1 Chapter 1

Chapter 1- A secret revealed!

Kakashi Hatake

Kakashi Hatake learned an important life lesson: people could be quite fickle. Fickle. Cruel. And they were capable of changing in seconds. They would worship you, place you on a pedestal, and then, in the next second, curse you and call you names.

Just mere weeks ago, the same people now made faces at him as he walked past them on the streets. They sneered and murmured behind his back, cursing. Cursed child. Honorless cur. Pathetic.

Kakashi heard them all. Initially, he had been angry and wanted to argue, yet his father had stopped him, apologizing that it was his fault, that they were just angry. Kakashi hated that. Hated seeing them shame his name.

They blamed him for the war and for not completing his mission. Even those whose lives he had saved had turned their back on him and joined the populace.

He should have let them die. They did not deserve to be saved.

"How can they show their face around here?"

"They should have expelled him from the academy?"

"The nerve!"

He heard their murmurs, his enhanced hearing allowing him to hear each of their words, yet he only clenched his fists as he picked up his pace and walked toward his house. He adjusted his mask and walked into the clan district. Not stopping to greet anyone, he made his way to their house at the end of the street.

Despite only having two occupants, it was the largest house in the surroundings, though there had been a time when it had housed more than just him and his father. Coincidentally Kakashi frowned as he found the door open, and shouting came from inside the house.

He frowned as he approached the door, and the voices became clearer.

"I told you! I warned you so many times, yet you still chose to save those fucking bastards!" shouted a voice quite similar to his, cracking slightly. It was Ohashi, his half-brother.

"I know it's been hard on you, and I am sorry for all this, Oha…" his father apologized once more, but the voice from earlier cut him off.

"I don't give a damn about that! You put your life in danger all to save those curs! And those bastards are using you to hide their incompetence! And you are not even retaliating!" shouted his brother, and Kakashi agreed with that statement.

The truth was that Kakashi had seen little of his half-brother, for they were quite a bit apart in age. Ohashi. He knew that his brother had only visited their home a couple of times and lived alone.

"I am their leader, Ohashi! I am the one who should carry the blame," his father replied.

"Bullshit! They all should be investigated, and their records should be examined on how they even made it past genin! Even Sarutob-sama wouldn't have been able to manage that mission with such baggage!" came the retort, and as his father was about to reply, Kakashi felt eyes focus on the door, onto him.

"Who is there!" Kakashi's hair stood up as his father's sharp voice cut through the air. And he gulped before he suddenly opened the door and entered the door, behaving as if he hadn't listened to anything that had been said earlier.

"It's me, Kakashi," he said as he walked in and found his father standing opposite an early teen shinobi opposite to him. Ohashi was a bit older than twice his age and was already a chunin, evident by his uniform. Both of them shared little besides the coloring of their hair, while his hair resembled their father's in their Ohashi's were flatter.

His father smiled at seeing him and greeted him as usual.

"Welcome back, Kakashi. How was your day at the academy?" his father asked him as usual, and Kakashi just shrugged, not mentioning their teacher's hateful and snide remarks once more.

"It was ok," he replied before facing his half-brother, who tried to give him a smile as he waved hesitantly.

"Hi, Kakashi," Kakashi nodded as his father spoke up again.

"Ahh, Ohashi had come in to deliver some stuff. He will be joining us for lucn…." But before his father could finish, Ohashi cut him off once more.

"I am afraid I can not join you for lunch. I have to leave for a mission in two hours, and I need to pack up," came the reply, and Kakashi noticed his father stiffen up at that.

"Oh, I am sorry," his father apologized once more, and his brother just waved away the words and began to walk past him to the door.

"Don't worry about it. Just don't beat yourself up. Things will get better soon. Don't do anything idiotic. Please!" came the plea, and had Kakashi known his elder brother more, he would have noticed the nervousness in his tone. Yet alas!

"Don't worry about me! And be safe!" said his father, and his brother nodded before vanishing into a puff of smoke.

Kakashi began to take off his shoes and also spoke up.

"You do know that he is right. Don't blame yourself like this. Things will sort themselves out soon enough," and he saw his father turn toward him with a frown before a smile came over his face.

"AHH! So, you do care about your poor old dad! How lucky I am to have such filial children!" gushed his father making Kakashi scrunch up his nose. And his father broke into a small laugh, something Kakashi had not seen the man do for quite some time. So, he decided to keep the retort he had come up with to himself.

Kakashi then glanced behind him at the place where his half-brother had stood a minute earlier and decided to ask again.

"Why doesn't he stay with us?" Kakashi asked his father once more as they moved towards the dining table.

His father sighed and replied the same way as he always did to questions regarding him.

"Ohh! You are too young to know. I will tell you when you are a bit older," he replied as he ruffled his hair, and Kakashi struck away his hand as he looked up.

"I am not too young. I will be a genin soon enough, giving me the same status as an adult!" he retorted. And saw his father's eyes focus on him before he sighed, and his face saddened a bit.

"Well, perhaps it is time," he said before he sat down and closed his eyes. Kakashi patiently waited for him; after a bit, his father finally began.

"Well, years ago, I saw someone else before I met your mother. There were some circumstances, and long story short, Ohashi was born, and she died giving birth to him, and due to some huge lapses, he ended up in the Orphanage."

And Kakashi's eyes widened as he heard that. Orphanage!

"What! Why? Why didn't you bring him home?" he questioned, and he saw guilt appear on his father's face.

"It was a huge mess, mostly because of the war. I was continuously running missions those days, and truthfully, only years later would I come to know of my son's existence. But by then, he was already old enough to enter the academy."

And Kakashi was shocked by the words. Exactly what was going on with the village? How many shinobi had silver hair like that? How the hell had they missed it?

"So, he doesn't stay with us because he blames you for all that?" he tried to guess, and his father just shrugged.

"I don't know! So, when I heard from him, I met him and tried apologizing. I had just married your mother, and she also met him."

And Kakashi was surprised to hear that, and his mind raced. Was it because of his mother? But from what little Kakashi remembered of her, she had always been happy to see his elder brother. Perhaps seeing his perplexed state, his father added.

"Your mother also tried to have him move to the house, but Ohashi refused. And despite our insistence, he refused to budge. He did not blame us, but he had grown up quite by then. He graduated from the academy at seven, is now a highly acclaimed chunin at ten, and could be promoted again by the end of the year."

And Kakashi's head snapped towards his father as he heard that. And he saw a look of guilt though there was some hint of pride on his face as well as he continued.

"Despite his circumstances, he grew up to be an excellent shinobi."

Kakashi began to process everything he had heard, and everything began to fall into place. Those awkward dinners and those awkward smiles all made sense now, as well as his status as the Hatake heir.

"Is that also why I am the clan heir?" and his father nodded.

"Ohashi said that it was your birthright, and he didn't want to steal it from you. Though your mother had him registered in the family so he could officially carry the Hatake name."

That was good. By the laws, no one could use a clan's name without having registered into it, which meant all children born out of marriage had to be registered by their parents. And that power usually lay with the matriarch of the clan. So, this was why Ohashi carried the name Hatake despite everything else.

Though something still bugged him in all this, he looked up at his father and asked away.

"But what's so complicated about all this?" His father just spluttered at this and laughed once more, perhaps thinking his question was a joke.

"Haha!" his father laughed.

However, if anyone were to ask him, Kakashi thought that it was completely valid. None of it was as complicated as he had expected it all to be. Honestly, he found it more tragic than complicated.

"Well, I should have expected that," his father began after stifling his laugh and looking quite relieved.

"No matter. That is the gist of it. Despite his behavior, Ohashi cares a lot about you, so try to get along with him. Maybe you could ask him to spar with you the next time he comes. Perhaps he could give you some tips!" his father said, and Kakashi nodded, considering the suggestion. Maybe he would. Perhaps he would have some tips on dealing with annoying classmates like that, Uchiha.

"Maybe I will," he replied, and his father smiled once more, relief apparent on his face and a certain glint in his eyes.

"Well, that's enough of that. Let's eat before the food gets cold!" his father cut off his thoughts as he began to place food into his bowl. Both of them ate in silence and finished their meals, and just as his father had tidied up the table, Kakashi spoke up once more.

"What was her name?" he asked and saw his father halt at his words momentarily.

"Sumiko. Her name was Kato Sumiko." came the reply seconds later, and Kakashi frowned as he tried to recall exactly where he had heard that name before, for he was sure he had heard it before.

'Kato Sumiko? Kato?'

0000

Outside of Konoha, a whole platoon stood assembled, waiting to move out to their destination. The platoon commander, Uchiha Fugaku, stared at the men assembled before him and frowned, finding one notable shinobi missing from the line.

Just as the clock was about to strike four, a shinobi appeared with a pop right in front of him, his approach remaining unsensed by everyone. There were some murmurs as everyone recognized the silvery hair of the iconic.

"Ohashi Hatake, reporting for departure to commander Uchiha Fugaku," said the young chunin as he knelt before him.

Fugaku nodded and scanned the platoon before him.

"Fall in! Let's move out!"

0000

JIRAIYA

Jiraiya had returned to the village after quite some time. His skill set was essential for the village; hence he had not been able to return to the village at all. Now, though, upon his return he had been shocked to find the behaviour of the people in regards to Sakumo.

Of course, he had heard rumors about this, but the reality had been much worse than he had thought. It was all so idiotic. It was like the people had lost their senses. That or someone was orchestrating all this from behind the scenes. But for what reason?

As he walked towards Sakumo's house, these thoughts ran through his head, planning to invite the man to one of his relaxing trips.

Though he saw that the door to his house was open, he frowned as he walked up to the house, and his eyes widened as he saw the scarlet blood on the ground. And the scene inside would shake him to the core.

Hatake Sakumo lay there, unmoving, with a knife plunged into his heart, his body pale and soaked in crimson blood. A number of bottles of alcohol were strewn across the room, and his six-year-old son lay unconscious beside him in the puddle of blood.

0000

Surprise, I decided to post it a week earlier. So, here is my newest voyage into the world of shinobi.

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