"Don't come any closer, or I'll kill him!" Cardo screamed, his voice trembling. Knowing he had no way out, he grabbed a blade from the ground and held it to Zabuza's neck, trying to stave off his terror with a show of bravado.
Kirito, however, didn't even glance at Cardo. Lightning crackled in his hand, forming a spear of pure energy accompanied by the sound of a thousand chirping birds. The spear shot forward, piercing Cardo's brow and shattering much of his forehead.
The blade in Cardo's hand clattered to the ground, and he staggered, collapsing dead on the spot.
With Cardo gone, Haku was finally free of concerns and quickly moved to support Zabuza.
"This... this is Chidori. Are you... Kirito?" Kakashi, now drained of chakra, dropped to his knees, holding himself up with his hands. His gaze fixed on Kirito, who wore a wind chime hat that partially concealed his face but left enough to reveal a familiar angle of his jaw.
After a moment's silence, Kirito murmured, "Finally recognized me?"
"Why? If you're alive, why haven't you returned to the village to explain everything to Lord Hokage? Not just me, but Naruto and Kurenai—everyone has been hoping you'd come back," Kakashi gasped.
"How's Kurenai?" Kirito asked, pausing thoughtfully.
"She stepped down to a secondary role and joined the medical department because of what happened with you. Three months ago, though, Hokage brought her back to the frontlines, and now she's a team leader, just like me," Kakashi replied.
Kirito nodded, smiling. He removed his collar and wind chime hat, revealing his mid-length black hair, a scratched Konoha headband, and his face—perfect and handsomely familiar.
Kakashi's pupils shrank as he took in the scratched headband. "Kirito, you..."
"As you can see, I'm a traitor now," Kirito replied nonchalantly. "I appreciate the trust, but the wanted posters don't lie. Just as Itachi eliminated the Uchiha, I wiped out the Sarutobi and Shimura clans. Not only that, but I also killed Sarutobi Hiruzen's son and daughter-in-law."
Kakashi's mind reeled. Here was the person he'd known as kind and courteous, a beacon of optimism—now calmly admitting to unspeakable actions. "Why? Why would you do something like this?"
"Why?" Kirito repeated, replacing his hat with a smirk. "Think of it as part of a plan, or just an interest of mine. Or, maybe you could say it was to cleanse Konoha of its rot."
"What do you mean by that?" Kakashi pressed, his brow furrowed.
Kirito summoned a stool from his storage, took a seat, and continued. "Kakashi, you're smart, but your environment has stunted your perspective."
"As Anbu captain, Sarutobi Hiruzen ordered you to recover the bodies of the Uchiha clan. I imagine you also had a hand in gathering the Sarutobi clan's remains."
"Didn't anything strike you as odd? The Sarutobi clan, known for their limited prominence, suddenly had over 2,000 ninjas? That's more than the Senju and Uchiha clans at their height, despite surviving three wars that weakened every other clan in the village."
Kirito handed a bottle of water to Pakura, who stood behind him, and tossed another to Kakashi. "Take the Sarutobi clan, for example. Except for that fool, Asuma, have you ever heard of any notable Sarutobi ninjas on missions? Isn't that enough to prove something?"
Kakashi took the water bottle but didn't drink. Instead, he simply observed Kirito silently, waiting for him to continue.
Kirito took a sip and continued, "You've heard the saying, 'Where the leaves dance, the fire will burn. The flames will illuminate the village and allow new trees to sprout. The Will of Fire will never fade.'"
Kakashi nodded, feeling the weight of Sarutobi Hiruzen's mantra.
Kirito gave a dry chuckle. "The phrase sounds nice, but what did Sarutobi actually do? He used Konoha's people as fuel, burning everything to light up the Sarutobi clan. If I hadn't removed him and his clan, Konoha would have become his family's playground."
Kakashi clenched his fists, still processing Kirito's words. "Is that why you hated the Third Hokage and destroyed the Sarutobi clan?"
"Not exactly." Kirito shook his head. "I don't care about the Sarutobi family's ambitions. They're irrelevant to me. But, if you want a reason, I'll give you one. Do you know how your father died?"
Kakashi's eyes widened. "My father?"
"Yes, your father, Hatake Sakumo—the famed White Fang," Kirito continued. "He was a powerful ninja, even more gifted than the Sannin, and feared across the nations. But one day, he took his own life."
Kakashi's memories of his father flooded back. "It's said he abandoned a mission to save his comrades, leading to great losses for Konoha. His fellow villagers condemned him, and even those he saved turned on him, leaving him mentally devastated until he took his own life," Kakashi recounted, his voice heavy with sadness.
Kirito shook his head. "That's only the story they fed you."
As the sun rose, piercing through the dissipating mist, half of Kirito's face fell into shadow.
"Your father died because of political persecution," Kirito declared, his tone cold.
"Political persecution?" Kakashi's confusion deepened, his gaze locked on Kirito as he struggled to comprehend.
(End of Chapter)
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