What is the Will of Fire

What is the Will of Fire?

In Sakumo's heart, the Will of Fire meant protecting those important to him with his life, trusting them.

It was precisely because he firmly believed in the Will of Fire that he chose his comrades over the mission.

But the result was...

The ninjas scoffed at him, and even the comrades he had personally saved stood up to condemn him.

"Did I really do something wrong? Is the Will of Fire not what I understood it to be?" Sakumo, holding a spatula, completely forgot about the food in the pan and muttered to himself.

It wasn't until a burnt smell entered his nostrils that Sakumo snapped back to reality, hastily checking the dishes in the pan.

Kazashiro looked at the dishes before him with a strange expression.

Uh, what was that black lump, and what was that other black lump? And this pasty substance that looked like it was fished out of some old cafeteria...

"Ha, haha, well, I guess I'm a little off my game today." Sakumo chuckled awkwardly, reaching up to scratch his head, not even remembering to take off his apron.

It seemed this incident had truly affected Uncle Sakumo deeply.

At times like this, comfort was useless; he needed to give the other person some confidence.

With this thought, Kazashiro braced himself and picked up his chopsticks, spearing a piece that was barely intact and unidentifiable, and quickly shoved it into his mouth, skipping the chewing step and swallowing it straight into his stomach.

"Blech!"

Unsurprisingly, Kazashiro threw up.

Kazashiro, who hadn't thrown up even after eating Danzo's cooking for a year, threw up for the first time today while eating Sakumo's food.

"Dad, let's go eat ramen." With Kazashiro as a cautionary tale, Kakashi, who had already picked up a piece of food, put down his chopsticks and made a suggestion.

Eating ramen meant going out.

Going out meant facing the villagers' accusations...

Sakumo hesitated for a moment, but looking at the faces of the two children before him, he eventually agreed.

Along the way, the villagers who would normally greet Sakumo enthusiastically now kept their distance. Although they didn't verbally mock him, this attitude of avoiding him as if he were a plague left Sakumo feeling somewhat defeated.

This situation continued until they arrived at the entrance of Ichiraku Ramen.

Pushing aside the curtain above, the group moved to the seats and met Teuchi, who was cleaning tableware.

"Isn't that Mr. Sakumo? What a rare visitor, please, have a seat." Teuchi greeted Sakumo warmly after recognizing him.

"Bringing the young masters to eat today?" Teuchi smiled at Kazashiro and Kakashi, then stood by the stove, chatting with Sakumo while waiting for him to order.

"Yes, I'll just have a regular ramen. Kakashi, Kazashiro, just tell Teuchi what you two want."

Nodding in agreement with Teuchi, Sakumo casually ordered a regular ramen and then looked at Kazashiro and Kakashi.

Judging by his tone, his mood had improved considerably.

Nice, Uncle Teuchi. Truly Naruto's original White Moonlight!

Kazashiro gave Teuchi a thumbs-up in his heart.

"Alright, done! Please enjoy, everyone." After bustling around in the kitchen for a while, Teuchi brought out the ramen and placed it in front of Sakumo and Kakashi: "Wait a moment, Kazashiro's portion is coming up."

Because Kazashiro had ordered a premium deluxe set, his portion required a separate plate for his side dishes, so Teuchi placed it last.

"Um, boss, in my noodles..." Seeing Teuchi put down Kazashiro's portion, Sakumo quickly called out to him and pointed to the large slice of meat in his bowl.

"Haha, this is a complimentary gift, Mr. Sakumo. You've made so many contributions to the village; it's thanks to your efforts that we can maintain this humble stall."

Teuchi flashed a hearty smile: "As you know, I don't have the talent to be a ninja, so please allow me to support you in this way."

"I, at best, am just a failure..." Faced with Teuchi's praise, a flicker of defeat crossed Sakumo's face, and his tone became somewhat dejected.

In his eyes, a failure like himself, who had caused the village losses due to mission failure, was nothing more than a bitter failure.

"How can you say that? You are a hero of the Second Shinobi World War, Konoha's White Fang who single-handedly repelled the entire Sand Hidden Mobile Corps. To be honest, my daughter greatly admires you. I hope you can meet her sometime."

"Is that so? I am truly grateful." Sakumo replied, picked up his chopsticks, took a bite of the ramen, and praised sincerely:

"This is truly delicious."

"Haha, I'm glad you like it!" Hearing Sakumo's praise, Teuchi puffed out his chest with pride.

So, what was Kazashiro doing while Teuchi and Sakumo were talking?

Kazashiro was eating ramen.

The problem with too many side dishes was that they covered the ramen entirely. With a random scoop, he'd pick up either fish cake or char siu.

The meal concluded in a relatively warm atmosphere.

When it came time to pay, Sakumo insisted on paying for the large slice of meat despite Teuchi's objections, but in the end, he couldn't win against him. The great Konoha's White Fang was ultimately defeated by Otsutsuki Teuchi in the payment process.

"It's getting late. Shall I walk you home, Kazashiro?"

As the streetlights along the roadside flickered on, Sakumo, worried about Kazashiro being out too late, asked for his opinion.

With a belly full of food, Kazashiro nodded with difficulty. The deluxe Ichiraku was indeed a bit too much for him.

But he hadn't forgotten the real mission he came for this time.

"Uncle Sakumo, in my opinion, you are someone who truly embodies the Will of Fire." Kazashiro looked up, meeting Sakumo's eyes directly.

"I... let's not talk about that for now, Kazashiro..." Sakumo gave a wry smile, knowing this child in front of him intended to comfort him, but right now he...

Thinking of the villagers' gazes, Sakumo's emotions, which had been somewhat stirred by Teuchi's treatment, sank again.

"No, Uncle Sakumo, I have to say it, otherwise, you'll definitely fall into self-doubt and be unable to extricate yourself, burp~"

Kazashiro, letting out a loud burp, quickly covered his mouth. Kakashi, standing nearby, helplessly rubbed his forehead.

This guy really ate a bit too much, it's a shame for his delicate face.

And at such a crucial moment, too.

"The reason the villagers don't understand your actions is because they completely fail to grasp what the Will of Fire truly is."

Kazashiro knew that if he didn't want Sakumo to fall into self-doubt, he had to rebuild his confidence.

Therefore, he strongly advocated Sakumo's ideology: "Although the villagers talk a lot about the Will of Fire, they don't truly understand it. They merely echo the Third Hokage out of respect for him. Only you have truly put this ideology into practice through your actions."

"So you absolutely cannot give up. You must use time, use your actions, to prove that your approach is the right one. If even you give up, who else can lead Konoha's new generation to understand the true Will of Fire?! Burp~"