Public Resentment

"Have the terms with the Land of Rivers Transportation Chamber been settled?"

"Their condition is that Konoha must complete at least eight A-rank transport escort missions over the next six months, with commissions twenty percent above market rates."

Danzo turned to look at Viper. "Agree to it for now. Once I become Hokage, they'll pay for it."

"Yes."

Danzo stepped away from the filing cabinet and returned to his desk, where he sat down.

"What is Shijuro's current stance at the Land of Fire Chamber of Commerce and Industry?"

"Shijuro is still watching and waiting. The Chamber of Commerce Alliance under him includes dozens of small and medium-sized merchants. Their individual commissions may not be large, but together they amount to a considerable volume. Shijuro himself is inclined to maintain relations with Konoha, but several people around him have already been approached by Root. They'll help us whisper in Shijuro's ear."

Danzo nodded. "Continue. From now on, make sure at least two or three clients suspend or postpone posting missions every day. Keep the pace steady."

Viper tucked the list into his robes. "Yes."

Danzo picked up another document from the desk and flipped through several pages. It contained statistics on Konoha's mission completion for the month. The numbers were even better than he had expected. High-ranking commissions had decreased, but low-ranking missions were still operating normally. Konoha's finances would not face major problems in the short term, but the loss of high-ranking commissions would continue squeezing Konoha's revenue. The council of advisors would start demanding answers. Hiruzen Sarutobi would come under pressure, and once that pressure filtered downward, the chunin and jonin who relied on B-rank and A-rank missions to support their families would, with a little guidance, stir up public resentment. When that happened, no one would be able to protect Hatake Sakumo.

Danzo closed the document.

The decrease in high-ranking commissions caused even greater turmoil within Konoha than he had anticipated.

The mission hall was the first to feel the changes. The notice boards that were usually packed with A-rank and B-rank missions now had several empty spaces. Chunin and jonin stood before them, staring at those blanks as their expressions shifted from confusion to dissatisfaction. The rewards for A-rank missions were in an entirely different league from those of lower-ranked missions. Fewer missions meant less income, which meant harder and harder days for ninja who depended on mission rewards to support their families.

"What's going on? Why are there so few B-rank missions this month?" A chunin pointed at the notice board and demanded an answer from a staff member, only to be pulled back into the crowd by a friend beside him.

Someone nearby said in a low voice, "I heard the clients outside don't trust us anymore."

"They don't trust us? Why? Haven't we always risked our lives on every mission?"

"It's not aimed at us. It's... it's aimed at Hatake Sakumo. Word about his last mission failure got out. Those great nobles think that if even the White Fang can't be relied on, then no one else in Konoha can either."

The speaker had lowered his voice, but who among the people nearby was not a ninja with sharp senses? Some lowered their heads, while others exchanged glances, but no one stepped forward to speak for Sakumo.

The rumors spread from the mission hall to the hospital, from the hospital to the training grounds, and from the training grounds to the streets. At every point along the way, someone casually slipped in a few perfectly timed words.

On the stone steps outside Konoha Hospital, two chunin had just come out of the cafeteria with toothpicks in their mouths. The older one was named Tanabe. He was in his forties, had worked in Konoha for twenty years, and had never managed to become a jonin. The younger one was named Eguchi, barely in his twenties and not long returned from the battlefield.

"Senior Tanabe, who do you think was really at fault for Hatake Sakumo's mission failure this time?" Eguchi took the toothpick from his mouth and spun it twice between his fingers.

Tanabe snorted. "Who told him to save them? He insisted on it himself. If the mission failed, who else should bear the responsibility?"

"But he saved his teammates."

"Which is more important, a teammate's life or a mission's success?" Tanabe snapped the toothpick in half. "A ninja's duty is to carry out missions. If he doesn't even understand that, what makes him qualified to be a jonin?"

"Did you hear? Hatake Sakumo's last mission failure cost Konoha several major clients."

"More than that. Hidden Stone Village was supposed to sign a border non-aggression agreement with us, but that was put on hold because of this too."

"Tsk, tsk. The White Fang of the Leaf. I used to think he was so impressive, but he's nothing special after all."

As Konoha's youngest chunin, Kakashi drew extra looks whenever he walked through Konoha's streets.

But lately, those looks had changed.

They had once been filled with amazement. Graduated at five, chunin at six—Hatake Sakumo's son really was extraordinary. Now, those gazes carried something else.

As Kakashi passed the Ninja Academy, several genin a few years older than him were squatting on the stone steps outside the gate, smoking. Their forehead protectors still bore the fresh ink from having just been collected at the mission administration office.

"I heard Hatake Sakumo's last mission failure cost Konoha several major contracts."

"Exactly. Our team was supposed to take on a C-rank mission last month, but the client canceled at the last minute."

"Heh, the White Fang of the Leaf? More like the Soft Fang of the Leaf."

Kakashi's steps paused. He stood behind them for a moment, his fingers stopping over the kunai pouch at his waist.

The leader turned and spotted him. The cigarette fell from his mouth.

"Ka... Kakashi?"

Kakashi said nothing. He merely glanced at him before walking past them, though he could still faintly hear the hushed voices behind him. "What are you looking at? His father already—"

Kakashi quickened his pace, turned into an alley, and leaned against the wall. His nails dug into his palm until they broke the skin, yet he seemed not to feel it at all.

He took a deep breath, lowered his head, and walked home.

In the Hatake Clan courtyard, Sakumo sat on the veranda wiping down a short blade. Kakashi pushed open the gate and entered. Sakumo looked up at him.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Kakashi sat beside him and watched him quietly.

"Dad."

"Mm."

"Was that mission of yours really your fault?"

Sakumo's hands did not stop moving. The deerskin cloth passed from the blade guard to the tip.

"What do you think?"

Kakashi thought for a long time. "I don't know."

Sakumo turned the short blade over. "Kakashi, there is nothing wrong with saying missions come first for ninja, because everyone lives on mission rewards. But a true man must know what to do and what not to do. Perhaps you cannot understand it yet, but I hope you remember it, find your own ninja way in the future, and remain true to it."

At dusk, the setting sun dyed the corridors of Konoha Hospital orange-red. Yakushi Tenzan leaned against the head of his hospital bed, his body wrapped in thick bandages.

At the far end of the Konoha Hospital corridor, a man in dark clothing leaned against the wall. He wore no white coat and had no ninja tool pouch at his waist. He had only entered after Tian Shan's patient's family had left, the nurses had changed shifts, and the corridor was empty.

Tian Shan raised his head to look at him. "Who are you?"

"Mr. Yakushi Tenzan, who I am isn't important. What matters is what I'm about to say. I hope you'll listen carefully and consider it seriously. Of course, you can also pretend you never heard it. I've never liked forcing people."