UTBW: Ch. 78

Kakashi sat alone in the backyard, pulling out a short blade and gazing at it in a daze. This was the chakra short blade forged for him by his father when he was still alive.

The one his father used had already been broken by an enemy from Iwa during the mission at Kannabi Bridge.

It was also during that mission that he lost his left eye, and gained Obito's left eye.

From then on, his fighting style changed, turning to use the Chidori in battle. But now, he had lost Obito's eye as well.

The loss of the ever-active Sharingan brought him a sense of relief. His chakra, stagnant for years, now showed signs of growth again.

Clearly, the Sharingan had been a burden for someone like him, who wasn't an Uchiha, but it was a shame.

Kakashi himself had never wanted to give up that burden, it was proof that Obito had lived on. But now, it was too late to say anything.

"Sigh…"

He sighed, looking at the short blade. In its mirror-like smooth edge, his powerless, dejected face was reflected. He had made a grave mistake. From now on, as long as Junichi was around, he would have to keep his head down.

Otherwise, the Hatake clan would become history.

That was a consequence he couldn't bear.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…

Seven jonin leapt over the wall, moving swiftly, appearing in front of Kakashi in an instant.

"Kakashi, what's going on?"

One of them, the acting clan leader of the Senju, frowned and spoke. "We told you to take over the ANBU. Why didn't you go?"

The other six also looked displeased. They had waited all day today, but didn't get the result they expected. Even though he had agreed last night.

Why didn't Kakashi act today?

Kakashi didn't argue. He simply looked up and used his fingers to open his left eyelid, revealing a dark, empty eye socket.

The Sharingan that had once been there was gone!

"!?"

The seven jonin's expressions changed instantly.

"This morning, just after I left the house, someone from the Uchiha clan came to find me and invited me to meet Junichi." Kakashi spoke calmly, his expression indifferent. "It was a warning."

The seven jonin fell silent, their expressions shifting.

They hadn't known about this.

The Sarutobi clan had been wiped out, and Root was now being monitored and restricted by the ANBU… In this situation, the only force maintaining internal order in Konoha was the Police Force.

No one else dared to insert their own people.

Let alone investigate the Uchiha clan, for fear of getting caught and ending up like the others.

Even meeting Kakashi had to be done secretly at night.

"He figured out what you're planning and used the Hatake clan to threaten me. Told me to hand over the Sharingan and Chidori," Kakashi said with a self-mocking smile, shaking his head. "Otherwise, I wouldn't have walked out of the Uchiha district."

"But it's not just that. I'm no longer allowed to participate in any political games. Otherwise, the Hatake clan will still be finished."

Upon hearing this, the seven jonin's pupils constricted sharply.

Junichi had figured it out?

"What's he planning to do about us?" the acting Senju clan head asked in a low voice.

Kakashi shook his head. "He didn't say. But from his attitude, he didn't seem to care… Like he's already sure you've lost."

"Impossible!" the acting Senju leader immediately denied. "Without our support, he can't become Hokage!"

The others shook their heads as well.

"Exactly, the Hokage is Konoha's leader. How can he be one without any backing?"

"Is he planning to force his way up with military power?"

"Even the First Hokage had people helping manage the village."

"The Uchiha aren't suited to govern!"

All seven of them believed Junichi was unfit to become Hokage.

Kakashi listened quietly without rebutting. He only said calmly, "I don't know. But the feeling he gave me… was that he simply doesn't care."

The seven all furrowed their brows. What trump card could Junichi possibly have? Even Jiraiya and Tsunade, in terms of experience, status, strength, and public support, were fully qualified to be Hokage.

Any one of them, as long as they showed even a hint of wanting the position… They would be immediately pushed to the top by their supporters!

So what did he have? The seven couldn't figure it out no matter how much they thought.

"You guys think it over yourselves. I'm out," Kakashi lowered his head again, continuing to look at the short blade in his hand.

Seeing him like this… The seven understood, he had no intention of getting involved anymore. They sighed, exchanged glances, shook their heads, and silently left by jumping over the wall.

---

Elsewhere, in the ruins of the Sarutobi clan's territory, a few people gathered under the cover of night, avoiding the attention of others.

"Hey…"

They were all young, only in their twenties.

"You've all made up your minds?" one of them asked seriously, looking at the others.

"Yeah."

"If we don't run now, we'll never have another chance."

"Staying in Konoha is a dead end."

"Hiruzen-sama is already paralyzed, he can't protect us anymore."

The others all nodded.

With the Sarutobi estate destroyed, most of the clan killed, and Hiruzen Sarutobi now paralyzed… Naturally, the clan's morale had collapsed. Many of them were now thinking about escape. With Root and the ANBU inactive, this was indeed the best time to flee.

"As long as you're sure."

The one who asked the question finally relaxed and said, "Early this morning, Maki supposedly left the village under the excuse of 'meeting Asuma.'"

"But everyone knows he's not going to see Asuma."

"That loser Asuma can't support anything in this kind of situation."

Hearing this, several Sarutobi clan members sighed. That idiot Asuma had actually betrayed the village and gone to be a guardian ninja for the daimyō.

And he even said that the king was the daimyō. He must be insane!

"No more talk. Let's get moving." The man stood up.

The others followed suit.

The group quietly left the Sarutobi grounds, avoided the patrolling Konoha ninjas, and slipped through the village barrier, fleeing Konoha.

The barrier guards, of course, noticed unauthorized departures. But in the current situation, they didn't want to get involved.

They simply turned a blind eye. They wouldn't even bother to check who was leaving the village.

---

"Oh ho, six more canned foods, nya."

No one noticed, in the trees outside the village, a pair of eerie green eyes silently watched the Sarutobi escapees leave.

"Let's hope there's at least one jonin among them."

"A single jonin can be traded for a premium-grade can worth ten thousand ryo!"

A pitch-black ninja cat emerged from the branches. Around it, more than a dozen other ninja cats, each with different fur colors and clever, human-like expressions, gathered.

This was none other than the Uchiha clan's generational summoning beasts, the Ninja Cat clan!

"Sanjimaru, go report this. You'll get half a can extra as a reward," said the black-furred ninja cat in a low voice.

"Got it!" A brown-yellow ninja cat excitedly perked up its tail. It shook its body, then shot off like an arrow, streaking toward the Uchiha compound.

The other cats looked on enviously. Just reporting the news earned half a can? What a sweet deal!

"Don't worry, everyone gets a share. We'll take turns," the black-furred ninja cat said with a smile.

Hearing that, the other cats perked up, their vertical pupils locking onto the village, eagerly waiting for the next batch of "canned food" to appear.