Kakashi Loses Control

Kill the body, break the spirit!

Watching the despairing expression on Hiruzen Sarutobi's face, Daren Yi felt that his girlfriend, Izumi Uchiha, would definitely be pleased.

For someone who regarded protecting others as their calling, the greatest despair was not dying on the path of protection, but being doubted and questioned by the very people they protected!

In the original story, the "funeral" Orochimaru had arranged for Hiruzen Sarutobi was not a tragedy, but an honor.

For an elderly man who had spent his entire life fighting, dying not in a sickbed but on the battlefield, dying to protect what he loved most—there was a romance to that!

Did Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had grown so old that he spent every day scrambling for petty gains and had lost all the ambition of his prime, ever understand the unspoken feelings Orochimaru held for his teacher?

In the square, the Clan Heads joined forces to pull the Third Hokage back. As Konohagakure's "Great Strategist," Shikaku Nara stepped forward at his colleagues' urging.

He began with a bow, thanking him solemnly. "Shisui, thank you for remaining rational even under these circumstances and not rashly harming innocent people.

"The Uchiha have always been part of Konohagakure. Through your restraint and reason, you have proven the Uchiha's love for Konohagakure. I, along with every ninja present, firmly believe that.

"Our love for Konohagakure is the same. Please believe that none of us can ever tolerate actions that harm innocent comrades.

"So, please tell everyone what you saw and what you know. Before irrefutable evidence, no matter who it is, they must be punished."

"Lord Shikaku Nara, as a ninja who once served as the Fourth Hokage's aide, I trust you."

The youth standing atop Susanoo seemed to have calmed down somewhat. He glanced in Hiruzen Sarutobi's direction and made a solemn promise.

"I swear upon the Uchiha clan's honor that everything I say next is true!"

Hearing the youth swear upon his clan's honor, Shikaku Nara's expression became even more serious as he listened intently.

"As everyone knows, the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, and our clan head, Fugaku Uchiha, were close friends. The Fourth Hokage's wife, Kushina Uzumaki, and Clan Head Fugaku's wife, Mikoto Uchiha, were also the closest of friends.

"The two ladies had even once agreed that if their children were of the same sex, they would become husband and wife..."

At this point, "Shisui Uchiha" noticed the strange looks from the people below and suddenly realized he had misspoken. He hurriedly corrected himself.

"...if the two children were of the same sex, they would become brothers. If they were of opposite sexes, they would become husband and wife.

"The two families were extremely close. Therefore, the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, trusted Clan Head Fugaku deeply and, before his death, entrusted him with an important task.

"He asked him to send trustworthy people to secretly investigate the child disappearance cases that had continued in Konohagakure for decades without ever stopping!

"Many people investigated these strange child disappearance cases, but none made much progress.

"A long time ago, Lord Hatake Sakumo, Konoha's White Fang, investigated them. He seemed to have discovered something at the time and had conflicts with Shimura Danzō and the Third Hokage. But not long afterward—

"Lord White Fang, whose strength and prestige surpassed even the Sannin and whom everyone regarded as the strongest candidate for the position of Hokage, committed suicide.

"Besides Lord White Fang, many others received similar assignments to investigate the mysterious disappearances of children and adults.

"The Fourth Hokage himself had once accepted such a task. He spent enormous amounts of time and effort on it but found nothing, as though an invisible black hand had constantly been obstructing him.

"After Lord Orochimaru was declared a Rogue Ninja by the Third Hokage and defected, these cases seemed to receive a reasonable explanation: they had been used by Lord Orochimaru as materials for human experiments.

"However, Lord Minato Namikaze did not quite believe that conclusion. Having once fought alongside Lord Orochimaru for Konohagakure on the battlefield, he always believed Lord Orochimaru was a hero of Konohagakure.

"More importantly, similar mysterious disappearances had begun a very, very long time ago and continued until now. Back then, Lord Orochimaru had only been a child!

"After Minato Namikaze became Hokage, he continued investigating these matters in secret. His instincts told him there was likely a major problem behind them. Not long before the Nine-Tails' Rampage, he seemed to have discovered something...

"According to what Clan Head Fugaku told me, the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, had been deeply worried at the time. He had never shown such an expression before.

"It was as if he had seen the filthiest side of the person he admired most. Many times, he seemed on the verge of speaking, yet he refused to say anything.

"Then, before the Fourth Hokage could do anything, the Nine-Tails' Rampage erupted. He, his wife, and the previous Nine-Tails Jinchuriki all died that night.

"After that night, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, returned to the position of Hokage!

"He held the position of Hokage for seven years, and Konohagakure remained peaceful until now... I knew what Clan Head Fugaku suspected, but at the time, I refused to believe it no matter what.

"I had only just awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan then, and I trusted the Third Hokage even more than Clan Head Fugaku.

"But the moment I reported to the Third Hokage that I had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan once awakened by Madara Uchiha, Shimura Danzō led Root Ninja in an ambush to take my eyes.

"Disheartened, I faked my death and hid in the shadows to continue investigating. And I truly discovered it... a human experimentation base hidden within Konohagakure, managed by those Root Ninja and supplying them with experimental materials.

"For years, the base had conducted cruel human experiments, implanting the First Hokage Hashirama Senju's cells into human bodies and experimenting on the Uchiha clan's Sharingan, hoping to obtain the powers of Wood Style and the Mangekyō Sharingan."

At this point, "Shisui Uchiha" paused, then spoke to everyone word by word.

"They succeeded!"

Among the crowd, Kakashi Hatake's eyes were calm above his mask. He had known about it long ago. Root's test subject and ninja, "Kinoe," had left Root and joined the Anbu under the codename "Tenzo."

The power of his Wood Style Ninjutsu? How should he put it? It was merely passable. He could not see much significance in it!

"They created a weapon of war that wielded both Wood Style and the Mangekyō Sharingan—a Konohagakure hero who had been brutally brainwashed and controlled—Obito Uchiha!"

What?!

Kakashi was caught completely off guard and froze in shock, temporarily losing control of his expression. His facial features twisted into an absurdly distorted expression.

He utterly could not believe that, in such a setting, he would hear the name of his best friend, who had supposedly died in battle.

How could it be Obito? Obito was already dead! He had been buried alive beneath the rocks right before my eyes... Wait, perhaps... perhaps he really didn't die?