To Make Konoha Great Again

Late at night, the Memorial Stone was quiet enough to be unnerving.

Moonlight fell across a gravestone, illuminating the name carved into it—Minato Namikaze.

Kakashi Hatake sat before the stone, his back against its cold surface, gazing up at the night sky.

His Forehead Protector had slipped up over his left eye, leaving only his vacant right eye visible.

He had sat there for a long time without moving, like a statue.

The events of the day replayed in his mind again and again.

The Fourth Hokage's former subordinates had stormed the square outside the Hokage Building and publicly demanded to know whether Naruto Uzumaki was the Fourth Hokage's son.

The Third Hokage had admitted it.

Then they had accused the village of leaving Naruto to live in a rundown apartment, drink expired milk, and eat instant noodles.

They had said he was only seven and did not even have a decent pair of shoes.

They had said he was the Fourth Hokage's son, yet lived worse than a beggar.

Kakashi closed his eyes. He remembered Minato-sensei, the gentle blond man who always wore a warm smile.

The man who had sacrificed his life to protect the village on the Night of the Nine-Tails.

"Minato-sensei..."

Kakashi's voice came out hoarse, as though he had to force it past his throat.

"I'm sorry..."

His shoulders trembled faintly.

For years, the Konoha High Command had said Naruto's identity had to be kept secret or his life would be in danger. Kakashi had believed them.

He had kept telling himself it was for Naruto's sake.

But today, he had seen Naruto standing in the square with tears streaming down his face, asking, "Is my dad the Fourth Hokage?"

He had seen Naruto bury his face against Kato Makoto and sob.

And suddenly, he had realized he had spent the past seven years living a lie.

Kakashi opened his eyes and looked at Minato-sensei's name.

"Minato-sensei..."

"Naruto... he's had a hard life all these years."

"I..."

"I did nothing."

His voice grew quieter with every word.

Just then, a voice came from beside him.

"Confused, aren't you?"

Kakashi whipped his head around.

Under the moonlight, a figure emerged from the woods.

Black hair, black eyes, and a traditional Uchiha Clan dark-blue robe with a high collar.

Uchiha En.

Kakashi's pupils narrowed. He rose, his hand moving unconsciously to his ninja tool pouch.

"Uchiha Clan Head?"

Wariness edged his voice.

"What are you doing here at this hour?"

Uchiha En did not answer.

He walked up to the gravestone and stopped, his gaze settling on the name "Minato Namikaze."

After a moment's silence, he spoke.

"Kakashi Hatake."

"An Elite Jōnin of Konoha and disciple of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze."

"A prodigy who became a jōnin at twelve, known as the Copy Ninja."

"A mainstay of the Anbu..."

He paused and turned to Kakashi.

Kakashi frowned. Had the man come out here in the middle of the night just to recite his background and toy with him?

"What are you getting at?"

Uchiha En did not answer directly.

He stepped forward, stood before Minato's gravestone, and gently brushed a fallen leaf from it.

"I have a question for you."

His voice was calm.

"Do you think your father, Hatake Sakumo, died under normal circumstances?"

Kakashi's pupils contracted sharply. His fingers froze in midair.

"What are you trying to say?"

Uchiha En turned to face him, his gaze steady.

"How did classified information about an S-rank mission spread throughout Konoha in a single day?"

"Why did the villagers all turn on the White Fang of Konoha, a man whose name had once struck fear into enemies on the battlefield, after one failed mission?"

"Why was a ninja who abandoned a mission to protect his comrades called 'worthless'?"

"How many of the people condemning him actually knew the truth?"

Kakashi's hand shook. His breathing quickened. He knew what Uchiha En was talking about.

It was the one thing he least wanted to speak of.

His father, Hatake Sakumo.

The White Fang of Konoha, the man who had once terrified the entire Shinobi World.

During an S-rank mission, he had abandoned the mission to protect his comrades, causing it to fail.

After he returned to the village, every villager condemned him.

Even the comrades he had saved spoke against him behind his back.

In the end, Hatake Sakumo had taken his own life.

Kakashi had been only seven that year.

"What are you trying to say?"

Kakashi's voice had gone hoarse.

Uchiha En looked at him with a trace of pity.

"I'm trying to tell you..."

"Your father didn't kill himself."

"He was driven to his death."

"The Konoha High Command pushed him to it, step by step."

Kakashi's pupils widened.

"What... what did you say?!"

Uchiha En continued without stopping.

"Your father's mission was an ordinary S-rank mission."

"But Hatake Sakumo shone too brightly. His standing among the major clans was too high, and that put him in the Konoha High Command's way."

"So someone used the mission's failure to deliberately leak its details, making the villagers believe it was all your father's fault and destroying his reputation."

"Half the people denouncing him were planted by the high command."

"And the comrades your father saved..."

Uchiha En paused.

"Do you really think they wanted to condemn him?"

"They were threatened."

"If they refused to cooperate, their families would suffer."

Kakashi trembled. He clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white.

"Where's your proof?"

His voice shook.

"Do you have proof?!"

Uchiha En gave him a cold smile.

"Proof? What use is proof in the Shinobi World? Whoever stood to gain the most is the prime suspect."

"Back then, your father had the strongest reputation. Barring any surprises, he would have become the Fourth Hokage. But then a surprise came."

Kakashi said nothing, though his body shook.

Uchiha En stepped forward and stood before him.

"Shimura Danzō has always wanted to become Hokage. Hiruzen Sarutobi has never wanted to step down."

"But your father's reputation was too great. As long as he was around, he was a threat to them both."

"Unfortunately for them, the Third Shinobi World War broke out soon after your father's death. Without a Kage Level fighter, Konoha found itself beset on all sides."

Kakashi stared hard at him, his voice raw.

"Why are you telling me this?"

Uchiha En fell silent for a moment.

"Because..."

His gaze deepened.

"If we want to make Konoha great again, we must cut out the rot clinging to it."

"And the current Konoha High Command are parasites feeding on Konoha."

He paused, then went on.

"The Konoha High Command is rotten to the core."

"What happened to your father is only the tip of the iceberg."

"The disappearance of the Senju Clan, the destruction of the Uzumaki Clan, the night of the Uchiha Clan Massacre..."

"They orchestrated all of it."

Kakashi's pupils trembled. He opened his mouth, but no words came out.

Uchiha En regarded him calmly.

"I know this is hard for you to accept."

"But the truth can be cruel."

He turned toward the woods. After a few steps, he stopped again.

"One more thing..."

He did not look back.

"If you want to know more, come find me."

"I'll be waiting at the Uchiha Clan Compound."

With that, his figure vanished into the darkness.

Kakashi stood where he was, motionless.