Chapter 117: The Unique Rin Nohara

"Mr. Hatake, if you are unwilling to say anything, you are making things very difficult for us. This interview is also at the request of the Daimyo's envoy. If you have any grievances or inside information, you can share them with the public through the Ninja World Weekly."

The president of the Konoha Newspaper tried his best to persuade him, but Sakumo Hatake remained reluctant to speak. Beside him, Rin Nohara was also growing anxious; she had just heard the president mention that if things continued this way, it might negatively affect Kakashi.

At that moment, Sakumo Hatake was visibly moved, yet his stance remained unchanged. No matter what the newspaper president asked, he would either shake his head or remain silent. Sakumo was no political fool; he was simply more pure-hearted at times, but he was certainly not blind to how the higher-ups in Konoha treated him.

The Daimyo wanted him to become the Hokage, but the Konoha leadership did not want a Hokage who was close to the Land of Fire. In their view, the Hokage should be loyal to Konoha, not treat the village as a subordinate agency of the Daimyo.

Sakumo understood the Third Hokage and the other leaders; he had understood the issue of political positioning since the day he became a ninja.

But they should not have used the act of saving a comrade as an excuse!

If they had used any other reason, Sakumo might have come to terms with his mistakes after reflecting on them—he had failed the mission and brought losses to the Land of Fire and Konoha. But saving a comrade was never wrong; it was not an excuse that should be tainted by politics.

That was why Sakumo had always refused to accept the narrative. He had rejected missions and shut himself away. Yet, the situation had not calmed down; they seemed to believe he was unwilling to accept defeat and was brewing some other conspiracy.

"The reason of saving a comrade cannot be tarnished by anything else, otherwise, the ninjas in the village will all become cold-blooded murder weapons."

This was what Sakumo thought, which was why he remained silent no matter how the editor of the Ninja World Weekly questioned him. Once he spoke, it might invite even stronger suspicion from the Konoha leadership.

Rin Nohara also wanted to know the truth or try to persuade him, but she had no standing. Being allowed into the house was already a privilege, so she could only sit there, feeling anxious.

When Kakashi finally returned home after finishing his mission and learned of the intentions of the newspaper president, Rin, and Obito Uchiha, he showed them out of his home.

Kakashi had heard the rumors outside, but he trusted his father. He did not want to see these people's intentions or hear their questions about his father, so he directly asked them to leave the Hatake residence—not even for his father's sake would he allow it. If his father did not want to talk, he surely had his reasons.

After leaving the Hatake house, Rin couldn't help but ask: "Mr. President, Kakashi's father is unwilling to talk. What should we do now?"

"What should we do... young lady, you should go home. While I understand your desire to help a friend, you saw it yourself just now—Mr. Hatake's son does not seem to need your concern."

The newspaper president’s words made Rin and Obito Uchiha blush. Kakashi’s attitude toward them had been indifferent, a far cry from the good friends they claimed to be.

Rin clasped her hands behind her back and twiddled her fingers, saying, "I... I want to help Kakashi."

Obito Uchiha, however, said indignantly, "That stuck-up guy! He didn't even host us properly when we visited. I don't want to care about him anymore!"

Their contrasting attitudes made the newspaper president realize the nature of the relationship between the three. He smiled and said, "Both of you, it is getting late. You should head back. I still have to report to the court noble, so I won't be heading in your direction."

*A court noble?*

Seeing the way the newspaper president spoke, Rin was suddenly curious about him. A court noble of the Land of Fire must be someone of high status. If it were him, would he have the power to help Kakashi?

As someone who excelled in the theory classes at the Ninja Academy, Rin knew what the title of "court noble" represented. In the Land of Fire, aside from the Daimyo and those few ministers, the court nobles held the highest status.

However, Rin also knew that with her current identity, it would be impossible to even speak to such a person; otherwise, she could have just gone directly to the Hokage.

After the newspaper president left, Obito smiled and said to Rin, "Rin, it's so late. Should I walk you home?"

"No need, Obito. I can go back by myself. It's late; you should go home and rest early too."

After saying this, Rin waved to Obito and left.

Once Rin was gone, Obito chuckled and thought, "Rin is so kind..." He decided he would train hard when he got home to surpass that guy, Kakashi, as soon as possible.

However, Rin did not go home immediately. After parting ways with Obito, she quietly followed the newspaper president. She watched as he walked into a house behind Kahn’s Dessert Shop, and only then did she nod and leave.

This was likely where the court noble mentioned by the president lived. Although it was difficult to rashly ask for help, she could tell Kakashi; perhaps he would have a way.

Thinking about how she knew this but could do nothing, Rin felt a sense of urgency.

With that in mind, Rin did not go home, but instead went to the place where Nonō Yakushi resided.

...

"Student Nohara, I thought you would need a few more days to think about it. I didn't expect you to come so quickly. Did you run into something?"

Nonō Yakushi poured a cup of tea for Rin and asked casually. However, after taking the cup, Rin did not answer. The matter of helping Kakashi was embarrassing to talk about, so she looked around and remained silent.

"Since that is the case, I won't ask further. Student Rin, are you sure you want to accept my help? You should know, I don't help people without a reason..."

Nonō Yakushi continued: "Actually, among us commoner ninjas, some who have good relationships help each other. But I feel such help is too limited, so I established a Mutual Aid Society. Those who join can receive the support of the society. In the future, when you become strong, you must also give back to the society. We uphold the principle of mutual benefit."

After listening, Rin opened her eyes wide and asked, "That sounds great. Teacher Nonō, are there many people in the Mutual Aid Society?"

Nonō Yakushi shook her head and smiled: "Not many. Including myself, there are only about a dozen. Currently, we just exchange ninjutsu or training insights so that we can better survive once we reach the battlefield."

The society was real, but the members were all Genin. Moreover, Nonō had attracted some Genin not from the orphanage as cover. The ninjutsu resources they could exchange were limited, mostly just a few C-rank techniques.

However, ninjas with talent were contacted personally by Nonō, and they had the chance to receive B-rank or A-rank ninjutsu as an investment. If they performed well, once the Super Soldier Serum went into mass production, Kahn might even give them an opportunity.

"In that case... I am willing to join the Mutual Aid Society, Teacher Nonō."

Rin thought for a moment and smiled. If she wanted to improve, she could only rely on Teacher Nonō; otherwise, there were too few opportunities for advancement in the Ninja Academy.

Seeing that Rin had agreed, Nonō convinced her that every member had to have a curse mark left on their body, claiming it was necessary for identifying members in the future. Although Rin was somewhat clever, she lacked life experience, and she couldn't think of a reason for Nonō to deceive her, so she agreed.

However, before planting the mark, Nonō used some medicinal tricks to make Rin drift into a groggy sleep.

...

Only then did she get up to contact Kahn.

...

"A little girl is actually worth this much effort from you, Non