"I did what I believed was right. I couldn't abandon my comrades.” Even if his comrade was not grateful for that, if given a chance, he would do the same thing again. Seeing this, Danzo once again thought about whether he should continue with his plan or not.

‘Only I can make Konoha the greatest and most powerful village, one that no other village would even think about offending. This is all for Konoha,’ Danzo thought. With this reason in his mind, Danzo continued, "And yet, the mission's failure has placed the village in a precarious position. The other clans see this as a sign of weakness. If you were to rise to Hokage, they might see it as an opportunity to revolt."

"I have always served Konoha with everything I have. My loyalty is to the village, not my own pride. There is nothing for them to worry about. As for the Hokage position, I am not even interested in that," Sakumo said.

"Indeed, but the perception of the village matters as much as reality. You are a Hokage candidate. You are a symbol, Sakumo. A symbol that now represents failure to some. If you were to step down quietly, it might restore the faith and stability of the clans in Konoha," Danzo said.

"Step down? What exactly are you suggesting?" Sakumo asked.

Danzo placed Sakumo in an A-rank Genjutsu. Due to his already weak mind, Sakumo fell for it. If he was in peak condition, Danzo would never have been able to do something like that. Now, for Sakumo, whatever Danzo said became something like common sense.

"For the greater good of Konoha, sometimes sacrifices must be made. Your death could be seen as a final act of loyalty and atonement. It would prevent any potential uprising and solidify the village's unity."

"You want me to die for the village? You think my death would solve these issues?"

"It is not an easy request, nor one I make lightly. But your sacrifice could ensure the future stability of Konoha. The Hatake name would be remembered with honor and respect, not as a stain on our history."

"I have always put the village first, but this... this is different." Even in the genjutsu, his survival instincts were telling him that the suggestions were wrong and he should not think about this.

"Think of your son, Kakashi. His future depends on the stability of the village. Your sacrifice would pave the way for a safer and more united Konoha for him." This was the final straw that broke Sakumo. His son had always been his soft spot. After his wife died, Kakashi had become his whole world, and if it was for Kakashi, Sakumo could give his life.

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Kakashi, who was seeing this, became tense and released a killing intent so strong that Danzo almost woke up, even though he was given a very strong sedative which could even put an elephant to sleep.

"For Kakashi... and for the village... if this is truly the best way..." Sakumo said.

"It is the only way to ensure peace and unity. Your name will be honored, and your sacrifice will not be forgotten."

"For the village... I will do what must be done."

Kakashi forcefully came out of the memory and Inoichi’s jutsu. Birds chirping could be heard in the surroundings.

Suddenly, Hiruzen vanished from his position and caught Kakashi’s hand, which was glowing with Chidori and pointed at Danzo’s chest.

"I am sorry, Kakashi. You can’t do that, otherwise Konoha may fall apart," Hiruzen said.

For once, Kakashi even thought about attacking Hiruzen. He was that mad, but he was a ninja. Cold and calculative was his instinct. He knew he would achieve nothing by attacking Hiruzen.

"He killed my father. Who deserves to kill him more than me?" Kakashi asked, his voice filled with poison.

"He also killed Kagami Uchiha, and that too by backstabbing. The number of Uchiha who died because of him is in the three digits. Every clan has a list of ninjas who lost their lives because of this thing," Hiruzen didn’t even want to mention Danzo as human anymore.

Even though Kotoamatsukami played an initial role in putting Hiruzen against Danzo, his current feelings were his true feelings. The Danzo he knew as his friend had long since died. The person in front of him was not human anymore.

Kakashi canceled his jutsu, and Hiruzen let go of his hand. Kakashi knew there was no way he could kill Danzo here; the strongest person in Konoha was standing there. He decided to leave for now, but before leaving, he gave a strong punch to Danzo’s chest. Hiruzen could have stopped him, but he could see that this attack would not kill Danzo, so he didn’t do anything.

Some of Danzo's ribs broke and punctured his heart, but no one, not even the medical ninja present, did anything.

A ninja of Danzo's caliber can survive such an injury on his own, though it will be very painful.

...

Someone who knew about Kakashi could guess where he was. He was sitting in front of his father’s grave.

"I... I am sorry, Dad. I never came to you after you went away. I'm sorry that I never believed in you. I'm sorry that I could not avenge you." Kakashi was crying. The wounds which were almost closed were now opened again, and this time they had become deadly.

His father was the definition of loyalty, and he died because a motherfucker wanted to become Hokage. Kakashi punched a rock at the side. Since he had not coated his hand in chakra, his hand became a bloody mess, but he remained sitting there.

If one searched a bit, they could see Guy sitting on a tree looking at Kakashi. He was sent by Hiruzen to look after Kakashi after getting a brief info about what had happened.

Guy wanted nothing else than to relieve his friend from this pain, but there was nothing he could do. And from what he knew about Kakashi, he was sure he wanted to remain alone at the moment.

Guy remained sitting there, watching over Kakashi. Kakashi remained sitting there, looking at his father’s grave. The sun set in the west and the moon rose, but neither of them moved even an inch from their position.

"How long are you going to sit there?" Kakashi said.

"Till you are like this, I can’t leave my rival like that," Guy said, but his characteristic smile was missing from his face.

"You can go back. I am fine now," Kakashi said.

"That’s good, but I am liking this place. It is very good to train my youth, so I will stick around a little," Might Guy said.

Then both of them became silent once again. The night passed and the next day came, then only Kakashi stood up and said, "Hey, I am going back, so go to your house and get some sleep."

Might Guy was on a mission before he was sent here, and due to that, he had not slept for four days, but he still sat there doing nothing for his friend. Truly, having someone like Might Guy as a friend was the best thing that had happened to Kakashi.

Guy nodded his head and went back, but only after seeing Kakashi reach his house.…