"Kakashi... it's me..." Sakumo's voice was filled with affection and apology.
Kakashi froze for a moment, then his pupils suddenly contracted. The face before him belonged to the father he had missed day and night! Kakashi's hand trembled slightly. He could hardly believe what he was seeing, and for the first time, his usually indifferent face showed shock and confusion.
"Father... you..." Kakashi's voice nearly trembled. "Weren't you already... dead?"
Hatake Sakumo felt a wrenching pain in his heart. He reached out and gently placed a hand on Kakashi's shoulder, his eyes full of love and remorse. "I'm sorry, Kakashi... I made you endure too much pain."
Hearing his father's voice, tears welled in Kakashi's eyes. The surge of emotion nearly made him unable to stand steady.
He bit his lip tightly, trying to keep his emotions from spiraling out of control, but the feelings in his heart were as impossible to restrain as a flood.
He had once believed that he would never see his father again in this lifetime. The scene before him was something he could neither accept nor dare believe.
"Why? Why did this happen? How exactly did you come back to life?" Kakashi's voice was filled with confusion and bitterness.
Hatake Sakumo gripped Kakashi's shoulders, his tone gentle and comforting. "Ying Yue and Orochimaru saved me. They used certain special methods to let me see you again."
Upon hearing that, Kakashi turned his gaze toward Uchiha Ying Yue nearby.
Only then did he realize that his father's ability to stand before him again was entirely due to Ying Yue's efforts.
His throat tightened, and the emotions in his heart crashed against his reason like waves.
Hatake Sakumo continued, "I owe Ying Yue far too much. It was because of him that I had the chance