Escape From Konoha

"Teacher Shuo Mao, I'm here to visit you."

In a certain room on the second floor, Shiraishi whispered to the photo on the stand.

This is a photo they took together when the fifth class was first established.

Ayane and Liuli were also on it, and when I was taking the photo, I was caught between the two of them, and it was really hard to think about myself at that time.

Sakumo, on the other hand, stood behind the three of them, with a white tooth dagger on his back and a ninja forehead protector, showing a hearty and happy smile.

Just as Shiraishi recalled these things, the door was suddenly opened.

"I said you, when you enter someone else's house, don't you know you can't just run around?"

Shiraishi saw that Obito was carefree, and walked in without hiding anything, feeling a headache.

"I still want to talk about you, what's the matter with putting me there alone?"

Obito also responded unhappily.

"I just came up to see."

"Then I'll come up and take a look."

Obito learned to be smart, and followed Baishi's words.

Later, he also discovered the existence of the photo, and stared at it carefully. Although it was taken when Shiraishi was twelve years old, and it was a bit different from the current Shiraishi, Obito still recognized it immediately. This is the past Shiraishi.

"It turns out that you were like this before, and there is nothing special about you."

An embarrassing remark came out of Obito's mouth.

Then he looked at the others.

"This eye belongs to the Hyuga clan. Then this one over here must be senior Ruri. As expected of a senior, such a small person gives people a reliable and powerful feeling."

Looking at Liuli in the photo, Obito immediately turned into a little fan, and said in an admiring tone.

"Hey, who is this white-haired uncle? Is it your guide Jonin?"

Obito asked curiously.

"Yeah, also Kakashi's father, a ninja known as 'Konoha White Fang'."

Baishi nodded, this kind of thing can be known by just asking around, it is not a secret.

"No wonder it looks so similar to Kakashi... But Konoha White Fang... I seem to have heard of it somewhere... Strange, where did I hear it?"

Obito tilted his head and began to think.

I vaguely remember that it was a few months ago.

Obito couldn't remember exactly what it was.

"Knowing this kind of thing is not a good thing for you."

Shiraishi interrupted the topic.

Rumors about Sakumo are basically only spread among adults. It is normal for students like Obito who are still in school to not know much about it.

It is estimated that I just know the name, and what happened specifically, so naturally I haven't understood it in depth.

What's more, after Shuo Mao committed suicide, many people kept silent about it, as if it never happened.

But the scars have already been exposed, no matter how much you try to make up for them, the wounds will not disappear, they will only be hidden deeper.

"What, I'm not a child."

Obito said dissatisfied.

"Okay, let's go down."

Baishi took Obitu downstairs and returned to the living room.

There, the takeaway ordered by Kakashi had been delivered, and Kakashi himself was sitting there, waiting for the two to come and have dinner together.

"Kakashi, you haven't been eating takeout recently, have you?"

Obito frowned when he saw that there were many takeaway boxes in the trash can that hadn't been cleaned up in time.

"Um."

Kakashi nodded.

In addition to work, he spends a lot of time at home exercising every day. He has no leisure time to cook and can only survive by eating takeaway.

Seeing that Kakashi replied indifferently, Obito frowned even tighter.

When he wanted to say something, he saw Kakashi's eyes that had no intention of arguing, so he swallowed the words back.

Kakashi like this gave Obito an indescribable bad feeling.

It felt like nothing I could say to him could get close to him.

Even if he wanted to ask Kakashi, why did he have a dispute with his companion on the mission, is it true that, as those people said, the life value of his companion is lower than the value of the mission to him...

In the end, Obito hesitated for a long time, but failed to confess to Kakashi what he was most concerned about.

Kakashi's home gave him an unusually deserted and unfit feeling.

What the hell happened after this guy graduated? Obito muttered in his heart.

Kakashi sat at the dining table, took two bites of takeaway casually, and closed the takeaway box.

"I'm full, you can go back after eating, I don't have anything to entertain here."

Kakashi threw his unfinished takeaway directly into the trash can next to him, and walked towards the yard with the White Fang dagger on his back.

"...Did we come at the wrong time?"

Obito glanced at Shiraishi with a guilty conscience.

Baishi replied: "This has nothing to do with you, don't think too much about it."

"is that so?"

Obito is skeptical.

After the two quickly ate the takeaway, Obito thoughtfully took out the garbage bags filled with many takeaway boxes and disposed of them. If they stay here for a long time, they will definitely become moldy.

"It's really amazing. Have you practiced Bai Ya's knife skills to this extent?"

While taking soil to dispose of the garbage bags, Shiraishi came to the yard, looked at Kakashi who was constantly trying to swing a knife, and was filled with emotion.

Although in his eyes, Kakashi's white teeth sword skills are completely incomparable with Sakumo's, and there are many flaws. But the sword posture already has a bit of Sakumo's demeanor, and it is definitely not a big problem to deal with ninjas of the Chunin level.

Continue to accumulate like this, relying on one's own talent and hard work, it is a matter of course for Shiraishi to pass the Jonin assessment before the age of twelve.

Kakashi was unmoved by Shiraishi's emotion, and just focused on sword training.

"Why, haven't you calmed down completely for so long?"

Shiraishi leaned against the courtyard wall and asked Kakashi with a smile.

Kakashi's movement of swinging the knife in his hand suddenly stopped, and the air condensed.

"As a Chunin, you shouldn't be so vulnerable, right?"

"what do you want to say in the end?"

Kakashi turned his head and sighed helplessly.

I don't know why, but I always feel that there is something in Baishi's words.

But the other party is his father's old subordinate, so it's not good to be rude to him.

"I promised Teacher Shuo Mao that I would take good care of you after he passed away."

"As you can see, I'm doing fine now."

Kakashi replied nonchalantly.

Compared with the so-called care in Baishi's mouth, he believed more in the power brought by the blade in his hand.

"Having said that, if you go on like this, there will be fewer and fewer junin who can accept you, until you can no longer gain a foothold among Konoha. So, will you still insist on your mission-oriented philosophy?"

After so many twists and turns, even a fool should understand that some of them are obviously very contradictory.

In order to save his companions, his father gave up his mission, so he was rejected by the villagers, and he committed suicide because of the rumors.

But I chose another path, the task was greater than that of my companions, but I was still rejected by my colleagues in the village.

This is a fact that Kakashi has personally realized, and it is definitely not a random imagination.

Although Kakashi concealed his expression very well, there was still a trace of hesitation and hesitation in his eyes.

He was wondering about the real cause of his father's death.

Facts have proved...whether it is choosing a mission or choosing a companion, it is wrong.

It is also very likely that it was not the reason for his father's suicide.

Kakashi, who was able to become a Chunin at the age of six, should not be treated as an ordinary child in terms of actual combat ability or theoretical knowledge.

Although sometimes thinking will fall into a dead end, this matter, combined with the cause and effect, cannot be explained logically at all.

There are too many doubts and places worthy of scrutiny.

"You did very well."

Shiraishi suddenly said something.

"What?"

"It seems that you have indeed calmed down, at least you know dialectical thinking."

Shiraishi smiled, if it were Kakashi before, he might have left with a cold face and impatient expression.

For more than half a year, he had enough time to personally experience the contradictions in this village.

This kind of contradiction is generally undetectable to villagers and ninjas, because they have not experienced it personally.

Unfortunately, Kakashi was the one who went through the whole process.

His father's suicide and the path he has chosen now are to a certain extent mainstream ideas that cannot be accepted by the village.

So how is it right? How could it be wrong?

"I don't know what you're talking about, I'm just following..."

"Then do you want to know the real cause of Master Shuo Mao's death?"

The atmosphere followed Shiraishi's words, and Kakashi's body burst out with a terrifying murderous aura, making the surrounding air heavy, making it difficult to breathe, as if he was trapped in a swamp.

"Don't talk nonsense here!"

Kakashi seemed to be stimulated by something, his body moved violently, disappeared from the spot, and drew a bright light in the darkness.

However, he stopped in front of Shiraishi.

His face was covered with cold sweat, and he stared at Shiraishi with terrified eyes.

Unknowingly, a large number of slender shadows were wrapped around his body, like a solid iron chain, sealing his whole body and making him unable to move.

Around him, dozens of spears and swords formed from shadows stopped at his throat, heart, back of the head and other deadly positions.

Just move forward, a large number of shadow blades can easily plunder his life.

And Baishi, always leaning his back against the courtyard wall in a relaxed manner, did not move a step.

"Who the hell are you...?"

"Chiba Shiraishi, Konoha Chunin, part-time assistant teacher of medical ninja experimental class of ninja school."

Baishi confessed all his information without any falsification.

Kakashi was silent.

Chunin?

Do not make jokes.

Even his current Jonin, who leads the team, can't let him fall into this dangerous situation without him noticing.

However, when these black shadows emerged and surrounded him, and the shadow blades all touched his deadly parts, he didn't realize it later.

If you want to harm yourself, you can kill him silently at any time.

This kind of strength, even ordinary Jonin, is impossible to achieve.

"At 0 o'clock in the morning three days later, you come to this place, and I will tell you the answer. Of course, it doesn't matter if you don't come. Then, you can only find the answer yourself."

Shiraishi took out a card, walked up to Kakashi, and gently stuffed it into his pocket, with a vague smile on his lips.

The shadow disappeared from Kakashi's body and surroundings.

Kakashi's body seemed to be drained of strength, his face was pale and limp on the ground, recalling the feeling of brushing past death just now, he still had lingering fears in his heart.

White Fang's dagger fell aside, as if it had lost its luster.

"Don't forget the agreement."

Baishi left this sentence and walked out.

Before he walked out of the yard, he saw Kakashi sitting on the ground the first time he returned with soil, and couldn't help being surprised:

"Hey, Kakashi, what are you doing sitting on the ground?"

"It's obviously caused by overworked cultivation, well, it's almost time, we should go."

Shiraishi said to Obito.

"I haven't talked to Kakashi yet, why are you leaving so fast?"

"They're all from the same village anyway. When can't we meet? And soon Lin will come to me for medical ninjutsu. Be careful that I sneak in. After all, she is such a cute girl."

As Baishi walked forward, he smiled maliciously.

Obito was really stimulated, and immediately exploded on the spot.

"You despicable guy, how many times have I told you not to shoot Lin!"

Then he turned to Kakashi.

"Kakashi, I'll come back to you in a few days, and don't always eat these unnutritious takeaways. I'm leaving first."

After speaking, Obito quickly chased Shiraishi and ran out.

Kakashi ignored the farce between Shiraishi and Obito, but watched Shiraishi's receding figure, and murmured to himself:

"Is this guy really as simple as a medical ninja..."

With this kind of strength, there is no problem even if he becomes the Jonin of the village. Why hide his strength in the village?

Moreover, the answer he said...what exactly is it referring to?

Kakashi's eyes flickered, and he didn't know what he was thinking.

◎

Three days passed in a flash.

At noon, at the entrance of Konoha Village, Kakashi and his companions in the team separated and rushed back home.

Seeing Kakashi's absent-minded look, the leader of the team didn't say anything, but felt that Kakashi was rather strange this time.

He had already decided to 'invite' Kakashi out of the team.

If this continues, other people in the team will have great opinions, which will eventually lead to the split of the entire team.

As for the arrangements on Hokage's side, that's beyond what he can know.

Kakashi dragged his tired body back home, basically had no room to think, and fell asleep on the bed defenseless.

When I woke up, it was pitch black outside the window.

With the help of the bright moonlight outside, you can see the alarm clock at the head of the bed, and the time displayed on it is nine o'clock.

"Is there three more hours?"

Shiraishi told him three days ago that he would tell him the so-called 'answer' at midnight tonight.

Kakashi has been hesitating whether to follow Shiraishi's order and go to the meeting as agreed.

but……

"That guy is deliberately hiding his strength, is he really trustworthy?"

After all, he didn't even know the reason why Baishi wanted to hide his strength. If he went to the appointment rashly, something unfavorable to him might happen.

Regarding this matter, Kakashi felt that he had to be more cautious.

Feeling hungry, Kakashi went to the kitchen to see if he could find anything to eat.

In the end, he only found a few pieces of dry and hard bread, and Kakashi didn't care about it. After boiling hot water, he poured himself a cup and ate the bread, as if he had solved the problem of dinner.

Kakashi watched the time on the clock pass by second by second, and realized in a daze that it was already 11:30.

There was only half an hour left before the agreed time.

Kakashi took out the card in his pocket, with only one location written on it——

Shadow Rock.

Kakashi exhaled.

There are three options before him now.

The first one is to go to the meeting according to Shiraishi's agreement.

The second one is to act as if nothing happened, follow the path you chose unswervingly, and cut off the connection with Baishi. What purpose the other party has has nothing to do with him.

The third is to report to Hokage and let the Anbu agency intervene to investigate Shiraishi.

There is also a problem. To reveal the secret to him so easily, does this kind of person really have no defenses and escape?

Or did he unknowingly be within the surveillance range of the other party?

Except for the second option, both the first and third options have certain risks in them.

Which one to choose has become the most difficult problem for Kakashi to face now.

- Konoha Shadow Rock.

It was almost exactly 0 o'clock in the morning, and a person was wearing a white hooded coat, with his hands casually placed in the sleeves, standing on the portrait of the first generation of Hokage in a relaxed and unsuspecting posture.

From this angle, you can see the whole Konoha panorama.

Only street lights, and a few sporadic lights were on, and most of the area was plunged into darkness.

With the help of moonlight, the outlines of buildings that have fallen into the darkness can be seen clearly.

"You are really sneaky in this dress, do you want to tell me some of your ulterior deeds?"

Footsteps came from behind, and Kakashi was already standing there, facing his white back and said.

"It's just that the air is too cold tonight, and I expect there will be a little snow in the second half of the night."

Lifting the hat on his head back, Shiraishi turned his head and explained to Kakashi, revealing his true face.

"Yeah?"

Kakashi took a few steps forward, and looked down at the panorama of Konoha Village from here together with Shiraishi.

"How do you feel?"

Shiraishi asked.

"It's completely different from the feeling of watching during the day, it's so peaceful."

When I came to Yingyan before, it was always during the day, and it was Kakashi's first time to look at the whole Konoha from here at night.

"The calmer the water, the more terrifying its depth."

"I can take it as, are you dissatisfied with the village?"

Kakashi narrowed his eyes, tilted his head, and glanced at Shiraishi with the corner of his eyes.

"No, not at all. Because how this village has become has nothing to do with me. It is just a choice of history to be wiped out one day."

Shiraishi said in a calm tone.

His tone contained the coldness and determination of abandoning everything here.

"It's a different person from the usual you."

"Don't worry, whether it's the normal me or the current me, it's my truest face."

"..."

Kakashi was silent.

"Since you chose to come to me to find the answer, let me hear your opinion on this village."

"The village?"

"Didn't you study in the ninja school? The will of fire handed down from the first Hokage Senjujuma."

Shiraishi sat down on the portrait of the first Hokage, looking down at Konoha Village shrouded in darkness.

"Protect the fellows of the village, eliminate the barriers between everyone, and then protect the next generation, so that the children of the next generation will become the cornerstone of the village."

"Now that you understand the essence, why do you still choose to put the task first? To you, aren't those companions the same as 'family'? Isn't it worth protecting? Or are you afraid that you will end up with Shuo? The same fate as Teacher Mao?"

"I don't know, don't ask me these questions..."

Kakashi touched his forehead, his brows frowned slightly, and the pain started to hurt again.

Every time I think of this incomparably contradictory problem, I feel a headache.

However, in the textbooks of the ninja school, and even after going to the library to check a lot of information, they couldn't get the answer.

Seeing Kakashi stroking his forehead, Shiraishi knew that he was in trouble again.

"Kakashi, you understand very well, it's just that you don't want to think about it. Then let me remind you again, a very important reminder."

Shiraishi showed a meaningful smile.

"hint?"

"Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen is almost fifty years old."

Kakashi didn't know, so, how old is the third Hokage, and what does it have to do with him?

However, Kakashi also understands that once a ninja is fifty years old, he will continue to decline. Both his strength and energy for doing things are not as good as before. He can only hand over his work to the next generation and start cultivating it. The next generation of heirs.

etc--

A flash of inspiration flashed in Kakashi's mind, as if he had grasped some important information.

The third Hokage is about to turn fifty...

retire……

The Fourth Hokage to be elected as the next...

Who are the four Hokage candidates?

Although there is no official election yet, everyone knows who is capable of serving as the Fourth Hokage in the village.

Konoha White Fang, Sannin, and other than that, there are only a very small number of excellent Jonin.

It's not that Kakashi doesn't understand anything, because once many things are noticed, everything will become a coherent clue.

The Fourth Hokage's election has nothing to do with them, the Chunin and Genin, but his father, Konoha Baiga, is definitely capable of participating in this election ceremony.

Coincidentally, his father suddenly failed in the mission, and because he gave up the mission and chose a companion, he was slandered and committed suicide by his colleagues.

Later, I thought that my father Shuo Mao's path was wrong, so I carried out the task with the belief that "the task is greater than my companions", but I still couldn't get the approval of the people in the same village.

Kakashi once wondered if he was not good enough to be recognized by his companions.

But as time went by, I was more and more rejected by others. That is to say, those people hated my task-oriented behavior and ignored the lives of their companions from the bottom of their hearts.

However, if this is the case, why was his father still murdered by rumors to the point of committing suicide?

The fourth Hokage campaign.

Father Shuo Mao committed suicide by choosing "companions are more important than tasks".

If I choose 'task is greater than my companion', I will be rejected and not recognized.

All the leads are connected.

Only then did Kakashi suddenly realize why he chose the path of 'tasks are greater than companions', and it was the reason for being rejected.

From the very beginning, there was no option of 'tasks are greater than peers' or 'partners are greater than tasks'.

"Senior Shiraishi, father...was forced to death by high-level officials, is that so? Because of the so-called Fourth Hokage position?"

Kakashi's voice trembled, already filled with uncontrollable anger, and there was also a terrible violent breath in his eyes.

Suddenly feel sorry for myself.

I was actually struggling because of this kind of thing, and even complained to my father at one point, why he chose to commit suicide.

And he didn't realize it.

Baishi was silent.

Kakashi is a smart kid. There are some things that don't need to be explained deliberately, as long as you give him some hints, with his intelligence, he can quickly figure out the cause and effect of things and analyze the problem clearly.

After all, most six-year-olds play ninja games in school, and Kakashi has passed the difficult chunin exam at this age to become a qualified chunin.

To become a chunin, the first thing you need is to have the analytical ability beyond ordinary people.

After all, this is the backbone of a team. When the Jonin has problems, the Chunin is the acting team leader.

Thinking about the wasted time he spent in the past six months, Kakashi really felt like a fool who was played and applauded by those high-level officials.

They don't care about these problems that they are struggling with, and they have never cared about them, let alone give themselves any so-called answers.

Because the answer was given, they couldn't explain the cause of their father Shuo Mao's death, and they had no face to explain to themselves.

"That's right, so I was the clown who was fooled by them all along..."

Kakashi walked forward in a daze, and when he was about to fall from the shadow rock, he stopped tremblingly.

stand right here.

Look at this village.

It's like standing in a foggy forest.

It was pitch black all around, and no road could be seen.

Fragments of memory flooded his mind.

The day after his father Sakumo's mission failed, rumors spread throughout Konoha.

All the rumors were one-sided and aimed at his father.

Even the companions who were rescued were also criticizing.

All denial and humiliation.

Then it connected to the clip of his father Shuo Mao lying in a pool of blood, using his white teeth dagger to end his life.

And those ninjas and villagers who had slandered their father before, they were still alive as before, and no one came to apologize after their father committed suicide.

——Don’t stop doing things that should be right because of others’ negation, and even regret it afterwards because of others’ ridicule and accusation. I just abided by the belief and persistence that a Konoha ninja should have.

Father Sakumo's words still rang clearly in his ears.

In the end, there was no hatred or remorse, and he died with a calm mind.

He must not want his son to have any resentment towards the village.

Because from beginning to end, he died with honor as a Konoha ninja.

Until his death, he concealed the truth of the matter.

Kakashi looked at his palm, no matter what, he couldn't be calm in his heart.

It is also impossible to not have any resentment towards the village and those high-level officials as his father Shuo Mao said.

"So, what is your choice? No matter what it is, I will support you. Follow me, or follow Teacher Shuo Mao's last wish, generously forgive all this, love this village deeply, and protect this village."

Shiraishi stood up from the shadow rock, walked to Kakashi's side, and patted his shoulder.

"Neither Sakumo-sensei nor I can make the decision for you. Because this is the choice you Hatake Kakashi made yourself, not someone else made the decision for you. No matter how difficult the future is, you must grit your teeth and persevere Go down until the moment of death. How to take this road, you can choose for yourself..."

That's all the words, and the rest is left to Kakashi to judge by himself.

If he chooses to continue protecting Konoha, he will seal his 'memory' about this part, allowing him to live as an authentic Konoha ninja.

If you choose to follow yourself...

"I will surpass my father."

Kakashi said this.

Shiraishi looked sideways at Kakashi.

"Yeah?"

Shiraishi nodded, knowing that Kakashi had made a choice.

Turn around and leave, leaving Kakashi alone here.

Kakashi looked up at the shadow rock shrouded in moonlight.

Father, I will use my strength to surpass you!

And let those high-level pay a painful price!

Perhaps this could be a wrong decision that would disappoint his late father Sakumo.

But Kakashi has decided that this is the path he wants to take.

A completely different path from what his father Sakumo had envisioned.

——The scene where his father, Sakumo, commits suicide with a dagger and falls in the room.

——Idiot people who know nothing and have been deceived by the higher-ups.

——The high-level people who enjoyed the fruits of political struggles peacefully never understood the pain they faced when their father committed suicide.

As long as he thought of this, Kakashi felt his heart beating constantly, crazily, and fiercely.

The fresh driving force is called hatred.

(PS: Tomorrow will be the opening of the chapter on defection, so it will be a bit long. I’m going to sleep. I didn’t get the ice jacket and hurt my head today. Coconut sheep is not happy...)