Naruto: Kushina's Redemption, My Revenge

Chinya asked Kakashi whether he thought Sakumo Hatake had done the right thing.

Kakashi kept his head bowed, remaining silent for a long time.

Finally, Kakashi murmured, "I don't know."

As a ninja, Kakashi understood the rules of being a ninja very well. 

Missions always came first—no exceptions. 

Yet saving comrades... Kakashi believed his father hadn't done anything wrong either. So many other ninjas had chosen to abandon or fail their missions for the sake of their teammates, and none had ever been punished. Why was his father being treated differently?

Chinya squatted in front of Kakashi and comforted him, "I know you're very confused right now. Lord Sakumo was simply walking his own Ninja Way."

Kakashi looked puzzled as he asked, "Then... Father upheld the Will of Fire. Was that truly wrong?"

Shaking his head, Chinya replied, "I'm not sure either. But if Lord Sakumo's actions were truly wrong, then everything our village has stood for since its founding would also be wrong. Kakashi, do you understand the Will of Fire?"

Kakashi nodded once, then shook his head, "Before, I thought I understood it. But now... I don't even know if I ever truly understood the Will of Fire."

Chinya gently ruffled Kakashi's hair, "Since it's confusing, take your time thinking about it. Eventually, one day, you'll figure out what the Will of Fire truly means—whether it's right or wrong. Take care of Lord Sakumo. I'll visit you again."

Chinya left the Hatake estate.

Kakashi gazed toward Sakumo Hatake's room, his mind extremely confused.

If the Will of Fire isn't wrong... and my father isn't either… then who is?

Kakashi couldn't wrap his head around how everything had spiraled so far out of control.

Compared to those complicated thoughts, Kakashi worried more about his father—worried that his father might never recover emotionally.

In the following days, Chinya came by to see Kakashi nearly every day.

During this time, Chinya also entered Sakumo Hatake's room once to check on him.

Sakumo Hatake lay listlessly on his bed. Whether called by Kakashi or Chinya, there was no response at all.

At the same time, Chinya summoned a snake to monitor activity around the Hatake estate twenty-four hours a day.

He also kept a close eye on the gossip and murmurs around them.

The murmurs of disapproval showed no sign of dying down—in fact, they were growing louder.

Kakashi's mental state was deteriorating day by day.

Every time he stepped outside, people whispered and pointed fingers at him.

Meanwhile, Sakumo Hatake remained the same as always—refusing to interact with anyone, locking himself in his room from morning until night.

Back at Chinya's home.

Kushina Uzumaki untied her apron and handed two bento boxes to Chinya.

"I made extra dinner today. Please deliver these to Kakashi later."

Chinya nodded, "Alright, I understand."

Kushina sighed, "Those people have gone way too far. Even if Lord Sakumo made a mistake, it's not their place to spread rumors or speak ill of him. Lord Sakumo has contributed so much to Konoha."

Chinya also sighed. "When a bad person does one good deed, they're hailed with praise. But when a good person makes one mistake, it's as if all their virtues vanish and only blame remains. There's nothing we can do about it. Those people only care about their own interests, and the vast majority are just there to watch the show."

As Chinya and Kushina Uzumaki were about to sit down for dinner, the snake he'd dispatched to monitor the Hatake Estate returned.

"Lord Chinya, four people went there," the serpent hissed, nodding its head.

Furrowing his brow, Chinya asked urgently, "Is one of them missing an arm and sitting in a wheelchair?"

The Ryuchi Cave serpent nodded its scaled head.

Chinya shot to his feet instantly.

"Kushina, I'm heading over to the Hatake Estate!"

Before his voice had finished echoing, Chinya had already vanished from sight.

Kushina Uzumaki opened her mouth in surprise, but hadn't even reached for her lunchbox yet.

Chinya crept toward the Hatake Estate quietly.

Kakashi wasn't home.

Sometimes Kakashi would go vent his frustrations in Konoha's forests.

Right now, Kakashi was probably alone in the woods.

Using his Kenbunshoku Haki, Chinya pinpointed his target's location.

Inside Sakumo Hatake's quarters, his four former teammates had gathered.

Chinya crept closer, hiding near the door while eavesdropping.

"Lord Sakumo, this whole situation has nothing to do with us in the first place. If it weren't for your orders, we wouldn't have abandoned the mission," one said.

"Now because of you, we've been punished. We're being terribly wronged."

"So we request that Lord Sakumo explain to the Hokage and others that we were simply following orders. Abandoning the mission has absolutely nothing to do with us."

Sakumo Hatake remained silent, his gaze dazed as he stared at these former subordinates.

Suddenly, they all seemed so unfamiliar.

Eventually Sakumo looked at Sugui, whose legs were disabled and who had lost an arm.

Sugui gazed at Sakumo Hatake with complex emotions.

Back then during their rescue, Sugui had been very grateful toward Sakumo.

But since returning to Konoha, undergoing disciplinary hearings, having his status as a ninja revoked, and seeing how even those close to him looked at him with disdain, Sugui couldn't take it anymore.

Sugui spoke softly: "Lord Sakumo, more than once I've thought—if I had died back then, it would've been much better. Then I wouldn't be a useless cripple today, nor would I have to endure those strange looks from others.

"If I had fallen in battle back then, you could've retrieved that scroll, and my name would've been engraved on the Ninja Memorial—a place where heroes are honored.

"But now, everything's gone. All I can do is drag this broken body around until death, and eventually no one will remember me at all."

Sakumo Hatake's eyes were already bloodshot. Finally speaking, his voice rasped hoarsely, "Do you also think I did wrong? But back then, you begged me to save you."

Sugui responded solemnly, "That was just instinctual desperation at the time. Now, I don't want to have been saved at all. The ninja's iron rule strictly forbids abandoning missions. As an elite Jonin of Konoha, you should understand this clearly."

"You were *wrong* to abandon the mission—and right now, I *hate* you for it! If I had another chance, I'd never want you to give up the mission to save me!"

Sakumo Hatake's breath came in ragged gasps as he rasped, "I understand. Just leave now."

"Lord Sakumo, we urge you to reconsider your decision. We wouldn't want you to ruin your future over this matter."

With that, the four men turned and left the Hatake Estate.

Chinya, who overheard everything from outside the door, felt only frustration as she listened.

What a thankless act—saving someone who turned out to be a cold-blooded wolf! And they're all just like that.

So *this* is Konoha.

They may seem united on the surface, but deep down, every last one of them is cold and devoid of gratitude.

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