Naruto: Konoha's Traitor

Public Opinion Rising

Sakumo Hatake returned from his mission—his entire five-man squad injured.

The most severely wounded was already being treated by a medical-nin.

Sakumo leaned against the wall, his body battered, as a medic worked on him. His face was pale and weary, brow tightly furrowed with anxiety and fatigue.

Kakashi rushed to his side. "Father, what happened?" he asked, worry in his eyes.

Sakumo didn't respond right away, staring into space as if lost in thought.

Kakashi called again, more insistently this time.

"…It's nothing," Sakumo finally muttered, voice hollow.

He waved off the medic and rose unsteadily, heading for the command tent. Without summoning Chi Yu, Sakumo gathered several trusted ninja for a debrief. But Chi Yu entered anyway—he already knew what had happened. Sakumo wouldn't mind him being present now.

Inside the tent, Shinsuke Nara spoke first, brows knitted in concern.

"Sakumo-sama, what happened? Were you ambushed?"

Sakumo shook his head, voice low and hoarse. "No. I abandoned the mission."

A stunned silence fell over the room.

Abandoned the mission?

From Konoha's White Fang?

Impossible…

"What kind of mission could force even you to retreat?" someone finally asked.

Sakumo explained, voice steady but heavy. "We were close—this close—to seizing the enemy's scroll. The Iwa-nin were on the back foot. But they captured Tsugu… and used him as bait in a trap."

Tsugu, the sensory-nin assigned to Sakumo's squad, had been instrumental for the mission.

"I chose to prioritize his life. I withdrew to save him," Sakumo continued, "but the trap was layered. After I reached him, explosive tags were triggered. Tsugu took the brunt of the blast…"

The room fell silent again. No one dared question Sakumo's judgment to save a comrade. That was the Will of Fire—protect your fellow shinobi.

Chi Yu scanned the room. Everyone still respected Sakumo. No one spoke out against him.

This meeting, clearly, was meant only to clarify the mission's failure.

Seeing Sakumo's exhaustion, they agreed to let him rest.

Outside the command tent, rumors had begun to stir. Most of the camp only knew that Sakumo's team had returned injured. Curious whispers spread like embers on dry wind.

Kakashi remained tense. He could feel it—something was weighing heavily on his father's spirit.

Then, just as things seemed to settle, the ANBU arrived.

Their orders: Sakumo and the surviving members of his squad were to return immediately to Konoha.

Chi Yu's eyes narrowed. This wasn't just a debrief—the Hokage and the Council were preparing to judge Sakumo.

Days passed.

Kakashi, distracted by worry, began making uncharacteristic mistakes in training.

Chi Yu stepped in. "Stop. You're pushing yourself too hard," he said.

Kakashi looked up, confused.

"If you're this worried," Chi Yu said, "go. Go back to the village."

"But—"

"No 'buts,'" Chi Yu cut him off. "You're his son. He's your father. He has no one else. Family comes before duty."

Kakashi clenched his fists, then nodded. "Understood. I'll head to Konoha right away. I'll come find you once I return."

Chi Yu watched him go, then returned to his quarters.

He penned a letter—addressed, of course, to Kushina Uzumaki.

From what Chi Yu foresaw, the mission failure would be twisted. Sakumo, who had sacrificed victory to save a comrade, would be condemned—not just by the higher-ups, but by the very man he saved.

Tsugu.

That betrayal would be the final blow. The collapse of faith in the Will of Fire. And Sakumo would spiral.

Chi Yu instructed Kushina in his letter: monitor the rumors. Watch Tsugu. If anything seemed off, inform him immediately.

He tied the letter to a summoned serpent and sent it slithering toward Konoha.

The next day, Chi Yu resumed his journey—still searching for Karin's mother.

Three months passed.

With Kakashi gone, Chi Yu traveled faster. He had nearly exhausted every inch of the terrain around Kusagakure.

But still, no trace of a red-haired woman.

Chi Yu pressed a hand to his right eye. "…Then I'll have to rely on the Sharingan. If nothing turns up soon… I'll leave with Kushina."

That would be a desperate move. To defect from Konoha with both the Sharingan and an Uzumaki jinchūriki would be akin to painting a target on their backs. The shinobi world was on the brink of chaos. Chi Yu wasn't yet strong enough to protect them both from it.

As he prepared to set out again, a serpent approached.

He untied the letter.

His eyes darkened as he read Kushina's update.

For the past three months, letters had flowed frequently between them. Several of Chi Yu's snakes had even perished from exhaustion.

And with each message, the situation grew worse.

Public opinion in Konoha was shifting—fast and mercilessly.

Rumors about Sakumo's mission had become common talk in the village. It was said that the scroll he'd failed to retrieve was vital to Iwagakure's military strategy. Had it been intercepted, Konoha might have turned the tide of the war.

Instead, Sakumo chose one life over hundreds.

At first, people only questioned him. Then came the blame. Then, condemnation.

He was labeled selfish. Reckless. A traitor to the village's future.

Eventually, the Hokage and the Council stripped Sakumo of his ranks and duties.

And Shinsuke Nara had been named provisional leader of the Kusagakure front.

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