Chapter 7: The Death of the White Fang

For some time now, the atmosphere in Konoha has become increasingly strange.

Uchiha Feiyu, who often passed by Kakashi's house and occasionally visited, had already noticed many villagers glancing furtively at the Hatake residence; everyone passing on the street wore a solemn expression, looking as if they knew a massive secret they couldn't speak of.

Uchiha Feiyu knew very well what these people knew—it was nothing more than the matter of Hatake Sakumo's failed mission. He had expected such a thing to cause a huge uproar, but he hadn't expected it to end up as a scene of cold violence.

Actually, if one thinks about it carefully, it is quite normal—who is the White Fang of the Leaf? On the battlefield, he had cut down countless ninja, easily eight hundred if not a thousand; his prestige shook the entire Ninja World, so the civilians of Konoha would never dare to throw rotten vegetables at his house.

In this world, the boundary between civilians and ninja is extremely rigid. Even civilians living in Konoha, having grown accustomed to seeing ninja, might not fear them much, but they would not dare to court death to such a degree.

What was displayed was that when the White Fang of the Leaf went out, many civilians would avoid him as if he were a plague god, and after seeing him walk away, they would start whispering behind his back... Of course, with the White Fang's abilities, the vast majority of these discussions could not escape his ears.

However, not everyone was just whispering behind his back. This day, when Uchiha Feiyu passed by the Hatake residence, he heard a burst of noisy sounds.

"I do not need anyone to save me. As a ninja, having accepted a mission, one must have the resolve to sacrifice oneself for the mission!"

"Because of my personal reasons, this mission failed, causing the village to suffer heavy losses. It is my fault, and I am willing to die to apologize!"

By the time he rushed over, he saw several Security Force ninja dragging away an ordinary ninja, while a large crowd of civilians surrounded them, whispering.

Moving slightly closer to the crowd, Uchiha Feiyu didn't even need to ask; he learned what had just happened from the discussions of the people.

That Chunin whose life had been saved by the White Fang had come out publicly to apologize, even going so far as to attempt suicide to atone, only to be stopped by the Security Force and the Anbu.

Stroking his chin, Uchiha Feiyu felt that the mastermind behind this was being too crude; it was both obvious and deliberate.

A simple logic: if you really wanted to die to apologize, couldn't you just do it at home? Why run to the front of Hatake Sakumo's house? Isn't this clearly trying to smear the White Fang?

It's only because people here haven't experienced the internet age that they are easy to fool; if this were the future, they would be exposed in a minute.

However, while the methods were crude, the intent was truly vicious! To be pointed at by thousands, to be destroyed by accumulated slander... It's just a struggle for power and profit; was it necessary to make it look so ugly?

After this, the reputation that the White Fang had earned through twenty years of life-and-death struggles for Konoha was ruined in an instant. It took Hatake Sakumo twenty years to build the title of White Fang of the Leaf, but the mastermind took less than twenty days to destroy it.

The next morning, when Uchiha Feiyu passed by the Hatake Residence again, he already sensed the aura emitted by a powerful soul.

Uchiha Feiyu felt a surge of joy in his heart, but his face remained expressionless as he slowly slowed his pace, preparing to knock on the door of the Hatake house.

However, before he could knock, he heard a shrill scream. Stunned for a moment, Uchiha Feiyu immediately rammed the door open and rushed inside.

In the room, Kakashi, who was always known for his calmness and composure, had his eyes wide open, his mask torn away, revealing an expression of horror and panic.

Opposite Kakashi, the White Fang of the Leaf, famous throughout the Ninja World, was now slumped crookedly on the floor, blood pooling across the floorboards.

The White Fang Short Blade, which had killed countless enemies, was plunged into his abdomen, cutting a huge gash, with his internal organs spilling out.

"Ahhhhh! Father... Father, what has happened to you!!"

Kakashi threw himself onto Hatake Sakumo, reaching out in terror to touch his father's body, only to find that his father's corpse had already gone cold, and he began to tremble uncontrollably.

Uchiha Feiyu, who had rushed in, glanced at the White Fang Short Blade. Through his Spirit-Binding and Soul-Commanding ability, he sensed the powerful soul stored within the blade and felt a surge of joy.

With a light wave of his hand, the soul within the White Fang Short Blade was summoned by Uchiha Feiyu. In the Naruto World, souls are invisible to the naked eye without chakra, and since Kakashi was currently immersed in grief and panic, he naturally did not notice Uchiha Feiyu's small movement.

Feeling the unprecedentedly powerful soul he had collected, if not for the inappropriate atmosphere, Uchiha Feiyu would have loved to laugh out loud in excitement.

However, since he could be considered a friend of Kakashi, and he had a good impression of the White Fang of the Leaf, Uchiha Feiyu managed to put on a look of grief and reached out to pull up the dazed Kakashi.

November, Konoha Year 39

Konoha's war hero, Anbu Commander, and the world-renowned White Fang Hatake Sakumo committed suicide, shaking the Ninja World.

Some were happy, some were worried, some were sad, some were pleased, but most were surprised.

Of course, there were many who were happy; upon hearing the news, most ninja in the Ninja World were overjoyed, clapping and cheering.

The White Fang had rampaged across the battlefields of the Second Ninja World War and made too many enemies. In particular, this guy was the type of speed-based ninja very similar to the Yellow Flash, top-tier at slaughtering fodder, and he had killed who knows how many ninja. Ordinary ninja from other ninja villages both hated and feared him.

A figure who was like a Great Demon King in the eyes of other ninja villages, whom enemies couldn't touch and war couldn't kill, ended up dying in a time of peace for such a ridiculous reason. Because it was suicide, he didn't even have the qualifications to be on the Memorial Stone after death; it was simply a joke.

To ninja from other ninja villages, this was a comedic joke; to Konoha, it was black humor.

Almost as soon as the news of the White Fang's suicide spread, Sunagakure immediately sent troops to the border of the Land of Rivers, looking as if they were about to start a war at any moment.

At the same time, other major ninja villages were also making moves. In the current situation, Konoha's ninja could be certain that the Third Shinobi World War was about to begin.

The suicide of the White Fang of the Leaf, besides causing Konoha to lose one of its sharpest blades among its high-end combat power, dealt a massive blow to the morale of the entire village.

The White Fang had spent his life in life-and-death struggles, performing countless meritorious services for Konoha. While this mission failure had brought significant impact, it was merely a small flaw in a perfect jade.

As a result, such a heroic, fearless, and near-perfect ninja was driven to death by the public opinion within the village, which naturally made all the ninja feel a sense of "the rabbit dying and the fox grieving."

Those Jonin and higher-ranking Chunin knew that this storm of public opinion had connections to the Konoha High Command, and their trust in the leadership plummeted, while some ordinary ninja were terrified by the White Fang's tragic end and could no longer trust their comrades.

After all, if even a figure like the White Fang of the Leaf had paid with his life for saving a comrade, who would be willing to trust their comrades anymore?

(End of chapter)