"White Fang... well!"
No matter how much of a friend he was, he couldn't intervene directly, but the circumstances surrounding White Fang's death were too suspicious.
Suicide over rumors?
Nonsense!
They were all Kage-level powerhouses, ninjas with unwavering will, yet he supposedly took his own life because of mere whispers from villagers?
Uchiha Kiyo didn't buy it.
However, Danzo must have played a role in orchestrating White Fang's downfall.
The question was, what role did Root play in this?
"This time, I have to go in person," Kiyo thought.
Hui had already formed a plan.
"But White Fang abandoning his mission to save his teammates has only just happened. The rumors haven't even spread widely among the villagers yet. There should be a few months before his suicide."
For the past two days, Hui had been closely monitoring everyone involved in the White Fang incident.
First, he assigned a shadow clone to tail the ninja who had been saved by White Fang, observing if and when a Root ninja would make contact.
Second, he kept a close watch on the Hatake clan.
Thanks to occasional encounters with Kakashi over the past year, Hui had managed to befriend Hatake Sakumo. Their relationship had improved significantly—at least on the surface.
Who was Hatake Sakumo? The famed Konoha White Fang. Could he really not see through Hui's intentions?
Of course, he was aware. But he wasn't sure why Hui wanted to get close to him. Still, as Orochimaru's former assistant, Hui commanded a certain level of respect.
After all, Kiyo had once been Orochimaru's disciple, and their association wasn't a secret.
Sakumo was confident that Hui bore him no ill will. That was enough.
As a result, Hui and Hatake Sakumo maintained a cordial relationship, allowing occasional visits to the Hatake residence.
During these visits, Hui discreetly left traces of his chakra in the area, enabling him to use sensory techniques to track movements in and out of the Hatake clan's residence.
Meanwhile, the ninja saved by White Fang was named Shizhen Aburame. During a battle against Kumogakure shinobi, White Fang had saved him from what seemed to be a fatal attack. However, this act led to the mission's failure.
"This Aburame isn't weak, and he had never failed a mission before," Hui analyzed after investigating the man's background.
"Wait… this Aburame has completed far too few missions to have been promoted to Jōnin. Something doesn't add up."
Hui narrowed his eyes, feeling as if he had stumbled upon a critical detail.
"His promotion must have been based on something other than mission completion. Konoha's higher-ups wouldn't make such an obvious mistake. If it were a special promotion like Kakashi's, tied to the Hokage's lineage, there would be clear documentation."
"That means part of Shizhen Aburame's file is classified beyond my access."
"Anbu? No, unlikely. Anbu isn't a truly secretive division; most village ninjas know about its existence. Their missions, while sensitive, aren't completely undocumented. Former Anbu members also have markings in their files."
"That leaves only one possibility—Root."
"Has Root infiltrated the major clans? The Aburame clan..."
Hui wasn't simply investigating; he was scrutinizing with a purpose. While others might see impressive success rates in a file, Hui dissected the lack of recorded missions.
Most wouldn't even think to analyze a shinobi's history like this. Besides, ninja files weren't accessible to just anyone. Officially, even Konoha's higher-ups couldn't randomly check ninja records without Hokage approval.
As for where Hui got this file?
Well… let's just say he had his ways.
"If Shizhen Aburame really is a Root agent, everything makes sense."
"The near-fatal attack could have been staged."
"Sakumo, you're too straightforward. You got played by Danzo."
At this moment, Hui felt genuine sympathy for Hatake Sakumo—the legendary Konoha White Fang.
Yes, sympathy.
He had been manipulated by Danzo for no reason.
Hui believed that Hatake Sakumo had no interest in the Hokage seat. But that didn't matter. What mattered was whether others believed it.
Moreover, an unaffiliated powerhouse—one who wasn't tied to any faction—was bound to be a target. Either drawn in or eliminated.
Even Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, wouldn't intervene to save him.
Historically, every Hokage came from the Hokage faction.
And they had to be a direct lineage.
Wait… direct lineage?
"Kakashi became a direct Hokage-line ninja when Minato Namikaze took him as a student."
Hui fell silent.
"So Hatake Sakumo's suicide had deeper reasons?"
Realizing the full scope of the situation, Hui understood Sakumo's dilemma.
Sakumo wasn't interested in political power. But he knew that remaining independent would eventually lead to his suppression—and worse, would drag Kakashi into the same fate.
To protect his son, he made a deal with certain individuals.
Kakashi would be placed within the Hokage lineage, securing his future.
As for himself?
He had to give the Third Hokage and Danzo an explanation.
But perhaps the Third Hokage hadn't expected Sakumo to be so unyielding—to choose suicide rather than bending to their will.
At this moment, Hui fully understood the tragic events leading to White Fang's death.
"So in the end, White Fang's death was his own decision, not one forced directly by threats."
But this made things even harder.
How could he persuade the man not to take his own life?
Convince him to abandon his son's future?
To gamble with Kakashi's fate?
"Damn it..."
Hui rubbed his temples in frustration, struggling to find a solution.
Meanwhile, in Sunagakure…
Maga received Kiyo's request and was momentarily stunned.
Not because Kiyo needed something, but because of the nature of the request.
After understanding the full context, Maga nodded.
"A technique related to the soul, or a sealing jutsu? Well, I specialize in that."
Maga had been part of Chiyo's research team working on reincarnation techniques, which naturally involved the study of souls. Although his focus was medical applications, he had access to plenty of related data.
"Alright, I'll 'borrow' some research notes."
If Hui needed them, it meant he was about to dive deep into soul-related techniques for the next few months.
Maga sighed.
"I guess I should finally start developing my Magnet Release."
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