Soft and delicate.
Kakashi clumsily held his newborn daughter, reaching out a finger to gently poke the cheek of the infant, who had been named Mirai Hatake.
From her spot on the hospital bed, Kurenai watched the scene with a light chuckle as she sipped her chicken soup. It seemed that no matter what kind of man he was, every father became clumsy the moment they faced their newborn child.
"Be careful, don't hurt her," Kurenai said softly and considerately.
"I know, I know," Kakashi replied, though his eyes never left his daughter as he continued to tease her.
The little one in his arms opened a pair of warm, vermillion eyes—identical to Kurenai's—and looked up at Kakashi, her eyes darting back and forth. Her soft, tiny hands gripped Kakashi's finger as she made unintelligible, milky sounds.
Kakashi looked at his daughter and smiled, his gaze filled with nothing but tenderness. When the child was first born, he hadn't felt much of a physical shift, but now, looking at the little life in his arms, he felt a profound connection to Mirai through their shared bloodline.
He had transitioned from being just a husband to being a father.
Once he had successfully played with Mirai until she was tired, Kakashi handed the infant back to Kurenai.
"Thank you for your hard work," Kakashi said gently, stroking Kurenai's cheek.
"It wasn't that hard. Aren't you working hard for this family too, Kakashi?" Kurenai laughed softly, leaning into his somewhat calloused palm.
"The house is being renovated these next few days, so I'll have to ask you to stay in the hospital a little longer. I'm sorry for the inconvenience."
"It's fine. Shizune sent people to take care of me. You aren't just the father of this child; you're the father of the village now. Hikari and I will handle the family matters ourselves."
Looking at how sensible and understanding Kurenai was, Kakashi's eyes softened even more.
Over the following period, aside from Hikari's due date drawing closer, Kakashi noticed something else. Naruto had changed a great deal since his meeting with Minato Namikaze that day.
Although he still did things that left people caught between laughter and tears, Kakashi keenly sensed that Naruto had become exceptionally serious about everything he did. Especially regarding his treatment of others; compared to his previous careless attitude, he had become much more perceptive and sensitive.
It was hard to imagine that there would come a day when Naruto, while eating, would suddenly ask Kakashi how to better understand the emotions of others. Though it was a massive departure from his old self, it was a good start.
Kakashi was quite satisfied with this. A more delicate mind meant that Naruto had calmed down; he was learning to use his head to think through situations and the circumstances he faced.
As the days passed, Hikari's due date finally arrived.
"Kakashi, you... you bastard!"
"I'm never having children again!"
"It hurts so much!"
Lying on the gurney as she was wheeled toward the operating room, Hikari gripped Kakashi's wrist tightly, venting her frustrations at the top of her lungs.
"Uh, well... just endure it for a bit," Kakashi stammered. Under the pointed, subtle looks from the surrounding medical staff, he felt a bit embarrassed and could only do his best to soothe Hikari's temper.
"Endure my foot! If you get me pregnant again, I'm finished with you—!"
"Mmph—!"
Before Hikari could finish her sentence, Tsunade, who had been waiting at the operating room door, stuffed a towel into her mouth.
"So noisy! Pipe down. It's just giving birth!"
As the operating room doors slammed shut, Kakashi wiped a bead of non-existent cold sweat from his forehead. Compared to Kurenai, Hikari's personality was far more direct.
"Is everything okay?"
Kurenai, having heard the news of Hikari going into labor, hurried over while holding two-month-old Mirai.
"It's fine. Tsunade is in there." Kakashi sat outside the operating room, unsure whether to laugh or cry. Having gone through this once already, he was much more relaxed this time. Just as he said, with Tsunade handling things, nothing could go wrong.
"But look at you. I can wait here by myself. The hospital is a bit cold and Mirai is still small. You should take her home first," Kakashi said, reaching out to poke his daughter's cheek again.
"Then I'll have Natsu take Mirai back first. I'll stay here to keep you company," Kurenai replied after a moment's hesitation.
"That works too."
Compared to Kurenai, Hikari's labor was much faster. Kakashi only had to wait at the door for an hour before it was over.
"Heh... heh... it's a boy!"
Even though she had just finished giving birth, Hikari still had the strength to shoot a "victory" smile at Kurenai, who was standing behind Kakashi.
Kurenai could only shake her head helplessly. In the beginning, she might have competed with Hikari, but now that she was officially Kakashi's wife, she no longer cared about such things.
"My Ichigo, hehe..."
Hikari looked at the infant sleeping peacefully beside her, wearing a smile that made Kakashi sigh with a mix of affection and resignation. Compared to Mirai, the name "Ichigo" had been something Kakashi mentioned offhandedly once. He hadn't expected Hikari to remember it all this time, and looking at her now, she was clearly set on the name.
"You have to grow up to be a strong man, okay?" Kakashi leaned down and whispered to the black-haired infant lying next to Hikari.
"Of course! Ichigo will definitely be a man who won't cry no matter what he faces!" Hikari said with absolute confidence.
Hokage Residence – Hokage's Office
The young Hokage sat in a brand-new, modernized office, flipping through intelligence reports sent by the Department of Analysis.
The number of shinobi in Kumogakure of the Land of Lightning had already exceeded the 10,000-man limit established years ago. Looking at the report, the white-haired man's expression remained unchanged; he had long since prepared for this.
He just hadn't expected that it would take Kumogakure a full six years to finally dare to break the status quo. This gave Kakashi a slight sense of surprise.
Outside, the wind and rain were clearly visible through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the office, but they didn't affect Kakashi in the slightest. Setting down the report regarding the Hidden Cloud, he signaled with his hand.
Gekkō Hayate, who was on standby, immediately appeared before Kakashi. Five years had passed, and just as Kakashi seemed unchanged by time, the same was true for Hayate.
"Draft an invitation. Invite the Hidden Wind, Cloud, Mist, and Stone villages to participate in the Chunin Exams three months from now."
Gekkō Hayate immediately took the order and withdrew.
Once Hayate was gone, Kakashi turned to look at the Konoha that was slowly changing because of his influence amidst the rainy gloom.
Nine years had passed since the Third Shinobi World War. Six years had passed since the Uchiha Coup [attempt]. Five years had passed since the births of Mirai and Ichigo. And Naruto had now grown to twelve years old.
This was the moment where everything truly began.
Furthermore, it wasn't just the Cloud Ninja. According to the intelligence, the Fourth Kazekage of the Hidden Sand had recently begun making contact with Konoha's S-rank rogue ninja, Orochimaru.
Watching the storm outside the building, the corners of Kakashi's mouth curled into a slight arc.
"A season of many troubles..."
"But... it's also the perfect excuse for me to clean everything up."
He had remained dormant for six years; he had been patient for six years. This world had been in turmoil for long enough. Finally, there was an opportunity to bring it all to an end.
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