The Truth of White Fang's Death

"The White Fang of Konoha, huh."

Orochimaru slowly spat out the four words, his gaze deep as if he were recalling the past. "That was many years ago. Let's go outside to talk."

He led Akashi out of the laboratory; under the night sky, the moonlight was like water.

That figure could not help but surface in his mind.

Silver-white hair, a ponytail, a red triangular sleeve badge, and a sharp blade.

Looking back, it was all still vivid.

That was the ninja who held a Chakra Short Blade, whose name resounded across every nation, whom even the Sannin had to respect, and who was hailed as a genius. Many years ago, he had once stopped a surprise attack by Sunagakure and rendered illustrious service.

At that time, Orochimaru had only just made a name for himself on the Amegakure battlefield; he was far inferior to the White Fang.

Yet, such an elite Jonin had actually committed suicide at home.

It could not help but make one sigh.

With such an incident occurring in the village, it naturally drew attention from all sides. The villagers in the streets and alleys, and countless ninjas—including Orochimaru—had received news of it to varying degrees.

Akashi wanted to understand the inside story:

"I heard it was because he abandoned a mission to save a comrade, and committed suicide due to various rumors and the accusations of his peers. Later, it was handled by the Anbu."

"That is generally correct."

Orochimaru shook his head, not without regret. "Hatake Sakumo was an excellent ninja."

"But, the prestige of Senior Sakumo was so high that it even surpassed the Sannin of that time. Would just one failed mission really invite so many rumors and slanders?"

"Prestige? Heh, many people in the village haven't even read a book. Their thoughts can be changed with the slightest guidance. Public sentiment is the easiest thing to incite; one only needs to spread some public opinion, and the direction of the wind naturally changes. The higher they are lifted, the more miserable they fall. I suspect Danzo must have done quite a bit of work. The White Fang was one of Sarutobi's men, and to him, he was a major obstacle."

"Was the Third Hokage also worried that Senior Sakumo's contributions were too great?"

Akashi tentatively voiced his own guess.

But Orochimaru shook his head.

He said, "Sarutobi's prestige back then was unrivaled. He was in good health and it wasn't yet time to worry about such things. Moreover, his primary political rival was Danzo, who needed the White Fang as a obedient, sharp blade. Besides, the White Fang's character had long been figured out; he was the type who was content to be a tool."

"Was Senior Sakumo a competitive obstacle to Danzo becoming Hokage?"

"Not really. The White Fang had no chance of becoming Hokage, unless the teacher wanted him to."

Orochimaru explained in detail.

Konoha, to put it bluntly, is an alliance of ninja clans. The Hokage is a leader elected by this collective of interests. There are two conditions: first, one's own strength must be sufficiently outstanding; second, one must be supported by the major clans.

Therefore, wanting to become Hokage is not simple.

The White Fang had no clan support behind him. His status and prestige in the hearts of the commoners were useless, because civilians cannot participate in Konoha's politics; they don't even have the right to vote.

Didn't this incident prove it?

So-called prestige collapses at a single touch.

Only those who can represent the interests of the various clans can obtain the trust vote of the Jonin group. And how many true commoners have become Jonin through their own efforts?

In the end, the upper echelons are still monopolized by the various clans.

The First and Second Hokage ascended by relying on their strength and the status of the founding clans. The Third also had significant power behind him; he hailed from the Sarutobi clan, was a disciple of the Second, and his classmates and friends were representatives of major clans. He also had the support of the moderate Uchiha faction led by Kagami Uchiha. As for the Fourth, there was no difference before or after his death; those who supported him were still the interest groups of the Third.

The White Fang and Minato belonged to the same type of person. Even if they ascended, they would not be able to hold real power for a long time until the older generation had truly left the stage.

"The White Fang was merely a sacrificial pawn Danzo used to target the teacher," Orochimaru concluded.

"If that's the case, the Third Hokage should have stepped in."

"War."

Orochimaru looked up slightly at the crescent moon in the sky, his expression solemn.

"At that time, the actions of the Land of Earth were becoming increasingly frequent. The previous war did not completely resolve the imbalance of development between the great nations; instead, it exacerbated the unfair distribution of resources. The peace bought by war could not be maintained for long."

"So the mission Senior Sakumo was executing..."

Akashi realized.

Orochimaru nodded.

"That's right. This mission caused serious losses to the Land of Fire, and the Daimyo and the high-level officials played a game of chess over it.

"In normal times, the White Fang's actions might not have triggered such an extreme reaction. But at the threshold of war, such things were not allowed. If someone could abandon a mission for such a reason and still be forgiven or even praised, receiving different treatment because of their prestige and status, then it would have shaken the morale of the army when the war began.

"The nobles of the Land of Fire didn't care about one person's honor or life; they cared about the impending Third Shinobi World War. They just happened to need a negative example to warn everyone.

"Kill one to warn a hundred.

"The essence of a ninja is to be a tool for killing; completing the mission is their vocation.

"Sacrificing one ninja to gain the cohesion of all ninjas, to win this war and obtain more benefits—perhaps in their eyes, it was a worthwhile trade.

"The White Fang did indeed have a major lapse. Although Sarutobi was unwilling to punish him severely, under the pressure of other high-level officials, relieving the White Fang of his duties and making him reflect at home was already the most appropriate handling."

It looks like a small village with a small population, but the infighting over power is endless.

Living in a place like this is truly exhausting.

Conversing with Orochimaru yielded information far richer than the sparse few words found in written records.

Akashi sighed, "Danzo probably never expected him to commit suicide, did he?"

Orochimaru's expression remained calm, "If it were an ordinary ninja, they might not have taken their own life; it is precisely because he was a ninja like the White Fang that he did so."

That was correct; the White Fang was an inheritor of the Will of Fire.

He practiced the philosophy first proposed by the First Hokage, fighting to protect his family, his friends, and the next generation.

It was just that reality had clashed with his nindo, much like encountering the trolley problem.

Thus, he swung his blade at the enemy to save his comrade, upholding his nindo.

He swung his blade at himself to apologize to the village, taking responsibility for his failure and finding a way out of the dilemma from which he could not escape.

Having seen through death, Orochimaru revealed a sense of regret for the White Fang's passing, yet his tone remained cold and detached, as if he were standing atop a high wall, observing the tragedy and offering a critique.

Nothing more than that.

Although it had little to do with him, the impact on Kakashi was profound.

Alas, losing one's father at a young age—this could be considered one of the many microcosms of the cruel ninja world.

The crescent moon in the sky hung like a hook, its light growing even colder.

"Teacher Sarutobi, one can no longer see the heroic bearing of the Shinobi Hero from those days. In the end, is it a lack of political wisdom and personal strength, or has he simply begun to fear loss? Having lost the sharp blade that was the White Fang, he will surely become even weaker, won't he?"

"Death is truly ethereal..."

"It is inexplicably... sorrowful." Orochimaru let out a faint sigh, tucked his hands into his pockets, and slowly walked back toward the laboratory.