Kakashi Came Calling

Uchiha Ao walked along the streets of Konoha, with Uchiha Shuanghuo flanking him protectively on either side.

Those two idiots!

Uchiha Ao's mouth twitched as he watched the two of them surround a little dog that had tried to approach him.

"Clan Head, this dog came out of nowhere. There's definitely something suspicious about it!" Uchiha Tekka grabbed the dog by the scruff and lifted it into the air. Its legs kicked wildly, and its tail was tucked tightly between them.

Uchiha Inabi had already pulled out an Explosive Tag. His expression was so grave, you'd think he was carrying out an S-rank mission. "Speak! Did Hiruzen Sarutobi send you?"

"That's enough!" Uchiha Ao's temple throbbed with anger as he snatched the dog and cradled it in his arms.

The little thing immediately buried its head in his clothes and whimpered pitifully.

He glared at the two guards. "You two aren't doing your actual jobs. You came to guard me instead—do you think I'm too weak?"

Tekka and Inabi exchanged a glance, then snapped to attention in unison. Their grins vanished, replaced by expressions so serious they were almost stiff.

Tekka swallowed before speaking first. "Clan Head, that's absolutely not what we mean! It's just that you're now shouldering the important task of restoring the Uchiha Clan. We can't let even the slightest danger slip by!"

Inabi hurriedly nodded, tucked the Explosive Tag back into his pocket, and scratched his head. "That's right, that's right! Look how chaotic things are these days. Who knows what that old Hiruzen Sarutobi is scheming in secret? We're just worried about your safety..."

Uchiha Ao chuckled at that.

If it came to that, these two idiots would probably run and hide behind him.

Uchiha Ao sighed and rubbed the little dog's head. It happily narrowed its eyes. "I think you two have been slacking off in your training lately. As your clan head, I'm deeply disappointed."

"So I've decided to train you personally!"

As the two stared at him in terror, Uchiha Ao lifted the dog with one hand and pointed toward the forest outside the village with the other. "Starting now, run ten laps around the Forest of Death. If you're slower than my Shadow Clone, you'll get ten extra laps!"

Before he'd finished speaking, he formed Hand Seals and created a Shadow Clone.

The Shadow Clone greeted the two with a cheerful smile.

Uchiha Shuanghuo's faces turned green at his words.

Ten laps wouldn't be hard for them.

The hard part was that if the Clan Head didn't go easy on them, they'd probably be running forever.

"Clan Head! It's getting kind of late..." Inabi grimaced, trying to change Uchiha Ao's mind with a pitiful look.

Tekka simply collapsed onto the ground, staring at the gloomy Forest of Death in the distance as his legs trembled.

Uchiha Ao remained unmoved. The little dog in his arms barked twice, as if urging them to hurry up and get going.

The Shadow Clone folded his arms and looked at them, speaking with righteous conviction. "Relax. I'm not the kind of person the original is!"

The two grew even more worried.

The Clan Head's original might at least listen to reason.

But a Shadow Clone could do whatever it pleased.

Whether they finished running depended entirely on the Shadow Clone's mood.

"As long as you give it your all, I promise I won't add any extra laps!" The Shadow Clone thumped his chest, a wicked grin just like Uchiha Ao's curling his lips.

Tekka and Inabi exchanged a glance, then gritted their teeth and followed the Shadow Clone into the Forest of Death.

They were going to give it everything they had. The worst that could happen was death.

Uchiha Ao smiled as he watched them disappear.

Then he looked down at the dog in his arms.

Actually, those two idiots had been right about one thing.

The dog had approached him for a reason.

It hadn't been sent by Hiruzen Sarutobi, though. It was Kakashi.

The dog seemed to realize it had been found out. Its ears twitched, and it spoke in a human voice.

"Clan Head Ao, Lord Kakashi invites you to his home."

Uchiha Ao raised an eyebrow and pinched the dog's fluffy face. It whimpered, but didn't dare resist.

He knew just how powerful the man behind this fellow was.

He had a Mangekyo big shot backing him.

It was only a pinch on the face, right?

Pinch away. Pinch as much as you like!

"Take me there," Uchiha Ao ordered as he set the dog down.

The dog shook out its fur, turned, and sprinted off, glancing back as it ran to make sure Uchiha Ao was following.

After winding through several quiet alleys, it finally stopped in front of a house.

The dog stood up on its hind legs and knocked rhythmically on the door three times with its front paws. The door opened at once.

Kakashi leaned against the doorframe, still flipping through his copy of Icha Icha Paradise. But the usual laziness had left his eyes, replaced by a hint of gravity. "Clan Head Ao, come in."

Uchiha Ao stepped inside and looked around at the weathered ninja tools on the walls and the scrolls piled everywhere. A faint smell of gunpowder lingered in the air.

Kakashi closed the book and tossed it onto a table piled with documents. It hit the surface with a sharp metallic clatter. "Would you like some tea?"

He pointed to a steaming teapot.

Uchiha Ao nodded and found himself a seat.

Seeing that he'd sat down, Kakashi took the seat opposite him and poured them both some tea.

Uchiha Ao took a sip and frowned.

Tch, it wasn't as good as the tea Sister Izumi made.

Kakashi noticed his displeasure and shrugged, propping his chin on one hand. "Don't be so picky. This is premium tea I had someone bring back for me."

"Get me some later."

"Sure."

They made small talk for a while.

At last, Kakashi seemed unable to hold back any longer and asked directly, "Actually, I wanted to talk to you about my father."

Uchiha Ao looked up at Kakashi. "What do you want to know?"

"Everything that happened," Kakashi said solemnly.

A few days earlier, a member of the Uchiha Clan had suddenly come to his house and told him that their clan head knew the real reason his father had died.

He'd been debating whether to meet the Uchiha Clan Head, whom he'd once encountered briefly.

Reason told him he shouldn't meet him.

The reason for his father's death was simple: during a mission, he'd abandoned it to save his comrades, and the people of Konoha had condemned and despised him for it.

Even the shinobi he'd once helped had turned against him, swept up in public opinion. The "White Fang of Konoha" had become the "Disgrace of Konoha" overnight.

Overwhelmed by anguish, Hatake Sakumo had eventually taken his own life under the pressure and crushing self-doubt.

That was the official account given by Konoha, and the version Kakashi had heard all his life.

But his heart told him otherwise.

How could someone as resolute as his father have been broken so easily by a few accusations?

Uchiha Ao gazed at the wisps of steam rising from his cup. After a long silence, he finally spoke. "Your father's death had something to do with Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo, and the others."

In an instant, Kakashi's pupils contracted.

The reason he'd sent someone to find Kakashi was simple.

He was a kind-hearted man who couldn't bear to see Kakashi kept in the dark (laughs).