Chapter 111: Kakashi's Defection
Konoha's night was oppressively cold. The atmosphere of despondency and sorrow after the war permeated the entire night sky.
Though basic buildings had now all been reconstructed, many supporting facilities simply couldn't keep up.
The streetlights that should have illuminated every corner of the village now lay shattered in the mud. Only the bright moon hanging in the sky still cast its cold radiance.
Patrol team shadows flickered from time to time in the corners, quickly disappearing back into the darkness.
Who knew how many guard posts kept their eyes sharp, repeatedly scanning to guard against possible enemies.
"Creak..." The harsh sound of a door suddenly rang out, especially clear in the deep night.
Almost simultaneously, everyone nearby turned their gazes over. But after just one glance, they relaxed and looked away again.
That obvious figure—everyone recognized him. Clearly it was the village's jonin, Hatake Kakashi.
Now when the village's combat power was greatly diminished, Kakashi, this genius jonin, appeared all the more important.
Kakashi wandered leisurely along the street, but no one showed any vigilance about this.
Though the war situation had improved somewhat, the village was still in a state of war. For Kakashi, a jonin, to come out patrolling at midnight was completely reasonable.
Even if he wasn't patrolling, just unable to sleep at night and coming out to clear his head—that was also very normal.
After all, in the successive wars, everyone had painfully lost family and friends. Being startled awake by nightmares and unable to sleep was all too common.
Under everyone's gaze, Kakashi walked like a sleepwalker, proceeding directly along the main road, step by step, until he reached Konoha's main gate.
Originally Konoha had barrier protections—integrating warning and defense functions, with the main gate as a key defensive position. But due to previous incidents, Konoha's main gate now only retained the symbolic function of an ordinary gate.
The guard force at the gate was naturally reduced accordingly, leaving only a few ordinary shinobi as sentries.
Seeing Kakashi's figure appear here, one shinobi immediately moved over, asking politely, "Kakashi-sama, does the Hokage have some mission to assign?"
Kakashi's gaze was unfocused. He didn't answer the question at all, just continued wandering forward hazily.
"Hm?" The shinobi immediately noticed Kakashi's abnormality, instinctively gripping his blade handle.
But the moment he showed hostility, Kakashi's body suddenly moved, punching him unconscious with a speed he couldn't react to.
"What?" The other guards were immediately shocked. But before they could sound the alarm, Kakashi rushed over like a whirlwind, knocking them all out one punch each.
After completing this, Kakashi's body returned to that sleepwalking state again. He swayed through Konoha's main gate, walking toward the deep mountain forests in the distance.
This wasn't peacetime—patrol frequency was very high. Soon the abnormality at the main gate was discovered.
After a series of sharp whistles, all of Konoha boiled up.
Lights in houses lit up one by one. Figures appeared on rooftops, sprinting in this direction.
"What happened? Where are the enemies?" The Third, gripping his Adamantine Staff, also appeared before the main gate, asking in a heavy voice.
"Hokage-sama, it was Hatake Kakashi." The awakened guard was full of indignation. "He suddenly appeared at the gate. I went forward to inquire, but he knocked me down. After that, I don't know what happened."
"He went toward the forest." After carefully checking the traces, Asuma came to report.
The current Asuma had a weather-beaten face, heavy stubble—less passion, more composure.
"The forest?" The Third's gaze looked in that direction. The night was deep—he couldn't see anything clearly.
"Could it be that Kakashi defected?" A voice rang out from the crowd, causing a stir among everyone.
"Impossible!" The Third decisively rejected this. "Kakashi would never defect. Something we don't know about must have happened."
"Sensei, let me go chase after him and take a look. I'll definitely bring Kakashi back." Jiraiya had also arrived. After understanding the situation, he volunteered to pursue.
The Third's gaze stared tightly at the distance—pitch black, nothing visible. After a long while, the Third slowly shook his head, refusing:
"Kakashi wouldn't leave the village without reason. Something important must have happened, forcing him to leave."
"I'm very worried this is another village's conspiracy."
"No matter who lured Kakashi away, there's definitely a trap ahead. We can't take this risk."
"But, Sensei, if we don't go rescue him, then Kakashi..."
"Sigh." The Third sighed, saying with a face full of worry, "We're currently in a state of war. We finally captured Rasa and turned things around. This excellent situation cannot be disrupted."
"We must think of the big picture!"
After hearing this, Jiraiya grew even angrier.
"The enemy isn't necessarily Sunagakure. Even if it is Sunagakure, so what?"
"Right now we have the advantage. They should be begging us to release their Kazekage!"
"If they capture Kakashi and want to trade him for the Kazekage, what will you do?"
"Ignore it and let Kakashi be killed?"
After hearing this, the Third immediately fell silent. After a long pause, his gaze swept across the faces of everyone nearby. He discovered that everyone's eyes were avoiding meeting his, and knew in his heart that his current reputation was far less than before. Most likely everyone had considerable objections to his decision.
"Enough. Jiraiya, you're right. We can't abandon any comrade!"
"Take a team immediately to rescue Kakashi."
"The village's combat power is now limited. We can't afford to lose any high-level fighters. You must be extremely careful on this mission. Absolutely don't be careless."
"I know that, of course." Jiraiya agreed and immediately leaped toward the village exterior. Over a dozen shinobi hurriedly followed behind.
After watching Jiraiya and the others depart, the Third sighed and turned to instruct everyone:
"The rest of you must also stay alert. Be careful that the enemy is using a diversion tactic—attacking while the village goes to rescue Kakashi."
"Understood, Hokage-sama." Everyone answered in unison, each heading to different parts of the village to begin their vigilance.
After leaving the village, Jiraiya quickly formed hand seals, slapping the ground. A purple-haired small toad appeared in white smoke, leaping onto his shoulder.
"Yo, little Jiraiya, you're fighting wars even late at night without rest?" The small toad immediately complained upon appearing.
"Sorry to disturb you again, Shima-sama." Jiraiya's face was full of apology. He briefly explained the situation, then requested:
"Please use your sensing ability to investigate which direction Kakashi went, and if there are any enemies or traps nearby."
"Alright." Shima-sama sighed, closing her eyes. A moment later, she pointed forward. "That direction. The enemy's chakra reaction is strong. You'd better be careful—don't die here!"
Jiraiya laughed heartily, saying confidently, "Shima-sama, rest assured. Before finding the Child of Prophecy, I absolutely won't die."
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