Aomi's words are of an undeniably true historical nature.
As the Shadow Guard forced the Hokage to cover their retreat, which led to Senju Tobirama dying on the battlefield, this kind of culpability is incredibly difficult to shake off, even if it was the Second Hokage who voluntarily requested to cover the retreat...
Hatake Sakumo felt increasingly burdened; in his pure heart, he found the situation unfair, thinking only of Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya as references for comparison.
Shimura Danzo wasn't even within his range for comparison, but Aomi's words pierced through the last fortress in his heart, clearly telling him—
Can the Third Hokage, Shimura Danzo, and the senior officials of Konoha understand your feelings?
They absolutely can.
Their lives have survived amidst the conflict between the Will of Fire and the Ninja Code; how could they not feel it?
As for why the rumors haven't been cleared, the answer is obvious.
The Will of Fire only protects those who are disciples of the Hokage, not an ordinary ninja like him. Even a remarkable war hero must face questioning.
Senju Tobirama listened silently to Aomi's words, and the anger in his heart grew fiercer.
Just as Aomi said, your lives exist under the light of the Will of Fire, so why let rumors fly when it comes to others?
It's not just Shimura Danzo, the culprit behind the scenes identified by Senju Tobirama; Tobirama also noticed something amiss about Sarutobi Hiruzen.
What is this Third Hokage doing?
Why hasn't he quelled the rumors!
At this moment, even if Sarutobi Hiruzen punishes Hatake Sakumo, it wouldn't be a problem.
As long as the senior officials give a conclusive statement on this incident, declare their position and attitude, then all controversies would dissolve, and everything could proceed according to the Hokage's will.
But silence, on the contrary, is the greatest harm.
Even a strong person like Hatake Sakumo, with his humble heart, finds it difficult to endure the scrutiny of the entire village.
Or rather, because Hatake Sakumo is humble, being subjected to the gaze of so many is harder for him to bear.
"Aomi, there's no need to persuade me..."
Hatake Sakumo seemed somewhat relieved, like the brief flare-up before death:
"Perhaps from the start, I misunderstood the village and the Will of Fire, and ended up in this state purely because of my naivety."
"I'm a bit tired, Aomi. Can I rest alone for a while?"
Aomi looked silently at Hatake Sakumo, the strange nonchalance in his tone sounding almost world-weary...
Just then.
Kakashi returned home and walked into the room, his face pale as a sheet.
"Aomi, you're here too..."
Kakashi seemed greatly disturbed, his lips twitching as he avoided the gaze of his father and Aomi.
"Father, something has happened..."
Looking at Aomi, Kakashi felt a sudden surge of courage.
What he had heard and seen in the village earlier—without Aomi here, he wouldn't have had the courage to speak to Hatake Sakumo.
"Speak, Kakashi." Hatake Sakumo's expression had already become calm.
Kakashi mumbled as he lowered his head, speaking softly:
"Father, two of the people who failed the mission with you have committed suicide, and the remaining companions are all blaming you."
"They say they already had the thought of sacrificing themselves to protect the village's reputation, but it was your intervention that exposed their identities; it wasn't their intention for the mission to fail."
"I... I don't know why, but now everyone knows, and many in the village are already fighting about it..."
Aomi frowned: "They committed suicide? Are you sure, Kakashi..."
"Aomi, I can't believe it either, but it's true. I saw those two people being carried away from their homes..."
Kakashi looked helplessly at Aomi, then looked at Hatake Sakumo: "Father, I don't know what to do."
Aomi couldn't help but feel a bit emotional.
If the suicide of Hatake Sakumo's teammates was orchestrated, then it was truly a vicious move.
Without a comparison, even if the public opinion was manipulated, someone would still speak for Hatake Sakumo, discussing the conflict between the Will of Fire and the Ninja Code...
But with the self-sacrifice of those who were saved, such a precedent would dramatically shift the tide.
"Kakashi, do you know who the two people who committed suicide are?" Hatake Sakumo asked slowly.
Kakashi distractedly named them, even though he didn't know them, as they were being discussed throughout the village.
Upon hearing the names, Hatake Sakumo laughed: "They committed suicide? They must truly be the root of Konoha..."
"Mr. Sakumo, what does this have to do with the root of Konoha?"
Aomi asked curiously, but received no answer.
At this moment, Hatake Sakumo seemed to have understood many things.
From the ambush during the mission, to the abnormal behavior of those two teammates, to the village's criticism after the mission failure, and the silence from the senior officials, everything was connected.
The two people who Kakashi mentioned committing suicide were precisely the hidden agents activated by Shimura Danzo from the Root...
What Shimura Danzo didn't realize was that he thought the hidden agents were extremely secretive, but they couldn't escape Hatake Sakumo's perceptive eyes and had long been detected as out of the ordinary.
Root's ninjas, due to rigorous training and indoctrination from a young age, carry an unmistakable aura.
No matter how well they disguise it, Hatake Sakumo could sense it.
He hadn't thought much about it at first, as it wasn't the first time Root's ninjas accompanied him on a mission.
But the news of the suicides, combined with Aomi's intervention when Hatake Sakumo blocked Shimura Danzo, seeing the anger and coldness in Danzo's eyes...
Hatake Sakumo's intuition had already told him.
Some people wanted to destroy him.
"What a false world..." Hatake Sakumo sighed almost inaudibly and forced a faint smile:
"Aomi, I'm going to rest for a while."
Aomi nodded, slowly standing up: "Mr. Sakumo, take care."
But at that moment, Hatake Sakumo spoke again: "Kakashi is still just a child. If possible, I hope you can look after him more."
Aomi sighed: "I will."
Kakashi listened confusedly to their conversation, watching his father enter the bedroom.
A moment later, a sound familiar to Kakashi resonated through the room.
It was the muffled sound of a blade piercing through flesh!
Kakashi rushed over suddenly and saw Hatake Sakumo collapsed on the floor, his pupils trembling as he let out a sharp cry:
"Aomi, Aomi, save my father!"
Hatake Sakumo had plunged a short sword into his own heart, lying peacefully on the floor, blood pooling beneath him.
Senju Tobirama, looking at Hatake Sakumo lying there, painfully closed his eyes.
This can't be saved!
Hatake Sakumo's sword skills were so precise, this stab was to the weak point of the heart, with a resolve for death.
"Aomi, you must uphold the Will of Fire, and seek justice for Hatake Sakumo!"
"Tobirama, what's your hurry?"
Aomi slowly approached Hatake Sakumo: "Let's save him first; I can still handle this kind of injury, no big deal..."
"Aomi, unless you can stitch up his heart..." Senju Tobirama hesitated.
"You don't think, that's hard, do you, Tobirama?"
Substantial chakra slowly formed in Aomi's hand, twisting into threads, inserting into Hatake Sakumo's body, stitching up his shattered heart just like Kakuzu's Earth Grudge Fear.
"But, saving him is one thing; how to revive this heart is quite another..."
Aomi sighed: "I don't know what to do; do you understand, Tobirama?"
"Aomi, you just save him, leave the rest to me..."
Senju Tobirama forcibly suppressed his inner shock and said deeply, "I will give everyone an explanation, in the name of the Second Hokage!"