The Legend of White Fang 4 (Side-Story)

Uchiha Kanami was forcibly taken to a remote warehouse located at the north-western edge of the village, far away from the bustling crowds and prying eyes. The warehouse was heavily guarded by five well-trained chunin teams, all positioned at strategic points around the perimeter.

He was kept in an iron torture cage there.

Kanami's leg had been partially healed by the medical nin of Kumo, but he was still in immense pain. The third Raikage stared at him, his eyes fixed on the Sharingan that betrayed Kanami's identity. Raikage asked, "What's your name?"

Kanami, using a fake name, replied to the Third Raikage's question, "My name is Uchiha Shisui." It was a name he had chosen as an alias, inspired by the name his wife had thought of for their future child.

The third Raikage asked with a hint of suspicion, "What's your purpose?"

Kanami, using the fake name "Uchiha Shisui", replied with a calm demeanor, "I am a rogue ninja hired by the Hidden Waterfall Village to retrieve the money you stole from them."

The Raikage's expression turned into a scowl as he retorted, "Stole? We gave them essential military intelligence in exchange for that payment."

The Raikage changed the topic and asked, "Uchiha, isn't that a clan from Konoha? Why did you turn into a rogue ninja?"

Kanami's face twisted with anger and bitterness as he responded, "I hate Konoha, and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to take them down."

Dodai felt like Kanami was making up excuses and urged the Raikage to stop questioning and let the interrogator extract information from him.

Meanwhile, a 'Kikaichu' insect perched on a nearby tree branch, keenly observing the happenings in the basement.

[Anbu's Lodging House a few hours ago]

The interior of the room was occupied by the three Konoha shinobi, and an eerie silence filled the space. The atmosphere was somber and grim as if it were the calm before a storm.

Shinku's voice broke the silence, "What should we do now?"

Shibi leaned forward, "We continue the mission without Kanami. We can't abandon it now."

Sakumo sat in silence, staring out the window as his mind raced through all the possibilities. His thoughts were consumed by questions that seemed to have no clear answers. "Had the mission already failed? How could he save Kanami? Were all the necessary documents at the Anbu headquarters? Was a piece of information worth Kanami's life? What would he say to Kanami's wife when he returned to Konoha? Would he simply tell her that he had let her husband die? But what if this mission sparked a Third Shinobi War?" The weight of the situation bore down on him heavily, and he knew that the decisions he made could have far-reaching consequences for both Kumo and Konoha.

As Sakumo gazed outside the window, his mind suddenly drifted back to his past memories with Kanami. The memories brought a smile to his face, and he forgot about the tension in the room for a moment. He reminisced about the days when they were both chunin, training every day to become stronger and make a positive impact in the Land of Fire. Those days were full of fun and passion; they gave it their all without worrying about the consequences. It was a simpler time, and the memories made him feel happy and calm amidst the chaos of the current situation.

After much contemplation, he had finally made up his mind. He realized that there was a chance he might regret his decision later on, but deep down, he knew that if he went ahead with the mission, he would never be able to forgive himself.

Sakumo took a deep breath before answering. "Kanami is our comrade and we can't just leave him behind."

Shinku's confusion was palpable as he asked, "What?! Did I hear that right?"

Shibi, maintaining his calm demeanor, simply nodded in agreement with Sakumo's decision.

This only seemed to further bewilder Shinku, who couldn't understand what was going on. He turned to Shibi and asked, "HUH??????!! Why are you doing this? What changed your mind?"

Shibi stated firmly, "As shinobi, our duty is to follow orders without question. Anyone who willingly disobeys is regarded as a scum." Shibi continued, his voice steady and unwavering. "As shinobi, we are trained to put the mission first, above all else. And as team members, it is our duty to follow our leader's commands, even if it means putting ourselves in danger."

He then turned to Sakumo and added, "Similarly, a leader has to abide by the mission rules and ensure its success."

Sakumo takes a deep breath and then quickly reaches for Kumo Anbu's black cloak that he had set aside. He begins to speak, his voice steady and determined, "You are right, Shibi. As shinobi, we must obey our mission's rules, those who willingly disobey rules are scum. There's no doubt about it." Then he swiftly drapes the cloak over his shoulders, letting the familiar weight settle upon him. He further says, "But leaving our comrade to die would make us even worse than scum." As Sakumo steps out of the house through the window, the black cloak billows out behind him, almost seeming to come alive in the wind.

Sakumo pauses for a moment, his eyes scanning the darkening sky above. "It looks as if a thunderstorm is approaching," he thinks to himself.

[Torture Warehouse]

As the Raikage was making his way out of the warehouse, he couldn't help but notice the distinct sound of metal clanking.

'Clank Clank'

Even Dodai was growing increasingly concerned about the noises emanating from outside. Just as they decided to venture out and investigate, the sounds abruptly ceased and the previously noisy environment was enveloped in an eerie stillness.

Suddenly, a powerful gust of wind burst open the door, sweeping through the room and toward Kanami before disappearing just as quickly. Dodai was bewildered and unable to determine what and where it was. However, the Third Raikage's sharp eyes were fixed on the roof of the warehouse, where a figure stood upside down, dressed in the distinctive black cloak and mask of the Kumo Anbu. The only discernible feature was his distinctive grey hair.

Dodai finally noticed the person standing upside down on the roof, and he quickly realized that this was not a member of Kumo's Anbu. The person's actions and demeanor were unlike anything he had seen before. Despite the person's calm demeanor, there was an intense and palpable sense of danger emanating from him, causing even Dodai to feel uneasy.

That person was none other than Hatake Sakumo.

Sakumo finally took action, moving at blinding speed as he unsheathed his white chakra saber and swiftly thrust it into Dodai's shoulder. The force of the attack carried both of them to the wall of the warehouse, causing Dodai to let out a piercing scream of pain..

"Aaahhhh"

At the same moment Raikage charged at him with a fierce clothesline attack, but Sakumo remained unfazed. Raikage was not using his lightning armor or lightning to enhance his speed that was just his raw speed. But Sakumo was ready, and in a split second, he expertly sidekicks the Raikage with enough force to push him back a few steps.

With lightning-fast speed, Sakumo dashed toward the wall on the other end of the warehouse, in one swift motion. With a powerful strike, he slashed through the wall, creating a gaping hole, and escaped from the warehouse. The Raikage, startled by Sakumo's agility, quickly followed in pursuit.

As Dodai coughed up blood, he struggled to comprehend the identity of the attacker. He had initially assumed that the attacker was after the captive rogue ninja, but to his surprise, the attacker had left him behind and was now in pursuit of the Raikage. Dodai realized that the attacker could be an assassin sent to eliminate the Raikage, who was just using this situation to his advantage.

Dodai fired a red flare in the sky. Red flare means emergency and all the shinobi above chunin who see them are required to come to the spot.