Hakushi spoke in a calm tone.
There was a coldness and determination to abandon everything here in his voice.
"You are like a completely different person from the usual you."
"Don't worry, whether it's the usual me or the current me, it's the most genuine face of me."
"..."
Kakashi remained silent.
"Since you've chosen to come to me for answers, then let me hear your opinion about this village."
"Village?"
"Didn't you learn it at the Ninja School? The Will of Fire passed down from the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama."
Hakushi sat down under the portrait of the First Hokage, overlooking Konoha Village shrouded by the night.
"Protect the village's comrades, remove barriers between all people, and then protect the next generation, letting the children's future become the village's cornerstone."
"Since you understand the essence, why do you still choose to prioritize the mission? Aren't those comrades like 'family' to you? Aren't they worth protecting? Or are you afraid of ending up like Teacher Sakumo?"
"I don't know, don't ask me these questions..."
Kakashi rubbed his forehead, frowning slightly, feeling the pain starting there once more.
Every time he thought about this endlessly contradictory question, he would get a headache.
Yet, precisely in the textbooks of the Ninja School, and even later when consulting numerous materials in the library, he couldn't find an answer.
Seeing Kakashi holding his forehead, Hakushi knew he was once again mired in indecision.
"Kakashi, you understand it well; you just don't want to think in that direction. Let me prompt you with one more crucial hint."
Hakushi showed a meaningful smile.
"Hint?"
"Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, is almost fifty years old."
Kakashi was puzzled; what did the age of the Third Hokage have to do with him?
However, Kakashi also understood that once a ninja reached fifty, they would continually decline. Their strength and energy for action would significantly diminish, leaving them with no choice but to pass on their work to the next generation and begin nurturing a successor.
Wait—
A light bulb went off in Kakashi's mind, as if he grasped something important.
The Third Hokage approaching fifty years of age...
Retirement...
The election of the next Fourth Hokage...
Who are the candidates for the Fourth Hokage?
Although not yet officially in the running, everyone understood which people in the village were capable of serving as the Fourth Hokage.
Konoha White Fang, the Sannin, besides them, there were only a minimal number of exceptional Jonin.
Kakashi wasn't completely clueless because once one focused, everything became a continuous thread of clues.
The Fourth Hokage election had nothing to do with them, the Chunin and Genin, but his father, Konoha White Fang, was definitely capable of participating in this election ceremony.
And coincidentally, his father suddenly failed a mission, choosing comrades over the mission, slandered by colleagues and driven to suicide.
He later thought that his father Sakumo's path was wrong, so he performed tasks under the belief 'mission greater than comrades,' yet failing to gain recognition from others in the village.
Kakashi once doubted whether he wasn't excellent enough, hence couldn't gain recognition from his comrades.
But as time went by, the exclusion against him intensified, meaning people increasingly despised his mission-first, disregard-for-comrades approach.
However, if that's the case, why was his father slandered to the point of suicide by the rumors?
The Fourth Hokage election.
Father Sakumo chose 'comrades over the mission' and committed suicide.
He chose 'mission over comrades' and was ostracized, not recognized.
All the hints connected.
Only then did Kakashi suddenly realize why despite choosing the 'mission over comrades' path, he was still rejected.
From the start, there was never an option of 'mission over comrades' or 'comrades over mission.'
"Senior Hakushi, my father... was he forced to death by the higher-ups, because of the so-called position of Fourth Hokage?"
Kakashi's voice trembled with uncontrollable anger, and a frighteningly violent aura surfaced in his eyes.
He suddenly felt a bit sorry for himself.
He was tangled up in such matters, even once blaming his father for choosing suicide.
And he was completely unaware.
Hakushi pondered in silence.
Kakashi was a smart kid; some things didn't need deliberate explanation. Just give him a hint, and with his intelligence, he soon understood the causes and effects, analyzing the issues clearly.
After all, most six-year-olds were playing ninja games at school, while Kakashi had already passed the challenging Chunin exam at that age to become a qualified Chunin.
And to become a Chunin, one must possess analytical abilities beyond the average person.
After all, they are the backbone of a squad. When a Jonin has issues, the Chunin serves as the acting squad leader.
Reflecting on the past six months idly wasted, Kakashi truly felt like a fool being toyed with at the hands of those high-ranking officials.
The issues he was tangled up in, they didn't care nor mind, much less provide any so-called answers.
Because if they gave the answer, they couldn't explain his father Sakumo's death or justify themselves to him.