He Who Carries Firewood for the Masses Must Not Be Left to Freeze to Death in Wind and Snow (5th Update)

The White Fang incident continues to escalate into its fifth day.

Of his teammates, apart from Uchiha Soujin, the other three stood up and criticized White Fang for abandoning the mission.

The most unexpected one was Sakamoto Kouta.

If White Fang hadn't abandoned the mission and sent him back to Konoha for treatment in time, Sakamoto Kouta might already be dead.

Some people think Sakamoto Kouta heartless, but many more people think that Sakamoto Kouta has more of a sense of responsibility as a ninja than White Fang.

Even the Third Hokage didn't come out to defend White Fang, doesn't that say something?

Now, everyone is waiting for White Fang to step forward and apologize.

In the courtyard, Sakumo took a knife from an old wooden box and carefully wiped it clean.

"Father, someone's here." Kakashi walked in, but his tone wasn't very friendly, because the person who came wasn't exactly a "guest."

"Sakumo!"

Sakamoto Kouta entered the courtyard, his expression complex.

"You're here, have a seat." Sakumo looked up, glanced at Sakamoto Kouta, smiled slightly, and gestured for him to sit down next to him.

"Sorry!"

Sakamoto Kouta approached Sakumo and bowed deeply at a ninety-degree angle.

"Why apologize? Blaming me wasn't your intention, was it?" Sakumo retorted, adding at the end, "Based on my understanding of you."

"I," Sakamoto Kouta a moment, feeling very ashamed.

At the same time, Sakumo's calm reaction made him feel somewhat afraid.

Before coming, he had considered all sorts of reactions from Sakumo.

Anger, frustration, pain, depression, sadness, disappointment, indifference—all sorts of emotions are possible, but why is he so calm?

Does this incident really have no impact on him at all?

"Sakumo, admit your mistake." Sakamoto Kouta lowered his head. No matter what, he couldn't bring himself to look Sakumo in the eye and say those words.

"Admit your mistake?" Sakumo said calmly, "I don't think I did anything wrong. No matter the circumstances, I would only make this one choice."

"But... as long as you admit your mistake, this matter will be over, and" Sakamoto Kouta was prepared to take full responsibility. As long as Sakumo publicly apologized now, this matter would be over quickly.

"No the same."

Sakumo shook his head slightly.

"What's different? After this incident, you have no chance of becoming the Fourth Hokage! Wouldn't it be better to withdraw from the political struggles between the higher-ups and the clan as soon as possible? With your achievements and reputation, everyone will forgive you."

Sakamoto Kouta became more and more excited as he spoke.

"It is indeed very serious," Sakumo said firmly, looking directly into Sakamoto Kouta's eyes. "I will give you an explanation."

disappointment?

Sakamoto Kouta finally noticed the change in emotion on Sakumo's face.

Sakumo really has reason to be disappointed.

"I'm sorry!" Sakamoto Kouta apologized again, then turned and left.

Sakumo watched Sakamoto Kouta leave, then lowered his head and continued wiping the knife.

The Hatake clan was originally Samurai family, and these are Samurai swords passed down from their ancestors.

When Kakashi returned home, he did not find Sakumo in the backyard.

These past few days, Sakumo has mostly stayed in the backyard.

Kakashi quickly searched the house for Sakumo.

Fortunately, their house wasn't big, and they quickly found Sakumo in the kitchen, where he was wearing an apron and frying fish.

"Kakashi, you're back. Dinner will be ready soon, just wait a moment."

Hearing the noise, Sakumo turned around and smiled slightly at Kakashi.

"Father." Kakashi was taken aback when he saw Sakumo take the initiative to cook.

Because Sakumo was often away on missions, Kakashi learned to cook at home since he was four years old.

His cooking skills have now surpassed those of Sakumo, so even when Sakumo is at home, he is the one who cooks.

Soon, Sakumo had finished frying the fish.

He placed the slightly burnt fish on his plate, and gave the other, better-looking fish to Kakashi.

"Eat up." Sakumo smiled. "I haven't been in the kitchen in a long time, so the taste might not be very good."

Kakashi took a bite and smiled, "No, I think it's great."

It seemed that his father was not affected by the rumors at all. Thinking this, Kakashi felt that the fish meat in his mouth, which tasted ordinary, became more and more delicious as he chewed it.

The father and son ate their meal in silence.

Kakashi has no memory of his mother since he can remember.

It is said that his mother was already in poor health and died not long after giving birth to him.

However, Kakashi was very happy to have his father's company.

He received no less love from his father than any other child.

After the meal.

Sakumo washes the dishes, Kakashi wipes them, and then they are neatly arranged in the cupboard.

Seeing his son's skillful movements, Sakumo smiled.

"Kakashi, come with me for a moment."

"Um?"

Kakashi followed Sakumo into the bedroom.

Sakumo took down the Chakra Short Sword hanging on the wall, tied the strap around Kakashi's right shoulder, and nodded in satisfaction.

"Father, what's wrong?" Kakashi asked, somewhat bewildered.

Sakumo: "From today onwards, this ' White Fang ' is yours."

"But..." Kakashi hesitated, wondering if his father was planning to give up being a ninja.

Although he wanted to obtain the ' White Fang ' from his father, he envisioned that one day his father would grow old, and he would master the Hatake Style Swordsmanship to its fullest extent and rightfully inherit it.

The day came too early; Kakashi felt only astonishment, not joy.

At this moment, Sakumo walked to the bedside, took out a Samurai sword that he had just wiped clean during the day from the wooden box, and casually swung it a few times.

A chilling flash of light was followed by a sharp whistling sound as the blade cut through the air.

Even with the most ordinary sword, Hatake Sakumo is still the Konoha White Fang.

"Let's go practice our swordsmanship."

"Yes!" Kakashi nodded heavily. As long as his father was not affected by this incident, even if he gave up being a ninja, he would still be his role model. He would take his father's place and make the ' White Fang ' regain its fame in his hands.

The father and son walked towards the backyard.

Unfortunately, if Kakashi had been observant enough, he would have discovered two more swords in the wooden box: the slightly longer one was called Wakizashi, and the shorter one, which resembled a dagger, was called Kaiken.

At night, a sudden clap of thunder and lightning woke Kakashi up.

Outside the window, snowflakes drifted down from the sky.

"Is it snowing?"

Kakashi got out of bed and opened the window.

It's normal for it to snow in winter, but it's very rare to have thunder during a snowfall.

Thinking that Sakumo might also be woken up by the thunder, Kakashi walked towards the next room.

He pushed open the slightly ajar door.

Rumble!

A series of thunderclaps sounded, accompanied by flashes of white lightning, and Kakashi was able to see the scene inside the room clearly—

Sakumo lay curled up on the floor, his blood soaking the entire floor of the room.

White Fang is dead!

She died quietly at home.

He gave his confession by committing seppuku.

There is no second!

When Kushina brought the news, Shiraha, who was mixing a potion in his home laboratory, was in a daze.

He walked out of the room and into the courtyard.

It started snowing heavily last night, and by the end of the night, the yard was covered with a thick layer of snow.

A few snowflakes were still falling from the sky.

Shiraha reached out and caught the crystal-clear snowflakes. A cool sensation came from her palm as the snowflakes gradually melted.

In the past few days, Shiraha has gained a deeper understanding of the true nature of Konoha.

"Shiraha, why did Sakumo-sama commit suicide? Was it really because he was too psychologically fragile and couldn't bear the gossip, as others have said, that he chose to end his life?" Kushina asked, looking at the silent Shiraha.

Shiraha shook his head and sighed, "Politicians will never understand Sakumo's magnanimity!"

They are used to exchanging and compromising for interests, so they think everyone is the same.

Little did they know that Sakumo, for the sake of his beliefs, chose to die to prove his faith.

Perhaps, Sakumo's death was meant to make the higher-ups understand that faith cannot be trampled upon.

At the same time, it also made the higher-ups understand what the price of arrogance is!

His death was not without meaning.

From now on, if the higher-ups ever want to use the Will of Fire as a tool to incite the masses again, they should probably think of the lesson learned from Sakumo's example.

Those who carry firewood for the masses should not be left to freeze to death in the wind and snow;

Those who pave the way for freedom should not be trapped in thorns.

Sakumo's death was his tragedy.

It is also a tragedy for the entire Konoha.

He defended the true Will of Fire with his life and is a person worthy of respect.

Shiraha gazed in the direction of the Sakumo residence and bowed deeply.

PS: Not killing off White Fang in the previous book was indeed a mistake. After much hesitation, I still feel that this is the most suitable ending for White Fang.