Kakashi stumbled back a step. Then his legs gave out. He hit the ground.
He clutched his head, face contorted. "I don't… I don't understand. So my father's convictions… they were all wrong?"
"I don't think Sakumo-sama was wrong," Qianyu said quietly. "He just gave his loyalty to people who weren't worthy of it."
A sigh escaped him. "You've seen their faces, Kakashi. These past weeks. The villagers. They have no idea. No idea what your father felt, what he sacrificed to save his comrades. They insult him. They insult you, who knows even less. Everyone knows the contributions he made in the Second War. But they choose to forget. All of it."
Qianyu's voice grew colder, sharper. "No barriers between clans? Mutual trust? It's all a lie. The people of Konoha are cold. Selfish. When their own interests are on the line, they don't care about truth. They just point fingers."
Kakashi's fists clenched. His knuckles were white.
"You're young. You wouldn't know about my past," Qianyu continued. "When I was your age, the entire village spat on me."
Kakashi looked up, confusion cutting through his pain.
"My parents," Qianyu said, the words deliberate, "were Konoha-nin. Missing-nin."
Kakashi's eye widened. He hadn't known.
A smile twisted onto Qianyu's face. A cold, bitter thing. "You'll never guess why. My mother was Uchiha. My father, Senju. Two clans. Ancient enemies. Their love… to the Uchiha, it was the ultimate taboo. So they ran. They fled the village. The Uchiha Clan pressured the elders. My parents were branded traitors. Hunted."
He paused. The memory was a physical weight. "They hid. For years. Then… they were discovered. Other shinobi, greedy for their bloodline potential. My father died protecting me. My mother… she died at the gates of Konoha. I watched. The village had the power to save her. They chose to look away."
He met Kakashi's gaze. "After that, the Uchiha disowned me. The villagers… they transferred their hatred for the clan onto me. Everyone despised me. They gave me a name. 'The Half-Breed.' My parents never betrayed Konoha. I never did anything wrong. Yet we were all reviled."
His voice dropped to a near whisper, but it carried a cutting edge. "The Will of Fire dreams of unity. So tell me, Kakashi… has the hatred between Uchiha and Senju vanished? What crime did my parents commit by loving each other? Is this the Will of Fire?"
Kakashi was silent, the story settling over him like a shroud.
Qianyu's gaze burned. "I feel no loyalty to this village, Kakashi. I hate it. Because of Konoha, my parents were forced from their home. Because of Konoha, they were hunted. They took me in out of convenience, not kindness. They didn't want a child with Uchiha and Senju blood running loose. That's all."
He took a step closer. "Hiruzen Sarutobi called me to his office today. He doesn't care about you. He doesn't care about Sakumo-sama. He cares about Konoha. Because if the village falls, his title as Hokage is meaningless."
The final question landed like a verdict. "This place is full of coldness and shadows. It took our family from us. Kakashi… is a Leaf like that really worth our loyalty?"
Hatred, pure and dark, flooded Kakashi's eyes. His voice was a low, venomous hiss. "No. It's not worth anything."
Qianyu extended his hand, palm open. "You and I, we're the same now. Betrayed. Forced to watch family die. I am your teacher. I will be your family. You can always trust me. And I… will never betray you."
He held Kakashi's gaze. "So, Kakashi. Will you walk this path with me? Just us. Teacher and student."
Kakashi stared at the offered hand. His mind, his heart—everything settled into a single, cold resolution. He placed his smaller hand into Qianyu's.
"Sensei… I will."
A genuine, small smile touched Qianyu's lips. He pulled Kakashi to his feet.
Together, they looked out from the silent woods. In the distance, Konoha's streets glowed, noisy and alive as if no war loomed at all. They stood in the quiet dark, a world apart.
"Our strength isn't enough yet," Qianyu said, his voice low and steady. "We must be patient. Lie low. Bide our time in this village. And when the moment is right… we leave this cage behind."
He turned to Kakashi. "There's something you should know. You always wondered who I was looking for in the Land of Grass. I was searching for Kushina's people."
"Lady Kushina's…? The Uzumaki clan?"
Qianyu nodded. He told Kakashi everything. About the fall of Uzushiogakure. About Konoha's inaction. About the plan to make Kushina the next Jinchūriki.
A cold, mirthless light flickered in Kakashi's eyes. A scoff escaped him. "They let an ally die. Then they have the gall to find the last survivor… just to make her a weapon. A tool for them to use. Konoha… hah."
He hadn't spent much time with Kushina. Just a few days. But her fierce, genuine concern for him had been real. He'd felt it. The thought of them using her like that… it stoked his anger.
"That's why I searched," Qianyu said, his tone icy. "To find another Uzumaki. To have them take her place. But even if I found one, convincing the village would be near impossible. And my search… it turned up nothing. So the future… it may mean leaving Konoha with Kushina."
Kakashi didn't hesitate. "Wherever you and Lady Kushina go, I'll follow."
Qianyu shook his head. "Not yet. For now, you're safest here. There's still time. Hiruzen is pushing me to return to the Land of Grass. I'll leave in a couple of days. One last search."
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
Read up to (100+ ) advanced chapters on Patre\on
Visit us here: patreon.com/GoldenLong
Happy reading, everyone!