Orochimaru's Allah's Lamp

'In the world of ninjas, those who violate the rules will be called trash, but... people who don't cherish their companions are worse than trash!'

After this sentence was spoken by Obito, it always echoed in Kakashi's mind, forcing him to question and ask questions.

——Ninja, should we be affected by our emotions? How should we view the sacrifice of our companions?

But now, Orochimaru's answer made him see the fact that he had not thought deeply about all this time - who is this 'companion'?

In the Battle of Kannabi Bridge, Lin, who was kidnapped by the enemy, was a companion. So, were the village ninjas who died on the battlefield because the mission failed, were they companions?

The problem he had been struggling with before was wrong from the beginning. This was not a choice between companions and missions, but a choice between current companions and invisible companions.

"Uchiha Obito, it seems that he is not as confused as you."

Orochimaru smiled and said, "He is very decisive and resolute. He will rush to rescue Nohara Rin even if he breaks with you."

"But maybe Uchiha Obito is just too stupid to see the companions behind the mission."

"So you might as well speculate, if that day, you use what I said now to refute, will he be speechless and carry out the task obediently, or will he say something, 'No comrade will give up.' Saved

Nohara Lin will go on another mission."

Kakashi remained silent. Based on his understanding of Obito, there was no doubt that the somewhat naive guy who often talked about his ideals would choose the latter.

Don't abandon, don't give up, and save everyone... But these words can be said, and it's okay to treat them as ideals, but they are not reality.

What is the reality? The reality is that if Minato-sensei hadn't arrived in time to repel the Iwa ninja troops, Konoha would have paid a heavier price for the failure of their mission.

"You can't listen to what a person says, you have to watch what he does."

Orochimaru looked at Kakashi and said slowly, "Opportunities are fleeting on the battlefield. If you can really seize it and achieve a happy ending, it's okay. But when there is a conflict between sacrificing your companions and the mission, all ninjas

The village advocates prioritize the execution of tasks."

"Because you don't know what price the village will pay if this mission fails."

"..."

What Orochimaru said, the facts he presented, and the reasons he gave were so convincing that Kakashi was speechless and couldn't find any place to refute.

The answers to the questions that had been entangled and confused all this time were found, but Kakashi was not as relieved as he had imagined. Instead, the boulder weighing on his heart became heavier and heavier, leaving him breathless.

At this time, the sky was already dark, the night dew was setting, the breeze was slightly cold, but the jungle was still shrouded in darkness, with verdant green stained with darkness. Kakashi looked at Orochimaru, whose expression was hidden in the darkness, and took a deep breath.

The coldness invaded the chest, and the depression in the nerves was also dissipated. Kakashi said in a solemn tone,

"You are right, but ordinary ninjas are just that. My father should understand this. Why did he make such a choice?"

Whether it was knowingly abandoning the mission and saving his companions, or committing suicide in the end... this was completely different from Kakashi's understanding of his father in the past.

So weak!

As a ninja, he could not bear the weight of his companions' sacrifices and suffered a defeat due to rumors, so he chose the most cowardly way of confrontation.

This is not the father Kakashi thinks of.

"Sakumo's choice at that time was still more complicated than that of Obito's foolish young man."

Orochimaru seemed to be recalling the extremely long past, with a bit of sadness in his eyes, but he quickly came back to his senses and said slowly,

"Going back to the previous question, you are not the kind of idiot who only indulges in ideals. You should understand that the village cannot protect everyone."

An idiot's face flashed in Kakashi's mind, and he nodded slightly.

"This truth is not only known to you, but also to Danzo, the advisors and elders such as Koharu Koharu, and the senior officials of the village also know it."

Orochimaru glanced at Kakashi and said calmly, "Then as the Hokage who leads them, what choice did he make?"

Wherever the leaves are flying, the fire is endless!

This short poem engraved on the Ninja School and the Memorial Monument came to mind, and Kakashi suddenly understood something.

"Sacrifice to protect."

Orochimaru repeated it loudly, with a serious look on his face that he hadn't seen in a long time.

"The first Hokage established the Ninja Village, and the second Hokage established the laws, but it was the third generation that really developed Konoha to where it is now."

"Sacrifice to protect, this is what he relies on to achieve his current achievements."

"In fact, there is nothing wrong with this approach. If you cannot protect everyone, then you can protect some people. This idea is reasonable."

Kakashi also thinks so. The more he knows, the more he can understand the difficulties faced by the village's top leaders. If it were him, he might not be able to do better.

Seeing Kakashi's attitude, Orochimaru shook his head,

"But there is a problem here. Over time, decades have passed, and the senior officials of the village, including the old man, have become accustomed to the justice of 'sacrifice'."

"They forget that the so-called sacrifice is the lesser of two evils and a last resort."

"Instead, use 'sacrifice' as a means."

Kakashi was shocked, his eyes kept changing, but he suddenly understood why he was so depressed.

"So, do you understand?"

Orochimaru looked at Kakashi and said slowly, "Before this, there was a period when the village ruthlessly used ninjas as consumables in exchange for human lives in order to gain greater profits."

"Sakumo's mission took place during this period. He discovered the filth behind it, so he chose to abandon the mission."

Kakashi's expression remained unchanged, but he clenched his fists hard.

"Unlike Obito's time, this is not how important the rescued companions are, but Sakumo's rebellion against the village's high-level ideas."

Orochimaru spread his hands and said calmly,

"As you know in the end, it was a complete failure. Not only the village, but even the rescued ninja blamed him in turn."

"Because he sincerely agrees that if he can get benefits in exchange, he should sacrifice himself."

"The whole village is obsessed with the justice of sacrifice, completely forgetting that if the higher-ups were not greedy for greater interests and issued such a mission, no one would be sacrificed."

"The ideas in the minds of villagers and ninjas are stubborn, rigid, and unbreakable. After realizing this, Sakumo chose to commit suicide."

"It's not because of mission failure, not because of rumors, suicide itself is a rebellion."

Kakashi was stunned in place, his nose felt a little sour, but he didn't know what it felt like in his heart.

"What Sakumo did was beyond everyone's expectations. The senior officials in the village could not bear the loss of a shadow-level expert like this, so they kept reflecting on it."

Orochimaru's expression was also a little complicated, and he slowed down his voice,

"After this incident, although the concept of 'sacrifice to protect' is still the same, except for the root cause, when issuing tasks, the senior officials are more scrupulous and do not dare to be as unscrupulous as before."

He patted Kakashi on the shoulder, "That's why you can hear Uchiha Obito say such innocent words."

"Usually, this is not even a choice."

"Although it can't be seen on the surface, and the reputation has never changed, your father, Hatake Sakumo, is a great ninja."

"He did not hesitate to die to protect the village and implemented what it means to sacrifice!"