As three figures burst through the surface of the water, Hyuga Hizashi and Aburame Shino—whom Jiraiya had arranged in advance—immediately moved to confront Uchiha Mumei.
"Stop."
A drenched Jiraiya raised his hand, halting Hyuga Hizashi and Aburame Shino in their tracks. His gaze locked onto the Uchiha girl panting lightly before him, and Kakashi standing behind her.
He had been mistaken; the true culprit behind the Nine-Tails incident wasn't the person in front of him.
Those all-consuming, inextinguishable flames in the water just moments ago—even without Kakashi saying a word—had clued Jiraiya in to her identity.
Uchiha Mumei from five hundred years ago.
Yet this Uchiha girl had clearly just broken free from a seal, and even a single Amaterasu had left her in a state of chakra depletion that was plain to see.
This weakened condition was obviously the result of prolonged sealing without adequate chakra or sustenance.
How could Uchiha Mumei, in such a state, have driven his prized student to his death?
Therefore, the culprit behind the Nine-Tails incident was someone else.
"You're with him..."
Uchiha Mumei glanced sideways at the silent boy behind her.
"Yes, but please rest assured—we mean you no harm."
Kakashi's words didn't make Uchiha Mumei lower her guard. She scanned her surroundings, her eyes lingering briefly on Hyuga Hizashi's before settling on Jiraiya, who was clearly the leader.
"You're from the Uzumaki Clan."
Her tone was certain.
Uchiha Mumei had seen the Fire-Sealing Method, identical to those used by the Uzumaki Clan, countless times—from the Uzumaki Clan leader who had sealed her.
"I'm not from the Uzumaki Clan. They were wiped out decades ago."
Jiraiya stared intently at the girl before him, who was clearly struggling to remain upright, and replied.
"Decades... Heh..."
Uchiha Mumei straightened her posture and let out a soft chuckle.
Whether the Uzumaki Clan had been wiped out or not didn't matter to her.
Besides, it was just this man's word.
"No matter who you are or what your goal is..."
Uchiha Mumei propped herself up, trying to appear less frail.
But unfortunately, after being sealed for five hundred years without food for so long, surviving solely on the chakra supplied by the seal, even an ordinary person could tell she might topple over with a gust of wind.
"Our goal is to investigate the mastermind behind an incident where the Nine-Tails ravaged the village."
"So we came here, but it seems our initial hypothesis was wrong."
Kakashi, standing behind Uchiha Mumei, spoke calmly as he gazed at her back, attempting to ease the tension of the girl who had just escaped her confinement.
What village?
What Nine-Tails?
What culprit?
Uchiha Mumei knew nothing of any of this, but... "I know, I have nothing to do with this. You... you should leave..."
As the last word was forced through gritted teeth, Uchiha Mumei could no longer resist the weakness overwhelming her body and instinctively stumbled, collapsing toward the water.
In that instant, Kakashi—who was closest to her—rushed forward and caught the now limp and powerless girl.
The scene fell silent. Jiraiya frowned, staring at the girl in Kakashi's arms, at a loss for words.
"Kakashi, you..."
"Never mind. First, tell me the whole story."
Jiraiya sighed, glancing at the composed Kakashi... Night.
As the bonfire crackled to life, flames licking at the firewood with a steady pop.
The four shinobi from Konoha sat around the bonfire, discussing how to handle Uchiha Mumei.
By standard procedure, dangerous individuals like her would typically be eliminated to tie up loose ends.
But Kakashi was firmly against it.
Now that he had lost Kamui, according to the original timeline, Kamui would have played a crucial role in future battles—against Uchiha Obito commanding the Six Paths Jinchuriki, or Six Paths Madara, or even the chakra progenitor Otsutsuki Kaguya.
But all of that had now descended into uncertain mystery.
Even though Kakashi had tried to replace Kamui with White Fang and had already glimpsed his future path.
Who would ever complain about having too much power on their side?
Moreover, in the current situation, his and White Fang's potential remained unclear.
With Uchiha Mumei already unsealed, there was no turning back.
Therefore, Kakashi hoped to secure the power of this Uchiha Mumei.
"She tried to protect me earlier. If I were to kill her..."
"I simply couldn't do it."
The flickering bonfire light danced across the boy's calm face, casting it in alternating shadows. Kakashi voiced his thoughts.
"Kakashi, you must understand—although she belongs to the Uchiha Clan, she's probably the one who hates the Uchiha the most."
"The Uchiha won't allow her to live."
Hyuga Hizashi, who had been briefed on the secret events from five hundred years ago before they set out, now looked at Kakashi and spoke in a grave tone.
Kakashi lifted his gaze to meet Hyuga Hizashi's.
"The people who should have died five hundred years ago are already dead."
"And..."
A cold sneer tugged at Kakashi's lips.
He still remembered the expressions on the faces of the Uchiha Police Force when Uchiha Obito appeared, claiming to be Uchiha Madara and admitting he was the true culprit behind the Nine-Tails incident.
It was surprise, joy.
Surprise at discovering such a powerful being within their own bloodline.
Not a trace of sorrow or grief for the death of his teacher, Minato Namikaze.
Although a ninja village is nominally called a village, who truly sees it as a mere settlement?
Konoha was currently in decline, yet even so, it remained the strongest military and violent organization in the entire ninja world.
Which ninja village dared to challenge Konoha one-on-one?
The leader commanding such a military organization had actively sacrificed himself for the village, and in that situation, some people still felt no sadness—and upon learning the true culprit was a 'kinsman' of their own bloodline, they even felt joy?
What did their lives or deaths have to do with him, Kakashi?
Let alone those who belonged to Konoha; only those who stood on his side could be considered his own people.
And as Minato Namikaze's disciple, if he couldn't choose a stance, then he could only gather as much power as possible on his side.
One's position dictates one's perspective.
This was Kakashi's stance.
The Uchiha Clan certainly had doves like Uchiha Fugaku.
But there were also many ignorant hawks.
Being absolutely loyal to Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage, meant absolute loyalty! If not, then it was absolute disloyalty!
Moreover, they were individuals who felt no sorrow at his death.
As a disciple of the Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze, the rising star, the future confidant of the Fifth Hokage, the future Sixth Hokage, and the teacher of the future Seventh Hokage, why should this most steadfast member of the Hokage faction consider them?
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