Ling Tian's challenge, part 2

In this round, the Hatake Brothers utterly defeated the Third, the higher-ups, and every villager.

White Fang had staged a brilliant comeback and stomped hard on the Third in the process.

Just when everyone thought the Hatake Brothers had gotten what they wanted and would stop short of making mortal enemies of the higher-ups, White Fang spoke.

"Lord Hokage, since the mission was so important, since it had a bearing on an entire war, why did you send your son along with me in the first place? You knew perfectly well that Konohamaru was nothing but a burden on that mission."

White Fang had been despondent these past few days, but now he stood firm.

In everyone else's eyes, the White Fang who had dominated the battlefield, striking terror into other villages' shinobi with nothing but a blade, had returned!

"Had you never been born, Hatake Sakumo, the way of the blade would have languished in eternal night!"

"Well done! Just as I thought, Ling Tian's older brother could never be a fool. You should take those bastards down! White Fang, I'm with you. If you need help, count me in."

Admiration filled Uchiha Red Four's face, and his words rang with absolute conviction. His pride soared, and he wished he could join White Fang in taking down the Konoha F4 right then and there.

As his words fell, the scene went dead silent. Even the Sannin's breathing grew heavy.

The Third, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura looked toward the Uchiha Clan, their brows deeply furrowed.

Even Danzo, who had kept his eyes closed, opened them and swept a gloomy gaze their way.

He wanted to snap back at the Uchiha, but remembering that White Fang had already backed the Third into a corner, he held his tongue.

For the Leaf Village's sake, he could tolerate the Uchiha a little.

Once he became Hokage, he, Shimura Danzō, would naturally lead the Leaf Village to glory. When that time came, erasing the Uchiha would take nothing more than a word.

The Hokage position will be mine!

Danzo shouted inwardly and closed his eyes again. Out of sight, out of mind!

Everything he did was for the village.

Fugaku Uchiha's vision went dark at those words, and he nearly fainted.

Do you realize you're saying that while wearing the face of one of my clansmen?

Meanwhile, apart from a handful, most of the Uchiha Clan members looked at Hongsi with admiration. Was the Uchiha Clan about to rise?

"Sakumo, assigning missions is my responsibility. Konohamaru was sent on that mission not because he is my son, but because he was capable of carrying it out. If I had known the mission would fail, do you think I would have sent my son to his death?"

Under everyone's gaze, the Third finally spoke.

The usually kindly expression on his face looked a little off today.

He had never imagined Danzo would do something like this at such a time.

Still less had he expected the honest, straightforward White Fang to pull this on him today.

Was this planned?

He did not know.

To be fair, although he felt White Fang threatened his authority, he would never use something like the assassination of another village's Kage to suppress him.

He had not expected the mission to fail, either.

His original plan had been to complete the mission while reducing White Fang's share of the credit and giving some to his son. White Fang had initially understood it that way, too.

But who could have known his son would be so weak, or that White Fang would abandon the mission to save him?

Could he tell the truth?

Of course not!

If he did, wouldn't that mean he had failed in his duties as Hokage?

He could not explain himself now, either, because he really had allowed Danzo to smear White Fang back then.

But wasn't the script supposed to have Danzo serve as his pawn and turn the public against White Fang, after which he would step forward to protect him? White Fang would be eternally grateful and continue serving him loyally, as he always had, like a blade in his hand.

When had things started spiraling so far out of control?

These thoughts surfaced in the Third's mind. Looking at the Uchiha who had just spoken, he felt utterly tangled inside.

Ling Tian had been visiting the Uchiha Clan Compound constantly these past few days.

He knew about that. So the two sides had already joined forces?

These were the thoughts occupying the Third.

Meanwhile, knowing he was not particularly eloquent, White Fang said nothing more after that single statement and left the talking to his younger brother.

Ling Tian helped the old man to his feet, then stepped forward and looked at the Third. "So you also believe abandoning a mission for a comrade is wrong, Hokage? Even if that person is your eldest son."

The Third could neither back down nor press ahead. With everyone watching him, he found himself trapped in a dilemma.

Only after a moment did he draw a deep breath and nod. "That's right. Compared with a war, even my son's death would be a price worth paying!"

"Then if my older brother really had abandoned your son for the mission, what would have become of the Hatake Clan afterward?"

Ling Tian demanded, "Hokage, tell me. If that's truly how you feel, then why would my older brother, who neglected even his one-year-old brother for the village, who never saw his wife one last time, who left his infant son in his brother's care, disregard his own reputation and the villagers' safety to save a beast worse than any pig or dog?"

"If my older brother hadn't been worried that abandoning your son for the mission would bring trouble down on Kakashi and me, would he have risked condemnation from the whole village to save that beast of a son of yours, who turned around and blamed the very man who saved him?"

Everyone's heart tightened at those words.

So everything Hatake Xianyu had said earlier, making the villagers feel guilty and the shinobi uneasy, had been laying the groundwork for these two questions.

And this was also why White Fang's mission had failed.

Otherwise, could White Fang not have known that killing the Third Kazekage would end the war?

Everyone understood this except those ignorant villagers who knew nothing.

White Fang must have struggled at the time over whether to complete the mission or save the Hokage's son.

In the end, he chose the Hokage's son. But he probably had never imagined that even after bringing the Hokage's son back alive and accepting the punishment for his failure, the Hokage still would not be satisfied.

When others smeared him, the Hokage had not stepped in to stop them, either.

This was a fact. Everyone knew it in their hearts, but no one dared speak out against it.

Because it had been a joint decision by all four higher-ups.

In this round, the Hatake Brothers utterly defeated the higher-ups and the Third.

At least, that was how it looked to everyone else.

They had called the Third's son worse than a beast, and the Third had not even rebutted them!

But Konohamaru...

The less said, the better. He truly was a disgrace.

Not only had he treated his savior that way, but the Third had not stepped in to rein him in, either...

That father and son...

At that moment, Utatane Koharu stepped forward. "What exactly are your intentions, coming out to say all this just as we're about to head to the front lines?"

"Our intentions are malicious?"

Ling Tian laughed loudly.

When he finished laughing, he pointed at the old woman and shouted, "Because you deceived the villagers, these ignorant fools, who have always lived under the Hatake Clan's protection, have spent the past few days smearing my older brother!"

"Do you know that a few days ago, he actually wanted to kill himself so he wouldn't drag Kakashi and me down with him?"

"Do you know what it took for me to get him to come out here and say these things today?"

"..."