The child looked up to the man, hopeful that the man would grant his innocent request.
The man was terrified. Never had he seen someone look at him for support and care. He should've known what his friend meant when he said this project would only increase in difficulty as time went on. Danzo thought that meant having to face people who'd disagree with his morals, but he was used to that.
The child blinked waiting for the man to respond kindly, just like when he saw other kids ask for piggy back rides from their dads.
And Danzo was his dad. He had to be. He took care of the boy, gave him a room in his house, and trained him to be the best he could possibly be. Isn't that what dads do?
Thoughts raced through Danzo's mind. Reminding himself of the purpose of this project he started. No emotions just the mission, and creating the perfect soldiers. It was a pretty simple notion and he was the only person who could train ninjas to be this way.
That did not make him the kids', no ninja's, dad. He was only twenty-five. Not even Hiruzen had that type of responsibility.
"What?" Danzo hoped the question was something else, maybe it was just his imagination.
"I'm sore from all the training today. Can you carry me on your back dad?" The kid hoped that maybe his 'dad' just didn't know what a piggy back ride was. "Please?"
Danzo took his time to crouch down, thinking over what he should say.
The child felt joy bubble up and got excited over this small sign of affection. As he attempted to hop onto the man's back, a hand stopped him.
"I'm not your dad." The words came out flatly, but deep down there were emotions that the man desperately tried to stomp down.
The child let out a quiet "oh" and began to walk home.