"Testing, testing, one, two, three..."
Might Guy's voice echoed through the large loudspeaker hanging above the Ninja Academy gate, accompanied by bursts of static noise. The noisy crowd outside gradually quieted down as everyone instinctively raised their heads toward the source of the sound.
Sakumo Hatake also looked up.
Then he heard his own name.
"Senior Sakumo Hatake!"
The moment those words rang out, Sakumo's entire body stiffened. Almost instantly, countless gazes converged upon him from every direction. There were curious gazes, mocking gazes, judgmental gazes, and even gazes filled with schadenfreude.
Sakumo subconsciously lowered his head.
His footsteps even retreated half a step before he realized it himself.
At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to escape from this place. He wanted to disappear completely and hide inside some dark corner where nobody could ever see him again. Yet his legs felt unbelievably heavy, as though they had been filled with lead, refusing to move no matter how desperately he wanted to flee.
Meanwhile, Guy's voice continued sounding through the loudspeaker.
"Three days ago, Senior Sakumo Hatake encountered Ninja from Iwagakure during an important mission!"
Sakumo silently clenched his fists.
"He could have completed the mission successfully! As long as he abandoned his comrade, he could have safely returned to Konoha and reported success!"
The surrounding crowd immediately burst into whispers.
"That's true..."
"If he had just abandoned his teammate, the mission would've succeeded."
"Tsk, risking an important mission for one person is simply foolish."
Sakumo's face gradually turned pale. He did not dare look toward anyone around him and could only lower his head further while silently staring at the ground beneath his feet.
At this moment, countless thoughts surged through his mind.
What exactly was that child trying to do?
Was this revenge?
Was he planning to humiliate him publicly in front of everyone?
After all, Kakashi had fought that child badly enough to leave him covered in injuries. It would not be strange if the boy held resentment toward him.
Sakumo slowly closed his eyes.
Forget it.
Things were already terrible enough anyway.
If the child wanted to say something, then let him say it.
The loudspeaker suddenly fell silent for several seconds before Guy's voice rang out once more.
"But!"
"Senior Sakumo Hatake did not abandon his comrade!"
"He chose to turn back and save him!"
"The mission failed! But that person survived!"
Sakumo suddenly froze.
His lowered head slowly lifted upward.
"That person's name is Tobitake Tonbo! He is still alive today! He can still continue serving Konoha! He can still stand here as a Ninja!"
The crowd gradually quieted down.
Several villagers exchanged glances with one another.
"Tobitake Tonbo... I know him."
"Now that I think about it, White Fang really did save him."
"He's still carrying out missions even now."
Meanwhile, Guy's voice continued echoing clearly throughout the entire street.
"The Third Hokage once taught us about the Will of Fire!"
"What is the Will of Fire?!"
"It means protecting the people precious to you!"
"Senior White Fang accomplished exactly that!"
"He protected the comrade important to him!"
Sakumo's lips trembled slightly.
He wanted to speak.
Yet his throat felt completely blocked.
Then Guy's tone suddenly changed.
"But now everyone is cursing him!"
"They say he disgraced Konoha!"
"They say he isn't worthy of being called a Ninja!"
"They even say he should die!"
Sakumo's body swayed slightly.
For the past three days, he had heard these exact words countless times already. Every single sentence had felt like a sharp knife stabbing directly into his heart over and over again.
Then Guy's voice suddenly rose sharply.
"I want to ask all of you something!"
The entire street became completely silent.
No one answered.
"Which one of you has never been saved by someone else before?!"
Still nobody spoke.
"And which one of you has never saved someone precious to you?!"
An elderly woman opened her mouth slightly before silently lowering her head again. Nearby, a middle-aged man shifted awkwardly while avoiding everyone's gaze.
Guy's voice became louder and louder.
"If your own family member were captured right in front of you, would you abandon them for the mission?! Or would you save them?!"
Sakumo stood there blankly.
At this moment, his mind had already become chaotic.
That child...
What exactly was he trying to say?
Then, through the loudspeaker, Guy's voice roared throughout the entire Academy entrance once more.
"If a mission fails, another mission can always be completed later!"
"But if a comrade dies, can they come back to life?!"
"Tell me!"
"Which is more important?!"
"The rules of the village?!"
"Or human life?!"
The entire Academy entrance remained deathly silent. Only the wind blowing through the surrounding trees could still be heard.
Then, in the very next moment, Might Guy's firm voice rang out clearly throughout the entire street.
"In the Ninja World, those who break the rules are called trash!"
He inhaled deeply.
Then he shouted with all the strength in his body.
"BUT!!!"
"THOSE WHO ABANDON THEIR COMRADES ARE WORSE THAN TRASH!!!"
"Senior White Fang!"
"You were not wrong!!!"
The roar echoed repeatedly throughout the Academy entrance. It struck against the walls, swept through the trees, and hit directly into everyone's hearts.
For a brief moment, time itself seemed to freeze.
The entire school entrance fell into complete silence.
Sakumo stood there motionlessly.
Slowly, he raised his head toward the loudspeaker once more.
The emptiness in his eyes gradually transformed from confusion, to disbelief, to shock, and finally—
Tears silently flowed from his eyes.
Inside the broadcasting room, Might Guy's hands trembled slightly after shouting the final sentence. Outside the school gate, Sakumo still stood frozen in place while every word that child had shouted continued echoing repeatedly inside his ears.
Then, footsteps approached from beside him.
A rough hand gently rested upon his shoulder.
Sakumo slowly raised his head.
Might Duy stood before him with reddened eyes.
"Senior White Fang."
Duy raised a thumbs-up while flashing his trademark bright grin.
"I always knew you were right."
Sakumo's lips trembled.
"Duy..."
"When you saved me back then, you never once thought about whether I was worth saving, right?"
Duy grinned even wider.
"At that time, I was always dragging everyone down. But you never once looked down on me."
"You told me that everyone has their own way of living."
Duy pointed toward Sakumo's chest.
"And your way of living is saving people."
Sakumo stared blankly at him.
At this Eternal Genin who had always been mocked by others.
At this idiot dressed in faded green clothes.
Tears surged from Sakumo's eyes once more.
"I..."
Yet no words could leave his mouth.
Duy simply patted his shoulder heavily.
"You don't need to say anything."
Then he suddenly pointed toward the broadcasting room upstairs.
"That child in there is my son."
"What he said earlier... was also what I wanted to say."
The moment he finished speaking, Duy immediately turned around and sprinted toward the broadcasting room.
"GUY!!!"
He burst through the door before instantly grabbing Might Guy into a crushing hug.
"GOOD SON!!!"
"YOU SAID IT PERFECTLY!!!"
"DAD WAS SO MOVED I ALMOST CRIED TO DEATH!!!"
Guy's eyes immediately rolled upward from being squeezed too tightly.
"Dad... let go..."
"I can't breathe..."
"I WON'T LET GO!!!"
Duy cried loudly while smearing tears and mucus all over Guy's already battered face. Guy struggled desperately but completely failed to escape.
At that moment, a helpless voice suddenly sounded from nearby.
"Hey, hey, hey... I'm still standing here."
Duy froze before turning around awkwardly.
Standing beside the doorway was Umino Iruka holding a cup of tea, his expression looking completely helpless.
"You father and son should at least pay attention to your surroundings."
Guy immediately seized the opportunity to escape from Duy's embrace before gasping heavily for air. Meanwhile, Duy hurriedly wiped away his tears and mucus while laughing awkwardly.
"Teacher Umino..."
Iruka simply waved his hand before walking toward the window. After pushing it open, he looked down toward the crowd outside.
Sakumo still stood quietly beneath the Academy gate. His head remained lowered while his shoulders trembled slightly.
Iruka silently raised his teacup toward him from afar.
He did not say anything.
He simply nodded once.
Then he turned around and looked toward Might Guy.
"Next time you plan to hijack the Academy loudspeaker, tell me beforehand."
Guy blinked in surprise.
Iruka snorted softly.
"I never said you weren't allowed to use it."
Then he quietly took another sip of tea.
After several moments of silence, he looked back out the window once more.
"...Senior White Fang truly shouldn't be treated like this."
His voice sounded extremely soft.
Meanwhile, the discussions throughout the crowd outside gradually changed direction.
"White Fang really did save someone..."
"If it were my teammate, I would've saved them too."
"The mission may have failed, but at least the person survived."
"That's better than losing both the mission and the comrade."
More and more people gradually nodded in agreement.
Sakumo quietly stood there while listening to all those changing voices. Then he slowly raised his head toward the sky above.
The sunlight felt dazzling.
For three entire days, he had hidden himself inside darkness.
Only now did he realize how warm the sunlight actually was.
Not far away, Kakashi had quietly stood there the entire time. He watched his father, watched Might Guy, and watched the attitudes of the crowd slowly changing little by little.
Then he silently clenched his fists.
Afterward, he slowly walked toward Guy before stopping directly in front of him.
The two boys looked at each other quietly.
Guy suddenly grinned.
"How was it?"
Kakashi remained silent for several seconds before finally speaking in an extremely soft voice.
"...Thank you."
Although the voice was small, Guy still heard it clearly.
He scratched his head awkwardly.
"What are you thanking me for? I didn't really do much."
Kakashi stared at him silently.
Covered in injuries.
Face swollen beyond recognition.
Bloodstains covering his clothes.
And this idiot still claimed he had not done much?
Kakashi opened his mouth as though wanting to say something else, but Guy had already turned around.
"Alright, alright, we're about to be late for class."
He casually walked forward before suddenly turning back around after several steps.
"Back mountain after school? Want to continue yesterday's fight?"
Kakashi froze briefly.
Then, for the first time in days, he nodded firmly.
"Okay."
Guy immediately grinned brightly before giving another thumbs-up.
Soon afterward, the school bell rang once more, and students flooded noisily into the classroom. Umino Iruka stood at the podium while glancing toward the seat beside the window in the last row.
Might Guy was slumped across the desk while gasping heavily from exhaustion.
Meanwhile, Kakashi sat silently in the front row before suddenly glancing backward.
Their eyes briefly met.
Then both immediately looked away at the same time.
Iruka smiled faintly at the sight before picking up a piece of chalk and slowly writing across the blackboard.
"Today, I want to tell everyone a story."
After pausing briefly, he continued:
"A story about a Ninja."
Outside the classroom window, sunlight gently shone across the school grounds.
At the Academy gate, Sakumo Hatake quietly stood there while looking inward. He watched silently for a very long time before finally turning around.
This time, his footsteps were far steadier than when he first arrived.
[Congratulations! Hidden Mission Completed: The Fate of Sakumo Hatake]
[Reward: Monk Value +100]
[Special Cultivation Item Obtained: Man's Heaviness]
[Item Type: Adjustable Weighted Leg Wraps]
[Attributes: Automatically adjustable from 0 to 10,000 jin]
Inside the classroom, Might Guy's eyes instantly lit up.
Weighted leg wraps.
Good stuff.
With this item, the speed of his future training would definitely increase significantly.
Guy slowly clenched his fists.
After successfully changing Sakumo Hatake's fate, his confidence in his own path became even firmer than before.
Now, the next thing he needed to change was his father's future.
At most three years from now, the Third Shinobi World War would officially erupt. During that war, Might Duy would open the Eight Gates in order to protect him before ultimately sacrificing his life.
However, this time, the ending would definitely be different.
Might Guy's gaze became incomparably firm.