On his way back to Konoha from the battlefield, Hatake Sakumo heard crying. He instinctively drew his blade and went on guard, cautiously approaching the source.
Soon, he stood in a tree and spotted a swaddled infant abandoned beneath a tree some distance away.
"What's this? A baby?"
Hatake Sakumo dared not let his guard down. He carefully sensed his surroundings, checking repeatedly before moving closer.
"Hmm, he looks about the same age as Kakashi."
Having only recently become a father, Hatake Sakumo was very gentle with children. Then he noticed a wooden tag beside the infant.
"Minazuki Yuzuru."
"Minazuki? I remember they're a clan with an Ice Release kekkei genkai. Why would this child be here?"
Hatake Sakumo's expression grew serious.
He had originally intended to take the child in and give Kakashi another playmate, but now it seemed this child was rather unusual.
Ice Release was a kekkei genkai Konoha didn't have. Whether he could adopt the child was still in question.
After thinking for a moment, Hatake Sakumo decided to take the child back to Konoha anyway.
"A child of the Yuki Clan? Hmm, in that case, let him stay. In every respect, this child's presence will benefit the village."
Hiruzen Sarutobi at this time truly deserved the title of Shinobi Hero. He understood how important a ninja with a kekkei genkai was to the village.
To put it bluntly, this was the beginning of a kekkei genkai clan. Although Konoha had quite a few clans with secret techniques, it really didn't have many kekkei genkai.
"Then should we change this child's name? The war is drawing to a close, and I'm worried Kirigakure might use this to make trouble."
Hatake Sakumo voiced his concern.
"No need. Kirigakure doesn't have the strength for that. Besides, the name Minazuki itself represents Ice Release, and the Warring States Period was so chaotic, who knows which branch of the Minazuki Family he belongs to? Is Kirigakure allowed to have one while Konoha isn't?"
"What's more, even if you change his surname, he'll still find out when he grows up. After all, Ice Release simply can't be hidden. Better to be honest. No hidden village would complain about having too many kekkei genkai clans."
Hiruzen Sarutobi took a puff of his pipe as he spoke.
"I remember your son should be a year old now, about the same age as him, right? They'll make good companions."
"Yes! Then, Lord Hokage, I'll take this child home now."
Hatake Sakumo was rather eager to get home.
Seeing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi lit another pipe and said with a smile, "All right, go home and see your son. Get a good night's rest. The war isn't over yet, and there's some important intelligence I need you to deliver tomorrow."
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
With that, Hatake Sakumo immediately left the Hokage office building.
Hiruzen Sarutobi continued reviewing the various battle reports from the front and the village's expenditures on his desk.
Meanwhile, after returning home, Hatake Sakumo gave Yuzuru a quick wipe-down before placing him beside Kakashi.
"Kakashi, he'll be your little brother from now on. You two had better grow up well."
Hatake Sakumo gently stroked Kakashi's cheek, his eyes full of affection.
Even the Konoha White Fang, who killed without batting an eye, was a very gentle, loving father in front of his own son.
Beside him, Yuzuru had just finished his milk. He turned to look at Kakashi, blinking his large eyes.
Two years later, in Konoha Year 40, the Second Shinobi World War still hadn't ended.
In the Hatake Clan's courtyard, two small children were diligently swinging their blades.
They were Kakashi Hatake and Minazuki Yuzuru, now three years old.
"Kakashi, keep your movements steady. Don't just chase speed. Make sure each swing comes to a firm stop before you make the next one."
"Yuzuru, you too. Neither of you should rush."
At Hatake Sakumo's sudden words, both boys slowed down and began carefully executing each swing.
Half an hour later, both were soaked through. Only then did Hatake Sakumo speak. "All right, stop and rest. Training needs moderation too. Have something to eat and drink some water to replenish yourselves."
"Yes!"
The two came over and sat down in front of Hatake Sakumo, asking as they drank, "Dad, when did you get back?"
"Just now, but I can't stay long. I have to leave again tomorrow. Sorry I haven't been able to spend much time with you lately."
Hatake Sakumo looked at the two of them, his eyes full of apology.
"The fighting is intense. There's nothing we can do about that."
Minazuki Yuzuru shook his head. "But you still need to stay safe, Dad."
Although Hatake Sakumo wasn't Minazuki Yuzuru's biological father, the care he had given him was real. In Yuzuru's heart, he mattered more than his biological father.
"I will. You two need to behave at home too. Eat on time and go to bed on time."
"Mm-hmm."
Both obediently nodded.
"Oh, right. When I come back in a while, I'll teach you how to extract chakra. For now, you still need a little more time to grow."
Hatake Sakumo smiled at the two as he spoke.
"Really?" ×2
Hearing this, Kakashi and Yuzuru both grew excited. After all, they had been looking forward to this day for a long time.
Having chakra meant they weren't far from becoming real ninja.
"Pinky promise. Whoever lies is a puppy."
"All right, it's a promise~"
The next day, Sakumo returned to the battlefield once more. Kakashi and Yuzuru continued exercising and eating on schedule every day.
It was all to lay the foundation for becoming ninja.
"You sure can eat, Yuzuru."
Seeing two empty bowls already in front of Yuzuru, only for him to bring over another bowl of tonkotsu chashu ramen, Kakashi couldn't help commenting.
"My appetite has gotten a little bigger lately, but that's a good thing. After all, Dad said chakra is connected to both the body's physical energy and mental energy, and told us to eat properly.
"The more I eat, the healthier my body is. And doesn't a healthy body mean more chakra? So it's a good thing!"
Yuzuru swayed his head as he spoke.
Kakashi looked at his own half-finished bowl of ramen and suddenly felt that Yuzuru made a lot of sense.
"All right, I'll have more too!"
And so, Kakashi surpassed his usual appetite. Although his belly was bulging, it was all for the sake of becoming a better ninja.
Seeing this, Yuzuru unhurriedly finished his third bowl, then added another small bowl, leaving Kakashi dumbfounded.
After polishing off three and a half bowls of ramen, Yuzuru rubbed his belly in satisfaction.
"Now I'm full. I'll train after I've had a little time to digest."
"Yuzuru, you really can eat!"
"If you're not eager to eat, there's something wrong with your head."
Four months later.
Hatake Sakumo finally came home again.
Under Kakashi and Yuzuru's expectant gazes, he taught them the Chakra Extraction Technique, then watched expectantly as the two sat cross-legged.
After about two and a half hours, Kakashi had already extracted chakra, making Hatake Sakumo's eyes light up.
Yuzuru was a little slower, taking a little over three hours, but that was already very good.
"Not bad. Looks like you'll both be very impressive ninja."
Hatake Sakumo clapped his hands.
"From here on, just keep extracting it gradually. But remember, don't extract too much at once, or it'll affect your physical development and you won't grow tall. Stop immediately if your body starts feeling uncomfortable. Understood?"
"Understood."
Naturally, both listened to Hatake Sakumo's words without question. After all, he was a veteran ninja, and this was all advice born of experience.