On a rise outside Konoha, a cold wind swept over the hill.
Shinnosuke Sarutobi stood there quietly, his gaze fixed on Konoha, which had been burned and battered by the raging flames. His brow was heavy with indescribable worry and weight.
He drew in a deep breath, his voice thick with obvious self-reproach and regret. "Kakashi... I truly never imagined Root could plan a rebellion this severe."
"As the Anbu captain, there's simply no denying my dereliction of duty in an incident of this scale."
Kakashi stood beside him, his expression unchanged...
"You can't take all the blame for this. Lord Hokage has always been a little too lenient with Danzo, after all..."
Hearing that, Shinnosuke shook his head slightly and gave a bitter smile, his eyes revealing a complicated, hard-to-hide sense of loss...
"All this time, I've done everything I could to help my father and shoulder the responsibility and honor of the Sarutobi Clan. Unfortunately... my own talent is truly limited."
As those words left his mouth, a trace of indescribable pain and loneliness passed through Shinnosuke's eyes.
After serving as Anbu captain for so many years, he knew his own strength better than anyone.
Though he had trained desperately and worked hard to improve, compared with Kakashi before him, and even compared with his own younger brother Asuma, there was still a gap he could hardly cross.
Kakashi quietly listened to Shinnosuke pour out his feelings, but inwardly, he was still guessing at the real purpose behind this cautious, low-profile young master suddenly seeking him out for a talk.
The breeze drifted by, and for a brief moment, the two of them fell into silence, as if each were weighing something.
A moment later, Shinnosuke finally spoke slowly, his voice low and grave. "Kakashi, actually, there's another