"A secret's worth depends on from whom it must be kept."
CHAPTER THREE
Kakashi woke up later than usual after a restless night of sleep, still feeling disappointed in himself. He was not used to losing and he didn't like it. He went downstairs to find his father on his way out the door. Kakashi normally didn't care for his birthday much, but today he had a very specific gift in mind. "Can you teach me a new jutsu today?" He asked. His father looked back at him thoughtfully. "Why is it you want to learn? Do you not still have taijutsu and other basic ninjutsu to perfect?" He replied as he put his ninja sandals on. Kakashi didn't answer right away; usually when his father asked him a question like that, it was because he wanted him to consider something he had overlooked. "I see. You are motivated to learn because you want to be better than someone else, not because you want to better yourself," his father said, pointing a finger at him. Kakashi pouted underneath his mask, still silent. "I have some things to attend to. When I get back, we can go out and get something special to eat for your birthday." His father smiled before closing the door behind him. Kakashi sighed. He supposed he would have to entertain himself for the next few hours.
Saruna, on the other hand, woke up never having felt better. She woke up early that morning and went to the library at the academy to see what books and scrolls she could find that had information about her great-grandfather. If she wanted to become stronger, what better role model was there? For all she talked about him, she really didn't know much about him. She poured over the shelves, taking any book that seemed relevant. About three hours into her reading mostly boring accounts of Konoha's early development, she came across a scroll containing an onlooker's account of the First Hokage subduing some sort of giant beast with his ninjutsu, which sounded to her from his description like just a bunch of trees. She was a little puzzled by that - surely it didn't sound stronger than the fire style jutsu her classmate Obito Uchiha was always practicing. "Wouldn't a fire style justu just burn it up?" she wondered. She tried to cure her disappointment by diving even deeper into the report, which included some crude descriptions of hand signs and the implication that the First Hokage was the only person known to use this jutsu despite many others trying. Saruna felt doubly disappointed now - not only did the jutsu seem unimpressive, but it also looked like she wouldn't be able to do it even if she wanted to. She scribbled down some notes in her notebook before returning the stacks of books to their shelves and leaving the quiet room behind. It was a beautiful day, sunny and warm, with all of flowers in Konoha in full bloom. She flipped through her notes over and over as she walked, wondering if maybe she missed something important.
Kakashi strolled aimlessly through the village, hands in his pockets, counting down the hours until his father would be back home. He walked through the main square, looked in a couple of shops, and continued to the canal on the outskirts of the village. He crossed a bridge and walked along the edge of a wooded area, stopping to smell some flowers and pet a stray cat that wandered by. He looked up at the sun and estimated it had been a few hours, and figured if he headed home now his father might be there. Just as he turned to head back in the direction of his house, he heard something. It sounded like a person doing something strenuous, with bouts of heavy breathing followed by intermittent grunts of intense focus. His curiosity got the better of him and he stalked quietly into the trees, being sure to remain unseen, until he approached a small clearing. There was Saruna, dirty as usual, weaving sloppy hand signs he couldn't quite make out from his distance. He continued watching her repeat the same process over and over again only to get the same result. Nothing. He wanted to tell her to give up already, but he didn't want her to know he'd been watching her. He decided he'd seen enough when he heard her gasp, and squinted to see Saruna on her hands and knees closely inspecting a tiny twig that had sprouted from the ground. Kakashi quickly left the scene, laughing to himself. "A twig for a twig," he thought.
When he got home, his father was waiting for him. He'd been trying to think about what he wanted to eat on the way back, but his mind kept finding its way back to Saruna and her twig. "Kakashi, are you ready? What did you decide?" His father asked him. "Dango," he replied absently as he stared off, deep in though. He contemplated asking his father again to teach him a new jutsu. If Saruna was learning new things, no matter how dumb they were, he should be too. "Father, when I was walking home I saw Saruna Senju in the woods practicing ninjutsu. I don't know what she's learning, and she obviously wasn't doing it right since all she managed to do was make a 2 inch tree come out of the ground, but I think I should learn someth -." He was abruptly cut off by his father. "What did you say she did, Kakashi?" He asked in his ever-calm voice, doing an impeccable job hiding his shock. "I don't know, I wasn't close enough to see what signs she was weaving…but it was just a stupid twig," he replied as rolled his eyes and shrugged. "Anyway I thought since other people are learning jutsu that you could reconsider teaching me a new one today." His father thought carefully to himself. "How about we go get that Dango?" He said. "We'll make a stop in to see Lord Third on the way." Kakashi looked puzzled. "Lord Third? Why?" His father kneeled down to look at him eye to eye. "I want you to tell him what you saw."
Kakashi and his father walked towards the Hokage tower. Kakashi wanted to ask about a thousand questions, but the time didn't seem right and he got the feeling his father was not going to answer any of them. When they arrived, an Anbu shinobi was outside the door to the office, guarding it. "Lord Third is busy," he said simply. Kakashi's father replied even more simply. "It is urgent." The Anbu, clearly knowing Kakashi's father and trusting his judgement, opened the door. "Lord Hokage, Sakumo Hatake is here with his son and wants to speak with you. He says it's urgent." The Hokage raised an eyebrow, and then addressed the Jonin encircling him in his office. "We will continue our discussion later. Dismissed." As they left the office, Sakumo nodded at them in appreciation and then entered the office with Kakashi. "Sakumo, Kakashi, to what do I owe the pleasure?" The Hokage smiled. "Thank you for seeing us, Lord Third. Kakashi - go ahead and tell Lord Third what you saw today. Tell the truth." Kakashi felt oddly like he'd done something wrong, although he wasn't sure what. He wondered if he should just say he made it all up, but he knew better than to lie to the Hokage. "I saw Saruna Senju practicing ninjutsu in the woods today. I don't know what jutsu it was. She just made a little twig sprout from the ground. I told my father because I thought he might teach me a new jutsu if he knew other kids were learning them." The Hokage had a look on his face that Kakashi couldn't interpret, but seemed to be some combination of surprise, concern, and interest. His father put a hand on his shoulder. "Lord Third, my son is not a story teller. I'm sure he is telling the truth," he said. The Hokage smiled at Kakashi, but not with his eyes. "Yes, I don't doubt it. Thank you Kakashi for your honesty. I want you to make sure this information stays between us. It isn't important that you understand why right now, just that you understand that it must be secret. That is a mission, directly from me to you. Do you understand?" He asked. Truthfully, Kakashi didn't really understand at all. "Yes, Lord Hokage, I understand." The Hokage stood up to show them out. "Thank you, Sakumo, for coming right away." Kakashi and his father nodded respectfully to the Hokage and he closed the door behind them. Sakumo's hand was soon on his head. "Kakashi, you did well. Let's go get those Dango, and after that, maybe I will teach you a new jutsu after all." Kakashi was so excited at those words he nearly forgot about the entire ordeal he'd just endured.
Saruna burst into her living room triumphantly that evening, feeling on top of the world at her ability to produce something using the hand signs she gathered from her research in the library. Just as she was about to recount the entire day to her Mother, she saw the Third Hokage, sitting at her table and drinking tea. Her mother was sitting across from him, nervously spinning her tea cup. "Saruna, my dear, come have a seat," he said with his most comforting smile. Saruna was nervous too, now. She sat down next to him. "Saruna, tell me, what do you know about our Lord First Hokage," Saruna thought carefully about her words for once, since it was the Hokage asking her a question. She was a little embarrassed by the truth, which is that she really didn't know much even after her morning at the library. "He was the founder of the Leaf. I read that a lot of people thought he was the strongest shinobi to ever live!" She remarked with an enthusiasm that didn't quite fit the seriousness of the adults around her. The Hokage smiled. "Yes, that's right. And do you know why he was so strong?" Saruna shook her head in denial. "Well, some shinobi are born with abilities that are unique to their bloodline, called Kekkei Genkai. An example of this is the Sharingan of the Uchiha clan, or the Byakugan of the Hyuga clan. Lord First Hokage possessed his own Kekkai Genkai." He paused to take a sip of tea before placing his cup gently back down on the table. "Wood style is a Kekkei Genkai that allows the user to produce powerful jutsu that can absorb and bind chakra as strong as that of a tailed beast, create forests, build villages. It also grants the user healing abilities far beyond any medical ninjutsu. Wood Style was a Kekkai Genkai that only Lord First possessed, and no one since then. Until, it seems, you." Saruna's mother was spinning her cup even faster now, and chewing on her lip like she did when the line was too long at the store. He then addressed her mother, while Saruna tried to put together all the information she had just received. "Ayame, I trust you understand what this means for Saruna. This ability will only be enhanced by the large Chakra reserve she has likely inherited from you via her Uzumaki blood line." Her mother looked at her with almost sad eyes, which Saruna didn't understand at all. "Saruna," the Hokage said as he redirected his attention to her. "It is very important for you to understand that this ability is very important to the Hidden Leaf. There are some who covet it, and if they knew you possessed it, might come after you or the village. I'll share the details with you in time. For now, under no circumstance can you discuss this with anyone, and you will only practice your wood style jutsu under my direct supervision. Is that clear?" Saruna wanted to reply that of course it wasn't clear, but she knew better than to mess around in the presence of the Hokage. She had to keep her mouth shut. That much she understood. "Yes, sir." He smiled and stood up. "Good. Ayame, thank you for your gracious hospitality." They bowed, and he left. Her mother hugged her tightly, and whispered to her. "Listen closely to Lord Third and follow his every word, do you understand me?" It sounded like she was crying.
