Chapter 34: Rin Nohara's Brilliance – It's Time to Awaken
Kakashi couldn't understand it.
His father had upheld what was supposed to be the most sacred value of a shinobi—cherishing one's comrades.
So why had he received nothing but scorn and condemnation in return?
It was a long while before Kakashi gathered himself enough to report the situation.
Shortly after, Jiraiya was the first to arrive at the scene.
---
"Sakumo… I can't believe it," Jiraiya muttered with a deep frown as he stood in the house.
He and Sakumo Hatake were born around the same time—both roughly in the 13th year of Konoha.
But Sakumo's reputation had far eclipsed his.
The so-called "Legendary Sannin"—to the public, it sounded like an honor.
But to the Sannin themselves, it was a bitter reminder. That title had been born from surviving Hanzō the Salamander… by pure luck.
Years had passed since then, and each of them had grown stronger in their own way. But the name had already stuck.
Sakumo Hatake, however, was different.
He earned the title of White Fang through sheer force and unmatched skill—no luck involved.
His body had already been taken by the medical corps for autopsy to confirm there was no foul play.
---
"Are you alright, Kakashi?" Jiraiya asked, noticing the cold, drained look in the boy's eyes. He seemed entirely changed.
"I'm fine, Lord Jiraiya. Shinobi are meant to put the mission first," Kakashi replied flatly. "My father broke the rules... so he chose..."
He didn't finish the sentence—just turned and walked out.
Inside, shinobi were busy checking the house for signs of infiltration or forbidden jutsu.
Only Jiraiya remained still, his brows knitted together.
He'd been away on a mission recently. Only Tsunade and Orochimaru had been around in the past days.
He hadn't imagined that their last meeting would be their final one.
"Old man..." Jiraiya exhaled a sigh.
This was why he preferred wandering outside the village—collecting stories, chasing omens of the "Child of Prophecy."
Konoha might look like a tree flourishing under sunlight…
But through the gaps in the leaves, the sunlight scattered—allowing shadows to flourish beneath.
---
"Tch. Throwing away your life—what foolishness," came Orochimaru's voice as he entered the room. "Sakumo's understanding of the world wasn't even on par with that Uchiha brat."
"Shut your mouth, Orochimaru," Tsunade snapped, walking in behind him.
No matter the circumstances, Sakumo had been a comrade. Orochimaru's words were harsh and cold.
Seeing the tension in Tsunade's clenched fists, Orochimaru finally fell silent. The veins beneath her pale skin throbbed faintly.
He turned his gaze to the distance—toward the Uchiha district.
"The strong, worn down by the winds of Konoha, choose death… while the ignorant weak chase that very wind, hoping to live—to go further," he murmured.
Uchiha Seiji… is he someone like me?
Orochimaru's interest in Seiji only grew deeper.
After all, he too was chasing the wind that blew through Konoha.
---
Days passed, but Sakumo's death didn't seem to change much.
The village gossip and criticism slowly faded.
In its place, rumors began to spread—Sakumo Hatake, the White Fang, had died a hero defending the village.
---
"Seiji, are you going to graduate with me?" Kakashi asked one day.
His ever-lifeless eyes now held only a singular, obsessive focus.
"You already submitted your request form?" Seiji asked, throwing a shuriken.
It sliced through the air and embedded itself into the trunk of a tree—three of its four metal edges dug deeply into the bark.
From a distance, it looked as though it had been nailed into place.
After a few days of practice, Seiji had acquired a throwing technique trait—his shuriken power now had a 10% boost, just as the trait description promised.
"Yeah," Kakashi replied without emotion.
He handed Seiji a form.
Seiji glanced at it—it was an early graduation application.
These basic Academy techniques—like the Clone and Transformation Jutsu—Kakashi had mastered long ago. He had simply chosen to delay graduation.
He could even perform Earth Release: Earth Wave… these techniques were beneath him now.
"Then I'll speed things up too," Seiji nodded.
Mastering the Three Basic Jutsu was the minimum requirement for graduation.
But the Ninja Academy wasn't just about techniques—it also included theoretical knowledge. Seiji still needed to polish up in that area.
After all, he hadn't been in the ninja world for very long.
"I see…"
Kakashi retrieved the form. From his eyes—visible above his black mask—there was neither disappointment nor emotion.
Ever since his father died, Kakashi had started distancing himself from everyone:
Rin Nohara, Might Guy, Seiji, Obito…
The only reason he approached Seiji now was because he believed working with him would increase the odds of mission success.
A shinobi's highest duty… was to complete the mission.
Those who couldn't follow the rules—were trash.
---
"When you graduate, let me know what it's like," Seiji said casually. "We should spar sometime, too."
Aside from swordsmanship traits, Kakashi might even awaken something under the Lightning Release category.
In the future, after Kakashi lost his Sharingan, he never picked up his father's swordsmanship again. Instead, he turned his focus toward developing new Lightning Release techniques.
This choice spoke volumes.
Kakashi didn't abandon swordsmanship merely to sever ties with his past or to honor Obito's legacy by inheriting the Sharingan.
Perhaps… his talent for the blade had never truly matched that of Sakumo Hatake in the first place.
---
"Alright."
Kakashi nodded and turned to leave, application form in hand.
Seiji's gaze followed Kakashi's back as he walked away.
"This afternoon, huh… I guess I'll go watch," he murmured.
He threw another shuriken—this one sank even deeper into the tree trunk than the last.
If anyone was going to be worried, it would likely be Rin Nohara.
She might even come to him for help.
That was what Seiji figured.
So—what was he going to do?
In the darkness of his right eye, a faint crimson glow shimmered. A subtle smirk formed at the corner of his lips.
Rin Nohara should live.
And if used correctly… she could also become a countermeasure against Obito.
Of course, it wasn't just strategy. Rin had treated him kindly. Seiji couldn't bear to see her die again—trapped in the cruel fate spun by Madara Uchiha.
Madara wasn't someone Seiji—or anyone else right now—could truly stand against. Who knew what contingency plans he had left after disconnecting the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path?
To steer Rin away from that trap, Obito would need an alternative reason to awaken his Sharingan.
He'd need a different kind of trauma.
Something like… "Rin being stolen away."
What could be more agonizing than losing the one you love and finding only ruin in her place?
Let him be the one to rewrite that story.
As long as the outcome was right… it didn't matter how messy the path was.
"Looks like it's time… for those eyes to awaken," Seiji thought quietly.
---
That afternoon, during a free training session, Kakashi made his way across the broad training field, stopping at the edge.
"Kakashi, where are you going?" Rin called out, running up to him.
Being a girl with a sensitive heart, she had picked up on the strange shift in Kakashi's mood.
Not long ago, rumors had spread like wildfire—blaming Sakumo Hatake for a failed mission that cost the Land of Fire dearly.
But just as suddenly, that scandal had been buried… replaced by a new story.
That Sakumo Hatake had died a heroic death—for the sake of Konoha.