Many clients, upon hearing that Hatake Sakumo had committed suicide because of public opinion, began to question Konoha's management capabilities and internal stability.
The suicide of the "White Fang of the Leaf" not only shocked them, but also shook their faith in Konoha's reputation.
After all, if internal pressure could drive such an exceptional ninja to suicide, it suggested that even more hidden currents and unseen dangers might lurk within Konoha.
A wealthy merchant who had worked with Konoha for many years sat in his office, his brows tightly furrowed.
He recalled how Hatake Sakumo had flawlessly completed missions in the past. Under Sakumo's hands, even the most difficult situations became manageable, and his mission success rate had been astonishingly high. Whenever a mission became difficult to advance, Sakumo had always been the merchants' first choice.
But now, Sakumo's death left him deeply confused.
"Can Konoha... truly continue offering the same reliability?" the wealthy merchant muttered to himself. "If they can't even protect their own strongest warriors, how much can the completion rate of other ninja's missions really be guaranteed?"
Many employers and clients gradually began transferring their missions to other ninja villages, particularly competitors such as Kumogakure and Sunagakure.
Though those villages did not possess a legendary figure like Hatake Sakumo, employers would rather choose strength that appeared stable than an unsettled and turbulent Konoha.
As a result, Konoha's number of commissioned missions dropped sharply, directly affecting the village's economy and overall operations.
The Daimyo of the Land of Fire was especially concerned about this.
As the ruler of the Land of Fire, he had always valued Hatake Sakumo's abilities highly.
Hatake Sakumo had helped him handle many important confidential missions, especially sensitive diplomatic and political assignments. Sakumo's outstanding performance had earned the Daimyo's deep trust.
The Daimyo sat