First Meeting with Kakashi

Kakashi (staring with his dead-fish eyes): "..."

Kazashiro (smiling awkwardly yet politely): "..."

Kakashi was speechless. Hearing his father's footsteps, he happily pushed open the front door and saw his father standing there, holding the hand of a child who looked somewhat younger than himself.

If the other child had not had black hair, the precocious Kakashi might really have thought he had suddenly gained a younger brother.

"Kakashi, I'm back." Seeing the two silently staring at each other, Sakumo scratched his head and took the initiative to break the awkward silence.

"Mm, welcome back, Dad." Kakashi's earlier excitement faded as he lazily responded to Sakumo.

Seeing this, Kazashiro proactively held out his hand and introduced himself. "Hello, my name is Kazashiro."

Looking at Kazashiro's thin, pale hand, Kakashi hesitated for a moment. Under Sakumo's hopeful gaze, he returned the handshake. "Kakashi. Hatake Kakashi."

Feeling the touch of Kakashi's hand, Kazashiro marveled inwardly. So many calluses. They don't look like a child's hands at all. It seemed Kakashi truly was a hardworking genius.

Meanwhile, Sakumo felt somewhat relieved. Thankfully, Kakashi had accepted him.

It seemed his son's personality had not gone completely crooked yet.

Having spent long periods away on missions, he had always worried that Kakashi had no friends. In Sakumo's eyes, although a ninja's duty was to complete missions, trustworthy teammates were what mattered most if one wanted to survive in the ninja world for long.

"Kazashiro will be staying with us for a while. When you have time, you can take him around the village." Sakumo struck while the iron was hot, hoping to bring Kakashi and Kazashiro closer together.

"Huh? But I still have training..." Kakashi released Kazashiro's hand and instinctively tried to refuse.

"You can just bring Kazashiro along with you." Sakumo rose with a smile, giving Kakashi no further chance to refuse. He walked straight into the kitchen and tied on a pink apron. "I'll prepare lunch. You take Kazashiro out for a walk, but don't go too far."

A pink apron?

Kazashiro stared wide-eyed at Sakumo, dressed like a househusband.

Was this the legendary Konoha's White Fang?

Still, he truly was a gentle man.

Kazashiro lowered his head and followed the reluctant Kakashi out of the house.

"Well, well, Danzo-sama. I wonder why you summoned me?" In the Root base, a hoarse voice rang out. Accompanied by footsteps, the pale-faced Orochimaru slowly emerged from the shadows.

Across from him, Danzo had one eye half-closed, still wearing his trademark cold, expressionless face.

"I recall that you possess a technique capable of determining whether two people are related by blood?" Danzo's voice was cold, his tone barely rippling.

Yet to Orochimaru, this was an extraordinary rarity. That man, who spent every day wanting to possess both Wood Release and the Sharingan, had, for the first time ever, not asked about the progress of his research in his opening sentence!

But Orochimaru was Orochimaru. He quickly recovered from his surprise. "That is indeed the case, Danzo-sama."

Compared to researching Hashirama Cells, such a trivial matter was far easier.

"Is that so..." Danzo slowly opened his half-lidded eye, staring at Orochimaru as calculations churned endlessly in his mind.

The researchers under his command could probably perform this technique as well, but their accuracy would likely be far inferior to Orochimaru's...

But he did not want to tell Orochimaru about this matter either...

Although he had prepared himself mentally beforehand, Danzo still hesitated when it came time to actually speak the words.

Orochimaru also noticed Danzo's conflict. Curious, he did not make his usual excuse about needing to conduct experiments and leave early. Instead, he waited with great interest for Danzo to speak.

"I will have two samples delivered to you shortly. Examine them and see whether a parent-child relationship exists between them." After struggling for a long time, Danzo ultimately decided to entrust the matter to Orochimaru. Since it concerned himself, accuracy was the highest priority.

However, Danzo cunningly did not explain whose samples they were. He planned to decide what to do only after receiving the results.

"I see. Understood. Then, the usual place." Orochimaru extended his tongue and licked his lips as he agreed.

Once Orochimaru left, Danzo immediately summoned a subordinate. "Oto!"

"Danzo-sama." A Root ninja wearing a mask and a black hooded coat appeared instantly.

"Go. Find the child Sakumo brought back. Obtain his sample and send it, along with mine, to Orochimaru. Remember, this must remain absolutely confidential!" Though he knew they were all bound by Curse Marks, Danzo still emphasized the importance of secrecy.

"Yes!" Oto respectfully withdrew.

After confirming that Oto had left, Danzo once again tore away his facade and began pacing restlessly in place.

He actually had a son?

He had never married, had made becoming Hokage the foremost goal of his life, and now he actually had a son?

And such a tiny one at that?

Though the boy's eyes had been filled with fear when he looked at him, he was still his son.

Come to think of it, Hiruzen had been right. The boy's brows and eyes truly carried traces of Danzo in his younger days.

And that delicate little face truly did resemble that woman's—

No, that was a lie. He could no longer remember what that woman looked like. In the end, what had happened back then had completely slipped beyond his control.

But no matter what, that was his son.

Although the results had not yet come back, Danzo had already subconsciously regarded Kazashiro as his son.

How embarrassing. He had immersed himself in darkness, manipulated people's hearts, and stirred up turmoil throughout the ninja world. He should have long since cast aside emotion, yet the instant he heard that he had a son, his heart had still trembled ever so slightly.

You've fallen, Danzo.

"C!" Danzo stopped pacing and shouted sternly.

"Danzo-sama." A Root ninja appeared behind Danzo, dressed much like the previous one, differing only in the pattern on his mask, and waited for his orders.

"The base is too dark. Later, purchase some candles—no, electric lights. Make arrangements to install electric lights here and brighten the environment." Looking at the darkness around him, Danzo issued the order without expression.

"Yes, yes." Though he paused for an instant, C still accepted the order.

"Also, arrange for several people to clear out a large room and prepare some daily necessities. Something suitable for a child around four years old." Danzo added.

"Yes." C was even more confused, but years of indoctrination had taught him not to think about anything beyond his assigned tasks.