Chapter 104: One Part Deception, Two Parts Pleading, Three Parts Crying
Sakumo Hatake's voice carried a heavy, leaden weight.
"Hokage-sama is vital to Konoha. You are the spiritual pillar of the village, the absolute deterrent against the other Four Great Nations, and the foundation that allows Konoha to prosper. You are our most irreplaceable existence."
It was a classic samurai mentality, the concept of a retainer's sacrifice etched deep into the very marrow of his bones. To sacrifice oneself was an honor; to let the lord sacrifice themselves for a retainer was a sin. Sakumo saw absolutely no flaw in this rigid mindset.
"I am merely an Anbu Captain," he continued, his gaze lowered to the stone beneath his boots. "I am entirely replaceable. But you, Hokage-sama... you are not."
It wasn't just Sakumo. Half the village harbored this exact, self-deprecating devotion.
Stelle, naturally, read him like an open book.
'This guy's mindset is a walking hazard,'she thought, suppressing a heavy sigh.'No wonder he ends up offing himself in the original timeline. With a guilt complex this massive, who knows what kind of shady political garbage actually pushed him over the edge?'
But that was the past. In this new Konoha—the one she was currently molding with her own two hands—petty internal suppression and paranoia over a subordinate overshadowing the leader simply wouldn't fly. Under her watch, Sakumo Hatake was allowed to abandon a mission for the sake of his comrades without facing a village-wide witch hunt.
"Sakumo, you're wrong." Stelle waved a hand casually, gesturing for him to take a seat beside her. Her tone was breezy, carrying the relaxed cadence of two friends catching up over tea rather than a Kage addressing her subordinate. "To me, you are incredibly important."
"Not just you," she added, leaning back against the cool stone. "Everyone is important. Konoha belongs to all of us. It's a collective whole, not just my personal sandbox."
She tapped the ground beneath their feet with the toe of her boot.
"This village is built by everyone standing together. Every single person is a vital piece of Konoha. Think of it like a massive, towering tree. You have the roots and the trunk, sure, but what is a tree without its countless leaves?"
She paused, letting the metaphor sink in. "Everyone forms this massive family. You can't just isolate one piece and arbitrarily decide it's more valuable than the rest. Every life is an existence worth cherishing. As the Hokage, protecting everyone is my absolute duty. And that means Sakumo is my responsibility, too."
She offered him a gentle, reassuring look. "So, drop the baggage. Because no matter who was bleeding out that day, I would have stepped in to save them."
Internally, Stelle practically patted herself on the back. Her glorious, benevolent leader persona was shining so brightly it could probably blind someone. She allowed a perfectly measured, satisfied smile to grace her lips.
Yeah, right, she thought dryly. If the guy dying that day hadn't been the legendary White Fang, there is absolutely no way I would have burned my precious mood values to buy lifespan just to save some random extra.
Even if the system cost for the improved Kisho Tensei wasn't overwhelmingly steep, she wasn't running a charity. But when it came to serving up piping-hot, motivational 'chicken soup' for the soul? She was a master chef.
Her words bypassed Sakumo's defenses entirely, striking the very core of his soul.
A deep sense of enlightenment washed over the silver-haired swordsman.
So... this is Hokage-sama's true vision?
He suddenly felt incredibly small. His narrow, impoverished mindset had only allowed him to see the immediate hierarchy in front of him. But Hokage-sama? She saw the entire forest. She treated every single soul in Konoha with equal, boundless reverence.
An intense, suffocating wave of emotion surged in his chest. His grip on his scabbard tightened as a new realization dawned upon him. His swordsmanship, which had felt stagnant for months, suddenly found its missing piece. It was a blade forged not for killing, but for Protection.
"I finally understand your Will of Fire, Hokage-sama."
Sakumo dropped to one knee, the rustle of his uniform sharp in the quiet air. His tone was grave, carrying the weight of an unbreakable vow.
"From this day forward, your will is my will. My blade shall be drawn solely for your vision. I will become the sharpest weapon in your hand."
"Alright, alright, I accept your determination," Stelle replied quickly, waving him off. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted several Anbu silhouettes rapidly bounding across the rooftops toward them. Time to bounce. There was no way she was swallowing another drop of whatever vile, bitter medicine they were trying to force down her throat.
But Sakumo didn't budge. He blocked her exit, his dark eyes burning with unyielding resolve. "Hokage-sama, since you have accepted my loyalty... may I ask you to promise me one thing?"
His expression was so intensely serious it looked like he was about to demand a blood pact.
Stelle stared at him, her mind briefly wandering. The top of her head felt a little itchy. Vague, intrusive thoughts of a 'Red Revolution' drifted through her brain. Should I just overthrow the ninja system right now? Start a proletariat uprising right here on top of Senju Tobirama's giant stone head?
She cleared her throat, snapping back to reality. "What is it? I promise, just make it quick. The Anbu are literally right there."
"I wish to learn that technique from you, Hokage-sama. The jutsu that can pull someone back from the brink of death." He looked up, his gaze piercing. "Because, just like you, I possess the absolute determination to protect everyone in this village."
"Please, Hokage-sama. Teach it to me."
Sakumo shifted from kneeling to sitting on his heels, bowing forward until his forehead practically grazed the stone. It was a perfect, ninety-degree bow of absolute sincerity. He looked exactly like a fanatic who had been thoroughly brainwashed by her cult of personality.
Well, he would have, if not for the slight, unnatural twitch of chakra indicating he was ready to use the Body Flicker technique to block her if she tried to run.
Stelle's eyebrow twitched violently. Good grief. He set a trap for me.
She had honestly thought that after she cleared her 'weakness' debuff, Hiruzen Sarutobi and the rest of the elder council had finally dropped their obsession with interrogating her about that forbidden jutsu.
Turns out, the old foxes just realized they couldn't pry a single word out of her directly, so they switched tactics and sent in the pretty boy.
Wake up, Sakumo! Stelle screamed internally. There is no future in hanging out with those manipulative boomers! You're a pure, simple-minded boy. They're going to use you up, drain your body and soul, and leave you to die in despair! The original timeline literally proves it!
She narrowed her eyes, the lazy warmth vanishing from her gaze, replaced by a sharp, predatory glint.
Under that sudden, heavy scrutiny, Sakumo's entire body went rigid. Every instinct screamed that the Hokage was about to bury her fist in his gut. He had never been on the receiving end of her physical discipline, but he had seen what she did to others. Ribs genuinely shattered.
He swallowed hard, but the fire in his eyes only burned brighter. If taking a beating is the price to learn that jutsu, it is a bargain.
The words of the Hokage's Assistant and the village Advisors echoed in his memory from earlier that morning.
"Sakumo, you must find a way to extract that technique from the Fourth Hokage. The future of Konoha depends on it."
"The Ninja World is unstable. The Land of Earth is constantly harassed by Lightning and Wind, and the Land of Water is drowning in civil war. The only reason Konoha enjoys this era of peace is because the Fourth Hokage stands at our helm."
"That technique of hers is our only failsafe to pull her back from death if a crisis occurs. We are counting on you, Sakumo. Use whatever method necessary. Deceive her, beg her, cry if you have to—just bring that jutsu back to us."
"Our Hokage-sama has a... well, a weakness for handsome men. And you happen to fit her aesthetic perfectly. We believe in you, Sakumo. You can do this. You are special to her."
Was he really special to Hokage-sama?
Sakumo was a traditional, straightforward swordsman. Political scheming and manipulation were entirely foreign to him. But his instincts told him that the way Hokage-sama looked at him was the exact same way she looked at Kagami—intense, calculating, and brimming with heavy expectations.
He didn't know exactly what she expected of them, but he deeply felt her desire for them to survive and thrive. Hokage-sama was simply that selfless.
If he had to rationalize her favoritism, he assumed it was merely her deep appreciation for prodigies.
But what had he truly done to earn such grace?
Even if Hiruzen and the elders hadn't ambushed him with this mission, Sakumo would have sought out the technique himself. He knew with absolute certainty that if danger ever threatened the Hokage again, he would gladly sacrifice everything to stand in front of her and clear the path.
That was the oath he swore the day he donned the Anbu mask.
If a similar tragedy ever struck, he wanted to be the one to cast that forbidden jutsu before she could. That way, Hokage-sama would never have to suffer the life-draining backlash of the technique.
Even if the price was his own life.
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