Chapter 347: Kakashi's Thoughts
The turmoil in Kirigakure quickly garnered the attention of the entire ninja world. The extermination of the Kaguya clan was too significant an event. Since the founding of the five great hidden villages, this was only the second major ninja clan to be wiped out, the first being the Senju clan.
However, most people speculated that the Senju clan had likely just integrated into Konohagakure. Therefore, the Kaguya clan was possibly the first major ninja clan to be truly annihilated. It was said that after the Kaguya clan's rebellion failed, very few members managed to escape.
Ishiro, naturally, also received the news.
Although he didn't know the exact date of the Kaguya clan's destruction in the original story, or the order in which it happened relative to the other clans, Ishiro knew that this was likely just the beginning. Obito would certainly not stop here.
Furthermore, Ishiro wondered: With the Kaguya clan of Kirigakure exterminated, I wonder what the Konoha leadership and the Uchiha clan will think when they hear the news. Will they draw any inspiration from it?
Should I find an opportunity to visit Konoha again?
But he probably wouldn't be able to get away anytime soon.
...
A month later, the final round of the second joint Chunin Exams hosted by Iwagakure arrived.
Ishiro personally went to the village gates to welcome his steadfast ally, the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa.
The Fifth Hokage, Tsunade, did not come, nor did the three members of the Akatsuki.
Accompanying Rasa was an envoy from the Daimyo of the Land of Wind. After all, as Iwagakure and Sunagakure, and the Land of Earth and the Land of Wind, were set to deepen their cooperation, it was natural for the Daimyos of both nations to send representatives to participate in the negotiations.
At the highest viewing platform of the Chunin Exams finals arena, Ishiro and Rasa sat on opposite sides. In a spot slightly lower than them sat Kakashi.
Watching the matches below, Kakashi was somewhat absent-minded. During this period, he had frequently sparred with Iwagakure's elite jonin and had gained a great deal. His progress was far greater than that of the Iwa ninja he fought against; he had the most battles of anyone, and his talent was the best among them all.
Kakashi felt that if he were to fight Ikura again, he was confident he could maintain an undefeated position against Ikura's intensified attacks from their last match, and without needing to use his Sharingan.
But Kakashi wasn't particularly happy. For some reason, these days he kept thinking about his father's death and his teacher's death. Perhaps the conversation between Ishiro and Ikura that day had affected him, perhaps the content of the Iwagakure Bi-Weekly Report had left a deep impression, or perhaps he had always harbored such suspicions but had never shown them.
Over the past month, Kakashi was focused during battles, his mind free of distracting thoughts. But when things were quiet, his mind would wander uncontrollably.
He tilted his head slightly, glancing at Ishiro, who was sitting diagonally above him, chatting and laughing with Rasa. Kakashi knew his heart was in turmoil.
"The Fox of Iwagakure... truly formidable," Kakashi thought. He knew this was Ishiro's attempt to sow discord, yet he couldn't help but fall for it.
In Konoha, there was nowhere he could learn about his father. Or rather, he didn't dare show the slightest inclination to want to know. So, after all these years, his impression of White Fang remained the same as when he was a child, with two extreme figures constantly warring within his heart.
One was the earlier impression. In those days, White Fang was a symbol of glory, a safe harbor in everyone's hearts, and Kakashi's role model. This White Fang faced Kakashi, his stern face revealing a smile of gentle pride. He was proud of the hero White Fang, and White Fang was proud of his genius son.
The other was the later impression. In this period, White Fang was a disgrace, with shadowy figures seemingly always pointing fingers at him. This White Fang had his back to Kakashi, hunched over, filled with a deathly silence.
Originally, Kakashi thought he had long since moved on from his father's death, but now he knew he hadn't. He had simply not dared to think about it, not been able to think about it. But here, in a place not controlled by the Konoha leadership, the shackles on his thoughts seemed to have been released. All sorts of previously suppressed ideas rose one after another, impossible to stop.
While chatting with Rasa, Ishiro noticed the change in Kakashi. An imperceptible smile touched his lips. The kid has finally taken the bait.
Rasa noticed Ishiro's smile, glanced at Kakashi, but said nothing.
Speaking of the Iwagakure Bi-Weekly Report, two more issues had been published this month.
The fifth issue covered two major events. The first was that Iwagakure had once again successfully hosted the joint Chunin Exams, further elevating its international status. After all, even Konoha had sent people to participate this time.
The second event was the extermination of the Kaguya clan in Kirigakure. However, the Iwagakure Bi-Weekly Report seemed to target Konoha at every turn. It was clearly an internal conflict in Kirigakure, yet the author managed to link it to Konoha, directly predicting that, in as little as one year or as long as three, Konoha would inevitably erupt in internal strife as well. The root of Konoha's internal conflict was the friction between the Uchiha clan and the Konoha leadership. The author speculated that either the Uchiha would proactively rebel, or the Konoha leadership, to prevent a tragedy like the Mizukage's, would strike first.
The two major events of the sixth issue were, first, the successful establishment of Iwagakure's branch in the Land of Snow. The village called on everyone to visit the branch for tourism when they had the time. Lord Tsuchikage promised that anyone traveling from Iwagakure to the branch would receive three nights of free accommodation. Of course, the spots were limited, with only one hundred available every three days. Those who wanted a spot had to go to Iwagakure's Training Ground One for a lottery. Lord Tsuchikage also thoughtfully provided tips on what goods were currently scarce in the Land of Snow and what its local specialties were. Everyone calculated that if they bought some goods from Iwagakure to sell to the shops there, and then bought some local specialties to bring back, they could actually make a profit on the round trip. As a result, every three days, the lottery area at Training Ground One was packed with people.
The second event, like in previous issues, was a story from Konoha's past. It told of the defection of Orochimaru, the man who was once most likely to become the Fourth Hokage. In the author's hands, Orochimaru's crimes were lightly brushed over. He was portrayed as a tragic figure who was framed and forced to leave Konoha in sorrow. Although the author never explicitly stated that Orochimaru was a good person, he didn't mention a single word about his inhumane human experiments. It only said that Orochimaru was conducting research that was not permitted by the Konoha leadership. So, to the uninformed reader, he was just a nerd obsessed with scientific research who, because he was too outstanding, was envied and framed by our Iwagakure's ally, Lord Danzō, and forced to become a rogue ninja. It was pointed out that Orochimaru was researching the very same things that the Third Hokage and his advisor, Danzō, had researched. They couldn't achieve results themselves, yet they coveted the fruits of Orochimaru's hard work.
Kakashi bought these two issues immediately. He wasn't interested in Iwagakure hosting the Chunin Exams or establishing a branch in the Land of Snow. In any case, he didn't see from these two events how Iwagakure was "step by step becoming the new hegemon of the ninja world."
Kakashi wasn't foolish enough to argue with the villagers of Iwagakure about the biased writing used in the Orochimaru defection story. What he cared about was the Uchiha clan.
He held no prejudice against the Uchiha clan; this could be seen from his attitude towards Sasuke in the original story. Sasuke had a personality that made one want to strangle him, yet Kakashi was able to guide him with all his heart, viewing him as his successor. This was something that greatly puzzled readers of the original story. Of course, everyone knew the main reason was Obito; Kakashi was practically living as half an Uchiha himself.
So, when he saw the newspaper's author predict that the Uchiha clan would be exterminated, Kakashi was completely stunned.
Forcing himself to calm down, Kakashi began to use his intellect to think about the matters concerning the Uchiha clan mentioned in the newspaper.
"The Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, never had good intentions for the Uchiha clan, deliberately assigning them the job that would most offend people: the Military Police Force."
"The Uchiha clan's proud and straightforward nature meant they never showed mercy in their work, and they disdained explaining themselves to civilians or civilian-born ninja whom they considered far beneath them. As a result, both civilians and ninja in Konoha were extremely dissatisfied with the Uchiha clan."
"During the war, the Third Hokage sat by and watched as the Uchiha clan and Kirigakure wore each other down, yet he delayed sending reinforcements. It was a clear attempt to use a foreign enemy to weaken the Uchiha."
"The Third Hokage tempted the Uchiha clan to dispatch troops with the promise of the Hokage title, but he did not fulfill his promise after the war, refusing to step down."
"During the Nine-Tails' rampage, the crimson Sharingan in the Nine-Tails' eyes."
"After the Nine-Tails' rampage, the Uchiha clan was driven to the edge of Konoha."
These points constantly swirled in Kakashi's mind. Analyzing them one by one, he found that although the author had exaggerated, what was said was basically true.
The conclusion Kakashi reached on his own was the same as the author's: the relationship between the Konoha leadership and the Uchiha clan was simply irreconcilable. The only reason they could coexist peacefully now was the lack of a fuse to ignite the conflict.
After reaching this conclusion, Kakashi felt a chill run through his body, and even breathing became difficult. The most tragic part was that he could do nothing. Even if he returned to the village immediately, he could only watch helplessly as the Uchiha clan walked towards its doom.
"Damn it, I absolutely cannot let this happen! The Uchiha are Obito's clan, the glory he was always so proud of. I have to protect the Uchiha for Obito's sake!" Kakashi told himself firmly.
But what exactly should I do? His eyes watched the childish matches in the arena, but his mind once again sank into deep thought.
In the end, he could only think of one solution: find the Tsuchikage. He believed that all of this was what the Tsuchikage wanted to tell him. The man known as the "Fox of Iwagakure" had been guiding him, both overtly and covertly, to think this way.
Since the Tsuchikage would do this, he must have a solution. Perhaps the Tsuchikage's solution was hidden within a conspiracy, but it was still better than being able to do nothing but watch helplessly.
"That's right, find the Tsuchikage. I'll go find the Tsuchikage after today's matches are over." Time was running out. The third exam would last for three days at most. After that, their Konoha delegation would leave directly. If all of Konoha's candidates were eliminated early, they might even leave sooner.
♧♧♧
-> SUPPORT ME WITH POWER STONE
-> FOR EVERY 200 PS = BOUNS CHAPTER
♧♧♧
-> 35 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!
-> https://www.patreon.com/c/Segais
(Just remove the hyphen to access patreon normally)
If you like this novel please consider leaving a review that's help the story a lot Thank you