Time passed slowly.
Konoha 45 years
Konoha
Hatake Clan Compound
"Father, you're back."
Kakashi Hatake said happily as he looked at his father who had returned.
He hadn't seen his father for almost a year.
"Um."
Hatake Sakumo's eyes held a hint of melancholy.
He failed the mission, but he rescued his teammates, so in Hatake Sakumo's view, it wasn't too much of a failure.
After all, he didn't consider himself an invincible war god; the title of invincible war god was just something others imposed on him.
" Kakashi, let me see how your swordsmanship is progressing!"
Hatake Sakumo had no intention of thinking about this matter any further; the rest could be handled by the higher-ups, and there was no point in him thinking about it anymore.
Root base
"Has Hatake Sakumo's mission failed?"
Shimura Danzō somewhat surprised; this was Hatake Sakumo's first mission failure!
"Yes, Danzo, Hatake Sakumo failed his mission, but he rescued his teammates."
The Root ninja spoke with his head bowed.
"Hmph... Go spread the word! I'll ruin Hatake Sakumo's reputation so he'll never have a chance to compete with me for the Fourth Hokage again!"
Shimura Danzō overjoyed.
If you shatter the invincible god-of-war filter Hatake Sakumo Hatake Sakumo, the villagers will be directly disappointed in him.
When you're elevated to a pedestal because of your consistent success, it's best not to fail.
Because if you fail, you will definitely experience what it means to be worse than dead.
"Understood, Danzo!"
The members of Root no longer need Danzo to say anything more; they are now adept at spreading rumors.
the next day
"Why did Hatake Sakumo bring people back? The mighty Konoha White Fang of Konoha would abandon his mission for his teammates?"
One villager is talking to another villager.
Just then, Hatake Sakumo and Kakashi happened to pass by.
"Father, how could they say such things about you!"
Kakashi was getting impatient and wanted to break free from Hatake Sakumo to argue with the two villagers!
"Don't worry about it. People have different opinions, and there will always be people who don't approve of what I'm doing."
Hatake Sakumo shook his head, signaling Kakashi not to rush.
However, the rumors did not stop because of Hatake Sakumo's concession; on the contrary, they intensified.
The argument that Hatake Sakumo's previous mission failure was intentional, and that he wanted revenge on the village, is illogical.
Even the Root felt something was amiss when spreading this message, and they specifically consulted Shimura Danzō about it.
"It's alright. As long as you spread the rumors, these villagers will automatically fill in the blanks for you."
Shimura Danzō sneered repeatedly.
He knew the villagers all too well, and once he launched his attack through public opinion, he couldn't stop.
This method of attack made Shimura Danzō feel comfortable.
The Root dared not refute the rumors, and spread them with skepticism.
But the result was indeed unexpected.
The illogical rumors, after being refined by the villagers, became that Hatake Sakumo was having affairs with people from other villages, and that even the heavy losses suffered in the last battle with Iwagakure were because of Hatake Sakumo's collusion with Iwagakure.
Such rumors intensified, and even members of the Root had to admire Danzo's foresight.
Uchiha Clan Compound
"Clan Chief Fugaku... there are more and more rumors circulating about Hatake Sakumo."
Uchiha Fugaku's men stepped forward to report to Uchiha Fugaku.
"It's Danzo's doing again; he's deliberately trying to ruin the village."
Uchiha Fugaku sneered repeatedly.
However, he took it all in stride; if things really got too bad, he would simply lead his entire clan in a defection.
Staying in this kind of village could easily ruin the family.
Upon receiving the news, Tsunade rushed to Hatake Sakumo's house.
Jiraiya also arrived at Hatake Sakumo's house.
Orochimaru was conducting an experiment, so he didn't come.
Hatake Clan Compound
" Sakumo, you must stay calm. I will speak up for you later. Right now, the villagers' demands are too high, making it difficult to clear your name!"
Tsunade sat opposite Hatake Sakumo and spoke.
She's exhausted now; there's Tenten infighting in the village.
If the internal strife outside had been resolved, that would be one thing. The problem is that the villages outside are becoming stronger and stronger, while Konoha is becoming weaker and weaker. This makes Tsunade unable to see a future for the village.
"I understand."
Hatake Sakumo nodded slightly, but his heart was far from calm.
" Sakumo, don't worry, we will definitely give you justice!"
Jiraiya also said.
"It's alright, I'm just happy that you two are still willing to help me."
The two men's assurances offered some comfort to Hatake Sakumo, who smiled and said...
Afterwards, Tsunade and Jiraiya persuaded Hatake Sakumo again before leaving the Hatake Clan Compound.
Time continued to pass.
Tsunade tried to refute the claim, but to little avail.
When it comes to spreading rumors, who can compare to Shimura Danzō?
This time, Shimura Danzō was very clever; he didn't give Tsunade any opportunity to take advantage.
Tsunade hadn't caught him in the act, so there was no reason for her to come directly to the Root's base to find him.
Therefore, Tsunade had to simultaneously refute the rumors and search for Root in action, but Root had already stopped spreading rumors by the time Tsunade began her search.
But they stopped; the villagers didn't.
The villagers' curses grew louder and louder; Hatake Sakumo even opened his door to find a pile of rotten vegetable leaves and rotten eggs right there.
Even when Hatake Sakumo went out, a group of people would look at him with strange eyes.
His teammates also began to criticize Hatake Sakumo for saving him.
Even young Kakashi was affected and began to wonder if his father had really done something wrong.
One improvement over the original story is that Tsunade and Jiraiya would occasionally come to comfort Hatake Sakumo Hatake Sakumo, which helped alleviate his mental state and prevent him from making the same decisions as in the original story.
Root base
Do you understand?
Shimura Danzō said to the woman.
" Danzo, I really..."
This woman tried to reject Shimura Danzō.
"Your child..."
Shimura Danzō snorted coldly.
" Danzo, I'll go, I'll go..."
The woman kowtowed repeatedly.
" Hatake Sakumo, have you felt the pain of being betrayed by the villagers?"
After the woman left Shimura Danzō laughed heartily, seemingly in a very good mood.
The next day, Hatake Sakumo saw a woman with shifty eyes at the door.
"It's you?"
Hatake Sakumo's eyes narrowed; he recognized the woman.
Isn't this the mother of the child he saved last time?
" Hatake Sakumo... you scum... you degenerate..."
The woman tossed the rotten vegetable leaves aside with a shifty look in her eyes, then left Hatake Sakumo's doorstep without looking back.
Sakumo Hatake wasn't angry; he could see the woman's reluctance. Danzo Shimura must have threatened her.
He can accept being attacked himself, but he cannot accept those he protects being threatened!
Hatake Sakumo arrived at Tsunade's house without stopping.
" Tsunade, could you please take care of Kakashi for me?"
Hatake Sakumo spoke softly.
What are you going to do?
Tsunade was shocked and quickly asked what was wrong.
"I'm going to kill Shimura Danzō."