The small clearing near Kakashi's home was filled with quiet tension as Sasuke and Kakashi finally returned. The warm glow of lanterns lit the front porch where Kurenai, Anko, Tsunade, Sakura, Karin, and Naruto waited anxiously. Even Ranmaru stood silently by, his eyes sharp as ever.
As the two stepped inside, Kakashi's usual calm was tempered by a deep weariness. He ran a hand through his silver hair and took a steadying breath.
"I'll explain everything inside," Kakashi said softly, his voice low.
The group exchanged glances and followed him into the house. Once inside, Kakashi headed straight to Tsunade, who stood stiffly by the window, her arms crossed tightly as if bracing for bad news.
Without a word, Kakashi pulled her into a hug. The unexpected comfort broke through the tension between them. Tsunade's eyes glistened with unshed tears.
"Finding your grandfather's and grand uncle's bodies… being kept like that, experimented on endlessly," Kakashi murmured. "I can only imagine how much worse it must have been for you to discover it yourself."
"Tea-Hiruzen was shrewd. Keeping those bodies away from his sight makes a twisted kind of sense… but it's still hard to accept." Tsunade leaned into him, the fierce healer's usual composure faltering.
They stayed like that for a long moment, the silence saying more than words could.
"The one the shadow clone gave me." Finally, Tsunade stepped back and handed Kakashi a sealed scroll.
Kakashi took it carefully and nodded. "Sasuke, come with me. We need to go to the basement."
Sasuke obeyed quietly, eyes still burning with the fierce fire of vengeance and questions.
As Kakashi, Tsunade, and Sasuke descended the stairs, Naruto lingered near the doorway, his arms crossed, and he was clearly sulking. His usual bright energy was clouded by confusion and sadness.
"How can the village be so dark?" Naruto muttered under his breath. "Our third Hokage… my grandfather… turned out to be such an evil person."
Anko, who had been watching from the side, smirked and walked over. With a sharp slap to Naruto's head, she said, "Oi! No matter how dark the village is, all you can do is become Hokage and make it better, right?"
Naruto's eyes lit up instantly, the spark of determination flaring back into his blue eyes.
"Maybe you could do it after Kakashi," Anko added slyly.
Naruto scowled, crossing his arms again. "How could the playboy-sensei be Hokage?!" he protested, clearly not buying it.
Anko grinned. "You don't know? Kakashi is handsome, rich, very strong, and adored by almost every ninja here and around the world. And don't forget, he got promoted to Jonin at a crazy young age. The dude's basically a legend."
"Even so, I'll be better than him," Naruto said with a proud huff.
From nearby, Kurenai, Sakura, and Karin quietly chuckled, amused by how Anko had managed to lift Naruto's spirits once again.
In the dim basement, Kakashi unsealed the scroll on the old wooden table. Inside were neatly folded parchment papers, research notes, detailed evidence, and, most shocking to Sasuke, six pairs of three-tomoe Sharingan eyes, preserved with careful precision.
"So Danzo still had other Sharingan stashed away? But… why did his arm have so many Sharingan embedded in it?" Sasuke's eyes widened.
Kakashi nodded. "That's the secret behind the technique, Izanagi. Danzo would sacrifice the vision of one eye to rewrite reality momentarily. It's a forbidden jutsu, but effective for survival."
Sasuke's mind raced. "No wonder I never learned about Izanagi. Someone must've stolen all the ninja arts from our family's hidden library… not the main one. Only my father, mother, Itachi, and I knew where it was. It had to be Itachi."
"Enough speculation. There's something I want from you." Kakashi's sharp voice snapped him back.
Sasuke looked up, confused.
"My recently created seal, I call it Genesis Seal," Kakashi said, revealing the red spiky diamond-shaped mark in his palm. "It can devour and perfectly synthesize genes, increasing chakra and abilities safely. I want you to give me as much blood as you can daily."
Sasuke blinked in shock, unsure how to respond. Then, a slow, rare, brilliant smile spread across his face as an idea bloomed in his mind.
"If you take my blood, devour it with that Genesis Seal… that means you'd become Uchiha too," Sasuke said thoughtfully. "With you, having three women and possibly more around you… What a perfect way to revive the Uchiha clan."
Kakashi took a small step back, visibly weirded out by Sasuke's intense gaze.
Sasuke quickly explained his plan, only to receive a sharp slap on the back of his head from Tsunade, who was laughing from the doorway.
Kakashi chuckled, shaking his head. "I agree. And I will naturally have a lot of children in the future. But… are you okay with that? After all, they'll be surnamed Hatake, not Uchiha."
"I don't care as long as the Sharingan lives on." Sasuke shrugged, his dark eyes fierce.
"Kakashi! Do you think we're cows?" Tsunade, still smiling, walked over and playfully pinched Kakashi's waist.
Kakashi laughed warmly, then gathered the documents and Sharingan carefully, placing them in a special shelf. Using a sealing jutsu, he locked them tight.
"These will stay here," Kakashi said firmly. "The Uchiha's Sharingan and Shisui's eye must never be made public knowledge."
Tsunade nodded in agreement, her expression grave.
Sasuke stretched out his hand for Kakashi to draw blood. Kakashi carefully pricked his finger and drew a generous amount. Sasuke paled slightly, but Tsunade stepped forward to heal him. Gradually, color returned to Sasuke's face.
"Ready for dinner?" Kakashi asked with a smile on her face.
They ascended back upstairs, the weight of the day still heavy but the bonds between them stronger.
That evening, over simple but hearty food, Kakashi spoke quietly to Tsunade as Sasuke sat nearby, reflecting on everything he'd learned.
"We'll deal with the fallout tomorrow," Kakashi said. "For now, rest. It's been a long day."
Tsunade nodded, but her eyes betrayed her resolve.
Outside the window, the village lights flickered on one by one