A happy Kakashi

"Starting tomorrow, come here every afternoon to train, Chihane! I'll make an outstanding ninja out of you!"

The thought that another powerful forbidden technique would soon be born at his hands filled Orochimaru with excitement. He then sent Chihane home, as he still had to analyze the cells Chihane had left behind.

Konoha

The Hatake Clan residence

Dusk was approaching, and the last rays of sunlight shone on the willow in the courtyard. A peaceful, harmonious air lingered all around.

Sizzle! Sizzle!

Chihane was preparing the last dish for tonight's dinner. He hadn't been home for over three months. At first, he had been avoiding Shinku Yuhi, and later, Kakashi. But he couldn't stay away forever! So, to placate Kakashi, he had come back early today and prepared a table full of Kakashi's favorite foods, waiting for him to return.

He had also invited Kurenai Yuhi over. Surely Kakashi wouldn't go too far with her there. As long as he got through today, judging by what he knew of Kakashi, the matter would probably blow over!

With Kurenai Yuhi's help, Chihane soon had all the dishes arranged on the table. The two sat beside it, chatting quietly as they waited for Kakashi.

Whoosh!

Kakashi Hatake suddenly appeared atop the eastern wall of the Hatake residence. As expected, he still preferred to climb over the wall to get home.

Kakashi climbed into the courtyard and smelled the food wafting out of the house. Of course he knew Chihane was back.

Did Chihane really think he could buy me off with one meal? I won't eat a single bite! This isn't going to end that easily. I'm furious, and the consequences will be serious!!!

Kakashi marched toward the house in a fury, telling himself that he wouldn't forgive Chihane.

"Huh? Kurenai, what are you doing here?"

When Kakashi pushed open the door, he immediately saw Chihane and Kurenai Yuhi sitting together, which took him by surprise.

Chihane knew Kakashi all too well. Even though Kurenai Yuhi had grown up playing with them, ever since their father's death, Kakashi had taken the honor of the Hatake Clan upon himself and wouldn't allow it to suffer the slightest damage on his watch. With someone outside the family present, he would definitely pretend nothing had happened.

Kakashi would surely wait until Kurenai Yuhi left before settling the score with him. But if he thought he could eat Chihane's food and still get revenge afterward... heh heh...

Sure enough, seeing Kurenai Yuhi sitting there, Kakashi chose to hold back for the time being. Still, he kept a stern face as he looked at Chihane.

"Come sit down, Kakashi. Chihane and I put a lot of care into making all this food for you."

Fortunately, Kurenai Yuhi was there to offer both brothers a graceful way out at just the right moment.

Looking at the table full of delicious dishes, all his usual favorites, Kakashi couldn't help the tears welling up in his mouth. In the end, he decided to oblige Kurenai Yuhi.

But before entering the house, he had told himself that he wouldn't touch a single bite of Chihane's rice. So he firmly stuck to his principles and ate more of the other dishes instead.

Watching Kakashi so readily follow his heart, Chihane couldn't help letting out a long sigh of relief. He had made it through this ordeal.

"Chihane, did Lord Orochimaru really take you as his student? Every time I see him, he seems so scary!"

As Kurenai Yuhi placed food in Chihane's bowl, she told him amusing stories about what had happened since the team assignments. Eventually, the conversation turned back to him.

"Teacher Orochimaru is actually pretty nice. Don't let his appearance fool you! He may seem cold, but he's warmhearted underneath. He's taught me a lot lately!"

Hearing Kurenai Yuhi's assessment of Orochimaru, Chihane couldn't help giving a wry smile. Most people in the village probably thought the same thing. If none of the village's ninja supported Orochimaru, how could he compete with Minato Namikaze to become the Fourth Hokage?

After all, Chihane and Orochimaru now shared the same interests. The higher Orochimaru climbed, the better Chihane's life would be.

Dinner lasted a long time. With Kurenai Yuhi getting things started, Chihane also shared plenty of amusing things that had happened lately. Later on, even the "unhappy" Kakashi talked at length about the funny things Obito Uchiha had done while they were out on missions with Minato Namikaze after their team assignments. The atmosphere remained warm and harmonious well into the evening.

As night fell, the pleasant evening finally came to an end, and Chihane walked Kurenai Yuhi home.

Shinku Yuhi was already waiting at the entrance to his home. When he saw Chihane and Kurenai Yuhi approaching hand in hand, his anger flared. A red light flashed in his eyes, and he lunged straight at Chihane.

It all happened in a flash!

Chihane's keen Observation Haki detected the danger at once. He promptly looked up and saw Shinku Yuhi charging toward him. Giving Kurenai Yuhi an apologetic look, he used the Body Flicker Technique he had just learned and vanished from the spot.

The Hatake Clan residence

Chihane opened the gate and stepped into the courtyard. Sure enough, Kakashi was already waiting for him there.

Whoosh!

"Today, I'm going to give you a proper swordsmanship practice session."

Kakashi tossed Chihane a wooden sword and spoke through gritted teeth.

At that moment, Chihane couldn't help feeling ⊙ω⊙~￣▽￣~

With wooden swords in hand, the two launched into a rapid exchange. Rather than a fight, though, it was a one-sided thrashing! Faced with Kakashi's feeble counterattacks, Chihane didn't even need to exert himself. With a single wooden sword, he easily kept Kakashi completely under control.

"Hehe!! You're the one who asked for a beating... ah, no, who wanted to practice swordsmanship. You can't blame me! Just say the word if you can't take it anymore. I'll be gentle..."

Chihane swung his wooden sword ferociously as he spoke to Kakashi, whose face was red and teeth were clenched as he desperately fought back.

How could Kakashi possibly admit defeat to Chihane now? He was the one who had proposed this sparring session in the first place. Still, he had never imagined Chihane would be this strong now.

At last, the intense thrill gave way to a wave of dull emptiness.

After putting up fierce resistance and enduring the ravages of Chihane's gentle sword technique, Wild-ass slashing, Kakashi sincerely requested a truce.

After their sparring session, the two brothers sat quietly on the courtyard steps, holding their wooden swords against their chests and gazing at the bright moonlight spilling into the courtyard.

Kakashi couldn't help remembering how things had been the same when they were little. Born after Chihane, Kakashi had always been beaten until he ran around clutching his head. Whenever their mother saw it, she would come out to stop Chihane and give him a thorough scolding.

But now all of that was gone. Only he and Chihane remained, relying on each other to get by. And whenever anything happened, he was always the unlucky one...

"Kakashi, I heard Rin Nohara has had a crush on you all this time! Rin's a good girl. When are you going to bring her home so I can give her a proper welcome?"

Seeing that Kakashi had finally calmed down, Chihane couldn't resist the urge to tease him and spoke up.

"What are you talking about? Rin and I are just teammates, like Obito!"

Suddenly confronted with such a sensitive topic, Kakashi became flustered, clearly unsure how to answer.