"What happened?!"
Just as Nara Shikaku was directing people to collect the bodies, the Konoha Anbu—tasked with patrolling the village—finally arrived at the scene, far too late.
"It's under control now."
Nara Shikaku spoke calmly, casting a glance at the Uchiha squad leader who had been in command... Hatake Household
"You killed someone in the village?"
After bringing Naruto home, Kakashi had barely stepped through the gate when Hikari came rushing out to meet him, her eyes wide with surprise.
Three years of living together, plus the time she had spent personally guiding Kakashi through Fire Release chakra nature transformation and shape manipulation, had made Hikari intimately familiar with his techniques.
That earlier thunderous roar had been one of Kakashi's signature moves.
Sniff, sniff... Hikari leaned in close, her nose twitching faintly as the subtle scent of blood reached her.
"Yeah, I took out three from the Kumogakure Peace Delegation."
Kakashi said it offhandedly, handing Hikari a neatly wrapped package of Ichiraku ramen.
"Oh, then they had it coming."
"And you even remembered to bring me ramen."
"Big thumbs-up for that!"
Hikari nodded, accepting the ramen from Kakashi's outstretched hand.
To her, the lives of those three so-called peace delegates seemed less significant than the steaming bowl now cradled in her palms.
"Aren't you coming inside?"
Hikari tilted her head, puzzled, as she watched Kakashi settle onto the veranda floor just outside the door.
"Nah. Someone's going to summon me soon."
"Too lazy to take off my shoes."
Kakashi shrugged, legs stretched out in front of him.
He had just killed three Cloud shinobi. Even if the Third Hokage held him in high regard, the old man couldn't simply turn a blind eye.
"Oh. Then I'll keep you company."
Hikari considered for a moment, then carefully lowered herself beside him, cradling the ramen so the soup wouldn't spill.
Slurp~~~
"It's gotten a little soggy."
Hikari mumbled through a mouthful of noodles.
"Whose fault is that for not coming with me?"
Kakashi replied indifferently, his gaze fixed on the shishi-odoshi by the nearby pond. The bamboo tube clacked rhythmically against the stone, its crisp sounds rising and falling with the gentle flow of water.
The girl slurping beside him shot him a sideways glare, then delicately set the ramen down. From her back pocket she produced a book with a pale yellow cover and placed it in front of Kakashi.
"Ta-da! Guess what this is?"
Hikari held the book aloft, waving it triumphantly in his face.
Kakashi eyed the volume in her hand with faint surprise.
This is... Make-Out Paradise?
"Don't let the weird title throw you—it actually teaches guys how to treat girls right."
"You, Mr. Dense, could stand to read more stuff like this!"
Kakashi stared at the copy of Make-Out Paradise in Hikari's grip, a strange warmth bubbling up inside him.
So even here, it couldn't escape Jiraiya's influence, huh?
"This isn't some X-rated novel, is it?"
Kakashi took the book from her, arching a brow.
"Uh, it's a little suggestive, but it's actually a rare gem!"
Hikari's cheeks flushed at the question, yet she immediately leapt to the book's defense.
Kakashi glanced down at the familiar object in his hand. Aside from the title, the cover bore the author's signature in bold strokes:
I'm Really Not Jiraiya.
He snorted softly at the pen name's obvious grievance and was about to flip to the first page when a figure dropped soundlessly in front of him.
"Kakashi Hatake, the Hokage summons you."
Kakashi noted the newcomer's striking purple hair, then slipped Make-Out Paradise into his pocket.
"Come back soon."
Hikari called after him, mouth still full of noodles.
Kakashi said nothing more, simply falling into step behind Yūgao Uzuki as they headed toward the Hokage Building.
"Kakashi, brace yourself."
On the way, Yūgao Uzuki spoke up abruptly.
"Mm."
Kakashi gave a short acknowledgment and fell silent again.
Yūgao said nothing further.
As one of the Hokage's most trusted Anbu, even that brief warning already crossed a line.
The two moved swiftly through the village, and soon the Hokage Building loomed before them.
But... "Lord Hokage is up there."
Yūgao Uzuki pointed skyward.
Kakashi followed her gesture. It wasn't the second-floor office, but the Hokage Rock itself.
In the deep night, the carved faces seemed to watch him—like an aged lion surveying its pride.
Even in his later years, the old man's majesty remained untouchable.
That was... Hiruzen Sarutobi.
With a few light bounds, Kakashi reached the cliff atop the Hokage Rock.
An old man was already waiting.
"Lord Hokage."
The white-haired youth spoke with respect.
Normally, the elder would have answered Kakashi at once.
But now, hands clasped behind his back, Hiruzen Sarutobi faced the darkened expanse of Konoha without a word.
Cold wind flowed. Darkness streamed. Shadows crept.
"Kakashi."
"Come here."
After a long silence, a dry, weathered voice finally broke the stillness.
The white-haired youth walked forward without haste.
Yet the wind howled.
A spotted hand, riding a gust of fierce wind, whipped toward Kakashi's face!
If he didn't dodge, the blow would land squarely.
But it stopped.
The age-spotted palm froze in midair, mere inches from Kakashi's cheek.
The whistling palm wind ruffled his silver hair. Kakashi met the old man's turbid eyes—eyes brimming with anger and bitter disappointment—without flinching.
"Why didn't you dodge?"
"Because I'm not afraid."
Facing the junior he had once cherished most in the village, Hiruzen Sarutobi laughed through his fury.
"Not afraid!"
"What a fine 'not afraid'!"
"Do you even realize what you've done?!"
"Because of your reckless actions, war is now likely to drag on—or worse, flare up again!"
"Kakashi, you have disappointed me beyond words!"
"I thought you had inherited Minato's will of fire, but who could have imagined you would be so impulsive, so blind to the greater good!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi forced his rage down.
More than the prospect of renewed war, what truly infuriated him was Kakashi's impulsiveness.
"I did nothing wrong."
"Kumogakure came to Konoha with ulterior motives—they tried to abduct the Byakugan."
"The so-called Peace Delegation was nothing but a cover for stealing the Byakugan."
"They attacked our comrades inside the village, so I killed them."
Kakashi spoke calmly, meeting the old man's furious glare.
"Precisely because they came under the banner of peace, even if their intentions were foul, proper handling could have turned this delegation into genuine peace!"
"Did you consider that for even a second?!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice dropped to a hiss, teeth clenched.
"And the cost?"
"Are we supposed to repeat the mistake we made with Iwagakure—victory, yet no reparations, no territory, and every shinobi who fell in that war dying for nothing?"
"In this gamble of nations, we were the clear winners."
"Lord Hokage!"
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