"Look, the only thing I can do is to pretend that I'm Sakumo, for Kakashi's sake."
"Why not just tell him the truth."
"He's been through hell once, he doesn't need to suffer it again. If I tell him how Sakumo commited seppuku, it'll tear the poor kid apart. He... he doesn't deserve it, he doesn't deserve it at all!"
"Do you really think it's best?"
"For now, it is. I'm not Sakumo, I can't truly be like Sakumo, but I can try, I can try. For Kakashi, I will."
"So then you will be known henceforth in the village as Sakumo Hatake?"
"Correct. From now on, I'm... I will be for better or worse, Sakumo Hatake."
Half a year went by.
The entire village had received word of the strange events that had befallen Kakashi Hatake, and it was an extreme case of deja vu to see a man and boy walking through the village with the names Sakumo and Kakashi Hatake, when Sakumo had been deceased for more than a decade or two and Kakashi was last seen as a man of twenty-nine. It had seemed like the clock had turned backwards on Hidden Leaf, and with that turning had restored the Hatake family.
The village, nonetheless, began bustling again as usual, though it was mostly devoid of its shinobi. Sakumo had been granted 'special' privelages to stay back for at least another month with Kakashi, and Kakashi was not allowed to perform missions any higher than C-rank or any C-rank that had a difficulty close to a B-rank. Kakashi was still the same genius he had been, but he no longer recognized Sakura or Naruto as anything else but 'really big and weak'. They no longer had any value to him, they were just people, strangers he didn't know, and as when dealing with most strangers, he ran to Sakumo first.
Naruto frowned and poked little Kakashi in the head one day, looking at Sakura. "Is this really Kakashi-sensei? He's totally different!" Kakashi growled and flailed his hands, trying to get 'Stupid-Face' off of him without resorting to ninjutsu. Naruto was oblivious however, and continued to poke. "I mean, he's tiny, he doesn't seem to recognize us at all, he keeps calling me Stupid-Face, and he's really really wea- YEOW!" Kakashi Chidori-ed his chest and ran away, calling out names asNaruto and Sakura pursued him like 'Stupid-Face', 'Fox-Boy', 'Big-Brow', 'Billboard-Forehead', 'Ramen-Monster', and his favorite, 'The Couple'. Sakura responded violently to this last insult and broke the ground in front of her, an attack that was easily evaded by the chibi Kakashi as he scrambled up into a tree and jumped into the uppermost branches to locate Sakumo. He found him and jumped down, landing on his shoulders and quickly sliding down behind his legs, poking a defiant tongue at both of them.
Naruto huffed and puffed and Kakashi threw a rock at him from behind Sakumo's leg. "How could... how could Kakashi-sensei have been such a brat?" Sakumo gave him a warning look. "Kakashi... have you been taunting the Genin again? You should be more mature, you are a Chunin after all."
"He taunted me first," he muttered, crossing his arms obstinately, "They called me weak! And besides... Iruka-Sensei had me take the Genin exams again, and now I have to take the Chunin exam again. That's not fair! I haven't even been training with you very long!"
"I know, I know, but don't worry, Kakashi... everything will turn out how it should have been," Sakumo's eyes seemed to be set on a distant thought and he zoned out for a second before turning to Kakashi again. "What is it?"
"I had the seppuku dream again. And that dream with that weird eye and that strange Gai man again! And there was Stupid-Face and Billboard-Forehead too, and another big collared guy that looked like a punk. I don't like the seppuku dream, Dad," he said, tugging on Sakumo's pant leg.
"I know. It'll be fine, you'll have him back soon... eh, I mean everything will be fine! Really! Now Kakashi... how old are you now?"
"Dad! I'm five and a half!" He held up five fingers, the sixth finger crooked slightly to resemble a half.
"Five and a half... well, you'll really get that Chunin exam down when you're six, won't you? That's the next exam date."
"Yeah! Will you be there to watch, Dad? Will you?"
"Yes... yes... Sakumo will be there to watch."
"Dad, why do you do that?" Kakashi looked puzzled, cocking his head at Sakumo.
"Do what?" Kakashi shrugged.
"You know, refer to yourself like you're somebody else. Third-person like."
"Habit. Your old dad'll definitely be there to watch you take those exams. Definitely..." he looked far away again and Kakashi tugged especially hard on his leg. "You're not going to commit seppuku, are you? Are you?"
"No no... of course not. Dad'll be there to watch you. Don't worry."
Kakashi's brother found that imitating their father, Sakumo, was not only immensely difficult, but rigorous as well. He could not become careless for more than a few seconds, not even when he woke up groggy from sleep as Kakashi ran into the room to check on him after having a 'seppuku' dream.
There were scrolls full of writing littered around the room and his eyes were red from lack of sleep. He just had to accomplish his goal, had to! He only had another three months, and then Kakashi's Chunin exams would begin. For those exams, Sakumo had to be there, he would have it no other way.
"Dad? Aren't you going to go watch Kakashi's Chunin exams?" He asked Sakumo's back. Sakumo had a bag on his bed and was filling it with items, as well as putting scrolls and kunais into his vest. He sighed and turned his head to look over his shoulder at his older son.
"I have to go, I told you that already. If Kakashi passes I'll be very proud of him, just like I always have been of you two."
"But Dad! Kakashi will be sad if you don't come! He wanted you to be there to watch him pass; he'll be the youngest Chunin ever!"
"I know."
"But then-"
"I'm sorry Jakashi, I don't have much say in this mission. It's an S-level and I don't know when I'll be back. I tried to postpone it but the Fourth wouldn't let me. So..." he ruffled Jakashi's short white hair. "You'll just have to go in my place. Take care of your brother."
"So you're just going to leave? Right now?"
"Yes. I have to go." Sakumo walked out of the room and Jakashi followed him, watching as their father walked into Kakashi's room, bent down, and kissed his forehead. He pulled the covers up to Kakashi's chin and stood there for a while before reaching into his waist pouch and withdrawing a white blade. He placed it on Kakashi's bedside, patted Jakashi's head one more time, and left the house.
The next morning Kakashi woke up and bounded to the kitchen after snatching up his father's White Chakra Blade from his bedside table, expecting to see him waiting and ready to go watch him take the Chunin exams, but the only one there was a touchy looking Jakashi with their father's other White Chakra Blade in his belt pouch. His dark eyes slid over to Kakashi for a second.
"Where's Daddy?"
"Dad left on a mission, said he couldn't come to your Chunin exams."
"B-but, he promised me he would! He promised he would!"
"Yeah... well, something else popped up, an S-level mission. He had to go."
"But I wanted... I wanted Daddy to see so he could see that I can be as strong as him! Like you, Big Brother!"
"Yeah..." Jakashi put his arms on the table and rested his chin on his arms. "But I'll come and watch you, Kakashi."
"But it's just not the same! It's not fair! Daddy went to your Chunin exam, and Mommy got to see... Mommy got to see you too! It's not fair! And it's not fair that nobody'll play with me just because I'm taking the exams and most of them are still in the Academy, and it's not fair that adults always look at me funny, and it's not fair when you get all the attention from Daddy for being older and stronger and he never watches me! And... and... it's not my fault Mommy's not here anymore, I didn't want her to die, I didn't, I didn't! Mommy never got to see me."
"Kakashi... look." He got up from his chair and hugged his brother. "You just ignore those other kids, they're just mad because they're not as great as you are, and the adults know you're strong too. And for your information, Dad treats us equally, whether you noticed or not. He wanted to come, but the mission comes first. He said that if you pass he'll be very proud of you, like he's always been."
Kakashi sniffed. "Really? Did he say that?"
"Yep. And.. it's... not your fault Mom's gone. There's nothing you could have done."
"Really? It wasn't my fault?"
"No, no of course not. And Mom loved you too, she didn't let Dad or anyone take you from her until she... she died."
"Will you watch me, Big Brother?"
"'Course I will. I'll watch you in Dad's place, and I'll tell him how great you were and everything as soon as he gets back!"
"Promise?"
"I promise!"
Naruto waved his hands in front of Sakumo's eyes. "Heeeeyyyy, watcha thinkin about?"
He flinched slightly and shook his head. "Oh, nothing Naruto, nothing. I was just... Kakashi."
Kakashi looked up from his zoning out. "Yeah?"
"Why don't you go home and practice your summoning some more. I have to go see the Godaime, and then I'll come back home. Straight back home," he added before Kakashi could ask him to promise. "I promise."
" 'Kay... but I'm already really good at it..."
"Then practice your Chidori, or using your white chakra. Just train until I get back and then we'll talk about your Chunin exams, alright?"
"Okay... but... can I go by the Academy first? I forgot something in there."
"Sure sure."
"C'mon Uncle Dumb Face!" he cried, grabbing Naruto's hand and bounding away.
"You're looking extremely haggard nowadays Sakumo."
"Please, drop the name while we're not in public. I'm not my father."
"You seem to resent it?"
"Perhaps. It's none of your business if I do, now why did you call me?"
"Well you see we've heard of strange activity near the Hatake household, strange bursts of white chakra, countless destroyed scrolls, notations and crumpled paper. I want to know what's going on in that house." Tsunade's eyes bored into his but Jakashi stood his ground.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Half the village has seen it and they're starting to get nervous. If we even think that you're work is going to threaten Konoha, you realize that the village will want to take you down, you, your home, and perhaps Kakashi with it, boy or not." Jakashi gritted his teeth and slammed his palm onto the table.
"You want to know what I'm doing? You really want to know what I'm doing, Tsunade-hime?
"I'll tell you what I'm doing: I'm going to revive the dead!"