White Fang's Soul

Hatake Harukaze's face showed a look of reminiscence as he said, "Uncle was the patriarch respected by our entire clan. I still respect him to this day. I still remember what Uncle looked like. He was a gentle person."

"But I don't understand why Uncle made such a mistake. The Hatake Clan was originally a clan respected by everyone, but after Uncle died, the Hatake Clan was ostracized by everyone."

Uchiha Yuan crossed his arms and said, "Harukaze, do you think White Fang was wrong back then?"

Hatake Harukaze looked up to meet Uchiha Yuan's gaze, feeling as if his sharp eyes were piercing his own, causing pain to his eyes.

He couldn't help but look away and said softly, "I don't know."

Uchiha Yuan asked, "After you become a ninja, do you want to be a teammate of White Fang, or do you want to be on a team with a ninja who will abandon you at any time to complete a mission?"

Hatake Harukaze opened his mouth to answer, but under Uchiha Yuan's gaze, he fell into silence.

Finally, he slowly said, "I want to be on a team with someone like Uncle."

Uchiha Yuan immediately broke into a sunny smile. He reached out and patted Hatake Harukaze's shoulder, saying, "Congratulations, you got it right!"

"Harukaze, your answer shows that you are also a person like White Fang."

Uchiha Yuan smiled and said, "So is there anything wrong with valuing comrades?"

"No!"

Uchiha Yuan nodded, "Correct."

"So Uncle was not wrong back then."

Uchiha Yuan still affirmed, "Correct."

Hatake Harukaze said, with both confusion and anxiety, "But this approach is different from what the village taught us."

"Then that means the village is wrong."

Uchiha Yuan said, then looked up, his gaze fixed on the distant Hokage Rock, a mocking expression on his face.

As soon as he said this, Hatake Harukaze's eyes widened, and he looked at Uchiha Yuan with a shocked and bewildered expression.

The village is wrong.

How could the village be wrong?

For a moment, Hatake Harukaze found it hard to accept.

Uchiha Yuan withdrew his gaze from the Hokage Rock and looked at Hatake Harukaze, saying in a deep voice, "Harukaze, you need to understand that before we are ninjas, we are first human."

"We are not cold shuriken, only knowing how to kill under the village's control. We have emotions, we laugh when we are happy, we cry when we are sad; we will charge forward bravely, and we will also feel fear."

"Are you training diligently and arduously because you want to become a ninja who only follows orders like a tool, without any thoughts of your own?"

"No, I don't!"

Hatake Harukaze quickly said.

Then, Hatake Harukaze added with annoyance, "Uncle isn't wrong, but he also caused the mission to fail and harmed the village's interests."

Uchiha Yuan said, "A failed mission can be attempted again; but life is only once. If it's lost, there's no chance to start over."

"We have parents, we have siblings; the most important mission is to protect our family."

"If we carelessly lose our lives, to the village it's just a name crossed off a roster, but to our families, it's an unbearable pain in their lives."

"Remember, after becoming a ninja, protecting your own life is the most important thing."

"As for sacrifice, perhaps only when that moment truly arrives will we understand; rather than the village's so-called 'must complete the mission,' and lightly discarding one's life."

"Missions are not as important as the smiles of our families."

Hatake Harukaze slowly nodded as if he understood, "Yuan, I think I'm starting to get it."

Then he said with emotion, "If the mission back then could have been redone, Uncle might not have died."

Uchiha Yuan was silent for a moment and said, "I don't know what kind of secret mission White Fang-senpai was on back then."

"But I think White Fang-senpai, as a veteran elite ninja with Kage-level strength, must have made a judgment about the mission before making a decision. Even if the mission failed, it shouldn't have had a huge impact on the village."

Perhaps this so-called secret mission was a trap specifically for White Fang.

Uchiha Yuan thought to himself.

Hatake Harukaze said, "But the village said the village suffered huge losses because of the mission failure."

A hint of a sneer appeared on Uchiha Yuan's lips, and he said, "That depends on whether what the village said is true or false."

Hatake Harukaze asked doubtfully, "If it's false, why would the village lie?"

"Who knows?"

Uchiha Yuan shrugged, then said, "Actually, I found it strange back then. White Fang-senpai failed a mission, and it seemed like the whole village knew overnight. Just like the rumors targeting the Uchiha that suddenly appeared recently."

Hatake Harukaze asked, "What's strange about it?"

"Do you know what kind of missions Kakashi-senpai usually undertakes?"

Hatake Harukaze shook his head, "No."

Uchiha Yuan turned and walked away, saying, "Harukaze, think about it yourself. Remember, don't let our conversation leak. I'm heading back."

Not long after leaving the clearing, Uchiha Yuan stopped as he turned a corner. He then turned his head to look at the large mansion beside him.

This was Kakashi's home.

It wasn't far from the clearing. While training Hatake Harukaze, Uchiha Yuan had sensed a prying gaze from Kakashi's mansion.

He keenly detected a chilling aura in Kakashi's home, different from that of a living being.

At this moment, he saw a transparent figure behind Kakashi's front door watching him.

The figure had the same silver hair as Kakashi.

It was Konoha's White Fang, Hatake Sakumo.

So it's him. What a familiar figure. Long time no see.

Upon seeing Hatake Sakumo's transparent form, Uchiha Yuan's pupils contracted sharply, and his heart was slightly startled.

He hadn't expected to see Hatake Sakumo's soul!

This was a soul that remained in the mortal world due to a lingering obsession.

However, Uchiha Yuan's expression remained unchanged, as if he hadn't seen Hatake Sakumo at all. His gaze swept openly through Hatake Sakumo's spiritual body, taking in Kakashi's home.

"This is Kakashi-senpai's home. What a large house, though it feels quite desolate."

Uchiha Yuan murmured softly to himself.

A moment later, he continued on his way.

As he passed Kakashi's front door, he brushed past Hatake Sakumo, their proximity incredibly close. Uchiha Yuan's steps didn't falter in the slightest.

Uchiha Yuan gradually walked away. Hatake Sakumo stared motionlessly at his retreating back until he could no longer be seen, then his form slowly dissipated.

Sensing that the gaze from behind him had finally vanished, Uchiha Yuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

He knew that Hatake Sakumo's soul had remained in the mortal world without transcending, but he hadn't expected to actually see his soul today.

I wonder if White Fang heard my conversation with Hatake Harukaze just now. Did he appear at the doorstep watching me by chance, or... did he notice me?