The Suicide of the White Fang

The year 44 of Konoha was an ordinary day.

A rumor began to circulate throughout the village, claiming that the hero known alongside the Sannin—the one whose name struck fear into the hearts of enemies, the White Fang of Konoha, Hatake Sakumo—had abandoned a mission to save his comrades, causing the village to suffer great losses.

This rumor, originating from an unknown source, grew increasingly intense, stirring up an unprecedented storm.

Many began to criticize Hatake Sakumo, claiming he was unworthy of being called a hero of Konoha because he could not even complete his mission. Such gossip even reached the school.

Toru and Kurenai both heard about the matter.

Kurenai asked, "Is the White Fang truly not a hero?"

Toru answered her doubt, "The White Fang of Konoha is certainly a hero. But can a hero not make mistakes?"

Yuhi Kurenai revealed a cute expression of sudden realization and said, "That's right, heroes can make mistakes too."

Toru added, "Moreover, whether it was truly a mistake depends on the specific circumstances. Those who spread such malicious rumors probably know as little about the truth as we do, yet they use their mouths to insult a hero. Little do they know, the contributions they have made to Konoha likely don't even amount to one ten-thousandth of those of the White Fang of Konoha."

Kurenai agreed with Toru's perspective and echoed his sentiments.

Both of them assumed this was just another restless storm in the village that would soon blow over.

However, no one expected that this storm would not only intensify but also lead to a tragedy.

The White Fang of Konoha, the legendary ninja who made enemies across the ninja world tremble in fear, Hatake Sakumo, committed ritual suicide in his home.

This result was something Toru never expected.

The White Fang is so rigid, even to the point of foolishness. Why would he let a mob of rabble affect him to the extent of committing suicide?

And are the high-ranking officials of Konoha idiots? How could they allow the village's hero to be attacked by the villagers like this?

Or is there some hidden truth behind all of this?

Toru was deeply shocked, and he vaguely felt that the situation was not as simple as it appeared on the surface.

Toru decided to find Kakashi, the son of the man involved, to ask about the specific situation.

That evening, Toru told Kurenai that he would not be eating at home and headed alone to Kakashi's house.

When Hatake Sakumo was alive, he had once asked Kakashi to invite Toru over for a meal.

Because of that, Toru knew where Kakashi lived.

Come to think of it, during that meal, Hatake Sakumo had asked Toru to keep an eye on his unruly son in the future.

He never expected that his words would become a prophecy; Sakumo had actually taken his own life.

Now that Toru was coming to find Kakashi, it could be considered fulfilling Sakumo's final request.

Kakashi's house was somewhat similar to Toru's; both were large estates located in very quiet areas.

By the time he reached the gate, the sky had already darkened. Using the Six Eyes, Toru noticed that Kakashi was not home at that moment.

Fortunately, he did not have to wait long before Kakashi returned home carrying three fish.

Kakashi held up the fish and said, "Why did you come? Do you want to stay for dinner? I just caught these three fish."

Toru replied, "Sure."

The two entered the house, and Kakashi began to clean the fish to prepare dinner. Toru glanced out the window, seemingly noticing something.

At this moment, Kakashi spoke up, "You must have come to comfort me, right?"

Toru admitted it candidly, "I wanted to see how you are doing."

Kakashi felt the concern from his companion and choked up for a moment, saying, "...I really am not used to being alone right now."

Tears welled up in Kakashi's eyes, and the knife in his hand trembled slightly, but he firmly suppressed his grief.

"I lived like that for three years," Toru said calmly.

Kakashi was stunned. He had not known much about the family situation of the boy who had defeated him twice.

He never expected that Toru was like him, having lost both parents, and that it had been this way for two years already.

Toru continued, "My mother passed away a year after I was born, and my father died when I was five. On his deathbed, he entrusted me to the Uchiha clan, which is how I got to where I am today."

"At first, living alone was very difficult. There were many inconveniences—cleaning, laundry, and cooking—all of which affected my daily studies and training."

"But those were the easiest things to adapt to. The hardest part was the psychological struggle."

"The loneliness of living alone is very painful."

"I thought my life would always be like that, but then Kurenai's father asked me to have dinner with Kurenai every day so we could keep each other company."

"At first, I didn't think much of it, but after a while, I felt that the loneliness in my heart was indeed eased. For that, I am very grateful to Kurenai and her father."

Toru displayed a maturity beyond his years, and his words resonated deeply with Kakashi.

Kakashi sighed with a hint of envy, "Meeting Kurenai is truly your good fortune."

Toru said playfully, "Aren't you the same? I have Kurenai, and you have Rin."

Kakashi shook his head slightly, not addressing the topic directly, but shifting the conversation instead.

Kakashi gutted the three fish, washed the entrails under the faucet, and turned to look at Toru, asking, "If you were my father, facing that situation, would you choose to save your comrades or complete the mission? Was my father's approach wrong?"

Toru looked at Kakashi, feeling that this boy was not as strong as he appeared.

His heart had been greatly shaken by the death of his father.

However, Toru did not lie to coddle Kakashi's emotions. He stated his true perspective: "I think your father was wrong, but he wasn't wrong for saving his comrades; he was wrong to commit suicide because of the villagers' rumors."

"Saving comrades might not necessarily be the best choice, but it was a choice your father made himself. Since that is the case, the choice itself is neither right nor wrong."

"In my view, if comrades and missions need to be weighed, I will consider the situation."

"If the comrade is someone I don't know at all, I will complete the mission first, and only then try to save them if the mission allows."

"But if the comrade is someone I cherish, like Kurenai, then I would abandon the mission to save them immediately."

It was a quiet evening, and Toru's words drifted clearly through Kakashi's home, carrying out through the open window.

Kakashi thought carefully about Toru's words. Just then, movement outside the window interrupted his thoughts and caught his attention.

"Come out. I'll make a bit more, let's eat together."

Obito stood up from the bushes, scratching his head in embarrassment, and said, "You found us."

"Sorry," a gentle female voice came from behind Obito.

Obito turned around, startled, and let out a strange cry. Standing behind him was Nohara Rin.

"I didn't mean to hide... I just saw Obito and Rin hiding, so I hid too..." Another figure emerged from the bushes next to Nohara Rin—it was Yuhi Kurenai.

Yuhi Kurenai's face was flushed red, clearly having heard what Toru had just said.

Toru was not surprised in the slightest; in fact, the moment these three arrived outside the window, he had sensed them with his Six Eyes but had chosen not to say anything.

And so, on that night, four guests arrived at Kakashi's home all at once.