Uchiha Ren took a deep breath and said in a low voice:
"Although it hasn't been mentioned for a long time, you've never truly let go of your father's death, have you?"
Since the conversation had already reached this point, Ren decided to clear everything up once and for all.
After all, a person's state of mind has an enormous impact on their strength.
In the original course of events, after Uchiha Obito and Rin Nohara died one after another, Kakashi's strength stagnated. He remained stuck at the jōnin level for years without further progress.
It was only after he became the instructor of Team 7—Naruto Uzumaki and the others—that Kakashi gradually came to terms with the deaths of Obito and Rin. Only then did his strength begin growing again.
By the time of the Shippuden era, Kakashi had already stepped into the threshold of Kage-level power. He could exchange several rounds with nearly anyone, yet he was still suppressed by veterans like Kakuzu, an experienced Kage-level fighter.
Later, during Pain's invasion of Konoha, Kakashi died in battle and encountered his father Sakumo Hatake, who had never entered the Pure Land and had been waiting for him along the way. After their heartfelt conversation, Kakashi finally resolved the deepest knot in his heart, and his strength improved once again.
By the time of the Fourth Great Ninja War, Kakashi's Lightning Blade no longer carried hesitation. He shone brilliantly on the battlefield. After receiving Obito's final gift, he was even able to contend with Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, truly keeping pace with Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha.
Therefore, if Kakashi could resolve all his inner burdens ahead of time, perhaps his future achievements would not be limited to playing a supporting role—he might become one of the battlefield's main forces.
Kakashi remained silent.
He neither admitted nor denied Ren's question.
Years ago, Kakashi's father Sakumo Hatake had chosen to save his comrades instead of completing a mission, causing the village to suffer heavy losses. As a result, he became the center of a massive wave of criticism.
Most villagers in Konohagakure accused Sakumo of abandoning the mission, and their words gradually pushed him into deep self-doubt.
Then, even the people Sakumo had rescued stepped forward to condemn him.
That became the final straw.
In the end, the man known as the White Fang of Konoha, the village's greatest blade of that era, ended his own life at home.
His father's death left the young Kakashi filled with doubt.
He came to believe that his father had died because he made the wrong choice.
To a shinobi, the mission must come before comrades.
From that point onward, Kakashi walked down an extreme path.
But did Kakashi truly believe that?
Not necessarily.
Through Uchiha Obito's example, Kakashi was ultimately influenced by him. He formed bonds with his comrades—and in the end, he made the very same choice his father had once made.
He abandoned the mission for the sake of his teammates.
Yet the tragic outcome that followed did not completely untangle the knot in Kakashi's heart.
Although Kakashi had come to understand his father's decision back then, he still could not understand why Sakumo chose suicide.
Seeing that Kakashi remained silent, Uchiha Ren continued speaking without minding it.
"In truth, your father's case wasn't as simple as you imagine."
Kakashi froze.
He suddenly lifted his head and stared at Ren.
Meeting Kakashi's gaze calmly, Ren continued,
"Mission failure is actually quite common. And when a mission fails because someone chose to save their comrades, that's even more understandable. After all, who can guarantee a mission will succeed one hundred percent of the time?"
"The real question is this—how did such a confidential matter become known to everyone in the village?"
Kakashi's pupils shrank.
He suddenly realized something was wrong.
Back then, the mission Sakumo carried out had been a top-secret infiltration mission behind enemy lines. Logically, even if it failed, the details should never have been publicly spread.
Yet the moment Sakumo returned to the village, the story had already spread everywhere.
At the time, everyone's attention was focused on whether Sakumo had been right or wrong.
No one questioned how the news had spread in the first place.
Not even Kakashi himself.
But now, after Ren pointed it out, Kakashi finally understood.
Ren continued:
"In truth, that mission was a trap set specifically for your father, Sakumo Hatake. No matter what choice he made, the outcome would have been the same."
"If he had abandoned his comrades and prioritized the mission, then once he returned to the village, the rumors would have said something very different."
"They would have called him cold and heartless. They would have said he abandoned his comrades for the sake of a mission and lacked the Will of Fire."
"Who did it?" Kakashi asked coldly, sharp killing intent flashing in his eyes. "Who set that trap?"
"The one who carried it out was most likely Shimura Danzō," Ren replied.
"But the matter almost certainly had the tacit approval—or even the instruction—of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi."
"Why?!"
Kakashi looked stunned.
Danzō's involvement was not particularly surprising.
But he had never imagined the Third Hokage would also be connected to it.
Ren explained calmly:
"The main reason was that your father, Sakumo Hatake, had become too brilliant."
"The Hokage's Half-Cloak—what an extraordinary honor."
"Your father's presence had already begun threatening the power held by Hiruzen Sarutobi and his faction."
"To preserve their authority, they had to eliminate the possibility of your father taking that power."
"If Sakumo chose his comrades over the mission, then it would prove he lacked the ability to see the bigger picture."
"As the saying goes—a compassionate man cannot command an army."
"A Hokage, the leader of an entire village, must often make decisions that involve sacrifice."
"But if he chose the mission over his comrades, that would prove he lacked empathy."
"And someone who could abandon their comrades at any time would never be worthy of becoming Hokage."
"So no matter which choice your father made, all they needed was a bit of guidance to manipulate public opinion."
"Your father would lose all reputation and prestige—completely destroying his chances of ever becoming Hokage."
Kakashi spoke emotionally:
"But my father never wanted to seize power! He was only doing what he believed was right!"
Ren shook his head.
"Perhaps your father never had such intentions."
"But in the eyes of Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others, he already possessed that capability."
"And that alone became his crime."
His strength surpassed even the Legendary Sannin.
His reputation rivaled that of the Third Hokage.
He was even recognized by the Fire Daimyō.
In truth, Sakumo Hatake had already possessed every qualification needed to become Hokage.
Ren continued:
"Perhaps Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others never intended for your father to die."
"But they never expected that Sakumo Hatake would be so resolute—that he would choose to oppose those filthy tactics with his own life."
"Your father may have chosen suicide only after seeing the entire truth."
"He refused to compromise with those dirty methods."
"But he also refused to fight back in a way that might damage the village."
"And so, by taking his own life…"
"…he carried out the greatest act of resistance possible without harming the village's interests."
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