Naruto: Konoha's Traitor

Target: Grass Country

Chi Yu placed immense importance on the impending death of Hatake Sakumo, expected to occur within the next year.

In his view, this event marked a pivotal turning point—one that could yield a wealth of Witness Points.

According to Chi Yu's analysis of the current geopolitical landscape, Konoha's relative stability in Kusagakure—preventing Iwagakure from making any reckless advances—was largely thanks to Hatake Sakumo's presence.

His strategic weight was equivalent to that of Orochimaru and Jiraiya, both stationed in the Land of Hot Water as deterrents against Kumogakure.

Hatake Sakumo, widely known as the White Fang of Konoha, was a prodigious shinobi whose fame extended across all five great nations. Even the Legendary Sannin held him in high regard.

And yet, this man—renowned and feared—would come to be condemned by the very village he protected.

The mission he abandoned was done so to save his comrades. In the end, even those same comrades turned their backs on him. The immense criticism and betrayal would ultimately drive him to take his own life.

It was a tragic irony. A shinobi so powerful, so loyal to the Will of Fire, reduced to despair by the very ideals he upheld.

But Chi Yu was not convinced that public backlash alone had driven Sakumo to suicide.

If ridicule and disapproval were enough to shatter him, Sakumo would never have risen to such stature in the first place. His reputation in the shinobi world was not built on shallow strength or brittle resolve.

Even if only for his son Kakashi's sake, Hatake Sakumo wouldn't have ended his life for something so petty.

To Chi Yu, the suicide pointed to something deeper—the collapse of Sakumo's ideals.

The mission he had abandoned was undoubtedly of great importance to Konoha. His choice to prioritize the lives of his comrades led to the village's loss.

And yet, that very choice—to place comrades above the mission—was aligned with the Will of Fire itself, Konoha's core philosophy.

That he was condemned for acting in accordance with that creed meant that something within the system had rotted.

Sakumo must have realized that Konoha's idealism was nothing more than a facade.

Punishment for mission failure was one thing—but to be morally condemned for protecting comrades? That was antithetical to the values Konoha claimed to hold.

And worse still, how had the mission's details become public?

It was supposed to be a classified operation.

For word to spread so widely meant that someone had deliberately leaked the information.

An ordinary villager—or even a low-ranking shinobi—should never have known the mission failed, let alone its classified objectives.

The leak, therefore, likely came from the higher echelons of Konoha's leadership—a clear signal that Sakumo was being made a scapegoat.

Perhaps even the Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi himself, had taken a critical stance.

And if Sarutobi, leader of the so-called Hokage faction, had turned his back on Sakumo… then there was no refuge left.

Such betrayal would destroy any remaining belief in the system.

Konoha, for all its light, harbored shadows beneath the surface.

Danzo's covert operations. The future Uchiha Massacre. Even Hiruzen's own indecisiveness—clean on the outside, yet soaked in moral ambiguity underneath.

Chi Yu saw through it.

But the true significance of Hatake Sakumo's suicide wasn't merely philosophical.

It was strategic.

Sakumo's presence on the Kusagakure front was a deterrent. If he were to fall, Iwagakure's forces—held in check until now—would no longer restrain themselves.

Unlike Kumogakure, who engaged in high-intensity clashes from the outset, Iwagakure's strategy was insidious. They would bide their time, strike where the enemy was weakest.

The past three years had seen a tense equilibrium, but everyone understood how fragile it truly was.

All it would take was a single spark.

Sakumo's death might just be that spark.

Even if it wasn't the sole trigger, it would certainly accelerate the war.

If Iwagakure moved, Kumogakure would follow.

And Sunagakure—long eyeing Konoha with greedy ambition—would not remain passive.

Meanwhile, Kirigakure's forces in the Land of Waves were lying in wait, prepared to take advantage of any chaos.

In Chi Yu's estimation, the suicide of Hatake Sakumo would mark a decisive shift toward the outbreak of the Third Shinobi World War.

For that reason, Chi Yu had to go to Kusagakure.

But even if this critical event hadn't loomed, he would have gone anyway.

Because Uzumaki Kushina was the same age as him.

Both were sixteen years old now, and only two years remained until she came of age.

The last time he saw Uzumaki Mito, the woman looked aged and frail—her remaining time was clearly short.

That meant time was running out for Chi Yu as well.

He had once discussed with Orochimaru the possibility of locating surviving members of the Uzumaki clan.

His true goal? The future mother of Karin.

But there was no confirmation that she was currently in Kusagakure.

Karin's mother had joined Kusagakure to protect her daughter. Since Karin had yet to be born, that timeline had not come to pass.

Still, Chi Yu speculated that Karin's mother might already be living in hiding somewhere within the Land of Grass.

The Uzumaki traits—vivid red hair, high chakra reserves—were too distinctive. Traveling openly would be dangerous.

It was far more likely she was staying in one place, concealed.

Years later, when she gave birth to Karin, her daughter's unique healing ability would be discovered, forcing them to fully affiliate with Kusagakure.

If Chi Yu couldn't find her now, he had prepared a backup plan.

His Sharingan.

Over the past three years, through relentless combat and hardship, both his eyes had matured into fully awakened three-tomoe Sharingan.

Yet the Mangekyō Sharingan still eluded him.

Under natural conditions, it was impossible to predict when he might awaken it.

But through the Witness System, it was within reach—10,000 Witness Points to unlock it instantly.

Thanks to his Uchiha lineage, the cost wasn't excessive.

At present, Chi Yu had amassed 7,000 points. Only 3,000 more stood between him and a power that could rival—or surpass—many of the greats.

And as the drums of war began to beat louder, that power would be needed.

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