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Inside the Leaf Village base in the Land of Rain.
"Swoosh!"
A ninja suddenly appeared with an anxious expression on his face.
"Captain Sōsuke!"
When he saw the tall figure inside the base, he immediately shouted urgently.
Upon hearing his words, Sōsuke, who was in conversation with other ninjas, turned to look, a gentle smile on his face as he spoke softly.
"What's the matter, Hake?"
The ninja, named Hake, had an unpleasant look and glanced around, hesitant to speak.
Seeing his expression, Sōsuke's smile slightly faded, and he gave him a meaningful look to suggest discussing it elsewhere.
The other Leaf Village ninjas observed this scene and, out of curiosity, discreetly retreated, wondering what might be happening.
The two of them slowly moved to a secluded corner of the camp, and Sōsuke's expression became more serious as he looked straight at Hake, asking in a low voice.
"Speak, Hake. What happened?"
With no one else around, Hake wiped off some sweat on his forehead and urgently said, "Captain Sōsuke, Captain Sakumo and many other ninjas from the base have disappeared!"
Hearing this, Sōsuke's face changed, and he asked in a deep voice, "Disappeared!? Are you sure? Could it be that they were assigned some confidential mission?"
Seeing Sōsuke's skeptical expression, Hake looked uneasy and quickly explained, "Impossible! Even for confidential missions, Captain Sakumo usually leaves some secret messages. But this time, there's been no word from him or several other ninjas in the base. There were no signs of anything unusual before!"
Listening to his words, Sōsuke's expression became more solemn, and he said, "Let me think about this... I will secretly send someone to investigate this matter!"
"You go back for now. Don't let the news leak. You'll temporarily take over Captain Sakumo's duties. This may be related to the Sand Ninja."
Receiving Sōsuke's instructions, Hake breathed a sigh of relief and expressed his gratitude before leaving. Sōsuke, left alone, wore a thoughtful expression and softly muttered to himself.
"This matter requires consideration... I will discreetly send someone to look into it!"
In the meantime, around half a day later, rumors and whispers began circulating within the Leaf Village base in the Land of Rain.
"Hey, Shinji, come over here and talk. Have you heard? Captain Sakumo, with a portion of the Leaf Village ninjas, has betrayed us!"
In a corner of the base, a Leaf Village ninja, resting, noticed his comrade and called him over, speaking in a hushed tone.
"What!? Sa...Sakumo Captain! How is that possible!?"
The person exclaimed in disbelief.
"Hush...keep your voice down, idiot! Where's the impossibility? Captain Sakumo had significant achievements on the battlefield against the Sand Ninja, but the village handed over the command for this battle to Captain Sōsuke. Could Captain Sakumo accept that willingly!?"
The ninja sneered as he spoke.
While Shinji initially found it hard to believe, hearing his comrade's explanation made sense, and he nodded involuntarily.
...
Another location.
"Hey, have you heard about that incident?"
When a Leaf Village ninja met his companion, he glanced around and spoke softly.
His companion also looked around vigilantly, afraid of being discovered, and whispered.
"You heard about it too. I didn't expect Captain Sakumo to actually kill several of his subordinates... that's too cruel."
Upon hearing this, the ninja was stunned and couldn't help but speak softly.
"Cap... Captain Sakumo killed those ninjas? Didn't they say Captain Sakumo betrayed with them!?"
His companion, also surprised, lowered his voice.
"Betrayed!?"
At this point, he seemed to connect some clues and suddenly enlightened.
"I understand! Captain Sakumo is treating his subordinates' disappearance as an invitation for betraying the Sand Ninja... in this way, the Sand Ninja probably won't refuse Captain Sakumo anymore."
Hearing this, the ninja was also surprised, feeling that his words made sense, and nodded slightly.
For a while, rumors about the betrayal of Sakumo Hagoromo spread continuously within the base, taking various forms.
But without exception, the rumors all seemed to unilaterally assume the fact of Sakumo Hatake's betrayal.
....
In a tent located within the base.
As the rumors continued to spread, it seemed that Sakumo's disappearance could no longer be concealed.
Sōsuke, as the overall commander against the Sand Ninja, gathered the captains to discuss how to handle this matter.
"In this matter, I believe it absolutely won't be as the rumors say. Captain Sakumo's disappearance must have reasons beyond his control."
Sitting at the main seat, Sōsuke crossed his hands on the table, his eyes slightly serious as he spoke.
Upon hearing his words, although some ninjas looked serious, Orochimaru and Tsunade looked at him with a slightly supportive gaze.
"Captain Sōsuke, regarding Captain Sakumo's matter, we must recognize the existing facts. Without a doubt, he has disappeared with his subordinates!"
"If he was assassinated, it's not Captain Sakumo's fault, but it's entirely impossible. The Sand Ninja doesn't have that kind of strength!"
"Since it's not, then in any case, his actions have violated the ninja code. Such independent actions could even be an act of treason. I can't think of any reason to forgive him!"
A bearded old man with a chin strap, looking around fifty years old, spoke angrily.
Hearing his words, Sōsuke's face also showed an unsightly expression, but he could only sigh helplessly.
"Since Captain Jizo is saying it this way, then let's decide by voting."
Sōsuke's eyes slightly darkened, and he spoke in a low voice.
"I'm considering organizing a group of elite ninjas to infiltrate the Sand Ninja territory and carry out a destructive operation! This plan is somewhat risky, but it could be a useful method at this time."
"It can help us find out whether Captain Sakumo has indeed gone to the Sand Ninja village, and on the other hand... even if this is the action of the Sand Ninja, we can catch them off guard."
"However... it's very likely that we won't come back from this mission."
Upon hearing his words, the ninjas present were slightly stunned, and then their eyes instantly became serious.
After saying this, Sōsuke looked at everyone, speaking in a low voice.
"Now, let everyone vote on whether to agree with this risky infiltration plan!"
Hearing his words, a cold voice resounded in the field.
"I agree!"
Upon hearing this, everyone was slightly stunned, and their gazes hovered between him and Sōsuke.
Facing the strange looks from everyone, the person remained expressionless, as cold as ice, and said in a cold voice.
"I just want to confirm whether 'Konoha White Fang' would really do such a foolish thing."
Hearing his words, the old man, Jizo, glanced at him and then looked at Sōsuke, speaking in a deep voice.
"At such a young age, quite bold!"
"I agree to this matter. I also want to see if that guy from the Hatake clan is really that useless!"
Upon hearing his words, Tsunade and Orochimaru on the side also brightened up, their mouths curving into a slight smile.