Hattori , Puppet Tyrant in Sand

Seeing the boy who had stepped forward, Hattori immediately recognized him—Uchiha Obito! 

One of the main villains in the later story, responsible for instigating the Fourth Great Ninja War, was still just a naive, young boy at this time.

"It's hard to imagine that this kid will cause so much trouble later. If I get rid of him now, wouldn't it save a lot of issues in the future?"

As he thought this, a hint of killing intent flashed in Hattori's eyes.

But the next moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly stepped forward, positioning himself between Hattori and Obito.

He spoke to Obito, "Alright, Obito, no more fooling around. Give me the flowers."

"Oh… alright!" 

Obito was momentarily stunned, not understanding why Hiruzen was suddenly addressing him, but then he handed him the flowers.

"Thank you, Lord Hokage!"

"Yes, you may go now," Hiruzen said with a nod.

After Obito left with Rin, Hiruzen turned and handed the flowers to Hattori, smiling as he did so.

"Here, take them. These are from a good child."

"A good child?"

Hattori shook his head with a smile. "I don't think so. This 'good child' will one day severely damage the Leaf Village and bring disaster to the whole ninja world. Can you believe that?"

"Oh, really?" Hiruzen chuckled lightly. "I find that hard to believe."

"Fine, whatever makes you happy," Hattori shrugged, changing the topic.

"Let's not talk about Obito anymore. Lord Hokage, we'd like to pay respects at the grave of the White Fang of Konoha. Is that possible?"

"This..."

Hiruzen hesitated, then looked at Ebizo standing beside him.

"Is this a request from the Sand Village?"

"No," Ebizo replied, bowing his head slightly.

"This is a personal request. During the last war, both my sister's son and daughter-in-law died at the hands of the White Fang, and it's been a wound ever since. But now that Sand Village and Leaf Village are allies, it symbolizes the end of old grudges. I just wanted to see the grave; it's fine if you don't agree."

"The end of old grudges, huh?"

Hearing this, Hiruzen pondered for a moment, then nodded. 

"Alright, let's go and see."

"Thank you, Lord Hokage."

Ebizo expressed his gratitude and turned to Rasa beside him.

"Rasa, let the others go. You don't have to accompany me; rest well today. Tomorrow, we return to Sand Village."

"Understood," Rasa agreed and went off to organize the Sand Village ninjas.

Ebizo walked alongside Hiruzen, heading toward the Leaf Village cemetery.

Hattori hadn't planned to go initially, but seeing the group of Anbu behind Hiruzen, he felt uneasy about Ebizo's safety. So, he went along with Pakura.

Soon, the group arrived at the Leaf Village cemetery.

The cemetery was outside the village, near the training grounds. It was vast, about the size of a large football field. In the cemetery's forefront stood a massive memorial stone covered in densely packed names.

Seeing this, Ebizo's face reflected a trace of hesitation.

Hiruzen understood his hesitation and said, "Sakumo Hatake's grave is this way; follow me."

Leading Ebizo, Hiruzen walked to the cemetery's edge and finally stopped at a small, unassuming mound of earth.

"This is it."

"Here?"

Seeing the unmarked, modest mound, Ebizo's face registered surprise.

"This is the grave of Konoha's White Fang?"

"Yes," Hiruzen nodded, clearly not wanting to say much.

Ebizo, still doubtful, glanced at Hattori, who nodded to confirm.

"Yes, this is Sakumo Hatake's grave. As I mentioned, his death was not honorable. Every village has its dirty secrets."

Hearing this, Ebizo fell silent, as did Hiruzen, and even the Anbu behind him lowered their heads.

Seeing this, Hattori sighed, then stepped forward and spat on the grave.

"Phft! Sakumo Hatake, this spit is for my teacher, Chiyo. You killed her son and daughter-in-law, leaving her half a life of loneliness and grief. This is just my spit; it's no more than you deserve!"

Afterward, he placed the flowers he held before the grave.

"And this bouquet is my personal offering, as I respect you as a worthy ninja. May you rest in peace."

Hearing this, Pakura, who was with him, placed her flowers on the grave as well and put her hands together in prayer.

"May you find peace."

She then returned to Hattori's side.

Ebizo, holding his own bouquet, thought for a moment, then also placed it before the grave.

Seeing this, Hiruzen and the Anbu behind him had complex expressions on their faces. 

A ninja pushed to his death by his own village, now honored by people from an enemy country—it was difficult for them to fathom.

Then Ebizo turned to Hiruzen, bowed once more, and said, "Thank you, Lord Hokage, for granting our unreasonable request. We'll take our leave now."

"Please," Hiruzen replied, and they courteously exited the cemetery.

After they left, three figures emerged from the bushes nearby.

If Hattori had been there, he would have recognized them instantly—Kakashi, Rin, and Obito.

Looking at the flowers on the grave, Obito was shocked. 

"It's hard to believe someone from the Sand Village would come all this way just to leave flowers here!"

He then turned to Kakashi and asked, "Hey, they said this guy's name is Sakumo Hatake. You're a Hatake too, aren't you, Kakashi? Do you know him?"

"A useless rule-breaker," Kakashi muttered, coldly glancing at the flowers before turning to leave.

"W-Wait, hey…" Obito started to call after Kakashi but was stopped by Rin, who gave him a reproachful look.

"Obito, don't talk recklessly. Sakumo Hatake is Kakashi's father."

Obito: "╭(°A°`)╮" 

(End of Chapter)