Sarutobi Hiruzen stood in front of Hatake Sakumo's tombstone, filled with regret.
'If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have blamed Hatake Sakumo so much.'
He had been furious when he learned that Sakumo had a chance to intercept Iwagakure's scroll successfully but gave up in order to save his comrades.
During the trial, Hiruzen had personally declared that Hatake Sakumo would be stripped of all his duties and ordered him to go home and reflect.
Now, standing before Sakumo's grave, Hiruzen only regretted the loss of his strength as a shinobi—not the loss of the man himself.
But there was no changing the past. What mattered now was deciding who would carry the banner in the Land of Grass.
News of Hatake Sakumo's death had undoubtedly reached Iwagakure, and those cunning Iwagakure shinobi would surely be preparing to act.
With a sigh, Sarutobi Hiruzen turned and left the cemetery.
After returning home, Sora helped Uzumaki Kushina prepare the ingredients for dinner.
Kushina nudged Sora with her elbow. "Kakashi locked himself in his room as soon as he got back. Go check on him and talk to him. I'll handle things here."
Sora shook his head. "Right now, no matter who talks to him, he won't listen. I'll have a proper talk with him after he calms down."
Kushina put her hands on her hips. "Stop making excuses! Just go. Even if you sit there, it's fine!"
She was worried that Kakashi, overwhelmed with grief, might do something reckless.
With a sigh, Sora put down the kitchen knife. "Alright, alright, I'm going."
After wiping his hands dry, Sora made his way to Kakashi's room.
Inside, Kakashi sat on the edge of his bed, motionless, staring blankly ahead like a statue.
When Sora entered, Kakashi didn't react—his gaze remained unfocused, lost in thought.
Without saying a word, Sora sat down beside him.
Right now, Kakashi didn't need words of comfort.
Offering meaningless consolation might only make things worse.
Only when he fully accepted Sakumo's death would any comfort have meaning.
The room remained silent, the only faint sound coming from the kitchen as Kushina cooked.
Not long after, her voice broke the stillness.
"Dinner's ready! Come eat!"
Sora turned to Kakashi. "Alright, let's go."
Like a puppet, Kakashi stood up and followed him to the dining room.
Kushina gave Sora a questioning look, silently asking how Kakashi was doing.
Sora spread his hands—nothing had changed.
Kushina rolled her eyes at him.
Sora smirked slightly. 'It's not as simple as Kushina thinks. Kakashi isn't going to just snap out of it with a few words.'
"Alright, wash your hands and come eat. I made sukiyaki tonight."
Sora took Kakashi to wash his hands before they sat down at the dinner table.
Uzumaki Kushina kept placing food into Kakashi's bowl. "Kakashi, you're still growing. You need to eat more."
Kakashi, barely paying attention, moved his chopsticks mechanically. No matter what ended up in his bowl, he put it into his mouth, chewed twice, and swallowed without thought.
Sora quickly stopped Kushina, worried that Kakashi might choke.
After eating, Kakashi silently returned to his room and lay down.
Uzumaki Kushina's Room
Since Kakashi was staying in Sora's room, Sora had been sleeping on the floor in Kushina's room.
Kushina let out a sigh. "I don't know when Kakashi will come out of this."
Sora stared at the ceiling. "It'll take time. He's lost and confused right now. It's not something he can snap out of… but eventually, he'll find a way forward."
Kushina turned to him curiously. "And how do you plan to help him?"
"The best way is to distract him—to give him a new goal to focus on."
For several days, Kakashi remained silent, his entire demeanour gloomy.
During this time, Sora and Uzumaki Kushina refrained from taking any missions, choosing instead to stay with him.
One evening, as the two were discussing what to make for dinner, a knock sounded at the door.
Sora opened it to find a masked Anbu standing outside.
"Sora, the Hokage has summoned you to the Hokage Building."
"Understood."
Turning back, Sora called out, "Kushina, I'm heading out for a bit."
He then left for the Hokage's office.
Hokage's Office
Inside the office, Sarutobi Hiruzen sat at his desk, exhaustion evident in the dark circles under his eyes.
Ever since news of Hatake Sakumo's suicide had spread, Iwagakure had begun moving far earlier than Hiruzen had anticipated.
Although Nara Shinsuke had been put in temporary command, the troops lacked a true leader. At this rate, Konoha's forces in the Land of Grass would be forced into a purely defensive position.
If things continued like this, the once-stable region would soon fall into chaos—and if that happened, Kumogakure, already eyeing the Land of Hot Water, would undoubtedly make its move as well.
A chain reaction could trigger a full-scale war.
Hiruzen had already sent Jiraiya to the Land of Hot Water to manage the situation. With Orochimaru overseeing things there, the area would remain stable for now.
The real reason he had summoned Sora today was to remind him that it was time to return to active duty.
With strength well above the average Jōnin, Sora was a high-level combatant—someone Konoha couldn't afford to leave idle for long.
However, Hiruzen couldn't outright order him back. He knew that Sora was now Kakashi's mentor, and after everything Kakashi had just lost, staying by his side was the right thing to do.
Hiruzen felt a twinge of guilt.
After all, Hatake Sakumo had contributed so much to Konoha—yet in the end, this was how he had been repaid.
Even in death, he hadn't been given the honour of having his name inscribed on the village's memorial stone.
It was because of this guilt that Hiruzen had waited several days before summoning Sora.
Sora, of course, understood exactly why he had been called here.
Hiruzen took a long puff from his pipe and asked, "How is Kakashi?"
Sora sighed. "He's not doing well. He's drowning in grief. It'll take time for him to recover."
Hiruzen exhaled a slow breath. "I never expected Sakumo to end his life like that…"
Sora said nothing.
Hiruzen continued, "But people must always look forward. I believe Kakashi will overcome this tragedy. He'll carry on Sakumo's will—and the Will of Fire."
Sora nearly laughed.
'The same people who destroyed Hatake Sakumo's faith… are now talking about passing on his will?'
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