Kuragami Uchiha and Kakashi escorted Gato to his vault. Having learned from the last time, Kuragami came well-prepared with plenty of empty sealing scrolls. This time, even with an extra person to split the spoils, Gato's wealth far surpassed that of the small-time noble who ran the gambling den in Tanzaku Town. After all, Gato controlled the entire economy of the country alone.
Keeping his word, Kuragami Uchiha took only seventy percent of Gato's fortune, roughly sixty billion Ryo. He then split the sum into two parts at a four-to-three ratio, handing the smaller portion over to Kakashi.
Kakashi was stunned as he received the sealing scroll. Thirty billion Ryo, this single payout might exceed the entire wealth accumulated by the Hatake clan throughout its history.
There was so much stored inside that even extracting the contents required him to refine his chakra two or three times just to sustain the energy needed for retrieval.
It was only then that Kakashi understood why Kuragami Uchiha was so generous. Judging by how skilled he was at this, it was obvious this wasn't his first time. During their visit to Tanzaku Town, was he doing the same thing there?
No wonder Kuragami dismissed the money he extorted from the Shimura, Mitokado, and Utatane clans as mere pocket change.
Even after Kuragami planted a curse mark on Gato and the two of them left the estate, Kakashi still couldn't stop staring at him in disbelief.
"Ahem, why are you looking at me like that?"
Kuragami asked while feeling slightly unnerved by Kakashi's gaze. Then he reminded him: "That money is not all for you. Keep 10% for yourself, 30% for your middle-level subordinates, and 60% for their subordinates. Pay attention to the process when distributing money."
"Like how you set up the police dog training center with the Inuzuka Clan and funded the Aburame Clan's Hidden Jutsu research?"
Kakashi asked as realization dawned.
"Not bad, you're starting to understand politics."
Kuragami replied with a smirk. The two exchanged smiles and headed toward their prearranged hotel.
Tonight, Kuragami Uchiha opened a brand new door for Kakashi. But as the initial shock and excitement faded, Kakashi began to process exactly what Kuragami had involved him in.
If word got out about what they had done tonight, the entire Shinobi World would turn against them. They had openly trampled on the unspoken rules that all shinobi operated under. And without even realizing it, Kakashi had become his accomplice.
Thinking of this, Kakashi's hand trembled slightly as he touched the seal scroll containing a huge amount of wealth in his arms. Then he swallowed his saliva and called Kuragami Uchiha: "Hey, Kuragami."
"Hm?" Kuragami turned back with a smile.
"Do you realize… what are we doing?" Kakashi asked with difficulty.
"Of course I do."
Kuragami replied nonchalantly. "What, are you scared? If you are, just hand over the money. I'll pretend you were never here."
"Until today, I thought you just wanted to become Hokage."
Kakashi said, taking a deep breath. "But after tonight… Kuragami, what is it you're really after?"
Hearing the question, Kuragami's smile faded. His voice grew steady as he warned: "You really want to know? I should warn you, once you do, there's no turning back."
Kakashi locked eyes with him. The usual warm and carefree Kuragami now looked eerily calm, his face unreadable. Under the cold moonlight, his presence took on an unsettling sharpness.
For a moment, Kakashi hesitated. But then, he remembered, this was the man who had cleared his father's name, allowing him to walk with his head held high again. The man who had helped him care for his teacher's son. The man who, when Kakashi was ensnared in a deadly conspiracy, had intervened without hesitation, shattering the trap set against him.
With that in mind, Kakashi shook his head and said: "I've already been your accomplice for a long time. There's no going back. So… Tell me. What is it you truly want to do?"
Hearing this, a smile once again crept onto Kuragami's face.
"What do I want to do?" He repeated. "I want to change this sick, broken world."
Kakashi's pupils contracted. But before he could ask further, Kuragami posed his own question. "There are plenty of people in the village who claim to love peace. They preach that mutual understanding will one day erase all war. But tell me, Kakashi, have you ever really thought about the nature of war?"
Kakashi shook his head. Minato and Jiraiya often debated this topic. Both firmly believed that if people could truly understand one another, war would naturally disappear.
But how do we achieve such an ideal? Neither of them had an answer. Jiraiya simply placed his faith in the prophecy of the Great Toad Sage, the destined child who would one day bring peace.
"We all lost people in the Third Shinobi World War."
Kuragami continued. "But once the war ended, did anything actually change? No. The nobles and daimyos still sit at their tables, treating nations like a game of shogi, waiting until their pieces are replenished before starting another round. Your so-called bonds, friendships, and love? To them, they're just cold, disposable numbers."
"At its core, war is merely an extension of politics. The peace that shinobi sacrifice their lives for? It's nothing more than a convenient choice made by those at the top, dictated by the balance of power at the time."
"And the worst part? We, the ones who hold true power, are shackled by archaic rules and treated as nothing but tools. We shinobi can crush these so-called rulers with a flick of our fingers, yet they sit comfortably, playing with our lives, while we blindly obey the roles assigned to us. Doesn't that strike you as absurd?"
Kuragami's words tore through the veil of illusion, laying bare the ugly reality before Kakashi's eyes. As he spoke, he lifted his gaze to the glowing moon, his Sharingan morphing into the Mangekyo Sharingan.
"This world is diseased."
He declared. "And I intend to cure it."
"For the children who should be allowed to grow up in peace. For the heroes who should never have been disgraced. For the young souls who should never have died in vain. If cleansing this world demands that my hands be stained with blood, then so be it; I will bear that sin alone."
Kakashi stood frozen. His lips parted several times, but no words came out. Minutes passed before he finally steadied himself, his expression resolute.
"In that case." He said firmly: "I will walk this path with you."
Kuragami said nothing. Instead, he simply extended his right hand.
Without hesitation, Kakashi reached out and grasped it.
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