After Naraku left, a puddle of black mud slowly emerged from a dark corner in the silent, empty house.
It gradually enveloped Sakumo.
A moment later, Sakumo opened his eyes.
He sat up abruptly and quickly scanned his surroundings.
He was the only one in the room; there was no trace of anyone else having been there.
"Why was it dispelled...?"
He remembered that the second before he fainted, his vision had been filled with Naraku's crimson eyes.
His consciousness had been briefly plunged into sleep by the impact of the Genjutsu.
What a powerful Genjutsu...
But his chakra was still abundant, indicating that the technique had dissipated on its own.
Could it be that something had happened to Naraku?
He grabbed his long blade and left immediately.
Sakumo Hatake was no stranger to the darkness of the shinobi world.
After so many years as a ninja, he had witnessed countless stories of baseness, cruelty, and filth.
These stories were like weeds in spring—growing chaotically and unrestrained.
No matter how much they were cleared, they would always cover the mountains again in a very short time.
They couldn't be burned away, nor could they be killed off.
He had always thought he could protect the people within his reach.
He was the White Fang of Konoha, a powerful shinobi who could eliminate any invading enemy and block any attack.
But when he realized that the crisis came not only from enemies, but from "comrades" behind him who would harm his loved ones, he woke up.
How Naraku struggled to survive, escaping with his life from Amegakure and the Grass Ninja while "enemies" traversed the Land of Fire freely, he did not know.
What it felt like to face the enemy with a resolve to die, carrying the regret of a lost family and the chilling pain of a broken blade, he did not know.
What Naraku was thinking when he was forced to awaken his Sharingan due to a life-or-death crisis, only to learn he had an incurable bloodline disease, he still did not know.
Are you only this capable, Sakumo Hatake?
Can you not even protect your own family?
He kept asking himself how far he was willing to go.
Later, he heard his own answer.
Everything.
I can give everything.
His heart fell into a strange calm, a sense of relief that he could do anything and dared to do anything.
He would not give anyone another chance.
When rumors spread in the village, he wasn't sad.
If he were his old self, his faith might have collapsed to the point of suicide, but now, none of that mattered.
On his way to retrieve Tsunade for Konoha, Sakumo had encountered a Root ninja.
The person emerged from the darkness, masked and fully covered, blocking his path.
"Sakumo Hatake, Lord Danzo has ordered you to abandon Uchiha Naraku."
Sakumo sneered, enunciating each word.
"I. Refuse."
The Root ninja seemed unsurprised but continued in a wooden tone.
"That is just a dying Uchiha, useless to you."
"Your reputation and your son, Kakashi, are the truly valuable things."
"I refuse."
"Lord Danzo will show you that his methods are not limited to this."
After the Root ninja disappeared, Sakumo continued on his way.
He picked up Tsunade and Shizune, and the three returned to Konoha together.
There was hope for Naraku's bloodline disease to heal, and a heavy weight lifted slightly from Sakumo's heart.
He heard that while he was away, the Uchiha Clan had tried to stop the rumors, but the Hokage handed the matter to the Anbu, and the situation only worsened.
He looked up at the bright sun outside the window, then at his sun-drenched palm, no longer feeling its warmth.
Hokage-sama, even you are so... so disheartening.
He returned home and looked at his chakra blade on the sword rack in silence for a long time.
A familiar figure appeared outside the window.
"This is a final ultimatum, Sakumo Hatake."
"Obey Lord Danzo's command and abandon Uchiha Naraku, or Kakashi Hatake will die on his next mission."
Sakumo suddenly wanted to laugh.
He wanted to laugh at himself for having lived in a daze for decades, priding himself on his insight yet never truly seeing what was around him.
Perhaps he still didn't see clearly now, but fortunately, he knew which way to swing his blade this time.
"Alright," Sakumo said to the messenger. "Tell him to wait."
Sakumo ran swiftly through Konoha at dusk, the moonlight casting a long shadow behind him.
Unlike Naraku, he had always known where the Root base was located.
The hidden entrance couldn't stop him, the twisted passages couldn't deceive him, and the Root ninja who attacked couldn't harm him.
The long blade in Sakumo's hand emitted a brilliant and pure white light, dazzling in the dark underground.
Like a sharp white fang, it cut through the bodies of one Root ninja after another.
He went deeper and deeper, yet remained tireless.
"Sakumo Hatake! Attacking the Root base is a capital offense!"
The ninja, trained as machines, rushed forward only to vanish amidst lightning and thunder.
Only the rich, warm blood spilled proved their loyal nature.
He finally saw the man in a kimono, with half his body bandaged, looking at him with fear and disgust.
"Sakumo Hatake! Are you insane?!"
Sakumo wiped the blood from his blade.
"I merely found the source of everything."
Before he finished speaking, the tip of his blade touched the ground.
Countless arcs of lightning burst from the steel, striking the walls and leaving charred marks.
The next instant, the blade, trailing lightning, appeared before Danzo.
The scorching lightning crackled, burning the air.
Danzo narrowly dodged, flashing away as a serpent-like streak of electricity shattered the ceiling.
Rocks and earth fell from above, breaking the walkways.
Danzo had never imagined that the dutiful Sakumo Hatake would have the audacity to raid Root.
Just as he didn't know the extent to which threatening a child would enrage a father.
Realizing that Sakumo truly intended to kill him, Danzo was both startled and enraged.
Then he realized this was an excellent opportunity.
He could use the crime of "attacking Root" to legitimately eliminate Sakumo Hatake.
Then he could effortlessly take that Uchiha brat into his possession.
And the Uchiha Clan, having lost Sakumo, would not cause a commotion over a dying, diseased waste.
He decisively ordered his subordinates, "Kill him!"
The Root ninja rushed forward, their ninjutsu weaving into a net in the collapsing space.
Several brilliant flashes of a blade cut through the encirclement.
Just as Sakumo rushed out, a Wind Release: Vacuum Wave arrived before him.
The transparent aura cut through the bodies of two Root ninja, carrying a strong scent of blood.
Sakumo swung his blade, retaliating with Wind Release: Flowing Blade.
He severed the Vacuum Wave, deflected the Vacuum Bullets, and surged toward Danzo like white lightning.
Wind Release: Flowing Wind Blade!
A cold light formed a massive crescent moon that flashed past Danzo, drawing blood from his shoulder.
Forced into close combat, Danzo pulled out a kunai and imbued it with wind chakra to fend off the attacks.
His swordsmanship was not weak, and his mastery of Wind Release allowed him to fight back.
The two fought fiercely, their blades clashing in the heavy darkness.
As time passed, Sakumo grew stronger with each blow.
He even had enough energy to cut down the remaining Root ninja.
Danzo, weakened by blood loss, found it increasingly difficult to cope.
Thunder roared as electric snakes shot from Sakumo's blade, accompanied by wind blades that swept through the base.
The surrounding walkways completely collapsed.
"Sakumo Hatake! Are you truly going to betray the village?!" Danzo shouted hoarsely.
"You do not represent all of Konoha," Sakumo retorted calmly.
"If doing this is betraying the village, then I can atone with my death."
"However, that will be after I eliminate all threats."
The blade, wreathed in wind and lightning, was raised high.
It swung toward Danzo Shimura with unimaginable speed.
Danzo unleashed a desperate ferocity, meeting the attack with equal force.
Just as the two were about to decide the victor, Sakumo's body stiffened for a moment.
Danzo seized the fleeting opportunity, using the slight advantage to strike Sakumo first.