novelhk Chapter 37 The Passing of a Hero
Chapter 37 The Passing of a Hero
“We…Uchiha…Hokage…”
Uchiha Takuya collapsed to the ground, muttered a few words, and then fell into a coma.
Kakashi, without even treating his wounds, was about to go find his father when Kyosuke stopped him and pointed behind Kakashi.
Kakashi turned around and saw his father walking over, carrying Uchiha Ken in his hand.
Hatake Sakumo had no injuries, while Uchiha Ken was thrown to the ground, motionless like a dead pig; the outcome was obvious.
In fact, Sakumo Hatake was the first to finish the battle, but he did not immediately appear to help Kakashi and the others. Instead, he regarded this conflict as a test for the three of them and observed them silently from the shadows.
As a result, the three performed very well, and Sakumo Hatake smiled with satisfaction.
"Let's go home and have barbecue tonight!"
Kai was overjoyed, and despite his bruised and swollen face, he still managed an awkward smile: "Great, I'm starving right now."
Kakashi had his left arm hanging down, but he was in a good mood. This battle had made him feel much better.
Kyosuke's smile was somewhat forced; he sensed that Sakumo Hatake might commit suicide tonight.
Sure enough, after the meal, Hatake Sakumo gave Kyosuke his short sword, ninjutsu scrolls, and swordsmanship scrolls.
"Kyosuke, these are for you. Don't forget our promise."
"I mean what I say!"
Kyosuke nodded vigorously, his heart heavy. He remained unusually silent on the way back, which puzzled Kai.
The next day, out of a desire to escape, Kyosuke deliberately didn't go out until there was a loud knocking on the door.
"Kyosuke, something terrible has happened! I heard Kakashi's father committed suicide!"
When he opened the door, Kai was covered in sweat, his voice filled with bewilderment.
Kyosuke poured Kai a glass of water, sighed, and said, "Kai, this is the most difficult moment in Kakashi's life. We must help him."
Kai picked up his water glass, gulped it down in one go, and said loudly, "Of course! Let's go see Kakashi together!"
The two went out and walked to Kakashi's house, only to see Obito coming out, and Obito looked very dejected.
Kai went up to greet him: "Obito, what brings you here? Are you here to see Kakashi?"
"I, I... I'm here to apologize."
Obito stammered and slowly explained his purpose.
Yesterday, the Uchiha clan members provoked Sakumo Hatake, and the two sides fought fiercely. That night, Sakumo Hatake committed suicide. Obito felt that his clan members had driven Sakumo Hatake to his death, so he wanted to come and apologize.
Seeing Obito's guilty face, Kyosuke comforted him, "Obito, don't feel guilty. Guy and I were there yesterday. Although we fought with your clansmen, the whole thing had little to do with you, and even less to do with you."
Kai nodded: "Yeah, it was just a fight. We even had barbecue with Uncle that night. I didn't see anything wrong."
"I hope that's true. You should go see Kakashi; he's not doing well."
Obito left with a dejected expression, and Kyosuke and Guy entered the courtyard and saw Kakashi.
"Kakashi..."
As soon as Kai opened his mouth, Kakashi, who was kneeling in front of the memorial tablet, stood up and rushed to Kyosuke, punching Kyosuke hard in the face.
What are you doing!
Kai was taken aback and immediately hugged Kakashi.
Kakashi's eyes were lifeless. He broke free from Gai and continued to beat Kyosuke: "Did you know this would happen all along, you bastard!"
Kyosuke neither dodged nor defended, letting Kakashi's fists land on him, and soon he was injured, with blood flowing continuously from his nose and the corner of his mouth.
Finally, Guy used all his strength to suppress Kakashi, and Kyosuke spoke up at that moment.
"Yes, a few days ago my uncle taught me knife skills and said that with me as his friend, he had no regrets. I guessed what would happen today at that time."
Kai looked at Kyosuke in surprise, not expecting Kyosuke to know so much.
Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you stop him?
Kakashi remained silent for a moment, but still couldn't suppress his resentment, and pressed Kyosuke for an answer, even though Kakashi knew the answer to the question.
How can Kyosuke stop Sakumo Hatake from committing suicide?
It was destined to happen, so what difference did it make whether Kyosuke said it or not?
Kyosuke didn't answer, Kakashi didn't press the matter, and Guy looked left and right, opening his mouth but not knowing what to say.
The three of them sat in the mourning hall, in front of Sakumo Hatake's memorial tablet, keeping each other company in silence.
As the sun began to set, Kai's stomach rumbled. He awkwardly touched his head and laughed loudly, "Oh dear, I'm hungry. Shall we eat first?"
Kyosuke glanced at Kai and thought the sound of Kai's hunger was just in time, then looked at Kakashi.
"Even if you want to beat me up, you should eat first. You need to be full to have the strength to beat me up. Your punches just now were weak and didn't hurt at all."
Kakashi looked at Kyosuke and saw that Kyosuke's face was swollen like a pig's head, and there were two red marks of blood from his nose on his mouth, making him look like a clown. Kakashi couldn't help but twitch his lips.
Kyosuke noticed the change in Kakashi's expression and knew that Kakashi's sadness and anger had dissipated somewhat. He gave Gai a wink, and the two of them, one on each side, helped Kakashi out of the house.
That day was the first and last time Kyosuke treated Kakashi to a meal.
Although Kakashi ate little, was in low spirits, and didn't even speak, Kyosuke felt that Kakashi had been reborn.
A day later, Sakumo Hatake was buried, and the sky was overcast and rainy, as if mourning the death of a hero.
Kakashi's classmates, who were close to Sakumo Hatake, attended the funeral to express their condolences. Kyosuke even saw Orochimaru.
However, Orochimaru did not approach; he merely observed from afar for a while before leaving.
As evening fell, everyone dispersed. Before leaving, Minato asked Kyosuke to spend more time with Kakashi, and Guy also stayed behind. The three small figures stood in the rain for a long time.
As a powerful figure who was renowned throughout the ninja world, the death of Hatake Sakumo had a very wide impact.
Upon learning of Sakumo Hatake's death, Danzo, a member of the Root organization, scoffed, "How weak he was, choosing suicide. He'd be much better off as my pawn once I become Hokage."
Danzo didn't necessarily want to force Sakumo Hatake to his death; he only needed Sakumo to not threaten his position as Hokage.
Danzo even planned to make good use of Sakumo Hatake's fighting power after becoming Hokage.
Unfortunately, Danzo underestimated Sakumo Hatake's pride, and unexpectedly, Sakumo Hatake chose the most fierce response.
"However, his suicide can also be used to my advantage. Spread the word that it was the oppression of the Uchiha clan that drove Sakumo Hatake to his death, and point all the blame at the Uchiha clan!"
Danzo deeply loathed the Uchiha clan. This time, he not only reduced the number of competitors for the Hokage position but also dealt a blow to the Uchiha clan. Danzo felt he had achieved a win-win situation; he had won twice.
Danzo did not expect that Sakumo Hatake's death would not only affect Konoha, but also have a wide-ranging impact on the ninja world, with each of the major ninja villages reacting in different ways.