Childhood Arc: Communication

This guy had been so noisy from the very beginning... going on about this and that, like he knew me and my father so well.

So annoying.

"Kakashi, go into that room and talk to your father right now. Otherwise, I'll beat you half to death, throw you in front of him, and force you to have a proper conversation!"

What was this guy talking about?

He was so damn meddlesome. This was our family's business, wasn't it? Why did he have to interfere?

"Looks like you don't plan on cooperating. Fine, then I'll have to use force!"

Then Qingyue's fist suddenly came flying at me. It was so fast that I had no time to react before he sent me flying with a heavy punch, smashing through the front door of my house.

Just as I was about to fight back, Qingyue drove a front kick into me and sent me deeper into the house. I had barely gotten back to my feet when I realized the two of them had vanished, and the doorway had been blocked off.

Why was this guy going so far? He was nothing more than trash who hadn't even managed to complete a mission...

"Anyone who doesn't cherish their comrades is worse than trash."

Damn it. Why did those words shake me? As a ninja, completing the mission should naturally come before personal feelings...

Why had I hesitated when that guy made me choose between his life and the mission? Why couldn't I open my mouth?

Wasn't the answer obvious? Someone who failed a mission didn't deserve to be a ninja, just like he—

"Kakashi...?"

My father's voice made me turn around. He was sitting cross-legged on the floor, with the short blade he always used placed before him.

The famed White Fang of Konoha, the father I had admired so deeply, had actually become this listless.

"Do you think... I was wrong?"

Of course he was wrong. Otherwise, why would everyone condemn him? But why couldn't I say that?

It was obviously Father's fault. Ninja were supposed to complete their missions. Those who failed were trash, condemned by thousands, spat upon, useless garbage!

"Your mother and I once faced the same kind of choice."

Mother?

"At the time, I had just been promoted to Jonin, and she was a member of my squad. It was not long after you were born. I had wanted to leave her at home to take care of you, but the village was desperately short on people.

"So I had no choice but to bring her along on a mission. Then, because a member of our squad betrayed us, we fell into a trap. At that time, only your mother had a choice: complete the mission, or save us.

"Back then, I also believed the mission came first. I told her to leave us behind and finish the mission quickly. But she firmly chose to save us, and that led to the mission's failure.

"I didn't blame her, because I had no right to. The mission failed because of me, the captain. From that moment on, my faith in a ninja's absolute creed began to waver.

"After we returned to the village, your mother was naturally criticized as well, though not nearly as severely as this. It all passed almost like a gust of wind. But during the next mission, she sacrificed herself to complete it.

"I never imagined that one day, I too would abandon a mission for my comrades. The ridiculous thing was that the condemnation I received was so overwhelming. Kakashi, do you think I should have completed the mission instead of saving my comrades?"

Only then did I come back to my senses. The person before me was the father who had raised me. He was Konoha's White Fang, a hero.

And he was also the one who had saved that comrade's life.

At last, I broke free from the endless accusations. Now, I could answer Qingyue's question with certainty.

"Father, if it were me, I would choose to save my comrades too."

After saying that, I noticed that Father had been trembling all over the whole time. But now, he had calmed down.

"Is that so...?"

"Yes, Father. I... don't think you were wrong."

"But even the person I saved is criticizing me. In the end, as the captain, I let my teammates fall into danger and caused the mission to fail. That was my responsibility."

"If it was a mission even you couldn't complete, anyone else would only have been wiped out. You saved your comrade, and he criticized you for it. Then he's obviously the one in the wrong, not you."

--

Good, good, Kakashi. That's exactly what you should say!

At that moment, Rin and I were lying by the window eavesdropping. First, we were worried Kakashi might say something strange. Second, we were curious.

After all, I had personally brought about this change in history. Of course I had the right to witness the whole process!

"Qingyue, do you think Kakashi and his father can pull themselves together?"

"They'll definitely be fine. That's Konoha's White Fang and his son—an honorable hero senior and a genius classmate worthy of our respect."

"If Qingyue says so, then they really must be fine."

"Mm."

And that was indeed the case. The father and son, having opened their hearts to each other, talked until dusk. At first they had sat with their backs turned, then turned to face one another, then looked into each other's eyes, and now they were laughing together.

Of course Kakashi, whom Obito had managed to set right, couldn't truly have believed his father was wrong.

It was just that his personality and the pressure on his mind had left him unsure how to face it.

Before he could pull himself together, his father had already chosen suicide. Perhaps that was what Kakashi regretted most later on.

No wonder when Pain destroyed Konoha, Kakashi's conversation with his father had been like that. So that was all it was—they simply hadn't communicated properly.

Maybe my dad and I only needed a conversation like this too. Whenever we met, we always started by arguing. We had never faced each other and truly looked into each other's eyes.

I had always hated him for divorcing and leaving me with a label. I hated him for not caring about me, for not being by my side, for never appearing when I needed him, for never supporting me...

But thinking about it now, maybe he had his own difficulties too. I wasn't my dad. I couldn't truly understand how he felt.

Everyone might have their own reasons for everything they did. Maybe what he did had been the best choice he could make at the time.

Suddenly, the window opened, and we saw a middle-aged man who did not look all that much like Kakashi, though they shared the same hair color.

"Ah, Senior Sakumo, good evening..."

We'd been discovered.

"I'm saying, Qingyue, you even had to eavesdrop..." Kakashi had returned to his smug old self.

"What are you talking about? Who was the one stammering at the door for ages? Didn't I have to kick you in there?"

"Hey, stop talking!"

"Huh? So that's what happened. Then thank you so much, little brother. Sorry you had to see us make fools of ourselves, hahaha. Uncle's treating tonight—come have dinner with us!"

After learning the whole story, Sakumo insisted on keeping Rin and me for dinner. But I wasn't so tactless that I would disturb a father and son having a heart-to-heart.

Naturally, we politely declined.

On the way home, I held Rin's little hand, and I couldn't have been happier.

In my previous life, I had always thought Kakashi was terribly miserable. His father committed suicide, Obito was crushed, Rin was pierced through, Minato and Kushina... his entire life had been a struggle.

Even with Might Guy around, the fact that Kakashi hadn't gone dark was proof of his mental resilience.

What was more, he had continued being a ninja and had even become a teacher.

If it were me, I probably would have given up long ago, found a tall building, jumped off it, and started over.

There was another, even more important reason I was happy: I could finally find out just how strong Sakumo Hatake truly was!

Kakashi had made such a resounding name for himself despite forcibly using the Sharingan. His father had to be even stronger!

This was the man whose reputation had overshadowed the Legendary Sannin, Hidden Sand puppeteers, and every other title!