Hatake Sakumo!

Hearing Obito's words, Koki burst out laughing. Shisui could only laugh helplessly, while Itachi simply lowered his head and focused on enjoying his dessert.

Night gradually fell, and the shop grew more crowded, packed with people amid swirling smoke. Half were ninja, and the other half were villagers.

Almost everyone in sight held a skewer, their faces glowing with satisfaction and delight.

Servers hurried through the crowd, passing out food and drinks as shouts rang out one after another, making for an exceptionally lively atmosphere. The air was filled with the mouthwatering aroma of spices and grilled meat.

Koki held an iced drink in one hand and his well-behaved little brother in the other arm, perfectly content.

He studied his brother's adorable little face, then turned his gaze to Obito and Shisui. He sighed inwardly. They really were a sight for sore eyes, worthy of the beautiful Uchiha.

As the four ate and chatted at their leisure, an angry voice thundered in their ears. "I never wanted him to save me!" The sharp sound of porcelain bowls smashing followed in quick succession.

The sudden outburst drew the attention of most of the people in the shop, Koki included.

They looked toward the voice and saw more than a dozen ninja in green flak jackets sitting around the largest table in the center of the shop, loudly discussing something. One of them was wrapped in bandages and looked as though he had only just recovered and been discharged from the hospital. Something had set him off, and he was smashing bowls and plates like a madman.

How uncouth! Koki gave him a cursory glance and turned away, but the man's next words struck him like a bolt from the blue!

"What a fine Lord Konoha's White Fang! It sounds so noble! Abandoning the mission to save his comrades? I never asked him to save me! I didn't want his help!"

Konoha's White Fang? Hatake Sakumo! Koki finally remembered his mission! He had to stop Hatake Sakumo from killing himself. How long was the deadline again? It seemed to be three months.

He had been letting himself go a little lately and had almost forgotten about the mission. Fortunately, there were still over two months left. That should be enough time... Thank goodness the system isn't here. Koki swallowed guiltily.

Speaking of Hatake Sakumo, Koki had watched plenty of videos on social media back on Blue Star. The funniest one at the time had been a power-ranking chart with a T0 tier: sterilized Fugaku, healthy Itachi, clear-headed Shisui, Jiraiya with intel, thick-skinned Hatake Sakumo, and Ichiraku with poison.

Jokes aside, Hatake Sakumo really was incredibly powerful!

Koki had felt terribly sorry for Kakashi, that "lonely scarecrow," and had looked into his father, Hatake Sakumo, in detail. Still, there really hadn't been much about him in the manga or anime.

Like Kakashi, Hatake Sakumo had been a remarkably gifted genius from a young age. He belonged to the same generation as the Sannin, all of whom greatly admired him.

Hatake Sakumo's weapon was a specially made short blade, like a dagger but a little longer, called "White Fang." He was very fond of it, and his abilities suited the blade, so he had carried it on missions ever since becoming a ninja.

Hatake Sakumo wasn't as aloof as he looked. Like Minato, he was even a little absentminded, and at times could be rather comical. The "Thousand Years of Death" Kakashi used on Naruto when he was in Team 7 was an E-rank Ninjutsu his father had developed. Sakumo had once used it against a ninja from another country, who said that the Thousand Years of Death was tremendously destructive and as terrifying as a white fang.

During the Second Shinobi World War, Konoha and Sunagakure joined forces against Amegakure, led by Hanzo of the Salamander. The young Hanzo was known as the "Demigod" and was a formidable figure. His poison was virtually unstoppable, and Konoha used all its strength against him.

But the Third Hokage ordered Hatake Sakumo to remain in the village and stand by.

In fact, Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi's decision had been entirely correct. The Third Kazekage was in power at the time, and he launched a surprise attack on Konoha. The two people he sent were none other than Sasori's parents, Granny Chiyo's son and daughter-in-law!

How could the two of them have been a match for Konoha's White Fang? The outcome was easy to imagine! When the news reached Sunagakure, Granny Chiyo was heartbroken. Many years later, when Naruto went to rescue Gaara, Granny Chiyo mistook Kakashi for Hatake Sakumo when he visited Sunagakure. Sasori's personality also changed drastically as a result, and he eventually turned the Third Kazekage into his puppet.

Sakumo later married and had a son, Kakashi Hatake, whom he raised with care from an early age. Sakumo even accompanied Kakashi through the entire school enrollment process. On the way, they ran into the eternal Genin Might Duy, who was with his young son Might Guy-the man who had nearly kicked the story straight to its ending.

As a genius, Kakashi looked down on Might Guy, but Hatake Sakumo, who had seen more of life and had a keen eye for people, spotted Guy's potential at a glance. He gave Kakashi a lesson and even had him go up and ask Guy's name, saying that Might Guy would become Kakashi's lifelong rival.

Those words came true many years later.

Although Kakashi's mother died young, he still spent a very happy period of his life with Hatake Sakumo at his side.

But the good times didn't last.

One day, Hatake Sakumo received an S-rank mission from the village. As the squad leader, he was to lead his team into enemy territory on a secret mission.

But during the mission, they faced a choice, one that also ran throughout the anime Naruto from beginning to end: resolutely carry out the important mission assigned by the village, or abandon it to save their comrades?

According to the village's strict rules, the mission had to come first above all else! But Hatake Sakumo was too softhearted to bear watching his two comrades die, so he decisively chose to abandon the mission and save them. The village suffered some losses as a result, but nothing serious.

After they returned to the village, the two comrades he had saved were seriously injured and unconscious, and were taken to the hospital. On the surface, Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't make things difficult for Hatake Sakumo.

But what happened? Hatake Sakumo, who had abandoned his mission to save two comrades, was no longer Konoha's great hero, nor was he the famous Konoha's White Fang whose name shook the Shinobi World. In an instant, he became the target of everyone's criticism.

A chorus of accusations could destroy a person. Everyone blamed him, and everyone pointed fingers at him. In an instant, Hatake Sakumo became a great sinner condemned by all!

Just because of that one failed mission, everything he had done for Konoha in the past was dismissed!

(Darlings, Kishimoto's timeline is such a mess, with so many bugs. I've looked through so much material, but I still can't pin down Shisui's and Hatake Sakumo's ages. Looking at the ages in the Book of Jin only made it more confusing.

There are even two different accounts of when Naruto was born: one says Konoha Year 51, and the other says Konoha Year 48.

The timeline of the Third Shinobi World War is also difficult to pin down, though it should have lasted quite a long time.

So I hope you darlings won't get hung up on the timeline~

Thank you!)