Konoha Village, before the Memorial Stone.
The stone tablet reflected the cold moonlight, engraved with the names of those who had died for the village.
Kakashi stood alone in the silence.
He had just returned from his old house. On his back was a long, narrow object tightly wrapped in bandages.
Even through the layers, it exuded a sharp, battle-hardened aura.
It was the broken blade known as 'White Fang'.
He didn't dare look at his father's name on the stone. Instead, he tilted his head back, gazing at the broken, cold moon, a resolve in his eyes that had never been there before.
A figure appeared soundlessly not far behind him, also silently watching the Memorial Stone.
It was Sasuke.
Kakashi didn't turn around. He knew who it was.
In this vast village, the only ones who would wander this place of the dead in the deep night were himself, who is still bound by the past, and the boy behind him.
"It seems you've made up your mind." Sasuke's voice broke the silence.
Kakashi slowly turned. That usually lazy eye now held a newfound sharpness.
"I just don't want to run anymore." He said softly, his voice carrying a sense of relief, as if a heavy burden had been lifted.
He offered no further explanation, because he knew this twelve-year-old boy before him understood everything.
He took a few steps back, standing shoulder to shoulder with Sasuke. Together, they gazed at the cold stone tablet.
"Sasuke." Kakashi's gaze was more serious than ever before, "Tell me your plan."
"Before I tell you about the plan…"
Sasuke took the initiative, his dark eyes turning to him, "You should first tell me what trump cards that Danzo you've always feared possesses."
"...You're right." Kakashi showed no surprise, merely nodding.
As a former Anbu Captain, he did possess some intelligence hidden beneath the surface.
His voice grew low and grave, "Danzo never acts alone."
"Every time he moves, he is accompanied by guards. They are the top Shinobi of 'Root'. Puppets stripped of all emotion, who know only how to obey orders. And..." Kakashi's eyes darkened, "...all of them are under the 'Tongue Eradication Seal'. If captured or intending to leak information, the Cursed Seal activates, paralyzing their entire bodies, making it impossible for them to speak any information about Danzo or 'Root'."
Sasuke listened quietly, his expression unreadable.
Kakashi paused, then continued, "Among his personal guards, there are at least two elites you need to pay special attention to."
"One is 'Aburame Torune'. His body hosts nano-size venomous insects. Any physical contact could be fatal."
Hearing this, a faint, almost imperceptible smirk touched Sasuke's lips.
'Venomous insect?'
As long as he had Indra's inextinguishable black flame barrier, there was no chance of them touching him.
"The other is 'Yamanaka Fuu', a skilled member of the Yamanaka Clan. He excels in long-range sensing and the Mind Body Switch Technique. Any forced entry would be detected by him instantly, and he could seize control of your mind."
Kakashi's voice grew even more serious, "The Mind Body Switch Technique is very troublesome. Once hit, your body would be completely taken over by him."
Sasuke's eyes remained calm.
With his current soul strength, combined with the power of the Sharingan, he was far beyond what an ordinary Shinobi could shake.
Invade his mental world?
Then he would only see images he would never wish to see again in this lifetime.
If Danzo's trump cards were only this, he wouldn't survive past the day of the Chunin Exams.
Kakashi seemed to remember something else, "Besides those two, Danzo himself is by no means an ordinary opponent."
"Don't be fooled by his frail, elderly appearance. He is from the same generation as Sandaime and was a direct disciple of Nidaime Hokage himself. His combat experience and strength are absolutely not to be underestimated."
"And he has an almost pathological obsession with Shodaime Hokage's power."
Kakashi's thoughts seemed to return to the dark days of his Anbu past.
"When I was in the Anbu, I once encountered a 'Root' member codenamed 'Kinoe'. He possessed the Wood Release."
Hearing about Wood Release, which is the same as Hashirama's, a slight change finally flickered in Sasuke's eyes.
'Those insane experiments I'd seen in Orochimaru's base... had they actually produced a successful case?!'
Kakashi's tone held a trace of lingering fear, "Although 'Kinoe' later escaped 'Root's' control, I can't guarantee he was the only successful product."
"I see." Sasuke nodded, acknowledging the value of this intelligence. Then he stated the core of the entire plan.
"During the finals of the Chunin Exams, Orochimaru will make his move."
Sasuke's voice was flat, but it made Kakashi's eye instantly sharpen.
"He will create a disturbance large enough to throw the entire village into chaos."
Sasuke continued, "At that time, the Hokage and the vast majority of the village's combat power will be tied down at the main arena."
'A perfect opportunity to fish in troubled waters.'
Kakashi instantly understood Sasuke's intention, but it was followed by instinctive worry.
His voice was strained, "That will affect many people. Using an invasion to achieve our goal?"
"Sasuke, that would drag countless innocent villagers into the war."
Hearing this, Sasuke slowly turned around. His eyes seemed especially dark under the moonlight.
"This village has already dragged too many innocent people into its affairs." His gaze was like a knife, stabbing straight into Kakashi's heart.
"Were the children of the Uchiha Clan innocent? Was your father innocent?"
Kakashi's breathing suddenly hitched.
Sasuke stepped forward, his voice growing colder, "Kakashi, don't you understand yet? Danzo is the tumor entrenched beneath Konoha."
"If we don't cut it out while the village is still 'ill', are you suggesting we wait until the disease festers, spreads through the whole body, and triggers a civil war that could tear the village apart?"
"Sometimes, protecting requires gentleness. But sometimes… protection requires a blade sharp enough to sever the rot."
Uchiha Sasuke's gaze swept over the broken blade strapped to Kakashi's back, wrapped in cloth, carrying a clear implication.
"I… am that blade."
"Besides…" He added flatly, "This is Orochimaru's undertaking. I'm only using it, I can't interfere."
Kakashi's body stiffened faintly.
'Perhaps Father back then had fallen precisely because his blade wasn't sharp enough, his heart not ruthless enough, and was swallowed by that rot.'
"…I understand."
After a long silence, Kakashi let out a deep sigh, slowly nodding as the last trace of hesitation in his eyes dissolved into nothing.
He pulled out a small scroll from inside his vest and tossed it to Sasuke.
"This is a rough layout of the Root's Headquarters that I drew from memory back when I was an Anbu Captain," Kakashi said, his voice once again calm. "It may be of use."
Sasuke caught it steadily, without a word of courtesy. He immediately unrolled the scroll, and with a flash of his crimson Sharingan, he scanned through it, committing every detail to memory.
When he was done, he looked up at Kakashi, waiting for what came next.
Kakashi turned, re-strapped the broken White Fang to his back, and faced away from Sasuke.
The moonlight stretched his shadow long and thin.
"When that day comes, I'll clear the path for you."
He didn't turn back, leaving only that heavy promise behind.
Then, with a flicker, he vanished into the night before the Memorial Stone.
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