In his bid for power, Danzo would stop at nothing.
"Old folks like him should be thrown into prison, so they don't spend their days making trouble."
Tsunade was furious, but there wasn't much she could do.
She was already overwheld with work.
Even if she wanted to help Hatake Sakumo, it was already too late.
From the mont the rumors spread, Sakumo was destined to beco a scapegoat, at least for the ti being, with many watching his every move.
Moreover, these were only Tsunade's suspicions. Without evidence, stepping forward wouldn't make any difference.
Even if she barged into Danzo's house and confronted him, if he chose to deny it, there would be nothing she could do.
Unless the Third Hokage had the resolve to punish him.
Just as Tsunade had predicted.
The Anbu found Danzo and conveyed the Third Hokage's ssage.
Danzo was furious:
"I had nothing to do with this!"
As long as there was no definitive evidence and the Third Hokage didn't take strong action, Danzo could rest easy. At most, he would be suspected.
Any investigation would end inconclusively.
After all, he still had people in the Anbu who could sway the narrative. No matter how deep they dug, Danzo would remain innocent.
At worst, he could throw a scapegoat to take the bla.
And that was only if the Third Hokage thoroughly investigated. If he didn't, no one else could get to the bottom of it.
No evidence would ever point to Danzo.
Public opinion continued to fester, with more and more people gathering at Sakumo's door to shout and protest, but Sakumo paid them no attention.
Slowly, after the Hokage office issued so announcents, the villagers' attention was diverted.
The villagers moved on, but Sakumo found no comfort in it.
He had held onto a small hope that the Third Hokage would step forward to clear up the misunderstanding.
But in the end, even that small hope was dashed.
"Kakashi, what do you think about your father staying ho and always being here for you?"
"Huh?"
Kakashi was glad that the villagers had moved on and that the rumors hadn't escalated further.
But he was confused by his father's question.
Staying ho with all the ti?
Was that even possible?
Before long, father, you'll be busier than anyone else.
The disbelief in his son's eyes brought a wry smile to Sakumo's face.
He hadn't imagined that when he seriously discussed the idea with his son, the response would be far from ideal.
Maybe I've really been too busy in the past?
Sakumo began to reflect.
The matter of reinforcents couldn't be delayed any longer, or Orochimaru would continue to be overwheld.
It was true—ending a war quickly was impossible.
Even if Kirigakure was weakened, they were still one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages; Konoha couldn't simply crush them.
"Knock, knock, knock!"
The knocking at the door interrupted the Third Hokage's thoughts.
"Co in."
Frowning slightly, clearly displeased at being interrupted, the Third Hokage quickly adjusted his deanor.
"Lord Hokage."
Hatake Sakumo entered the office and bowed slightly.
"Sakumo?"
The Third Hokage smiled faintly:
"How have you been feeling during your rest at ho?"
"Quite well."
Sakumo forced a smile and placed the application he had prepared on the desk.
"?"
What is this?
The Third Hokage didn't rember assigning Sakumo any tasks that required gathering information.
Facing the Hokage's puzzled look, Sakumo said seriously:
"Lord Hokage, I've been thinking a lot lately and realized that I've been too busy, with little ti to spend with my family.
Kakashi is no longer a child; he's growing up, and I want to be there for him more as he matures."
"This is a promise I made to his mother. I hope you'll approve my request, please."
Sakumo bowed to express his gratitude.
What does this an?
The Third Hokage was still trying to process.
"Do you an you want to take a leave of absence?"
But aren't you already on leave, Sakumo?
It's mandatory leave, and you have plenty of ti to be with Kakashi now!
What are you trying to say today?
Wait!
Suddenly, the Third Hokage realized sothing and hurriedly opened the application on his desk, imdiately feeling dizzy.
Hatake Sakumo was applying for retirent?
What kind of joke was this?
The Third Hokage had intended to assign him a new mission in a while.
But now Sakumo was coming to him, asking to retire!
"No! I can't agree to this!"
There was no questioning Sakumo's abilities; if a shinobi of his caliber were to retire, it would be a massive loss for Konoha.
He couldn't let this happen.
"Sakumo, if this is about Orochimaru, I sincerely apologize. You must understand Orochimaru's ambitions."
Sakumo nodded and said:
"Lord Hokage, I know Orochimaru wants to beco a Hokage candidate, but my retirent has nothing to do with that. That's in the past, and I don't wish to revisit it."
"Besides, my departure could actually benefit Orochimaru."
...
The Third Hokage opened his mouth, but none of the argunts he had in mind ca out.
Damn it!
He was on the verge of swearing.
If he had known things would co to this, he would never have allowed Orochimaru and Danzo to target Sakumo, nor would he have stood by.
And now, Sakumo's spirit was broken, he was tired of it all, and he wanted to retire.
Fine, let Orochimaru and Danzo play their gas—I won't be a part of it anymore.
Wait, besides that, there was also the recent public outcry...
Danzo!
This was all your doing.
The Third Hokage was so furious that steam practically rose from his head.
"Kakashi's growth requires my presence, and I want to be a good father. Therefore, I sincerely hope the Lord Hokage will approve my request. Thank you very much."
After thanking the Hokage once more, Sakumo left without hesitation.
He didn't want to argue about right and wrong with the Third Hokage anymore—he was tired.
Perhaps retiring to stay at ho and spend ti with Kakashi was the best choice.
For most shinobi, retirent ant sealing certain mories and living like an ordinary person.
But Sakumo knew he wouldn't be afforded such a luxury; his mories wouldn't be sealed.
And he wouldn't be allowed to leave Konoha.
He would simply have to remain in Konoha and live out his days quietly.
And that was if his retirent request was approved.
If the Third Hokage chose to withhold approval, the result would be similar to what had happened to Takuya a few years ago.
As he walked out of the Hokage office, Sakumo felt a weight lift from his shoulders. Looking up at the blazing sun, he thought he might as well visit the market.
He could buy so ingredients and make a nice al for Kakashi, practicing his cooking skills so Kakashi wouldn't keep complaining about his bad cooking.
He was good at killing, but cooking well was a different matter altogether.
But cooking could be learned, and Sakumo believed that as long as he put in the effort, even if he couldn't beco a great chef, his food wouldn't be that bad.
He didn't expect to create gourt dishes—just ones that wouldn't disappoint Kakashi.
"Bang!"
Sakumo had left, but the Third Hokage was growing more and more frustrated. It was happening again!
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