"Me?"
"That's right—you" Mitsuki looked at Kakashi and spoke seriously.
"It was never really about whether Arima would apologize to Sakumo-san. What truly matters is that you, Kakashi, the only son of Sakumo-san, went to see Arima and asked him to apologize."
Mitsuki's sole purpose from beginning to end was to prevent the suicide of the White Fang. Public opinion, village gossip, and any other side issues were just that—secondary.
The moment he heard the surname Shimura, he understood immediately. Expecting someone like Arima to apologize and reignite Sakumo's will to live was probably a pipe dream.
Anyone who's watched Naruto knows which name stands out most among the Shimuras — it's obviously Shimura Danzo, the 5.5th Hokage. Mitsuki wasn't just guessing blindly here.
In the original story, it was revealed that Sakumo Hatake was leading a squad on a high-risk mission deep within enemy territory. A mission like that, whether successful or not, would never be publicized around the village.
That's because the results of such missions are themselves high-value intel. And in times of war, each village inevitably ends up infiltrated by enemy spies. If you started announcing the outcome of every secret mission, the shinobi world would descend into chaos.
On the other hand, public opinion — no matter how loud — is just that. Civilian gossip might be able to destroy a samurai's honor, but when it comes to ninja, it's almost laughable.
So the intention behind this whole situation was clear: someone just wanted Konoha's White Fang to become demoralized. They didn't need to destroy him outright—just tarnish his reputation enough to keep him out of the spotlight.
Considering Danzo's motives, he was probably worried that Sakumo's rising prestige on the battlefield would eventually threaten Orochimaru's succession as 4th Hokage.
Once Sakumo was branded with disgrace, he'd have no chance of competing with the legitimate disciple of the Third Hokage.
Naturally, the Hiruzen knew what was going on. But at this point in time, Hiruzen was still leaning heavily toward Orochimaru as his chosen successor. So, he let Danzo's little schemes slide.
What neither of them — neither Hiruzen nor Danzo — anticipated was this: while they had been trained since childhood in the ideology of shinobi, molded by none other than the Second Hokage Tobirama himself, Sakumo was different.
The Hatake clan originated from the samurai, and insults like these cut far deeper than they would for a typical shinobi.
In simple terms — Sakumo broke down.
And so, Mitsuki's goal was very clear: to give Sakumo a reason to keep living. As long as someone has a reason — any excuse at all — choosing to die becomes much harder.
Besides, Mitsuki didn't believe Sakumo was someone driven by the desire to become Hokage. He seemed far more like a man who wanted the war to end, so he could watch over Kakashi as he grew up.
"Kakashi, you're the only family Sakumo-san has. If he sees your determination—if he sees you taking action—then as long as he doesn't lose faith in himself, the rest of the village's judgment will fade with time."
"But… there are still so many people in the village who…" Kakashi hesitated. "I'm sorry, Mitsuki, it's not that I don't trust you…"
"No 'but'. Trust my judgment" Mitsuki said, unfazed by Kakashi's hesitation. He understood this reaction well—he'd felt the same way when dealing with Kenjin back then.
...
After reviewing their plan once more, the four of them made their way to Konoha Hospital.
After speaking with the shinobi on duty, they were directed to Arima's hospital room.
Outside the door, Kakashi stepped forward and knocked.
"Come in."
"Sorry to disturb you."
Inside, they were met with the sight of a man half-sitting up in bed, with short black hair, a body covered in bandages, and an utterly haggard expression.
Despite the war, Konoha Hospital, the largest medical center in the shinobi world, wasn't suffering from overcrowding. Arima had a room to himself.
"You're Shimura Arima, right? Do you even realize what you've done?" Obito stepped forward, glaring at the man. He was ready to let him have it.
After all, they didn't come here to get anything meaningful from Arima—Obito just wanted to curse out the bastard who betrayed his comrade.
"That silver hair… you must be Kakashi."
Ignoring Obito, Arima looked directly at Kakashi and called him by name.
Obito tried to speak again, but Mitsuki and Rin each pulled him back gently, keeping him behind Kakashi.
"Let Kakashi handle this" Rin whispered.
"Tch…" Obito grumbled but held his tongue.
"I want to know… why did you slander my father?" Kakashi's voice rose slightly. "If my father was willing to abandon the mission to save you, then you must've been close. Why would you say something like that?!"
Arima didn't respond. Instead, he slowly reached for his crutch and struggled to step down from the bed.
It was then they realized — he was missing part of his leg.
Limping forward, Arima came to a stop in front of Kakashi and whispered, "I'm sorry." Then, without another word, he fell to his knees and bowed deeply in a full dogeza.
Before Kakashi could react, Arima grabbed his crutch, pushed himself up again, and waved off Kakashi's attempt to help.
Then, without another word, he lay back in bed and closed his eyes, refusing to say anything more.
The group exchanged looks, realizing the conversation had reached its end, and quietly exited Konoha Hospital.
Kakashi had imagined a thousand possible scenarios for this meeting — but never this one.
Mitsuki hadn't quite expected it either, but he understood. Sakumo wasn't a fool. Quite the opposite — he was a wise man.
And anyone worthy of Sakumo's decision to abandon the mission in order to save them… couldn't have been entirely heartless.
Not to mention, Mitsuki noticed the bouquet of carnations by Arima's bed. Judging by their color and freshness, they'd just been changed that morning.
Still, there was no need to overanalyze it. Whatever reason Arima had for his bizarre behavior, it wouldn't affect the course of Mitsuki's next move.
"Kakashi, what do you think?" Mitsuki asked.
"I don't think Arima really meant what he said about my father" Kakashi replied, supporting his chin with one hand. "There might be something else going on."
"But he still won't talk to us" Obito mumbled, annoyed.
"At least now we know that Arima does feel guilty toward Sakumo-san" Rin added. "Maybe it'll bring him some peace of mind."
Watching Kakashi's conflicted expression, Mitsuki thought silently:
"Looks like it's time to give him a real push"
Mitsuki suddenly grabbed Kakashi by both shoulders, locking eyes with him.
"Kakashi. From now on, there's only one thing you need to do: act as if your father is going to take his own life because of the public's scorn. And do whatever it takes to change that fate!"