A/N: So. It's been years since I last posted anything in any story of mine, and I feel nostalgic at starting again after all this time spent simply reading and reviewing other stories. (Yes, I went silent but didn't go away, there's a difference here XD) If any of you guys who have me on your alert list still follow me, I'll say right now I'm very impressed and equally thankful for your endless patience. God knows that'll help you in real life.
This story came up while I was writing another one (check the end of my profile to know more). I wanted inspiration for battles and went browsing through Naruto for that, because to me it's the knock-out ace for brawls of all kinds. The plot bunnies started flying after I pretty much fell head over heels for Kakashi-sensei..
Hatake Sakumo also caught my attention. He's the man whose ideals started everything in Naruto's world (Obito followed his ideals, knocked them into Kakashi, who taught them to Naruto...), and it all snowballed out from there. Yet he was never thanked for his troubles. Kishimoto also never revived him through Edo-Tensei (plot hole?), so apart from the fact that he's a great sword-user, possibly has the ninken contract and is on par with (if not above) the Sannin in terms of power, we know nothing about the great ninja he used to be before Konoha disgraced him.
That's why I decided to make a story for him. The man deserves to be acknowledged properly, and I want to see how much his presence in the Naruto world will change things and people, starting with his own son... and his sensei. Who knows how Minato will live his life without little Kakashi to watch over?
The possibilities and 'what-if' scenarios are endless, and though I will do my best to stick to canon, there are high chances that it will also deviate from it. That's why, without further ado, I'm presenting you The Hatake Legacy, which I hope will inspire other writers out there into making their own stories about this powerful ninja known as Konoha's White Fang.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. That right belongs to Kishimoto-san.
Warning: This story is rated M because it will address Het and, eventually, Yaoi couples. If the latter is not your cup of tea, the back button is easy to click on. You have been warned...
Sakumo walked through the hall of his house, carrying the last of the dozen scrolls he'd spent the last few weeks filling up. He edged down the stairs without making a sound or even being felt; the wood beneath his feet never creaked, and the air stood unmoved behind him. He paused at the end of the stairs and listened; no one was close by.
He went to the kitchen, where another scroll lay open on the table. There was a bag next to it, plus his Jounin jacket and weapon pouch. His eyes lingered on the blade that had earned him his title; the White Chakra Sabre laid peacefully on the table's center, seemingly daring him to unsheathe it. The temptation was strong; it was dark, he was alone and his son was asleep, there would be no one to stop hi—
He tore his gaze away and took a deep breath. I can do this.
He crossed the room with determined steps that contrasted starkly with the turmoil in his heart. He counted and double-checked everything ranging from money, clothes, weapons, food rations and medical kits to Ninjutsu scrolls, soldier pills and camping equipment one last time, and finally sealed everything but his jacket and blade into the table scroll. The Jounin jacket felt tight around his chest; he'd added two tank tops and a second long-sleeved shirt to those he already wore so he could stay warm at night without the use of his chakra, so it was a close fit.
He stuffed the sealing scroll into one of his front pockets and strapped his blade to his back without looking at it. Sakumo had debated for days whether to leave it behind or not; he was sure Kakashi would have grown to use it like a pro. On the other hand, this same blade had taken part in the crime that now disgraced the Hatake Clan; leaving Kakashi with it meant forcing him to bear part of the blame in his place. And that was something Sakumo would never do to his son.
Kakashi...
His gaze strayed to the hall, and to the door at the end of it situated on its right side. Kakashi was asleep and blissfully unaware of what was going on, and Sakumo intended to keep it that way. He didn't want to drag the only family member he had left into the bottom of the abyss with his own shameful self.
As much as it tore his heart to leave him behind (something he swore he would never do), he knew that Minato would take care of him. Nurture him, raise him in his stead, and be a better shinobi model to the last Hatake than the White Fang had ever been to his own son. It was for the best.
Sakumo had been so sure that the path he had chosen had been the right one... But now, with the village, he knew better.
But he couldn't just shake off his ideals and move on without them. He'd grown up with them; they were part of him now. Kakashi was just a child; it was not too late to make a shinobi out of him which Konoha could be proud of. He was salvageable. Sakumo wasn't.
That was why the White Fang would disappear tonight.
Before that mission, loyalty had been Sakumo's best trait. Now it was his biggest flaw, because despite all the hate and scorn thrown his way, he still couldn't smother the love he felt for the land that had birthed him. Seeing it angry and sad made his heart bleed, and knowing it was his fault just made him feel even more guilty.
He'd tried several times to commit seppuku. He'd held his family's blade to his stomach in the dark of night so many times he'd lost count, ready to strike and end it all... But had failed every time, because his body (his instincts) had stilled his hands and left him frozen on the floor, filled with a desperate need to live. The reason for his duality had been very enlightening.
Sakumo couldn't muster the courage to kill himself because each time he tried, his conscience (his loyalty) surged up to ask him one very simple question: How would he protect Konoha if he took his own life?
He had shed blood, sweat, tears and discarded his own innocence so others could live peaceful lives. He'd become Konoha's White Fang to keep its people safe. He was one of the village's best shinobi... one of its finest protectors, of equal strength to that of the Legendary Sannin. His power had always benefited the Leaf before.
And yet he'd failed the village. The work of a lifetime, dragged in the dirt and thrown to hell... all because of a single mission. He felt like trash.
What is done, is done, his inner voice had reminded him. You cannot change the past, but you can change the future. Konoha may not want you anymore, but it doesn't mean it won't need you. The village is not invincible. It could still fall.
He had shuddered at the very thought.
'Do you really want to kill yourself, when that would mean leaving Konoha minus one of its best shinobi to help her defend against the enemy?'
His stomach had twisted itself in knots, and his hands had shaken uncontrollably.
'Do you really want to throw your life away, when you could save hundreds of them?'
He'd spent nights tossing and turning in his bed, haunted by that very question.
'Do you really want to leave your son in the care of people who could turn on him like they did with you?'
That had been the last straw. People could mistreat him all they wanted, but no one could hurt his son. No one was allowed to bring him down when he had done nothing to deserve it.
The fault was all on him, and him only. If there indeed were future traitors in Konoha's ranks, then it was his job as Kakashi's... sire... to snatch them away before their twisted desire for retribution led them to harm his child.
Kakashi would succeed where he had failed in life. Of that, Sakumo swore it on the shattered pieces of his dignity. The fire in him might not be there anymore, but the embers were still glowing. He would make it work, no matter what.
That's a promise, Kakashi.
But Konoha had made it clear that he wasn't welcome anymore, either. How could he keep an eye on both his home and his son if his presence was an eyesore to the villagers?
The answer had been posted on a pole by a shop. He'd henged into a civilian and gone shopping when his eye had caught the poster face of a missing girl from another country. His mind had instantly drawn up a certain book that all villages shared, a book that held a descriptive list plus a bounty on the head of every shinobi that had turned rogue in history.
A nukenin...
...
...
...
... If becoming a nukenin—if fading into the shadows—meant he could protect his son and help Konoha (reduce the collateral damage his failure would soon throw its way) without both ever knowing who really did it, then...
Then... it was worth a try.
He went over to the living room and, after making sure once more that no one was nearby, dispelled the Genjustsu that laid there. He pulled out an old wooden box and carefully knelt down; the container had passed the last decade non-dusted, and he didn't want to startle Kakashi awake with a sneezing fit. Another look around, and he disabled the three ANBU traps that protected it. A seal appeared after the last trap disappeared; Sakumo gently bit his thumb and dragged his blood across it.
The box opened. Inside it was a white and green scroll that fit perfectly into his hand; the ninken contract. The very treasure he had created out of his own sweat and blood.
Kakashi's name was in it. That had been his birthday gift last year, and he'd quickly mastered the invocation, so there was no need to leave him the scroll. The less he inherited from him, the better the village would treat him. (He hoped so, at least.)
Konoha already had a whole clan of dog users at its disposal, too, so there was no need to add any more trackers to their ranks.
Speaking of trackers... It hadn't escaped his notice that the hot-tempered Inuzukas had been surprisingly passive towards him. Working with dogs for generations left them with a deep understanding of how far and deep true loyalty could run, so as much as they might disapprove of his mission failure, they had no room to complain whenever the White Fang scandal came into topic.
That was a good sign. It meant his son still had a chance to find acceptance within a group similar to his own; he could even find love in it, if he tried hard enough. The elder Hatake only regretted that he wouldn't be there to congratulate Kakashi if a marriage did happen, and moreso that he wouldn't be here to help him through parenthood.
He carefully closed the box, put it back in its hidden cache and reactivated the Genjutsu, but not the traps. The ninken contract disappeared into the front of his jacket and he stood up, walking for the nearby window. After checking both ways to see if the coast was clear (no sleep-walking Kakashi, no resentful teammates, no ANBU or ROOT agents nearby), he slipped away to the private gardens at the back of the compound.
He couldn't help but pause and take one last look back. The Hatake Clan lands had hosted many generations of his family, and it held many good memories to him. He was leaving home for good this time, so the least he could do was commit the place to memory one final time before he departed.
He sighed. He would miss Konoha. He would miss home. But most of all, he would miss his son. Hopefully Kakashi wouldn't hold it against him too much once he realized his sire had not only brought shame to the family, but become a nukenin as well.
"Goodbye, Kakashi..." He whispered into the dark of night, fist tightening around his bag strap. "And... I'm sorry."
"Sorry for what?"
Sakumo whipped around, looking for all intents and purposes like a deer caught in headlights.
Kakashi stood in the garden before him, clad in his Chuunin gear and clothes. He was armed, had a bag slung over his shoulder, and though for once his masked face didn't show anything, Sakumo knew instantly that he'd been waiting for him.
The realization came as a shock. How had he known? "... Kakashi? What are you doing up at this hour?"
"I could ask the same of you, dad. Why are you up? And what are you sorry for?"
Sakumo frowned. "You should be in bed." he said, ignoring the second question.
"So should you." Kakashi's eyes trailed down to his hand. "... Did you bottle-feed Pakkun again?"
"No."
"Then why did you bite your thumb? You're bleeding."
Sakumo marveled at his son's senses for a whole second before remembering to answer back. "It's nothing for you to worry about. Please go back to bed; a long day awaits you tomorrow and you'll be very tired if you don't get some sleep." He put on his best reassuring smile.
"No."
What?
Kakashi squared his shoulders. "I don't want to go to sleep. Not when you're about to leave."
"Kakashi..."
Kakashi's blank face broke; he stared at him with equal parts determination and need. His free hand clenched; his breath hitched, and a myriad of emotions flashed in his eyes too quickly for Sakumo to understand them all. His voice was so low the elder Hatake had to strain his ears to catch his next words. "I want to come with you."
The request was a punch to the gut. Guilt tore violently at his heart, and next thing he knew, he'd crossed the distance between them to pull Kakashi into a hug. "I'm sorry." He rasped out. "I'm so, so sorry Kakashi, but I can't—"
"No!" Kakashi's bag dropped to the ground; two deceptively frail arms warped around his neck and desperately clung to his back. "I don't want to stay here! Not without you—"
"Please, son, I'm doing this for you. I'm a lost cause, but you still have a chance—"
"The village already hates me."
Silence.
"...What?" Sakumo whispered, horrified.
Kakashi's hold tightened. "I try to ignore them, I really do, but I can't shut out the whispers, the death glares, the hate—it's all around me. They look at me and they see you; they whisper about the traitor's son and wonder how long it'll take before I repeat your mistake. I'm already a bad guy in their eyes."
The elder Hatake shook his head. "That can't be. You didn't do anything wrong—"
Kakashi twitched.
"... You didn't, did you?"
The silence was quite telling. Sakumo's stomach dropped to his feet.
"Hatake Kakashi, what have you done?"
"They deserved it." came the whisper against his shoulder. "Some drunk idiots saw me walk down the street and hailed me. They wanted to know how badly you had failed that mission, and when I ignored them, they started to guess out loud."
"Their theories were all ridiculous and completely wrong, and I would've gone on my way, but..."
Sakumo held his breath. "But...?"
"I... I heard them mock you. Spit at your name, drag it in the mud, stomp on it, add some bad insults to it and I... I just couldn't take it anymore. I told them to take all their words back or else, and when one of them started laughing I punched him in the jaw. He won't ever talk again."
The White Fang was at a loss for words. "But why...?" he finally murmured.
His son glared back at him with such fury he almost took a step back. Almost. "You're my dad. My father, the White Fang Hatake Sakumo, who would rather save the lives of his teammates than continue a mission gone bad." Kakashi broke their gaze to bury his head under his neck. "You're nice. You meant well. You're a good guy. You've done nothing wrong. Nothing. That's why... That's why I'll trash anyone who badmouths my hero. I won't ever let them shame you again for a crime you never did."
The elder Hatake stared ahead with wide eyes, the words ringing in his heads like a mantra. My hero...
The broken heart inside him gave such a painful surge he almost whimpered. The feeling spread through his limbs, a thousands little needles piercing his skin, and something hot and burning coiled in his chest. He trembled.
"Do you... Do you really..."
His throat clogged up. He took a shaky breath.
"Do you really... really..."
"Really what... ?"
Kakashi... "... Do you... really... mean that? Do you..."
Do you really see me as a hero?
Do you really see me as a role model?
Do you really see me as a man worthy of being... your father?
Kakashi looked at him in the eye and said, "Yes."
Sakumo broke.
His knees buckled; his butt hit the ground with a muffled thud. "Kakashi..." He choked, tears streaking down his face. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."
Kakashi squirmed in his grip until he let go; Sakumo barely had time to miss the warmth that was his son before he was pulled to a small chest, his head encircled in a comforting hold. "Dad..."
That only made him cry more. The floodgates opened completely, weeks of repressed pain surged out of him until he was sobbing hard. He clung to the body before him like a lifeline, babbling apologies uncontrollably, and Kakashi hugged him tighter still, wetting the scalp under his face with his own tears.
"Please don't leave me, dad," He croaked out somewhere along the way.
The muffled plea only tugged more at Sakumo's bleeding heart. "I won't. N-Never again."
"P-Promise?"
"Promise," he hiccuped.
They spent the quarter of an hour shedding tears. Kakashi found his way back into Sakumo's arms once he was sure his father wouldn't cry anymore; the elder Hatake took one look at his face and almost broke down again. Instead he inched down to nuzzle his son with a watery smile, and grinned crookedly when Kakashi nuzzled him back. "I love you, son. You know that, right?"
"I know. Love you too dad."
They rubbed heads again. "... Are you sure you want to come with me?"
"Yes. I'm packed and ready to go."
"This is an irreversible decision once you're out of Konoha. This is your last chance to draw back."
Kakashi opened one eye to glare at him. "You promised."
"That I did. So?"
"So we should stop wasting time here and get out already."
"What about Minato-sensei?"
"... He has Kushina-san. He'll be fine."
Sakumo chuckled. "Alright. Come with me."
Indeed, what about Minato-sensei...?
The next morning at dawn, Minato knew the second he shunshined into Training Ground 3 that this was not going to be a good day.
Kakashi was late. And for a child that went out of his way to be on time whenever the word 'training' was mentioned, being late meant something had happened to him.
Minato hiraishin-ed into the Hatake compounds with his stomach in knots. "Kakashi-kun?"
The eery silence of the place only made him more nervous. He dashed inside the house, tense and ready to block possible hits if his sudden appearance startled one or both Hatakes. There was no one in the kitchen.
He searched the living room, then the hall. Kakashi's chamber was next, followed by Sakumo's. He burst through the bathroom door and almost sagged in relief at finding the room empty of dead bodies. The second story rooms revealed nothing either, and twin mops of silver hair shone by their absence in the basement. A quick look around the backyard and private garden only told Minato one thing: it had been a while since either Hatake had summoned their ninken. No new 'gifts' had been left behind since he'd visited the family last week. The White Chakra Sabre was also missing.
"Dammit," Minato bit his thumb and summoned a messenger toad. "Sorry for the haste but please go get Jiraiya-sensei. This is an emergency!"
The toad croaked and poofed out. The Jounin ran out of the compounds and Kage Bunshined himself four times to start searching the village in all directions. While his clones ran off, Minato turned tail and roof-jumped his way to Kushina's house.
"Kushina!" He knocked twice on the door before letting himself in. "Kushina, I can't find Kakashi! Did he come over to your house last nigh—?"
"No." Konoha's current Jinchuuriki tromped down the stairs in her pyjamas, and Minato would have found her bed-ridden hair absolutely adorable had his attention not been focused on Sakumo's son. "No, he didn't. Did something happen to him?"
Minato sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know. I can't find him."
Kushina watched him pace around the kitchen table with growing worry. "What do you mean, you can't find him?"
"Exactly that. We had a training session today and he never showed up. I didn't find him at his house either."
"... Maybe he's on a mission?"
"He would have warned me beforehand if that was the case. He's always done it before."
"What about Sakumo-san? Did you see him when you searched the house?"
"No, though in his case I can understand why he's laying low." Minato's voice dropped to a mere whisper. "Konoha is still sore over his supposed 'crime'."
Anger flashed in Kushina's eyes. Her chakra spiked. "Those asshol—mphf!"
Minato kissed the breath out of her, and her anger along with it. "Having the Kyuubi trample the village won't make it forgive Hatake-san any faster. You know that, don't you?" he breathed against her lips.
"Mhna...?" Kushina stared dazedly back at him, face flushed and breathing a little hard. It took a few seconds to remember what they were talking about. "Oh. Right, sorry..."
Minato smiled at her (Kami-sama, she had the cutest blush ever) and stepped back. He tried not to let it go to his head that Kushina leant against the wall rather than join him at the kitchen table.
"What do we do now, then?"
"We wait for Jiraiya-sensei. He might know where Kakashi-kun and Sakumo-san are."
"I see." Kushina finally came closer. "How long will it take for him to come here?"
"Five minutes at the most."
"Five minutes... I'll go get ready. But first—" Kushina bent down and dragged him into a soul-searing kiss.
Her hair slid over her shoulders to hide their lip-locked faces in scarlet curtains, and a small groan escaped Minato when she ran her free fingers in his spiky locks. "... Stop worrying about them like that. They'll be fine, believe it."
Minato was left staring at a her derriere with thoughts completely unsuited to the moment's dire situation, and inwardly fought to drag up all the blood the love of his life had knocked south with a single kiss. Time passed and before he knew it, Kushina was dressed, armed and ready to go with one minute to spare.
She spent the remaining time making sure he wouldn't worry himself sick by massing his shoulders and telling him again and again (and again) that both Hatakes were alright. The distraction was quite effecti—
Four sets of information flooded his brain, and he startled to his feet at the same time that Jiraiya's sandals screeched to a stop on Kushina's balcony. His mentor looked frazzled. "What's this I hear about an emergency, Minato-kun?"
The verdict dropped out like a bomb. "Sakumo-san and Kakashi-kun are missing."
Jiraiya froze. "... What do you mean, they're missing?" The Sannin finally asked. "They could both be on a mission for all we know. Saying they're gone is taking it a bit far, don't you think?"
Minato shook his head. "Given how the village treats him, Sakumo-san should have been hiding at home right now. Kakashi-kun had a training session with me today at dawn, and he never showed up. My four clones also turned up empty."
They stared at each other. Minato's messenger toad was once more summoned. "Remember Hatake Sakumo, Konoha's White Fang?"
The toad nodded.
"He and his son Kakashi are nowhere to be seen. I need you to find them and report back to us as quickly as you can, alright?"
Another nod. Another poof. The Sannin waved the smoke from his face and leapt over to the neighboring block. "Follow me."
They all roof-jumped to the Hokage Tower. The Sannin didn't bother to go through the door like a civilized ninja; he went directly for the Hokage's window.
Sarutobi Hiruzen welcomed his student inside with a sigh. "To what do I owe you this unexpected visit, Jiraiya-kun?" One glance behind the Sannin made him add, "And a good day to you too, Kushina-san, Minato-kun."
"We're sorry for disturbing you at such an early hour, Hokage-sama." Konoha's future Yondaime apologized, bowing. "But we have a problem."
Hiruzen straightened in his seat. "What kind of problem?"
"Minato-kun couldn't find Sakumo-san and Kakashi-kun anywhere," Kushina bit her lips. "We wanted to know if you gave one or both of them a mission that was due to start today. Their unexpected absence is worrying us."
The Hokage was quick to shake his head. "Hatake Sakumo is emotionally unfit to take any kind of mission. Hatake Kakashi is on enforced leave so his body can recover from all the back-to-back missions we found him doing two weeks ago."
It was clear to everyone in the room that as soon as he found the culprit, Hiruzen would be having a little 'talk' with whoever had blackmailed Kakashi into spending all his free time manning enough D and C-ranks to fit an entire Genin team for a month. Minato was still angry at himself for not having noticed anything sooner until Kakashi started showing the first signs of physical burn-out.
"Minato-kun."
The blond snapped to attention. "Hai, Hokage-sama?"
"What makes you think that both Hatakes are missing?"
"Kakashi-kun never showed up for our morning spar. Sakumo-san was absent from the Hatake household. The four clones I sent to comb the village have all dispelled without seeing them either."
Hiruzen learned forward and put his chin on his hands. "Anything else?"
"... One of my clones heard a few civilians talk about a brawl that took place in the civilian shopping district yesterday evening," Minato finally said. "One of the brawlers was said to be a masked child with silver hair."
Kushina stilled, paled, and swore. "Shit."
Jiraiya pinched the bridge of his nose. "Of all the times to snap..."
"What happened?" Hiruzen demanded, unperturbed.
"The man's jaw got broken quite badly. Some civilians even think he won't be able to talk again."
The Hokage sat back in his chair. Before he could say anything, Jiraiya's messenger toad poofed into existence right on the desk. "I'm so sorry, Jiraiya-sama," it croaked, "But neither Hatakes are there. They're not at their house, the compounds, the training grounds, the onsen or the shopping district. They are not in the village at all."
"What?!"
"What makes you so sure?"
The toad took a good look around itself, taking in the office, the desk, and the overall grim atmosphere of the room. "... Their chakra trail ends just outside the village gates," It finally said. "There are no traces of scuffles or of kidnappers beyond that. The Gate guards saw nothing either. It's like they completely vanished."
The silence that filled the room was so heavy it could have been cut with a Kunai. The toad cleared its throat, looking uncomfortable. "I'm sorry to say this, Hokage-sama, but all the evidence leads only to one conclusion. Hatake Sakumo and his son have both left Konoha... of their own free will."
The silence thickened. The toad didn't dare look at any of them as it finished its report. "And unless they both did it for a mission or with special clearance, then they've left the village to become nukenins."
A/N:... Aaand cut! XD
A big THANK YOU goes to Whispering Darkness and his ever-inspiring story The life and times of Hatake Kakashi, nukenin; my story never would have seen the light of day had I not read yours first. Seriously, you rock big time. *bow*
I want to warn everyone that the updates will be slow and uneven, mostly due to the fact that life got very busy and that I'm paddling in the dark about this fic. This is my first Naruto story and it's talking about a character I know almost to nothing about, so I'll be building him (and everything else) from scratch. I will be writing this as inspiration strikes. Please be patient with me! XD
That about sums it up, I guess. Until next time guys, I hope you enjoyed this! ^^
AF