Chapter 54 - Chapter 51

Sorry for the lack of uploads a lot has been going on and honestly I've been struggling with the thoughts of dropping this story. Hopefully this chapter conveyed a bit of Sakumo's turmoil nicely and expounded on the Hatakes warrior spirit and need for honor which will also be a focus point next ch🙇🏽‍♂️

There are mentions of Suicide be warned

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5 days earlier 

Huff huff huff~, As the sound of rough breathing cut through the eerie silence of the forest, three figures ran, chased by what could only be described as shadows. 

"This is all your fault, Sakumo." A boy with spiky black hair called out his voice, a mix of anger and exhaustion, as he pushed every fiber of his being to run.

Beside him, a girl with pale white eyes and dark brown hair couldn't help but try and intervene, albeit a bit shyly. 

"Kai, this isn't really the ti—" The girl started only to be cut off by the boy Kai.

"Shut up, Hyuga, you know it's his fault. If he wasn't so distracted by that dumb newspaper about that Senju orphan, Sensei wouldn't have had to save him and stay behind ," Kai said, yelling angrily, a small tear rolling down his face, his eyes a crimson red as a single tomoe spun within them. 

Sakumo, who ran in front of them, his face shadowed by the blanket of nighttime, responded in a cold voice. "Kai, I know this is my fault, and you are right, I should pay, but now is not the time…and watch your tongue when speaking about him," Sakumo warned, his face obscured by the darkness as he focused his face forward, not daring to look back. 

Kai, hearing this, flinched slightly at Sakumo's cold tone as he furrowed his brows. "What's so good about him anyways?" Kai mumbled through gritted teeth.

"They're here." A meek feminine voice said, cutting through the tension as Himari's pale white eyes, now sporting bulging veins by the side, were directed upward.

Soon two figures came crashing to the ground, cracking beneath them as a dust cloud erupted.

Sakumo, reacting quickly, pushed Kai out of the way as he flipped out of the way, quickly drawing his blade. Himari, already sensing them, dodged nimbly, her Byakugan still focused on them. 

"Himari," Sakumo called out, his voice low. 

"From their chakra level I estimate the one on the right to be low Jonin level and the one on the left Chunin," Himari responded quickly, her earlier shyness evaporated as the dangerousness of the situation called for her best.

As the dust settled, two figures were revealed. Both figures, shirtless, had toned chocolate skin, their bodies sculpted and chiseled like fine art. Both sported fierce expressions as they looked at the three young shinobi. On their head was a metal forehead protector with what looked to be drifting clouds.

"Hey kiddies, I brought you a present!" The shinobi on the left said with a sadistic smile on his face as he threw something toward the ground as the three's eyes instinctively glanced toward it, only for them to grimace in disgust.

Lying there was a severed head of a middle-aged man, his expression trapped in what seemed to be fear but also a sense of peace. As the three saw the head, one thought coursed through their heads simultaneously: 'Sensei.' 

Himari seeing this couldn't help but puke at the sight. While Sakumo trying to maintain his calm clenched his fist as he looked away from the sight.

"I'll kill you," a mumble erupted from Kai as his fingers clenched into his palms, drawing blood; his head hung low as a single tear escaped his eyes.

The ninja on the left, seeing Kai's inner turmoil, couldn't help but laugh sadistically as he asked, "What did you say, little Uchiha? Speak up." 

Kai, hearing this, gritted his teeth as his head shot up, his crimson red eyes sporting another tomoe that spun frantically in his eyes. "I said I'll kill you, bitch," he said as he shot forward toward the Chunin who threw out the head. 

Sakumo, watching this, could only curse Kaid: "You idiot, now is not the time to be caught up in our emotions; we need to escape.

But Kai didn't listen, his mind entirely focused on the Chunin as he completely disregarded the Jonin next to him. 

"Tsk," Sakumo said audibly as he turned to Himari, who stood rooted in place her face pale as she her body shivered uncontrollably. "Himari, go. I'll get Kai and fall back," Sakumo yelled as he sheathed his sword and lowered his stance.

Taking a deep breath Sakumo muttered, "Hatake Sword Style form 1: Lone Howl," as he shot forward, covering the distance separating him and the cloud shinobi in mere moments as he leaped at the Jonin as he drew his sword with immense speed. 

"What the—" The Jonin said, his eyes widening as the silver-white-haired youth who was meters away appeared directly in front of him, his sword swinging toward his throat like a wolf targeting his prey's weak spot. 

The Jonin, sensing his imminent death, tilted his body back slightly enough to miss a fatal hit, though a cut still appeared across his forehead. 

On the other side, the Chunin ninja no longer had a sadistic expression on his face as beads of sweat began to roll down his head.

'Damn, I knew we were too lucky. Running into two kids each holding one of Konoha's great Dojutsu and being guarded by such a weak sensei, I thought we had it made.Who knew this Uchiha would get that upset over it, and awaken those eyes. If only they could belong to Kumogakure' The Chunin said inwardly as he gritted his teeth in frustration.

It's not that Kai's strength was great, but anytime the man even tried to attack him, Kai simply avoided him with those stupid eyes, and then he would attack at the man's most vulnerable spot. 

'And now that Hyuga girl is gone,' the Chunin complained as he noticed the now empty spot where Himari had been standing. 'If we can't bring back the uchiha the raikage will have our heads' Th chunin stressed inwardly his focus directed at all the possible punishments the Raikage could enact.

Suddenly Kai's voice sounded out, "Fireball Jutsu." The Chunin's head snapping back saw a large fireball radiating heat charging at him. "Oh fuck," the Chunin said as his figure was enveloped in a blazing fire. 

On the Jonin's side, he had just dodged Sakumo's strike as he quickly snapped forward, his forehead smacking Sakumo's, forcing him back.

Sakumo staggered back a few steps and brought a finger up to his nose only to feel warm sticky blood. The Jonin, not wasting this chance, then quickly followed up with a swing from the right only to be met with Sakumo's sword. 

"Hatake Sword Style Form 2: Wolf's Reflex" Sakumo muttered as his sword took the brunt of the fist, redirecting the hit to his left, then countering with a counter slash once again aimed at the man's neck. 

The man, unable to dodge and looking as if he was about to be hit, was suddenly replaced with a wooden log with a puff of smoke.

Behind Sakumo the sound of crackling lightning sounded as he whipped around to see a blue hound made of lightning charging at him, aiming for his head. 

[Lightning Release: Lightning Beast Tracking Fang] 

Sakumo reacted just as quickly as the man did earlier and dodged the lightning's fatal blow, but it was still too fast as it sank its teeth into his shoulder. 

"Ahh," Sakumo yelled loudly as his sword slipped from his hand, blood pouring from his shoulder's open wound. 

The Jonin, seeing this, smirked as he walked slowly toward Sakumo, kunai drawn. "I admit, kid, you gave me a—" But before the man could finish, his instincts screamed as he instinctively reached for his neck, only to feel the warm sensation of blood.

"What the—" the man said as blood poured out of his head, turning slightly only to be met with a pair of crimson red eyes, two tomoe spinning slowly as he dropped to the floor dead. 

Kai, holding a bloodied kunai, met Sakumo's eyes as he looked at him with pure disgust. "You disgust me. I tried so hard to catch up to you, and this is what you amount to: a failure who got his sensei killed. It should've been you," Kai said as tears rolled down his face as he glanced once more at his sensei's severed head lying there. 

"Why couldn't it have been you who died, you failure? Stay away from me and Himari, otherwise we'll be the next people you get killed." Kai said as he venomously berated Sakumo before turning around and walking slowly.

Sakumo, hearing this, looked at his departing teammate with dull eyes. 

"He's right." A voice said, 

"Failure," said another. 

"Your ancestors must hate you." 

"You couldn't save them." 

"Your master will die because of you."

"You couldn't protect them."

"You're no warrior."

"You are a disgrace."

"Please stop. I—I'm sorry. I'd atone if I knew how; just tell me how!" Sakumo cried out his usual strong, dependable voice cracking under the weight of his failure as the voices got louder and louder.

Soon the image of a wolf filled his vision. The wolf, looking to be 18 feet, looked at Sakumo, its eyes holding contempt, as it said in a low voice, 

"You know how."

"There's only one way." 

"Your mistakes were irredeemable."

"Irredeemable mistakes require a price to atone for."

"You know how to atone."

"Die"

"Die 

"Die"

"Yes, I must die." Sakumo mumbled in a trance as his eyes dulled, his hand reaching for his sword raised it high, holding it with both hands as he turned the sword toward himself.

Similarly, in his vision, the wolf raised its paw, its longest nail aiming toward Sakumo's stomach.

"Master, I'm sorry; it seems this sword was not good enough." Sakumo whispered as he plunged the blade into his stomach, his body falling to the ground.

Similarly, the wolf, as if mirroring his blade, plunged its nail through Sakumo's stomach before drifting into the unknown.

During Sakumo's last seconds of consciousness, his mind was on one thing and one thing only: Hiruko. 'I want to see Hiruko,' he thought, and as if the heavens gave him one last wish, he could've sworn he heard someone call his name.