The scene shifted to Hidden Leaf's front gates. A tall, white-haired figure approached, and the guards instantly straightened.
"Lord Sakumo!"
"Evening."
Sakumo Hatake's smile was warm, almost disarming.
"Anything going on in the village lately?" he asked.
"Nothing major," one of the guards replied. "Quiet as usual."
"Peace really is a blessing," Sakumo said with a soft laugh. "Don't let me keep you from your work. I'll head out."
He strolled into the bustling night market, rubbing his chin as his stomach growled.
During missions, it was all soldier pills—efficient, but bland and rough on the body if you ate too many. Now that he was back home, he figured he should treat himself to real food again.
[SAKUMO APPEARS LET'S GO]
[Husband material, I waited so long :(]
[Back off, he's MY husband]
[Bro just say you're hungry, don't make excuses lol]
[Come to my place, Sakumo, I'll cook for you]
[Counting beads just smacked me in the face]
[Tremble, Shinji. The man who can beat you down is back!]
Sakumo ducked into a small tavern. The first thing he saw was a red-haired girl at the counter, downing sake. Next to her sat a blond young man, who jumped to his feet the second he noticed Sakumo.
"Good evening, Hatake-senpai."
"Oh? Out on a date, Minato?" Sakumo teased with a grin, lifting a hand in greeting.
Minato laughed awkwardly. "Not at all, senpai. Come sit with us—it's packed tonight."
Sakumo glanced at Kushina's expression, then slid into the seat without fuss.
Minato leaned in first. "You've come at the perfect time, senpai. I'm stressing about tomorrow's mission."
"Yeah, Minato's gotta head to the Land of Wind," Kushina chimed in, her words tumbling out fast, quirks and all. "So, c'mon, senpai, do us a favor and share some intel!"
They bent together over the table, talking in low voices, trading information under the cover of laughter and clinking dishes. Soon enough, the meal was nearly done, and they capped it off with a final round of drinks.
"You know, senpai," Minato said, sipping sake, "Kakashi's been doing really well lately. I heard he's already ready to graduate."
"Graduating too early isn't always a blessing. Some lessons only come from school," Sakumo replied. He tilted back the last of his drink, sighing. "That kid's stubborn as hell. Doesn't even know who he gets it from…"
Muttering a little more, he stood and waved them off. "I should get going. Otherwise Kakashi will accuse me of sneaking home after he's already asleep."
"Take care, senpai," Minato called after him.
Back at the Hatake home, the house was pitch-black. No trace of chakra anywhere.
"That brat… where'd he run off to now?"
Scratching his head, Sakumo set out to look for him.
[He totally crashed their date lol]
[The look Sakumo gave Kushina before sitting down ;-;]
[Ah, the sharp instincts of adults. Love it.]
[Wait, Kakashi's only six or seven? He can already graduate??]
["Doesn't know who he gets it from" …bro, he's your mini-me.]
[Whole family made of mules. Stubborn runs in the bloodline.]
[Sakumo really is such a good dad.]
[Compared to Shinji, he's basically Father of the Year.]
[YES. Time to crush Shinji.]
The camera cut suddenly—moonlight spilling across a hospital room. Naraku lay restless in bed, trapped in a nightmare.
The world blurred. Voices echoed, warped and cruel. Shinji Uchiha's words rained down on him, sharp as blades.
It's all your fault!
You think you deserve rest, you worthless brat?
I'll beat you until you submit!
You killed your mother!
Naraku Uchiha, you're nothing but a curse!
No. Please, no!
Naraku jolted upright, drenched in sweat, breath ragged, chest heaving.
Episode seven froze on that image of him waking in terror, the screen fading to black while his panicked gasps echoed on. Only when the ending theme began did the sound finally fade.
The barrage of comments tore into Shinji's cruelty.
[Shinji's a manipulative abuser, trash]
[WTF—Naraku's mom died because of SHINJI, not him]
[Of course Shinji's a master of shifting blame]
[If Naraku's mom could see this, she'd be heartbroken]
Naraku hit pause. His eyes drifted to the clock on the wall. One more episode, then sleep. He skipped the opening, dragging the bar right to where the story continued.
On screen, his silhouette sat slumped in bed, still rattled from the dream. He stared blankly at the stark white sheets.
Farther back, the wide window framed a night sky scattered with stars, the full moon pouring silver light over everything—like a quiet blessing to every sleepless soul in the village.
He didn't move until the ache in his body reminded him he was awake.
Tch… hurts so bad.
Naraku bit down on his lip. Then he remembered—the shattered clay jar. His father had probably tossed it in the trash.
I need to find it. That jar matters… even broken, it matters.
[Moonlight's like his mom watching over him :(]
[God, Naraku cherishes Kakashi's gift so much]
[His ONLY gift… the phrasing just hurts]
[And it was medicine, too. My heart can't take this]
Naraku forced himself out of bed and toward the door. Just as he opened it, Kakashi returned. Naraku's first instinct was guilt—that he hadn't protected the gift.
When Kakashi asked about his injuries, Naraku shook his head automatically. But Kakashi pressed harder, and his denials crumbled. Eyes downcast, he whispered a plea not to ask anymore.
[Just take him home, Kakashi, he can't live like this :(]
[Kakashi, careful—he's in pain, don't squeeze so hard!]
[This time Naraku can't hide the truth anymore]
[I just wanna scream at him: none of this is your fault!]
When Shinji showed up, sparks flew instantly between him and Akira Hoshino. The slap that followed had chat exploding, everyone begging for Sakumo to arrive. And he did—storming in at the perfect moment, cutting the tension with sheer presence.
Rank and strength put Sakumo far above Shinji. Faced with him, Shinji had no choice but to back down. Akira exhaled in relief, entrusting Naraku to the Hatake household.
[AAAAA SAKUMO IS GOD]
[Thank god he showed up, Akira-sensei was about to throw hands]
[Shinji, I liked you better when you were all arrogant. Where's that energy now?]
[Lmao, what happened to "no one can bear the wrath of the Uchiha"?]
[SO satisfying]
[Finally, freedom from hell]
[Naraku's safe now. With Sakumo around, who'd dare hurt him?]