Mitarashi Shiun

At the Konoha Gate.

A squad of Shinobi slowly approached the village. The sharp-eyed gate guards spotted their return and sent someone to inform the Hokage.

Once they drew closer, the villagers and some of the Shinobi recognized their leader and greeted him respectfully. "Lord White Fang is back."

"Lord White Fang, were you out on a mission? Did it go well?"

"What kind of question is that? Lord White Fang is the strongest Shinobi in the Leaf Village. Is there any mission he can't complete?"

"I wonder who Lord White Fang's target was this time. It must have been another elite Shinobi from an enemy nation. Just watch! Once the village announces it, it'll cause another uproar."

The villagers chattered over one another, filling in the details with their own imaginations.

They knew nothing about the mission.

An injured man in the squad, wearing a jonin's flak jacket, heard their praise and sneered. "Sakumo Hatake, look at these villagers. Have you lived up to their trust in you?"

The Sakumo Hatake he spoke of was White Fang, also known as Hatake Sakumo.

He wore the Hatake Clan's attire, with half a Hokage sleeve on his right arm. His silvery-white hair was tied into a ponytail like Ling Tian's, and a white chakra short blade rested on his back.

His usually resolute face and sharp eyes now looked somewhat dispirited. Ignoring both the villagers welcoming him and his companion's words, he walked into the village without a word.

The other Shinobi in the squad exchanged glances, momentarily speechless. Was that any way to speak to the man who had saved his life?

Was this how the Hokage raised his children?

They wanted to complain, but then remembered they were only Chunin, with elderly mothers at home and wives who had just become pregnant. Forget it. This was the Hokage's eldest son. They couldn't afford to offend him, not when they had yet to raise their sons into powerful Shinobi.

Once they handed him over to the village, they would have to return to the battlefield.

Escorting the Hokage's injured son back to the village gave them a chance to enjoy a brief reunion with their families.

On the street.

Orochimaru and Ling Tian had just come out when they ran into White Fang approaching them.

White Fang seemed not to notice them and continued toward the Hokage building. He likewise ignored the villagers who greeted him along the way.

He left only bewildered villagers in his wake. In their eyes, he had always been a kindly man. What had gotten into him today?

Ling Tian frowned at the sight. His older brother was in a very troubling state!

He didn't call out to his brother. There was no need.

"Have you heard? Lord White Fang failed his mission."

"Who told you that? Which drunk was spouting nonsense? Lord White Fang has a one-hundred-percent mission success rate. How could he possibly fail?"

"It's not nonsense. Lord Hokage's eldest son said it himself. He said Lord White Fang abandoned the mission to save his comrades. If you don't believe me, go ask him right now. Jonin Konohamaru is still at the gate. I just ran back from there."

"But that's Lord White Fang! He actually failed a mission? Does that mean his legend has been shattered?"

"Shut up. Who are we to gossip about him? So what if the mission failed? Didn't you hear that he did it to save his comrades? Lord White Fang was willing to sacrifice even his reputation to save them. Shouldn't you feel fortunate to live in a village like this?"

"Exactly! If my son's teammate had been Lord White Fang, he wouldn't have died back then."

The villagers chatted. Their dull lives had suddenly been enlivened by a staggering piece of gossip, one involving Shinobi, the Hokage's eldest son, and the legendary Konoha's White Fang.

Ling Tian knew this would soon spread throughout the village. Still, some people understood right from wrong, and there were quite a few of them-a sizable proportion, in fact.

It seems this village hasn't rotted to its core yet. It can still be saved, Ling Tian thought with a sigh.

But ordinary people were ignorant!

How many ignorant people could stay true to their convictions?

In the original story, the entire village had condemned him.

That wasn't just an empty statement. Just then, the manager of the barbecue restaurant behind him came out. Pretending not to see Ling Tian, he hurried over and scolded them. "Lord White Fang has done so much for our village, and you're gossiping like this after a single failure? What Shinobi hasn't failed a mission?

"Have you ever seen anyone besides Lord White Fang with such a high success rate? The other villages are all at war. Isn't the reason you can stand around chatting here that Lord White Fang fought for you on the battlefield?

"You don't appreciate how good you have it. If Lord White Fang hears this and stops going to the battlefield, will you go instead? Or will your children? Tsuchiki, your child is attending the Ninja Academy, isn't he? When your son goes to war someday, do you want his teammates to leave him to die for the sake of a mission?

"And don't give me any of that nonsense about serving the village without complaint or regret. If you really mean it, send him to the battlefield as soon as he graduates. If you don't, I'll make sure the entire village hears about it."

"..."

An educated man certainly had a way with words. In an instant, all the chatter stopped.

Ling Tian had no interest in watching their expressions change or guessing their thoughts. He looked at the manager and asked, "What's your name?"

There were too many shops for him to remember everyone's name, but he did recognize the man.

The manager wasn't very old, perhaps in his twenties or thirties, and had an approachable face.

"Boss, my name is Mitarashi Shiun."

"From the Mitarashi Clan?"

Ling Tian murmured to himself before asking, "How are you related to Shishō?"

Shiun replied, "Shishō is my younger brother."

"I see!"

Ling Tian smiled. "Are you married?"

"Boss, I already have a child. She's a girl, a year old. Her name is Mitaraishi Anko."

Mitarashi Shiun, the older brother of Shishō from the Anbu. If Ling Tian remembered correctly, Shishō would become the Anbu Captain in a couple of years!

The non-Shinobi older brother worked under him, while the Shinobi younger brother worked under his older brother. How interesting.

Ling Tian glanced at Orochimaru beside him, then told the manager, "Thank you for what you did today."

"Boss, you're too kind. It's an honor for us brothers to work under the Hatake Clan."

"Take some time off later and pick out a house. Have the restaurant cover the bill."

Mitarashi Shiun was stunned. Was his boss really that generous?

Ling Tian smiled. "In a couple of years, if your daughter shows talent as a Shinobi, I'll help you find a teacher for her."

"Oh, and you can only choose one house. If you pick a cheap one and regret it later, you won't get a chance to exchange it."

"..."

"Um, boss, who did you mean by a teacher?"

Mitarashi Shiun was a little frightened, worried that the teacher he meant was White Fang. Normally, having his daughter accepted as White Fang's student would have been a wonderful thing. But right now, his younger brother had said the village seemed rather hostile toward the Hatake Clan!

"What, afraid I'll lead your daughter into a trap?"

Ling Tian smiled faintly. "What do you think of the man beside me?"

"Lord Orochimaru?"

"That's right."