Time seems to have been pressed on the pause button at this moment.
The wind stopped, the light became quiet, and even the air solidified.
The anger, pain, hatred... all the expressions on Kakashi's face solidified into extreme sluggishness at this moment.
He was like a stone statue that had been weathered for thousands of years, motionless, with only his bloodshot eyes staring straight at Senju Chen.
It was as if I wanted to see through his soul.
He opened his mouth, but no sound came out of his throat. His mind went blank, completely shut down.
"Alive... alive?"
"I... my father is still alive?"
"Senju Chen, you said... are you telling the truth?"
Kakashi looked at Senju Chen's determined look. A message that he had accepted for almost ten years, under the ashes of despair, a cluster of flames called "hope" was suddenly ignited, and with the force of a prairie fire, it instantly swept through his entire soul!
He suddenly jumped up from the ground and grabbed Senju Chen by the collar. Because of his excitement, his whole body was shaking violently uncontrollably.
That face that had always been lazy and depressed was now filled with unprecedented eagerness, desire, and pleading!
"He... where is he now?!"
"Chen, tell me, my father... where is he now?!"
Senju Chen looked at Kakashi, who was completely out of control emotionally, and did not break away, but let him hold her collar.
His clear eyes were as calm as a bottomless cold pool, clearly reflecting Kakashi's face that was twisted with excitement, ecstasy, and disbelief.
"Do you still remember the storm of public opinion that swept the whole village?" Senju Chen pulled up a chair, sat down in front of Kakashi, and then began to tell the story of Hatake Sakumo from the beginning.
Kakashi's pupils shrank suddenly, and he suddenly remembered the figure who stood in front of him and said that his father was a hero.
"At that time, I was the one who started that storm." Senju Chen admitted without hesitation, "It was me who said those words at the Ninja Academy, which gave the voice of support for your father a foothold. It was also me who made you no longer alone in the school and the village."
"Why?" Kakashi's voice was hoarse and dry.
"First of all, we are friends. I can't watch you face this alone. Secondly, a living 'sinner' has no value to Konoha, to you, or to Uncle Sakumo himself." Senju Chen's logic is cold and cruel, "But if he 'dies' and becomes a 'tragic hero forced to death by public opinion,' then his value will be completely different."
"It will become a thorn in the hearts of Third Hokage; it will become a mirror, allowing all Konoha Ninja to re-examine the rules and companions; and it will become a seed, planting the belief that 'companions are above all else' in the hearts of you, Kai, and more young people."
Senju Chen looked at Kakashi with a meaningful arc on his lips. "Facts have proved that my judgment was right. Look at Konoha now, isn't it the best example?"
"So, I found my teacher - Orochimaru." Senju Chen continued, "We made a deal. I provided some things that he was interested in, and he was responsible for helping your father stage a perfect 'Escape from the Golden Cicada'."
"The so-called 'corpse' was nothing but a clone made by the teacher using special materials and cells, which was enough to look real. But your father himself, who was picked up by the teacher that night, quietly left Konoha and disappeared from the world."
"Where did he go?" Kakashi asked eagerly.
"A place that was most suitable for hiding one's identity at that time - Land of Rain." Senju Chen's vision became far-reaching, "He abandoned the name 'Hatake Sakumo'. From then on, Shinobi World lost a 'Konoha's White Fang' and gained a top bounty hunter codenamed 'Ya'."
"In these years, he has never really left. Third Shinobi World War, Battle of Kikyo Pass ago, Iwagakure had a large number of elites sneaking into Land of Fire territory, meaning He was trying to destroy our logistics supply line. It was he who secretly provided the lurking locations of all the Iwa ninjas, allowing Anbu to kill them all. This ensured Brother Minato's victory on the front line."
"Also, Sunagakure's missing Third Kazekage, the village has not been able to find any clues. But in fact, it was him who accidentally discovered that Third Kazekage was killed and made into a puppet by a Sunagakure traitor named 'Scorpion' during a mission. He sent this information back as soon as possible, which allowed us to accurately judge the internal reality of Sunagakure."
"Even..." Senju Chen paused and dropped the heaviest bomb, "Five years ago, when Land of Rain surrounded and killed Shimura Danzō, your father was also present."
Boom!!!
Kakashi's body trembled violently, and those heterochromatic pupils shrank to the extreme in an instant!
Father... himself... avenged himself?!
In his impression, the man who chose to end his life in the most cowardly way because he could not bear the humiliation, not only did not die, but secretly, in a manner that he had never imagined, lived to become a true legend of gratification and grudges!
He punished the enemy, protected the village, and... killed the enemy with his own hands!
"He..." Kakashi's lips were trembling, and he could no longer say a complete sentence. The huge amount of information and emotional impact made him feel like he was suffocating.
He stretched out his hand and pressed Kakashi's shoulders, and a gentle wave of Chakra slowly flowed in, helping him calm his agitated mind.
"Every time I see Uncle Sakumo or contact him, he always ends up asking about you."
"He will ask, has Kakashi grown taller? Have you been bullied at school? Have you made any new friends? Has Ninjutsu fallen behind in your spiritual practice?"
"He also asked me to tell you that he is not a qualified father and has burdened you with too many things that should not belong to you. But he hopes you can understand that his choice back then was not to escape, but to allow you to grow up in a relatively 'clean' environment."
"He said that the title of 'son of a hero' sounds much better than the title of 'son of sinner'."
"Kakashi, your father has never been a sinner, he has always been Konoha's hero."
Big tears finally rolled down from Kakashi's eyes and hit the cold ground silently.
He wiped it randomly with the back of his hand, but couldn't get it clean.
It turns out... I have never been alone.
It turns out... he was always there.
In a corner he didn't know, in a place he couldn't see, the mountain he thought had collapsed long ago was actually always there, protecting him from wind and rain in another way.
"Where... is he now?" Kakashi raised his head, his voice hoarse.
"Still Land of Rain." Senju Chen stood up and walked to the door.
"He is currently performing a long-term latent mission in a non-governmental organization called 'Xiao'. The leader of this organization is a disciple of Lord Jiraiya. His philosophy is to pursue world peace, but he is struggling under the pressure of Demigod Hanzō."
"Your father's mission is to guide and protect them secretly, and at the same time, report the movements and changes of Land of Rain in real time."
After that, Senju Chen left Kakashi alone in the room. Over the years, his relatives and friends had "died" one after another. He had been depressed for too long. Let him be alone in the room and slowly digest the good news.