"Teacher Shuomao, I've come to visit you."

In a room on the second floor, Shiraishi whispered to the photo on the shelf.

This is a photo they took together when the fifth class was just established.

Ayane and Ruri are also on it, and when I was taking a photo, I was sandwiched between the two, and it was really hard to think about myself at that time.

And Shuo Mao stood behind the three of them, carrying a white tooth short knife on his back, wearing a ninja forehead guard, revealing a hearty and happy smile.

Just as Shiraishi was recalling these things, the door suddenly opened.

"I said you, when you enter someone else's house, don't you know that you can't just run around?"

Shiraishi saw Obito grinning and walked in without concealing it, and had a headache.

"I still want to say what about you, what's the matter with leaving me there alone?"

Obito is also unhappy to respond.

"I'm just coming up and having a look."

"Then I'll come up and have a look."

Obitoshi is smart, following Shiraishi's words.

Subsequently, he also discovered the existence of the photo, and stared at it carefully, although it was taken when Shiraishi was twelve years old, and it was a little different from the current Shiraishi, but Obito still recognized it at once, this is the Shiraishi in the past.

"So you used to be like this, and it doesn't feel like anything special."

Obito uttered a humiliating remark from his mouth.

Then he looked at the others.

"This eye is a member of the Hyuga clan. Then this one must be the predecessor of the glass. Worthy of the predecessors, such a small age gives people a strong feeling of reliability. ”

Looking at the glass in the photo, Obito suddenly turned into a little fan brother and said in an admiring tone.

"Hey, who is this white-haired uncle? Is it your guidance to shinobi? ”

Obito asked curiously.

"Yes, it's Kakashi's father, a ninja known as 'Konoha White Fang'."

Shiraishi nodded, this kind of thing, you can know by asking casually, it's not a secret.

"No wonder it's so similar to Kakashi...... However, Konoha White Fang ...... I think I've heard of it somewhere...... Strange, where on earth have you heard of it? ”

Obito tilted his head and began to think.

I vaguely remember that it was a few months ago.

What it was, Obito couldn't remember clearly.

"It's not a good thing for you to know about this kind of thing."

Shiraishi interrupted the conversation.

Rumors about Shuo Mao are basically only spread among adults, and it's normal for students like Obito who are still in school to not know much about it.

It is estimated that I know the name, but what happened is naturally not in-depth.

What's more, after Shuo Mao's suicide, many people kept silent about the matter, as if it had never happened.

But the scars have been revealed, and no matter how much they are repaired, the wounds will not disappear, but will only be hidden deeper.

"What, I'm not a child."

Obito said dissatisfied.

"Alright, let's go down."

Shiraishi went downstairs with Obito and returned to the living room.

There, the takeout that Kakashi ordered had been delivered, and Kakashi himself was sitting there, waiting for the two to come over for dinner together.

"Kakashi, you haven't been eating takeout lately, have you?"

Obito saw that there were many takeaway boxes in the trash can that could not be cleaned up in time, so he frowned and said.

"Hmm."

Kakashi nodded.

In addition to tasks, he spends a lot of time exercising at home every day, and has no leisure to cook at all, so he can only survive by eating takeout.

Seeing that Kakashi was not salty and did not lightly reply, Obito's brows furrowed even tighter.

When he wanted to say something, he swallowed the words back when he saw Kakashi's eyes that didn't want to argue or anything.

Kakashi like this gives Obito an indescribable bad feeling.

It felt like I couldn't get close to him for anything I said to him.

Even if he wanted to ask Kakashi why he had an argument with his companion on a mission, was it true that the value of his companion's life was lower than the value of the mission, as those people said......

In the end, Obito hesitated for a long time, but he couldn't confess his most concerns to Kakashi.

Kakashi's home gave him an unusually deserted and uninhabitable feeling.

What happened to this guy after he graduated? Obito muttered.

Kakashi sat down at the table, ate two bites of takeout, and closed the takeout box.

"I'm full, you can go back after eating, I don't have anything to entertain here."

Kakashi threw his unfinished takeout directly into the trash can next to him, and walked towards the yard with the white tooth dagger on his back.

“…… Aren't we here at the wrong time? ”

Obito glanced at Shiraishi.

Shiraishi replied, "It's none of your business, don't think about it. ”

"Is that so?"

Obito will be skeptical.

After the two of them quickly ate the takeaway, Daito also took out the garbage bag filled with many takeout boxes and disposed of it, and if they were left here for a long time, it would definitely become moldy.

"It's really amazing, have you practiced the White Fang Knife Technique to this point?"

While bringing soil to dispose of the garbage bag, Shiraishi came to the courtyard and looked at Kakashi, who was constantly trying to wield his knife, and sighed.

Although in his eyes, Kakashi's White Fang Knife Technique is completely incomparable to Shuo Mao's, and there are many flaws. But the sword posture already has a bit of Shuomao's demeanor, and there is definitely no big problem in dealing with a mid-ninja level ninja.

Continue to accumulate like this, with his own talent and hard work, passing the upper ninja assessment before the age of twelve is also a matter of course in Shiraishi's opinion.

Kakashi was unmoved by Shiraishi's feelings, and just focused on sword training.

"Why, after all this time, haven't you completely calmed down?"

Shiraishi leaned against the courtyard wall and asked with a smile at Kakashi.

Kakashi's swing of the knife in his hand slammed, and the air froze.

"You who become a middle ninja, you shouldn't be so fragile, right?"

"What the hell are you trying to say?"

Kakashi turned his head and sighed helplessly.

I don't know why, but I always feel that there is something in Shiraishi's words.

But the other party is his father's old subordinate, and it is not good to be rude to him.

"I promised Mr. Shuo Mao that I would take good care of you after he died."

"As you can see, I'm doing well now."

Kakashi replied nonchalantly.

Compared to the so-called care in Shiraishi's mouth, he believed more in the power brought by the blade in his hand.

"Having said that, if you continue like this, the shinobi who can accept you will only get less and less until you can't stand in Konoha anymore. So, do you still have to stick to your mission-oriented philosophy? ”

After so many changes, even a fool should understand that some of these places are obviously very contradictory.

In order to save his companions, his father gave up his mission, so he was ostracized by the people of the village, and committed suicide due to rumors.

And he chose a different path, the task was greater than that of his companions, and he was still ostracized by his colleagues in the village.

This is a fact that Kakashi has personally understood, and it is not a wild imagination.

Although Kakashi's expression was well concealed, a trace of hesitation and hesitation flashed in his eyes.

He was wondering the real cause of his father's death.

It turns out...... Either choosing a task, or choosing a companion, is wrong.

It is also likely that this is not the reason for his father's suicide.

Kakashi, who can become a shinobi at the age of six, can't be regarded as an ordinary child in terms of actual combat ability or theoretical knowledge.

Although sometimes thinking leads to a dead end, this matter, combined with the cause and effect, is logically impossible to explain.

There are too many doubts and points to scrutinize.

"You're doing a great job."

Shiraishi said suddenly.

"What?"

"It seems that you have indeed calmed down, at least you know how to think dialectically."

Shiraishi smiled, and if it was Kakashi before, he might have left with a cold face and an impatient face.

In the past six months or so, he has had enough time to experience first-hand the contradictions in this village.

This contradiction is not perceptible to ordinary villagers and ninjas, because they have not experienced it personally.

Unfortunately, Kakashi is the one who has gone through the whole process.

His father's suicide and the path he is now taking are to a certain extent mainstream ideas that cannot be accepted by the village.

So, what's right? What's wrong?

"I don't know what you're talking about, I'm just following ......"

"Then do you want to know the real cause of Mr. Shuomao's death?"

The atmosphere was accompanied by Shiraishi's words, and a terrifying murderous aura burst out from Kakashi's body, making the air around him heavy, making it difficult to breathe, as if he was in a deep swamp.

"Don't talk nonsense with me!"

As if stimulated by something, Kakashi's body jerked and disappeared from the spot, casting a bright light in the darkness.

However, he stopped in front of Shiraishi.

His face was covered with cold sweat, and he stared at Shiraishi with frightened eyes.

At some point, a large number of slender shadows were wrapped around his body, like solid iron cables, blocking his whole body and preventing him from moving.

In the surrounding area, more than a dozen spears and swords formed by shadows stopped at deadly locations such as his throat, heart, and back of his head.

With just one move forward, a large number of shadow blades could easily plunder his life.

And Shiraishi, always leaning his back against the courtyard wall, did not move a single step.

"What the hell are you ...... Who is it? ”

"Chiba Shiraishi, Konoha Nakaya, part-time ninja school medical ninja experimental class assistant teacher."

Shiraishi confessed all his information without the slightest fraud.

Kakashi was silent.

Nakashinobi?

No kidding.

Even if he is leading the team now, it is impossible for him to fall into such a lifeless crisis without him noticing.

However, these black shadows emerged until they surrounded themselves and the shadow blades were all against their deadly parts.

If you want to disadvantage yourself, you can kill him silently at any time.

This kind of strength, even if it is an ordinary ninja, is impossible to achieve.

"Three days later, at 0:00 in the morning, you come to this place, and I will tell you the answer. Of course, it doesn't matter if you don't come, then, you can only find the answer yourself. ”

Shiraishi pulled out a card, walked over to Kakashi, and gently slipped it into his pocket, a nonchalant smile on the corner of his mouth.

The shadow vanished from Kakashi's body and surroundings.

Kakashi's body seemed to be drained of strength, and his face was pale and slumped to the ground, still palpitating as he remembered the feeling of passing by death just now.

The white tooth dagger fell to the side, as if it had lost its luster.

"Don't forget the promise."

Shiraishi left this sentence and walked outside.

Before he got out of the yard, the first time he returned from Obito was to see Kakashi sitting on the ground, he couldn't help but be surprised:

"Hey, Kakashi, what are you doing sitting on the ground?"

"It's obviously caused by overwork in cultivation, okay, it's almost time, we should also go."

Shiraishi said to Obito.

"I haven't had a good conversation with Kakashi, why are you leaving so quickly?"

"It's all the same village anyway, when can't we meet? And soon Lin is going to come to me to ask for medical ninjutsu, be careful that I take advantage of it, after all, it's such a cute girl. ”

Shiraishi smiled maliciously as he walked forward.

Obito was really stimulated, and immediately exploded in place.

"You despicable fellow, how many times have you said that you are not allowed to make a move on Lin!"

Then he faced Kakashi.

"Kakashi, I'll come back to you in a few days, and don't always eat these non-nutritious takeouts. I'll go first. ”

After saying that, Obito hurriedly chased Shiraishi and ran out.

Kakashi ignored the farce between Shiraishi and Obito, but watched Shiraishi's disappearing figure and muttered to himself:

"Is this guy really a medical ninja......

With this kind of strength, even if you become the upper shinobi of the village, there is no problem, why hide your strength in the village?

And, the answer he said...... What exactly does that mean?

Kakashi's eyes flickered, and he didn't know what was going on in his mind.

◎

Three days passed in a flash.

At noon, at the entrance of Konoha Village, Kakashi and his companions in the team separated and rushed back home.

The leading shinobi saw Kakashi's absent-minded appearance, and he didn't say anything, but he just felt that Kakashi was strange this time.

He had already made up his mind and 'invited' Kakashi out of the group.

If this continues, the rest of the squad will have a big opinion, which will eventually lead to a split in the relationship of the entire squad.

As for what arrangements were on the Hokage's side, it wasn't for him to know.

Kakashi dragged his tired body back home, barely having room to think, and fell into bed defenselessly asleep.

When I woke up, it was already pitch black outside the window.

With the help of the bright moonlight outside, the alarm clock at the head of the bed can be seen, and the time displayed on it is nine o'clock.

"Is there still three hours?"

Three days ago, Shiraishi told him that he would be told the so-called 'answer' at 0:00 a.m. tonight.

Kakashi had been hesitant to go to the meeting as Shiraishi had ordered.

But......

"That guy is deliberately hiding his strength, is he really trustworthy?"

After all, he didn't even know the reason why Shiraishi wanted to hide his strength, and if he recklessly went to the appointment, maybe something would happen that would be unfavorable to him.

Kakashi felt that he had to be cautious about this.

Feeling hungry, Kakashi walked over to the kitchen to see if he could find anything to eat.

As a result, he only found a few slices of bread that were a little dry and hard, and Kakashi didn't care, and after boiling the hot water, he poured himself a glass and ate the bread, which was considered to solve the problem of dinner.

Kakashi watched the clock tick by second, and in a trance realized that it was already half past eleven.

There is only half an hour left before the agreed time.

Kakashi took out the card in his pocket, and it only said a location-

Shadow Rock.

Kakashi let out a sigh.

Now he has three options in front of him.

The first one is to go to the meeting according to Shiraishi's agreement.

Second, when nothing happens, follow the path you have chosen and sever off contact with Shiraishi. What the other party's purpose is, it has nothing to do with him.

The third is to report to the Hokage and let the Shadow Agency intervene to investigate Shiraishi.

There is also a problem, is it true that such a person has no defenses and no way out to reveal his secret so easily?

Or is it that you are already under the surveillance of the other party without realizing it?

In addition to the second, both the first and third options have certain risks in them.

Which one to choose has become the most difficult problem for Kakashi to face right now.

- Konoha Shadow Rock.

It was almost 0:00 a.m., and a person was wearing a white hooded coat, with his hands casually in his sleeves, standing on the portrait of the original Hokage in a relaxed and unguarded posture.

From this angle, you can see a panoramic view of the entire Konoha area.

There were only street lights, and a few sporadic lights on, and most of the area was plunged into darkness.

With the help of the moonlight, it is possible to see the silhouettes of buildings that have been trapped in darkness.

"You're really sneaky in this dress, do you want to tell me some of your ulterior deeds?"

There was the sound of footsteps behind him, and Kakashi was already standing there, facing his white back.

"It's just that the air is too cold tonight, and I expect a light snow in the second half of the night."

Lifting the hat from his head backwards, Shiraishi turned his head to explain to Kakashi.

"Really?"

Kakashi took a few steps forward, and together with Shiraishi, he looked down at the panoramic view of Konoha Village.

"How do you feel?"

Shiraishi asked.

"It's completely different from the feeling of watching during the day, it's so calm."

When I used to come to Kageiwa, I used to look at the whole of Konoha from here during the day and at night, but it was Kakashi's first time.

"The calmer the water, the more terrifying its depth."

"Can I take that you are resentful of the village?"

Kakashi's eyes narrowed, tilting his head sideways, and swept the afterglow of his eyes towards Shiraishi.

"No, not at all. Because what has become of this village has nothing to do with me at all. One day it will be destroyed, and it is only a choice of history. ”

Shiraishi said in a light tone.

There was a coldness and determination in the tone that gave up everything here.

"It's like two people with ordinary you."

"Don't worry, whether it's the usual me or the current me, I am my truest face."

“……”

Kakashi was silent.

"Since you've chosen to come to me for answers, let me hear what you think, about this village."

"Village?"

"Didn't you study at the ninja school? The will of fire that has been handed down between the original Hokage Thousand Hands Pillar. ”

Shiraishi sat down on the portrait of the original Hokage, looking down at Konoha Village, which was shrouded in darkness.

"Protect the people in the village, bridge the barriers between everyone, and then protect the next generation, so that the children of the next generation can be the cornerstone of the village."

"Now that you understand the essence, why do you choose mission first? Aren't those companions 'family' to you? Isn't it an existence worth guarding? Or are you afraid that you will end up in the same fate as Mr. Shuo Mao? ”

"I don't know, don't ask me these questions......"

Kakashi touched his forehead, his brow furrowed slightly, and the pain began to start to rise again.

Every time I think about this contradictory question, I feel a headache.

But in the textbooks of the ninja school, and even later I went to the library to consult a lot of materials, but I couldn't get the answer.

Shiraishi saw Kakashi's movement stroking his forehead, and knew that he was in a tangle again.

"Kakashi, you understand it, it's just that you don't want to think about it. Then let me remind you again, a very crucial one. ”

Shiraishi smiled meaningfully.

"Hint?"

"The three generations of Hokage Ape Flying Sun Slash are almost fifty years old."

Kakashi doesn't know why, how old are the three generations of Hokage, and what does it have to do with him?

However, Kakashi also understands that once a ninja passes the age of fifty, he will continue to decline, whether it is strength or energy to do things, he is not as good as before, so he can only hand over his work to the next generation and start to train the next generation of heirs.

And so on –

Kakashi's mind flashed as if he had grasped some important information.

The third Hokage is about to turn fifty......

Retire......

The four generations of Hokage who elect the next term......

Who are those four generations of Hokage candidates?

Although there is no official election yet, everyone understands who is the person in the village who has the strength to serve as the fourth generation Hokage.

Konoha White Fang, Three Ninjas, and in addition, there are only a very few excellent upper ninjas.

It's not that Kakashi doesn't understand anything, because once a lot of things are noticed, everything becomes a coherent thread.

The election of the four generations of Hokage has nothing to do with their middle and lower ninjas, but his father, Konoha White Fang, is definitely capable of participating in this campaign ceremony.

Coincidentally, his father suddenly failed in the mission, and because he gave up the mission to choose a companion, he was slandered by his colleagues and committed suicide.

Later, he thought that his father Shuo Mao's path was wrong, so he carried out the mission with the belief that 'the mission is greater than the companion', but he still couldn't get the people in the village to agree.

Kakashi wondered if he wasn't good enough to be recognized by his peers.

But as time goes by, the ostracism of others becomes more and more severe, that is, those people are disgusted from the bottom of their hearts for their own mission-oriented behavior and disregard for the lives of their peers.

However, if this is the case, why is his father still slandered to the point of suicide?

Fourth Hokage campaign.

His father, Shuo Mao, committed suicide by choosing 'companions are greater than tasks'.

Choosing 'the task is greater than the companion' is excluded and not recognized.

All the clues are connected.

It dawned on Kakashi why he had chosen the path of 'mission over companionship', or the reason for rejection.

From the outset, there was no 'task over the task' or 'the companion over the task' option.

"Shiraishi senior, father he...... It was forced to death by the top, is that so? Because of the position of the so-called four generations of Hokage? ”

Kakashi's voice trembled, already with uncontrollable rage, and a terrifying aura of violence appeared in his eyes.

Suddenly I felt a little sorry for myself.

I was struggling with this kind of thing, and even complained about my father for a while, why did he choose to commit suicide.

And I didn't even realize it.

Shiraishi was silent.

Kakashi is a smart child, and there are some things that he doesn't need to deliberately explain himself, as long as he gives him some hints, and with his intelligence, he can quickly figure out the cause and effect of things and analyze the problem clearly.

After all, most six-year-olds play ninja games in school, and Kakashi has already passed the difficult shinobi exam at this age to become a qualified shinobi.

And to become a middle ninja, the first thing you have is to have the analytical ability to surpass ordinary people.

After all, this is the backbone of the team, and when there is a problem with the upper ninja, the middle ninja is the acting squad leader.

Thinking about the time he had wasted in the past six months, Kakashi really felt like a fool who had been toyed with between applause by those higher-ups.

They don't care about these problems they are struggling with, they don't care about them, and they don't give themselves any so-called answers.

Because the answer was given, they couldn't explain the cause of their father's death, and they didn't have the shame to explain it to themselves.

"That's right, so I've always been the clown they fooled......"

Kakashi walked forward a little dejected, and stopped tremblingly as he was about to fall off Shadow Rock.

Stand here.

Look at the village.

It's like standing in the middle of a misty forest.

It was pitch black, and there was no road to see.

Fragments of memories poured into the brain.

The day after his father's failed mission, rumors spread throughout Konoha.

All the rumors are one-sided, directed against his own father.

Even the rescued companions are blaming.

All of them are denying and humiliating.

Then connected the fragment of his father Shuo Mao lying in a pool of blood, and ended his life with his white tooth short knife.

And the ninjas and villagers who had slandered their father before, they were still alive as always, and no one came to apologize after their father's suicide.

- Don't stop doing what should be right because of the negation of others, or even regret it afterwards because of the ridicule and accusations of others. I just followed the beliefs and persistence that a Konoha ninja should have.

His father's words were still ringing clearly in his ears.

In the end, there was no hatred or remorse, and he went to death with a calm attitude.

He must not want his son to have any resentment towards the village.

Because from beginning to end, he was dying honorably as a Konoha ninja.

Until he died, he hid the truth of the matter.

Kakashi looked at his palm, no matter what, he couldn't be at peace inside.

I can't do what my father Shuo Mao said, and I don't have any resentment towards this village and those high-level people.

So, what are your options? Whatever it is, I've got your back. Do you follow me, or do you follow Mr. Shuomao's last wish, generously forgive all this, love this village deeply, and protect this village. ”

Shiraishi stood up from Kageiwa and walked over to Kakashi, patting him on the shoulder.

"Neither Mr. Shuo Mao nor I can make a decision for you. Because this is a choice made by you Kakashi Hagi himself, not someone else who makes the decision for you, no matter how difficult the future is, you must grit your teeth and persevere, until the moment you die. How to go on this path, you choose......"

With that in mind, Kakashi left the rest to judge for himself.

If he chooses to continue to protect Konoha, he will seal his 'memory' about this part and let him live as an authentic Konoha ninja.

If you choose to follow yourself......

"I'll surpass my father."

Kakashi said this.

Shiraishi tilted his head sideways to look at Kakashi.

"Really?"

Shiraishi nodded, knowing that Kakashi had made a choice.

Turned to leave, leaving Kakashi alone.

Moonlight shrouded Shadow Rock, and Kakashi looked up.

Father, I will use my own strength to surpass you!

And to make those high-level people pay a terrible price!

Perhaps this may have been a bad decision that would have disappointed his late father, Shuo Mao.

But Kakashi had decided that this was the path he was going to take.

A completely different path from what his father Shuo Mao had envisioned.

- The scene where his father, Shuo Mao, commits suicide with a short knife and collapses in the room.

- Ignorant people, foolish people who have been deceived by the top.

-- The high-level leaders, who enjoyed the fruits of the victory in the political struggle, never understood the pain their father said he faced when he committed suicide.

Just thinking about this, Kakashi felt his heart beat constantly, wildly, violently.

Fresh dynamics, called hatred.