If you ever find yourself lucky enough to be in Kakashi's house, hidden inside an undisclosed drawer is a picture of a woman that looks strikingly like Kakashi and a small baby with a head of gray hair. It's carefully encased within a photograph frame, perhaps covered in a small covering of dust. The woman is his mother. And if you were to ask anyone in Konoha if they knew who Sayuri Mitsuya was, perhaps only one or two could even tell you something worth knowing. Not that you can blame them. Why bother learning about nobility when you can learn about attack methods?
Sakumo Hatake first met Sayuri on a mission assigned to guard her family. And her own personal mission, from their first encounter, was to get this stony-faced man to laugh. Despite his every attempt to remain indifferent, her quick wit and intelligence won him over. And since then, she fancied a crush on him. Unfortunately, he left once the mission was over and her feelings were left one sided.
Majority of people think Kakashi is an exact replica of Sakumo. He's not. He actually resembles Sayuri more in appearance and personality. And Kakashi didn't receive his tenacity from Sakumo. Sayuri did not give up on pursuing Sakumo. She used her power and influence as a noble woman to meet with him. And eventually, just like how she finally made him laugh, he finally fell in love with her. But, when Sakumo asked her father for her hand in marriage, he refused. He wasn't of noble birth, just a shinobi, albeit a famous one, but still just a lowly shinobi (imagine if her father found he came from farmers?). And like all the great love stories, they eloped to Konoha where they married. There, they lived in bliss as newlyweds. Just when Sayuri didn't think she could be any happier, she became pregnant.
Sayuri had a weak body and poor health all her life. As she grew older, she felt stronger, but her pregnancy devastated her. Yet, Sakumo still kept Sayuri with him. It was quite selfish, although, he didn't know any better. She was so precious to him and the last thing he wanted to do was be away from her. Her father came before Sakumo, begging him to let her return home where their family doctor could help her. He didn't want to part with her. He truly didn't want her to leave. But, it was best for her to go home. And tearfully, they parted.
On September 15th, Sayuri gave birth to a baby boy. Cleverly, she named the boy "Kakashi" to watch over Sakumo. His birth was one of great difficulty and her health fell to a point of no return. And when Sayuri died at age twenty three, Sakumo came to take Kakashi. Her father wanted to keep the baby, but Sakumo fought viciously for him. And there, Sakumo took the last of their precious Sayuri back to Konoha. Her last wish was for Kakashi to live a long, healthy life. And she made damn sure he did. How else do you think he survived all those suicide missions?
The first thing Sayuri did when she was reunited with Sakumo was smack him. Hard.
Whenever Kakashi is told how much he looks like Sakumo, he smiles in a funny kind of way, and resists every urge to roll his eyes. The picture of Sayuri and him beg to differ. Just because he has the same spiky grey hair and eye color doesn't mean he's Sakumo's twin. He's more so Sayuri's son than Sakumo's after all. Not that Kakashi would ever correct anyone. Even more annoying than that is asking about his past, which will eventually lead to them wanting to see him without his mask (more than usual). Some things are best left untouched.
Author's Note: Sakumo means crops, Kakashi means scarecrow, and Hatake means in the farmland. Although if you were curious enough you could easily find the meaning online.