Chapter 570: The Theory of the Will of Bullying
Finally, the movie reached the scene where Daimamaru was immobilized by Uchiha Shō's Genjutsu, and Shinoya emerged from the bushes with a lecherous grin that looked like a toad in heat.
The moment they saw it, everyone knew what was about to happen.
Not even for a second did Sakura and Ino feel sad that Daimamaru was about to lose her innocence. Instead, they immediately thought back to Lee's reaction earlier when Guy was about to be put under anesthesia.
"Tenten... you've all already seen this movie, haven't you?"
Ino looked at Tenten with a resentful expression.
She and Sakura had been worried that Tenten hadn't seen the previous film, so they had spent all that time enthusiastically explaining the earlier plot to her.
Turns out they had wasted all that effort. Tenten and the others had already watched even this sequel.
"I just didn't want to spoil it for you, so I kept quiet."
Tenten hurriedly defended herself.
Trying to change the subject before they could respond, she immediately switched into plot-analysis mode.
"But don't you think everyone in this movie looks familiar?"
"Do you think... Uchiha Natsusuke might actually be Sasuke?"
"And Daimamaru... could she actually be Orochimaru?"
"No way! Daimamaru is a woman!"
Sakura immediately shook her head. The moment the image of Orochimaru and Sasuke having a teacher-student romance appeared in her mind, she couldn't help but shiver.
"But I've heard Orochimaru is a woman now."
Tenten shrugged innocently.
"Besides, look. Daimamaru belongs to the Ancient Tomb School, and Orochimaru is the origin of all the Impure World Reincarnation ninjas."
"And Daimamaru's nickname is Little Dragon Maiden. Dragon... represents Ryūchi Cave."
"..."
Sakura felt as though her entire worldview had been shattered.
At this point, she couldn't even pay attention to the rest of the movie.
It was as if she'd suddenly achieved enlightenment and finally understood why Sasuke had been perfectly content staying in Amegakure.
No wonder Naruto had already come all the way to Kirigakure, yet Sasuke hadn't budged an inch.
So Naruto and Sasuke didn't have... that kind of relationship... um, did they really not?
Anyway, besides Naruto...
Sasuke also had Orochimaru!
Sakura suddenly recalled that after the Konoha Crush during the Chunin Exams, she vaguely remembered hearing Orochimaru say something about giving Sasuke a daughter.
So there had already been signs back then!
She had simply been too slow to notice them.
---
As Sakura finally pieced everything together, Kakashi's group also learned what Guy and Shira had discovered.
Shira had discovered that the "aura" he absorbed from Kakashi contained traces of residual natural energy.
That natural energy greatly amplified his Seven Heavens Breathing Technique.
So Shira couldn't understand why Kakashi had never allowed Guy to learn Sage Mode.
Shira knew that the reason Gaara hadn't included him among the candidates for Sage Mode training was precisely because of Guy's example.
Kakashi was shocked, and at the same time, felt guilty.
He had only thought of taijutsu and Sage Mode as two separate methods for fighting the Otsutsuki.
Since Guy had already specialized in taijutsu, Kakashi believed there was no need for him to study Sage Mode as well.
He had never expected Sage Mode and certain special taijutsu training methods to produce such a dramatic improvement when combined.
Guy, lying there under anesthesia, silently expressed, 'Exactly. That's what I thought too.'
Shira immediately began trying to train Sage Mode.
Guy couldn't move because of the anesthetic, so he had no choice but to leave everything to Lee.
Besides, with Shira's current strength, he couldn't fight Guy anyway.
At best, he could spar with Lee.
Encouraged by Guy, Lee also decided to begin training in Sage Mode.
...Though, in terms of talent, Lee was even more extreme than Guy.
At least Guy knew a few other things.
Lee truly specialized in nothing but pure taijutsu.
After this entire chain of events, Kakashi finally found himself with some peace and quiet.
He could finally enjoy his vacation again.
So Kakashi resumed reading his novel while keeping an eye on Obito inside the Tsukuyomi monitored through the engraved seal.
However...
The happy moment didn't last long.
Not long after Kakashi lay down, Kimimaro appeared outside his tent and handed him a scroll.
"This is a secret mission entrusted to you by the Second Hokage."
"He said that every generation of Hokage has its own responsibilities."
"Tsunade's task is to complete Konoha's economic and political reforms."
"As Konoha's officially designated next Hokage, you have the duty to complete this mission."
After handing over the scroll, Kimimaro left.
"?"
Holding the scroll, Kakashi felt a headache coming on.
What did he mean by officially designated next Hokage?
Wasn't he just an overworked laborer?
How had helping with the Hokage's paperwork somehow turned into actually becoming Hokage?
And this mission...
Without even opening the scroll, Kakashi already knew it would be troublesome.
If it were something simple, why hadn't the Second Hokage just given it directly to Tsunade to handle?
Why bother passing it to him, this so-called next Hokage?
That meant that, in the Second Hokage's eyes, even if they started now, this mission would probably take an entire generation to complete.
With a heavy heart filled with despair, Kakashi slowly opened the scroll.
After reading its contents...
Just as expected.
The moment he saw it, he felt an invisible weight pressing down on him.
The Second Hokage wanted him to solve Konoha's bullying problem.
Was that really something he could solve?
The current reforms in Konoha could ultimately be enforced through strength.
But bullying?
How was he supposed to solve that with force?
Kill everyone?
Or impose harsh laws?
Neither would work.
If people stopped bullying others only because they were afraid of dying...
Then what difference was there between that and being dead?
That was Konoha's "Will of Bullying"!
Moreover, as the nominal author of several books, Kakashi had spent quite a bit of time talking with Shiromo.
Shiromo had once said something rather strange.
He said that the Theory of Bullying was to the ninja world what the Theory of Heavenly Fate was to the New Three Kingdoms.
Once you accepted that premise, countless seemingly illogical things suddenly made sense.
Kakashi hadn't understood the second sentence.
But he had understood the overall meaning.
Looking into the distance at Guy—still lying on the beach under anesthesia while loudly directing Lee to publicly launch himself into the air—Kakashi couldn't help recalling the first time he had met Might Dai and his son.
The father and son had also been bullied.
Yet they always faced it with smiles.
They acted so innocently that people even thought they didn't understand the malicious words directed at them.
But as Guy's closest friend, and someone who had quietly observed him for years...
Kakashi knew Guy understood everything.
"Wait!"
Kakashi suddenly seemed to grasp a crucial point and immediately looked down at Obito on the monitor.
Sure enough!
"Shiromo was right. The Theory of Bullying really does explain so many unsolved mysteries. So, Obito... this is why..."
A look of sorrow appeared on Kakashi's face.
He finally understood why Obito had fallen into darkness.
Guy and his father had chosen to smile and pretend they didn't care about the bullying.
But when Kakashi said Obito was like Naruto, he wasn't exaggerating.
As Uchiha Simpleton, Obito genuinely couldn't understand other people's sarcasm or passive-aggressive remarks.
If anything, he was even more innocent than Naruto.
In his eyes, Konoha was a warm and honest village.
That was why he enthusiastically helped every villager he met.
Until the day he witnessed Rin die by his own hand.
Uchiha "Simpleton" evolved.
At the very least, he became "Wise Three."
With his newfound intelligence, Obito finally realized that his younger self, before "awakening," had been living in an idealized world all along.
That was why Obito always insisted that he sought the Infinite Tsukuyomi not because of Rin...
But because he had seen through the darkness of the ninja world.
He wasn't exaggerating.
That was genuinely the moment when he finally became wise enough to see the world for what it truly was.
In that instant, Obito's entire worldview collapsed.
The beautiful Konoha he had always believed in was actually full of bullying.
He could no longer tell what was real anymore.
If that was true, then Minato and Kushina must have been bullying him as well.
And so, without mercy or hesitation, he unleashed the Night of the Nine-Tails.
(End of this chapter)