"Sakumo, I never expected Orochimaru would use the Edo Tensei to bring you back," Jiraiya remarked, surprised. After all, Sakumo Hatake wasn't much older than the Sannin, making them peers in a sense.
Naturally, Jiraiya addressed Sakumo by his name directly. Sakumo, noticing how much older Jiraiya looked compared to his memories, sighed,
"Indeed, it's been decades since I passed away. I never thought I'd be resurrected one day." As he spoke, Sakumo turned his gaze to Yoruha.
He was most intrigued by Yoruha, as it was Yoruha who had released him from the Edo Tensei. "The younger generation of Konoha is far stronger than ours was."
Sakumo directed his words at Yoruha, who merely smiled without responding. Standing beside Yoruha, Tsunade placed a hand on his head like a big sister, saying, "Surprised, Sakumo? He's actually your son Kakashi's student."
Sakumo was momentarily taken aback. Yoruha felt a bit awkward. Although Kakashi was indeed his teacher, he didn't know what to say upon meeting Sakumo.
Sakumo chuckled, "It seems Kakashi is doing well." He was relieved to know Kakashi was living well and had a powerful student like Yoruha. Jiraiya laughed, "This kid was just hesitant to make a move because of your identity."
Earlier, Yoruha had mentioned that Kabuto had given him a difficult problem. Initially, Jiraiya thought Yoruha found Sakumo and Rasa challenging to deal with.
But seeing Yoruha dispel Kabuto's Edo Tensei in an instant, he realized the so-called problem was likely due to Sakumo's identity.
As Kakashi's student, Yoruha found it difficult to act against Kakashi's father, Sakumo.
Sakumo smiled, "In battle, such relationships don't matter, especially since this kid is so strong. We actually pose no threat to him."
Although the battle ended quickly, Sakumo could tell that Yoruha's strength far surpassed his own.
Particularly, Yoruha's speed was beyond what Sakumo could react to. Yoruha remained silent, unsure of what to say. With everyone present being of such high status, he felt it wasn't his place to speak.
He could only stand silently alongside Rasa. Rasa had many questions, but being unfamiliar with the group, and considering they were all Konoha ninjas, he refrained from asking. "Why would Orochimaru turn against you?"
Sakumo was puzzled, as he had committed suicide before the Third Shinobi World War. At that time, Orochimaru hadn't yet defected. Jiraiya and Tsunade fell silent.
Yoruha glanced at the two and explained, "Because he did some things that harmed the village, so he defected."
With Rasa nearby, Yoruha didn't elaborate on what those things were. Sakumo understood and sighed, "So the Sannin are missing one."
"How is Kakashi doing now?" Sakumo looked at Yoruha, his concern evident. Yoruha thought for a moment and replied, "He's doing well. Kakashi-sensei has many friends."
Yoruha knew what Sakumo wanted to ask. Sure enough, after Yoruha spoke, Sakumo felt reassured, "It seems my death didn't affect him."
Sakumo Hatake's Truth
"After you passed away, Kakashi-sensei did go through a period of depression, but his teammates managed to pull him back."
"Unfortunately, those two teammates of his died during the Third Great Ninja War."
Sakumo Hatake was a bit surprised. "There was a Third Great Ninja War?"
After all, when Sakumo Hatake died, the Third Great Ninja War hadn't started yet. Yoruha nodded. "Yes, the person next to you should know as well." Yoruha pointed to Rasa.
Sakumo looked at Rasa. "Why did Rasa die? He was a master of Magnet Release." Rasa was definitely a Kage-level powerhouse.
He was simply ambushed, just like the Third Kazekage, who died in a particularly frustrating way without even having the chance to use his jutsu.
Sakumo was quite surprised; in his time, Rasa was already well-known and highly valued by the Third Kazekage.
Yoruha looked at Rasa. Although he knew how Rasa died, Yoruha didn't say anything.
Rasa didn't explain either, just turned his head expressionlessly, creating a moment of awkwardness. The others didn't press him for answers.
After all, they weren't from the same village, but Rasa was the Fourth Kazekage, and they had to show respect, even if he was already dead.
Since Rasa didn't speak, Yoruha explained to Sakumo, "The Third Great Ninja War started because of the disappearance of the Third Kazekage of Sunagakure."
"And it was during the Third Great Ninja War that the Fourth Kazekage took the position."
"However, when Orochimaru attacked Konoha, Sunagakure was involved."
"It's said that Orochimaru assassinated the Fourth Kazekage, impersonated him to enter Konoha for the Chunin Exams, and launched an attack on Konoha during the exams."
Sakumo Hatake was a bit worried. "What happened to Konoha?"
Yoruha didn't answer because it wasn't his place to respond.
Jiraiya, who was beside them, replied, "Konoha suffered great losses. Orochimaru caused significant damage, and the Third Hokage died in battle."
Sakumo's expression tightened. "Even the Third died in battle? Has Orochimaru become that strong now?"
Sakumo was well aware of the Third's strength, which was definitely much greater than Orochimaru's. He couldn't believe Orochimaru could kill him.
Jiraiya explained, "He used the Edo Tensei technique. He summoned the First and Second Hokage, and the Third Hokage used the Reaper Death Seal to seal them."
Sakumo fell silent. He had great respect for the Third Hokage.
Back when he caused significant losses to the Land of Fire during a mission, the Third didn't blame him. By rights, he should have been imprisoned, but the Third didn't do that.
In the end, even his teammates stood up to accuse him, and he couldn't take it anymore, leading to his suicide. Only a few people knew about this, so in Konoha's narrative, Sakumo Hatake was always portrayed as a hero.
Because of this, Uchiha Obito couldn't understand why Kakashi was so downcast when he had a hero for a father, and it seemed like he even looked down on his father.
It wasn't until Minato told him the truth about Sakumo Hatake that Obito understood the reason for Kakashi's depression.
This also proved that the rumors spread by Danzo and the Third about Sakumo Hatake committing suicide due to public pressure were nonsense.
The truth was that Sakumo Hatake's teammates, whom he saved, also blamed him, which he couldn't bear, leading to his suicide.
The Konoha leadership never blamed him, and even though he should have been severely punished, the Third didn't impose any penalty.
It was simply that Sakumo couldn't mentally accept his mistake, and combined with his teammates' accusations, he took his own life.
This showed that Sakumo Hatake indeed had some psychological issues.
Even though Sakumo died in such a frustrating way, the Third still kept the truth hidden, promoting him as a hero who died for Konoha.
As a result, many of the younger generation only knew him as a hero of Konoha, without knowing the real reason for his death.
In the villagers' minds, Sakumo Hatake was always a hero of Konoha. Naturally, Sakumo wouldn't have any dissatisfaction with the Third as one might imagine. Instead, he found it hard to believe that the Third had died in battle.
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