White Fang's Suicide

One year later.

On this day, a piece of news spread throughout the village.

That renowned legendary ninja—the White Fang of the Leaf, Kakashi's father, Hatake Sakumo—

had actually failed a mission, causing the village to suffer losses.

For an ordinary ninja, mission failure is not a rare occurrence;

after all, ninjas who maintain a one-hundred-percent mission completion rate are few and far between.

But the protagonist of this failure was the White Fang of the Leaf, a hero who had once established illustrious military exploits for Konoha through his exceptional strength. This was something the people of the village found impossible to accept.

Amada walked along the streets of Konoha, the discussions of the villagers constantly ringing in his ears.

"I can't believe it, even the White Fang of the Leaf could fail. This is simply a disgrace to the village!"

"Indeed, he was the hero we always revered. How could he let this happen?"

Amada frowned slightly and continued walking forward. In the places where ninjas gathered, the air was similarly filled with accusations against Hatake Sakumo.

"He is a ninja who carries the honor of the village on his shoulders. This failure is truly unforgivable!"

A young ninja's face was filled with righteous indignation.

This atmosphere of condemnation began to intensify throughout the village.

Some went even further, actually saying:

"He should commit suicide to atone for his sins!"

Hearing these words, a sense of sorrow welled up in Amada's heart.

He could not understand why the people who had once been filled with reverence and adoration for Hatake Sakumo could so easily push him into the abyss after a single failure.

In Amada's view, Hatake Sakumo had sacrificed countless things for the village;

how could a single failed mission overshadow his past achievements?

The speed at which these people changed their attitudes was truly chilling.

He sighed silently and quickened his pace, wanting to escape this whirlpool of malicious public opinion.

Amada looked at the villagers around him, their faces twisted in anger as they spewed vitriol, and his heart was filled with disdain.

"What a bunch of ignorant fools,"

he muttered to himself, his pace slowing down involuntarily as a trace of disappointment flickered in his eyes.

"An elite ninja with such strength should be protected. What does a single mission failure even matter? He is still alive, and his strength remains. How can they be planning to abandon him over such a minor setback?"

"Besides, the village's attitude is also very strange,"

Amada continued to ponder, a flash of doubt crossing his eyes.

"They are actually allowing this atmosphere to spread without taking any measures to quell the public opinion."

But he knew clearly that this was not something he, a student who hadn't even graduated from the Ninja Academy, could manage.

He was like a spectator standing on the sidelines, forced to watch everything unfold while listening to those grating accusations.

He could only hope that Hatake Sakumo would be able to pull himself together soon.

However, just a few days later, news arrived like a bolt from the blue, leaving Amada completely shocked.

"Hatake Sakumo committed suicide?"

"No way. Is a powerful elite ninja like him really so mentally fragile?"

Amada could not believe it. He could not fathom why the White Fang of the Leaf, who had once been majestic on the battlefield and struck terror into the hearts of his enemies, would choose to end his own life because of a few words of criticism.

"It was just some talk. No one would have actually dared to come and cause trouble. With your strength, who would dare to act rashly?"

The more Amada thought about it, the more absurd it seemed.

"Even if the village intended to move against him, if he couldn't win, he could have just taken Kakashi and left. The world is vast; where could he not go? Who could possibly stop him?"

Amada shook his head helplessly.

He truly could not understand Hatake Sakumo's choice. In his heart, such an ending was simply too regrettable.

Amada always felt that there was something indescribably strange about this matter.

An elite ninja with such distinguished service was driven to a dead end by public opinion over a single failed mission;

could there be deeper, underlying reasons behind this?

His heart was filled with doubt.

Ever since the day Hatake Sakumo committed suicide, Amada never saw Kakashi's figure again.

And so, two years passed.

In the ninja academy of Konoha, everything was changing quietly.

The once green and immature students had all gradually grown up.

Most of them were making final preparations for the upcoming graduation.

Might Guy, relying on his specialization in taijutsu, had already graduated early last year.

His graduation made Obito feel even more anxious.

Obito watched as his classmates drew closer and closer to graduation one by one.

Yet, he remained stuck because his theoretical grades were consistently unsatisfactory, leaving him filled with anxiety.

He often fretted over those obscure and difficult theoretical concepts.

As for Amada, he had actually possessed the strength to graduate for a long time.

Thanks to the ability enhancements brought by the [Spectator] potion.

He had made a qualitative leap in ninjutsu, taijutsu, and theoretical knowledge.

However, he deliberately performed poorly in his theoretical classes.

Every time he took an exam, he skillfully controlled his score to remain at a mediocre level.

He knew clearly that graduating too early might expose him to various dangers and unwanted attention prematurely.

Graduating a little later would allow him more time to settle and grow.

Over these two years, Amada had accumulated many green lottery chances, from which he drew many precious blue-tier items.

Among them were the Fire Release techniques of young Uchiha Itachi and the swordsmanship experience of an elite Marine from One Piece.

The Fire Release techniques of young Uchiha Itachi gave him a brand-new understanding and mastery of Fire Release ninjutsu.

He began to try integrating these techniques into his own ninjutsu training.

Gradually, the Fire Release ninjutsu he cast not only increased significantly in power but also became more flexible and versatile.

The swordsmanship experience of the elite Marine also allowed him to make great progress in his swordsmanship.

It was as if he had opened a brand-new door, learning many unique swordsmanship concepts and techniques.

He began to use his time after school to practice swordsmanship diligently at the edge of an uninhabited forest.

The sword in his hand whistled as he swung it, and every strike carried a sharp and fierce momentum.

As time passed, his swordsmanship became more and more refined, gradually forming his own unique style.

In addition to this, he also drew some blue-quality weapons.

Each one exuded a unique aura.

For those items that could be used to directly strengthen himself, Amada did not hesitate to integrate them, allowing his strength to be further improved.

As for the weapons he could not use, he dismantled them to accumulate materials.

He had a plan in mind to save up enough to perform a blue-tier 10-pull.

The graduation exam was divided into a theoretical assessment and a ninjutsu assessment.

The theoretical assessment was actually not difficult, testing basic ninja knowledge.

The ninjutsu assessment tested the ability to perform the Transformation Technique, Clone Technique, and Substitution Technique.

Being able to perform two of them was considered passing.

On the day of the theoretical assessment.

Amada deliberately slowed down his answering speed to ensure his score landed exactly on the passing line.

The venue for the ninjutsu assessment was the academy's playground.

Amada stood in the center of the field and transformed into the appearance of the Third Hokage, with his looks and demeanor identical to the original.

Next was the Clone Technique; he moved his hands rapidly, and several identical clones instantly appeared beside him.

Finally, the Substitution Technique; just as everyone's eyes were fixed on his clones, he suddenly vanished from his spot.

He appeared under a tree not far away, while a piece of wood sat in his original position.

The entire process was completed in one go, without a single flaw.