Sumire's POV
Two weeks had passed since Sakumo-san left for his mission. One day, we spotted him waiting outside the academy to pick up Kakashi. He was a very famous shinobi in our village. His nickname, the White Fang of Konoha, was earned due to his expertise in wielding his white light chakra sabre. According to my father, the curved blade he uses emits a trail of chakra, creating a dazzling white glow when swung.
I saw him standing by the gates, the sword securely strapped to his back. Some of our classmates have stars in their eyes as they admire the prominent man and the famous blade he carried with him.
The elder Hatake finally noticed us as we exited the academy grounds. He knelt down in front of Kakashi and hugged him tightly. Then, he acknowledged my presence by asking about my well-being and patted my head lightly. I politely bowed in front of him as I greeted him and told him that I am doing good and have been hanging out and training a lot with Kakashi lately.
He was satisfied to know that his son found a friend in me. The masked boy had always been distant from other people, so it probably made him happy that Kakashi wasn't alone all the time anymore. He even told me not to be so formal when calling him, as I'd addressed him previously as Hatake-san multiple times. Instead, he told me that I should address him as uncle or oji-san, the same way Kakashi calls my dad.
I was invited to join the father and son duo to eat at Yakiniku-Q. I heard that the place was owned by the Akimichi clan and they serve the best barbecue in the village. I politely declined though, as I did not want to intrude on their reunion. However, Sakumo oji-san was not having it and insisted that I should join them. When I finally agreed to it, Kakashi was over the moon and very excited for me since it will be my first time to try out the place.
After being seated, a few people walked by our table and respectfully greeted the elder Hatake in our group. I recognized them as the famous trio, the Ino-Shika-Cho team. Jiro-sensei had mentioned during class that their combination is good, although not as powerful as the Legendary Sannin, but still very effective as a team. He mentioned that the trio was the best example of teamwork that our village is known for. Aside from that, they are also individually strong which enables each of them to slowly build a good reputation in their chosen field of specialty in the shinobi force.
As they exchanged pleasantries with Sakumo oji-san, the trio noticed three heads of silver hair instead of two. They were surprised, and the Nara could not help his curiosity so he asked, "Hatake-san, who is the girl with you? I thought you only had a son."
Kakashi's father answered them while amused, "Yes, I only have a son. This is Sumire, she is Kakashi-kun's friend from the academy." I was relieved that he had answered truthfully, but avoided revealing too much information. I kept in mind to introduce myself to them properly in the future. But for now, knowing just my first name will do. To quote what my father had said, I can probably reveal my identity to people if he permits it, if I get promoted to jonin, or if someone finally decides to ask for my hand in marriage. I eyed the masked boy with me at the table with that last thought in mind.
I mentally scolded myself for having inappropriate thoughts; this was not the proper time to daydream or entertain my wild fantasies. Grandfather would probably die of a heart attack if he knew what thoughts I am currently entertaining, I am just five and had just started attending the academy for goodness sake. Although, I am sure grandfather would approve of my choice once we get older. I mentally sighed as I realized I've done it again, I am becoming hopeless.
I forced those thoughts out of my head before I smiled warmly at the group of shinobi eyeing my small figure with curiosity. I composed myself and made sure that I had a dignified look before speaking up, "As Sakumo-ojisan have said, my name is Sumire. It's nice to meet you all, shinobi-san. I've heard great things about your team from my academy sensei." I said politely then I stood up with proper posture and bowed to show respect.
The Nara raised his eyebrows when he heard me address the elder Hatake as oji-san. He looked like he was assessing the situation really hard. He probably realized that I am not related to the Hatake family since the clan numbers have always been two, and a third one appearing out of nowhere is highly unlikely.
I could see from my seat how his eyes lit up as his brain slowly connected the bits of information he gathered from the very brief introduction.
Although the silver hair is a known attribute to clansmen of the Hatake and a few Senju, it can be found in other shinobi or civilians as well. It's just very unlucky in my case, that the very curious shinobi scrutinizing me happens to be from the Nara clan, who are an extremely clever bunch of people.
Nonetheless, the three of them seemed pleased with me judging by the smile on their faces. "What a very well-mannered young one we have here," replied by the Nara among the trio. I saw his eyes looking at me like he was solving some sort of puzzle, before a hint of recognition settled in his eyes. "You seem like a very smart girl and quite well-spoken for your age. Your family must have focused on your education well. They did a great job raising you. Please send them my regards." He stated as he looked at me as if he finally figured out a very mind-numbing riddle.
He probably already realized which person among the elder Hatake's social circle might have sired an offspring with the same shade of silver-blonde that I have, and who else would have such close connection to the White Fang for me to have called him as uncle other than his only genin team mate alive. Every Konoha shinobi knew that my dad and Sakumo oji-san had been on a team when they were younger, they even fought most battles of the last war together.
Sometimes, it's really astonishing how smart Naras can be. It only took the man one look and a very ordinary conversation for him to figure me out.
The Yamanaka and the Nara gave a firm nod to the elder Hatake while the Akimichi waved his hand towards us before they left the premises.
I think the Ino-Shika-Cho are good people and I would take my chances on them not to exploit the sensitive information about my identity. Besides, each of the trio were expected to take over the role as head of their respective clans and they seem to be honorable men.
My daily routine started to become hectic since I joined the academy. I still woke up early and trained with Kakashi for more than an hour. Afterwards, we mostly watch the sunrise like we usually do before we go home and prepare for school. The silver-haired boy would pick me up after breakfast, if he did not stay over for the night, and we would walk to school together.
We always arrived at the classroom early, so we always brought a book with us to pass time while we waited for class to begin. We would always sit at the same table, at the back corner next to each other, our usual spot by the window. Our classmates did not share our love for literature, since they mostly found it strange that we read so much even during our free time. I realized back then that it was not common for children our age to have a passion for reading and learning like Kakashi and I did. This reflected in our exam scores, as we consistently received perfect marks. This made me have a reputation since my class standing is close to the masked prodigy. Obviously Kakashi has the top rank in class since he has always been the best in everything that he does. He is just perfect in every way I could think of.
The academy started at eight-thirty in the morning and finished by three-thirty in the afternoon. The school divided the day into four periods, each with a one-and-a-half-hour duration for the class. The first two periods focused on theories and book knowledge. After that, students would have a one-hour break for lunch. The last two periods were primarily practical training.
After school, Kakashi would walk me home and hang around the Senju compound for a bit. We would start doing some chakra exercises or do some meditation by the garden. We read that doing so would improve our chakra control and increase our reserves. I knew we were a bit advanced in learning these, but both of us had a very high drive to achieve our goals as shinobi. Father would eventually arrive to teach me what he had planned for the day. This is Kakashi's cue to go home or do whatever he likes if he is staying with us overnight. Father even invited him to stay and join the training, if he wished to, but the masked boy turned down the offer because he called this training with father as "Sumire's Senju time".
We would have dinner afterwards and talk about what happened during the day. My dad usually complained about the never-ending drama at the council meetings during this time, while I told him about what Kakashi and I did at school that day. If the silver-haired boy was with us, he usually used this time to talk to my father about very boring things that both of them seemed to enjoy such as the best tactical combinations to use in shogi, the type of papers best used in origami, or which country has the best tasting tea.
Their talks show how similar they are in a lot of ways. It even crossed my mind that Kakashi is like an old soul stuck to a five year old's body. He is very mature for his age, knowledgeable in a lot of things, and even has a lot of similar interests with father. Certainly, these are very uncommon traits for a kid to have. I am not complaining though, since that is what made him unique and I like everything about him, even his little quirks.
l also realized that father evidently considered Kakashi as a son, I am glad though because I know he cherishes the silver-haired boy not just because he was entrusted to be Kakashi's godfather, but because he genuinely adores the masked boy. I can see it every time they interact with each other since they like each other's company so much. I am glad about this, because I consider them the most significant people in my life, along with my grandfather, and I like seeing them get along well.
After dinner, I would go to my room and perform my bedtime routine. Before retiring for the night, I always made sure to spend time practicing my calligraphy. Mastering this art requires countless repetitions to eventually be able to write the kanji perfectly.
I barely have enough time to resume my painting hobby since I spend most of my free time during weekends hanging out with my favorite masked friend.
Kakashi's progress at the academy has been exponential. I have heard multiple adults praising his phenomenal talents and talking about his great potential in becoming a great shinobi in the future. The talks about him became even more widespread in the village when the news of his early graduation broke out. This is a very significant event in the village since he now holds the record for being the youngest person to graduate from Konoha's academy since its founding. It is a very big accomplishment to finish academy at five years old, as no other ninja were able to do so before him.
He was labeled as a prodigy by many, which I wholeheartedly agree with. I am happy for his accomplishments, but I still feel sad. His promotion to genin meant that I would no longer be able to spend as much time with him since he would be busier with missions and genin training. I had expected this to happen though, so I focused on my studies and tried to do my best so I could graduate soon as well.
Kakashi and I would still hang out even though he had a busy schedule. He would still stay over at our place sometimes, and he would ask me to go around town and eat somewhere in the village whenever he had free time. The silver-haired boy would treat me out since he was already earning from his mission. I particularly liked it when we would go to Ichiraku's ramen stand. They served the best ramen I've ever eaten, even better than the ones I'd tried in the capital. Those excursions around the village were our moment to catch up and we would talk about what had happened to each other lately.
He was training under a shinobi named Minato Namikaze. I heard my father mentioned that Minato-san had also been a prodigy when he was younger much like Kakashi is, so I think he is the perfect individual to coach my silver-haired companion. The masked boy was not assigned to a genin team yet, it probably has something to do with his young age. Kakashi would only do missions inside the village alone, while his sensei observed him, or would be permitted to tag along with his sensei's easier missions outside the village. I am certain he would probably get integrated to other teams in the future.
One time, some of the kids from the academy saw us after we had barbecue at Yakiniku-Q. They never see Kakashi anymore so they invited us to hang out with them. The silver-haired boy hesitated before he finally agreed for my sake, he remembered that he is not around to keep me company all the time and it would be a good opportunity for me to widen my social group. I was glad that none of his shrieking fangirls from school were among the group of kids this time. One girl present obviously likes Kakashi though, but it's alright since she is well mannered and not annoying like the other fangirls.
After being invited to more social gatherings, I slowly got to know a few of our peers. We would grab snacks from the dango shop or the bakery, have friendly spars on the training grounds on a few occasions, or simply sit and relax by the park. I wouldn't say everyone in the group were my friends already, maybe more like an acquaintance since we're only slightly familiar with each other and not really close.
The group mostly consisted of Kurenai, Genma, Guy, Obito, Asuma, and myself. A few others would tag along sometimes. Kakashi only goes with the group if he is free and in a better mood since he cannot tolerate most people from our class. He seemed to like Asuma and Genma though, because they have an aloof personality like he does. A kid named Hayate would be there sometimes, but he is sickly so he needs more rest and can't spend much time outside. Another one is Rin, the one who likes Kakashi, but she rarely hangs around with the group. I noticed she would only tag along whenever the silver-haired boy is with us. She is nice to everyone but I think she is not comfortable around me, it's unfortunate since it would be nice to have her as a friend.
I particularly liked Kurenai among the group I hung out with. As a girl like me, she could relate to my experiences and we naturally get along with each other. She also had a mellow and very likable personality. The red-eyed girl even asked me to hang out at her house one time. Of course the boys were not invited as Kurenai said it was a "girls-only-thing". She became my second friend in the village and I was very happy about it. We sealed our friendship when we talked about the boys we like over some ice cream. We had become each other's confidants and I have a feeling that our friendship will probably become a lifelong bond. She told me about her infatuation towards the hokage's son. In return, I also admitted my admiration for the masked boy. We giggled and daydreamed together, and it was probably the most normal thing I remembered doing when I was younger.
Father always reminded me that belonging to the Senju clan meant that I needed to be a well rounded ninja, as the family name is literally translated as the clan with the thousand skills.
He began introducing me to the ways the clansmen make some healing balms or ointments that were not that difficult to do. It is very time consuming though, the process needs patience and a lot of book knowledge with the ingredients used in creating the herbal remedies. The clan library had multiple books regarding the characteristics of plants and its medicinal properties. Father would guide me in studying how the anatomical parts of the plants are used in creating the herbal products, he would say that every part of it is useful from the seeds, flowers, leaves, and the roots. We would gather the needed raw materials from our gardens or around the village, process them as needed, take the correct amount of each ingredient, mix them together, then set them in a proper container.
I was able to check its effects when I used some of the balm on my bruises after I've done my physical training sessions, and it gave me satisfying results. I often give Kakashi some to take with him, he knew I've been experimenting with it and he gladly accepted.
The positive outcome gave me the drive to improve my overall knowledge of utilizing plants, not just as a remedy but as a supplement that enhances a person's general health.
I started applying this knowledge by copying my grandfather Tobirama's way of creating tea blends, since he has a scroll left at the library noting the unique blends he made and how to brew them properly. I ensured that I improved the blends by adding ingredients that have very good medicinal properties that are beneficial to the mind and body, of course I made sure that the blends have a pleasant taste as well.
Father praised me upon learning my interest in branching out the application of the knowledge he had been passing onto me. I would like to expand it even further in the future though, I am sure I can think of other ways to do this once I have more experience and knowledge, and be able to create all sorts of products with it. Maybe this can be something I do in the future aside from pursuing a shinobi career, I do enjoy it after all.
He told me I could learn other Senju techniques once I became a genin since most of them were skills I could use during missions or while fighting. Like the different elemental jutsus and the Fuinjutsu scrolls that were all stored securely in our clan archives. He explained that other very advanced techniques like Senjutsu and countering Juinjutsu were too difficult to study even for a genin. I would be permitted to explore those areas if I am qualified enough, maybe when I am a chunin or jonin already.
For now, I am only limited to doing my herbal studies and experiments, as well as the skills I learned at the academy, and the ones I got to study with Kakashi. Father said my current progress was already too advanced for my age anyway, so he isn't rushing anything.
Another skill he taught me was preparing food, although this is more of a practical skill I needed to learn in order for me to be a well functioning adult in the future. It never really crossed my mind to learn this kind of stuff before because of my upbringing at the castle with grandfather and the household staff he hired for us, so I did not have to worry about such things. But as father had said, a shinobi is independent and does not rely on other people all the time, especially during missions when you are out on the field. Father would always let me help out the staff in the kitchen in preparing our food so I would slowly learn as I grow older.
He slowly introduced me to other house chores as well. Although I am not required to do all these things every time, I was expected to know how. So I would help out our staff in maintaining our household whenever I have free time. Besides, the Senju compound is huge with multiple houses that require maintenance because the clan had numerous members when the compound was built. It would take father and I forever if we do everything by ourselves so we have to hire staff, we are very grateful to them since we could trust them with our clan properties.
Dad also told me that he would teach me how to hunt one of these days. It is a skill that is very useful whenever a shinobi gets sent out on missions. We would ask Kakashi to come with us, though I am sure he already knows how since he is a genin already, and his sensei most likely taught him. Nonetheless, father and I would still like his company and this could be an outdoor excursion we could enjoy once in a while. We could even ask Sakumo oji-san to come as well, but it depends if he is not busy since he is a high-profile shinobi and always got assigned on missions.