Bonds

Meanwhile, sensing that it was about lunchtime, Kakashi prepared to take Kazashiro home.

Seeing Kazashiro following behind him empty-handed, Kakashi pointed at the Danzo ice sculptures scattered across the ground and asked curiously, "Aren't you taking these with you?"

"What would I bring this stuff for?" Kazashiro answered bluntly.

They were not cute figurines or anything. These ugly things had been made on a whim, so they could just stay here and fend for themselves.

Oh, wait. There was indeed one thing that could bring him closer to Kakashi.

With that in mind, Kazashiro turned around, bent down, picked up the Kakashi ice sculpture he had made earlier, and handed it over. "This is for you. Thanks for wanting to protect me just now."

Seeing the gift offered to him and the undisguised gratitude, Kakashi actually blushed a little. Realizing it, he hurriedly turned away. "Throw it out already. It's ugly as hell."

"Huh? No way. Say, are you blushing? Let me see." Realizing this was a great chance to get closer to Kakashi, Kazashiro struck while the iron was hot. He darted to Kakashi's side, raising that wretched ice sculpture as he tried to force it into his hands.

"No! Get away!"

"Come on, let me see!"

"No!"

The two figures gradually disappeared into the distance, leaving a field of Danzos to slowly melt away.

At noon, Kazashiro finally got to eat something other than Soldier Pills and Kirigakure's all-fish feasts.

Sakumo was an excellent cook. The dishes he made perfectly suited the image of him wearing a pink apron, and they were the best meal Kazashiro had eaten since his rebirth aside from his mother's cooking.

After lunch, at Sakumo's suggestion, he took a hot bath at the house.

Feeling that the two had grown considerably closer, Sakumo ignored Kakashi's objections entirely and laid out a fresh set of bedding beside Kakashi's bed.

"Dad, do you know? That kid has an Ice Release Kekkei Genkai." Seeing that his protests were useless, Kakashi gave up resisting and took the opportunity to recount what he had seen that day.

"Ice Release?" Sakumo furrowed his brow slightly before immediately relaxing it. "How did you find out?"

Kakashi turned his gaze toward his desk, where an ice sculpture made in his likeness sat, nearly completely melted.

"It does look quite alike." After carefully examining the sculpture's outline, Sakumo reached his conclusion.

"Alike my ass." Kakashi's face darkened. How had his father managed to recognize him from that utterly mangled ice sculpture?

Seeing that his father did not react too strongly, Kakashi also told him about the ANBU they had encountered. "Three ANBU approached him while I was training. They even used a syringe to draw his blood."

Three ANBU?

"Those were probably not ANBU." As an ANBU captain, Sakumo had noticed the tail behind him shortly after leaving the Hokage Building.

"Not ANBU?" Kakashi was confused.

After smoothing out the last crease, Sakumo stood up. "They are something even deeper than ANBU."

He had no intention of letting his son learn about the darkness hidden within the village so early, so he only gave a rather vague explanation.

"Um..." Kazashiro, fresh from his bath and wrapped in a towel, suddenly appeared at the doorway. "Have you seen my clothes?"

"Ah, you're done bathing, Kazashiro." Sakumo hurried over, took a towel hanging nearby, and dried his dripping wet hair. "I took your clothes to be washed. You're just a little thinner than Kakashi, so wear his clothes for now."

"Huh?" Kakashi was displeased. "Why does he have to wear mine?"

"Kakashi, friends need to learn how to share." Sakumo pulled out a set of Kakashi's casual clothes.

"Who's friends with him?" Kakashi tried to correct his father, only to be ignored.

"Kakashi, you haven't worn these underwear before, have you?" Kazashiro chose that moment to twist the knife.

"Then don't wear them!" Heaven knew that Kakashi, who had always devoted himself to training, was experiencing what it meant to have his defenses shattered for the first time.

"Ah, judging by that answer, you've definitely worn them." Kazashiro looked at the underwear in his hand with distaste.

I'm a kid anyway, so going without should be fine, right?

But—

"Why are all your clothes the kind with masks attached?" Kazashiro picked up one of the shirts and pointed at the mask on it.

"Dad, can I beat him to death?" Kakashi's anger shot through the roof.

Seeing his son display such intense emotion, Sakumo beamed. "Kakashi, you're throwing another tantrum."

Still, although the Third Hokage had most likely learned about Kazashiro's Ice Release before he had, Sakumo decided to make a trip to the Hokage Building himself, both out of duty and to avoid making the other side suspect that he had concealed the matter.

Quietly leaving Kakashi's room, Sakumo was about to head out when he suddenly stopped and looked toward the window.

"Captain." An ANBU stood outside the window. "The Third Hokage asked me to tell you that he already knows about the Ice Release. Please cherish your hard-earned vacation and spend time with your family."

So the Third Hokage had learned of it after all?

Sakumo stopped opening the door, put on a smile, and nodded to the man. "Please tell the Third Hokage that I understand. I am very grateful for his consideration."

Spend time with his family...

In that case—

"Kakashi, Kazashiro, how about we go fishing together?" Sakumo enthusiastically took out a complete set of fishing gear from a cabinet.

Having finally found a set of clothes without an attached mask, Kazashiro did not know how many times Sakumo's behavior had surprised him already.

Who would've thought it? Uncle Sakumo, with those stern brows and big eyes, was actually a fishing addict?

I just wonder if he usually came home empty-handed.

"Yada, I refuse." Kakashi refused with his mouth, but his body honestly shuffled toward Sakumo.

Looks like it's my time to shine.

Thinking this, Kazashiro grabbed Kakashi and forcibly dragged him before Sakumo. "Kakashi said he's willing to go, Uncle Sakumo."

"Kazashiro, you bastard, when did I say I was willing to go?" Kakashi tried to shake free of Kazashiro's grip.

"Hmph. If you really didn't want to go, how could I possibly drag a guy like you around by myself?" Kazashiro snorted and tightened his grip.

"Great, then the three of us will go to the river pond behind the house!" Seeing Kakashi "agree," Sakumo took out a fishing net and a small red bucket from the cabinet. Together with Kazashiro, he led Kakashi toward the river pond, one on each side.

"How interesting."

Inside the secret base, Orochimaru examined the comparison results before him with great interest.

These were two samples Danzo had sent over. After comparing them, Orochimaru concluded that the two parties were blood relatives.