As the sun rose high, Ren, eating three-colored dango at the dango shop, sipped tea while his peripheral vision scanned Kakashi's house across the street from the dango shop.
That's right, the method Ren was employing was the most foolish one: waiting for the rabbit by the stump, to guide Sakumo and resolve his inner turmoil when Konoha White Fang was alone. As for the outcome, he could only leave it to fate.
Bored, Ren could only eat dango, one skewer after another. As he ate the 29th skewer, Ren's spirits lifted as he looked up for the Nth time at Kakashi's doorstep; a middle-aged, white-haired, handsome man, wearing a Konoha Jonin vest and carrying a short sword, walked out of his house. The flame half-sleeve on his left arm was a symbol of his strength and status. The short sword on his back, named "white light," had helped him forge a formidable reputation in the Ninja World.
However, this hero's current state seemed a bit off; he walked dejectedly down the street, and passersby looked at him with strange eyes, whispering and exchanging glances.
"Look at him, causing such great losses to the Village and still having the nerve to go out. If it were me, I'd be too ashamed to face anyone."
"Exactly, does such a person even deserve to be called a hero? Hokage-sama is just too benevolent, remembering old ties and not bearing to punish him."
These harsh voices entered both their ears.
Konoha White Fang paused slightly, then continued walking forward.
Ren frowned, and after Konoha White Fang had walked far enough, he quietly followed, trailing far behind.
At a street corner, Ren saw Konoha White Fang enter an izakaya, buy some shochu, and then continue walking forward after coming out.
Ren began to wonder where he was going.
After walking a bit further, Konoha White Fang entered the Yamanaka clan's flower shop, bought several white chrysanthemums and white lilies, and continued walking forward.
Shochu, white chrysanthemums, lilies?
Ren's eyes lit up, the Memorial Stone!
He's going to the cemetery! This is my chance!
He bought some exquisite pastries and several white flowers from another street, then hurried towards the Memorial Stone.
Several minutes later, Ren, who had arrived at the Memorial Stone, slowed down, carrying his items, and walked into the cemetery, heading towards his parents' gravestones from memory.
Looking at the two heavy gravestones before him, beneath them lay his parents from this life. He placed the pastries and white flowers, knelt before the stone, and bowed his head in silent mourning.
After an unknown amount of time, a hesitant voice came from behind Ren.
"Are you Miyaten and Hiwa's child?"
Turning around, it was indeed Konoha White Fang, looking at the Memorial Stone with a complex expression.
Time rewound to twenty minutes earlier. Under the oppression of public opinion, the repressed Konoha White Fang wanted to visit the Memorial Stone to see his former teammates and talk to them.
Arriving at his teammates' memorial stones, he placed a pair of sake cups, drank sake while facing the Memorial Stone, and began chatting with his teammates and confiding his troubles.
Unconsciously, after sharing a lot of his thoughts with his friends, he picked up another cup of sake and poured it before the Memorial Stone. He placed a few bouquets, preparing to visit another teammate.
"That's enough for today. I still need to go see Miyaten and Hiwa. See you next time, brothers."
The two teammates' memorial stones were not too far apart. After turning a corner, Konoha White Fang, who saw Hiwa's memorial stone, froze. A seven or eight-year-old boy was kneeling before Hiwa's memorial stone, with some pastries and a few white flowers placed before it. It seemed he had also come to pay respects to Hiwa.
Konoha White Fang remembered very clearly that Hiwa and Miyaten's child was in the same class as Kakashi at the Konoha Academy, though the two had never met.
This led to the previous question.
"You are? Sakumo Hatake! Hello, I am Hoshimi Ren. I heard my father and mother mention you. Are you here to visit my father and mother?"
Ren's expression changed from confusion to surprise, then to respect. He greeted and responded to Konoha White Fang.
Yes, Ren had long known about his parents' relationship with Konoha White Fang. His mother, Hiwa, was once a member of the same Ninja team as Konoha White Fang, though after both achieved fame and success, their contact gradually decreased due to busy careers. His father, Hoshimi Miyaten, was also a good friend of Konoha White Fang.
"Yes, I came to see your father and mother. You must be Ren. It's been so many years; this is the first formal meeting, isn't it? I am Sakumo Hatake, your father and mother's friend. You can call me uncle."
Konoha White Fang forced a smile. His former friends were leaving one by one, and now he was being universally condemned. What was the meaning of living?
With a complex mood, Konoha White Fang placed the flowers of remembrance before the Memorial Stone. After bowing his head in silent mourning for a few seconds, he looked up at Ren.
As if by a ghost's whim, he asked a question.
"Ren, what do you think is more important: comrades or missions?"
Konoha White Fang, who had just asked the question, laughed wryly. He must be crazy to ask a child such a question.
"I'm sorry, just pretend Uncle didn't say anything. Stay a little longer and go back early. Uncle has something to attend to and will leave first."
Variourumours and gossip tangled in his mind, making his usually calm heart uncharacteristically restless. Now he just wanted to quickly return home and escape reality.
"Uncle, I believe that those who break the rules are called trash, but those who don't cherish their comrades are even worse than trash! I believe your choice was not wrong; they are the ones who are wrong!"
Konoha White Fang, who had already walked more than ten steps, suddenly stopped. His eyes instantly reddened, and he looked up at the scorching sun overhead.
Since his return after failing a mission to save his comrades, he was met not with comfort and encouragement, but with overwhelming accusations and curses. Even the comrades he saved came to blame him. He had made countless contributions to Konoha, yet because of one failure, he ended up like this, making him question whether he had done something wrong.
He suppressed all negative emotions deep within his heart, and with the passage of time and the escalating public opinion, his inner world was on the verge of collapse.
Today, a child's words finally opened a crack in his heart, allowing him to release the accumulated pressure of these past days.
"Those who break the rules are called trash, but those who don't cherish their comrades are even worse than trash..."
Konoha White Fang murmured, his eyes slightly closed. When he opened them again, his tears were gone, and his gaze had changed. He unleashed his aura, killing intent soaring; the invincible Konoha White Fang of the battlefield was back!
Is this the aura of a Kage-level expert? Looking at the Konoha White Fang displaying his aura before him, Ren's eyes showed a hint of shock. This is what I have always pursued; I must become as strong as him, or even surpass him!
At this moment, the seed of becoming stronger had sprouted within Ren. After enduring the baptism of wind and rain, he would grow to the top and become the strongest!
"Ren, Uncle has something to take care of. See you next time. Feel free to visit my house when you have time. You and Kakashi were in the same class before, so you should get along well."
Konoha White Fang, retracting his aura, looked at Ren and smiled, extending an invitation to Ren. As the son of an old friend, he would take care of him as much as possible.
Speaking of which, he should thank Ren this time; at least he now knew that in this vast Konoha Village, not everyone was blaming and accusing him.
However, it was also time to deal with those crawling insects in the darkness; they had dared to scheme against him.
"Okay, I will visit you another day. I'll head back now."
After bidding farewell to Konoha White Fang, Ren returned home and leaned against the door. His back was already drenched in sweat. This was truly exciting, but looking at Konoha White Fang's current situation, he probably wouldn't commit suicide.
I'm looking to it. What kind of role will I play in this wonderful Ninja World?
The effect of his butterfly's flapping wings has already begun.
A future full of uncertainties. It's truly exciting!