It's the nature of these situations that every action has its justification, yet every action seems wrong.
Aomi shook his head, this was the ideological conflict brought by the transition from the Warring States Era to the era of nation-states and villages.
After the establishment of Konoha, various Ninja Clans and civilians gathered into one village, becoming comrades with each other. Ninjas, once cold tools sent to the battlefield as children during the Warring States Era, were gradually transforming into "humans" with lives and daily routines.
But the fundamental identity remained unchanged.
To maintain the goodwill of their clients, Konoha Village continued to proclaim the motto of "Mission First" externally, while internally, to win over people's hearts and build bonds, it played the card of the Will of Fire.
Hatake Sakumo was the one caught in the conflict, standing at the forefront of the era...
"Mr. Sakumo, may I ask, do you regret it?"
Aomi said softly, "If given another chance, would you choose to complete the mission or protect your comrades?"
Hatake Sakumo opened his mouth, the words "protect" reached his lips, but he could no longer utter them.
"Mr. Sakumo, I have a question, why does everyone in the village know about this incident now?"
"The missions you carry out should be confidential. Even if you fail, it should only be known to the higher-ups and the Jonin class."
Aomi changed the subject, looking at the conflicted Hatake Sakumo, he said slowly:
"I don't think it's that simple. Perhaps someone is using public opinion to frame you."
Hatake Sakumo smiled bitterly, "It's not important, Aomi..."
Confidential missions and protests from other Hidden Villages, as Aomi said, these are supposed to be classified documents placed on the Hokage's desk.
As a Jonin and pillar of the village, Hatake Sakumo deeply knew that if Sarutobi Hiruzen wanted to stop the rumors, it would be very simple.
He just needed to dispatch a few Anbu members to make some statements internally, and these problems would be easily resolved.
The current situation only indicates that the representative of the Will of Fire—the Third Hokage—is also very dissatisfied with him.
Hatake Sakumo closed his eyes slowly, his heart filled with complex emotions.
In his life, this was his first mission failure.
But the issue was, he was not the first Konoha Ninja to fail a mission.
During the Second Ninja World War, Sarutobi Hiruzen's three disciples, Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade, suffered a solid defeat against the invaders from the Hidden Rain Village led by Salamander Hanzo, losing all their troops, and were given the not-so-glorious title of the "Sannin".
And Shimura Danzo and his Root, often created turmoil in enemy countries, exposure was also a common occurrence.
Especially recently, it was Hatake Sakumo himself who led the raid on Orochimaru's human experiments, and the pathetic scenes of those young experimental subjects shocked even him, who had seen battlefields.
However, whether it was Orochimaru, Shimura Danzo, or the defeated Jiraiya and Tsunade, they did not suffer the same criticism within the village, but instead, everything remained peaceful.
Shimura Danzo was still the Hokage Assistant, and Orochimaru's human experiments were not mentioned; the title "Sannin", which symbolized defeat, had even turned into a reputation in recent years—
Many children in the Ninja School referred to Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru as the "Legendary Sannin"...
This made Hatake Sakumo unable to understand why only he was treated this way?
Aomi watched the increasingly despondent Hatake Sakumo, and silently laughed to himself.
Indeed.
It wasn't just an issue of the Ninja Code and the Will of Fire; Hatake Sakumo, as a powerful asset in Konoha, finally saw his own position clearly through this problem and felt the bitterness of injustice...
Why, why was he the only one receiving such criticism?
Ultimately, ninjas are not emotionless tools, even knowing he was not a student of the Hokage faction, it was only human nature to instinctively ponder such issues.
Especially compared to the Sannin, Hatake Sakumo was a hero who had made great contributions during the Second Ninja World War, having killed the son and daughter-in-law of Chiyo, a senior advisor of the Hidden Sand.
Even if there was no credit, there had to be hard work, right?
Hatake Sakumo didn't seek great rewards or high status, but due to such an incident, the higher-ups let the entire village condemn him freely and discuss him without restraint?
He no longer demanded much, just a bit of warmth and tolerance, but Hatake Sakumo did not see any.
Aomi studied Hatake Sakumo's increasingly somber expression and said in a low voice:
"Mr. Sakumo, actually, there's no need to blame yourself so much for the mission failure, even Hokages have failed."
Hatake Sakumo's eyes flashed: "Aomi-kun, some things should not be said carelessly..."
Aomi shook his head:
"I don't know why the Third Hokage hasn't acted to stop this rumor, but I think he must understand your dilemma, maybe there are other hidden matters involved, perhaps still under investigation..."
"Mr. Sakumo, you should know, during the First Ninja World War, as part of the Kage Guard, the Third Hokage, Danzo as the assistant, along with advisors Homura, Koharu, and my grandfather Uchiha Kagami, were ambushed by the Hidden Cloud's forces..."
"As the Kage Guard, I think their sole task should be to protect the Hokage."
"So, I think the Third Hokage understands the conflict between the Will of Fire and the Ninja Code, please don't be impatient, there's still hope for a turnaround..."
Hatake Sakumo's breathing grew heavier.