Itachi was merely unconscious, not seriously injured.
Kakashi suddenly came to his senses. "Kawasaki, you lied to me!"
At that moment, the Third Hokage and Jiraiya's hearts sank, and they rushed to Kakashi's side.
The Third Hokage said angrily, "Kawasaki, what nonsense are you spouting?"
Kawasaki sneered. "What, you won't admit to what you've done?"
The Third's eyes grew cold. "Kawasaki, your attempt at sowing discord is laughably crude. White Fang rendered meritorious service to the village. Why would I want to harm him?"
Kawasaki burst out laughing. "White Fang's achievements were so great they eclipsed his master. At the time, his prestige was unmatched. You couldn't control him at all."
"Danzo wanted to become Hokage, and the first person he had to eliminate was White Fang."
"You and Danzo colluded. Knowing that White Fang valued his honor more than his life, you used his failure to complete a mission as a weapon to attack his reputation."
"Ultimately, it drove him to take his own life!"
Hearing this, Kakashi's pupils constricted. He knew his father's character; what Kawasaki was saying was very likely true. He stared at the Third Hokage in disbelief.
Sakumo Hatake's death had left a deep and painful scar on Kakashi, casting a shadow over his entire childhood. But he had been too young then to notice that something was wrong.
The Third Hokage caught the look in Kakashi's eyes, and his heart sank. How could Kawasaki be so vicious as to bring up this old affair? At the time, he had only intended to reprimand White Fang, to temper his pride. Who could have imagined that he would choose to end his own life?
The Third could only snort in anger. "Kawasaki, you're the same age as Kakashi. How could you possibly know the inner details of these events? Your words have no credibility."
Kawasaki tilted his head back. "I may be young, but members of my Uchiha clan were part of the Military Police Force back then. Is there any intelligence we don't know about?"
"Danzo himself contacted the very people White Fang had rescued, then publicly condemned him for it. That was the final straw that broke your father."
The Third Hokage scoffed. "That only proves it was all Danzo's doing. What does it have to do with me? By the time I intervened, the public opinion had already been swayed. White Fang's death was purely an accident."
"Haha, hahahaha! What a joke!" Kawasaki laughed wildly. "Save those lies for the ghosts. You're the Hokage. How could you not have known about such rumors spreading through the village?"
"What the hell were your Anbu doing?! Stuffing their faces?!"
"When it came to monitoring us Uchiha, you were meticulous about every little detail. But when public opinion turned against White Fang, you all went deaf and blind?!"
"The rumors were rampant, the entire village knew! And yet you, the Third Hokage, played dumb. If that wasn't condoning it, what was it?"
"Only after White Fang was dead did you come out and hypocritically quell the rumors. Where were you before?!"
"You orchestrated his death because you knew that if White Fang became Hokage, he would no longer listen to you!"
"Third Hokage, you have long been corrupted by power. That's why you refuse to step down from your position."
The Third Hokage took a deep breath. "I have never been obsessed with power. Everything I have done has been for the good of Konoha!"
His words were firm and filled with righteous conviction.
Kawasaki pointed a finger at Kakashi. "You fool, Kakashi! Do you know why I look down on you? You have talent but no drive. You wander through life in a daze. Your father's death was full of suspicious circumstances, yet you never investigated it yourself, instead choosing to believe everything the Third told you."
"If you had used your brain for even a moment, you would have realized that with your father's prestige and honor, there's no way such public opinion could have formed against him."
"The man who destroyed your family is standing right in front of you, but for all these years, you've been nothing but the Third Hokage's loyal dog!"
"You know that Obito was the mastermind behind the Nine-Tails Incident, yet you don't expose him. That is heartless."
"The Fourth treated you so well, yet you failed to care for the orphan he left behind. That is treacherous."
"Your own father's death was suspicious, yet you made no effort to seek the truth. That is a betrayal of your father."
"And what's left? Only your loyalty!"
"Serving your father's killer! You truly are a loyal man, aren't you!"
"Hahaha, hahahaha..."
Every word from Kawasaki was like a sledgehammer blow to Kakashi's heart. He staggered backward, unable to keep his footing, and muttered, "No... It can't be..."
"It's not true..."
Seeing Kakashi's state, the Third Hokage seethed with hatred for Kawasaki. "Kakashi! Don't be deceived by him! Nothing he's saying is true!"
"Kawasaki! Kakashi knew nothing about the Nine-Tails Incident, and it was my order not to get involved with Naruto's care."
"White Fang's death was entirely orchestrated by Danzo behind my back."
"These were my failures as a leader. They have nothing to do with Kakashi!"
Sensing the gravity of the situation, the Third Hokage immediately took all the responsibility upon himself.
Jiraiya quickly chimed in. "Kakashi, your father's sudden death was a shock to everyone. Sensei grieved for a long time over it. You have to believe him."
Under the combined persuasion of the Third Hokage and Jiraiya, some clarity returned to Kakashi's eyes. However, Kawasaki knew that Kakashi would never again serve the Third with his whole heart.
His objective achieved, Kawasaki snorted. "There's no point in talking further!" He summoned a crow, preparing to use the Reverse Summoning Jutsu.
Just then, an ominous voice drifted over. "Kawasaki, are you sure about this? If you recall Shisui, there will be no turning back."
Kawasaki's eyes widened. "What do you mean..."
Before he could finish, the ground before him rumbled, and two coffins rose from the earth. On their lids were carved the characters for "First" and "Second."
"You dare summon them in Konoha!?" Kawasaki roared, his face ashen with disbelief. His hands, poised to recall Shisui, froze in place.
His expression ugly, Kawasaki turned to the Third Hokage. "Third, you actually allowed Orochimaru to summon the dead?"
With things having reached this point, the Third Hokage's face was grim. "This was my masters' invention. Under these circumstances, I'm sure they would not blame me for this, even if they were summoned."
Kawasaki stared warily at the two coffins, his expression fraught with indecision. Everyone present, combined, did not possess the deterrent power of those two coffins.
The Third Hokage and Jiraiya waited for Kawasaki to make his decision.
Kakashi, whose spirit had been crushed, suddenly seemed to recall something upon hearing the words "summon the dead," and a flicker of light appeared in his eyes.
The atmosphere was frozen.
Seeing Kawasaki hesitate, Orochimaru stepped forward to fan the flames. "Kawasaki, there's no harm in giving the formula to the Daimyo. The Land of Fire is much larger than a small place like the Land of Rice Paddies."
"The profits you could make in the Land of Fire would be ten times what you'd get in the Land of Rice Paddies. Why be so petty?"
A flicker of doubt crossed Kawasaki's face, as if he was wavering. But he still snorted coldly at the Third Hokage. "Any profits would just end up being carved up by Konoha anyway. Just look at us Uchiha. We were the co-founders of this village, yet now we have no power or status, only endless suppression. Do you really think I'd trust you again?"
Orochimaru shot the Third Hokage a meaningful look and exchanged a glance with Jiraiya.
The Third Hokage spoke with grave sincerity. "There have indeed been many misunderstandings between Konoha and the Uchiha, but this was all the work of Danzo Shimura. Although he has escaped prison and vanished, we have fully investigated his crimes."
"Konoha will compensate the Uchiha for all they have suffered."