Accused by Ten Thousand, Died Without Illness

"I don't need anyone to save me. As a ninja, once a mission is accepted, one must be prepared to sacrifice oneself for it!"

"I begged him to leave and carry out the mission!"

"Because of my personal reasons, this mission failed, causing the village to suffer heavy losses. It is my fault, and I am willing to die to atone for my sins!"

Rumors erupted once again one day. Murakami Ame, the chunin whose life had been saved by White Fang, came out publicly to apologize, even going so far as to attempt suicide to atone for his actions before being saved.

Public opinion in Konoha slid once more in a direction unfavorable to White Fang.

The calls for accountability grew increasingly loud. It seemed that at this moment, everyone felt the punishment given to White Fang was insufficient and needed to be intensified, with some even suggesting he be thrown into prison.

Outside the Hatake clan compound, people threw rotten eggs and vegetable leaves every day, accompanied by endless jeers and insults, as if White Fang had truly committed some unforgivable sin against Konoha or had even betrayed the village.

"This is truly an ugly sight."

Walking down the street with a skewer of red bean dumplings, Suifeng curled his lips into a cold sneer as he listened to the whispers of the villagers and the indignant clamor of the crowd.

It was nothing more than a power struggle; was it really necessary to make it look this unsightly?

Accusations from all sides, a reputation destroyed by slander...

The White Fang of Konoha was no longer the war hero he once was, but a street rat that everyone wanted to beat. Having lost all prestige, he remained behind closed doors, facing everything with absolute silence.

One either erupts in silence or dies in it. White Fang chose the latter.

"Once White Fang is dead, there is still the Sannin. Do you really think the Sannin can hold everything together? By the time the Third Shinobi World War ends, the Sannin will have left, the Nine-Tails will be unleashed, and the Fourth Hokage will be dead. The entire Konoha will fall into a state of extreme decline. It's no wonder the Uchiha Clan would harbor thoughts of rebellion, though that was still a brainless move!"

No matter how weak Konoha became, it was still a major ninja village, and its foundation was not something a single clan could contend with. The most ridiculous part was that the two experts the Uchiha Clan relied on were actually Konoha moles who had been turned. Then, the Uchiha Clan was wiped out by these traitors in league with Root. Isn't that just insane?

Even the Kaguya Clan, known as lunatics, at least fought a battle against the Mist Ninja, yet the Uchiha Clan was wiped out almost without a sound. What a disgrace.

That was a joke for the future of the Uchiha Clan; right now, he wanted to watch the joke that was Konoha.

"Kakashi's injuries should be healed by now. I just don't know what will happen after his father dies. In the original story, this guy seemed to go through a dark period, and then another one when Obito died. Is he really White Fang's biological son? His stress resistance is so high that he managed to hold on until the end and even became the Sixth Hokage. His mental fortitude is just too strong!"

Thinking about these miscellaneous matters, Suifeng turned a corner and saw a barbecue restaurant.

The Akimichi Clan's barbecue restaurant!

Inside the private room, the aroma of grilled meat could not dispel the oppressive atmosphere. Kakashi sat in a chair with a blank expression, his dead-fish eyes staring ahead, radiating an aura that warned others to keep their distance.

Rin sat to the side with a worried look, not knowing what to say.

Obito, as usual, was trying to clown around to cheer Kakashi up, but unfortunately, he was not only dim-witted but also lacked Naruto's "Talk no Jutsu" skills, so his efforts were in vain.

"Kakashi, so you're here!"

Just as they were wondering how to guide Kakashi, the door to the room was pushed open.

"Suifeng, you bastard, why are you here?!"

Seeing who it was, Obito jumped up, pointing at Suifeng with claws outstretched.

"Tch, if you can be here, why can't I? I didn't come looking for you, anyway." Suifeng curled his lip, looking disdainful.

"You, you, you, you, why did you come to find Kakashi?!"

"Naturally, I have my reasons!" Suifeng walked up to the three of them and sat down without ceremony, taking the seat Obito had just vacated, right next to Rin.

"Long time no see, Rin!"

"Um, long time no see!" Rin's face flushed, and her voice grew soft.

It is often said that beauty is justice. Although Suifeng and Rin didn't have much interaction at school, Suifeng's handsome appearance and his gentle, friendly tone still made the young girl, Rin, feel a bit nervous and shy.

"You bastard! Nobody invited you, what are you doing here?!"

Rin's shy demeanor only made Obito more furious, and he jumped up and down, shouting.

"I heard the rumors outside, so I came to find Kakashi!"

"Huh?" Kakashi raised his head, his dead-fish eyes looking at Suifeng in confusion.

Having been defeated by Suifeng, he had always held a grudge and wanted to get even, but he had been troubled by the rumors in the village lately. His heart was filled with confusion, and the desire to settle the score had naturally faded.

"That guy named Murakami Ame is a total jerk. Kakashi, do you know where he lives? How about we go beat him up to vent our frustration?!"

"Huh?"

The three people in the room were startled. None of them expected Suifeng to make such a suggestion.

"Huh what? Lord White Fang saved his life and gave up the mission for his sake, yet this guy is saying such things. He's nothing but a petty person. How can someone like that be a ninja? I won't be able to rest easy until I beat him up!"

"But, but...!"

"But what, Obito? Don't tell me you're scared?!" Suifeng smiled.

"Scared? How could I be? It's just that he didn't do anything wrong, and what he said is the truth. If we go and beat him up, we'll...!"

"Who says he didn't do anything wrong? This guy clearly lacked the skill and held Lord White Fang back, and now he has the nerve to accuse him! Shouldn't someone like that be taught a lesson?!" As he spoke, Suifeng stood up and said to Kakashi, "Well, Kakashi, let's go together!"

Kakashi's expression became complex.

Suifeng's suggestion was very tempting; he also hated Murakami Ame deeply. However, being overly precocious, he thought about much more. Since he was a child, he had been taught how to become a qualified ninja—that a ninja should not hesitate to sacrifice their life to complete a mission. All of this had been taught to him by White Fang himself and was deeply ingrained in his mind. Yet now, the father who taught him this principle had violated it, which naturally caused him confusion. And the guy who caused his father's mission to fail was still accusing his father, so he was naturally filled with dissatisfaction and hatred.

But precisely because he was so precocious, the things he considered were far beyond what an idiot like Obito could imagine.

Strictly speaking, Murakami Ame had not done anything wrong; he simply lacked the strength. It was not his decision to save anyone, and had White Fang not saved him but instead completed the mission, his name would surely have been carved onto the Memorial Stone, earning the respect of Konoha.

As a ninja who had committed no fault, on what grounds could he go and cause trouble for him?

Therefore, after some thought, Kakashi shook his head and refused.

"I refuse!" Kakashi said. "Murakami did not violate the ninja code, and everything he said was true. I have no reason to blame him!"

"Heh!"

Suifeng let out two dry chuckles. "I'm truly impressed, Kakashi. You can actually hold yourself back from this!"

"Suifeng, doing that would only make Lord White Fang's situation even more difficult," Rin whispered from the side.

"That's true, I suppose." Seeming to recall something, Suifeng said, "How about this, Kakashi? You don't have to go. I'll go beat him up instead. Since I have no connection to Lord White Fang, beating him up won't implicate Lord White Fang at all."

"Uh...!" Kakashi looked up at Suifeng, momentarily at a loss for words. Just then, the door was pushed open again. A figure flashed into the room and said in a low voice, "Kakashi, come with me at once!"

"Anbu?!"

The black robe and the strange mask already made his identity clear: the useless Anbu.

Kakashi wore a puzzled expression, yet his heart began to pound violently against his will, as if something terrible had happened.

"Heh, it seems White Fang has already made his decision, hasn't he?" Watching the figures of Kakashi and the Anbu vanish, Suifeng had already guessed what had occurred.

White Fang had committed suicide.