Traveling through Naruto with Heroes of Might and Magic.

"Conserve your energy and recharge?"

Onoki abruptly turned his head, glaring fiercely at Akatsuchi, unable to contain his anger any longer:

"You want me to swallow this insult? You want the whole ninja world to laugh at Iwagakure?"

"A mere fourteen-year-old Konoha brat dares to shit on my Iwagakure's head? Where is the face of Onoki? Where is the face of Iwagakure?"

Chitu dared not speak further and lowered his head.

Onoki started pacing quickly again, his hands behind his back, muttering to himself:

"I know that Iwagakure is not in a good position for a major battle right now, and I know that a direct confrontation would result in mutual destruction... but so what?"

Reason told him that Huangtu's decision to retreat and provide a buffer zone for both sides was correct and the optimal solution to preserve Yanyin.

Can……

The pride and stubbornness ingrained in their bones cannot tolerate such humiliation.

Lao Zi's defection is a betrayal;

The defeat on the western front is a disgrace;

A Konoha boy ruining Iwagakure's plans is a provocation.

All of this... made it impossible for him to control the surging anger within him.

My mind is made up!

Onoki stopped abruptly. "Iwagakure needs a victory. Order Hidari to regroup and launch another strong attack on Konoha's defenses!"

Akatsuchi knew in his heart that the Tsuchikage's stubbornness had once again triumphed over reason.

But his position gives him a responsibility to dissuade others from doing so.

"No, sir! This will only escalate the war further, and we cannot withstand the bottomless pit of the battlefield..."

"Shut up!" Onoki interrupted Akatsuki sharply:

"It's none of your business to interfere with what I do. Old Purple defected, and we will make Konoha pay the price and show the ninja world that Iwagakure is not to be trifled with."

"Furthermore, issue an order to the entire village to conscript all eligible ninjas, intensify their training, and stockpile war supplies!" Onoki's voice carried a resolute determination:

"We fought this battle!"

Chitu's face turned pale, but he dared not try to dissuade him any further.

He knew Onoki's personality all too well; once he made up his mind about something, he wouldn't turn back even if he hit a brick wall.

At this moment, the Tsuchikage was already blinded by anger and stubbornness, and was completely deaf to any advice.

"Yes!"

Chitu bowed his head, his voice filled with helplessness and worry, and stepped back.

The command tent fell silent once more.

Onoki stood alone by the window, gazing at the rolling mountains of Iwagakure, his eyes filled with a mixture of ruthlessness and stubbornness.

He knew that this move of his might be detrimental to both Iwagakure and Konoha.

But he had no other choice.

He is Onoki, the Tsuchikage of Iwagakure.

The title "Earth Shadow" allows no retreat, no swallowing of this insult...

……

Land of Fire, Konoha Village

The autumn sunlight slanted through the window and into the Hokage's office.

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, sat behind his desk, a wisp of smoke rising from his pipe.

His gaze fell on the three people standing with their hands at their sides in front of the desk, and the Third Hokage spoke:

"During this trip to the Northwest, you safeguarded Konoha's lifeline and repelled the Four-Tails Jinchuriki of Iwagakure. Although you suffered losses, you severely damaged Iwagakure's morale. Your contributions are invaluable."

The Third Hokage's voice was calm and steady, "You are the heroes of Konoha!"

"Lord Hokage, the Shadow Guard was able to complete the mission this time entirely thanks to 'Elephant's' summoning beast. We were just doing our best to cooperate."

Kakashi spoke first, without a hint of boasting, and even with a hint of barely concealed self-reproach:

"However... Fox is seriously injured, and Tianzang is also injured. The Shadow Guard was not completely safe. As the captain, I feel ashamed and request to be relieved of my duties as captain of the Shadow Guard!"

"Ok??"

Qingwu and Tianzang looked up at Kakashi, confused as to why their captain had suddenly said that. There had been no warning or prior discussion.

The Third Hokage sighed, "Kakashi, are you still blaming yourself for what happened in the past?"

"!!" Qingwu was stunned for a moment, then he understood Kakashi's position.

On his way back these past few days, Kakashi had remained calm, but the near annihilation of the Shadow Guard had probably brought back some unpleasant memories for him.

Facing the Jinchūriki Rōshi, Kakashi probably felt that... as always, he was powerless to do anything.

Back then, the successive deaths of Obito and Rin made him feel that he "couldn't protect" anything.

That guilt of "not being able to protect" became a thorn etched into my bones.

Just when things were starting to heal as the Shadow Guard spent more time together, this happened again.

"Ugh……"

The third generation leader said in a desolate tone:

"Over the years you have always taken the blame upon yourself, but what I want to say is that it is wrong to blame the captain for incompetence whenever a teammate is in trouble."

The Third Hokage looked at Kakashi, his eyes filled with a mixture of world-weariness and pity:

"In the world of ninjas, there are victories and defeats, and there are casualties. This is no one’s fault, and it is not your responsibility alone."

"Even if I were here, I wouldn't dare say that everyone would be safe from an enemy like the Four-Tails Jinchuriki."

"Ninjas are human too. Don't burden yourself with too much. What happened back then was the helplessness of war and the torment of fate. It was never your fault. You should learn to make peace with yourself."

The office was so quiet you could hear the wind outside the window.

Qingwu sighed softly and quietly lowered her head.

The third generation leader's words were all reasonable, but some deep-seated obsessions cannot be resolved with just a few words. Everyone understands the principles, but truly overcoming that hurdle in one's heart is extremely difficult.

Kakashi stood there, his eyes lowered, the wisps of hair on his forehead obscuring the expression in his eyes, and remained silent.

No one knows that this resignation, which seems "weak" to outsiders, is precisely proof of his most tender feelings.

He is no longer the cold and hard Kakashi who only recognizes the rules.

These teammates of the Shadow Guard had long been secretly placed in his heart, like Obito and Rin back then, becoming bonds he tried his best to protect.

Behind this guilt and self-doubt lies a secret thought that cannot be shared with outsiders.

That night, he tried his best, but in front of the Jinchūriki... he couldn't even get a hand in.

Qingwu, who is younger than him, is able to fight on equal terms with the berserk Jinchūriki.

What genius...

At that moment, the pride that belonged to a genius was once again brutally crushed.

The appearance of Qingwu was like a mirror, starkly reflecting his "incompetence".

He was trapped in the obsession that "I can't protect anything," and he tried his best to do everything he could in this bond and protect everything!

however……

Now he discovers that someone has become a more reliable guardian than him!

Chapter 133 Compromise

In a sense.

This resignation seems to be driven by a sense of responsibility, a feeling that he is not worthy of being the team leader.

Rather, the impact of Qingwu was... greater.

The silence in the office continued.

Some things can be said, some things... cannot be said; that was Kakashi's last bit of pride.

Tenzo stood aside, assuming Kakashi was still caught up in self-blame for his teammate's serious injury, his brow furrowed in worry, yet he didn't know how to speak.

Qingwu seemed to be deep in thought.

In fact, all of them in the Shadow Guard had relied on Kakashi, but had never considered things from Kakashi's perspective.

The Third Hokage gazed at the silent, white-haired boy before him, a deep understanding flashing in his eyes.

He was, after all, just a 16-year-old boy.

And youth, too, possesses a stubbornness that belongs to youth.

Having lived most of his life, Hiruzen Sarutobi had witnessed the full spectrum of human nature. How could he not understand Kakashi's silence? It's just that some things are meaningless to say too much.

Ultimately, people have to figure things out on their own.

The Third Hokage picked up his pipe again, breaking the silence: "Kakashi, I disagree with the idea of ​​him stepping down as captain."

Kakashi's slumped shoulders trembled slightly, as if he wanted to speak in rebuttal, but was interrupted by the Third Hokage raising his hand:

“I know you have something on your mind, and I understand your self-blame.”

The Third Hokage rubbed his pipe between his fingers and said, "But the Shadow Guard has just been through a battle, and our teammates are seriously injured. This is the time when we need you. As the captain, you cannot shirk your responsibility."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over Qingwu and Tianzang, his tone softening slightly:

"However, the war has temporarily ceased, and although there have been unusual movements on the Iwagakure side, it is not certain that a conflict will break out again immediately."

"The entire Shadow Guard is on leave until Tianzang recovers from his injuries and there is any progress on Xiyan's side."

"During this time, your Shadow Guard team doesn't need to worry about anything. Just rest and recuperate, and... think carefully about the future."

This was a compromise by the Third Hokage, which both rejected Kakashi's resignation and gave him some breathing room, while also allowing the Shadow Guard, who had experienced the war, time to heal their wounds.