Chapter 89

"Was Sensei Sokumou really driven to suicide by such a trivial matter?"

This was something Ayane asked Shiraishi alone after the funeral.

In Ayane's view, Sokumou could not have committed suicide over a silly question about whether comrades or missions were more important.

The Sokumou she knew would never be such a man.

This was what puzzled Ayane, and she hoped to get an answer from Shiraishi.

"What do you mean?"

"The cause of Sensei Sokumou's death."

"That's no longer important."

Shiraishi glanced at her and said.

"I feel that Sensei Sokumou's death was unjust."

Ayane felt a heavy heart and let out a long sigh.

"Sensei Sokumou wasn't suited to be a ninja; he was just one of the tragic products of this era of ninjas."

Ayane was taken aback by Shiraishi's words and looked at him in shock.

"The question you're puzzled about had no answer from the beginning. A mission is a matter of professional ethics, while comrades are a matter of personal choice. Both can be the right answer, and both can be the wrong answer. The key lies in how the higher-ups define it."

"But Sensei Sokumou abandoned the mission, causing the village to suffer losses..."

As she said this, Ayane realized the problem.

She became even more confused.

What was the mission Sokumou was on?

What did the village lose?

The higher-ups did not provide any explanation, leaving the villagers to speculate freely.

In other words, the question of whether comrades or missions were more important never existed from the beginning.

Indeed, Ayane knew that Sokumou placed great importance on his comrades, but since the entire mission was based on a deception, choosing either way was meaningless.

Ayane understood what Shiraishi meant.

Both answers were correct and both were wrong.

Which one was chosen was not important; what mattered was how the higher-ups defined it.

Today, comrades could be more important than missions, and tomorrow, missions could be more important than comrades.

In the eyes of the higher-ups, this was just a political struggle related to the election of the Fourth Hokage.

There was no other meaning to it.

The will of fire, which was centered on bonds and made everyone a member of one family, had, without anyone noticing, become a political tool for the higher-ups to vie for power and control the village.

It was no longer a village's faith and soul.

The villagers were unaware of this and participated in it with smiles on their faces.

There was no more desperate fact than this.

Ayane felt a chill.

She could imagine the despair Sokumou must have felt.

This was just a ridiculous political struggle.

The question of whether to choose comrades or missions was never the issue.

Sokumou did not commit suicide because of such a question.

He simply saw a village that had completely deteriorated.

"From when did it start?"

The root of this decision could not have been due to this incident.

The seed was planted long ago, but what puzzled Ayane was when Sokumou became disillusioned with the village's higher-ups.

Seeing the confusion on Ayane's face, Shiraishi sighed and asked in return:

"Ayane, you don't still think that Sensei Sokumou was unaware of the mission a few years ago, do you?"

Ayane was taken aback.

She knew Shiraishi was referring to the mission four years ago when they clashed with the Root.

"Sensei Sokumou..."

"He's the kind of person who couldn't possibly misunderstand Orochimaru's abnormal orders. He was injured and rested in the village for two months. What kind of injury requires two months of rest? If it was that serious, he should have withdrawn from the battlefield. Returning to the battlefield would have only been a burden to others."

Shiraishi picked up a leaf from the ground, played with it in his hand, and said to Ayane.

"Did he start to doubt things back then? I thought our acting was good enough."

Ayane gave a bitter laugh.

"Our acting was fine. If we hadn't returned to the battlefield in perfect health but had returned with missing limbs and a more tragic appearance, Sensei Sokumou wouldn't have suspected anything."

Shiraishi tightly held the leaf in his hand, looked at the gloomy sky, and softly said:

"Protecting comrades is not about choosing between comrades and missions. It's about safeguarding everything that must be protected. This is the core of the will of fire. It was never a tool for political struggles, or even a means to persecute and deceive comrades."

Shiraishi guessed that Sokumou must have learned something, whether from the Three Sages or through other channels. This was no longer important.

When the tea cools, the life of the ninja named Hatake Sakumo came to an end.

When he decided to leave, the will of fire he believed in had completely collapsed.

"I still can't imagine what kind of feelings Sensei Sokumou had when he committed suicide."

"You don't need to imagine, because for those of us who don't believe in the will of fire, we can't understand that kind of despair."

"Will the higher-ups come to their senses?"

In the end, Ayane asked.

"If they understood, there wouldn't be this political struggle. That's why I say Sensei Sokumou wasn't suited to be a ninja. He was too pure and too idealistic. He was better suited to be a teacher, educating and nurturing others, not a ninja."

This was what Shiraishi found tragic about Sokumou.

Such a pure and idealistic person was a powerful ninja who threatened the Fourth Hokage's plans.

The higher-ups never intended to drive Sokumou to suicide, but this method was the one he could least accept.

Shiraishi knew Ayane felt sorry, but this was Sokumou's own choice.

It was something no one could prevent.

The moment his faith was shattered, the White Fang of Konoha was already dead.

"Yes, now we can only hope that a great Hokage will appear in Konoha in the future, one who will break this vicious cycle."

Shiraishi was not certain.

In the current Konoha higher-ups, could a Hokage be cultivated who would not be blinded by the desire for power and would bravely reform everything?

Therefore, Shiraishi was pessimistic about Sokumou's sacrifice.

However, he was not very interested in this.

His path had never been tied to Konoha.

Whether a Hokage like the one Sokumou hoped for would appear in Konoha's future had little to do with Shiraishi.

The story of the White Fang of Konoha ended here, but his life was just beginning.

◎

"Senior Shiraishi, which is more important, comrades or missions?"

Returning to Sokumou's grave, only Kakashi was standing there.

When Shiraishi and Ayane arrived and heard Kakashi's question, their hearts sank.

"When Sensei Sokumou made his choice, he never regretted it."

"But he died..."

"Death is a form of liberation and does not represent a mistake."

"Is that so?"

Kakashi muttered these words and walked away, looking like a zombie.

"Why didn't you tell him the truth?"

Ayane looked at Shiraishi, unable to understand.

"Take care of Kakashi. It's not just Sensei Sokumou's request, but for a child whose values are not yet fully formed, it's too easy to go to extremes. Let him see the village with his own eyes."

When he learns to question, he will understand why Sokumou died.

Not to be stuck on the trivial question of missions and comrades.

Even if Shiraishi told him now, it would only backfire, exposing Kakashi to Konoha's darkness too early, which would be detrimental to his future.

Shiraishi believed that the Konoha higher-ups would be his best allies.

He didn't even need to make any arrangements; the higher-ups would do it for him.

In this matter, Shiraishi had more confidence in the higher-ups than in himself.

Think about it, these people had never let him down.

Isn't that the best proof?

Moreover, the opportunity would come soon.

Sokumou's suicide must have given them a headache.

After all, they lost such a valuable and important combatant.

"When he goes on a mission, I'll send someone to secretly follow him. As for the truth, we'll wait until he understands some things. Maybe he'll figure it out on his own one day."

Becoming a Chunin at the age of six, his ninja talent was undeniable.

What he lacked was life experience and the wisdom to see through the essence of things.

Ayane also thought this was a good solution.

When Kakashi asked which was more important, missions or comrades, Ayane realized he must have misunderstood something and was stuck in a dead-end.

He didn't realize that his father, Sokumou, had chosen suicide for a reason.

Letting him come to this realization on his own and question the village would be more effective than mere preaching.

Now, he probably wouldn't listen to anything, and saying more would be meaningless.

"Then, I should go back. I'll leave the Hyuga to you."

"Don't worry, I'll handle it."

After saying goodbye to Ayane, Shiraishi returned to the Uchiha district.

Just before the funeral ended, Ruri had returned.

It was clear she was in a bad mood, even neglecting her guard duties, feeling restless.

"The funeral is over, no need to look so gloomy. Still grieving over Sensei Sokumou?"

Sitting on the veranda, Ruri turned her head to look at the source of the voice.

"You seem pretty calm."

Shiraishi sat down next to Ruri, gently holding her hand, and looked at the scenery in the courtyard with her.

"Sensei Sokumou didn't want anyone to grieve over his death. Whether it's us or others, it was his own choice. He never blamed anyone; he loved this village and its people more than anyone."

"I know. That's why I hate this pointless political struggle, the higher-ups, the old men in the clan, and those foolish villagers. Do people become this pitiful as they age and gain more experience?"

Ruri said this in one breath, clearly agitated.

She couldn't believe Sokumou would leave the world in such a decisive manner.

"The era chose the ninjas, and the ninjas chose this way of life."

"Chosen?"

Ruri lowered her head, thought for a moment, and then gently rested her forehead on Shiraishi's chest.

Shiraishi could feel Ruri's warmth through her clothes, gently touching her white cheeks.

He then placed his hand on her black hair, carefully and gently stroking it.

Her hair was of good quality, dense, and black, and very straight, clearly well-maintained.

After all, she was a girl.

"I'm not a child."

Ruri frowned, her voice tinged with dissatisfaction, but she didn't push away Shiraishi's hand playing with her hair.

Her body was very honest, despite her words.

"Is there something to do with the guard team today?"

"I took the morning off. There's nothing important anyway."

Lifting her head from Shiraishi's chest, she began to rest her head on his thigh, lying on the veranda floor without any guard, closing her eyes to take a nap.

Shiraishi looked at Ruri's defenseless state, thinking it was nice to see her sleeping face up close, but something seemed to be missing.

Thinking about it, wasn't something missing from the other thigh?

At this moment, the image of another girl came to mind.

"...I don't know why, but I suddenly feel a bit annoyed. Do you know why?"

"It's just your imagination, Ruri. You must be tired today. I'll wake you up for dinner."