"I'm home."
A small figure took off his shoes at the entrance and stepped inside. He had silver-white hair and a black mask covering his entire face below the bridge of his nose, leaving only a pair of largely expressionless eyes visible.
Kakashi.
Seven years old, a Chunin, and his son.
Out of the corner of his eye, Kakashi spotted the pool of blood on the living room floor. Dark red and sprawling, it stood out starkly against the wooden boards.
His gaze stopped on it.
"Welcome home." Hatake Sakumo continued wiping his blade without looking back, his tone flat. "We'll go out for dinner in a bit. I'll clean up the blood on the floor."
Kakashi was silent for a moment.
He actually wanted to ask: Where did the blood come from?
But seeing his father's steady back as he wiped his blade, he swallowed all those questions.
For the past two months, his father had been so despondent that even Kakashi, his son, had been alarmed. Today, he seemed a little more spirited.
That was enough.
"Okay, Dad," Kakashi replied, then went to his bedroom first.
Hearing the soft click of the bedroom door closing, Hatake Sakumo breathed a sigh of relief. Luckily, he had been quick-witted enough to turn his back on Kakashi in time.
He got up, took off his bloodstained vest, and returned to his bedroom to change into clean clothes. Then he found a rag and scrubbed the blood off the living room floor, wiping it over and over before opening a window to air the room out.
When he finished and checked the time, only ten-odd minutes had passed.
"Kakashi, let's go. We're eating out."
Evening had fallen on the streets of Konoha, and the lights were just coming on.
Father and son walked side by side in silence.
Hatake Sakumo secretly studied Kakashi out of the corner of his eye, only to find Kakashi doing the same to him.
Their sidelong glances met with a snap.
Awkward.
Hatake Sakumo cleared his throat twice and spoke first. "So? How was your day?"
"Fine, I guess." Kakashi answered crisply, his voice betraying no emotion.
Then silence fell again.
Neither father nor son was much of a talker. Just then, whispers from the people around them reached their ears.
"Look, isn't that White Fang...?"
"He's still got the nerve to show his face..."
"Abandoning a mission to save his comrades-does he know how much the village lost...?"
Having assimilated all the original owner's memories and inherited his strength, Hatake Sakumo had frighteningly keen senses. He heard every word clearly, but couldn't be bothered to respond.
If a dog barked at you, were you supposed to bark back?
But he noticed Kakashi clench his fists, his knuckles turning white, and glance at him.
Seeing that his father didn't seem despondent, Kakashi slowly unclenched his fists.
After they had walked the streets for a while, two men came toward them.
The two men wore Chunin vests. The moment they saw Hatake Sakumo, their eyes turned red, as though they had spotted an enemy, and they rushed over in long strides.
"White Fang! You bastard, how do you still have the nerve to show your face?"
Before the words had even died away, a ding sounded in Hatake Sakumo's head.
[Ding! Detected: the host is being cursed to his face by two small fry whose names aren't even worth remembering. As the world's greatest swordsman, how can you allow this? Please act immediately and teach them a lesson, so they understand what a gap in strength means.]
Hatake Sakumo's mouth twitched.
Good grief, this system doesn't think things are chaotic enough. Now it's even urging me to get on with it.
Hatake Sakumo stopped and looked the two men over. Their details automatically surfaced in his memory.
The one on the left was Tanaka Ryōhei, and the one on the right was Yamada Shigeru. Both were Konoha Chunin.
Two months ago, men like these had fawned over the original owner like pet dogs meeting their master. Now they actually dared curse him to his face?
The current Hatake Sakumo was not the original owner, who had been brainwashed by the Will of Fire.
How strong was he now?
With the original owner's strength plus top-tier Armament Haki, was he supposed to let two small fry climb onto his head and shit on him?
"You two, what did you just call me?" His gaze sharpened.
The look made both men's hearts jump.
His record spoke for itself: he was a top-tier powerhouse who had completed countless S-rank missions, with A-rank missions as a starting point.
He didn't need to deliberately release killing intent. His eyes alone were frightening enough.
But then the two reconsidered. This man had been cursed at for two months and hadn't dared make a peep.
The nerve they had built up over those two months surged right back.
"Don't get all high and mighty with me!" Tanaka Ryōhei thrust out his chin. "You're a traitor who harmed the interests of the village and the Land of Fire..."
Smack!!!
A palm rapidly filled his vision.
Hatake Sakumo didn't hold back any strength in that slap.
One side of Tanaka Ryōhei's face reddened and swelled at a visible rate, and several teeth flew a good distance through the air with a spray of blood. His eyes rolled back, bloody foam spilled from his mouth, and he fell stiffly to the ground, unconscious.
Yamada Shigeru's legs went weak with fright, and he fell straight to the ground. He pointed a trembling finger at Hatake Sakumo. "Y-you dared hit someone! I'm going to report this to Lord Hokage..."
Hatake Sakumo couldn't be bothered with him. He raised a foot and planted the sole of his shoe in his face.
Yamada Shigeru passed out too.
The villagers who had been happily pointing and gossiping all fell silent at once. One by one, they lowered their heads and pretended to look at the sky, the ground, or the stalls, none of them daring to breathe too loudly.
Hatake Sakumo dusted off his hands and continued walking as though nothing had happened.
Kakashi looked at the two men lying on the ground, then at his father's calm profile. He asked nothing and silently followed.
Only, a little light had quietly appeared in those otherwise expressionless eyes.
Hatake Sakumo and Kakashi walked a little farther, and their stomachs began to growl.
What should we eat? This is my first meal since transmigrating to the world of Naruto. It ought to feel like an occasion.
Hatake Sakumo searched the original owner's memories. Kakashi liked Pacific saury.
That settles it.
He picked a grilled fish restaurant and pushed the door open.
Father and son ordered two grilled Pacific sauries and a few side dishes.
A few tables were occupied inside the restaurant, but the customers barely reacted when they saw the two enter.
Hatake Sakumo couldn't be bothered to figure out whether they didn't dare say anything or simply hadn't inherited Konoha's "bullying genes." Either way, no one was pointing fingers, so it was peaceful.
The side dishes came first, and father and son picked up their chopsticks.
Hatake Sakumo glanced at Kakashi.
When the kid ate, he pulled his mask down and left it hanging around his neck like a scarf, revealing his entire face as he quietly picked up food.
Hatake Sakumo picked up a piece of food and casually started a conversation. "Kakashi, stop taking those little Chunin missions for now."
Kakashi looked up at him. "Why?"
"You're still young," Hatake Sakumo said. "Spend more time playing with kids your own age. Don't bury yourself in missions all day."
Kakashi's chopsticks paused. With his eyes lowered and his face largely expressionless, he replied, "Got it, Dad."
Then came silence again. Kakashi lowered his head and shovelled down his food; there was no telling whether he had taken the advice to heart or was merely humouring him.
Hatake Sakumo didn't press him. Some things only needed to be mentioned.
The saury soon arrived at the table. Just then, a commotion came from outside.
"Where is he? Where is he? Where did he run off to?"
The wooden door was pushed open with a bang, and a squad swaggered inside. They wore green vests, and the fan-shaped clan crests on their shoulders stood out under the lights.
The Konoha Military Police Force, men of the Uchiha Clan.
Their leader swept his gaze around the restaurant and fixed on his target. "There he is! Seize him!"
Another ding sounded in his head.
[Ding! Detected: mere local peacekeepers dare provoke the world's greatest swordsman. This is a grave offense to the dignity of a swordsman. Please act and show them who they cannot afford to provoke in these waters.]
Hatake Sakumo didn't even lift an eyelid. He was already used to the system being unreliable.
Three Uchiha officers immediately surrounded him. Two of them moved to grab Hatake Sakumo by the shoulders, one on either side:
"White Fang! Someone reported you for beating up fellow village ninja in the street. Come back to the Konoha Military Police Force with us!"
Hatake Sakumo picked up a bite of saury with his chopsticks and chewed slowly, paying them no attention.
The two men strained to restrain him, but his shoulders might as well have been welded in place. They didn't budge.
Hatake Sakumo picked up a bowl of house-special fish soup and took a sip, then smashed the bowl against one man's head with a crack.
The man immediately saw stars and staggered.
"Since when did you small fry get to act so high and mighty in front of me?" Hatake Sakumo asked unhurriedly.
He swung his left arm, sending the Uchiha officer holding it flying like a sack. The man crashed into a table and overturned it.
The last Uchiha officer had just swallowed and hadn't even had time to get nervous before a kick sent him flying, crushing two tables beneath him.
The civilians who had been eating in the restaurant had long since huddled together in fright, hiding in a corner and barely daring to breathe.
The Uchiha leader ground his teeth and whipped out a Kunai. His eyes were blood red, a single Tomoe slowly rotating in each.
"Hmph, Hatake Sakumo, first you disturbed the peace in the village, and now you've attacked police officers. You're asking for death! Today, I, Uchiha Kō, will teach you what the rules are!"
Hatake Sakumo almost lost his composure.
Kakashi was watching from the side, so he had to keep up his image. Otherwise, he would have burst out laughing.
Seriously, man? You think you can handle the Konoha White Fang with one Tomoe?
Where did you get the nerve?
Bang!!!
Hatake Sakumo's foot was already in front of Uchiha Kō, moving so fast that Kō couldn't even make out a blur.
He flew backward like a soccer ball and smashed through the restaurant door with a crash.
Uchiha Kō spat out a mouthful of blood, his eyes rolled back, and he passed out on the spot.
Hatake Sakumo wasn't about to let him off so easily. He walked over, grabbed him by the collar, and slapped him awake with two resounding smacks.
"Talk." He looked down at him. "Why did you come looking for trouble with me?"