I, Uchiha: Split Konoha

Chapter 62: The Third Generation's Brainwashing (Please continue reading)

The Hokage's office.

The Third Hokage, puffing on his pipe, looked at Kakashi who had come to report, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

Kakashi Hatake is undoubtedly the most outstanding genius ninja in Konoha. He is born with all the same attributes as Kakashi, and his outstanding talent is even more remarkable. He is the son of White Fang and the student of the Fourth Hokage. He is simply the protagonist of a novel.

"Kakashi, this morning Might Guy, Sarutobi Asuma, Kurenai Yuhi, Mitarashi Anko, Kotetsu, Izumo Kamizuki, Ebisu, your classmate came to see me, begging me to transfer you out of the Anbu."

He had heard about Kakashi's increasingly gloomy and withdrawn personality after the Nine-Tails' Night, as well as his reckless fighting style that seemed to seek death in battle. In fact, the Anbu had even given him the nickname "Cold-Blooded Kakashi."

At this moment, the Third Hokage exhaled a thick smoke and spoke to Kakashi, the genius ninja of Konoha, in front of him. Kakashi, however, showed no change in expression. His indifference extended not only to everyone but also to his own life.

Looking at Kakashi's indifferent eyes, the Third Hokage frowned and shook his head. "Kakashi, I never imagined that the war would cause you such great trauma. If they hadn't come to me, I wouldn't have believed it."

There are indeed aftereffects of war, but even for an outstanding ninja like him, it's hard to believe. He truly didn't expect Kakashi to have this condition.

Kakashi is a sharp blade in the Anbu, but this blade needs maintenance. The Third Hokage is reluctant to let such a precious blade, which has not yet reached its peak, break. Therefore, he has decided to sheath the blade and maintain it properly for a while.

"Kakashi, you need to rest now."

Kakashi's eyes now held an indifference. He could only remain silent and bow his head in response to the Third Hokage's words. He was now nothing more than a machine that obeyed orders, or a mere tool ninja.

"Kakashi, I heard you sparred with Uchiha Yoru last night to a draw?"

In the oppressive atmosphere, the Third Hokage, a seasoned politician, casually asked a question as he slowly refilled his pipe with tobacco, his smile relaxed.

Upon hearing this, Kakashi lowered his head and said in a deep voice, "I lost!"

Calm! As if he weren't talking about himself, Kakashi didn't care about the title of genius at all at this moment. After all, this was the darkest time of his life, and he could even be indifferent to his own life.

The Third Hokage, however, smiled and shook his head, saying, "Could you tell me about last night's battle?"

It seemed like he was asking a question, but it was clear he already knew everything, but he still wanted to know everything from Kakashi's perspective.

Kakashi, wearing a mask, reported the events of the previous night with a detached indifference, as if he were an ANBU member returning from a mission.

"...That's the gist of the battle. Uchiha Yoru's chakra quantity reached the level of a Jonin, and his control and mastery far surpassed that of an ordinary Jonin. His taijutsu also reached the level of a Jonin, and he was proficient in fire and lightning ninjutsu. Based on the intelligence analysis, Uchiha Yoru's overall strength has reached the level of a Jonin."

At this moment, the Third Hokage listened to Kakashi's report with narrowed eyes, and he had a direct understanding in his heart. Uchiha Yoru, Orochimaru's student and also his grand-student, had indeed reached the Jonin level in strength with the blessing of the Sharingan.

At the age of fourteen, Nine-Tails awakened his bloodline limit and opened the Sharingan. In half a year, it evolved to two tomoe. A fifteen-year-old Jonin is indeed a genius, but he relied more on his bloodline limit.

The Sharingan possesses the abilities of observation, copying, hypnosis, and superhuman insight. It is also a natural eye for genjutsu. It can be said that once the Sharingan is awakened, one's genjutsu skills will leap forward dramatically.

The Third Hokage has analyzed Uchiha Yoru's current strength. If it were a life-or-death battle, and Kakashi didn't experience the same situation as last night, Uchiha Yoru's strength might not be enough to win.

"Kakashi, how many years have you been a member of the Anbu?"

Suddenly, the Third Hokage let out a melancholy sigh, as if a kind old man were looking at a junior. Kakashi below listened and respectfully said in a deep voice, "It has been almost two years since the Fourth Hokage joined the team."

Kakashi, wearing a mask and with his head bowed, answered respectfully without any change in expression. The Third Hokage, however, with a pipe in his mouth and a kind, caring look on his face, sighed and said, "Minato originally sent you into the Anbu to dispel the darkness in your heart. When I returned to the position of Hokage, I took over the Fourth Hokage's Anbu exactly as it was."

"However, almost two years have passed, and the darkness in your heart has not only not been dispelled, but Kakashi, your post-war syndrome has become more and more serious. If Asuma hadn't mentioned it to me, I would never have known that you were in such a serious condition."

First, he would speak kindly about how he had tried to win over the ninjas, and then he would act as if he were a caring elder. This was the Third Hokage's old trick, but it was precisely this one trick that allowed him to win over countless ninjas who followed him one after another.

"Kakashi, you'll only keep getting worse by doing this. The ANBU's missions are too heavy, and it might even cause you to fall into darkness and be unable to extricate yourself."

At this moment, the Third Hokage, with a concerned look from an elder, shook his head and sighed, "Kakashi, take off your mask. You need easy tasks to heal the wounds in your heart."

Kakashi, now as indifferent as a machine, slowly removed the mask from the Anbu; for him, there was only execution.

When Kakashi removed his mask, revealing his youthful appearance, a hint of regret flashed in the Third Hokage's eyes. Such a young genius, what a pity.

"Kakashi, I will relieve you of your Anbu position in public, but in private you will be directly under my command. There is a mission for you to consider whether you should accept."

Upon hearing this, Kakashi Hatake calmly replied in a deep voice, "Kakashi is willing to accept the mission."

At this moment, Kakashi did not hesitate at all. Or rather, he was going through the darkest time of his life, and perhaps only endless missions could stop him from thinking about those painful memories.

When the Third Hokage heard that Kakashi was willing to take on the mission, he didn't rush to explain the mission. Instead, he turned his head and looked out the window at the Hokage Rock.

"Kakashi, the village just went through the Third Shinobi World War. I won't go into how brutal it was. Last year's Nine-Tails attack almost shattered the balance of power in the shinobi world and nearly sparked the Fourth Shinobi World War. All of this was because of the Nine-Tails."

"That night, you must have seen the Sharingan in the Nine-Tails' eyes. I'm telling you clearly, there's a mastermind behind the Nine-Tails' rampage, and this person is very likely from the Uchiha clan."

The Sharingan is an undeniable fact, and the Third Hokage used the same old tricks: first, he invoked the village's righteous cause, and then slowly steered the conversation into the mission.

"I heard that Uchiha Yoru invited you to join the police department last night. After I relieve you of your ANBU duties, Might Guy will go to the police department to request Uchiha Yoru's assistance. At that time, you can then enter the police department legitimately. I hope you can secretly investigate whether the Uchiha are the mastermind behind this."

The Third Hokage exhaled a thick cloud of smoke, which obscured his vision as his aged and solemn voice slowly echoed in the office.

Please continue reading! Monday and Tuesday are all about reading and recommending the book. Whether we can advance to the next round depends entirely on you guys.

(End of this chapter)