Someone else acted on their own initiative?
The moment Hiruzen Sarutobi heard those words, a name subconsciously appeared in his mind.
Shimura Danzo.
In all of Konoha, the one most likely to act on his own initiative, in Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes, was Danzo.
Like him, Danzo was a disciple of the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama.
Relying on his seniority and considering himself extraordinary, Danzo often pointed fingers at him, the Hokage.
Hiruzen had criticized him many times, but Danzo never changed.
He would frequently add a single line—
"Hiruzen, you will regret this."
And in reality?
Most of the decisions Hiruzen made were correct. It was Danzo's self-willed actions that often caused problems, forcing him, the Hokage, to clean up the mess.
If not for the fact that the Shimura clan was a major ninja clan…
And if not for Hiruzen remembering their old friendship…
Danzo would long ago have been unable to remain in his position as an elder.
"Don't tell me it was Danzo again?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's face darkened.
Kakashi's disappearance made Hiruzen Sarutobi extremely uncomfortable. The matter he had originally envisioned—using Kakashi's public statement to shatter the false rumor about Konoha's White Fang—could no longer be done.
…
…
"Where is this?"
When Kakashi woke up, he felt pain everywhere in his body.
There was not a single place that did not hurt.
In his field of vision was a completely unfamiliar place.
Outside the window, rain fell in a steady drizzle.
The air was filled with a damp scent.
Kakashi remembered.
On the battlefield, he had suddenly heard the Sunagakure shinobi opposite him shout out a rumor.
It said that there had been a great conspiracy behind his father's death.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had feared his father's achievements and worried that his father would threaten his position as Hokage. Because of that, he had deliberately designed that mission.
No matter what choice his father made at the time, it would be wrong.
If he chose the mission, he would face enormous pressure from the client.
If he chose his comrades, he would become someone who abandoned the mission for his comrades.
No matter which choice he made, he would no longer have the qualifications to succeed as Hokage.
It was an unsolvable problem.
But Kakashi did not believe it. Kakashi felt that Hiruzen Sarutobi was not that kind of person.
Kakashi wanted to wait and see how things developed afterward.
But just then, two Konoha ANBU shinobi had appeared before him and wanted to take him back to Konoha.
That was normal. Kakashi himself also wanted to return to Konoha and speak with Hiruzen Sarutobi face to face.
But those two ANBU shinobi were not normal ANBU shinobi.
They had taken him away from the other Konoha shinobi. Once Kakashi realized something was wrong, they had immediately attacked.
The moment they attacked, their power was extremely strong. Every move aimed at his vital points, clearly intending to take his life.
"That kind of Wind Release… there's no mistake. Only Danzo-sa… no, only that man Shimura Danzo could use it. There is no second possibility."
In the shinobi world, Wind Release was considered a relatively common category of ninjutsu.
After all, it was one of the basic natures.
But different shinobi villages had different forms of Wind Release.
Sunagakure's Wind Release mainly consisted of the Kamaitachi series, along with techniques like Wind Net and Wind Cutter, or techniques combined with sand.
Kirigakure, Iwagakure, and Kumogakure had some as well, but not many.
They had techniques such as Gale Palm and Passing Typhoon.
Vacuum Sphere, Vacuum Wave, Vacuum Blade, Wind Release Shuriken…
The only shinobi capable of using this complete set of Wind Release techniques were those of the Shimura clan.
And someone with such strength, someone who could pressure Kakashi so overwhelmingly…
It could only be Danzo.
"Did Danzo come to kill me under Hokage-sama's orders?"
"Or does Danzo know the inside story and acted on his own?"
A bitter smile appeared on Kakashi's face.
"But it seems… no matter which one it is, it proves that there really was a problem with Father's death back then."
"That is why they wanted to kill me."
"They're afraid I'll learn the truth and take revenge."
"Hokage-sama… I trusted you so much."
The sound of a door opening rang out.
Then a figure walked in. When she saw that Kakashi had already opened his eyes on the bed, surprise appeared on her face.
"Wonderful. You're finally awake!"
The girl quickly walked in.
"Since you're awake, drink your medicine."
Kakashi was a little dazed.
He had no idea where this place was. He had no idea who the person in front of him was. But Kakashi knew that he had been saved.
Otherwise, there was no way he could have escaped alive from Danzo's hands.
That was the Darkness of Konoha.
Cruel methods. Great strength. Cold-blooded style.
The girl handed over a bowl of medicinal soup. It gave off a foul smell, but medicine was medicine. Smelling bad and tasting bad were both normal. What mattered most was whether it worked.
"Drink this medicine, and your injuries will improve."
As she spoke, the girl picked up a spoon and prepared to feed it into Kakashi's mouth.
Kakashi: "…"
Under normal circumstances, Kakashi would definitely refuse food from a stranger.
But the current situation was not normal.
He had narrowly escaped death at Danzo's hands. Kakashi did not think the person who had saved him would then try to harm him again. Besides, with his current injuries, he did not have many choices.
"I'll do it myself."
That was Kakashi's final insistence.
"Can you?"
"I can. I can. I'll do it myself."
"Alright."
The girl revealed a regretful expression.
Kakashi hurriedly took it.
After one mouthful, his entire face scrunched up.
The girl stood beside him, staring blankly at Kakashi as he drank the medicine. As she watched, a faint blush appeared on her face.
Kakashi sensed that something was wrong and instinctively raised his head to look.
"What is it?"
The girl came back to herself.
"Ah, I almost forgot. Now that you're awake, I have to inform Konan-sama."
After saying that, the girl turned and quickly trotted away.
"Konan-sama?"
Kakashi frowned slightly. He had never heard that name before.
At first, Kakashi had thought the one who saved him would be Sunagakure.
After all, Sunagakure and Konoha currently had a hostile relationship. Danzo wanted to kill him, so it would be normal for Sunagakure to save him. Besides, Sunagakure did not mind accepting outside shinobi.
Those few Uchiha members were living quite well in Sunagakure.
And Kisame Hoshigaki had already become one of their cadres.
At first, Kakashi had felt that Sunagakure spreading the rumor that Minato Namikaze had been killed by Hiruzen, and discussing the Will of Fire in Ninja World Weekly, could not possibly have been because Rasa wanted to seek justice for Minato Namikaze.
But now, Kakashi felt that it might truly be possible.
Otherwise, Sunagakure had no reason to provoke Konoha.
Purely to offend Konoha and start a war with Konoha?
But if they wanted to fight Konoha, wouldn't a direct sneak attack be better? Why deliberately anger Konoha and give Konoha time to prepare?
"Sunagakure doesn't seem to have any lord named Konan."
Before long, Konan arrived.
She wore a black robe patterned with red clouds, and her purple hair was tied up behind her.
She carried a cold, aloof aura, yet she had a lip piercing and amber nail polish.
"Kakashi, hello."