Akira Hoshino staggered into the hospital, clutching Naraku in his arms, lungs burning from the run. The moment a medic-nin scanned the boy, he exploded.
"Why the hell did you bring him so late? Another hour and he'd be done for!"
"I—I'm sorry!" Akira stammered, bowing his head in frantic apology. He didn't dare waste time arguing. "Please, just save this kid!"
Seeing how earnest he was, the medic's anger fizzled out. While working quickly, he muttered, "It's bad, but he'll recover with rest. Don't worry—no lasting damage, probably."
"Thank you. Really."
Akira exhaled hard, then turned to Kakashi. "Stay here with him, please. I'll go handle the payment."
"Yeah. Leave it to me."
Kakashi stood guard at the bedside, watching the medic's practiced hands clean, wrap, and heal. For the deeper injuries, the man had to channel chakra directly. Kakashi's gut twisted.
He'd always assumed Naraku got roughed up by powerful clan kids. But to be hurt this badly, inside his own house? Who else could it be but his father?
No—someone who treats his kid like this doesn't even deserve the word "father."
That night, the system spun a dream for Naraku, just like he'd requested. It stitched together Shinji Uchiha's taunts and beatings, replaying them on loop for the animator's eyes. To keep things consistent, it served Naraku himself a different nightmare, the kind that jolted him awake in terror.
At the peak of it, Naraku shot upright, drenched in sweat, chest heaving. His first thought was that the system had a personal vendetta.
Seriously? A nightmare's one thing, but why crank it up to horror-movie levels? He still had half a mountain of worksheets waiting for him tomorrow—and his pen was out of ink. No way he'd finish at this rate.
"The system's a menace," he muttered in his head. "Officially condemned."
When his breathing steadied, he finally noticed the sterile white walls and sharp disinfectant smell.
Hidden Leaf Hospital?
There was no way his deadbeat dad brought him here. That guy pretended not to see unless Naraku was on death's door.
So then… Kakashi?
…Ow. Still hurt like hell.
Naraku bit his lip and curled in on himself. "System, how many Popularity Points do I have now?"
[Current total: 4,122 Popularity Points.]
Nice. Progress.
Satisfied, he brushed off his earlier complaints. Throwing back the blanket, he muttered under his breath, "Gotta grab those pottery shards before someone trashes them. Still need 'em later."
[Alert: someone's coming.]
Ignoring the pain, Naraku limped faster toward the door. Just as his hand touched the knob, it slid open from the other side. He froze—face-to-face with Kakashi.
"You're awake," Kakashi said first.
"Hatake?" Naraku blinked, stunned it really was him. Then, slipping into his usual act, he stepped back quickly, eyes darting away. "S-sorry, I—"
"Does it still hurt?" Kakashi cut him off.
"…Huh?"
"I asked—" Kakashi's voice rose, sharp enough to cut through Naraku's blank look. "—are your wounds still hurting?"
"N-no, not really," Naraku lied, shaking his head. But Kakashi suddenly grabbed his hand. Pain shot through him, forcing a wince. "Ugh—"
"Where did these injuries come from?" Kakashi pressed, locking eyes with him and pushing him back toward the bed, step by step. "Was it your father?"
Naraku's lips parted, but the words stuck. His head dropped in defeat.
"Please, don't ask, Hatake… It's my fault. All of it…"
Footsteps thundered down the hall. Naraku knew instantly who it was. His face went pale.
The door slammed open.
Shinji Uchiha stumbled in, reeking of alcohol. Without a word, he yanked Naraku's arm, dragging him toward the hall. He didn't even glance at Kakashi.
Akira Hoshino rushed up behind, blocking the doorway. "Wait! Mr. Shinji, you can't just take him!"
"What?" Shinji sneered down at him. "You want money? Come by my place later."
"This isn't about money!"
"Then what's your problem? He's my son—I don't need your permission to take him!"
Akira stood his ground. "Explain his injuries, then! The doctor said some of those fractures are months old! He's been malnourished for ages! How do you justify that?"
"This is family business. Not your concern. Who the hell do you think you are?"
"I'm his teacher!" Akira snapped, voice shaking but firm. "You owe me an explanation!"
"Uchiha don't explain." Shinji's temper flared.
It was humiliating enough that outsiders dragged his kid to a hospital. Now a no-name teacher dared stand in his way? He could already hear the clan's whispers.
"And you—" his voice dripped with venom—"you can't afford the wrath of the Uchiha."
The tension sparked like dry tinder.
Naraku, desperate to defuse it, stepped between them. "Sensei, it's fine! I just tripped. It's not my father's—"
Smack!
The slap cracked through the room. Shinji's palm left Naraku staggering, his body buckling sideways. Only Kakashi's quick catch kept him from hitting the floor.
"Hey! You okay?" Kakashi brushed back the boy's hair, jaw tightening at the sight of the red imprint blooming across his cheek. That bastard hadn't held back at all.
"Let go of him, Hatake brat!" Shinji roared.
"Shinji Uchiha!" Akira's fury spiked, his voice shaking the walls. "Abusing your child right in front of me—do you even hear yourself? You don't deserve to call yourself a father!"
That landed like a blade to Shinji's pride.
For this worthless kid, he'd sacrificed his wife's life. And now some outsider dared say he wasn't fit to be a father?!
You don't know a damn thing. You don't know what I gave up.
"Enough."
A deep voice cut through the storm.
Everyone turned. A white-haired man stood framed in the doorway, presence heavy as steel.
"Father!" Kakashi's eyes lit up.
"Lord Sakumo!" Akira bowed, anger giving way to relief.
Naraku nearly pumped a fist. Sakumo Hatake, you absolute legend. Even his stinging cheek felt less painful now.
Sakumo's gaze swept the room. His son knelt, shielding a battered boy in his arms. He gave Kakashi a subtle nod of approval, then leveled a calm but piercing stare at Shinji.
Shinji's jaw clenched so hard it nearly cracked. He knew—he couldn't win here.
"…What do you want?" he ground out.
"Is this how an Uchiha chunin addresses a jōnin?" Sakumo's voice was quiet, but it pressed down like a weight.
"…Lord Sakumo."
A single nod. Then, firmly, "Naraku has talent. I intend to train him personally. You have no objection, do you?"
The air went still.
An Uchiha apprenticing under an outsider? Not since the Second Hokage took Kagami Uchiha into the Guard.
Even Naraku sat stunned. Wait—was this really happening? From rock bottom straight to the fast lane?
Sakumo's decision was final. And to nail it shut, he added, "I doubt Fugaku would object."
"Tch."
With even the clan head's name thrown down, Shinji had no choice but to swallow his rage. Shooting Naraku a murderous glare, he stormed out without another word.