The Hatake clan residence was a traditional Japanese-style mansion that had been renovated only the previous year.
On the veranda overlooking the courtyard sat Kakashi Hatake, who was not yet three years old.
A mask already covered the lower half of his face. He sat cross-legged with a child-sized wooden sword resting across his thighs, his eyes closed as he attempted to imitate the sword meditation his father practiced.
For a child who had only just begun learning swordsmanship, such meditation was far beyond him. Kakashi did not truly understand its purpose or the state of mind it required.
He was only copying Sakumo.
After all, Kakashi thought his father looked incredibly impressive whenever he meditated with a sword resting across his knees.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
A sudden pounding at the front gate shattered the fragile concentration Kakashi had struggled so hard to maintain.
His eyes opened.
Rather than becoming annoyed, however, a faint smile appeared beneath his mask.
There was only one person who would come knocking at this time of day.
It had to be Guy, his childhood playmate.
The wooden sliding door leading into the house opened, and Kakashi's mother leaned halfway outside, preparing to answer the gate.
"Mom, I'll get it!"
Kakashi rose at once, gripping the wooden sword in his right hand.
"It must be Guy again. He is always coming over and interrupting my training."
"Go ahead, Kakashi."
Reiko smiled gently.
She knew her son far too well.
He was obviously delighted that his friend had come to see him, yet he deliberately wore an irritated expression while complaining about it.
What a needlessly stubborn child.
While his mother silently judged him, Kakashi jumped down from the veranda and hurried toward the gate with barely concealed excitement.
Halfway there, however, he suddenly slowed.
The smile vanished from his face, and he carefully replaced it with an indifferent expression.
By the time he reached the entrance, he looked as though he had never been excited at all.
Using the tip of his wooden sword to lift the latch, Kakashi slowly opened the gate.
"Guy, I'm in the middle of training. Stop coming here and bothering—"
His words trailed off.
Standing beyond the gate was not the friend he had expected.
It was someone far more troublesome.
"Oooh~"
Kizaru stood outside with both hands tucked into his pockets, looking down at Kakashi with an amused smile.
"You seem to get cuter every time I see you, Kakashi."
Nearly three years had passed since Kizaru had arrived in this world.
Under the combined influence of natural energy and the Admiral Template, his true height had already reached three meters, and his body showed no signs of stopping its growth.
Even in the shinobi world, such a towering figure was far beyond the normal limits of the human body. Anyone who saw his true appearance would likely mistake him for some kind of monster.
To live normally among the villagers, Kizaru had combined the principles of the Life Return technique from the world of One Piece with the senjutsu he had learned at Mount Myōboku.
From those two systems, he had created a unique technique that allowed him to control every part of his body and freely alter his physique.
With this self-developed Senjutsu: Life Return technique, Kizaru normally compressed his height to approximately one hundred and ninety centimeters.
Only when he needed to unleash his full strength would he restore his body to its true size.
"Tch."
Kakashi clicked his tongue and nimbly slipped aside before Kizaru's hand could reach his head.
"Mom, Uncle Kizaru is here."
He retreated several steps and raised his voice as though announcing the arrival of a dangerous intruder.
Reiko, who had remained beside the open door of the house, hurried into the courtyard when she realized that her family's benefactor had come to visit.
"Reiko-san, sorry to intrude~."
Kizaru passed through the gate and entered the courtyard.
As he walked by, his hand moved without warning and landed squarely on Kakashi's silver hair.
"Do not touch me!"
Kakashi angrily raised both hands and shoved at Kizaru's much larger palm.
"Kakashi, do not be rude," Reiko reprimanded as she approached.
"Hmph!"
Kakashi turned away in displeasure and marched toward the house.
"Kizaru, I'm terribly sorry."
Reiko watched her son leave before turning back to Kizaru with an apologetic expression.
Kizaru merely smiled and waved a hand, showing that he did not mind.
"Is Sakumo-san home?"
"Sakumo went out to buy groceries. It will probably be a little while before he returns," Reiko explained.
She then warmly invited Kizaru inside.
Since Kizaru had specifically come to speak with Sakumo, he did not refuse. He entered the house with the familiarity of a frequent guest and sat on a cushion beside the low tea table.
After serving him tea and several desserts, Reiko temporarily left the room.
She found Kakashi in the courtyard, swinging his wooden sword far more forcefully than necessary as he vented his frustration.
"Kakashi, go to the shopping street where we usually buy groceries. Find your father and tell him Uncle Kizaru is here. Ask him to buy a little more food while he is out."
"Fine."
Kakashi puffed out his cheeks but reluctantly agreed.
He absolutely did not like Uncle Kizaru.
That man was always rubbing his head, pinching his cheeks, and stealing his snacks.
Kakashi could not understand why his parents respected such a strange person so much.
His father had repeatedly told him that Uncle Kizaru was an exceptionally powerful shinobi, but Kakashi did not believe him.
He had never once seen Kizaru training.
He had never seen him leaving the village on a mission, either.
Instead, Kakashi often spotted him lying beneath the sun or wandering through the commercial district and village parks while eating all kinds of snacks.
How could someone that lazy possibly be a powerful shinobi?
Truly powerful shinobi were people like his father and Uncle Duy.
They were either carrying out missions beyond the village or training tirelessly whenever they were home.
Those were the actions of real shinobi.
His mother and father had clearly been deceived.
One day, Kakashi would defeat that irritating uncle and expose his true nature to his parents.
After encouraging himself with that thought, Kakashi handed his wooden sword to his mother and trotted out of the courtyard.
The Hatake residence was not located near the village's busiest streets. It stood within an agricultural district closer to the center of Konoha.
The surrounding scenery was peaceful and beautiful, but the shopping district was a considerable distance away.
Kakashi first ran along a narrow road between the fields before eventually reaching one of the bustling streets.
"Dad!"
After walking for a while, Kakashi spotted Sakumo Hatake, who appeared to have just finished purchasing the day's groceries.
Kakashi hurried toward him.
"Dad, Uncle Kizaru is at the house. Mom said you should buy more food."
A smile appeared on Sakumo's face when he heard that Kizaru had come to visit.
"Kakashi, you were not rude to him, were you?"
Kakashi folded his arms in front of his chest and turned his head to the side.
"No."
His voice lacked even the slightest trace of confidence.
Seeing his reaction, Sakumo immediately understood that his son had once again lost his temper with Kizaru.
Sakumo could not quite understand why, but Kizaru seemed especially fond of Kakashi and never missed an opportunity to tease him.
"What would you like to eat tonight?" Sakumo asked.
"Salt-grilled saury."
Kakashi immediately looked back at his father and answered without hesitation.
"Then let's go buy some saury."
"All right!"
Kakashi nodded happily.
Sakumo took his son to a fish shop and purchased the saury Kakashi wanted.
Considering his wife's workload and not wanting her to exhaust herself preparing a large meal, Sakumo also visited a delicatessen. There, he bought several prepared dishes and side dishes that would pair well with alcohol.
Once they had finished shopping, Sakumo and Kakashi began making their way home.
Walking beside his father, the sensible Kakashi reached out and took two of the smaller bags from Sakumo.
"Dad, what does Uncle Kizaru actually do?" Kakashi asked curiously. "Why does he spend every day doing nothing?"
"He is the principal of the Ninja Academy and the man expected to become the next Hokage," Sakumo replied gently. "He is also an extremely powerful shinobi."
"The Hokage?"
A large question mark seemed to appear above Kakashi's head.
How could that strange uncle possibly become Hokage?
He was idle every day, constantly looked half-asleep, and had a particularly irritating personality.
Could someone like that truly become Hokage?
"Isn't the Hokage supposed to be the strongest person in the village? Uncle Kizaru is…"
Kakashi struggled to find the correct words.
After thinking for several moments, he continued.
"He does not have the presence of someone strong. It is completely different from the feeling you give off when you practice swordsmanship."
"You will understand when you are older."
As one of Kizaru's most trusted subordinates, Sakumo knew that Kizaru had spent the past several years training in senjutsu.
In Sakumo's eyes, Kizaru's current presence had become so faint and natural that he seemed no different from an ordinary man.
That was not a sign of weakness.
It was proof that Kizaru's senjutsu training was nearing completion and that his existence was gradually becoming one with the natural energy surrounding him.
"I see…"
Kakashi lowered his voice.
At that moment, he wished he could grow up more quickly.
When Sakumo and Kakashi returned home, Sakumo handed the groceries to his wife before joining Kizaru in the sitting room.
He lowered himself onto the cushion to Kizaru's right.
Kizaru lifted his teacup and subtly gestured toward Kakashi with his eyes.
Sakumo immediately understood.
Kakashi had remained inside the room, clearly intending to listen to their conversation.
"Kakashi, go play in the courtyard," Sakumo said. "Your mother will call you when dinner is ready."
"I know."
Kakashi dragged out the words and fixed Kizaru with a long stare from his half-lidded eyes.
Only then did he leave the room and close the wooden door behind him.
That hateful Uncle Kizaru.
Did he really think Kakashi had failed to notice that look?
Once Kakashi was gone, Kizaru placed his teacup on the table and turned toward Sakumo.
"Sakumo-san…"
His tone remained as relaxed as ever.
"How would you feel about returning to the Anbu?"
"I can return."
Sakumo did not answer whether he personally wanted to go back. He simply stated that he was willing to do so.
At present, Sakumo was the most sought-after shinobi in Konoha's mission market.
He was one of the village's most recognizable names and stood at the very top among elite shinobi.
Thanks to his extraordinary efficiency and perfect mission-completion record, merchants and officials from across the nations considered Sakumo their first choice whenever they submitted a commission.
Among Konoha's other leading shinobi, Orochimaru remained at the research institute and devoted nearly all his time to scientific work.
Tsunade was focused on the expansion and improvement of Konoha Hospital.
Jiraiya spent long periods travelling outside the village under the excuse of gathering material for his books.
Kizaru, meanwhile, remained occupied with the Ninja Academy.
Because those four were rarely available to accept regular missions, Konoha had invested heavily in Sakumo's reputation.
The village needed to strengthen its name and secure a greater share of the mission market. Supporting Sakumo as its leading shinobi had therefore become the most natural choice.
If Sakumo abandoned his current life of fame and considerable income to return to the Anbu, it would represent a substantial loss to both him and the village.
Even so, Sakumo did not hesitate.
Years ago, he had promised Kizaru that as long as an order did not betray Konoha, he would carry it out.
Hearing Sakumo's answer, Kizaru could not help sighing inwardly.
As expected of someone descended from a samurai clan.
"In a few years, the old man intends to step down," Kizaru said calmly, as though discussing an ordinary matter. "I would like you to enter the Anbu ahead of time and begin gathering people I can rely on once the transition happens."
Kizaru spoke with complete ease, but Sakumo's expression became solemn.
What Kizaru was proposing involved the most sensitive military force under the Third Hokage's direct authority.
From Sakumo's perspective, arranging for him to enter the Anbu and gather personnel appeared dangerously close to taking control of the Third Hokage's core power before the succession had even occurred.
Would such a move not damage the relationship between Kizaru and Hiruzen?
Was Kizaru not acting too soon?
"Kizaru," Sakumo said directly, "the current Anbu commander is Shinnosuke. If you arrange this now, will Lord Third not object?"
Sakumo did not attempt to soften the issue.
Since his concern was for Kizaru's sake, he raised the problem openly.
"Oooh~ You do not need to worry about that."
Kizaru leaned back slightly.
"I have already reached an agreement with the old man. Once you return to the Anbu, you will immediately become its deputy commander. Shinnosuke-san will teach you how to oversee its operations."
He paused before continuing in the same unhurried voice.
"After I become Hokage, you will take over as commander. Shinnosuke-san will be transferred to the jōnin corps and appointed jōnin commander."
Kizaru had considered placing Sakumo in charge of the Anbu for a long time.
The Anbu was far too important to entrust to someone he could not completely rely upon.
However, Kizaru's decision to send Sakumo back was not driven by impatience to seize the Hokage's authority, as Sakumo had assumed.
His true purpose was to prevent the tragedy that might otherwise befall Sakumo in the future.
As one of Konoha's core leaders, and as someone who had known Sakumo for years, Kizaru understood his personality well.
If Sakumo were someday forced to abandon a highly classified mission to save his comrades, and that decision caused enormous damage to Konoha and the Land of Fire, there was a strong possibility that Sakumo would take his own life in atonement.
Even if Kizaru were already Hokage, Sakumo might still choose death rather than live with the shame.
The Hatake clan had descended from a family of samurai.
Within such a family, taking one's own life to atone for an unforgivable failure was not an unfamiliar tradition.
More importantly, Sakumo was currently the leading name Konoha had invested so much effort into building.
If he abandoned a confidential mission for the sake of his comrades, the consequences would extend far beyond the mission's immediate failure.
The losses caused by the failed mission would already be severe.
The greater danger, however, was that Sakumo would destroy both his own reputation and Konoha's credibility within the mission market.
If Sakumo could abandon a classified mission to rescue his comrades, potential clients might begin asking themselves a far more troubling question.
Would he also abandon a client-protection mission if one of his companions were placed in danger?
That possibility would be disastrous.
It would not affect Sakumo alone.
It would cast doubt upon the reliability of Konoha itself.
Once influential merchants, nobles, and officials began questioning whether Konoha shinobi could be trusted to complete their commissions, the village's share of the mission market would inevitably decline.
Konoha could not accept such an outcome.
Neither could the many shinobi whose livelihoods depended upon the steady flow of commissioned missions.
For both Sakumo's sake and the village's, Kizaru had decided that transferring him into the Anbu ahead of time was the safest solution.
Anbu missions were fundamentally different from those accepted through the regular mission assignment office.
Every Anbu operation was issued directly by the Hokage.
Even if Sakumo abandoned an objective to rescue his comrades and the operation ended in failure, only Konoha itself would suffer the consequences.
There would be no outside client whose interests had been betrayed, and classified information would be far less likely to spread beyond the village.
As the designated successor to the Hokage and one of Konoha's highest-ranking leaders, Kizaru would also be in a far better position to manage the aftermath and protect Sakumo from being driven into a corner.
As for Sakumo's concern that Kizaru might create conflict with Hiruzen by acting too eagerly, it was completely unnecessary.
If Kizaru truly wanted to become Hokage immediately, he would not even need to take action himself.
A single statement from him would be enough for nearly every major force in Konoha to push for his succession.
Their support was not merely motivated by the desire to gain favour with the future Hokage.
It was the result of the reforms Kizaru had led over the previous three years.
Those reforms had matured, and people throughout the village were now receiving enormous benefits from them.
The research institute's project-investment system provided annual dividends to the shinobi clans and individuals who had funded its work.
The reform of Konoha's medical system had caused the hospital's revenue to rise sharply each year while also making treatment free for registered Konoha villagers.
The restructuring of the Ninja Academy had given the children of civilian shinobi opportunities to study intermediate and advanced ninjutsu that would once have been beyond their reach.
In addition, the Bandai Chamber of Commerce under Kizaru's control developed and licensed the likenesses of Konoha's famous shinobi.
Every year, those shinobi received licensing payments ranging from several hundred ryō to tens of millions, depending on their popularity.
During the past three years, everyone from the great shinobi clans to ordinary civilians had benefited from the results of Kizaru's reforms.
It was only natural that they supported the man responsible for those changes.
There was also one fact Sakumo did not know.
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had wanted Kizaru to take over for quite some time.
That very morning, when Kizaru approached his teacher and proposed transferring Sakumo into the Anbu, Hiruzen had been so delighted that he had nearly placed the Hokage's hat on Kizaru's head immediately.
The situation was not as Sakumo imagined.
Kizaru was not impatiently trying to claim power.
Rather, everyone around him—including Hiruzen himself—was eagerly waiting for him to take office, while Kizaru continued delaying the succession through sheer laziness.
Hiruzen had also readily accepted Kizaru's proposal to train Sakumo as the future Anbu commander and transfer the current commander, Sarutobi Shinnosuke, into the position of jōnin commander.
In practical terms, Kizaru's proposal exchanged a hidden post responsible for the Hokage's personal covert forces for one of the most influential public military positions in the village.
It was an arrangement Hiruzen and the Sarutobi clan could comfortably accept.
Once Kizaru became Hokage, everyone understood that he would appoint one of his most trusted subordinates to command the Anbu directly beneath him.
Kizaru had also offered appropriate compensation.
The position of jōnin commander would provide Shinnosuke with a broader and more visible path for his future development.
After Hiruzen retired, the Sarutobi clan would need one of its members occupying a prominent leadership position in the village's public structure.
The hidden office of Anbu commander would not serve that purpose nearly as well.
"I understand."
Sakumo's voice was firm.
"I will make the necessary preparations."
Through this arrangement, Sakumo could clearly feel the depth of Kizaru's trust and the importance he placed upon him.
For someone born into a samurai lineage, there was no greater honour than being entrusted with such responsibility.
Kizaru had placed his complete faith in Sakumo.
Sakumo, in turn, was prepared to repay that faith with his life.
--------------------------------------
Support me at patreon.com/Arthorain and read upto 50 Advanced Chapters and R-18 Content!
--------------------------------------
Update schedule: 7 chapters/week
Every 100 power stones = 1 Extra Chapter
By voting with [power stones], you can easily get double the number of chapters.