Chapter 145: I'll Be the Bait!
After bringing Sakumo Hatake to meet Kakashi, Uchiha Yi left, uninterested in eavesdropping on their father-son conversation.
"Kakashi, it seems you're not doing so well."
Sakumo couldn't hide his disappointment when he saw Kakashi sitting slumped in a corner, unkempt, disheveled, and drowning his sorrows in alcohol. This was not the vibrant, sharp ninja he had hoped to see. The sight made guilt bubble up inside him.
The tone of his voice was heavy with emotion.
"Father…"
Kakashi blinked, his mind swirling with confusion and disbelief as he recognized the voice. Setting the bottle aside, he raised his head. There, before him, stood a man he had long buried in his heart—his father, Hatake Sakumo.
For a moment, Kakashi seemed to come alive again, a flicker of vitality returning to his face.
"Take me for a walk, show me where you live now," Sakumo said gently.
"Alright."
The two strolled through the bustling streets of Amegakure, an almost surreal experience for Sakumo.
The modernized streets, the advanced technology, and the thriving atmosphere—all of it was new to him. He couldn't help but marvel at the transformation. Every so often, he would ask Kakashi questions about what he saw, his curiosity akin to that of a child.
As the questions piled up, Kakashi found himself speaking more and more. The gentle rhythm of their walk, combined with the novelty of the surroundings, seemed to chip away at the walls Kakashi had built around his heart.
For the first time in years, Kakashi experienced the warmth of familial connection, and his icy, despondent demeanor began to thaw.
"How's life here in Amegakure?" Sakumo finally asked, cutting to the heart of the matter.
"It's… alright," Kakashi replied after a pause.
"I died young, earlier than I should have," Sakumo said with a sigh. "And I didn't expect you to carry so much afterward."
The weight in his voice was evident. Sakumo was keenly aware of the burden his choices had placed on his son, and regret coursed through him.
"Father, there's something I've always wanted to ask you."
Kakashi stopped in his tracks, gripping his hands into fists as he spoke.
"Why did someone like you—a hero, hailed as Konoha's White Fang—choose to abandon an important mission to save your comrades?
"Why didn't you just follow the rules?
"If you had, no one would have blamed you, and you wouldn't have been driven to such despair!"
Tears welled in Kakashi's eyes, the raw pain of unresolved emotions finally surfacing.
"Was it worth it?" he asked, his voice breaking.
Sakumo closed his eyes for a moment before answering.
"It was worth it," he said firmly. "Because I am who I am. I could never leave my comrades behind, even if it meant breaking the rules.
"And you, Kakashi, have been through so much. I'm sorry for what you've had to endure because of my decisions."
Sakumo placed a reassuring hand on Kakashi's shoulder, his touch steady.
"But I want you to know that no matter what happened, I believe in you. I'm proud of the man you've become."
The tension in Kakashi's shoulders seemed to ease, and for the first time, a small, genuine smile crept onto his face.
---
Meanwhile, back in Konoha…
Tsunade returned from the Five Kage Summit, bringing news of the proposal to use the Nine-Tails as bait to lure out Akatsuki.
The resurrected figures—Senju Hashirama, Senju Tobirama, Minato Namikaze, and Kushina Uzumaki—gathered to discuss the matter.
"No way!" Hashirama declared emphatically after reading the report. "We can't sacrifice one of our own for a plan like this. Well done, Tsunade—my granddaughter, as expected!"
Hashirama's loud laughter filled the room, but Tobirama's focus remained on the issue at hand.
"What do you think?" he asked Minato and Kushina.
"This is out of the question!" Kushina snapped. "Naruto is just a child! What if something happens to him?
"We've already sacrificed enough for Konoha. I won't allow our son to be used as a pawn!"
Her voice was full of righteous anger, and her words left no room for argument.
"I understand how you feel," Minato said calmly. "But hear me out."
"Fine," Kushina said begrudgingly. "But if you dare suggest something that puts Naruto at risk, I won't forgive you!"
"I promise you, Kushina, I would never do anything to endanger Naruto," Minato reassured her.
"We're all aware of our situation," he continued. "As reanimated beings, we can't remain in the world of the living indefinitely.
"When we're gone, Konoha will lose a significant portion of its strength. And Naruto's position as a Jinchūriki will make him a target."
Kushina's anger began to waver as Minato's reasoning sank in.
"If we want to ensure Naruto's safety, we need to eliminate Akatsuki as soon as possible," Minato said.
"That's why I propose an alternative plan: I'll be the bait."
"You?" Tobirama's eyebrows shot up in surprise.
"Exactly," Minato confirmed.
"I have the Flying Thunder God technique, which makes me uniquely suited to escape Akatsuki's clutches if necessary.
"And as a reanimated body, I can't be permanently killed. Using me as bait minimizes the risk to Konoha and its people."
For a moment, the room fell silent as Minato's words sank in.
"Alright," Tobirama finally said. "It's a bold plan, but it might just work. We'll need to coordinate carefully."
Kushina, though still concerned, couldn't argue with the logic of Minato's proposal.
"This better work," she muttered, her voice tinged with worry.
Minato stepped forward and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"It will," he said with quiet confidence.
With that, the meeting concluded, and preparations for the plan began in earnest.
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