Little Words by emily4498
A few sincere words can have a bigger impact than anyone can foresee. Set the day of Sakumo's suicide.
(-.-)
Sakumo knelt in the center of the room, tantō gripped tightly in his hand in preparation for Seppuku. A firm knock sounded from the front door. Frowning, Sakumo shifted his grip to the blade's handle and walked to the door, his jaw set. He was about to reach for the door when memories of all of the insults thrown at him across his threshold. He was about to ignore the visitor, but something felt different this time. It pushed him to turn the knob and face down the individual at the door.
He glanced around in confusion before he noticed the small girl half-hidden behind the doorframe. Around her waist was a still-new hitai-ate. She wore a plain, off-white vest and mesh armor covered her arms. Shinobi pants and sandals in the traditional style surprised Sakumo and her kunai pouch was attached to her left leg. He frowned as the girl stared at his bare feet. She looked nothing like he would expect from a fresh Genin kunoichi. Her pale blond hair wasn't overly long, but it was braided, if poorly, and had a green chemical tinge to it, which marked her as a future poison mistress. Her hands were clasped in front of her chest and fidgeted with what Sakumo recognized as a reassignment scroll.
Sakumo's eyes narrowed. "What do you want?" He rasped at her, his voice sharp and cracked with disuse.
"Ha-Hatake-s-sama—" the girl stammered nervously. She couldn't have been older than nine. Her kunai pouch may have been poorly secured, but she looked like she could handle the two solid wooden sticks attached to the small of her back, she was from a shinobi family.
"Look me in the eye when you speak, girl."
She flinched and forced herself to look up and stared at his nose. Sakumo figured it was an improvement and let it slide, glancing around the empty street behind her. She suddenly straightened and her hands snapped to her sides, at attention, exactly the way Genin were trained to address a superior officer. Sakumo's frown deepened. For all intents and purposes, the wet-behind-the-ears Genin had no reason to defer to him. "Ha-Hatake-sama, I-I want t-to t-tell you that I-I think y-you d-did the right thing on your last mission. Y-your former teammates and t-the other shinobi are all wrong t-to t-treat you like they do. M-my Jōnin sensei is one of those people and I f-find m-myself unable to trust him as a t-team leader. I-I request t-that y-you s-support my reassignment, Hatake-sama!" She bowed and held out the scroll to him.
Gingerly, Sakumo took the scroll from her and opened it, his tantō still ready for its role in Seppuku. He opened it and read the contents.
(-.-)
REQUEST FOR REASSIGNMENT
Full Name and ID: Tsukino Cara 385763
Current Team Leader ID: Yamanaka Shun 543904
Reason: Mistrust of leadership abilities; witness to unfair treatment of fellow shinobi; incompatible with the elemental affinities of the team; mistrust of sycophant teammates.
Signature of Approval from Current Team Leader:
Yamanaka Shun 543904
Yamanaka Shun
Signature of Approval from Requested Team Leader:
Hatake Sakumo 009446
.
Hokage Approval:
Sarutobi Hiruzen, Sandaime
Sarutobi Hiruzen, Sandaime
(-.-)
Sakumo looked back at the girl who stood ramrod straight, her eyes focused on the point directly ahead of her. He tapped the conspicuous blank for his signature with the butt of the blade.
"Come inside," he murmured, his voice softer than before.
She obeyed without question, following him into his kitchen and standing awkwardly beside the table until he placed a cup of tea in front of her and sat down. She wrapped her hands around the warm cup but didn't lift it for fear it would tremble. Her eyes didn't leave the warm liquid.
"Now tell me, why do you really wish to be placed on my team in particular?"
The girl shifted uncomfortably.
"Tell me," Sakumo said, the sharp edge of his voice returning.
"M-my sensei doesn't t-teach me anything because I-I disagree with him and k-keeps saying I-I'll d-die on m-my f-first mission out of t-the v-v-village. I-I r-remember Kakashi-san f-from m-my first year of t-the Academy. He knew everything and s-said once t-that you taught him e-everything so y-you must be a-a good t-teacher, r-r-right? I-I may not b-be a c-close combat specialist, but I was t-the top student in m-my c-class."
"Death threats from a team leader or teammates warrant immediate removal from your team the moment you report it. If you were top in your class, you would know that. Why didn't you report?"
"I-I d-did Ha-Hatake-sama. T-the o-office d-didn't b-believe m-me. T-they just l-laughed."
"Why did they laugh?" Sakumo's frown deepened.
"T-that any s-supporter of t-the White F-fang d-d-deserved—" her breath hitched and she scrubbed at the tears building in her eyes.
Sakumo unwrapped the cloth from around his tantō and handed it to her, his eyes never leaving her face. "Has anyone else threatened you?"
She nervously glanced between Sakumo and the door.
"Why are you so desperate to get off your current team that you would forge the signature of the Hokage?"
The girl flushed and leaned away from him, ashamed.
"You're not in trouble. How long have you been on your team?"
"F-f-five m-months."
"So you're due for your first C-rank in a few weeks."
"Tomorrow," she corrected, flinching as Sakumo's fists clenched.
"Come with me," he held out a hand.
She hesitated before taking it. Sakumo led her to the door, leaving the blade on the table, his hand tight around the reassignment scroll. With his head high and his jaw set firmly, Sakumo pulled her through the village to the Hokage tower. He ignored the angry protests as he stormed through the streets and knocked firmly on the door to the Hokage's office.
"Enter," the Hokage's voice came from inside.
Sakumo pushed open the door and pulled the girl inside behind him.
"Hatake-san," the Hokage greeted neutrally. "Tsukino-chan. How can I help you today?" Sakumo bowed curtly and steered the girl into one of the chairs before the Sandaime's desk.
"With all due respect, Hokage-sama, I have held my tongue about the unprofessional behavior of the shinobi of this village because I believed myself to be the only one affected. I was preparing to clear my family's name—"
The Hokage blanched as the implications of Sakumo's words, but the Hatake continued without interruption.
"—When this was brought to my attention." Sakumo stepped forward to place two items on the Hokage's desk: the scroll with the girl's Request for Reassignment form and a small voice recorder.
Sakumo pressed a button and his conversation with the girl began to replay while the Hokage scanned the form, narrowing his eyes at the end of the document. As the conversation progressed, the Hokage kept his face carefully neutral.
The girl sat on the edge of the seat, her back straight, hands clamped over her knees tight enough to turn her fingers white and her eyes never straying from where her feet dangled, swinging slightly.
The recording finished and silence fell.
Without a word, the Hokage pulled out a blank Request for Reassignment form and began to fill it out. "I find it best for the two of you and young Kakashi-kun to leave the village for the time being. When you return, the situation will be resolved." The Hokage pulled out a mission scroll. "Here is a B-rank mission for you, Tsukino-chan, Kakashi-kun and his teammate. You leave in an hour, all of the information you need is in here."
Sakumo took the scroll, nodded once as he slipped his hand into the girl's and left.
(-.-)
An almost stupid smile graced his face as Sakumo stepped out of the Hokage tower. The disgusted looks no longer bothered him.
"To-san?" Kakashi asked hesitantly from where he sat waiting for a blond teenager to finish his conversation with a redheaded girl his age.
Sakumo knelt in front of the boy. "I'm sorry for everything I put you through, Kakashi—"
"To-san!" The boy cried happily and threw his arms around his father's neck.
"I'm back," Sakumo responded. "And I'm not leaving you like that ever again, I promise." The two pulled apart and Sakumo held up the mission scroll. "The Hokage assigned a mission; you and your teammate are with me, where are they?"
"Minato-sensei has been my only teammate for a few months." Kakashi pointed towards the couple as they waved goodbye and went in opposite directions
Sakumo nodded as the blond teenager approached. "Namikaze Minato, Special Jōnin, combat and Fūinjutsu," the young man introduced himself, smiling widely and holding out a hand.
"Hatake Sakumo, Jōnin."
"Hokage-sama said I'd get my next mission if I waited here. Do you, by any chance know what he was talking about?"
"I believe so."
Minato scratched the back of his head. "Good. Um, I want to make something clear before the mission begins."
The three others automatically tensed.
"My girlfriend just told me about recent events concerning you. If I had known about it sooner, I would have said something, so I'll say it now and hope I'm not too late. I think you did the right thing when you saved your teammates and in time I hope I can be a leader wise enough and strong enough to do what's right and stick to my decision no matter what everyone else thinks."
"Thank you, Namikaze-san."
"So what's the mission?"
Sakumo smiled widely and lifted Kakashi onto one shoulder, his other hand on the girl's head. "I'll tell you on the way."