Dumpling's Suicide Attack

"Cough, cough~~"

The Third Hokage raised a fist to his mouth and let out a fake cough.

Kakashi stepped forward and pulled Might Guy away.

Only then did the two of them take a closer look.

In Uchiha Sasuke's left eye were two tomoe. One had already solidified, while the other was still somewhat faint, but it was undeniably there.

"Sasuke, don't worry. No one here will be able to hurt you. I'll take care of you for Fugaku. You should know that your name is the same as my late father's. Back then, your father went to great lengths to obtain my approval!"

The Third Hokage rose from his seat, walked over to Uchiha Sasuke, and comforted him gently.

He even explained the origin of Uchiha Sasuke's name.

It was as if he were treating him like his own child.

No!

He had never been this gentle even with Asuma Sarutobi.

Might Guy continued watching with his usual broad-minded simplicity. How worthy of respect it was for the leader of his village to possess such generosity!

As for Kakashi, he felt as though he had seen the Third Hokage wear such a smile somewhere before.

After thinking carefully, he realized it had been when facing Naruto Uzumaki.

Uchiha Sasuke responded well to this. Moved by the Third Hokage's warmth, he regained some of his senses.

"Sasuke! Tell me about the process of awakening your Sharingan. It will be beneficial to your future growth."

The Third Hokage remained kindly, wearing an expression as though he were considering Uchiha Sasuke's well-being.

"On the night of the clan massacre, I had already awakened a one-tomoe Sharingan. When I saw that person just now, I remembered some things, and my eye started hurting again."

Tears still lingered on Uchiha Sasuke's face, but encouraged by the Third Hokage, he recalled those cruel and unpleasant memories.

"What was his connection to the Uchiha Clan? Do you remember?"

The Third Hokage took Dumpling's portrait from Kakashi, moved farther away from Uchiha Sasuke, and only then asked.

If Dumpling truly was a member of the Uchiha Clan, why were there no records of him in the village? They had been keeping an eye on the Uchiha Clan for a long time already.

Counting carefully, ever since he had inherited Tobirama Senju's final wish, three years after three years after three years—nearly ten years had passed.

Uchiha Sasuke's expression shifted again as he endured the discomfort.

"No, I never saw him in the Uchiha Clan. But on the night of the clan massacre, he suddenly appeared and knocked me unconscious.

When I woke up again, the pain had woken me.

He held me hostage against Itachi. After biting off one of my fingers, he knocked me out again!

Right, while I was being knocked out, I saw that his feet were actually floating in the air.

And he really looked like the evil demons Mother described in ghost stories, which was why I reacted that way."

As expected of someone from the Uchiha Clan, once Uchiha Sasuke broke free from his fear, he was already able to recount the entire incident clearly and methodically.

"His feet left the ground? Could it have been Earth Release?" The Third Hokage recalled Kakashi's mission report as well, and a headache began to form.

But his thoughts were interrupted by a startled cry.

"Bit off?" Might Guy cried out in shock.

He recalled the scene when he had gone to Konoha Hospital to pick up Uchiha Sasuke. The medical ninja had specifically warned him that the missing finger might affect his future path as a ninja.

Might Guy had felt somewhat regretful at the time, but he had never expected that finger to have been bitten off.

What kind of grudge? What kind of hatred? How could someone be so cruel?

Of course, it was the hatred of a massacred clan and a destroyed family!

Meanwhile, the Third Hokage's heart churned like stormy waves. This person's methods were a disaster waiting to happen.

But for top-tier ninja, performing ninjutsu only required them to press their hands together—whatever they called for would come. What use did they have for fingers?

What worried him most was that if they could kidnap Uchiha Sasuke and threaten Uchiha Itachi, did that mean their plan had been exposed?

But only a limited number of people knew about that plan.

As Kakashi recalled how Dumpling and Yajirobe had acted at the time, a sentence suddenly came back to him.

"You can't eat that!"

Kakashi looked at Might Guy with a strange expression.

Kakashi leaned close to the Third Hokage's ear and mentioned it in a low voice.

The Third Hokage looked utterly shocked. "What kind of monsters are these?!"

Fortunately, he had weathered countless storms and quickly composed himself.

"Kakashi, take Sasuke back to Konoha Hospital. Protect him well. From now on, he will be your disciple."

The Third Hokage made up his mind. Uchiha Sasuke and Uchiha Itachi had to become part of his own forces. Only then could they burn themselves to light his way—this was Konoha's Will of Fire. The best way was to make them his disciples and descendants.

Kakashi was an excellent choice.

As long as he could control Uchiha Sasuke, Uchiha Itachi would not be able to escape his grasp.

Kakashi's face was filled with disbelief. Just like that, Sasuke had become his disciple?

"Lord Hokage, does this mean Kakashi won't have to return to the Anbu anymore? That environment has affected him too much. The last time we carried out a mission, I didn't even recognize him."

Might Guy looked delighted and was extremely satisfied with this arrangement. If Kakashi could leave the Anbu, then he would definitely help Kakashi recover.

The Third Hokage seemed to have been prepared for Might Guy's question.

"The original plan was for Kakashi to experience a teacher's responsibilities. Now that we have Sasuke, Kakashi needs to adapt to this role early.

He can also get in contact with Naruto. Kakashi, do you understand?"

The Third Hokage nodded, and Kakashi replied.

Then he turned to Might Guy and said gently, "Guy, it's time you found yourself a disciple too. In a while, you can go to the Ninja Academy with Kakashi and see whether there are any students who suit your preferences."

His tolerance for Might Guy was exceptionally high. If anyone else had acted as he had just now, the Third Hokage would have already flown into a rage.

It was all because Might Guy had mastered a forbidden technique—the Eight Gates. Once unleashed at full power, it would serve as a trump card for him.

Even if Might Guy was inferior to his father, killing a Danzo with a kick should not be a problem, right?

Perhaps?

Kakashi and Sasuke, however, were no longer focused on the Third Hokage.

"Naruto?"

The two of them spoke the name mentioned by the Third Hokage at the same time.

In Sasuke's memories, Naruto was the dead last in their class, always doing things to draw attention. But after the clan massacre, Naruto had come to visit him in the hospital many times over the past few days. Though Sasuke had refused him, his feelings were complicated.

Had he become an orphan like Naruto too?

Kakashi, meanwhile, pondered the Third Hokage's words. Before this, the Third Hokage had repeatedly forbidden anyone but himself from approaching Naruto.

Kakashi could only pretend to run into him by chance when he went to see his teacher's son.

Back then, he had seen the Third Hokage reveal the same smile he had worn while speaking to Sasuke just now.

I still understand the Third Hokage far too little!

Boom~~

A violent explosion rang out as Konoha's barrier was blasted open from the outside.

This was broad daylight!

In the entire ninja world, someone actually dared to provoke the militarily strongest Hidden Leaf Village?

A small figure danced through the sky, flying straight toward the Hokage Building.

A suicide attack?

Everyone had the same thought.