Kakashi turned around stiffly.
The middle-aged man before me had thick white hair and a resolute face, with sharp and spirited eyes.
Kakashi opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a word.
Hatake Sakumo sized up the young man at the door, noticing his white hair and the mask he wore, which was identical to his son's, and asked in confusion:
Is that Kakashi?
Kakashi nodded and uttered the two words: "Father."
Hatake Sakumo nodded, a happy smile spreading across his face. He patted Kakashi on the shoulder. "I've been wondering when you'd come here. I've been waiting for you for a long time. Come on, let's go inside and talk."
Young Kakashi, hearing that the young man in front of him also seemed to be called Kakashi, couldn't help but look at him curiously, and then quickly ran forward to open the door for the two of them.
The two entered the room and sat down cross-legged. Hatake Sakumo called out, " Kakashi."
Both Kakashi, one older and one younger, looked at him simultaneously. Hatake Sakumo stroked his hair and smiled at the younger Kakashi, saying, "Make a pot of tea for me and my brother."
Young Kakashi got up and went out to make tea. Looking at the young man before him, Hatake Sakumo sighed, "I've always looked forward to seeing Kakashi grow up, and now that I see you, you haven't disappointed me."
Kakashi removed his mask, allowing the father of this world to see him more clearly.
Looking at the beauty mark next to Kakashi's chin, Hatake Sakumo couldn't help but laugh and said, "He does look a bit effeminate, no wonder you've worn a mask since you were little."
"Father!" Kakashi took out a storage scroll and pulled out a glass test tube filled with a pale green liquid. "This is a gift for you."
"What is this?" Hatake Sakumo took the glass test tube.
"This is the result of research in our world; it can optimize genes and increase Chakra levels. You know our family's Chakra has always been somewhat limited."
"Thank you." Hatake Sakumo nodded; he had indeed noticed that Kakashi's Chakra was brimming with vitality. "I don't really need it anymore; I'll leave it for Kakashi."
Kakashi opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing. This liquid, containing Hashirama Cells, has a low production rate due to its limited success rate; to date, only two or three people have used it to increase their Chakra.
However, since the items had already been sent out, he didn't interfere further.
Hatake Sakumo suddenly sat up straight, bowed deeply to Kakashi.
Kakashi quickly helped him up. "Father, what are you doing?"
" Kakashi, I'm sorry, my other self caused you great pain."
"You knew all along?"
"Yes, Lady Mito told us about the developments in the other world. I'm so sorry, I wasn't there for you in that other world."
Kakashi breathed a soft sigh of relief. He had thought he would have a lot to say to his father in this world, and many questions to ask.
But when I actually met him, many problems ceased to be problems. The thoughts that had been suppressed in my heart for years miraculously vanished.
Faced with his father's apology, Kakashi could only utter one sentence. "It's alright, Father."
As a man, Kakashi couldn't say things like "I missed you," but being by his father's side at this moment made him feel more at ease than ever before.
A moment of silence fell over the room, but it wasn't awkward. A tacit understanding, typical of adults, seemed to have formed between the two.
Young Kakashi entered the room carrying a teapot and teacups.
"Thank you," Kakashi whispered to his younger self.
Young Kakashi was surprised to see the beauty mark on the young man's chin, and for a moment he didn't even notice that he had spilled his tea.
"Ah? I'm sorry!" Young Kakashi quickly apologized.
"It's okay." Kakashi reached out and stroked his younger self's head.
He took a short sword from his storage scroll and handed it to Kakashi.
Young Kakashi took it and drew a section of the sword from its sheath. The gleaming blade was clearly different from ordinary swords.
Hatake Sakumo naturally recognized that this was Chakra Metal, a rare metal that could pass through Chakra without damage, and had almost no drawbacks except for its high price.
"That's too expensive, Kakashi. You're your age, and you still need to save money and settle down. By the way, do you have a girl you like?"
Hatake Sakumo knew long ago that his son in the other world was still unmarried, but he didn't know if his son had an ideal partner in mind.
"Father, I'm very sorry, I haven't met the right person yet."
"You need to hurry up too. When I was your age, I was already a father."
Kakashi awkwardly touched his hair, never expecting to be pressured to get married by his father in this world. But he didn't dislike this feeling at all.
Young Kakashi, clutching his short sword, looked at his father, making no attempt to hide the longing in his heart.
"Take it." Kakashi continued to stuff the short sword into his younger self's arms; this kind of short sword was his biggest dream when he was young.
Seeing his father nod, young Kakashi hugged his short sword, sat down, and gently stroked the gleaming blade.
Hatake Sakumo stood up and said, "I'll cook for you. It's been a long time since you've had my cooking. I hope you haven't fallen behind my cooking in the other world."
Kakashi stood up. "I'll help you. I've honed my cooking skills quite well over the years, Father, please have a taste."
The two walked together into the kitchen, leaving young Kakashi in the room, clutching his short sword, looking utterly bewildered.
Shinsei ate with his mouth full of oil; Mito Uzumaki's eating habits were just too compatible with his own.
She suppressed Kushina Uzumaki's sweet tooth and instead prepared a lot of meat dishes.
Ever since she learned that Shinsei loved meat, Mito Uzumaki had kept Shinsei's taste in mind.
Shinsei noticed Mito Uzumaki watching him wolf down his food with a smile, and quickly wiped his mouth, thinking: Was my eating manners really that bad?
"It's alright, good boy, eat more." Seeing Shinsei stop eating, Mito Uzumaki picked up a large piece of venison and put it in Shinsei's bowl. "The way you eat is just like Hashirama. Although I didn't see him as a child, he was still the same even after he became Hokage."
Shinsei was also somewhat helpless. His body was still developing rapidly, and his Chakra was increasing almost every day. This explosive growth required a lot of nutrition.
"Of course it's because Grandma Mito's cooking is so delicious!" Shinsei praised without hesitation.
Tsunade to the side, frowned and tugged at Shinsei's ear:
"What did you call my grandmother? Are you trying to rebel, you traitor!"