The Hatake clan was ancient — older than the village itself. Born from wandering swordsmen who mastered the art of chakra conduction, their white chakra was a rare anomaly: pure, bright, and corrosive to dark intent.
But over the generations, the clan dwindled — assassinated, betrayed, or absorbed into the Leaf's structure. Sakumo was the last true bearer of the Hatake bloodline… and he carried its greatest curse.
The next morning, he began his preparations. In the center of the underground shrine, Sakumo stood shirtless, intricate seals glowing across his chest. His chakra blade, the White Fang Tanto, rested before him like an altar offering.
The ancient voice of the Hatake scroll echoed in his mind:
"To wield the Fang is to hold both light and silence. When the world rejects you, let your soul rest — not in death, but in waiting."
He began forming hand signs — each slower and heavier than the last.
Tiger. Rat. Ox. Dog. Boar. Seal.
A circle of silver light spread beneath his feet, burning softly into the ground. He felt his heartbeat slow. His mind detached. Visions of his life flickered — missions, comrades, laughter, betrayal, Kakashi's smile.
And then… the pain stopped.
Sakumo's body fell gently forward, his consciousness drifting into the infinite dark. But before the last thread of awareness vanished, he whispered:
"One day, the truth will need a Fang again. When that day comes… awaken me."
The seals pulsed once, then faded. The chamber fell silent.
Above, days later, villagers would mourn a suicide. A hero who had fallen into despair.
But beneath the earth, sealed by blood and lightning, the White Fang of Konoha slept — his soul hidden by the very secret his clan had guarded for generations.
Years would pass. Wars would rage. The boy he left behind would become a legend.
And one day, when the Leaf burned again… The Fang would awaken.