The Death of White Fang

Konoha's atmosphere had grown increasingly strange lately.

Uchiha Feiyu, who often passed by Kakashi's house and occasionally paid him visits, had noticed many villagers furtively watching the Hatake Estate. Everyone on the streets wore solemn expressions, as though they knew some earth-shattering secret but could not speak of it.

Uchiha Feiyu knew perfectly well what they had learned about: nothing more than Hatake Sakumo's mission failure. He had thought the matter would cause a massive uproar, but instead, it had turned into this silent form of collective ostracism.

Thinking about it carefully, though, it made sense—who was the White Fang of Konoha? On the battlefield, he had slaughtered at least eight hundred, if not a thousand, ninja with every swing of his blade. His name had shaken the entire Shinobi World. Konoha's civilians did not dare throw rotten vegetables at his house.

The divide between civilians and ninja in this world was extremely pronounced. Even civilians living in Konoha, accustomed as they were to seeing ninja and perhaps not particularly afraid of them, did not dare court death to that extent.

What they did was avoid the White Fang of Konoha as if he were a plague god whenever he went out. Once he had walked far away, they would begin whispering among themselves behind his back... Of course, with White Fang's abilities, most of those whispers could not escape his ears.

However, not everyone only talked behind his back. One day, as Uchiha Feiyu passed the Hatake Estate, he heard a burst of noisy commotion.

"I never needed anyone to save me! As a ninja, once you accept a mission, you must be prepared to sacrifice yourself for it!"

"Because of my own mistakes, this mission failed and caused the village severe losses. It was my fault. I am willing to atone with my death!"

By the time he arrived, he saw several Military Police Force ninja escorting an ordinary ninja away, while a large crowd of civilians stood nearby, chattering endlessly.

He only had to edge closer to the crowd. Without even needing to ask around, Uchiha Feiyu learned from their discussions what had just happened.

The Chunin whose life White Fang had saved had publicly apologized and had even tried to kill himself to atone, only to be stopped by members of the Military Police Force and Anbu.

Rubbing his chin, Uchiha Feiyu felt that whoever was pulling the strings behind this was being far too crude. It was both obvious and deliberate.

It was simple logic. If you wanted to atone with death, why not kill yourself at home? Why run to Hatake Sakumo's doorstep? Wasn't that plainly meant to smear White Fang's name?

Only people who had never experienced the internet age could be fooled so easily. In a later era, people would have exposed it in minutes.

Still, crude as the method was, the intent was truly vicious! Condemned by thousands, slander could wear down even bone... It was just a struggle for power and profit. Did they really have to make it this ugly?

After this, White Fang's reputation, earned through twenty years of risking his life and fighting blood-soaked battles for Konoha, was utterly destroyed. Hatake Sakumo had spent twenty years establishing the title of White Fang of Konoha, but the mastermind behind the scenes had ruined it in less than twenty days.

The next morning, when Uchiha Feiyu passed the Hatake Residence again, he sensed the aura emanating from a powerful soul.

Joy rose in Uchiha Feiyu's heart, but his face revealed nothing. He slowed his steps and prepared to knock on the Hatake Estate's door.

Before he could knock, however, he heard a shrill scream. After a brief pause, Uchiha Feiyu immediately slammed open the door and rushed inside.

Inside the room, Kakashi, who had always been known for his calm and composure, stood wide-eyed. The mask covering his face had been torn halfway off, revealing an expression of terror and panic.

Across from Kakashi, the White Fang of Konoha, whose name had resounded throughout the Shinobi World, was now slumped crookedly on his knees, blood covering the floor.

The White Fang Short Sword, which had slain countless enemies, was embedded in his abdomen, where it had cut a huge gash open and left his entrails spilling out.

"Ahhhh! Father... Father, what happened to you?!"

Kakashi threw himself onto Hatake Sakumo. Trembling in terror, he reached out and touched Hatake Sakumo's body, only to discover that even his corpse had already gone cold. His entire body began to shake.

Uchiha Feiyu, who had rushed in, glanced at the White Fang Short Sword. Through the power of Spirit Summoning, he sensed the powerful soul stored within it, and joy immediately surged through his heart.

With a light beckoning gesture, Uchiha Feiyu summoned the soul from within the White Fang Short Sword. In the Naruto World, souls could not be seen with the naked eye without Chakra. Besides, Kakashi was currently immersed in grief and panic, so he naturally failed to notice Uchiha Feiyu's small movement.

Feeling the unprecedentedly powerful soul he had collected, Uchiha Feiyu would have laughed in delight if the atmosphere had not been so inappropriate.

Still, Kakashi was more or less his friend, and Uchiha Feiyu had held a good impression of the White Fang of Konoha. He reluctantly put on a sorrowful expression and reached out to pull up the dazed Kakashi.

November, Year 39 of Konoha

Hatake Sakumo, Konoha's war hero, head of the Anbu, and the famed White Fang whose name had shaken the Shinobi World, committed suicide, sending shockwaves through the Shinobi World.

Some rejoiced, some worried, some grieved, and some were delighted. More than anything, though, people were surprised.

Naturally, there were still more who rejoiced. Upon hearing the news, most ninja across the Shinobi World were overjoyed, practically clapping their hands in celebration.

White Fang had rampaged across the battlefields of the Second Shinobi World War and made far too many enemies. In particular, he was a speed-type ninja much like the Yellow Flash, exceptionally skilled at mowing down weaker opponents. He had killed an unknown number of ninja, and ordinary ninja from other villages both hated and feared him.

Such a figure was like the Great Demon Lord in the eyes of other ninja villages. His enemies had not brought him down, and war had not brought him down, yet he had died during peacetime, taking his own life for such a ridiculous reason. Because it was suicide, he was not even qualified to have his name placed on the Memorial Stone after death. It was simply a joke.

To ninja from other villages, it was a joke like a comedy. To Konoha, it was black humor.

Almost as soon as news of White Fang's suicide spread, Sunagakure immediately deployed troops to the border of the Land of Rivers, looking ready to go to war at any moment.

At the same time, the other major ninja villages made move after move. By this point, Konoha's ninja could be certain that the Third Shinobi World War was about to begin.

The White Fang of Konoha's suicide not only robbed Konoha of one of its sharpest blades among its top-tier combat forces, but also dealt a tremendous blow to the entire village's morale.

White Fang had risked life and limb throughout his life and won countless achievements for Konoha. Though this mission failure had indeed caused no small impact, it was only a minor blemish on an otherwise flawless record.

Yet such a brave and fearless, almost morally flawless, powerful ninja had been driven to death by public opinion within the village. Naturally, every ninja felt the sorrow of the rabbit dying before the fox.

Those Jonin and higher-ranking Chunin knew that this storm of public opinion was connected to the Konoha High Command, and their trust in the higher-ups plummeted. As for ordinary ninja, White Fang's tragic fate had frightened them so badly that they could no longer place their trust in their comrades.

After all, even someone like the White Fang of Konoha had paid with his life for saving a comrade. If that was the case, who would still be willing to trust their companions?