78 Chapter 78

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Exhausting all his efforts, Kyomu tried his best to persuade Sakumo.

But Sakumo remained seated, breathing steadily as if he were a monk in meditation.

Let's betray them!

Aragami Kyomu shouted in his heart, but he didn't dare to speak out. He knew Sakumo would immediately strike him down with his blade.

After fighting for this village for so many years, he had his own convictions. How could he do such a thing?

Even if faced with betrayal, his feelings for the village remained the same as before. But now, without direction and meaning in life, Sakumo found himself in a dead end.

He suddenly made a move.

Kyomu blocked with his sword, and Kakashi was forced to defend as well.

"This is the final lesson," Sakumo said calmly, "Study well, don't disappoint me, and remember... greatness is not that good."

"Teacher!"

"Father!"

Kyomu and Kakashi desperately blocked with their swords, their words never ceasing.

But what they received in return were Sakumo's relentless strikes, one after another.

Just as Sakumo's blade was about to pierce Kakashi's chest, he deliberately ignored Kyomu on one side, revealing a flaw that was difficult to judge in the midst of crisis.

Pfft~

As expected, Sakumo's blade struck Kyomu's chest, and Kakashi was pushed away by Kyomu just in time.

This didn't represent everything, but there was a glimmer of light in Sakumo's eyes.

His own failure did not mean his son's failure. He had made friends and gained what he once thought he had, but they were all friendships built on lies.

That was enough.

"With this, I'll do one last thing for you." Murmuring to himself, Sakumo knocked out Kyomu and Kakashi, then left under the cover of night.

He found Yamanaka Inoichi, without questioning or anger, only calmness.

Sakumo understood everything. This person was not worth it, but there was still hope for the future of the village.

But unfortunately, the feeling of betrayal was too painful. His lifelong meaning, his convictions, were all completely denied.

He couldn't bear it anymore.

This was very ninja-like with the nature of people of this world. Some seemingly meaningless deaths, some seemingly meaningless perseverance, all stemmed from one's understanding of life's meaning or the ninja way they had always upheld.

Once shattered, like a rotten tree, corruption, diving into dead ends, and meaningless deaths became commonplace.

It reeked of pettiness.

But this was the world that why Kyomu had always found it absurd and unable to integrate into it.

Suicide, surprisingly, was considered an honor. Instead of thinking about resistance and change, they thought of using suicide to solve everything.

Sakumo made a few requests, expressed his concerns to Inoichi, and when he received assurances, he quietly returned home.

Looking at his son and disciple lying on the ground, Sakumo stood still for a long time. Finally, he left behind two letters and silently took out his White Fang.

He carefully wiped the blade and then ended his own life. But at the same time, the pendant hanging around his neck shattered into pieces.

The shinigami who had come from the Pure Land were once again deceived. What they took from Sakumo was just the illusion of a pendant, but they were oblivious, thinking it was Sakumo's soul.

---

The smell of blood filled the air, and Kakashi panicked as soon as he opened his eyes!

"Father!"

"Don't wail, he's not dead yet."

Kakashi crawled to Sakumo's side, placing a hand on his carotid artery.

No movement.

Tears flowed down his cheeks uncontrollably, even his mask couldn't stop the tears from hitting the ground. "Father... Father?"

Smack~

Kyomu slapped Kakashi's hand away. "I said he's alive, just need some time to truly come back to life."

Like grabbing a lifesaving straw, Kakashi hastily asked, "Kyomu, what do you mean? Explain it clearly!"

"The soul is still here, bodily functions are still intact, but after all, he did died. To completely revive, it takes some time."

The low-grade version of 'Guardian Angel' is like this, unable to immediately revive someone.

"Feel his pulse, does it skip every ten minutes?"

Without disturbing Kakashi further, Kyomu let him nervously check the pulse.

Suddenly, a jump, and Kakashi's body trembled. His eyes lit up suddenly, "It's true, it's true! The pulse is still beating, Kyomu!"

"Yes, but don't make a fuss."

"Why?"

"Look at the letters left by our teacher, and you'll understand."

Kyomu had awakened earlier than Kakashi and had read his letter along with Kakashi's.

But he felt that what Sakumo said was too self-righteous. Why should he suffer while letting the culprit go unpunished?

For Konoha?

Impossible.

Kyomu didn't lose the traditional arts he brought from his previous life. Martial virtue must be abundant, oppression must be overturn, and if I can't live, you won't either!

Without Sakumo to shield them from wind and rain, they would inevitably face some grievances in the future. 

But the words in the letter remained unchanged by Kyomu. He wanted to personally recruit Kakashi.

"Done reading?" Kyomu looked at Kakashi. "What do you think?"

"I... I don't know."

Kakashi's mind was in chaos. Even though he was precocious, he was still just a seven-year-old boy. Even if Sakumo hadn't truly died, the events that had occurred were vivid in his mind.

"I don't know what the Will of Fire that our teacher and everyone else talk about really is."

Kyomu shook his head, "But one thing is clear, this will is dual-sided, and the real answer lies not in the will itself, but in the person who controls and interprets it."

"I understand."

Kakashi wasn't stupid; he knew where the problem lay.

"So you have no opinion?"

Kakashi suddenly clenched his fists, his body trembling. "Those who start it all deserve to die!"

"Well, if righteousness is on their side, what would you do?"

"They were wrong about this!"

"But do you know who it is?"

"I..." Kakashi shook his head, looking seriously at Kyomu, "Then do you know?"

"I do, but it's not clear. Because they stand in the sunlight, on the high ground called the Will of Fire, they hand out knives to the darkness below." Kyomu's gaze was cold, "For them, this is justice."

"But they're wrong!!!" Kakashi's eyes widened in anger, "My father had outstanding achievements. Just because of one mistake, can he be abandoned?!"

"Good people do one bad thing, and they become villains, subject to public scorn. Bad people do one good thing, and they can be praised and become heroes."

"What kind of messed-up fact is this!" Kakashi pounded the ground, "It shouldn't be like this!"

"But the people in the village, and even those outside the village, are like this." Kyomu pointed at Kakashi, "When teacher returned to the village after a failed mission, your first reaction was the same."

Kakashi suddenly froze in place, staring dumbly at Kyomu, then looked at Sakumo lying on the cold floor.

Tears welled up again, and Kakashi's eyes were bloodshot.

Kyomu's words cut into Kakashi's heart like a knife, tearing open his wounds and forcing him to face the bloody truth.

"I don't want to be the good person in this messed-up world!" Kakashi shouted hoarsely, "It's not worth it, Father! Truly not worth it!"

Seeing Kakashi in this state, Kyomu's eyes flickered. Kakashi should have accepted some philosophical enlightenment long ago.

Although this bit of enlightenment wasn't much, but for those who were filled with things like missions, the Will of Fire, dedication, and so on, it was enough to wake them up.

Especially since Sakumo was still lying on the floor.

Kyomu didn't say anything more.

Kakashi also stopped crying, his emotions no longer so agitated.

In a moment, a cold aura rose from Kakashi, named sternness.

Corruption?

No, denying one's own kin is corruption.

Kakashi was just becoming more clear-headed.

"What's the truth?"

"It's more heart-wrenching than rumors and lies. Are you sure you want to hear it?"

"I do!" Kakashi nodded firmly.

"Alright, I'll tell you."

Kyomu narrated calmly, and Kakashi listened intently. The last bit of his resistance collapsed.

"I want to investigate first," Kakashi took a deep breath, "If the facts are as you say, then... will you help me?"

"Why wouldn't I? We're friends, we naturally advance and retreat together." Kyomu smiled openly, "And don't blame me for influencing you. No matter what you choose, I'll support you."

Kakashi shook his head, "I don't blame you, but I'll do whatever it takes to complete this mission, by any means necessary."

"Okay, but you'll face rejection."

"They want Father to act like this, don't they?" Kakashi clenched his fists tighter, "They think, I'll do as they wish. This is what I should have done."

"Be careful not to go too far. We're still young; wait until we're thirteen or fourteen."

"Then we have to hurry, Kyomu." Kakashi looked at the night sky outside the window, "I feel the same way. Otherwise... I won't live to see dawn."

"We're not alone." Kyomu shook his head, "Obito and the others will stand with us."

"But I don't want..."

"But they do. Just wait and see." Kyomu looked up at the sky as well, "Even if we don't explain, they'll catch up."

"With their minds, who knows what they'll think..."

"People grow, especially when I'm around."

"You're really good at manipulating people's hearts." Kakashi glared at Kyomu, "But... thank you."

"Then let me tell you a story."

"What story?"

"The story of Faker, the top male mid-laner in the South Korean server."

...

(End of Chapter)