Danzo's face darkened with black lines as he glared at Arin.
"That's enough. I don't have time for this kind of joke."
Hyuga Arin was his right-hand man.
And he possessed power comparable to a Kage.
How stupid would Danzo have to be to kill Arin?
Was he dissatisfied with having too much strength under his command?
Or did he simply want to destroy Konoha?
Arin was not an Uchiha.
Even Sakumo Hatake—Danzo still wanted him to return safely in order to preserve Konoha's military strength.
"Danzo-sama, you really don't have a single humorous bone in your body," Arin clicked his tongue twice. "No wonder you're single."
"You little—!!"
Veins bulged on Danzo's forehead as he roared:
"I devoted my entire life to Konoha!!!"
Arin looked at him with complete disbelief.
"Third Hokage-sama says the exact same thing."
"Didn't stop him from getting married and having children."
"He even had another kid two years ago. The child's entering the Ninja Academy soon."
"GET THE HELL OUT!!!"
Danzo grabbed something off the desk and hurled it at Arin.
How could Hiruzen possibly compare to his level of dedication?
He should have been the Hokage.
If only he had been a little more decisive than Hiruzen back then—
(Tobirama Senju: Then Danzo, you go be the decoy.)
Arin casually caught the thrown object.
"If you want to talk, then talk. Why throw things around?"
He placed it back on the desk and waved toward Danzo.
"Then I'll be leaving first."
He tapped his forehead lightly.
His entire body transformed into flames and vanished.
"That bastard…"
Danzo ground his teeth furiously.
Arin was incredibly useful.
Unfortunately, he also came with a mouth.
And that mouth was infuriating.
From the shadows, Aburame Ryoma stepped out.
Completely unlike Arin, he knelt respectfully on one knee before Danzo.
Seeing such a respectful subordinate, Danzo slowly let out a breath.
Much better.
Arin showed him absolutely no respect whatsoever.
Sometimes it even felt like the brat wanted to anger him to death just so he could inherit Root.
"I absolutely won't let you succeed," Danzo snorted coldly.
Aburame Ryoma shivered slightly.
He had no idea why Danzo was angry again.
Hopefully it had nothing to do with him.
Still, every single time Arin left, Danzo always spent a while being furious afterward.
Danzo quickly adjusted his mood and spoke solemnly:
"Sakumo Hatake has returned, correct?"
Aburame Ryoma nodded.
"He returned safely with his squad."
"The mission ended in failure."
Shadows obscured Danzo's expression.
"Then the plan can begin."
"We'll make sure Sakumo Hatake completely loses any possibility of becoming Hokage."
"Yes."
…
One of the Root members who had returned alongside White Fang sat on a hospital bed, silently staring out the window.
Originally, he had not understood why he had been assigned to accompany Sakumo Hatake on the mission.
Only after returning last night had Root given him a new order.
Only then did he learn his true mission.
"How ironic…"
A bitter smile appeared on his face.
This was Root's style.
Their true purpose had never been completing the mission itself.
They were merely the final layer of framing afterward.
"Bed 46, how are you feeling?"
A nurse walked into the room carrying a notebook while writing observations.
This patient had suffered serious injuries.
Although nothing severe appeared externally, his internal organs had sustained considerable damage.
If anything went wrong, he could die at any moment.
Only after a full week without complications would they finally relax.
But after waiting a long time, the nurse still heard no response.
She looked at him again.
"Bed 46, how are you feeling right now?"
The Root ninja looked toward the nurse with a completely exhausted expression, no trace of his earlier calm remaining.
"Why abandon the mission…"
"Why abandon the mission…"
"What are you saying?" the nurse asked, unable to hear clearly as she stepped closer.
Suddenly, the Root ninja grabbed her violently and roared with bloodshot eyes:
"WHY DID WHITE FANG ABANDON THE MISSION?!"
"HE CLEARLY COULD HAVE COMPLETED IT!!!"
His furious scream immediately drew doctors and nurses from outside.
"Bed 46, calm down!"
"Calm down! Release the nurse first!"
The Root ninja shoved the nurse aside, knocking her to the floor.
Then he grabbed a kunai from beside the bed and roared at everyone:
"WHY DID WHITE FANG ABANDON THE MISSION?!"
"HE COULD HAVE COMPLETED IT!!!"
Before anyone could react—
He stabbed the kunai directly into his own heart.
Blood sprayed across the white bedsheets.
Everyone stared blankly as he collapsed forward.
"Something's happened!!!"
A scream echoed throughout the entire hospital.
…
Because White Fang had abandoned the mission, a jonin had chosen to take his own life.
The news spread throughout Konoha like wildfire.
At the same time—
Inside another ninja's home.
Someone had reported a foul smell to the authorities.
A group of ninja forcefully broke open the front door.
Inside, they found a ninja kneeling in the living room with a kunai embedded in his chest.
The ninja frowned and stepped forward to inspect the body.
"He's been dead for at least three days."
"This wasn't murder. It was suicide."
"There's a suicide note here."
Everyone turned toward the bloodstained letter placed before the corpse.
One ninja carefully picked it up and unfolded the paper inside.
The note passed from hand to hand.
The entire thing was filled with guilt.
White Fang had abandoned the mission to save him.
Ashamed, he had chosen suicide.
He wrote that if he had not been captured by the enemy—
Perhaps White Fang would never have abandoned the mission.
Silence filled the room.
The news that White Fang's failed mission had caused two ninja to commit suicide spread instantly through every street and alley in Konoha.
…
"They committed suicide…"
Hiruzen Sarutobi fell into silence.
He did not even need to investigate to know whose handiwork this was.
With rumors spreading like this, Sakumo Hatake's reputation would be completely destroyed.
But if Hiruzen suppressed the rumors now—
There was still a chance to salvage things.
In the end, he remained silent.
And with the Hokage silent—
No one remained capable of stopping the rumors.
Soon, all of Konoha knew:
Because of White Fang, an important mission had failed, and two ninja had committed suicide out of shame.
At the same time, many ninja began asking themselves a question.
"What matters more…"
"The mission?"
"Or your comrades?"
…
"I think comrades are more important."
Inside Arin's house, Namikaze Minato and Nawaki answered simultaneously.
"You two really didn't hesitate at all."
Arin pushed up his glasses, looking every bit like a refined intellectual.
"Of course," Minato replied matter-of-factly.
"The bonds between comrades are the true Will of Fire."
"A ninja who fails a mission may indeed be a failure."
"But a ninja who can't even save his comrades…"
"Doesn't deserve to be called a ninja at all."
Nawaki nodded deeply in agreement.
Then he looked at Arin curiously.
"So, big bro…"
"Why did you suddenly start wearing glasses?"
Arin adjusted his glasses again and revealed a gentle smile.
"Me?"
"I'm currently trying to capture the feeling of being the mastermind behind everything."
✨ Bonus Chapter Goals ✨
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