"Hey, hey, hey... what the hell is that?!"
Temari's voice trembled as she pointed toward the massive silhouette looming in the sea of trees beyond. Her entire body went cold as sweat trickled down her back. That towering giant of chakra, burning like a spectral flame, was far beyond her understanding.
"Could that... that thing have been summoned by that guy from earlier?"
Her voice cracked as she recalled the man cloaked in darkness. The thought that someone could summon such a monstrous form made her shudder. Was this what her father—no, what the Kazekage—had gone up against?
Could even the Kazekage survive something like that?
"B..." Shiro Kakashi narrowed his eyes at the colossal figure. The energy it radiated stirred memories—ancient, terrifying ones. "Is that... Susanoo?"
"Yes," Senju Hashirama replied, his voice oddly nostalgic. "And not just any Susanoo. That's the perfected form."
A Perfect Susanoo... a sight he hadn't witnessed since his battles with Uchiha Madara. Its radiant chakra armor, the sheer size, and the sense of invincibility—it brought back memories both glorious and terrifying.
"Father... he's not going to die, right?" Kankuro's voice betrayed his anxiety.
"Hmph." Gaara folded his arms and let out a dismissive snort. "If that man dies, it wouldn't be a loss. He was never a true father anyway."
Soon, the roars of battle from afar faded into eerie silence.
Moments later, Uchiha Obito returned, walking calmly through the trees. But his expression was... odd.
"Where is my father?" Temari stepped forward, voice rising with panic. "You—don't tell me—you really killed him?!"
She clenched her fists. That giant Susanoo... if it had landed a direct hit, there might not even be a body left.
Obito scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Well... your father is indeed dead."
"What?!"
"But it wasn't me!" Obito quickly added. "I didn't even get the chance. Someone else beat me to it."
"You're lying!" Kankuro's face darkened. "You expect us to believe that?!"
Before Obito could respond, a figure emerged silently from the shadows behind him.
"Temari. Kankuro."
Their eyes widened. It was unmistakable.
"Father?!"
But something was off. His skin was pale, and his body emitted a strange paper-like shimmer—the unmistakable signs of Edo Tensei.
"I am no longer alive," Rasa—the former Fourth Kazekage—spoke with a grim expression. "That bastard Orochimaru... it was him. He betrayed and killed me."
Gasps followed as Rasa recounted everything.
He had originally allied with Orochimaru in a plan to launch the "Konoha Crush" operation. But before the attack could begin, Orochimaru ambushed and killed him. Then, using Edo Tensei, Orochimaru revived him, took his identity, and secretly controlled Sunagakure from the shadows as the false Eleventh Kazekage.
It had all been a lie.
"Then... when we were out on a mission... he was already dead?" Temari's voice cracked, caught between disbelief and heartbreak.
"To think Orochimaru would go that far..." Hashirama muttered, his brows furrowed. Even now, he still held a soft spot for Konoha, regardless of the world they were in.
Rasa stood silently, his expression stiff and his eyes never leaving Gaara. He could sense it—the silent disdain, the hatred his youngest son still bore toward him.
"And you went along with Orochimaru's plan to destroy Konoha?" Hashirama asked, displeasure clear in his tone.
"Y-Yes..." Rasa lowered his head, now fully aware of who stood before him—warriors from another world, beings with overwhelming power. He had no chance to resist, even as a reanimated body.
"But in a way," Obito said, arms folded, "Orochimaru did the right thing. Killing a man like you, who failed as a Kazekage and even more as a father—that's justice."
Rasa looked at Gaara, who only stared coldly in return. He could say nothing.
Shiro Kakashi frowned slightly. "Obito, Hashirama—do you think our presence might've been exposed now?"
"Huh?" Obito blinked. "Come on. I'm dead in this world. Even if Orochimaru sees me, would he really guess we're from the Otherworld?"
He tried to sound confident but couldn't shake the nagging feeling. This was Orochimaru they were talking about—no matter the world, he was cunning and unpredictable.
Hashirama shrugged. "We had planned to quietly capture and interrogate the enemy. But who knew Orochimaru was remotely controlling Rasa with Impure World Reincarnation? That bastard's always several steps ahead."
And the worst part? They didn't even know where Orochimaru was hiding.
"Wait!" Obito suddenly turned, a glint in his eye. "Forget Orochimaru for now! Kakashi—this is your chance! Rasa's here! We can finally uncover the truth behind your father's death!"
Kakashi's eyes widened. For a moment, he stood frozen. Then, a deep spark lit in his gaze.
Yes!
The mystery that had haunted him for years—his father's disgrace, the suicide, the lies.
He had always suspected there was more to the story.
And Rasa... he was directly involved!
Obito smirked at his own brilliance and stepped up to Rasa, voice sharp and commanding.
"Hey! You worthless Kazekage—spill everything you know about the White Fang incident!"
Rasa blinked, then turned to look at Kakashi more carefully.
"So... you're his son."
"I'm not from the Otherworld," Kakashi said quietly. "I'm from this timeline. The son of Hatake Sakumo... Konoha's White Fang."
That made Rasa pause.
He glanced at Obito and Hashirama—clearly from another world, with strength that defied understanding. But Kakashi... he was grounded here. Native. And yet, clearly allied with the Others.
It made sense now.
"No wonder I didn't sense the same aura from you..." Rasa muttered. "So you've joined them."
Obito scowled. "Don't change the subject!"
Smack!
He slapped Rasa on the head, causing a puff of ash and paper to flutter from his reanimated body. "Start talking! Or we'll rip the truth out of you one chakra cell at a time!"
Temari and Kankuro stood silently, unsure whether to be ashamed or grateful that their father was being humiliated. Either way, the Kazekage they knew was long gone.
Gaara, on the other hand, looked utterly pleased. He crossed his arms and smirked, satisfied to see the man who had once sought to turn him into a weapon reduced to this state.
Rasa gritted his teeth but relented. "Fine."
He began slowly.
"The White Fang incident... it began when I was still young, just an advisor under the Third Kazekage."
It was the 41st year of the Konoha calendar.
The Jinchūriki of One-Tail, the monk Fenfuku, had grown old. His vitality was fading, and with death approaching, there were concerns that Shukaku might break free during the transition.
Sunagakure kept strict surveillance over Fenfuku, day and night. His condition was one of the village's greatest secrets.
Then, intelligence arrived.
A message from a Sand spy embedded in Konoha. The report was shocking—Konoha's White Fang was planning to infiltrate Sunagakure to uncover information about Fenfuku.
"It sounded suspicious," Rasa admitted. "The intel was too easy to get. We suspected it might be bait... or worse, a deliberate leak."
But they had no choice.
They couldn't risk it. If the White Fang truly came, they would need to be prepared.
During the Second Ninja World War, Sakumo Hatake had gained legendary status. With just a short blade, he had slaughtered his way through entire Sand Shinobi lines—taking down even elite puppet masters singlehandedly.
A monster of that caliber couldn't be underestimated.
So, the Third Kazekage mobilized elite forces and assigned Rasa to personally oversee Fenfuku's security.
"And then," Rasa looked directly at Kakashi, "your father came."
Kakashi's eyes darkened. His heart pounded.
This was it—the truth behind the tragedy that destroyed his family's honor.
What had really happened that day?
And who was truly responsible?
Rasa continued, "What your father encountered wasn't just resistance... It was a trap."
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