"Kakashi Hatake!"
"Do you intend to defy Lord Danzo's will too?"
Kakashi's sudden appearance put the two Root operatives on high alert.
A man's reputation preceded him.
Kakashi was such an extraordinarily gifted ninja that there were probably very few people in the entire Shinobi World who hadn't heard of him. Even though both Root operatives were jonin, they weren't confident they could get the better of him.
"What are you standing around for? Get lost!"
Shinichi wore a smug smile as he borrowed his brother's intimidating presence. "Or do you really want to get a taste of my little brother's strength?"
What could he say? His little brother was just that strong.
The Hatake Clan had indeed fallen on hard times, but as long as Kakashi was around, even that old bastard Danzo had to think twice!
"Lord Danzo won't let you get away with this."
Knowing they couldn't reliably take Shinichi away with Kakashi there, the two Root operatives finally gave up and slunk away.
Little did they know that the instant they left, a deeply concealed flicker of killing intent flashed in Shinichi's eyes.
Until he had the strength to truly crush all of Konoha, Shinichi had no intention of revealing himself so soon. Otherwise, with the trump cards he currently possessed, killing these two Root operatives would hardly have been difficult.
One genius like Kakashi was enough for the Hatake Clan right now. If someone even stronger than Kakashi appeared, the tragedy of White Fang's suicide might very well repeat itself.
In short, his priority was still to lie low and quietly reap the rewards!
"Big brother, how did you get mixed up with Root?"
Only after the threat was gone did Kakashi have a chance to question Shinichi.
To him, Root was unquestionably the most dangerous force in all of Konoha. Just last year, as an ANBU member, he had helped the Third uncover Danzo's human experimentation program and rescued Yamato, who would later become a Wood Release user.
It was also because of that incident that the Third's student Orochimaru had defected from Konoha.
"That doesn't matter."
Shinichi shook his head. "What matters is that old dog Danzo definitely won't leave this alone. So we need to go see the Third right now. He's the only one who can keep Danzo in check. But before we go, there's something we need to do..."
Slash.
Under Kakashi's shocked gaze, Shinichi suddenly pulled out a sharp kunai and slashed his own body several times, sending blood spurting out.
Not stopping there, he deliberately rolled around on the ground a few times, covering himself in dirt.
"Big brother, what are you doing?"
Kakashi was dumbfounded.
Did Shinichi actually enjoy hurting himself?
"Quit asking questions! Hurry up and make yourself look like me!"
Under Shinichi's coercion, Kakashi also made himself look battered, wounded, and utterly bedraggled.
Ignoring Kakashi's resentful stare, Shinichi hurriedly dragged his thickheaded little brother toward the Hokage's building.
The Hokage's Office.
"Kakashi, Shinichi, what happened to you..."
Seeing the two Hatake brothers covered in injuries, the Third rose to his feet in shock.
Before Kakashi could speak, Shinichi seized the initiative.
"Lord Hokage!"
His face filled with grief, indignation, and despair, Shinichi declared loudly, "We brothers have come to see you today to ask just one question! Is there no longer any place for the Hatake Clan in Konoha?!"
"Well..."
The question left the Third completely stunned.
But he was the Hokage, after all. He quickly gathered his thoughts and offered reassurance. "Shinichi, take your time and explain. What exactly happened? How could there possibly be no place for the Hatake Clan in Konoha?"
"Just now, Root sent more than ten powerful jonin storming into the Hatake home, intending to kill us both on the spot! If we hadn't fought desperately to escape, we'd have been killed several times over!"
"If you truly want to wipe out the Hatake Clan, Lord Hokage, you need only say the word. We brothers will end our own lives. After all, we belong to Konoha in life, and our souls belong to Konoha in death. If it's for Konoha's sake, we don't care about our lives!"
Shinichi played the victim to perfection, striking exactly the right balance of grief, despair, and anger. Back in his previous life, he probably could have won an Oscar for it.
The Third was shocked by his words, while Kakashi stood beside him, staring in disbelief.
Weren't there only two Root operatives?
And we didn't even fight. How did this turn into a desperate escape?
"Danzo actually dared to attack you?"
The Third's brow furrowed deeply.
Admittedly, he still had some doubts about Shinichi's account.
But on second thought, given Danzo's temperament, it wouldn't be surprising for him to do something extreme. Last year's human experimentation program, for instance, had effectively crossed the Third's red line.
From that moment on, he had realized that Danzo had no moral limits.
Besides, if Shinichi hadn't suffered some tremendous injustice, could he really look so grief-stricken and indignant?
"Lord Hokage, all you can see are the surface wounds. If you don't believe me, I can take off my clothes and let you inspect my injuries. In fact, one of those damned Root operatives even stabbed me in the ass..."
As he spoke, Shinichi, his face still full of grief and indignation, made to pull down his pants for the Third, seemingly desperate to prove he was telling the truth.
"Ahem!"
The Third nearly choked on his pipe smoke and hurriedly said, "That won't be necessary. Just focus on recovering! I'll make sure the Hatake Clan gets an answer about this! Danzo really has gone too far these past few years!"
As Danzo's close friend of many years, the Third had grown accustomed to tolerating his various actions, but that didn't mean he could tolerate them forever.
The human experimentation incident had only just passed, and now Danzo had stirred up another mess. Did he really think Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, was some spineless pushover?
"Speaking of which, Shinichi, did you meet Naruto today?"
A moment later, the Third looked at Shinichi as though asking casually, his tone betraying nothing.
Here came the real issue at last!
For every ninja village, matters involving a tailed beast's jinchūriki were of paramount importance. There was no room for even the slightest mishap.
Shinichi had long since guessed that the old man wouldn't let this matter slide so easily, but he had also prepared a response.
"Yes, I saw Naruto today. He's living a miserable life. A child without parents, shunned and bullied every day, even branded a 'demon fox' and treated with fear and aversion by the villagers."
"And the monthly allowance he receives is pitifully small. He can't even get enough to eat! I asked Naruto myself, and it turns out the things he eats most often are instant noodles and expired milk!"
Shinichi's expression darkened, and he made no attempt to hide his resentment. With a cold laugh, he said, "Lord Hokage, there's something I really want to ask you in person. If the Fourth were still alive and saw the miserable state his son is in, how would you face him?"
Nothing cut deeper than a blow straight to the heart!
The Third's expression changed.
He had never imagined that Shinichi would actually dare criticize him, the Hokage, to his face.
"Big brother, stop talking!"
Kakashi was equally shocked and immediately tried to stop Shinichi from continuing.
The Hokage's standing in the village was supreme. Not just anyone had the right to criticize him. Besides, Shinichi was merely an insignificant chunin. Who knew whether the Third might punish him severely?
"You shut your mouth!"
To his surprise, Shinichi shot Kakashi a fierce glare and scolded him. "You call yourself the Fourth's student, but what have you been doing these past few years? Have you ever gone to see Naruto? Have you done right by the Fourth?"
"All you do is go on missions or hide in your room moping! If I weren't your big brother, I'd have kicked you to death already! You don't get a say here. I'm asking Lord Hokage, so stand there and behave! I'll deal with you when we get home!"
He had wanted to say all of this to Kakashi ever since reading the original story in his previous life.
Now that he'd finally said it, he felt fucking fantastic!
Before you continue