Approaching afternoon, the rumors unfavorable to Sakumo had already spread through most of the village after fermenting all morning, just a step away from being 'known by everyone'.
No matter how hard the Uchiha Ninjas of the Security Team tried to curb the spread of the rumors, they were already stretched thin compared to Konoha Village's large population. Just catching people took too much time, let alone stopping the spread of the rumors.
Sakumo's house was located in one of Konoha Village's busier streets, not near the center of the village.
It was a standalone small courtyard, with a doorplate at the entrance bearing the words 'Hatake'.
When Hakushi and Ruri arrived, they saw Kakashi standing at the door, looking more silent than usual.
"Kakashi, is teacher Sakumo home?"
Hearing someone call his name, Kakashi looked up to see Hakushi and Ruri, and nodded lightly, indicating that Sakumo was home.
Hakushi and Ruri breathed a sigh of relief; if he was home, things would be easier to handle.
"But, father he..."
Kakashi trailed off, unsure how to explain.
"Take us to see him."
Hakushi sighed, knowing Kakashi must be feeling upset right now.
The rumors were spreading so intensively, there was no way Kakashi wasn't aware of them.
Kakashi led the way, taking Hakushi and Ruri into the Hatake Residence.
The Hatake Residence was a typical Japanese-style building with a slightly ancient flavor. After a few steps, the three arrived at the door of the room where Sakumo was.
Before they could knock, a voice from inside said 'Come in', clearly indicating Sakumo inside knew someone had arrived.
Hakushi had to slide the door open and called out to the person inside: "Teacher Sakumo, we're here..."
Their voice stopped abruptly.
Hakushi and Ruri stared dumbfounded at Sakumo before them.
"Teacher Sakumo, you are..."
Sakumo in front of them wasn't as downcast as expected due to the rumors. Instead, he was sitting beside a table, eating a large bowl of ramen with a hearty appetite.
Seeing Hakushi and Ruri, he calmly picked up a napkin to wipe the grease from his mouth and asked the two visitors in confusion, "Why have you two come?"
"..."
"..."
Hakushi and Ruri didn't know how to respond to Sakumo's question.
Before coming, they had imagined many scenarios where Sakumo would be depressed because of the rumors but hadn't anticipated such a scene.
"Teacher Sakumo, about the rumors outside..."
Eventually, it was Ruri who stepped forward.
"Did you come to me because of this?"
"Yes, this is our responsibility in the Security Team. I want to understand the whole story, so please answer, Jonin Sakumo."
Ruri walked up to Sakumo, speaking seriously, not as a former member of his team but in her capacity as a Sub-Captain of the Security Team, to get a clear understanding of the situation.
Sakumo thought for a moment; since it was the Security Team's duty, there was no problem.
So, he succinctly recounted the situation at that time.
"This time we were on a secret mission and encountered some trouble along the way. Considering my companions couldn't continue fighting, I chose to abandon the mission and bring them back. This led to the mission's failure."
When Sakumo spoke, he showed no personal emotions but recounted the events as an observer, leaving it to Ruri, the Security Team member, to judge.
Hakushi and Ruri frowned, and even Kakashi showed confusion.
It all seemed too simple.
"May I ask, what was the secret mission?"
Ruri gazed at Sakumo's face.
This was her primary purpose for coming.
Even for secret missions, there are levels of importance, some relating to the village's survival and some being trivial.
"I don't know. My orders were to retrieve something, but since the mission failed, that thing wasn't brought back to the village. I don't know exactly what it was."
To Ruri's question, Sakumo shook his head slightly, indicating he didn't know what they were supposed to retrieve in the mission.
Ruri found the situation tricky.
The information obtained from Sakumo was scant. To know what was meant to be retrieved in Sakumo's mission and how much the village lost due to the mission's failure, they could only approach the higher-ups.
After all, the mission initially passed through their hands before being assigned to Sakumo to complete.
However, with the rumors spreading to this extent, there was no reaction from the higher-ups. Even if they went to inquire now, they probably wouldn't get anything.
Otherwise, they would have already clarified the rumors and minimized the impact.
Leaving the Hatake Residence, Hakushi and Ruri looked at the sky and exhaled lightly.
Exchanging glances, Ruri asked Hakushi, "What should we do next? We can't break through from teacher Sakumo's side. Should we find the person teacher Sakumo saved?"
"What we can think of, those spreading the rumors have already anticipated. Likely, during the plan, they were already 'protected'. If we go to the hospital now, they've probably already 'disappeared'."
"Was it done by the higher-ups?"
"Besides them, there doesn't seem to be anyone else. With such a big thing happening, normally, teacher Sakumo would have been invited by Anbu for a chat, not sitting at home."
Hakushi was sure someone among the higher-ups was behind this, or perhaps more than one person was stirring things up.
"Is it a struggle for the Hokage position?"
Ruri shook her head; the higher-ups had done things so flawlessly that the Security Team couldn't achieve much on its own.
Compared to Anbu, while the Security Team indeed had more power, they didn't have as good a reputation in Konoha, nor the authoritative power of Anbu.
Once Anbu is mobilized, it represents the will of the Hokage himself.
"It seems that way. After all, the Fourth Hokage candidate selection will be held soon. Removing unrelated people now is a logical outcome."
It seemed cruel to say, but to Hakushi, Sakumo was merely a pawn sacrificed in the power struggle.
His subjective will and thoughts are not the most important things, nor will anyone understand them, as long as his current reputation can damage part of the interests, that's enough.
Whether he has the desire to become Hokage is irrelevant. What matters is whether he has the qualifications and threat to ascend to the position of Hokage.
"That's fine too. Since the political capital is gone, there will be no reason for the higher-ups to suppress Master Sakumo once this matter is over."
Ruri understood Hakushi's point and felt she was getting anxious over nothing.
The contention for the Hokage position involves the interests of many factions in Konoha.
A person whose reputation and strength surpass the Sannin, and who doesn't belong to any faction, would naturally be the first target to exclude.
Suppress his reputation, seize Sakumo's political capital, and let him peacefully serve as a Konoha Jonin in the future; it seems there's no downside to that.
In fact, Sakumo will surely be reused in the days to come.
Because this is an important time for the Fourth Hokage candidates, as long as this period is passed, Konoha White Fang remains Konoha White Fang.
In Ruri's personal opinion, Sakumo indeed doesn't quite fit the Hokage position.
He has neither ambition nor the desire; he is just an excellent Konoha Jonin.
That's all it is.
"Is that so? That would be nice then..."
Hakushi muttered to himself, thinking of Sakumo's previously nonchalant demeanor, his heart cloaked in a layer of gloom.
That didn't seem like a nothing's-wrong attitude.
◎
Two days later, the rumors intensified.
The number of people causing disturbances at the Security Team increased, and their cells ran out of space.
And the offenses of these people weren't severe enough to incarcerate them in Konoha Prison, which held only major offenders. Though they were spreading rumors, it wasn't to the level of a 'major crime'.
Sending these people to Konoha Prison would surely trigger interference from the Anbu, causing unnecessary conflict.
"What's going on? Are there still so many people causing trouble?"
Ruri arrived early in the morning at the Security Team's hall, feeling it was almost overcrowded, and outside the door was a commotion, similar to a marketplace.
Two members of Ruri's team from the Security Team saluted Ruri and responded, "Yes, new rumors surfaced this morning, and we are completely understaffed."
Saying this, the Security Team member smiled helplessly.
He couldn't believe a mere rumor could spread like this.
It's just a mission failure, after all. Konoha White Fang is indeed a famous ninja in the Ninja Realm and has gradually become a symbol deterring enemies in Konoha over the years.
Even so, Konoha White Fang is human, not a god.
An occasional mission failure is not a big deal, as long as it hasn't caused any serious consequences, as stated from above.
If that's how it was, the so-called Sannin are just like that, as that title belongs to a defeated general.
But how many would dare look down on the Sannin?
In the eyes of this Uchiha ninja from the Security Team, these villagers are just making a fuss, talking about things they don't know, even saying words so offensive that the Security Team members can't bear to hear, gradually straying from the core issue.
Beating them up doesn't align with the rules, but bringing them here for discipline means there is no room left.
So, the Security Team ninjas who came to work this morning are having a big headache over this issue.
If they release these people, the rumors will continue to spread aggressively.
Not releasing them means overcrowding, impacting the Security Team's efficiency.
"Find a few who know Earth Style and bbuild temporary cells outside."
Ruri's expression was frighteningly cold.
"...Yes."
One of the Security Team members immediately left to find a few Earth Style users within the team to expand temporary cells outside.
"Will this have a bad impact?"
The remaining Security Team ninja smiled wryly.
"What's bad about it? We're just doing things by the book. Even if the Hokage showed up, I'd be justified in arguing with him."
"That's true, but if this keeps up, our Security Team's reputation..."
"The Security Team hasn't had a good reputation in a long time. What's the point of caring so much? No need to provide lunch or dinner, nor allow their families to send food. Just give them water. They won't starve to death."
Ruri snorted coldly.
"...Understood."
Since it was the Sub-Captain's order, they just had to carry it out.
As Ruri said, missing two meals won't starve these people.
"By the way, did you mention new rumors?"
"Yes, wasn't Jonin Sakumo reportedly abandoning the mission to save someone? The person he saved seems to be criticizing Jonin Sakumo, claiming he lacks a big picture view, saying he is unfit to be a ninja, heavily criticizing and insulting Jonin Sakumo..."
Seeing Ruri's face grow paler, the Security Team ninja stopped talking.
At this point, he believed Ruri already understood the situation.
"Where is that person?"
"Couldn't find him. When we got there, the person had 'disappeared'.
He must have been hidden. Ruri coldly smirked to herself.
"Understood. You can go now."
"Yes... actually, there's no need to worry too much. Though I'm not familiar with Jonin Sakumo, a ninja of his level has a strong will. He'll likely just laugh off these rumors."
He knew his Sub-Captain Ruri was formerly a team member under Sakumo, so surely had a good relationship with him, and offered some comfort before leaving.
"Laugh it off, huh?"
Ruri thought back to visiting Sakumo two days ago, seeing him happily eating ramen, unaffected by the outside rumors.
This indeed reassured Ruri. After all, while those rumors may bother him somewhat, they shouldn't be too much of a problem for Sakumo.