"Madara is a very proud person. You probably noticed that when talking to him just now." Mito seemed to enjoy gossiping, constantly sharing Madara's embarrassing stories with Kakashi. "He's way harder to deal with than Hashirama."
She even shook her head as if she was annoyed.
Kakashi crouched on a tree branch, unsure if he should respond. But he did agree—Madara was definitely full of himself.
"But for someone so proud, he willingly gave up the Hokage position." Kakashi frowned. "For the village… was it really not just because he didn't care?"
Considering Madara's strength, it wouldn't be surprising if he didn't care about the Hokage title.
"You've got that wrong." Mito chuckled. "Back then, Madara cared about the village even more than Hashirama did. He wanted to be Hokage more than anyone. We all saw it."
Back when Madara and Hashirama founded Konohagakure, Madara showed his unmatched power to intimidate other villages. He even seized tailed beasts in front of everyone, and yet no village dared to say 'no' to him.
In the end, those leaders only dared to complain to Hashirama. They acknowledged Madara's strength, but the moment they thought about attacking Konoha, they hesitated—because that meant facing Madara. And no one dared to make a move.
"You could say that Konoha established itself in the ninja world not just because Hashirama was Hokage, but also because of the fear Madara created," Mito sighed. "I still remember watching him practice his smile alone—just so he wouldn't scare the village's children."
He could have taken in a few children in Konohagakure as his students, but he gave up on the idea because his face was too frightening. To keep him company, Hashirama also rejected the idea, so in the end, only Tobirama trained a few subordinates. (This is an additional interpretation, not part of the official story.)
Back then, Konohagakure was probably the safest, warmest, and most beloved village in the entire ninja world.
But still, Madara left.
"Why?" Kakashi couldn't help but ask.
"Why? I don't know either." Mito sighed with a helpless smile. "Maybe he truly found a better future, maybe he was really hurt by the Uchiha clan, or maybe… he simply regretted everything."
"But no matter what, even after leaving Konohagakure, he never intended to harm it. When he fought Hashirama, their power could have easily reached the village, but they both chose to fight far away from it. Even in death, he never attacked the village."
Just as Mito said, even after Hashirama died, Madara was still at his peak—
Even though he had lost one Sharingan, destroying Konohagakure would not have been difficult for him. But he never did it.
He only spoke as if he didn't care. He never even looked back at the village he had helped build.
"Maybe… he really just didn't think it was worth it?" Mito said with a smile.
Her words carried a teasing tone, a smile, and a sadness that was hard to understand.
Had something like this happened in Konohagakure before…?
Kakashi fell silent. He looked at Mito, who remained still, and suddenly, a thought came to him.
"Why… are you telling me all this?"
"Because right now, you're a lot like Madara back then," Mito replied with a smile. "Just like him, you stand in the shadows of your companions' brilliance. You want something deep down, but you feel like you have to let go. But you're better than him in one way—you still have companions who trust you."
Kakashi opened his mouth, but for a moment, he didn't know what to say.
Mito seemed to sense the turmoil in Kakashi's heart and chuckled softly.
"You don't need to dwell on this too much. You're not Madara, and you won't leave Konohagakure. You just don't know what to do right now—how to move forward in the best way."
Kakashi clenched his fists. After a long silence, he looked at Mito.
"What… should I do?"
Was he too weak, so he had to stand behind the strong?
Or should he train harder and become stronger himself?
Or should he just continue like this, leaving everything to the next generation?
What should I do… to stop feeling like I'm holding everyone back?
Mito didn't answer his question directly. Instead, she asked him,
"Why did you become a ninja in the first place?"
Kakashi was taken aback.
"Because my father was a great ninja. I wanted to be like him. I wanted to be…"
He paused for a moment before finishing his sentence.
"I wanted to be… maybe not a great ninja, but at least one who could protect the village and my companions. That's what my best friend… Obito told me."
"Then can you protect the village and your companions now?" Mito asked.
Kakashi shook his head without hesitation.
"When Konohagakure was attacked, I couldn't help. When the enemy targeted the medical team, I was too late. And even now… I've become a burden to Sasuke in battle. How can I say I'm protecting the village like this?"
If it weren't for Lady Tsunade, Lord Jiraiya, and Sakura, Konohagakure might already be gone.
If it weren't for Shikamaru, Neji, and all the young ninja from those two graduating classes, the medical team might have been wiped out by Obito.
If it weren't for me, maybe Sasuke could have fought at full strength, holding nothing back.
It finally came out.
"I can't do anything. I can't keep up."
Kakashi clenched his fists tightly, bitterness filling his eyes.
Mito looked at Kakashi, listening to everything he had to say, but her gentle and kind smile never faded.
"Believing in your comrades, protecting the village—how can you call that 'doing nothing' or 'falling behind'?"
"But…" Kakashi started to speak, but Mito cut him off immediately.
"When facing an enemy, would you run away?" Mito asked.
"No…" Kakashi shook his head. He would fight with everything he had.
"If your comrade was injured, would you abandon them?" Mito asked again.
"Never!" Kakashi shook his head firmly. Failing a mission made someone useless, but abandoning a comrade was worse than being useless.
"If you had to risk your life in battle, would you hesitate?" Mito asked one last time.
"No." Kakashi shook his head without hesitation. If he couldn't protect his comrades, then what was the point of living? He had long accepted that he was willing to die to protect the village and his comrades.
"In that case, what is it that you can't do?" Mito said with a smile. "You don't run. You fight with determination. You're willing to sacrifice yourself to protect your comrades. How are you any different from that young Uchiha fighting over there?"
Kakashi froze, his face filled with shock and disbelief.
"Yes, your strength is lacking. But isn't that exactly why the enemy dares to attack? And isn't it in that weakness that you find the resolve to protect others, even at the cost of your life? Isn't that… what makes a ninja truly great?" Mito's smile was radiant.
Just like back then… the first time Kakashi saw Minato-sensei smile.
"Because a ninja never ignores their comrades just because they feel weak."
Like sunlight, it warmed the village and illuminated the heart of someone willing to sacrifice everything to protect it.
"A ninja's strength comes from having comrades they can entrust their lives to."
"Oh dear~ looks like our conversation has to end here~" Mito's eyes squinted as she smiled, her voice still filled with warmth, even as her aging body began to falter.
Watching Mito-sama gradually lose control, Kakashi took a deep breath. The bitterness in his eyes finally faded, and the long-lost fire in his heart reignited.
He raised his kunai, his voice unwavering.
"Thank you, Mito-sama."
I… won't be lost anymore.
With this Sharingan in my eye, I swear! Obito, I will stop you!
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