political struggles have never understood the pain he faced when his father committed suicide.
As long as he thought of this, Kakashi felt his heart beating constantly, crazily, and fiercely.
The fresh driving force is called hatred.
