There is not muchtime, so I must write briefly.
Our investigation intothe matter of your concern has been completed up to the degree you specified.However none of my 10 comrades have returned, and I have been left on my own.
I do not know if theyare dead or alive. However,
I think that there’s no mistake the enemy has sensed us.
I will get straight to the point.
The internal affairs of this country are far,
far worse than you had feared them to be. If we leave it be, then the Shinobi Union is going to end up in a predicament. No, in fact, I believe that the very framework of the world could end up changing.
There is a man who is shaping this country.
His name is Gengo.
This country is here because Gengo is, and Gengo is here because of the country.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say this entire country only exists for the sake of Gengo.
‘Enchantment.’ That is the word that describes Gengo the most suitably.
Gengo may end up becoming an existence that will change the world.
I’m not sure if I don’t want it to change.
The living things called Shinobi don’t really have a saving grace to them, do they?
Because we endure, we are shinobi.
But is that really a good thing?
Hokage-sama.
No, Kakashi-san.
I don’t know who I am anymore…
Lifting his head from reading Sai’s letter, Shikamaru let out one small exhale
Kakashi was seated at his desk in front of him,
his elbows leaning against the surface. He was wearing the hat that all Hokage’s must wear during official business or otherwise. It weighed down on his hair that had grown out in the last few years. Every part of his face that lay below his nose was hidden behind a mask as always.
Cradling his jaw with both hands, he was quietly watching Shikamaru’s reaction.
“What are you thinking?” He asked, with a very clear voice.
There was no one other than them inside the Hokage’s Office.
“I’m thinking…why would Sai send back a Beast Imitation, instead of returning himself?”
“That is indeed a thing to wonder.”
Letting go of his chin, Kakashi leaned back thoughtfully. Tilting his jaw to look up at the ceiling, he let out a louder and bigger sigh than Shikamaru had.
“And I’m thinking that, looking at the letter, it seems that all except Sai have fallen into the enemy’s hands and been killed, doesn’t it?”
“It does look like that.”
“Sai was leading a team made up of ten of Anbu’s most skilled members.
I don’t think any of them could have made a foolish move that would expose themselves to the enemy.
So it seems that the enemy is very skilled as well.”
“Yes…” Saying so, Kakashi began to slowly spin around in his chair.
He spun around once, so Shikamaru was faced with the back of his chair,
before slowly turning around again. Kakashi was the kind of man who kept his shoulders slouched in even the most serious of circumstances.
Normally, when a person was faced with this kind of a situation,
their body would freeze up along with their thoughts. Kakashi was purposely making such seemingly carefree movement to stop his thoughts from freezing up.
He had learned to always keep his body moving from his years as a capable Shinobi who saw so much shocking, bloody carnage.
Shikamaru was looking at Kakashi with an anxious expression on his face. He opened his mouth to speak.
“At the moment Sai realised he had lost all of his comrades, there’s only one course of action he could have picked.”
“Escape, right?” Kakashi said, still watching the ceiling.
“Yes.”
Kakashi gave a nod to Shikamaru’s immediate reply.
Although he should have been directing his face to look at Shikamaru, he was still staring up at the ceiling.
“And yet he sent this kind of letter, instead of coming back to the village and reporting directly to you, Hokage-“