Hatake Sakumo's four "companions" left.
He was alone in the room, sitting on the floor.
The sorrow in his eyes was so deep that even the coldest ice couldn't freeze it away.
His mind drifted back to the past—to a time when his father was still alive.
He remembered standing atop Hokage Rock, gazing down at the village alongside his father.
His father had looked over Konoha with pride and said, "Sakumo, Konoha is our home. We must do our best to protect it and uphold the Will of Fire."
Back then, Sakumo had been young, and his understanding was still limited." Father, what is the Will of Fire?" he had asked naively.
His father smiled and explained, "The Will of Fire means that the young are the future. The older generation must trust and protect them. Our sacrifices are not meaningless—they inspire the next generation to rise and take on the responsibility of protecting the village."
"Just like you and me. I will protect you as you grow, and one day, you will become the next pillar of Konoha."
"Wherever the leaves dance, the fire will continue to burn. The fire will illuminate the village and give birth to new leaves."
Sakumo had carried those words with him ever since. When he became a shinobi, he made the Will of Fire his nindō and devoted himself to it completely.
He had understood both the cruelty of the shinobi code and the importance of protecting his comrades. Yet, no matter how many times he had to choose between the two, he would always choose his comrades.
But now…
Everyone believed he was wrong.
The villagers. The shinobi. Even the Hokage, the leader of the village, saw his decision as a mistake.
Had he truly failed?
Was the Will of Fire he upheld his entire life… a lie?
Had he been wrong to inherit the beliefs his father passed down to him?
If the Will of Fire was wrong, then what had his life meant?
What had all his efforts been for?
Sakumo walked over to his bed and picked up the White Fang short blade from the floor. He stared at it blankly.
He could no longer find a reason to protect Konoha.
Once, this village had given him something to fight for.
Now, this village had broken him.
His nindō was gone. His will had collapsed.
His eyes, once so full of determination, were now empty and dark as he slowly unsheathed the White Fang blade.
In a hoarse voice, he whispered, "Kakashi… forgive me… and forgive him. I'm sorry."
Outside the house, Sora closed his eyes, regret heavy in his voice. "I will. I'll take care of Kakashi and make sure he finds his own path. I'm sorry… that I couldn't save you."
Sakumo exhaled a weary breath.
"There's no need to apologize. I have no reason to live anymore. But with you here, I can rest easy."
With those final words, Hatake Sakumo plunged the White Fang blade into his abdomen.
Blood splattered onto the floor.
Outside, listening to the sound of blood spilling from the room, Sora murmured softly, "Goodbye, Hatake Sakumo. You are no longer Konoha's White Fang. You are finally free… from the chains of this village."
[Witnessing the death of an important figure, Hatake Sakumo, will be rewarded with 5,000 witness points.]
Without hesitation, Sora used the Body Flicker Technique and vanished from the Hatake estate.
Meanwhile, in the depths of Konoha's forest, Kakashi was venting his emotions through relentless training.
Suddenly, his body stiffened.
An invisible force seemed to grip his throat, making it hard to breathe. A crushing sense of loss surged through him.
It felt as though something… someone important had been taken from him.
Cold sweat broke out across his forehead. His instincts screamed at him.
Without thinking, Kakashi scrambled to his feet and ran toward home as fast as his legs could carry him.
The closer he got, the stronger the unease in his heart became.
Finally, he arrived at his doorstep.
Reaching out to open the door to his father's room, he suddenly froze.
A wave of fear crashed over him.
A voice deep inside him whispered: If you open this door… there's no going back.
Kakashi shook his head violently, trying to suppress the dread in his heart. He took several deep breaths—
Then he smelled it.
Blood.
His entire body trembled.
Gritting his teeth, Kakashi pushed open the door with trembling hands.
And then—
His mind went blank.
Hatake Sakumo lay lifeless in a pool of his own blood. The White Fang's short blade still clutched weakly in his left hand.
Kakashi's ears rang. His vision blurred.
He staggered forward like a puppet with its strings cut, his dull gaze fixed on his father's unmoving body.
"…Father…"
His knees hit the ground.
The air felt like it had been sucked from his lungs.
Tears poured from his eyes, but his voice refused to come out. He clutched his chest with one hand while his other reached for Sakumo's already cold fingers.
The grief was too much.
His vision darkened—
And Kakashi lost consciousness.
The Next Day – Konoha Hospital
Kakashi's eyes snapped open.
He bolted upright. "Father!"
But the room was empty.
Instead, Sora and Uzumaki Kushina stood at his bedside, their faces heavy with sorrow.
Kakashi froze.
It wasn't a dream.
It was real.
His father was gone.
A sharp pain tore through his chest as he covered his face, his body wracked with sobs. "Teacher Sora… my father… is dead… AHHH!"
The wail that escaped his lips was raw and broken.
He was a shinobi. A Chūnin who had already seen battle.
But he was only seven years old.
And now, his only family was gone.
Seeing Kakashi in such grief, Uzumaki Kushina's own tears fell silently.
Sora placed a comforting hand on Kakashi's shoulder.
He didn't say anything.
But in that moment, words weren't needed.
A Few Days Later – Hatake Sakumo's Funeral
Hatake Sakumo's funeral was a quiet, lonely affair.
Only Kakashi, Sora, and Uzumaki Kushina were there to lay him to rest.
A few of his former comrades came to pay their respects, but most of the village remained indifferent.
Standing before his father's gravestone, Kakashi's eyes were hollow.
"…Why?" he whispered. "Teacher Sora… why did my father commit suicide?"
Sora's expression darkened. "Because… Lord Sakumo was betrayed. Betrayed by the very ideals he spent his life protecting."
Kakashi's lips trembled.
His voice was barely audible.
"…The Will of Fire…"
Sora and Uzumaki Kushina stood beside him in silent support.
After some time, they gently led Kakashi away, taking him home with them.
Later That Night – Hatake Sakumo's Grave
A lone figure appeared before the gravestone.
Sarutobi Hiruzen.
The Third Hokage stood still, pipe in hand, his face lined with exhaustion.
When he first heard of Sakumo's death, he had been shocked.
Then, a terrible realization struck him.
Something had gone terribly wrong.
Originally, Sakumo had only been removed from duty—meant to stay home and reflect for a while before eventually being reinstated.
But Hiruzen had never expected this outcome.
Hatake Sakumo, Konoha's White Fang, had taken his own life.
It was a devastating loss for Konoha.
And worse—
To the other great shinobi villages, it was excellent news.
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