When Teacher Yamano told them to form the Reconciliation Seal, Uchiha Ling took the chance to back down and stopped provoking Kakashi.
Obito Uchiha shouted from the sidelines, "Kakashi! Don't forgive him! Don't form the Reconciliation Seal with him!"
A vein throbbed at Kakashi's temple. He didn't want to let it end there.
But Teacher Yamano said, "You're going to become ninja someday.
"A ninja's weapons aren't limited to kunai and ninja blades. Anything you can use is a weapon, including Verbal Attacks.
"Kakashi, your fundamentals are strong. But if you meet someone like Uchiha Ling on the battlefield, someone skilled at attacking with words, are you going to lose your head?
"Do you think an enemy will hold back when insulting your father? Will my orders make them stop?"
At Teacher Yamano's words, Kakashi gritted his teeth and held out his hand to form the Reconciliation Seal.
He was right. Verbal Attacks were one of a ninja's tools. In the face of provocation, Kakashi had to remain absolutely calm.
Uchiha Ling extended his fingers too. Their fingers hooked together, ending the spar.
Teacher Yamano nodded to himself. His goal had been achieved: Kakashi Hatake now understood the terrible crime his father had committed.
A ninja who abandoned a mission was trash. After all... Yamano's older sister had been among the ninja killed at the Land of Fire border this time.
Yamano saw Obito Uchiha and Might Guy gathered around Kakashi, talking to him anxiously, and gave the order:
"Next sparring match: Obito Uchiha versus Might Guy!"
During the break, Yamano glanced sideways at Uchiha Ling as he came over. His look was enough to make anyone's skin crawl. In a low voice, he said:
"Ling, you did well. Keep pushing Kakashi Hatake's buttons tomorrow."
"I want to push them again today, Teacher Yamano. I can't help myself."
"Fine. Go ahead. Tigers have their uses, and so do snakes and scorpions. You do have some talent for getting inside an enemy's head.
"Any ability that gives you an edge is one a ninja needs."
Uchiha Ling froze. I do your dirty work, and you take a dig at me too?
It wasn't just the students making life hard for one another. Some of the teachers were bullies too.
After class, Uchiha Ling caught up with Kakashi.
Obito Uchiha shouted, "Uchiha Ling, if you weren't part of my clan, I'd beat the hell out of you!"
"Hah. You say that like you could get close enough. I'm not here to waste words on you. I have something to say to Kakashi."
Kakashi turned and stared at Uchiha Ling.
"Kakashi, your father got 119 Konoha Ninja killed!
"Take your father door to door tonight and apologize!
"Make your father spend the ruined years he has left helping those 119 families!
"What's that look for? Fine, let me put it more nicely.
"Some of those 119 might have been brothers, fathers and sons, or sisters. And with so many Leaf Orphans, maybe one of the dead ninja was the last surviving member of their family.
"Maybe you won't have to apologize to 119 families. Maybe some of them lost everyone. Maybe you'll only have to apologize to a hundred.
"Don't make me think even less of you and your father. Take responsibility, you Hatake cowards!"
Honest to God, Uchiha Ling just wanted Kakashi to pass on a message telling White Fang not to kill himself.
As long as White Fang stayed alive, even a life spent making amends would be better than ending it all.
It was a grim subject. Somehow, though, the moment Ling opened his mouth, he sounded like he was asking to get punched.
Might Guy was already airborne, his foot flying toward Uchiha Ling's chest.
Uchiha Ling hurriedly used the White Fang Flow Body Technique he had just learned to retreat.
He watched Kakashi and saw that he still looked deeply withdrawn.
Obito Uchiha shouted angrily, "Skinny Pole! Don't make me beat you up!"
Uchiha Ling's parents had died, leaving him malnourished, tall, and thin. His classmates had nicknamed him Skinny Pole.
Obito Uchiha added, "No, I shouldn't call you Skinny Pole. I should call you Skinny Nettle! Nettles sting, just like every word out of your mouth!"
Asuma Sarutobi came up from the other side, hands in his pockets, and said with a swagger, "Centipede would be better. Skinny and venomous."
The nicknames for Uchiha Ling kept coming. What is wrong with the Hidden Leaf Village? Everyone here has issues.
For heaven's sake, he had only wanted Kakashi to remind his dad not to kill himself over this.
When school let out, crimson sunset clouds filled the sky, bathing the rooftops and distant Kage Rock in orange-red light that was almost the color of blood.
Uchiha Ling returned to the Uchiha Compound and his cold, lonely home.
No wonder the original Ling had been so sharp-tongued. Living alone in a house thick with dust must have driven him stir-crazy.
Even in a house this small, there were paths where his feet had worn through the dust.
The floor hadn't been cleaned in a month or two. One clear track ran straight from the door to the bedroom, then to the bathroom, then to the refrigerator.
That was it.
The original Ling had never gone into the kitchen. Thick dust covered the floor in that direction.
No wonder his classmates had nicknamed him Skinny Pole. His life had been miserable.
Ling rolled up his sleeves and started cleaning.
He worked until late. At last the house was clean, and Uchiha Ling fell into a deep sleep.
A crack of thunder woke Uchiha Ling in the middle of the night.
He suddenly remembered that, in the original story, the White Fang of the Leaf had killed himself on a stormy night.
In the manga, lightning lit the window, casting the window frame's shadow over a body curled up on the floor.
Young Kakashi had been the first to find his father's body.
Uchiha Ling opened the window, climbed out, and jumped into the rain.
He ran toward Kakashi Hatake's house, following his memory of the way.
Through the downpour, Uchiha Ling saw a crowd of ninja gathered in an alley ahead.
Nearby, cloaked, masked ANBU leaped across the rooftops.
No...
Watching from a distance, Uchiha Ling saw the Third, Hiruzen Sarutobi, enter Kakashi's house. Before long, Shimura Danzō, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu arrived one after another.
The White Fang of the Leaf had killed himself after all.
An ANBU member looked his way. Uchiha Ling couldn't make out the mask beneath the dark hood. He turned and walked away into the rain.
This world was too cruel.
What good had caring for his comrades done White Fang? In the end, he had died by suicide, humiliated.
What good had serving the Hidden Leaf Village done him? In the end, he had left behind a traumatized Kakashi.
He still needed to make good use of his special advantage, make more people suffer a Defense Break, and grow stronger.
At the very least, he had to keep himself safe. If he could, he wanted the freedom to enjoy life in the Shinobi World. Otherwise, what had been the point of coming here?
The next day, Uchiha Ling kept his head down when he entered the Ninja Academy.
One piece of news after another shook the five-year-olds in his class.
Unable to bear the rumors and humiliation, the White Fang of the Leaf had killed himself the night before.
Kakashi arrived at the Ninja Academy on time and in silence. Instead of entering the classroom, he went to the Principal and requested Early Graduation.
All morning, even Quan Yan, their Three-Body Technique teacher, was distracted during his lesson. The students were worse.
The specially approved individual assessment was soon over. Kakashi graduated early and became a Genin.
Uchiha Ling had been as careful as he could, but Obito Uchiha still stormed to the back row of the classroom and shouted, "Skinny Nettle! I won't let you get away with this! You're the one who pushed Kakashi!"
After shouting, Obito Uchiha glanced at Rin Nohara, as if showing off his courage and sense of justice.
Uchiha Ling swallowed the dozen or so retorts he had ready for Obito.
He could make Obito suffer a Defense Break another day. Today, he would let it go.
It wasn't that he wouldn't do it. He would take his time and do it carefully.
Before you continue