As for his objective...
Naturally, he wanted to see how Sarutobi Hiruzen and the villagers of Konoha would react after the war turned sour.
Witnessing their ugly displays of anger and unwillingness to accept reality was one of the few joys left for Uchiha Yuzuru at this stage.
Around a street corner, dozens of Konoha villagers had gathered in a tight knot.
"You've heard, haven't you? The Hokage had long sensed something was wrong with the Uchiha clan. That's why he specifically ordered Hatake Sakumo to lead the ANBU in monitoring them twenty-four hours a day. Who could have guessed the Uchiha would still manage to slip away from the village without a trace?"
"If you ask me, Hatake Sakumo must have been secretly colluding with the Uchiha clan. Otherwise, under twenty-four-hour surveillance, it would be absolutely impossible for an entire clan to relocate without anyone noticing."
"Hmph! Even if he didn't collude with them, Hatake Sakumo cannot be forgiven. If not for his incompetence allowing the Uchiha to leave Konoha, none of the subsequent disasters would have happened."
"Exactly. Hatake Sakumo must take responsibility for everything. He is the sinner of Konoha Village!"
"It's Hatake Sakumo's fault we're homeless! It's his fault we're penniless! It's his fault we've lost our friends and family!"
"..."
Similar scenes were playing out all over Konoha. Uchiha Yuzuru couldn't help but shake his head.
These people truly hadn't changed a bit. They never knew how to reflect on themselves, only how to pin the blame on others...
However, even Uchiha Yuzuru hadn't expected that a plotline nearly identical to the original story would occur now, brought about by a strange combination of circumstances.
Thinking of Hatake Sakumo's fate in the original timeline, Yuzuru finished the tricolor dango in his hand and walked toward the direction of the Hatake estate.
"Hatake Sakumo, you are a sinner of Konoha!"
"Because of your negligence, so many of us have died. Don't you feel any guilt?"
"Pah! I used to respect you so much. You aren't worthy of my acknowledgement at all!"
"We know you're hiding inside, you coward!"
Outside the Hatake residence, dozens of troublemakers had already assembled. They cursed incessantly, some throwing vegetable scraps, eggs, and small stones over the wall into the courtyard.
The words "SINNER" had been daubed in scarlet paint across the main gates of the estate; the sight alone was deeply unsettling.
Uchiha Yuzuru watched from the outside for a moment before activating Kamui, warping himself directly into the courtyard.
Inside, a young boy wearing a mask gripped a short blade, slashing tirelessly at a wooden training post in front of him. Every strike seemed to carry the full weight of his strength.
After a long while, the boy turned abruptly and charged toward the gate.
"Kakashi, stop."
A low, hoarse voice rang out, and Hatake Kakashi froze in his tracks.
"Father, why do those people say such things about you? You're clearly the village's hero!"
Hatake Sakumo opened the door and stepped out.
In just a single day, his complexion had turned deathly pale. He looked like a destitute, broken middle-aged man, with no trace of the heroic bearing of "Konoha's White Fang."
"Kakashi, let them speak."
"They need to vent."
Hearing this, Hatake Kakashi clenched his fists. "Even if they need to vent, why must they blame everything on you? Why don't you go out and explain that you have no connection to the Uchiha clan!"
A bitter smile touched Hatake Sakumo's face. "Explain..."
"Kakashi, handle dinner yourself tonight. I need to rest for a while. Do not disturb me."
Hatake Sakumo finished speaking, turned around, and closed the door.
Hatake Kakashi looked as though he wanted to rush in several times, but in the end, he lowered his head and returned to his own room.
Witnessing this scene, Uchiha Yuzuru raised an eyebrow.
What a familiar sight.
Hatake Sakumo...
He isn't planning to commit suicide, is he?
In the original story, Hatake Sakumo chose to abandon a mission to save his comrades during a top-secret operation. Because the mission failed, Konoha Village suffered tremendous losses.
Later... for reasons unknown, information that should have been top secret became common knowledge.
The villagers of Konoha criticized Hatake Sakumo as trash who couldn't even complete a mission. Even the comrades he had saved stood up to condemn him. Under the overwhelming barrage of abuse, Hatake Sakumo chose suicide.
Yuzuru hadn't expected a similar scenario to play out in reality.
That night, Uchiha Yuzuru entered Hatake Sakumo's room. He arrived just in time to see Sakumo kneeling on the floor, motionless, a dagger in his hand.
Seeing this, Uchiha Yuzuru spoke up first. "Hatake Sakumo... we meet again."
Before his voice had even faded, Hatake Sakumo spun around violently, thrusting the dagger toward Yuzuru's chest.
But in the next second, Yuzuru had already caught Sakumo's wrist.
"Sakumo, I see confusion in your blade technique."
"The way you are now, you are no match for me."
Uchiha Yuzuru hadn't even activated his Mangekyo Sharingan. Just as he said, the current Hatake Sakumo couldn't execute a decent attack.
"You've infiltrated Konoha time and again. What is your goal?"
"Nothing much. I just wanted to admire the ugly faces of people who have failed but refuse to admit defeat."
Hearing Yuzuru's taunt, Sakumo remained silent.
Uchiha Yuzuru's abilities were simply too bizarre. Even in the heavily guarded heart of Konoha, he could infiltrate as he pleased. If not for Yuzuru, they wouldn't have lost the war against Kumogakure so easily.
But right now, Sakumo didn't want to care about those things anymore.
He resumed his kneeling position on the floor, placing the dagger and a cloth before him. "If possible, I would ask you not to disturb me."
"These are the final moments of my life. I wish to leave quietly."
"For you, losing an enemy like me should be something worth celebrating."
At this, Uchiha Yuzuru laughed. "I once said you were destined to become a victim of political struggle. It seems I wasn't wrong."
Sakumo remained silent.
"I'm laughing at your naivety," Yuzuru scoffed lightly. "Have you never considered why you suddenly became a pariah overnight?"
"Just yesterday, I recall the villagers were still crusading against Sarutobi Hiruzen."
Hatake Sakumo paused, confused. "What do you mean?"
"I mean..." Yuzuru's pitch-black eyes bore directly into Sakumo. Coldly, he said, "All of this was arranged by Sarutobi Hiruzen. You were pushed out to be his scapegoat!"
"I don't know what nonsense you're talking about."
"Konoha's recent string of disasters has bred dissatisfaction in everyone," Yuzuru said indifferently, ignoring Sakumo's denial. "Someone had to step forward to bear the people's fury."
"That person was originally Sarutobi Hiruzen, but now, it has become you."
"I've been wandering the streets of Konoha. There are people everywhere spreading malicious rumors about you to the villagers. Otherwise, how do you think you became a 'sinner' in everyone's mouth in just a single day?"
Hearing Uchiha Yuzuru's explanation, Hatake Sakumo couldn't help but retort, "I am the ANBU Commander, personally appointed by the Hokage. I was granted the right to wear the 'Hokage half-sleeve' by Lord Hokage himself."
"Even if he needed a scapegoat, the Hokage would never choose me."
Looking at Sakumo's confident demeanor, Yuzuru chuckled softly. "Do you think just anyone can divert the villagers' anger away from Sarutobi Hiruzen?"
"This person must have sufficient prestige and high status!"
"Most importantly..."
Uchiha Yuzuru activated his Sharingan, the Mangekyo pattern radiating a scarlet glow.
He stared unblinkingly at Hatake Sakumo and said in a low voice, "In this current era, if the villagers were to choose someone to succeed the position of Hokage, you are the best candidate."
"If your reputation is ruined and the best candidate for Hokage is lost, the villagers—even if still dissatisfied with Sarutobi Hiruzen—won't be radical enough to force him to step down."
Looking at Yuzuru, Sakumo asked, refusing to give up, "In the end, this is all your deduction. What evidence do you have?"
"The evidence is that Sarutobi Hiruzen, right up to this moment, has not stepped forward to say a single word in your defense!"
Uchiha Yuzuru shattered Sakumo's last shred of illusion. Sakumo slumped to the floor, his eyes dull and lifeless; it seemed even his resolve to prove his innocence through death had been stolen away.
Seeing Sakumo's state, Yuzuru extended his hand. "Sakumo, leave Konoha with me."
"The roots are rotten. You must pull up the entire tree to cure it."
Sakumo hadn't expected such a request. He shook his head instinctively, but just as he was about to speak, Yuzuru cut him off. "Sakumo, even if you don't consider yourself, shouldn't you consider Kakashi?"
"You can simply die and be done with it, but Kakashi will be pointed at by everyone as the son of a sinner."
"You know the boy's character. He's rigid; he would rather break than bend. His life will be incredibly hard."
"Furthermore..." Yuzuru feigned curiosity. "Do you think Sarutobi Hiruzen, having used you as a scapegoat, will allow Kakashi—a child who might become a potential threat—to grow up safe and sound?"
Although Sarutobi Hiruzen wouldn't actually go that far—and likely hadn't even anticipated Sakumo would contemplate suicide over this event—so what?
Hatake Sakumo didn't know Hiruzen's true thoughts. Right now, reality was whatever Uchiha Yuzuru said it was.
Giving Sakumo no chance to think, Yuzuru continued, "As the ANBU Commander, you must have witnessed plenty of darkness."
"Have you ever properly thought about what exactly it is you're sacrificing your life to serve?"
"The Will of Fire? That's nothing more than a tool Sarutobi Hiruzen uses to bewitch people's hearts."
"Konoha Village? The Senju clan that established it is gone. The Uchiha clan chose to leave. What reason do you, a man spurned by everyone, have to stay?"
Sakumo froze in place, unable to find a reason to refute him.
Yuzuru extended his hand again. "Come. Come with me. Be my subordinate, and build a new order with me."
"Let these ingrates regret their actions!"
This time, Hatake Sakumo grasped Uchiha Yuzuru's hand.
He's right.
He hadn't done anything wrong. He believed he had done enough to be worthy of Konoha.
Since becoming a shinobi, he had walked the line between life and death countless times to protect the village. He had contributed so much.
What right did these people, whom he had always protected, have to point fingers and accuse him? What had those bastards cursing him outside ever done for him?
From the Hokage to the villagers, everyone had abandoned him.
In that case, he might as well do what the Uchiha clan did and leave Konoha!
If one day he could see the regret in their eyes, that would probably be the most satisfying thing in the world.
Dawn broke.
Some villagers arrived early at the Hatake estate, ready to shout abuse. But they stopped when they saw several large, bright red characters left on the white wall next to the gate—
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