Moonlight Hayate stood outside Ichiraku, still frowning as he remembered the disturbing chill of Souji's sword. No matter how he tried to rationalize it, one thing was clear:
A child should NOT be carrying a demon blade.
The Uchiha clan might tolerate it.
The village might accidentally ignore it.
But he, Moonlight Hayate, could not.
If something went wrong later, if Souji lost control, if the blade devoured him…
Then what?
A demon sword in the hands of a child was the same as handing explosive tags to a toddler.
It was dangerous.
Hayate sighed.
This wasn't even about Souji.
This was about the village.
About the future.
About the Will of Fire, damn it.
And so, he decided:
He had to deal with that sword. One way or another.
But first, he needed to locate Souji.
For a ninja, this wasn't difficult.
Souji was clearly a Uchiha.
The Uchiha all studied in the elite class of the Academy.
Today was the first day of school.
Asking for student information with his rank?
Easy.
Hayate felt confident—
until a voice suddenly floated behind him.
"What are you thinking so seriously, Hayate?"
He nearly inhaled his ramen.
Turning around, he blinked.
Kakashi Hatake.
Mask on.
One visible eye lazily curved.
Silver hair defying gravity.
Hayate brightened immediately.
Perfect!
Kakashi was familiar with the Uchiha, right?
…Right?
Kakashi noticed Hayate's expression and sighed.
"Why do I feel like I'm about to be dragged into trouble?"
---
"Are you close to the Uchiha?"
Hayate scratched his cheek awkwardly.
"I remember, Kakashi… aren't you familiar with the Uchiha?"
Kakashi froze like a ninja caught stealing snacks from the Hokage's office.
Then he violently shook his head.
"I'm not, I'm not— don't talk nonsense!"
Immediately after, he glanced around in panic, checking rooftops, alleys, lamp posts, shadows—
Looking for ANBU.
Only when he confirmed there were no masked shinobi did he relax.
If Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, heard someone spread rumors that Kakashi was close to the Uchiha clan…
He'd be scrubbing toilets for three months.
With a toothbrush.
Because the Third Hokage held grudges.
Big ones.
Kakashi cleared his throat.
"Ahem. Anyway, I'm definitely NOT close to the Uchiha."
Hayate stared.
He didn't believe it for a second.
If Kakashi wasn't close to the Uchiha, then why did he have a Sharingan in his eye?
Even if the whole world believed Kakashi's denial, Hayate did not.
Still, he respected Kakashi's straightforward nature, so he chose not to beat around the bush.
---
The Demon Blade Problem
"A kid treated me to ramen earlier," Hayate said seriously.
"And when he left, I saw he was holding a demon sword."
Kakashi blinked.
"Oh."
"As a child, he definitely can't control it," Hayate continued.
"So I have to handle this. But since he's Uchiha…"
He paused, sighing.
"…there might be conflict. And among Konoha shinobi, who has better negotiation skills than me?"
Kakashi stared at him blankly.
"You mean… none?"
Hayate coughed politely.
"Yes."
Kakashi rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"Hayate, listen. Me going to the Uchiha… is kind of a problem."
"Why?"
Kakashi sighed again.
---
Why Kakashi + Uchiha = Disaster
Kakashi belonged to the Hokage faction.
He was the beloved student of Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze.
He worked directly under the Hokage.
He carried the Will of Fire brand on his forehead.
The Uchiha clan, meanwhile, had been at odds with the village leadership.
Originally, Uchiha wanted to befriend Kakashi.
He had Minato's approval.
He was young and skilled.
He had political potential.
They hoped Kakashi could support them in the future.
But then… Minato died.
And suddenly, Kakashi's position became crucial.
Uchiha wanted his influence.
Wanted his voice.
Wanted him to bridge the gap between the clan and the village.
But Kakashi…
Couldn't.
He couldn't favor Uchiha over village leadership.
He was loyal to the Hokage line.
He couldn't take sides in clan disputes.
So the Uchiha labeled him:
"White-eyed wolf."
"Freeloader."
"Takes advantage but gives nothing."
The clan didn't exactly whisper their complaints either.
Everyone knew.
Including Souji from his past-life knowledge.
To make matters worse:
Whenever the Hokage said, "Go left,"
Uchiha went right.
When Hokage said, "It's raining,"
Uchiha insisted it was sunny.
They were allergic to agreeing with authority.
If Kakashi went with Hayate to talk…
They might get kicked out before they even knocked.
But.
Hayate was a longtime friend—
And Kakashi couldn't refuse him forever.
After a long pause, Kakashi sighed.
"Fine. When you're free, I'll take you there."
"But you're unbelievable.
Snatching a kid's stuff?"
Hayate puffed out his chest proudly.
"That's a demon sword! You know what a demon sword is? He can't control it! I'm doing the village a service! I'll even pay for it!
This isn't robbing—
it's protecting the Will of Fire!"
Kakashi stared at him in dead silence.
He suddenly understood why Hayate spent so much time around the Third Hokage.
They talked the same way.
They even lied the same way.
Still, Kakashi didn't argue.
Because he knew something important:
Demon swords were not a joke.
A demon sword wasn't named for decoration.
It was named because it could bite back.
Only swords that had once killed their masters were called demon swords.
It meant the blade had a consciousness, a presence, a will.
In Souji's past life, such stories were just legends.
But in the ninja world?
They were real.
A demon sword could kill an unworthy wielder.
Kakashi exhaled lightly.
"If the blade really is a demon sword… then this is trouble."
---
And somewhere in the village, completely unaware of the chaos he had triggered,
Uchiha Souji happily slurped ramen broth off his lips and muttered:
"Ah… today wasn't so bad."
---