Capítulo 105: Chp-105: What is the Will of Fire?
"In your student days, your theoretical scores were always excellent."
"So, I assume the Will of Fire is not unfamiliar to you," Hyuga Satoru said, looking directly at Kakashi with a faint smile.
"Of course. The Will of Fire is a philosophy passed down from the First Hokage when the village was founded. It is the bond that connects the village and its people."
"Then... what do you think caused Lord Sakumo to choose suicide in the end? Or rather, after all this time, have you come to any conclusions?"
Kakashi hadn't expected Satoru to answer his question with another question. After a moment's hesitation, he responded tentatively.
"Is it because of the priority between comrades and missions?"
For a long time after his father's death, he had been tormented by whether missions or comrades were more important. He finally concluded that failing to complete missions made one useless. This conclusion directly influenced his behaviour and was the reason for his poor reputation in the village.
"That is only the surface."
Satoru spoke calmly.
"Do you think a ninja like Lord Sakumo would commit suicide over such a shallow issue?"
Kakashi fell silent. Indeed, for someone of his age, this might be a complex problem. But for his father, a ninja revered as the White Fang, to choose suicide over such an issue was hard to believe.
"Then what is it..."
"You've already said it yourself."
Satoru rolled his eyes at Kakashi.
"The Will of Fire is the bond that connects the village and its people. So when Lord Sakumo abandoned the mission to protect his comrades and the villagers, wasn't he embodying the Will of Fire?"
That's right... His father, who chose to protect his comrades, was precisely what the Will of Fire advocated. "Where the leaves dance, the fire burns. The shadow of the fire will shine upon the village and allow new leaves to sprout."
But why... why did those who inherited the Will of Fire treat his father that way? Even the ninjas he saved...
Kakashi felt his brain clogging up; no matter how he thought, he couldn't make sense of it.
"Still haven't figured it out?"
Satoru rolled his eyes again.
"It was the so-called Will of Fire that killed Lord Sakumo."
"Impossible, absolutely impossible!" Kakashi instinctively retorted.
The Will of Fire had been deeply ingrained in his mind through years of indoctrination. Hearing Satoru "slander" the Will of Fire, his first reaction was to refute it.
"If the Will of Fire teaches ninjas to protect their comrades and the village, then how does it make sense that Sakumo, who embodied this Will, was treated so poorly?"
"The truth is simple!"
"The Will of Fire is wrong."
"From the beginning, it was wrong! It's merely a tool of power and manipulation created by those in charge!"
Every word from Satoru struck like a heavy hammer, pounding on Kakashi's fragile heart, already teetering on the edge.
"Maybe... maybe it's because my father's choice caused great losses to the village..."
Kakashi's voice was hoarse, trying to counter Satoru.
"Losses?"
Satoru almost laughed out loud.
He coldly stared at Kakashi.
"What losses? The loss of vital intelligence? Or huge financial losses for the village? Or was it all..."
"Fabricated by those in power?"
Kakashi felt like he was splitting apart. He stood there, mouth agape, as Satoru's ruthless destruction of his last line of defence made him question everything.
Yes, why did I ignore this?
Losses? What losses? From the beginning, the rumours only mentioned great losses, but what exactly were they?
No one could explain. Even his father never told him what those losses were.
Just based on some baseless rumours...
Damn it...
Unknowingly, Kakashi's teeth clenched tightly, tears streaming down his face.
Father, were you wronged...
Why! Why!...
These thoughts echoed in his mind repeatedly.
"Wake up... Kakashi. I don't want to see you go down the wrong path."
Satoru sighed deeply.
"The Will of Fire was a tool for maintaining control from the start. How it's explained and defined is all in the hands of those in power!"
Looking at the tearful Kakashi, Satoru felt a pang of pity.
Poor child! Born into the largest brainwashing centre, indoctrinated from a young age, and then seeing his revered father driven to suicide by the leaders of this organization.
How tragic...
"But... but why? Why did they treat my father like that? He was clearly..."
Kakashi choked out through his tears.
"You said it yourself. Who didn't know the name of White Fang? If nothing unexpected happened, the position of the Fourth Hokage would have been his."
"That status alone determined his tragedy."
"This is politics, kid..."
Satoru mercilessly tore off Kakashi's last layer of protection.
Political struggle?
Kakashi staggered, feeling all his strength drained.
Father's will...
He finally understood. His father was just a pawn in the power struggle, protesting silently with his death.
That cheerful father had been enduring such pain all along...
"I understand now."
It took him a long time to calm his emotions. He gently wiped away his tears, his eyes now deep and dark.
Without a trace of emotion, he bowed slightly to Satoru.
"Thank you for showing me the truth of this world."
His voice was cold, like a machine, devoid of any feelings.
Satoru glanced at him and said indifferently.
"I don't know what you plan to do. Revenge? Or leave? But I remind you, don't let your emotions cloud your judgment."
"I understand."
Kakashi responded calmly. He turned and walked out of the tent. Unlike when he arrived, he now seemed soulless.
Satoru watched his retreating figure with indifference.
Poor child!
Feel the pain, experience the pain, accept the pain. Only through pain will you see the true face of this ugly world! And then...
Bow at my feet!
...
Kakashi, don't blame me. Only by facing pain can one grow.
Satoru sighed inwardly.
Most people in the ninja world were somewhat twisted, with strange beliefs. Sakumo was too rigid. Didn't he see the intentions of those in power? Satoru didn't believe it. Perhaps because he saw it, his long-held beliefs collapsed in the face of harsh reality, leading to his suicide.
He silently protested with his death.
Kakashi was like an ignorant youth, full of misinterpreted principles.
A harsh lesson was all he needed. Once he saw reality and understood the truth, he would grow.
Kakashi, don't blame me. This is a necessary path from childhood to adulthood.
After all, he was the most talented genius in the original work, the future Sixth Hokage.
Such talent Satoru didn't intend to waste.
He thought of those in power, his eyes narrowing.
Many in the village already compared him to a young White Fang, but he was more outstanding. Those in power likely had their schemes.
When he integrated the Hyuga clan, he would have to deal with those people. But Kakashi should now be on my side.
Under my guidance.
Like a sharp blade, directly stabbing into the hypocritical hearts of those in power.
Status de energia semanal
-- Ranking de
Poder 
-- Pedra de
Poder