"I don't need anyone to save me. As a ninja, once I've accepted a mission, I must be prepared to sacrifice my life for it!"
"I begged him to leave and carry out the mission!"
"Because of me, the mission failed, and the village suffered enormous losses. It was my fault. I'm willing to take my own life to atone!"
BlaBlaBla...
The rumors suddenly erupted again one day. The Chunin named Murakami Ame, whose life White Fang had saved, came forward publicly to apologize. He even tried to kill himself to atone, but was rescued.
Public opinion in Konoha once again turned against White Fang.
The calls to punish him grew louder and louder. At that moment, it seemed everyone thought White Fang's punishment wasn't harsh enough and that it should be increased—they even wanted him locked up in the Jail.
Every day, people threw rotten eggs and spoiled vegetables outside the Hatake Clan compound, shouting abuse without end, as though White Fang had truly done something unforgivable to Konoha, or even betrayed the village.
"They're really making a spectacle of themselves!"
Walking down the street with a skewer of red bean dango in hand, Suifeng listened to the villagers whispering and to the indignant comments of some others. A cold smile tugged at his lips.
They were just fighting for power. Was there any need to make things this ugly?
Condemned by all, with slander enough to destroy a man...
Konoha's White Fang was no longer the war hero he had once been. Now he was a public enemy, disgraced and shut away in his home, responding to everything with the most extreme silence.
One either exploded in silence or perished in it. White Fang had chosen the latter.
"Even if White Fang dies, there are still the Sannin. Do you think the Sannin alone can hold everything together? Once the Third Great Ninja War ends, the Sannin leave, the Nine-Tails is unleashed, and the Fourth Hokage dies, all of Konoha will enter a period of extreme weakness. No wonder the Uchiha Clan will think of rebelling. Still, what a brainless rebellion!"
No matter how much Konoha weakened, it was still a great ninja village, with foundations no single clan could match. The funniest part was that the two powerful men the Uchiha Clan relied on were both Konoha's spies. They were turned against the clan, then joined forces with Root to wipe out the Uchiha Clan. Wasn't that completely insane?
Even the Kaguya Clan, who were called madmen, had at least fought the Mist Ninja. The Uchiha Clan, on the other hand, was wiped out almost without a sound. What a disgrace.
That was the Uchiha Clan's future joke. For now, he wanted to watch Konoha become a joke.
"Kakashi's wound should be healed by now. I just wonder what he'll be like after his father dies. In the original story, he seemed to go through a dark period, then went through another one when Obito died. Is this guy even White Fang's biological son? How can he take so much pressure? He even held on until the end and became the Sixth Hokage. His mental fortitude is incredible!"
Mulling over all sorts of things, Suifeng turned a corner and spotted a barbecue restaurant.
An Akimichi Clan barbecue restaurant!
The aroma of grilled meat in the private room did nothing to dispel its oppressive atmosphere. Kakashi sat in a chair, expressionless, his dead-fish eyes staring ahead. His whole bearing warned people to keep their distance.
Rin sat beside him, her face full of worry, unsure what to say.
Obito, as usual, tried to joke around and cheer Kakashi up. Unfortunately, he was not only stupid, but also lacked Naruto's gift of persuasion. All his efforts were for nothing.
"Kakashi, so you're here!"
Just as they were wondering how to comfort Kakashi, the door opened.
"Suifeng, you bastard! What are you doing here?!"
The moment Obito saw him, he leaped up and pointed at Suifeng, shouting.
"Tch. You can be here, so why can't I? I'm not here to see you." Suifeng curled his lip and answered dismissively.
"Y-you—you came to see Kakashi for what?!"
"I have something to do!" Suifeng walked over to the three of them and plopped down without asking, taking the seat Obito had just occupied, right beside Rin.
"Long time no see, Rin!"
"Mm, long time no see!" Rin blushed, her voice growing soft.
So much for looks being everything. Though Suifeng and Rin hadn't interacted much at school, with the Leader's good looks and his gentle, friendly manner, he still made the young girl a little nervous and shy.
"You bastard! Nobody invited you. What did you come here for?!"
Seeing Rin's shy expression made Obito fly into a rage. He hopped up and down as he yelled.
"I heard the rumors going around, so I came to see Kakashi!"
"Huh?!" Kakashi looked up, his dead-fish eyes fixed on Suifeng in confusion.
He had never gotten over losing to Suifeng and had wanted to get even. But recently, he too had been hounded by the village's rumors, leaving him confused. Naturally, his desire to get even had faded.
"That guy Murakami Ame is a bastard. Kakashi, do you know where he lives? Let's go beat him up and blow off some steam!"
"What?!"
The three of them were startled. None of them had expected Suifeng to suggest that.
"What do you mean, 'what'?! White Fang saved his life and abandoned the mission for him, yet that guy actually said that in public. He's a cowardly little snake! How can someone like that be a ninja? I won't feel right until we beat him up!"
"But, but...!"
"But what, Obito? Don't tell me you're scared!" Suifeng smiled.
"Scared? No way! It's just that he didn't do anything wrong. What he said was true, too. If we beat him up, it'll...!"
"Who says he did nothing wrong? That guy was too weak and held White Fang back, and now he has the nerve to accuse him. Doesn't he deserve a good lesson?!" As he spoke, Suifeng stood up and turned to Kakashi. "Well, Kakashi? Are you coming?"
Kakashi's expression grew complicated.
Suifeng's suggestion was tempting. He hated Murakami Ame, too. But Kakashi was precocious, and thought about things more deeply. He had been taught from childhood how to become a proper ninja. A ninja had to be ready to sacrifice his life to complete a mission. White Fang himself had taught him that, and the lesson was etched deep in his mind. But now his father had gone against that very principle, leaving him confused. And the man who had caused his father's mission to fail was still accusing him. Naturally, Kakashi was full of resentment and hatred.
But Kakashi was far more mature than that idiot Obito, and weighed things more carefully.
Strictly speaking, Murakami Ame hadn't done anything wrong. He had simply been too weak. He hadn't been the one to decide to save him, either. If White Fang hadn't rescued him and had instead completed the mission, Murakami Ame's name would have been carved into the Memorial Stone, and Konoha would have honored him.
Why should he go after a ninja who hadn't done anything wrong?
After thinking it over, Kakashi shook his head and refused.
"I refuse," Kakashi said. "Murakami didn't violate the rules of being a ninja, and everything he said was true. I have no reason to blame him!"
"Heh!"
Suifeng gave a couple of "hehs." "You really are something, Kakashi. You can even put up with this!"
"Suifeng, doing this would only make White Fang's situation even more difficult," Rin said quietly from the side.
"That's true!" Suifeng said, as if something had just occurred to him. "How about you stay here, Kakashi? I'll go beat him up. White Fang and I aren't related, so beating him up won't drag White Fang into it."
"Uh..." Kakashi looked up at Suifeng, at a loss for words. Just then, the door opened again, and a figure appeared in the room. In a low voice, he said, "Kakashi, come with me at once!"
"Anbu?!"
The black cloak and strange mask made his identity unmistakable: one of the useless Anbu.
Kakashi looked confused, but his heart began pounding involuntarily, as if something terrible had happened.
"Heh. Looks like White Fang has made his decision." Watching Kakashi disappear with the Anbu, Suifeng had already guessed what had happened.
White Fang had taken his own life!
Before you continue