Kakashi's Choice

Because of a single Signal Arrow, the memorial ceremony was hastily brought to an end.

Although the crowd dispersed, Kakashi Hatake still returned to the Memorial Monument. Obito and Rin were still waiting for him.

He had to properly tell his two friends what had just happened. Now, even Teacher Minato...

But out of the corner of his eye, he saw Shimura Danzō actually walking toward him. What was going on? Beneath his mask, Kakashi gradually became utterly bewildered.

"You're Kakashi Hatake, right?" Danzō asked, with rare gentleness.

"Lord Danzō?"

Hearing the word "Lord," Danzō was very pleased. "What do you think of what just happened?"

"Me? I don't believe the attack on the village by the Nine-Tails was carried out by Lord Danzō. There must be something else going on."

"Why?"

Kakashi did not answer immediately. He pondered and weighed his options, while Danzō was also unusually patient. These were the only two one-eyed ninjas in all of Konohagakure with one eye exposed, creating an extraordinarily strong sense of pairing. The atmosphere became extremely grim for a while.

After a long time, he said cautiously, "If Lord Danzō had a subordinate as powerful as the Masked Man, you would've become Hokage long ago."

In the context of Konoha, those words were not praise, but a smile blossomed within the cross-shaped mark on Danzō's chin.

"That's right. It's pitiful that Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't even understand such an obvious principle. Aren't you curious why the Root Ninjas clashed with Uchiha Retsuo?"

"Because Lord Danzō has always been that kind of person."

Kakashi's answer did not match the question, but Danzō was highly approving. "So? Do you want to work under me?"

"But I'm Teacher Minato's..."

"Precisely because you're an ANBU Ninja directly under the Fourth Hokage. Minato was the Hokage I had the highest hopes for, someone who might have changed the Shinobi World, but he sacrificed himself. And once Hiruzen returned to office, you would only be able to work for him. Yet it was precisely his delay in ending the war that forced young ninjas like Obito and Rin Nohara onto the battlefield. He was the root cause of so many ninjas in the village dying for nothing."

Kakashi fell silent.

Many people said he was a direct subordinate of the Hokage, but his father's death had dealt him a tremendous shock, leaving a thorn lodged in his heart. It was impossible for him not to think about such things at all. If not for Teacher Minato's brightness, he knew he would inevitably have fallen into darkness, and his actions would only have become more extreme.

As he mulled over countless thoughts, he suddenly heard Danzō sigh heavily. "The Fourth Hokage's death is shrouded in mystery. To this day, I cannot understand why the Fourth Hokage died."

Kakashi was shocked. "What? Teacher Minato, he..."

Danzō continued, "Minato did indeed die using the Reaper Death Seal to seal the Nine-Tails, just as Hiruzen said in front of the Memorial Monument. But his combat strength was clearly greater than the Nine-Tails'. Even if he had only been an ordinary ANBU Ninja, he could not have chosen to die, because the village would rather lose the Nine-Tails than allow him to die. Not to mention that Minato was the Hokage, shouldering responsibility for the entire village. He was more clear-headed than any of us."

Kakashi's shock lessened somewhat. That's right. The village can be without the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, but it can't be without the Hokage. Just look at what happened today. Without a Hokage, Lord Hiruzen made a complete fool of himself.

"So I completely cannot understand how Minato died. He had already killed the Masked Man and learned his true identity. How could he die without reporting such crucial information to the village? But he died anyway, and even left the key to solving the mystery to Uchiha Retsuo!"

Danzō grew more agitated as he spoke. "I rushed over as soon as I received the news, but Hiruzen was the first to arrive. I don't know what happened before I got there. Nor do I want the Fourth Hokage's death to have been a scheme Hiruzen devised to regain his position. But Konoha's future absolutely cannot continue to be entrusted to Hiruzen!"

Kakashi fell silent again. In truth, he had already come to agree with Danzō. Danzō asked him, "What do you think of Uchiha Retsuo?"

"I'm a little disappointed."

"Disappointed?"

Kakashi raised his head, as though the Sharingan hidden beneath his forehead protector were also staring at Danzō.

"I think the Wood Release Ninja he encountered today was trained by Lord Danzō, right?"

Danzō admitted it openly. "That's right. Kinoe is an outstanding ninja I cultivated with every effort. Your generation of young ninjas has been separated from Lord Hashirama's era for far too long, so you don't understand what a Wood Release Ninja means to Konohagakure. I took an enormous risk to cultivate one. Of course, I paid a terrible price as well, but it was all worth it. Yet Sarutobi Hiruzen foolishly obstructed me time and again for one reason or another! But why did you suddenly bring this up?"

Kakashi felt a powerful sense of trust. This was Wood Release! As the child of Hatake Sakumo, he understood far better than most people how classified information regarding Wood Release was. Danzō had practically already begun treating him as a trusted aide!

He no longer spoke vaguely. "Is the Masked Man also a Wood Release Ninja?"

Danzō finally resumed the stern expression of a villainous boss. "This is the village's highest-level secret. Aside from Uchiha Retsuo, only Hiruzen and I know."

The reason for his sternness was that he was shocked. Even Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura did not know this crucial information, yet Kakashi had actually figured it out?

"That makes sense!" Kakashi clenched his fist. "This is the only possible result. Otherwise, Retsuo's accusation would be nothing but a joke!"

"As expected of Kakashi Hatake. Your ability to gather and analyze information is excellent. I truly didn't misjudge you. In this respect, you surpass the vast majority of experienced ninjas."

Kakashi smiled sheepishly, then said calmly, "Retsuo couldn't possibly fail to distinguish the enormous difference in strength between today's Wood Release Ninja and the Masked Man from that day. His accusation against Root is incredibly ridiculous. I find it utterly absurd."

"It isn't ridiculous at all. At the very least, Sarutobi Hiruzen definitely won't find it amusing. Given Hiruzen's stature, he will absolutely compete with me for this person. Uchiha Retsuo has created a huge problem for me." Danzō sneered. "In fact, the moment Kinoe appeared, Uchiha Retsuo recognized that he was my man. He has terrifying insight just like you. It's hard to imagine that a third-year student at the Ninja Academy could accomplish something like this. In all my decades, I have never been put in such a passive position."

"Could it be that Lord Third Hokage already knew Root had a Wood Release Ninja and told Retsuo?"

Danzō said arrogantly, "Impossible. Uchiha Retsuo is merely a pitiful chess piece manipulated by Hiruzen. Even if Hiruzen knew, he would never tell him. Besides, Hiruzen couldn't possibly know either. He's just playing with fire. Don't you know what the relationship between the village and the Uchiha Clan is? He actually used a member of the Uchiha as a chess piece. Such a dangerous move will destroy the village sooner or later."

Then, thinking of Kakashi's relationships, he added, "I know about your relationship with Uchiha Retsuo. But if you want to work for me—"

"We have no relationship anymore." Kakashi said calmly, "We didn't have one to begin with, but I was responsible for protecting him. That was my duty to Obito. But Retsuo is already an outstanding ninja. Continuing to protect him would go against my Ninja Way, and it would also be an insult to him."

Danzō was curious. "Then what if I need you to deal with him?"

Kakashi was silent for a moment before saying in a low voice, "Ninjas are born for their missions. A ninja who cannot complete a mission is trash."

Danzō was practically ecstatic. After Kakashi's father died, the light Obito brought him gradually dimmed and disappeared with the deaths of Rin Nohara and Minato.

"Good. Then you will gather detailed intelligence on Uchiha Retsuo for me. Especially the fact that he possesses a special sensory ability. You didn't know? An extremely powerful sensory ability."