In the early morning, as the sun rose, its warm rays awakened Konoha.
The streets transitioned from quiet to bustling, with crowds milling about; grandmothers haggled with vendors for groceries, breakfast shop uncles smiled as they handed steaming rice balls to customers, and friends chatted in small groups on the street corners, their laughter occasionally echoing.
Kakashi had picked out the vegetables he needed, paid, and was about to head home when he glimpsed an inconspicuous man at the street corner, talking mysteriously with others gathered there.
"My nephew said that Sakumo-sama hit someone in the Hokage Building a few days ago."
Another person asked, "Why?"
"Hmph, it's said that he thought the mission given to his apprentice was inappropriate…"
Another person interjected, "What are you talking about? I heard that the Ninja was a little slow in his response, and Sakumo-sama dragged him out and beat him up, even drawing his sword!"
"That's a bit much, isn't it? Everyone has times when they're overwhelmed."
"Who told Sakumo-sama to have such great achievements in the Second Ninja World War? And his apprentice is an Uchiha!"
"Ah? How could Sakumo-sama get involved with the Uchiha…"
Kakashi's eyes darkened, but in the end, he didn't bother the civilians, instead carrying his basket home to cook.
There were still two patients in the Hospital waiting to be fed, and he didn't have time to care about such rumors… But he didn't expect these rumors to spread through all of Konoha like a virus, becoming more and more outrageous.
From "Sakumo Hatake hit someone in the Hokage Building over a small matter" to "the esteemed white fang of konoha abandoned an important S-rank mission to save a Chunin, causing significant losses to the Village," only one day had passed.
That evening, after Naraku had fallen asleep, Kakashi was about to tidy up and lie down on the small bed next to him when he saw his father slowly walk in.
"Fa…"
He hesitated, both because he didn't know how to ask and because he was afraid of waking Naraku, who needed sleep, so he could only swallow his questions.
Having been educated with Sakumo's values since childhood, Kakashi had always believed that comrades were the most important, and besides, the one who was saved was Naraku, his best friend.
Kakashi didn't understand why saving a comrade would be considered a crime, causing everyone in Konoha to verbally attack him, wishing Sakumo dead.
He looked at his father helplessly, wanting to know why all of this was happening.
Sakumo shook his head at Kakashi, signaling him not to take these things to heart.
He then checked on Naraku's condition and left.
Seeing that his father's emotions were relatively stable, Kakashi felt a little relieved.
Perhaps everyone had misunderstood something.
He lay on the bed with a faint sense of melancholy, and before he knew it, he drifted off to sleep.
In the middle of the night, Naraku groggily opened his eyes, glanced at Kakashi, who was sleeping soundly beside him, placed his right hand on him, and formed a hand sign with his left hand to make him sleep more deeply, so he wouldn't be woken by the sound of him getting up.
After confirming the genjutsu was effective, Naraku quietly got out of bed and slowly walked to the restroom, leaning on the wall.
Just after washing his hands, he heard two night-shift nurses chatting softly in the hallway.
The content was almost identical to what Kakashi had heard, even more outrageous, with many obviously fabricated stories being attributed to Sakumo Hatake.
Naraku narrowed his eyes.
Not coming earlier, not coming later, but discussing it precisely when he was alone.
It was clearly meant for him to hear.
A while later, the nurses left, and Naraku also came out of the restroom.
He didn't return to the ward but silently jumped out of the second-floor window.
His wound still throbbed faintly when he landed; he clutched his stomach and let out a muffled groan, taking a couple of breaths, his small face pale as he slowly walked towards the Uchiha Clan Compound.
Soon after entering the Clan Compound, three Uchiha Clan Member on night patrol approached, and upon seeing Naraku, they softly admonished him.
"Stop!"
Naraku stopped in place, raising his head to let them see who he was.
"Uchiha Naraku?"
The leading Clan Member had seen Naraku at a clan meeting and recognized his face.
The deepest truth of the Land of Rain mission was concealed by Hiruzen Sarutobi, but the Uchiha Clan still knew Naraku's visible achievements.
A pursuit squad from Amegakure had suffered heavy losses, and even the Grass Ninja had taken a silent hit, and all of this was caused by the mere nine-year-old boy in front of them.
Even the proud Uchiha Clan had to admit that Naraku's talent was simply beyond their reach.
So, even though Naraku was young, he still held him in sufficient respect.
However, seeing Naraku looking like he hadn't fully recovered from serious injuries, he couldn't help but ask, "What is so urgent that you're out so late?"
"I need to see the Clan Head-sama."
"This…"
"Now!"
As the firm voice rang out, a red light flashed in the boy's eyes, and three tomoe slowly rotated within his Sharingan, their crimson glow lingering for a long time… "I deeply apologize for disturbing you late at night."
Naraku bowed fully, explaining in a low voice the reason for his actions: "Clan Head-sama must have already heard the rumors in the Village, right?"
"Yes, I have heard some."
Uchiha Fugaku took a sip of clear tea, his voice carrying a slight sigh.
"Although they are all false rumors, we cannot arrest people for a bit of idle gossip."
"That's not what I mean, Clan Head-sama; this matter is very strange."
Naraku knelt opposite Fugaku, his slightly immature face speaking words that didn't match his age.
"If it were just ordinary discussion, it would be harmless, but these rumors are spreading at an unusual speed. If no one were behind it, how could it spread throughout all of Konoha in just one day?"
"All of Konoha?" Fugaku put down his teacup, his expression becoming more serious: "Have you found anything else amiss?"
"A Ninja's missions are top secret, especially S-rank missions. Why would the mission content, rank, and losses all be circulated among the villagers without a single detail missing?"
Naraku concluded decisively: "Someone is targeting Master, destroying his hope of becoming Hokage. We must respond quickly to prevent the situation from spiraling further out of control."
The Uchiha were already deeply tied to Sakumo Hatake; if the latter couldn't become Hokage, the Uchiha's situation would only become more dangerous.
Fugaku knew this truth well, and his heart immediately grew urgent. He ordered the guards outside the door to inform The Police Force members to gather an hour early at midnight.
After the arrangements were made, Fugaku looked at Naraku seriously, who met his gaze calmly and fearlessly.
It seems that cruel reality has forced him to grow up quickly.
Fugaku sighed inwardly and casually asked, "Who do you think it could be?"
"The one who tried to assassinate me before."
Naraku saw Fugaku's eyes widen suddenly, and then he lowered his gaze with a look of disappointment, his face showing an expression of "my suspicion is confirmed."
"It seems you truly still don't know why my mission in the Land of Rain failed."
As the truth was revealed, Fugaku felt a chilling coldness all around him.
It turned out that this chain of events was all to wipe out Uchiha Naraku and Sakumo Hatake, leaving the Uchiha no chance to recover.
The Village's malice towards the Uchiha was even more deeply rooted than he had imagined…
Naraku was about to say something, but he heard the sound of footsteps outside the door.
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