Hatake Sakumo had been active since the Second Shinobi World War, quickly becoming famous both inside and outside the Land of Fire for his fierce and sharp combat style.
He struck such terror into his enemies on the battlefield that they coined a saying: "Even an army of thousands would flee at the sight of the White Hair."
Shortly after, he earned the title "Konohagakure's White Fang," becoming one of the leading figures among the village's new generation of shinobi.
In the original timeline, Hatake Sakumo's suicide was a tragic farce that echoed throughout the history of Konohagakure.
Frankly speaking, forcing a man of his caliber to commit suicide meant that the Hokage governing at the time might as well have committed suicide too... After all, what was the point of keeping him alive if it came to that?
The death of the White Fang could not simply be attributed to what Genma considered "poor pressure tolerance." His death was more likely born from a profound sense of despair.
He had fallen into utter despair regarding the shinobi village system, the mission framework, and human nature when bound by restrictive, fabricated moral concepts.
With no light left on the path ahead, he chose death over life.
Of course, this tinge of tragedy could not completely absolve Sakumo of his own responsibility. At the very least, he was someone who struggled to control his own negative thoughts, passively enduring the pressure of his environment without any active desire to seek change.
Evidently, he had not mastered the traditional art of gekokujo—overthrowing one's superiors. Regardless of whether one succeeds or not, when the time comes to strike, you strike... Just look at how that old fox, Shimura Danzo, operated.
However, that was the Hatake Sakumo of Genma's memories. Looking at the man standing right in front of him, though his facial features were rigid and stern, his overall mental state seemed decent enough.
As the two walked one after the other, nearing Hotaru Castle, Sakumo unfastened the short tanto strapped to his back. He then folded his flak jacket and draped it over his forearm.
Genma gave him a surprised look and asked, "This cautious?"
"It is only natural. As someone who has cast aside his family name within the organization, this level of caution is to be expected," Sakumo replied.
He didn't take off his clothes to hide any bloodstains—it was perfectly normal for a shinobi to be covered in blood, and there was usually no need to hide it intentionally. He simply wanted to conceal his Konohagakure uniform and the Hotaru crest stamped upon it.
With no forehead protector and no uniform, he could avoid exposing his origin as much as possible.
What does he mean by 'someone who has cast aside his family name'? Does the Hotaru organization have its own internal purge squad or something?
That doesn't sound right. Logically speaking, after the founding of Konohagakure, Hotaru Castle—or rather, the Hotaru organization—should have lost its institutional and administrative functions, transforming into a purely "civilian group."
Because Konohagakure would inevitably inherit the various systems of Hotaru Castle, it was essentially a larger version of Hotaru Castle growing out of the original. Since their functions overlapped, Hotaru was supposed to step back as Konohagakure stepped forward.
If Konohagakure could satisfy everyone, and if the Hokage were a perfectly fair, duty-bound, and flawless individual, then the name "Hotaru" might live on as a legacy, but the organization itself—both its official and civilian branches—should have slowly dissolved into Konohagakure.
Yet, the Hotaru organization seemed to have maintained its momentum of development. What did that prove? The more dissatisfied people were with their current environment, the more they would pursue their idealized fundamentalism.
A village without factions is a strange concept indeed.
Huh, looking at it from this perspective, wouldn't the Hotaru organization be Konohagakure's version of 'Root'? That feels a bit too ominous.
Genma refrained from asking about future events for the time being. Under normal circumstances, Sakumo, having just arrived in this era, would still be in a state of mental confusion.
Compared to the previous time-traveler, Uchiha Sasuke, Sakumo's behavior was already considerably rational. However, external behavior was one thing, and internal thoughts were another; Genma did not believe for a second that the man's mind was truly at peace.
"You can take a few days to clear your head. Once you fully comprehend your situation and calm your emotions, we can discuss other matters."
"Rest assured, though the eras differ, the Hotaru organization is still the same Hotaru organization... In fact, the Hotaru of today is even purer than the one from your time."
It was hard to tell whether Genma was simply stating facts or deliberately trying to comfort the man.
A flash of emotion crossed Sakumo's face. He looked directly at Genma and said, "I naturally place my utmost trust in you, Lord Genma. But my mind is indeed a bit chaotic right now, and I do need some time to clear it."
Genma felt a bit uncomfortable under his gaze. Seriously, who could withstand the admiring look of a middle-aged man?
He found it quite bizarre. Sakumo was undoubtedly a rational man, so his thoughts likely reflected the general perception of ordinary shinobi... meaning that in the eyes of future generations, Genma might very well be viewed as a glorious, legendary figure.
Compared to the reputation of the other member of the "Resourceful Duo," one could only marvel at how wondrous fate could be.
But upon closer reflection, it made perfect sense. Genma had founded "Hotaru," a spiritual utopia for small and medium-sized shinobi clans, whereas what had Senju Tobirama created?
Well, Tobirama's little inventions and creations were numerous—things like the Anbu, the Edo Tensei, and so on.
Defeated by the middle-aged man's admiration, Genma arranged for Sakumo to rest, hoping he would adjust his mindset as quickly as possible.
Afterward, Genma went to rest himself. After a night of heart-stopping events, he felt thoroughly exhausted mentally.
Sakumo's adjustment period turned out to be faster than Genma had anticipated. Over the second and third days, he spent his time wandering around Hotaru Castle. At first, his mind frequently wandered; later, he often looked as though he were contemplating the meaning of life; and finally, he completely snapped out of it.
On the night of the third day, Sakumo sought out Genma once more.
"Lord Genma, I now fully understand my situation. Come to think of it, whether in this era or the one I originally belonged to, what I need to do remains exactly the same... It is nothing more than using a sharp blade to shatter any incoming enemies."
"It's wonderful that you can look at it that way." Genma thought to himself that people really were different; the Executioner of the Leaf was indeed far more useful than the Wall-Sitter of the Leaf.
There was nothing left to say regarding official duties or his responsibilities as a Konohagakure shinobi; Sakumo just needed to continue being himself.
However, even a man who killed without blinking an eye still harbored deep longing for his family in his heart.
Because of this, Sakumo looked somewhat hesitant to speak.
"It's fine. Say whatever is on your mind; we're all on the same side here." Genma gestured for him to speak freely if something was troubling him.
After a brief internal struggle, Sakumo finally gritted his teeth and asked, "Lord Genma, I wanted to ask... do I still have a chance to return to my original timeline? I still have some... attachments and lingering regrets."
"I am not trying to evade my duties as a Hotaru shinobi, it's just... it's just..."
"It's fine, I understand."
Genma truly understood the helplessness of being unable to return. Lest anyone forget, he too was a transmigrator—and an even more tragic one than Sakumo.
"Extend your hands and show me the backs of them..."
Sakumo did as instructed, but nothing could be seen on the backs of his hands except for his prominent veins.
Seeing this, Genma shook his head. Sakumo's situation was different from Sasuke's; he did not bear a stamp of "quarantine approval."
Genma had harbored suspicions before, and now he could confirm them... For certain individuals, the disappearance of a particular era's "Indra" was an anomaly—an anomaly that had to be corrected. Therefore, that entity would interfere with the Time-Space Ninjutsu unleashed by Nana.
In other words, if he hadn't been eliminated, Sasuke would very likely have returned to his original timeline.
This definitely wasn't Nana's doing. How could a mere fox think so thoroughly... Genma felt that only a true ghost would have a reason to pull such stunts.
Looking at Sakumo's situation, it was clear he wasn't quite as fortunate. Although his strength was far greater than Sasuke's when the young Uchiha first arrived in this era, everything was determined not by strength, but by bloodline.
It was still too early to worry about ghosts who refused to rest even after death. Genma pulled his thoughts back and said to Sakumo:
"You can consider yourself as having accidentally wandered into a rift in time and space, arriving here from the future. To find another rift and precisely send yourself back to your original position... the difficulty is quite immense."
Could Nana send a person back to the exact era they belonged to? Genma found it doubtful. On one hand, Nana was completely unwilling to perform such a task; on the other hand, judging by how it always drew cards at random, it was clear that precisely inserting this card back into its original spot in the deck was highly improbable.
"But you aren't completely without a chance. The most reliable method is actually to live your way back."
"To... live my way back?"
"Of course. After all, the distance between this current era and the one you were active in isn't that far apart. If you work hard, you can easily live until that time."
Genma couldn't pinpoint Sakumo's exact birth year, but he could generally surmise that Sakumo was born somewhere between the 10th and 20th year of Konohagakure's founding, as he belonged to roughly the same generation as the Legendary Sannin.
Therefore, as long as Sakumo put effort into surviving, Genma's words were by no means a lie.
"If you wish, you can even return to your family's side at the exact moment you disappeared. Your family won't even have to experience the pain of losing you."
"The only issue is that you will have to endure a somewhat long and lonely life."
"Lonely? No, I am not afraid of loneliness."
Hearing Genma's words, which offered hope after initial discouragement, Sakumo felt that the situation wasn't so unbearable after all. As long as he could return... being able to return was infinitely better than "losing his loved ones forever."
However, Genma harbored doubts about Sakumo's mental state. Not afraid of loneliness? Your face practically has 'bitter and deep-seated grief' written all over it.
But regardless, after gaining a life plan that could roughly balance both his public duties and private desires, the restlessness surrounding Sakumo vanished visibly.
He was no longer merely pretending to be calm; he was genuinely at peace.
Once he calmed down, acting as a qualified worker, Sakumo began to proactively look for tasks.
"Lord Genma, I can set out right now to bring the Hatake clan into the organization. We are merely a small shinobi clan, so this matter is not complicated."
Look at that—this was the immense role a "defector" could play. The current Hatake clan certainly could not imagine that one of their future descendants was actively conspiring to sell them out.
"No rush. You seem to be a master of swordsmanship? Let me experience your skills first."
Delighted by the prospect of a good challenge, Genma dragged Sakumo toward an indoor training ground.
In his original era, Sakumo had frequently encountered such requests after rising to fame, so he was entirely unfazed. In fact, to save face for Lord Genma, he proactively closed the doors of the training ground tightly... Respect was respect, and admiration was admiration, but none of that diminished Sakumo's absolute confidence in his own strength.
When it came to taijutsu, Konohagakure certainly possessed absolute kings who stood above Sakumo. But if one narrowed it down specifically to the art of the blade and swordsmanship, truthfully speaking, throughout the thousand-year history of the shinobi world, Sakumo feared no one.
For Genma to want to compete with him in this domain was, frankly, a bit self-inflicted humiliation.
Genma was currently nineteen years old, possessing the body of a physically mature shinobi. He could trade a few blows in taijutsu, but his style was entirely unorthodox and self-taught.
Sakumo, on the other hand, was a shinobi in his absolute prime, whose mastery over taijutsu and swordsmanship had reached the level of a grandmaster.
Once the conditions were laid bare, the outcome of victory and defeat was set in stone.
Without using ninjutsu, Genma lacked the qualifications to even stand opposite Sakumo.
One could only say it was a blessing that this was a closed-door spar; otherwise, everyone would have treated themselves to the sight of a battered and defeated Genma.
Afterward, Genma began to seriously contemplate the feasibility of establishing a Shinobi Academy. A top-tier executioner like this shouldn't be wasted.
It was still too early to establish a comprehensive Shinobi Academy, but a specialized school for taijutsu and swordsmanship...
Well, the teaching hours could be scheduled for the afternoon and evening.
In other words, even if Genma couldn't establish a proper Shinobi Academy for the time being, he could at least set up a Shinobi Night School.
It was a pity that taijutsu couldn't be taught via correspondence courses; otherwise, the average educational level of the castle could have achieved a massive leap forward.
Since Sakumo was in peak physical condition and his mental state was acceptable, he officially accepted the mission to recruit the Hatake clan.
Before heading out to execute the mission, Sakumo was introduced to quite a few high-ranking members of Hotaru Castle.
"Hello, seniors. I am a shinobi who has recently joined the organization. My name is Gan Wencui."
This was his standard self-introduction.
It had to be said that Sakumo was the type of person who liked to bottle things up inside, to the point where he appeared incredibly brooding.
He was well aware that his identity as a time-traveler should remain hidden as much as possible. As a result, he grew increasingly cautious, refusing to reveal his true name to anyone other than Genma.
At this moment, he even harbored some unnecessary thoughts, such as:
To avoid affecting the course of history, I should do my best not to reveal future events. Yes, a time-traveler must keep his lips sealed tight.
What if I carelessly spout 'prophecies' and history undergoes a major shift because of it? What if it results in a 'corrupted save file'? That would be truly catastrophic.
Seeing Sakumo constantly keeping a stiff face and acting with extreme caution, Genma actually assumed that such "ruthless but quiet" figures naturally behaved this way.
It could only be said that Sakumo was overthinking things. When the time truly came where he needed to drop "spoilers," he definitely wouldn't be able to hold it in... This was a universal trait of human nature.
After accepting the mission to subjugate the Hatake clan, the traitor Sakumo departed Hotaru Castle entirely on his own... He wasn't named Hatake for nothing; there was no reason for him not to know where the ancestral habitat of the Hatake clan lay.
Sakumo strongly resembled his future son. Masking his face, he arrived before the small village, came to a halt, and shouted at the top of his lungs:
"Come out, Hatake clan! I am here to negotiate!"
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