Uchiha Itachi applied to return to Konoha.
Linto looked at the words on the letter, his expression not surprised.
Ever since he personally killed Danzo, he had expected this day might come.
Uchiha Itachi's desire to return to Konoha was both understandable and unexpected.
It was understandable because this guy—unlike other rogue ninja—had left the village due to his deep feelings for it.
Itachi had been misled by Danzo, chose to slaughter the Uchiha clan, and infiltrated the Akatsuki organization alone, becoming a spy who provided intelligence to Konoha.
His motivation was to protect the village and Sasuke, and he used this as a mental anchor to support his actions outside.
Now that Danzo was dead, and the full story behind Itachi's clan massacre was known to the world and Akatsuki, he had no reason to stay away.
Although Pain's ideals resonated with Uchiha Itachi, if he had a choice...
He wanted to be a good person.
He wanted to return to the village.
Therefore, this application was understandable.
As for the unexpected part...
Linto truly hadn't expected Uchiha Itachi, after committing such monstrous acts with such audacity, to still want to return to the village and live as if nothing had happened.
Tsunade was the Hokage. She couldn't control who defected, but she could make the decision about who returned.
Given Tsunade's personality, she naturally wouldn't accept Uchiha Itachi's return.
A person who could kill his own parents—who knew if he might one day be swayed by someone again and kill his colleagues and superiors in the name of "the greater good"?
Of course, Konoha's two advisors raised objections:
"Uchiha Itachi's strength should not be underestimated. He can be brought back and confined in a cell as a criminal, only released for missions that are difficult to solve."
To this, Tsunade's answer was:
"Is he strong?"
"What good is it if he's strong!"
If such a person appeared openly in the village, Konoha, which had just been basking in the sun, would return to its former gloomy atmosphere.
Tsunade wouldn't do anything so wishy-washy and unclear.
If he were never encountered again, so be it. If he truly appeared in Konoha in the future, he would still be treated as a rogue ninja and severely punished.
The purpose of her writing this letter was to confirm with Linto, one of the victims of the Uchiha Clan, and inquire if he had any other opinions.
Linto naturally had no objections to this.
Even if this decision would cause Konoha to lose a powerful combatant, and likely cause Uchiha Itachi, who had lost his spiritual anchor, to completely align with Pain.
Linto still couldn't accept someone like Uchiha Itachi becoming an "ally."
The primary culprit was Danzo?
Yes, that was indeed the case.
But if the primary culprit was killed, would the executioner escape punishment? After the war, wouldn't there be many invading officers sent to military tribunals?
Making evil deeds requires paying a price.
Regardless of whether the "evil" was caused by foolishness or ignorance.
"I killed Danzo first. As for Itachi... let Sasuke handle him."
Linto thought, and closed the letter. His peripheral vision caught Kakashi leaving the camp, walking towards the other side of the sand dunes.
That was Granny Chiyo's resting area.
She claimed old age and light sleep as reasons for not resting with the others.
However, Linto thought it was more that she found Kakashi bothersome and preferred not to see him.
...
Kakashi crossed the sand dunes.
Granny Chiyo had laid out a mat and was sitting cross-legged, dozing.
A fire was burning in front of her, and a teapot was bubbling over the flames, indicating the tea was boiling and about to overflow if left any longer.
Kakashi hesitated for a moment, then quickly walked over and picked up the teapot.
"What a shame," Granny Chiyo said sinisterly. "This pot of tea has been touched by you. If I drink it, I'll be choked by my son and daughter-in-law in my dreams, demanding I spit it out."
Click.
The teapot was gently placed aside.
Kakashi was not a man of many words.
It was fine for him to make casual jokes, and he was good at comforting teammates who were in a bad mood.
But when it came to his own issues, Kakashi didn't know where to start.
There was too much he wanted to say, and too much he couldn't say. In the end, the two got tangled up, stuck in his throat, like a cat with a hairball, only able to dry heave.
Granny Chiyo glared at him. "If you have nothing else to say, get out."
Kakashi sat on the ground. After days of travel, his emotions had gradually calmed. Looking at Granny Chiyo, he asked his first question:
"My father... what kind of person was he?"
Granny Chiyo hadn't expected Kakashi to be so thick-skinned as to ask after she had been so harsh.
She stared at Kakashi for a long time, poured a cup of tea from the teapot, and handed it over.
"Let's talk while you drink."
Looking at the cup offered to him, Kakashi hesitated.
Who was Granny Chiyo?
She was the most skilled poison user in the world, and also the most skilled at detoxifying. No one knew if this cup of tea was poisoned.
But in the end, Kakashi took it and drank it all in one go.
As soon as he drank it, his face changed.
It was incredibly hot.
Granny Chiyo rolled her Byakugan and said, "Your father... he was the nightmare of his enemies. To be precise, Konoha's White Fang was like today's Linto.
More low-key, and even more terrifying.
After all, Linto would announce his presence before killing, approaching slowly, but your father wasn't like that. He was a pure ninja. Many people he killed didn't even know how they died until their last breath."
She poured another cup of tea and held it in her palm. The desert night wind was a bit too cool for an elderly woman.
Granny Chiyo's face showed recollection. "I heard Konoha's White Fang was driven to death by rumors. To be honest, many people were very angry.
If this devil died so easily, what did it mean for the people he killed?"
She shook her head.
"I'm not a detective and I'm not interested in your father's private life. This is what I know about him—a combination of devil and coward."
"Coward..."
"Is there a problem?"
Granny Chiyo said, "The slander in the village was indeed terrible, but a person who abandoned his son and died because of that slander, what else could he be but a coward?"
If Hatake Sakumo hadn't died, and Kakashi had continued to train with his father in swordsmanship, would he have been able to break through? Would little Obito have died?
During the Nine-Tails' attack, the Fourth Hokage wouldn't have been fighting alone. Perhaps Namikaze Minato wouldn't have died either.
If the village had the Third Hokage, the Fourth Hokage, and Konoha's White Fang, could the Uchiha Clan have revolted? Would Uchiha Itachi have needed to massacre his entire clan?
And Danzo's Root would have had its power gradually squeezed, and many talented young people in the village, like Yamanaka Fu, could have trained normally and not turned to extremism.
Chiyo blew on the steam rising from the teacup. "Often, I see your Konoha's actions as absurd as a woman waking up at four in the morning every day, lighting a fire, washing vegetables, chopping them, and working until dawn, only to serve a dish of pickles."
"I... I think I understand."
Kakashi thanked her sincerely and prepared to go back to rest.
Before leaving, he glanced at the teacup in his hand.
"It's not poisoned, is it?"
Granny Chiyo sneered and lowered her head to continue sipping her tea.
Kakashi nodded slightly, feeling apologetic for his presumption.
Even if she wanted to kill him, with Granny Chiyo's status, why would she resort to such petty tricks?
He took a step forward, but his body swayed, and he fell to the ground.