Chapter 9. Child
30+
Raising Kakashi is both Sakumo's downfall and saving grace. He loves the boy fiercely; like he's never loved anyone before, yet with every move he makes he is afraid he will undoubtedly fail the boy as his parents and subsequent father figures once failed him.
Kakashi is a genius and looks just like Sakumo. The villagers remark how nice it must be to have such a talented child, and that surely Kakashi will grow up to be just as great as his father someday. Sakumo doesn't feel like he's a great person at all, but he smiles and nods and tells himself that Kakashi will be better than him. He has to be.
xXx
Though the second great ninja war has ended, the world is far from peaceful. Sakumo is still sent out to fight and has little time to spend with his son. When he does get home, they spend it reading or training together. Sometimes, if Sakumo is in a good mood, he lifts his son onto his shoulders and climbs the Hokage mountain. There they spend entire evenings and watch the sun go down. Sakumo doesn't talk much on these evenings, but he listens to his boy's rambles and smiles.
Kakashi looks like his father, but his personality is far more like his mother's. He picks up the ugliest pug Sakumo has ever seen when he is four years old, and through some weird trick of nature teaches the mongrel to speak. Sakumo laughs out loud when he witnesses the phenomenon; only Kinue's son would have the intellect and sheer stubbornness to teach a dog to speak.
Sakumo smiles and pokes the pug, and tells his son the animal would make a great summons.
xXx
Kakashi goes to the academy when he is five years old, and it is at this time that Sakumo realizes his son might just be too brilliant for his own good. This suspicion is confirmed when the boy graduates barely a year afterwards, and shows his brand new headband off with a cocky grin and bold remarks.
Sakumo feels nauseous when he watches his son train with shuriken in the garden and faults himself for encouraging it in the first place. He watches his son hit a bull's eye and runs inside to vomit.
xXx
They still smile together sometimes, but it is not as often. Kakashi's eyes have lost some of their spark- Minato had told Sakumo about the man they watched die the other day. The event is carved into Kakashi's memory.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
Kakashi pouts and shakes his head, and clearly wishes Minato hadn't said anything at all. There are tears burning in his eyes and Sakumo can't stand the sight of it. He pulls his boy into an embrace and doesn't let go for a long time.
xXx
When Sakumo is thirty-seven years old, he goes on a mission that will indirectly change the fate of the entire world. He's not aware of it, of course- doesn't know that the effects the mission will have on Kakashi will change a generation.
All he knows is that he cannot leave his teammates to die. So he goes back for them, and when he returns to Konoha with his friends alive, he expects to be praised.
He is not.
xXx
He finds Sakumo in the living room, drunk off his face. He reeks of alcohol and old sweat. Kakashi helps him up- when did he get so strong?- and brings him to his bedroom. In the apartment bottles are strewn all over the floor. His son doesn't mention it.
Sakumo wakes up briefly when Kakashi has helped him on the bed, opening hazy dark eyes. "Y're a good kid, y'know," He mumbles. "Don't turn out like me."
His chest aches, but he can't remember why.
xXx
37 years ago
The child is found a few miles from Konoha when a group of patrolling chunin hear his cry. One of them picks the child up and recognizes the poor thing for what he is- a foundling. The boy is once again nameless, has no identity, no family, no past.
Konoha protocol dictates the chunin name the boy and take him to the nearest Konoha orphanage. But first, he needs a name.
"Oh, I know," One chunin smiles. " 'Hatake' for his last name, after the field we found him in, and 'Sakumotsu' as his first name,"
"'Crop'?" His colleague echoes incredulously. "That's a crappy name! At least give him a proper name!'
"Why don't you name him then, since you know everything," The chunin bites back angrily.
"Ah- err, Hatake… Sakumo!"
"That's exactly what I said!"
When Karasu first lays eyes on his son, almost 12 years later, he doesn't recognize him at all.