No matter how grandiose or insignificant a world is, it is very difficult for a single person to exert influence upon it. But the reverse is extremely easy.
The reason Might Dai's incident had such a massive impact on Hagoromo was that the man gave him a sense of reality. From life to death, Hagoromo could feel that Dai was a truly existing person, not some other thing.
In his experiences over the past decade or so, there weren't many people who could give Hagoromo this feeling. The sense of displacement and fragmentation caused by his unique experiences sometimes made him feel that even he wasn't entirely real, let alone others.
Therefore, even with a major event like the assassination of the Raikage, did Hagoromo really care that much? He certainly didn't care nearly as much as the vast majority of Konoha ninjas who knew the truth imagined he did.
Back on the Konoha frontlines, the news Hagoromo brought back from this mission reached the absolute highest level of priority and clearance.
Both were incredibly major pieces of intelligence.
First was Pakura's situation. After being captured, perhaps because what the Hidden Sand had done to their so-called "Hero" was simply too chilling, she felt no obligation as an abandoned ninja to keep the Sand's secrets when faced with Konoha's interrogation.
So, she answered Konoha's questions openly, appearing quite cooperative.
As for this incident, the mission Pakura was supposed to execute was to act as an envoy to the Hidden Mist, express the Sand's goodwill, deliver a letter from the Kazekage, and seek peace.
She had carried that letter on her the whole time, and it had now fallen into Konoha's hands. Its contents matched what she said.
But in reality, it was all a facade. Seeking peace was true, but the truth wasn't nearly so honorable; instead, it was incomparably dark. The condition for peace was Pakura herself. Only her death as the Hero of the Hidden Sand would serve as the foundation for peace between the two nations.
This was the Hidden Mist's condition, and the Kazekage had agreed to it without a moment's hesitation.
After a detailed interrogation, the decision of what to do with Pakura next... naturally wouldn't be made by Hagoromo. Although he was the one who captured her, he had absolutely no authority over her fate.
Not even Orochimaru could decide. Pakura was a renowned ninja of an allied nation; how to ultimately handle her had to be left to the Hokage's judgment. Therefore, she would soon be sent to Konoha.
What awaited her? Immediate execution, imprisonment, being controlled and utilized, or perhaps even escaping unscathed? Pakura herself didn't know, and Hagoromo had no way of knowing either.
Hagoromo's electrocution and cauterization had merely been the equivalent of giving her a shot of adrenaline. In reality, it added insult to injury. It was a miracle enough that it brought her back to life at the time; any further treatment would require professional medical ninjas.
As for the news Hagoromo brought back about Might Dai perishing alongside the final five of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, from the calm, rational, and even cold-blooded perspective of the command echelon, this was a good thing... Exchanging Dai alone for the annihilation of the Mist's Seven Ninja Swordsmen was excellent value for the cost.
Losing Might Dai was not an unbearable loss for Konoha, and by trading Dai for the Seven Swordsmen, the threat the Hidden Mist posed to Konoha in terms of high-end combat power was drastically reduced.
However, Konoha wasn't completely unfeeling. Although for certain reasons, Dai's deeds wouldn't be deliberately publicized, the way his remains and related matters were handled showed that he received the treatment fitting a major hero, and some of those posthumous benefits would be bestowed upon Guy.
Moreover, Dai's deeds gradually began to spread, and the highly advantageous news that the Seven Ninja Swordsmen no longer existed wouldn't be intentionally suppressed.
Therefore, regarding the monumental feat achieved by the Genin Might Dai, whether people who heard the news knew him or not, and regardless of their previous attitude toward him if they did, from now on, there was only one word for it: respect.
Unfortunately, the vast majority of people admired the act of Dai perishing alongside the Seven Swordsmen. This couldn't be considered a true understanding of Dai, because Dai's goal was never to kill enemies, but simply to protect Guy and his comrades.
As one of the only two eyewitnesses and the sole ally present, Hagoromo gave Orochimaru a detailed report on Dai's situation. Everything he said was fact, and he didn't hide his actions that defied standard ninja logic.
It was fortunate that his reporting superior was Orochimaru. Regarding the irrational aspects of Hagoromo's actions, Uncle Snake didn't even ask for a reason, much less impose any punishment. In fact, after Hagoromo finished his report, he just dusted off his pants and left without facing any consequences.
Because Orochimaru simply didn't care about a lot of things. For him, there were only two points of interest in Dai's incident: one, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen were dead, which benefited Konoha's future operations; and two, the power of the Eight Inner Gates needed to be completely re-evaluated.
If, in the future, a certain one-eyed, silver-haired man told Orochimaru he could take him down with him, Orochimaru would probably just smirk and brush it off. But if a certain green-clad, bowl-cut ninja said the same thing, he would have to weigh it very carefully.
If Hagoromo had reported to Danzo Shimura instead of Orochimaru, he might have been immediately charged with "unauthorized leakage of intel," "treason against the village," or "defecting," and sentenced to burn at the stake...
After all, he was publicly part of the Hokage's faction. Dying would just be a free kill for Danzo.
So one could say Uncle Snake was a good ninja; he only focused on the things he actually cared about.
In the few days following Dai's incident, Hagoromo temporarily had no specific missions, and he was uncharacteristically silent.
He was constantly pondering certain things, so he didn't do much else. The thing he did most was stand on that sea-gazing reef, staring out at the ocean.
He was still there right now.
The sea breeze tousled his white hair and pulled at his thoughts. Without him realizing it... Guy had arrived behind him.
"Hagoromo... thank you," he spoke up.
What Guy was grateful for was, of course, Hagoromo bringing Dai's remains back. It was only now that he finally had the chance to say these words.
Hagoromo snapped out of his daze, turned around, and glanced at Guy. He noticed that while the other boy looked dispirited, there were no other major issues. Only then did he speak, "It was what I ought to do. I'm the one who should be apologizing. Perhaps if I had arrived a little earlier, things wouldn't have turned out this way."
It was indeed the polite thing to say, but in reality, it was a meaningless false proposition—if Dai hadn't entered the Eighth Gate state, Hagoromo could have flown over his predetermined route ten times and still wouldn't have sensed the battle. And the fact that Hagoromo could sense the battle meant Dai had already opened the Eighth Gate.
Caught in this unsolvable paradox, there was absolutely no way for Hagoromo to have saved him.
Guy just shook his head. He was genuinely thanking Hagoromo, but as for Hagoromo's apology, he couldn't accept it. Hagoromo bore absolutely no responsibility for what happened to Dai.
Guy didn't say anything else. He wasn't in a good state either, and his gaze followed Hagoromo's, looking out into the depths of the ocean.
A person with Guy's personality was extremely prone to being moved by trivial things—getting his blood pumping, shouting about youth, and tearing up. But when faced with true, profound grief, he couldn't shed a single tear... At the very least, in front of others, Guy had never cried over Dai's death from start to finish.
Even when he saw Dai's remains in that state, with Hagoromo standing right beside him, Guy had merely remained silent.
To him, his father's death was a wish fulfilled, a worthy sacrifice. Therefore, he would not wail in grief.
"Guy."
At Hagoromo's voice, Might Guy turned his head back.
"Your old man, at the very end... was super cool."
Hearing Hagoromo's words, Guy's face finally showed some emotion, no longer looking completely lifeless like before.
After a brief silence, he continued, "Yeah. Even though I didn't see it with my own eyes, I think so too."
Yes, Might Dai at the very end was someone so cool he surpassed all ninja's.
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