White Fang

Although Genma was anxious to obtain the setting value, he forced himself to remain patient.

From their first meeting, Genma knew that Tsunade was not an easy person to approach.

It was hard to say what the future held, but at least for now, that was the situation with Tsunade.

Therefore, he had to proceed slowly and steadily.

Of course, Genma had not forgotten about Kakashi because of Shizune and Tsunade.

Kakashi was, after all, the man who had provided him with his first setting value.

Moreover, Kakashi was absolutely qualified as a beneficial friend.

Most of the time, the two of them practiced on their own, but sparring had become an almost daily essential for them.

Taijutsu, shurikenjutsu, and kenjutsu were all areas where Genma needed to learn from Kakashi.

This was due to the latter's family heritage.

Genma also had teachings passed down from his parents, but he had to admit that compared to Hatake Sakumo, they were certainly far, far behind.

Of course, there were also areas where Kakashi learned from Genma.

He was good at summarizing and had many "whimsical ideas."

At the same time, influenced by his own family heritage, his chakra control surpassed that of Kakashi.

Genma was also generous in teaching Kakashi his techniques.

The value of friendship lies in sincerity.

However, Genma also believed that friendships needed to be nurtured through communication and interaction; otherwise, no matter how good the bond was, it would fade over time.

Since Kakashi was beneficial to him, Genma naturally had to be beneficial to Kakashi as well.

This benefit was not just emotional or psychological support, but also included tangible advantages.

It sounded a bit snobbish, but Genma's young body ultimately housed an adult soul.

Perhaps this was also the reason why he possessed such great talent in chakra control.

When he first practiced with Shizune, his progress had lagged behind hers.

But just two months later, Shizune had been surpassed.

However, although he still walked Shizune home at night, he never encountered Tsunade again, which left Genma slightly regretful, even though he hadn't thought of any good solutions yet.

Spring departed and summer arrived.

After a long while, Genma finally saw Hatake Sakumo again.

"Uncle Sakumo!"

Genma's greeting was filled with both enthusiasm and respect.

"Genma~"

Hatake Sakumo greeted him gently.

Stripped of his identity as a ninja, he was a very gentle elder.

After chatting for a few moments, Hatake Sakumo and his son departed.

Watching their retreating figures, Genma's mind drifted to the death of Hatake Sakumo.

On the eve of the Battle of Kannabi Bridge, Namikaze Minato had once mentioned the deeds of the White Fang of Konoha, Hatake Sakumo, to Uchiha Obito.

It was said at the time that he had committed suicide five years prior.

Kakashi was already 12 at that time, which meant Hatake Sakumo had died by suicide when Kakashi was 7.

That meant... next year.

There were two versions of Hatake Sakumo's death, and the most popular one was undoubtedly the conspiracy theory.

The conspiracy theory was further divided into two versions.

One was that Sarutobi Hiruzen had secretly fanned the flames after Hatake Sakumo's mission failure because Hatake Sakumo's reputation was too high, surpassing the Legendary Sannin, and he didn't want him to become the next Hokage.

Consequently, Hatake Sakumo could not withstand the public pressure and committed suicide.

The second version was that Danzo was pulling strings in the shadows because Hatake Sakumo wore the Hokage haori and was the best candidate for the next Hokage; as someone coveting the position, Danzo had struck without hesitation.

The Pot Kage, after all.

Whenever it was unclear who was behind a malicious act, it could always be blamed on Danzo.

But to be objective, the current Danzo did not yet covet the position of Hokage.

Even during the Third Shinobi World War, when Danzo found an opportunity to force Sarutobi Hiruzen to step down, he did not force himself into power, choosing instead to support Orochimaru.

Unfortunately, the Yellow Flash had emerged out of nowhere.

But what was the truth behind the death of Hatake Sakumo?

Genma did not possess much intelligence, but he could glimpse the truth from the fragments he had.

Before the Battle of Kannabi Bridge, when Namikaze Minato mentioned White Fang of Konoha to Uchiha Obito, Uchiha Obito knew of him, but only as a hero of the village; he was unaware that White Fang of Konoha had died by suicide.

From this, one can deduce that the failure of Hatake Sakumo's mission did not actually reach the point where everyone in Konoha knew about it.

Furthermore, the fact of Hatake Sakumo's suicide was limited to a small number of people; to the vast majority of Konoha, Hatake Sakumo remained a hero who died in battle for the village.

There is another piece of supporting evidence.

This failed mission resulted in significant losses for Konoha and the Land of Fire; such an important mission must have been S-rank, and as a classified mission, it could not be widely publicized.

If there was no conspiracy theory and no massive public pressure, why would Hatake Sakumo commit suicide?

First, being blamed by the comrades he rescued was a certainty.

Kakashi's later obsession with completing missions stemmed from this, and it did not change until the Battle of Kannabi Bridge, after the death of Nohara Rin.

Would a ninja who potentially possessed Kage-level strength and had survived countless brutal wars commit suicide for this reason alone?

Genma felt this was only a very, very minor factor.

The key was the mission failure and the resulting massive losses.

From a cultural tradition standpoint, as the person in charge, committing ritual suicide for such a failure was quite logical.

Especially when the Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, was unable to step in and affirm Hatake Sakumo's choice.

Even though Hatake Sakumo's actions strictly adhered to Konoha's Will of Fire.

In fact, his death was also an adherence to the Will of Fire.

After all, the mission failed because Hatake Sakumo chose to save his comrades.

As the person in charge, he had to bear the primary responsibility, but in the madness of the Naruto world, were the people he saved not also irresponsible for turning around and blaming their superior?

If one were truly unhinged, when Hatake Sakumo decided to abandon the mission to save him, he should have committed suicide himself to allow Hatake Sakumo to continue and complete the mission.

So why did Sarutobi Hiruzen remain silent?

After all, the death of Hatake Sakumo was an absolute, massive loss for Konoha.

This was a powerful ninja capable of suppressing the Legendary Sannin.

Standing from the perspective of an ordinary person, Genma could not understand it, so Sarutobi Hiruzen was either stupid, evil, or both.

But if one stands from the perspective of the Hokage, Genma could understand.

First, Konoha is a military mercenary organization whose economic sources are primarily appropriations from the Land of Fire Daimyo's office and mission commissions.

Whether it is the Daimyo or mission commissions, both require mission completion rates.

Any mission can be considered a military order.

And for the sake of internal unity, Konoha promotes the Will of Fire.

Especially the Will of Fire that Sarutobi Hiruzen inherited from the First and Second Hokage and subsequently promoted; it emphasizes sacrificing oneself to protect comrades and the younger generation, and passing this spirit down continuously.

When the Will of Fire conflicts with mission execution, Sarutobi Hiruzen, as Hokage, clearly cannot take a direct stance.

If he affirmed Hatake Sakumo's actions, it would shake the foundation of Konoha's mission system.

If he completely denounced Hatake Sakumo's actions and punished him directly, it would shake the ideological foundation of Konoha.

Therefore, as Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen could only handle it with cold indifference.

Genma felt that Hatake Sakumo might have realized this as well.

Thus, Hatake Sakumo's suicide was both a protection for his subordinates and juniors, continuing to practice the Will of Fire, and a way to take responsibility for the mission failure with his own death.

Turning to head home, Genma could not help but frown.

If the death of Hatake Sakumo were a conspiracy, the situation would actually be easier to change.

But if it were as he had analyzed, then things were likely troublesome.

Otherwise, he would have to change the outcome of the mission failure.

But setting aside other conditions, just to participate in such a classified mission, one would need to be at least an elite Chunin, or even a Special Jonin or Jonin level.

Although he had a cheat, Genma did not have the confidence to reach that level within a year.

"Sigh, if I had the Talk no Jutsu, I should have modified the settings for it first!"

Genma sighed deeply to himself.