"How was your first day of school?"
Sakumo casually asked during dinner.
He genuinely cared about how Kakashi's first day went.
"Not bad."
Kakashi swallowed his food and replied coolly with just two words.
To him, it wasn't anything special. With Gai and Kurenai around, it felt just like any other day.
"Your teacher, Instructor Suzuki, used to serve under me."
"He… was a bit of a disappointment."
Sakumo continued speaking to himself, a flicker of sadness in his eyes as he paused briefly.
"You need to listen to your teachers and study hard at school."
"Don't cause trouble just because your uncle's the principal."
Sakumo knew Kakashi well enough. He was just issuing a warning in advance.
"Yeah, yeah, Dad."
Kakashi gave in helplessly. Honestly, causing trouble at school meant nothing to him.
Bullying classmates wouldn't give him any satisfaction either.
"Good."
Sakumo nodded in satisfaction—Kakashi had always been quite easygoing.
Much easier to handle than Kawaki ever was at that age.
"Big bro, don't worry about it."
"I've got everything covered."
But Kawaki had zero self-awareness.
Beaming, he scooped little Ginji into his arms and fed his beloved son a piece of meat.
"That's exactly why I *can't* feel reassured."
Sakumo shot Kawaki a sidelong glance, prompting the others to burst into laughter.
"Now now, what did you say?"
"Do you really see me as that unreliable?"
Kawaki immediately pulled a long face, looking genuinely hurt.
"Come on, you know yourself better than anyone else."
Tsunade smacked Kawaki on the back, clearly siding with Sakumo's viewpoint.
When things started out smoothly, Kawaki somehow always became the main source of chaos.
"Dad, Dad."
"I want more."
Little Ginji couldn't care less about adult humor and impatiently demanded another bite.
"Then give Daddy a compliment first."
Kawaki held a piece of meat with chopsticks but kept delaying feeding it to Ginji, trying to get some parental recognition from his son.
"Hmph~"
"Forget it then if you won't give me any."
Ginji was still a tough little nut—he wriggled free from Kawaki's arms.
Waddling on his short legs, he quickly ran over to stand beside Kakashi.
"Big brother, I want some meat."
How could Kakashi say no to Ginji's sweet, childlike voice?
"Alright, have a big piece."
Kakashi had to stretch a bit to reach higher, so he stood up and picked a large chunk for his little nephew.
"Brother's the best."
While chewing, Ginji deliberately glanced at Kawaki, practically issuing a challenge.
Not giving me meat? Fine, someone else will.
Want me to praise you?
No way. Not gonna happen.
"This stinky kid."
Kawaki chuckled wryly—who knew where Ginji got his cheekiness from?
"I'm done eating—I'll leave you guys to enjoy your meal."
Minato made his usual early escape again, something that had been happening frequently lately.
Now that he'd grown into a fine young man, he and Kushina were getting increasingly affectionate.
"Where are you meeting Kushina this time?"
Tsunade asked casually, her eyes sparkling with amusement.
"Haha, no."
"I just wanted to go out for a walk."
Minato felt slightly awkward and deflected Tsunade's gaze with a chuckle before rushing out the door.
If he was late again, Kushina would definitely scold him.
"Hmm... It's time to prepare a mansion for Minato."
Kawaki watched Minato's retreating figure thoughtfully.
Once Minato got married, it wouldn't be quite proper for him to keep living in the Hatake household.
"You don't need to worry about that."
"Do you think Grandma Mito would ever let Kushina be mistreated?"
Tsunade knew very well that Mito had already reserved a top-tier estate for Kushina.
Although Kushina wasn't her blood granddaughter, after so many years of companionship, she might as well have been family.
Perhaps Mito's biggest regret was that Kushina never became her daughter-in-law.
But with Misaki now in that role, she was quite content.
"You say that with envy way too often."
Yahiko's calm voice cut through, more teasing than serious.
"Do you really think I'd treat any of you badly?"
Kawaki glared. He had always been fair all these years.
He hadn't taught any of them directly—everything relied on their own understanding.
He perfectly embodied the saying: "A teacher leads through the gate, but cultivation lies in the disciple."
"Don't you know how to talk?"
"Would our teacher forget about our houses?"
Without hesitation, Konan flicked Yahiko's forehead sharply, though her eyes stayed fixed on Kawaki.
"One house is plenty for you two."
"Don't even try to scam me."
Kawaki could see right through Konan's intentions. This greedy little thing.
"That's not fair at all!"
Konan frowned. Why should she and Yahiko only get one house to share?
That was blatant discrimination.
"I think one house is perfect."
Yahiko rubbed his forehead happily. He and Konan were a couple officially accepted by their elders.
"What do you know, shut up."
Konan shot Yahiko another glare. What a wastrel.
Whether they actually used multiple houses or not was one thing—having them was an entirely different matter.
"Big sis Konan, you're kinda scary."
As clueless as ever, Ginji muttered under his breath.
"This is called standing up for yourself. Learn from it."
Ginji had clearly inherited Kawaki's signature skill—the ability to shift expressions at will—a skill Konan had perfected.
"All right, enough from you."
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Tsunade glared at Konan with obvious annoyance. This greedy girl was impossible.
"Teacher~"
Konan sweetly cooed, her voice almost cloying.
"Fine, fine. I'll handle it."
Tsunade had absolutely no way of dealing with Konan.
Kawaki only had one female disciple—how could she not spoil her?
"I knew Teacher would be the kindest to me."
Konan smiled radiantly, not sparing Kawaki a glance.
Betrayal for personal gain was nothing new to her.
Everyone had long since gotten used to Konan's textbook backstabbing tactics.
In truth, even if she didn't receive a single house, she wouldn't have voiced any complaints.
The kindness Kawaki had shown all of them was already immeasurable.
"Don't flatter me, you little gold-digger."
Tsunade cast a glance at Konan, barely suppressing the smile tugging at her lips.
She truly relished these warm, cozy days. Spending a bit of money was nothing at all.
"Still, Nagato's the most well-behaved among you."
Kawaki sighed heavily, almost as if making a subtle jab.
"Cough cough—"
"Teacher, I want some too."
As soon as Kawaki finished speaking, he realized two Rinnegans were glaring intensely at him.
People just can't take a compliment.
"Hahahaha—"
Nagato's words had everyone in the room erupting into laughter, leaving only Kawaki standing there, red-faced and frozen in embarrassment.
"Why did I end up with such ungrateful brats like you guys?"
Kawaki angrily shoveled a mouthful of rice, as if trying to channel his frustration into every bite.
The whole farce finally wrapped up in a wave of cheerful laughter.
After dinner, Kakashi took Ginji's small hand and followed the three senior apprentices on a stroll through the martial arts hall.
Ghost Mastiff and Little White darted joyfully around the group of five.
Sakumo and Kawaki sat quietly by the stone table, chatting idly. What a blissful life this was.
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