UCHIHA LIBERATOR (NARUTO X MALE UCHIHA OC)

Chapter 24

3RD POV

The morning sun shone weakly, veiled by gray clouds that seemed to mirror the somber atmosphere. Ryuichi stood among the gathered shinobi and villagers, dressed in black, the Uchiha crest faintly visible on his dark haori. He looked around at the faces, a sea of mourners, yet the space felt suffocatingly empty.

The funeral ceremony for Sakumo Hatake was simple but heavy with unspoken grief. The Third Hokage stood at the front, delivering words of respect for the fallen hero. He spoke of Sakumo's bravery, his accomplishments, and the undeniable mark he had left on Konoha's history.

But Ryuichi couldn't focus on the words. His eyes drifted to the small figure standing near the front: Kakashi. The boy stood perfectly still, his face unreadable behind his mask, his silver hair shining faintly in the dim light. Beside Kakashi was a photo of Sakumo, framed by white lilies, the man's warm smile immortalized in stark contrast to the tragedy of his end.

Ryuichi clenched his fists at his sides. The whispers in the crowd didn't stop, and their words gnawed at him.

"He brought this on himself..."
"He disobeyed orders. He failed the mission. A disgrace."
"His death is no surprise. A shinobi who abandons the mission abandons their honor."

Honor? What about humanity? Ryuichi wanted to shout at them all. He bit his lip hard enough to draw blood.

As the service ended, people began to trickle out of the cemetery. Ryuichi lingered, standing near a sakura tree, his eyes watching the Hatake family's grieving son. He wanted to say something to Kakashi, anything, but the words stuck in his throat.

Then he saw him.

One of Sakumo's former teammates—a chunin in his late twenties, with a sharp face and cold eyes—stepped away from the funeral group. The man had been among those saved by Sakumo's decision to abandon the mission, yet his expression showed no hint of gratitude or grief.

Instead, the man wore an air of disdain, as though his presence was a mere obligation.

Ryuichi stormed after the man, his rage still simmering. The clang of the funeral bell echoed faintly in the background, but it was distant noise compared to the storm in his chest.

"Hey!" Ryuichi called, sharper this time. The man stopped and turned, his face hard and unreadable.

"What is it, Uchiha?" he asked, his tone neither hostile nor welcoming.

"You were one of Sakumo's teammates on that mission," Ryuichi said, his Sharingan swirling faintly, betraying his heightened emotions. "He gave up everything to save you. He chose your life over the mission, and this is how you repay him? By turning your back on him?"

The man's jaw tightened. He looked Ryuichi over, his eyes lingering on the faint bruises from Ryuichi's recent training. Finally, he sighed, folding his arms.

"You're young," the man said. "You think this world is just about heroes and villains, about saving lives and doing what feels right. But it's not."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ryuichi demanded, his voice rising.

The man stepped closer, his expression cold but not unkind. "You think Sakumo's choice was noble? You think it was simple? Let me tell you what that mission was about."

Ryuichi's fists unclenched slightly, curiosity piercing through his anger.

"We were sent to intercept and steal intel about Kumo's planned assault," the man explained. "That information was critical. It wasn't just about saving shinobi; it was about preventing an all-out invasion. Lives—hundreds, maybe thousands—depended on us getting that intel back to Konoha."