Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't uphold justice. Instead, under pressure from Kumogakure's hardline stance and to avoid a larger-scale war, he chose to sacrifice the "clan head" of the Hyuga Clan by having him killed.
That's how it appeared to outsiders, at least.
Konohagakure, to appease Kumogakure's anger, offered up the strategically valuable head of the Hyuga Clan.
Hyuga Hiashi was fortunate to have a twin brother who could serve as his substitute. Without that identical sibling, it would've been Hiashi himself who died.
To act so brazenly at their doorstep and still display such weakness…
Moreover, what was Nohara Rin's status compared to Hyuga Hiashi's?
If even Hiashi couldn't escape being sacrificed, how could someone as insignificant as Nohara Rin possibly be spared?
"Sensei Minato, when do we leave?"
"…Tomorrow."
Namikaze Minato's expression carried a trace of dejection.
This outcome was hard for him to accept.
Yet, the orders from Konoha's higher-ups and the village's safety weighed heavily on him.
The dual pressures left him breathless.
"Alright."
Shimizu Uchiha nodded, saying nothing more.
In Namikaze Minato's heart, the village always came first.
He knew full well what kind of treatment a Jinchuriki endured.
Yet, for the sake of maintaining the balance of the Tailed Beasts, he chose to sacrifice Naruto's childhood to ensure the village retained such a weapon.
As a father, he was far from exemplary to Naruto.
All for his own selfish desires.
His actions weren't so different from the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, who never consulted his children's opinions.
Of course, back then, Minato had no way of asking Naruto's opinion either.
For the village, he had no other choice.
Everything was for the village.
This gathering of Team Minato ended on a sour note.
Namikaze Minato felt uneasy.
Kakashi felt even worse. His heart yearned to keep Rin alive, to honor his promise to Obito.
But his reason told him this was the best outcome for the village.
As for Shimizu Uchiha, he was the first to leave.
The others were merely limited by their lack of information.
As long as the Tailed Beast was resealed, no one had to die.
It didn't even need to be the same Tailed Beast.
Naruto lost the Yang half of the Nine-Tails but had the Yin half sealed into him, successfully preserving his life.
However, this required a prerequisite: splitting the chakra into two independent portions.
Killer B, after having his Tailed Beast extracted, survived thanks to the Eight-Tails' unique ability to regenerate severed limbs, using a portion of its chakra to keep him alive.
Otherwise, if a Tailed Beast's chakra were divided into a hundred portions, you'd have a hundred Jinchuriki, but their power would be greatly diluted.
Shimizu was now on his way to visit Uzumaki Kushina to inquire about sealing techniques.
The Uchiha Clan had a similar method, splitting chakra into Yin and Yang portions.
Unfortunately, it was too crude. The technique stemmed from an Uchiha born with only half a functioning chakra network.
This Uchiha devised a method to split their chakra into two parts: one flowing through the chakra network as Yang, the other residing in the body without a chakra network as Yin.
Without a chakra network, chakra conduction was heavily impaired, and that half of the body couldn't refine chakra.
The Yin chakra existed independently, periodically supplemented by the Yang side.
This technique had only been used to split human chakra. Dividing a Tailed Beast's massive chakra might waste a significant amount.
If half of the Three-Tails' chakra remained in Nohara Rin's body, it would essentially belong to Shimizu.
He could experiment with the Three-Tails' chakra at any time.
Every bit preserved was a gain.
After Shimizu left, Kakashi looked at Nohara Rin.
"Kakashi, I'm heading back," Rin said softly, wiping a tear from her eye as she bid him farewell.
"Rin…" Kakashi called out to her.
But when Rin turned to face him, Kakashi's gaze wavered, as if avoiding her eyes.
His inner turmoil and pain left him speechless. He was afraid—afraid he might say something about giving up on her.
For a fleeting moment, Kakashi considered betraying the village and running away with Rin to wander the world.
Why should Rin have to die for the village?
Why should others get to happily embrace the arrival of peace?
If Shimizu were there, he'd see right through Kakashi's conflicted emotions.
In Kakashi's ANBU Arc, while Kakashi and Itachi were staking out in the shadows, Kakashi half-jokingly said to Itachi, "They're leisurely eating hotpot while we're stuck in the dark chewing on soldier pills."
The words people speak are, to some extent, a reflection of their hearts.
Kakashi was far from someone who harbored no resentment toward the village.
"Kakashi, it's okay. If this is my fate, I can accept it, as long as I can protect you all."
Rin didn't know what Kakashi was thinking, but she could sense his hesitation from his expression.
She didn't want him to keep suffering from guilt, so she gave him a radiant smile.
But to Kakashi, that smile carried a hint of sorrow.
Kakashi closed his eyes in pain, his heart bleeding.
He had failed Obito's trust and broken his promise to Rin.
The guilt and regret were suffocating.
But what could he do?
He hadn't stopped the Tailed Beast from being sealed into Rin, so this day was inevitable.
The power of a Tailed Beast had already revealed its tip in the war.
When a Jinchuriki and their Tailed Beast achieved perfect harmony, becoming a Perfect Jinchuriki, their destructive power was akin to an ultimate weapon.
"Rin, I really… I really don't want to do this."
Kakashi's voice trembled, his fists clenched so tightly that veins bulged on the backs of his hands.
Only now did he truly understand his father's feelings.
The choice between mission and comrades, village and comrades—which should he choose?
His father chose comrades, failed the mission, caused Konoha significant losses, and was vilified by all, ultimately taking his own life in front of Kakashi.
Nohara Rin shook her head, her voice still gentle.
"Kakashi, I don't blame you. I just hope… we could have a different ending."
As the twilight glow faded, a mournful air hung over the streets.
Passersby couldn't sense the pain in their hearts.
They didn't even know what had happened.
The joys and sorrows of one person don't connect with another's.
In the end, Nohara Rin left.
Kakashi, dazed and numb, returned home.
He stared at the dim ceiling.
The Sharingan in his left eye, with its three tomoe, spun relentlessly, its crimson hue almost dripping with blood.
He couldn't abandon his duty or disregard the village's peace.
That responsibility was a massive shackle, binding his heart and causing unbearable pain.
He kept replaying Rin's final words in his mind.
She didn't blame him.
"Is Kushina home?"
Shimizu knocked on the door.
After some rustling, Uzumaki Kushina opened it.
"Shimizu, it's late. What's up?" Kushina asked, pushing the door open and walking to the living room.
She wore casual home attire—a white short-sleeved shirt and loose pants.
"I wanted to ask if there's a sealing technique that can separate chakra and seal a portion of it," Shimizu said after some small talk, getting to the point.
"Sealing techniques…" Kushina hesitated.
Among the Uzumaki Clan's vast array of sealing techniques, such methods existed in abundance.
But the Uzumaki Clan's sealing techniques weren't meant to be widely shared. Teaching Namikaze Minato had already pushed the limit.
If Shimizu had come earlier, she might've taught him.
But having already taught Minato, teaching another would be too much.
Konoha's higher-ups would come knocking.
"Not an Uzumaki Clan technique—any other clan's sealing technique will do," Shimizu clarified, sensing her hesitation.
"Hmm, I do have a few. Hold on."
Kushina went upstairs, her loose pants accentuating her curves with each step.
Shimizu stole a few glances, nodding to himself.
Even though Kushina rarely went on missions, she hadn't neglected her training.
Konohagakure was a ninja village, and even civilians here had a habit of staying fit.
"Here you go."
After a short wait, Kushina returned with several scrolls.
"These contain sealing techniques collected by the Uzumaki Clan from other ninja clans," she said, handing them to Shimizu.
In the ninja world's thousands of years of history, the Uzumaki weren't the only ones skilled in sealing techniques.
But the Uzumaki Clan absorbed countless techniques and surpassed others in their understanding, snowballing their advantage to become the undisputed top sealing clan.
After establishing their nation, other villages grew restless and united to attack them.
In that war, even Konoha, their long-time ally, offered little aid.
A great nation fell, leaving countless Uzumaki displaced.
Yet Konoha only took in Uzumaki Kushina, and only because her unique chakra was effective at suppressing Tailed Beasts.
Otherwise, it's uncertain whether Kushina would've even made it to Konoha.
"Thanks," Shimizu said gratefully, accepting the scrolls.
His frequent visits to help Kushina with massages had paid off.
Though he didn't get the coveted Uzumaki Clan techniques, these were better than the Uchiha Clan's.
The Uchiha excelled in Fire Release, surpassing other clans in that regard, but were average elsewhere.
Having spent time in the Land of Lightning, the Uchiha also had many Lightning Release techniques.
But most were lost during their migrations across several nations from the Land of Lightning to the Land of Fire.
"No problem," Kushina said with a casual wave.
She'd asked for Shimizu's help plenty of times; this was nothing.
Plus, Shimizu had helped her suppress the Nine-Tails.
"Shimizu, does the Uchiha Clan's ability have some unique effect on Tailed Beasts?" Kushina asked, voicing a lingering curiosity.
When Shimizu entered her mental space, he'd subdued the Nine-Tails with just his Sharingan.
Could the Sharingan, like her special chakra, suppress Tailed Beasts?
"No idea," Shimizu replied bluntly, claiming ignorance.
"Oh, alright," Kushina nodded.
If Shimizu didn't know, there was nothing to be done.
Perhaps he had some unique trait, like her own.
"See you next time, Kushina."
With the scrolls in hand, Shimizu said his goodbyes and left.
That was the kind of man he was.
No gain, no effort.
Cold and efficient, like a beast taking what it wants and moving on.
"See you," Kushina said with a smile, waving.
She couldn't help but notice that Shimizu's scent seemed increasingly pleasant.
At the Hokage Tower:
"Minato, regarding this marriage arrangement, how about Kakashi?" Sarutobi Hiruzen asked, looking at Namikaze Minato.
Minato's eyes widened slightly. "Lord Third, why Kakashi?"
"There's a darkness lurking in his heart. I can sense it. Since joining ANBU, he's grown colder. A normal family life might help him," Hiruzen said calmly.
Kakashi was known among his peers as "Cold-Blooded Kakashi."
If not corrected, he'd veer down a dangerous path.
Moreover, the Hatake Clan was a ninja clan, not a kekkei genkai clan.
Kakashi was its last member.
Hiruzen had noticed Kakashi's lack of interest in romance, even brushing off Nohara Rin's affection.
Thinking of White Fang, Hiruzen sighed.
White Fang's mental fragility had exceeded everyone's expectations.
Even Hiruzen hadn't anticipated his suicide.
He was the first ninja in Konoha's history to take his own life due to slander.
If Kakashi didn't marry and have children, the Hatake Clan would end.
"This…" Minato hesitated.
The Hokage was right—Kakashi had grown distant since Obito's death, as if a wall separated him from others.
"Minato, I'm entrusting this to you," Hiruzen said, leaving no room for refusal.
Minato knelt on one knee. "Yes, Lord Third."
In the Uchiha compound at night, a cool breeze stirred.
Uchiha Shisui walked silently along the streets.
His thoughts lingered on a girl.
A girl named Kurenai.
"Why… did she get so upset just because I said something bad about Brother Shimizu?" Shisui wondered, trying to understand such bonds.
Within the Uchiha Clan, members were fiercely loyal but also harbored their own pride.
Those who got along were close; those who didn't often clashed.
"Shisui, not resting yet?" Shimizu's figure emerged from the shadows of a streetlamp.
"Brother Shimizu… I was just heading back," Shisui said, nodding.
Shimizu was older, so calling him "Brother" felt natural.
"What's your view on the clan versus the village?" Shimizu asked.
"The clan's too emotional. Many things shouldn't be handled that way," Shisui replied.
"And if the village and the clan come into conflict, which side do you take?"
Shisui looked up, meeting Shimizu's dark, unreadable eyes.
Instinctively, he felt uneasy, as if his next words would shape his future.
Shaking off the absurd thought, Shisui answered, "The village must exist for the Uchiha to exist."
His words were brief but clear in their stance.
"The village…" A cold glint flashed in Shimizu's eyes.
Still strayed, huh.
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