[Chapter Size: 2000 Words.]
Third Person POV
Konoha, Year 42.
...
...
"Yes..." Kakashi said, although he was a little surprised by Minato's outburst of anger.
"So you think your father was wrong? In saving his comrades while sacrificing his mission?" Minato asked in a grim tone.
"And you think he was right?" Kakashi shot back.
"Of course I do... Kakashi, do you think we should trample over our allies to achieve our goals?" Minato asked, even more serious now.
This was the same mindset as the village, which brings up the case of the Uzumaki who are now in a situation without even knowing what's coming for them at this moment.
"And isn't that the ninja way we should follow? You are a ninja who stood out ever since you were in the academy, even graduating at 10 years old... you became a ninja with a set of jutsus that even jonin usually don't possess, you had already taken down an entire team of chuunin who had infiltrated the village on your own." He spoke with Minato feeling a sense of frustration.
'He's jealous... he always told me he'd surpass me and I should have expected that when he graduated at 5 years old and is already a chuunin at 8. I saw in some reports that he's already taken down some people, even chuunin, but no one likes to work with him and he keeps switching teams, precisely because of those thoughts that a ninja is a tool who must put their team first.' Minato thought as he sensed Kakashi's feelings in his voice.
It was clear that Kakashi not only looked up to his father but also to the one considered the greatest genius in the history of the Leaf Village. At the same time he was standing out, he had never truly managed to reach Minato, who by the age of 10 had done extraordinary things and already had S-rank jutsus in his arsenal.
Minato thought it must be quite frustrating for Kakashi, who believed he was surpassing Minato, but didn't seem to even come close to what he had done by the end of his time at the academy.
'As they say, talent doesn't always surpass potential. The original Minato was by nature a unique talent born once in a generation, but when this Minato awakened at 6 years old, he was still training to throw kunai, and when he entered, he was behind many kids in both skills and strength. But that quickly changed in the first year as he began to develop his personal abilities and ended the first year as the number one student in the class ahead of everyone else, continuing every year to grow his abilities with an ever-increasing gap between him and the others.
In the end, Minato had a potential that he developed over the years that surpassed any other talent among his peers. Kakashi created an illusion by believing he was doing better than Minato by graduating early, while Minato chose not to take early graduation, having the chance to evolve even more, since he would be busier with missions if he left the academy, and many followed that same path—no wonder no one else graduated early even though they had learned all the basics already.
Minato managed to reach a level by the age of 10 that Kakashi couldn't, whether due to potential or because he had time to develop. That seemed to frustrate Kakashi deeply.'
"You know, when a comrade of mine was poisoned during the war, I wanted to get the antidote for her, but I was forbidden to go and they couldn't form an infiltration team into Suna without the Hokage's authorization, seeing as it was a dangerous mission. Besides, the Hokage would never allow that just to save a ninja lying sick in bed merely waiting to die, like thousands of others before her..." Minato began as Kakashi raised an eyebrow.
Then the blonde continued.
"So I did something that risked my life, something that could have killed me. I took her poison and put it into my own body. I was also infected by the poison." He said, while Kakashi was visibly surprised by this.
"This gave me an opening to move forward with this suicide mission. After all, I was just a person waiting to die. The village couldn't stop me now, so I went to Suna alone on an infiltration mission.
It took me a few days, but I managed to get where I wanted. I got the antidote and even the formula, escaped to the Land of Fire with other hostages I had rescued from the cells, and we fought against the bijuu and the Kage of Suna. In the end, you know this event as the first great turning point of the War, where Konoha gained the advantage over the poison. After all, we had the antidote when the poison had just been produced," Minato said.
"..."
Kakashi still looked at him in utter surprise.
"If I were in your father's place... I would have done the same thing. So, I can say that I think differently from the village. If I were in your place, I would be proud of my father, because he is more than a tool for the Village... he is someone who cares about his comrades."
"To me those are just words," Kakashi finally replied.
He didn't believe Minato truly meant what he was saying. He thought he was just being hypocritical, since he had always had an idealized image in the village. Everyone only ever spoke well of him since the war. Kakashi didn't believe Minato could stand by his words — although he was still surprised by the previous statements.
"You say that because you don't know me. But let me tell you something," Minato said.
"I would become a traitor to Konoha to save my comrades. I hope I never reach that point, but I certainly wouldn't hesitate. Because this is my ninja way. I will always fight to protect this village and against everything I believe is wrong. And I see nothing wrong in what your father did. To me, he's a true hero, no matter what the village thinks of him."
Minato said this, making Kakashi so surprised for several seconds that he didn't even notice when he approached.
Kakashi was still there, staring at the ground, when he felt Minato's gaze and, right after, his hand touching his shoulder.
"Sorry for the punch. I lost my temper a little... but you deserved it," Minato said in a gentler tone, and continued:
"If your father made a mistake in your eyes, even though I believe he did the right thing, he is still your father. Either way, I have nothing to do with this anymore, since you're your own person now. Still, it reinforces the idea that you still have a father and he's suffering right now. It's good that you still have this chance to talk to him... because it might be too late, and you could regret it for the rest of your life."
"I believe that the person you are today, Kakashi, can still change. Don't pressure yourself for perfection, or think that a ninja must follow missions at any cost. Your comrades are just as important — or even more — than the missions. Because Konoha isn't just the place where we are or the missions we do."
"Konoha is the people who live here. The place was merely chosen. But if Konoha decided to move somewhere else, the village wouldn't die. It would live on in the heart of all its villagers."
Minato finished, releasing his hand from Kakashi's shoulder and beginning to walk away slowly, leaving the place.
Kakashi turned slowly and looked at Minato's back, then at the scroll. He bent down, picking it up from the ground where it had fallen after he'd been punched.
"The A-rank jutsu..."
Maybe Minato would want it back after what happened... but the blonde just shook his head.
"No. It's yours. Become a powerful ninja, Kakashi. Learn many strong jutsus, and let one of them protect you and your comrades."
With that, Minato simply vanished.
Kakashi, originally, only managed to master the Chidori after learning the Rasengan — a technique Minato had taught him. He adapted the form of the Rasengan to channel lightning nature chakra. That scroll was something that would certainly help him develop the technique now.
Kakashi stood there, in silence, thoughtful about Minato's words.
Not quite sure what to think about it — at least for now.
'I would become a traitor to Konoha to save my comrades...'
Minato's words echoed again in Kakashi's mind, leaving him a bit confused by them.
"He would become a traitor... really?" Kakashi murmured, wondering if Minato would truly throw everything away — after all, he was a hero and a role model in the village.
Meanwhile, Minato appeared in the middle of the village.
He didn't go directly to his apartment — he was checking the surroundings, using his Observation Haki throughout the village.
He could feel the Hokage signing some documents, surrounded by several Anbu in his building.
He could see Kushina washing clothes and hanging them on the clothesline at her house, while Anbu discreetly watched the barrier around the home.
He saw Mikoto preparing lunch for him.
Hanabi was training some jutsus in the Hyuuga clan's training area, further away from the main zone.
Tsunade was examining some papers beside a nurse at the hospital.
He could also sense Danzou sitting in an underground area, surrounded by Root ninjas. That was the base of his routine — Minato could feel it perfectly.
There were several children training on the lower levels, all with tongues marked by seals, preparing as Danzou's future forces.
He could feel Orochimaru as well, in a forest base, beginning to read scrolls of questionable content.
He sensed Madame Gorete speaking with some orphanage staff while scolding a few children.
He saw Obito helping an old lady cross the street, as he always claimed as his excuse whenever he was late.
Kakashi, in turn, was walking back home after that training session.
He looked thoughtful as he passed through the early urban areas. People stared at him, some commented, others only whispered — all about his father.
But his mind was elsewhere.
Minato could feel the entire village — and far more than that.
The barriers, the protections... nothing could block his Observation Haki, and no sensor could detect him.
He could see what people were doing in detail, feel their emotions, and even predict their next actions based on the last two — it was the most powerful sensory ability in the world, far beyond merely detecting presences.
But Minato wasn't interested in any of those things.
He had found the one he was looking for:
Sakumo Hatake, sitting in a secluded area of the village, on the opposite side from where Minato had just spoken with Kakashi.
Sakumo was on a bench, lost in thought, and the place was completely deserted — an abandoned part of the village.
The emotions Minato felt from him were heavy.
He could sense that Sakumo was seriously beginning to consider suicide, trying to end it all to escape the relentless assault on his reputation.
He felt awful, especially when he noticed the way his own son looked at him — as if he were a disappointment.
Minato took a deep breath.
He decided he would talk to Sakumo instead of going home.
He simply jumped down from the rooftop and moved toward him, stopping right in front of the man.
Sakumo raised his head, surprised. His eyes said it all — he believed Minato was there to judge him too.
"May I sit?" Minato asked.
Sakumo raised his eyes just a few centimeters, slightly surprised by the approach, but nodded silently.
"You know... I just met with Kakashi," Minato said directly.
Sakumo looked at him with a bit more surprise.
"Well... where can we start? Maybe with the fact that I punched him in the face?" Minato pondered, thinking aloud, while Sakumo watched him — still silent, but a little stunned by that.
It was time to see if he could change this man's fate.
He was certainly someone important to the village.
Minato couldn't allow his story to end as a ninja who committed suicide, crushed by life and abandoned by his own friends and comrades.
Minato knew Kakashi was the key to this, as he was the person closest to Sakumo.
But even so, he himself decided to try.
-------------Nexts Chapters ----------------
Chapter 241 - We need to get stronger... 03.
Chapter 246 - The Dragon.
Chapter 256 - The Rumors About the Strange Movements of the Other Nations.
Chapter 265 - Konoha Under the Threat of Civil War.
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