The Hokage's half-sleeve appointment was a mark of recognition from both the village and the daimyo for Sakumo Hatake, but it also marked the beginning of his suppression.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's acceptance of Danzo's suggestion was the clearest evidence.
That was why Xin considered Sakumo's political sense so poor.
The Hokage half-sleeve was suggested by the daimyo, and the Third Hokage couldn't refuse it, which led to Sakumo accepting it gleefully.
The daimyo was happy, thinking Sakumo was someone worth pulling in.
But it put the Third Hokage and the other high-ups in a difficult position.
Setting aside power struggles, which side did Sakumo Hatake align himself with?
Whose side was he on?
Unfortunately, regardless of his stance, people like the Third Hokage would target him anyway.
As one of the involved parties, Xin knew this all too well.
Would Sakumo still be targeted and slandered?
Xin wasn't sure if Danzo would try such underhanded tactics during the war.
And the bigger question was, would Sakumo still die? That was a concern.
From a personal standpoint, Xin naturally hoped Sakumo wouldn't die, especially since they had a decent relationship.
As Xin walked, he came to a stop at a park and turned around, sighing.
"Hey, kiddo. You've been following me for a while now. Are you not planning to come out?"
Hidden among the bushes, Kakashi froze. Had he been found out?
He'd tried so hard to conceal his presence, but Xin had still noticed.
Seeing Kakashi not coming out, Xin chuckled.
"Kid, didn't anyone tell you your stealth skills are quite lacking?"
"Anyone with a bit of sensory ability would notice. Or are you trying to play hide-and-seek with me?"
Xin spun a few kunai in his hand.
"Hide-and-seek can be dangerous, you know."
"..."
Who plays hide-and-seek with kunai?!
Kakashi quickly jumped out, awkwardly bowing.
"I'm very sorry for disturbing you, senior."
"You followed me. Did you need something?"
In the original story, Kakashi was known for his cold demeanor. But as a child, while Kakashi was somewhat reserved, he wasn't that cold.
Though even at this age, he had already developed the habit of looking at people from a forty-five-degree angle-a habit that made people want to smack him.
After Sakumo Hatake's death, Kakashi's personality drastically changed, and he shut himself off emotionally.
As he grew up, the presence of cheerful Obito and caring Rin helped him gradually open up again.
But just when he hadn't fully opened up, Obito's incident happened, and Rin died.
Kakashi's emotional walls closed again-this time for over a decade-until Naruto graduated.
Due to Naruto and Sasuke, Kakashi once more opened up, only for Sasuke to betray the village and Naruto to leave with Jiraiya.
Kakashi's life was truly a series of tragedies.