Kakashi returned home, immediately went to his father’s side, and said to him loudly,
“Father, I support you!
I don’t really understand things like comrades or whether a mission is more important, but you must have had your own convictions for doing this.
The future me will definitely understand, so let’s cheer up, okay?”
Sakumo Hatake trembled.
He leaned down to hug Kakashi, a smile tugging at his thin face.
“Kakashi.”
“Father.”
Kakashi cried out.
He had been extremely worried about his father during this time; his father’s state had terrified him.
“Don’t worry, it won’t be like that anymore.”
Sakumo Hatake stroked Kakashi’s head and forced a smile.
Even if only for Kakashi’s sake, he had to pull himself together.
The Hatake family originated from a samurai clan and adhered to the samurai way of protection.
They were drawn to Konoha by the will of fire, which similarly symbolized protecting the Village even at the cost of sacrifice.
Sakumo Hatake had lived under the decaying samurai spirit and a distorted will of fire for nearly thirty years.
Perhaps he was what the First Hokage truly envisioned as an inheritor of the will of fire.
But now, the life principles he had upheld for nearly thirty years were shattered, and with the villagers refusing to acknowledge him, this reality made it hard for him to breathe!
Aren’t we all supposed to uphold the will of fire?
Why don’t you acknowledge me?
Why did even you immediately turn around and blame me?
I clearly abandoned the mission just to protect you.
Does the will of fire really exist?
In a Village like this, what did his will of fire even amount to?
What was the meaning of his thirty-odd years of life?
He was already dead.
Sakumo Hatake, the White Fang of Konoha, was dead.
However, for the sake of his son Kakashi, he had to live on.
The next day.
The Uchiha spared no effort for the position of Hokage.
Before dawn, they began taking action, promoting the White Fang’s will of fire.
“The White Fang is a bastard.”
An old paid actor began his daily cursing, and an Uchiha immediately approached him.
“Come with us.”
“On what grounds?
What crime did I commit?”
The paid actor panicked.
Had his taking money from the Root to slander the Uchiha been exposed?
“Lord White Fang abandoned the mission to protect his comrades, making him an excellent inheritor of the will of fire.
What do you mean by cursing Lord White Fang?
Are you questioning the will of fire?”
“I, I…
I am an inheritor of the will of fire!”
“Then why are you cursing Lord White Fang?”
“I-I was just exasperated because the Village suffered a loss!”
“Then your understanding of the will of fire is insufficient.
Come to our Military Police Force for some tutoring.”
“…”
Scenes like this occurred one after another all over Konoha Village.
Not only that, but the Uchiha also took the initiative to seek allies.
The Senju-affiliated Hokage’s policy focused on balancing the shinobi clans and nurturing civilians, which went against the interests of the clans.
Allowing a civilian with no background to become Hokage was more in line with their interests.
So, when the Uchiha Clan approached the Hyuga, the two hit it off immediately.
Other minor clans weren’t worthy of the Uchiha personally seeking cooperation, but now that the two big brothers had initiated the campaign, how could they not follow?
For a time, the entire shinobi Village echoed with the sentiment that Lord White Fang was the true inheritor of the will of fire.
Chiba, who was still waking up early to train, was completely baffled.
What on earth was going on?
Was this also a butterfly effect?
Impossible!
Absolutely impossible!
How could he possibly have that much influence!
Meanwhile, at Kakashi’s home…
“Greetings, Lord White Fang!”
Uchiha Fugaku said respectfully.
“And you are?”
Sakumo Hatake was somewhat puzzled by this young man visiting him so early in the morning.
“I am Uchiha Fugaku.
I have come on behalf of the Uchiha Clan to help you.”
“The Uchiha?
To help me?”
Sakumo Hatake felt a bit resistant upon hearing this.
With his years of experience as a Ninja, nothing good ever came from being approached by these great clans.
He currently just wanted to retire as a shinobi and watch Kakashi grow up.
He didn’t need any help.
“Indeed!
In our eyes, you are the true inheritor of the will of fire!”
Uchiha Fugaku praised.
“Is that so?
Thank you.”
Hearing this, Sakumo Hatake managed a smile.
It seemed there were still people who acknowledged him.
With that, Sakumo Hatake welcomed Uchiha Fugaku into the house.
“May I ask what insights you have, sir?”
Sakumo Hatake brewed a pot of hot tea for Uchiha Fugaku.
“We, the Uchiha, want to help you become the Hokage!”
Uchiha Fugaku didn’t bother with pleasantries and stated his true purpose directly.
“Hokage?”
Sakumo Hatake was speechless.
Back when he was active as a shinobi, he had never thought about becoming the Hokage.
Now, he had even prepared his resignation letter and was planning to go to the Third Hokage to retire.
“Yes!
To become the Hokage!
The Third Hokage and those higher-ups used such dirty tricks to slander you just to monopolize the power of the Hokage.
It’s simply outrageous!”
Uchiha Fugaku spoke with a face full of anger; anyone who didn’t know better would think he was the one who had been slandered.
Sakumo Hatake’s expression turned slightly grim.
No one was a fool; the details of his mission could spread so quickly only because someone with ulterior motives had intentionally leaked them.
Who could possess such power?
It wasn’t hard to guess at all.
Sakumo Hatake had been unwilling to think about the real reason behind this affair, and he was also reluctant to admit that the higher-ups of this Village had already lost the will of fire.
He had constantly yearned for someone among the higher-ups to stop this and step forward to prove that comrades were more important than missions!
“Just to prevent me from becoming Hokage, they would go as far as to deny the very spirit of this Village?”
For a moment, Sakumo Hatake felt incredibly exhausted.
Having his defenses torn away by Fugaku, this man who had consistently refused to contemplate the underlying cause of the incident softly voiced the truth behind it.
“Exactly!
You are the most qualified person in this Village to become the Hokage.
You are the Hokage!”
Uchiha Fugaku said excitedly.
“Our Uchiha Clan has already allied with the Hyuga to reverse public opinion and build momentum for you.
The Third Hokage’s failure to stop these rumors that desecrate the will of fire from spreading throughout the Village is already a dereliction of duty.
His time in that position has come to an end.”
Uchiha Fugaku’s face beamed with excitement.
After analysis by their entire clan, this matter was highly feasible, because he was the White Fang of Konoha, Sakumo Hatake!
Sakumo Hatake was a powerful civilian shinobi, a civilian shinobi whose achievements were more than enough to inherit the mantle of Hokage!
The foundation of Konoha was those civilians, and they naturally sided with Sakumo Hatake!
Coupled with the alliance of these shinobi clans supporting Sakumo Hatake, this force would inevitably compel the Konoha higher-ups, led by the Third Hokage, to compromise.
“Wherever leaves flutter, fire will burn.
The shadow of the fire will shine upon the Village, and once again, new leaves will bud.”
The will of fire was a spirit of protection, a theory of inheritance where the older generation selflessly sacrificed to protect the younger generation and the Village.
The Third Hokage allowing such rumors to spread was in itself a dereliction of duty, a desecration of the spirit of the will of fire!
This made Sakumo Hatake’s virtues stand out all the more, drawing a sharp and clear contrast!
Now, with just one word from Lord White Fang of Konoha, these shinobi clans would immediately force the Third Hokage to step down!