Chapter 100

"Teacher Sakamoto, I've come to visit you."

In a room on the second floor, Shiraishi spoke softly to the photo on the stand.

This was a photo taken when their Class 5 was first formed.

Ayane and Ruri were also in the photo, and Shiraishi was sandwiched between them when the photo was taken. At that time, he felt that he had a tough job.

Sakamoto stood behind the three of them, carrying the White Fang short sword and wearing a ninja forehead protector, with a bright and cheerful smile on his face.

Just as Shiraishi was reminiscing about these things, the door suddenly opened.

"Hey, you, don't you know you can't just run around in someone else's house?"

Shiraishi saw Tobi walk in boldly, without any attempt to hide, and he felt a headache.

"I was going to ask you the same thing. What's the deal with leaving me there alone?"

Tobi responded with equal displeasure.

"I just came up to check."

"Then I also came up to check."

Tobi, having learned from Shiraishi, followed his words.

Then, he noticed the photo and stared at it for a while. Although this was taken when Shiraishi was twelve, and there was a significant difference from his current appearance, Tobi immediately recognized it as the past Shiraishi.

"So, this is what you used to look like. Doesn't seem particularly special."

Tobi made a remark that was annoying to hear.

Then he looked at the others.

"These eyes belong to someone from the Hyuga clan. This one must be Senior Ruri. No wonder, even at such a young age, she gives off a reliable and strong vibe."

Looking at Ruri in the photo, Tobi instantly turned into a fanboy, speaking with admiration.

"Hey, who's this white-haired uncle? Is he your instructor?"

Tobi asked with curiosity.

"Yes, he's also Kakashi's father, known as the 'White Fang of Konoha.'"

Shiraishi nodded. This kind of information could be easily found out with a little inquiry, so it wasn't much of a secret.

"No wonder he looks so much like Kakashi... But, White Fang... I think I've heard of him somewhere... Strange, where was it?"

Tobi tilted his head, starting to think.

He vaguely remembered it was a few months ago.

What exactly it was, Tobi couldn't quite recall.

"Knowing this kind of thing isn't a good thing for you."

Shiraishi interrupted the conversation.

Rumors about Sakamoto were mostly spread among adults. It was normal for students like Tobi to not know much about it.

They probably only knew his name, and didn't delve into the details of what happened.

Moreover, after Sakamoto's suicide, many people chose to remain silent about the matter, as if it never happened.

But once the scar was revealed, no matter how much they tried to mend it, the wound wouldn't disappear, only becoming more hidden.

"What are you talking about? I'm not a kid anymore."

Tobi said with dissatisfaction.

"Alright, let's go downstairs."

Shiraishi led Tobi downstairs and returned to the living room.

There, the takeout Kakashi had ordered had already arrived, and Kakashi himself was sitting there, waiting for the two of them to join him for dinner.

"Kakashi, you haven't been eating takeout all the time, have you?"

Tobi frowned when he saw the many takeout boxes in the trash that hadn't been cleared out.

"Hmm."

Kakashi nodded.

Apart from missions, he spent a lot of time training at home every day, so he had no time to cook and relied on takeout to survive.

Seeing Kakashi's indifferent response, Tobi's frown deepened.

He wanted to say something, but when he saw Kakashi's indifferent eyes, he swallowed his words.

This Kakashi gave Tobi an indescribable bad feeling.

It felt like no matter what he said, he couldn't get close to him.

Even if he wanted to ask Kakashi why he had a conflict with his mission teammates, or if it was true that he valued the mission more than his teammates' lives...

In the end, after much hesitation, Tobi couldn't bring himself to ask Kakashi the question he was most concerned about.

Kakashi's home gave him a feeling of abnormal coldness, as if it wasn't suitable for living.

What happened to this guy after he graduated? Tobi wondered.

Kakashi sat at the dining table, took a few bites of the takeout, and then closed the box.

"I'm full. After you finish, you can leave. I don't have much to offer here."

Kakashi threw the unfinished takeout into the nearby trash can, put on the White Fang short sword, and walked towards the yard.

"…Did we come at the wrong time?"

Tobi glanced at Shiraishi with a guilty look.

Shiraishi replied, "This has nothing to do with you. Don't overthink it."

"Is that so?"

Tobi was skeptical.

After quickly finishing the takeout, Tobi also took out the garbage bag filled with many takeout boxes, as leaving it for too long would cause mold.

"Really impressive, you've already practiced the White Fang sword technique to this level?"

While Tobi was taking out the garbage, Shiraishi came to the yard and watched Kakashi continuously practicing his sword swings, feeling quite impressed.

Although in his eyes, Kakashi's White Fang sword technique was far from Sakamoto's, and there were many flaws, the sword movements already had some of Sakamoto's style. It would definitely be no problem against a chunin-level ninja.

If he continued to accumulate experience at this rate, passing the jounin exam before the age of twelve would be a natural thing, in Shiraishi's view.

Kakashi was unmoved by Shiraishi's praise and remained focused on his sword training.

"What, haven't you calmed down after all this time?"

Shiraishi leaned against the wall and asked Kakashi with a smile.

Kakashi's sword movements suddenly paused, and the air became heavy.

"As a chunin, shouldn't you be stronger than this?"

"What do you mean?"

Kakashi turned his head and sighed.

For some reason, he felt that Shiraishi was hinting at something.

But since the other person was a former subordinate of his father, he didn't show any rudeness.

"I promised Teacher Sakamoto to take good care of you after his passing."

"As you can see, I'm doing just fine."

Kakashi replied indifferently.

Compared to the so-called care from Shiraishi, he trusted the power of the blade in his hand more.

"Even so, if you continue like this, fewer and fewer jounin will be willing to accept you, until you can't stand in Konoha anymore. Do you still insist on your belief that the mission is more important than everything else?"

After so many changes, even a fool should realize that there were obvious contradictions in this.

His father abandoned the mission to save his comrades and was ostracized by the village, eventually committing suicide due to the rumors.

He chose the other path, prioritizing the mission over his comrades, but still faced rejection from his fellow villagers.

This was a fact Kakashi had personally realized, not just a random guess.

Although Kakashi's expression was well-hidden, a hint of doubt and hesitation flashed in his eyes.

He was questioning the true reason for his father's death.

The facts proved... that whether choosing the mission or the comrades, both were wrong.

And it might not even be the reason for his father's suicide.

Kakashi, who became a chunin at the age of six, could not be considered an ordinary child in terms of both practical skills and theoretical knowledge.

Even though he sometimes got stuck in a rut, the logic of this matter, considering the cause and effect, was fundamentally unexplainable.

There were too many doubts and points worth examining.

"You're doing well."

Shiraishi suddenly said.

"What?"

"Looks like you've indeed calmed down and at least learned to think dialectically."

Shiraishi smiled. If it were the old Kakashi, he might have already walked away with a cold, impatient face.

In the past six months, he had enough time to experience the contradictions in the village firsthand.

These contradictions were not easily noticed by ordinary villagers and ninjas because they hadn't experienced them.

Unfortunately, Kakashi had experienced the entire process.

His father's suicide and the path he chose now were, to some extent, not accepted by the mainstream ideology of the village.

So, what is right? What is wrong?

"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm just following..."

"Do you want to know the true reason for Teacher Sakamoto's death?"

The atmosphere changed with Shiraishi's words, and a terrifying killing intent erupted from Kakashi, making the surrounding air heavy and making it difficult to breathe, as if he were trapped in quicksand.

"Don't spout nonsense to me!"

Kakashi seemed to be triggered by something, his body suddenly moving, disappearing from his original spot, and drawing a brilliant light in the darkness.

However, he stopped in front of Shiraishi.

His face was covered in cold sweat, and he stared at Shiraishi with a terrified look.

His body was entangled with numerous thin shadows, like solid iron chains, completely immobilizing him.

Around him, dozens of shadow-formed spears and swords stopped at his throat, heart, and the back of his head, all vital points.

A slight movement would allow the shadow blades to easily take his life.

Shiraishi, however, remained relaxed, leaning against the wall without moving a step.

"Who... are you?"

"Shiraishi Shiro, Konoha chunin, and part-time assistant teacher for the medical ninja experimental class at the Ninja Academy."

Shiraishi revealed all his information without any lies.

Kakashi was silent.

A chunin?

Don't joke around.

Even his current team leader couldn't trap him in such a deadly situation without him noticing.

But he only realized it when the shadows appeared, surrounded him, and the shadow blades were all aimed at his vital points.

If they wanted to harm him, they could have killed him silently at any time.

This level of strength was not something even a regular jounin could achieve.

"Three days from now, at midnight, come to this place, and I'll tell you the answer. Of course, if you don't come, you'll have to find the answer on your own."

Shiraishi took out a card, walked to Kakashi, and gently slipped it into his pocket, a faint smile on his lips.

The shadows disappeared from Kakashi's body and surroundings.

Kakashi felt drained of energy, his face pale as he collapsed on the ground, still feeling the lingering fear of his brush with death.

The White Fang short sword lay beside him, seemingly losing its luster.

"Don't forget our agreement."

Shiraishi left with these words.

Before he left the yard, Tobi returned and was surprised to see Kakashi sitting on the ground.

"Hey, Kakashi, what are you doing on the ground?"

"Obviously, he's exhausted from training. It's about time we leave."

Shiraishi said to Tobi.

"I haven't had a chance to talk to Kakashi properly yet. Why are we leaving so soon?"

"Since we're in the same village, when can't we meet? Besides, Rin will be coming to me soon to learn medical ninjutsu. I might take advantage of the situation, after all, she's such a cute girl."

Shiraishi walked forward, smiling mischievously.

Tobi was indeed provoked and immediately bristled.

"You despicable guy, how many times have I told you not to make a move on Rin!"

Then he turned to Kakashi.

"Kakashi, I'll come back in a few days. And don't always eat this unhealthy takeout. I'll see you later."

With that, Tobi hurriedly chased after Shiraishi.

Kakashi ignored the antics between Shiraishi and Tobi and watched Shiraishi's figure gradually disappear, muttering to himself:

"Is this guy really just a medical ninja...?"

With this level of strength, he could easily become a jounin in the village. Why hide his true strength?

And what answer did he talk about?

Kakashi's eyes flickered, his mind filled with thoughts.

◎

Three days passed in a flash.

At noon, at the entrance of Konoha, Kakashi parted ways with his teammates and headed home.

The team leader, noticing Kakashi's distracted state, didn't say anything but found this Kakashi to be quite unusual.

He had already decided to 'ask' Kakashi to leave the team.

If this continued, the other members of the team would have a lot of complaints, ultimately leading to the team's disintegration.

As for what the Hokage would arrange, that was beyond his knowledge.

Kakashi returned home with a tired body, barely having the energy to think, and fell asleep on the bed without any precautions.

When he woke up, it was already pitch black outside.

By the bright moonlight, he could see the clock on the bedside table, which read 9:00 PM.

"Three more hours?"

Three days ago, Shiraishi told him that he would reveal the so-called 'answer' at midnight tonight.

Kakashi had been hesitating whether to keep the appointment as Shiraishi had instructed.

But...

"Is this guy deliberately hiding his strength? Can he be trusted?"

After all, he didn't know why Shiraishi was hiding his strength. If he went to the meeting rashly, something unfavorable might happen to him.

Kakashi felt he needed to be cautious about this matter.

Feeling hungry, Kakashi went to the kitchen to see if there was anything to eat.

He found only a few dry and hard slices of bread, but he didn't mind. After boiling some water, he poured himself a cup and ate the bread, considering it a solution to his dinner problem.

Watching the seconds tick by on the clock, Kakashi realized it was already 11:30 PM.

There were only thirty minutes left until the agreed time.

Kakashi took out the card from his pocket, which only had a location written on it—

Shadow Rock.

Kakashi sighed.

He now faced three choices.

The first was to keep the appointment with Shiraishi.

The second was to pretend nothing happened, continue on his chosen path, and cut off all contact with Shiraishi. Whatever Shiraishi's intentions, they were none of his business.

The third was to report to the Hokage and have the Anbu investigate Shiraishi.

There was a question, though. If he revealed such a secret so easily, did this person have no defenses or backup plans?

Or had he already been under surveillance without realizing it?

Apart from the second choice, the first and third choices both carried certain risks.

Which one to choose was the most difficult decision for Kakashi.

—Shadow Rock, Konoha.

It was almost midnight when a figure in a white hooded cloak stood on the First Hokage's statue, hands casually in the sleeves, in a relaxed and unguarded posture.

From this vantage point, the entire Konoha could be seen.

Only streetlights and a few scattered lights were on, with most areas shrouded in darkness.

By the moonlight, the outlines of the buildings in the dark could be seen clearly.

"You look quite sneaky in that outfit. Are you going to tell me some secret?"

Behind him, Kakashi had already arrived, facing the white back and speaking.

"Just that the air is too cold tonight, and I expect a light snow in the second half of the night."

Shiraishi pulled back his hood, revealing his face, and turned to explain to Kakashi.

"Is that so?"

Kakashi took a few steps forward, joining Shiraishi in looking down at the panoramic view of Konoha.

"What do you think?"

Shiraishi asked.

"It's completely different from the daytime. It's so peaceful."

Kakashi had only come to Shadow Rock during the day before. This was his first time looking at Konoha at night from here.

"The calmer the surface, the deeper the terror."

"Can I take that as you being dissatisfied with the village?"

Kakashi narrowed his eyes, tilting his head and glancing at Shiraishi from the corner of his eye.

"No, not at all. Because what happens to this village has nothing to do with me. If it's destroyed one day, it's just the choice of history."

Shiraishi said in a detached tone.

His tone conveyed a cold and resolute attitude, as if he was ready to abandon everything here.

"You're completely different from your usual self."

"Don't worry. Whether it's my usual self or my current self, they are both my true self."

"..."

Kakashi remained silent.

"Since you chose to come here to seek answers, let me hear your thoughts on the village."

"The village?"

"You've studied at the Ninja Academy, haven't you? The Will of Fire passed down by the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju."

Shiraishi sat down on the First Hokage's statue, looking down at Konoha shrouded in darkness.