In the midst of Hoshiyomi slamming the table and Haku trying desperately to explain, the misunderstanding was finally cleared up.
Still, Sakumo and Jiraiya refused to let Hoshiyomi off the hook.
The two men—both in their forties—were acting even more childish than Kakashi, mocking Hoshiyomi relentlessly over the misunderstanding.
"P-Please don't insult Lord Hoshiyomi like that… Lord Hoshiyomi is a very good person…"
Haku, although not familiar with everyone present, could clearly see that these people were close to his benefactor.
So while he felt a little upset, he didn't show it—only defended Hoshiyomi in a soft, tiny voice.
Which… only made him look even more like a little girl.
Jiraiya bent down and gently pinched Haku's cheek teasingly:
"Look at this—doesn't he look just like a little girl?"
Haku clearly became upset. He dodged Jiraiya's hand and suppressed his anger:
"I—I'm not! I really am a boy!"
Everyone present knew Jiraiya's antics very well. Watching the interaction between the two, their faces naturally curved into smiles.
Sakumo tugged at Jiraiya:
"Alright, Jiraiya. You're too old to be bullying little kids. Aren't you embarrassed?"
The room's atmosphere warmed even more.
Jiraiya glanced at the puffed-up, angry Haku, then at Hoshiyomi, and very subtly nodded.
Because of Nono, Jiraiya had spent a lot of time around orphanage children. Over time, he'd gained a good sense for their emotions.
His earlier words, which looked like teasing Hoshiyomi, were actually aimed at provoking Haku's emotions.
Children who had just lost their parents often developed emotional extremes—some becoming impulsive, others shutting down completely.
Upon noticing that Haku was the quiet, withdrawn type, Jiraiya deliberately used this method—gentle irritation and teasing—to draw out his emotions, hoping Haku would begin expressing himself.
Once a grieving child opens a crack in their heart, a little sunlight can begin to shine through.
Hoshiyomi, of course, understood what Jiraiya was doing. He smiled and said:
"Alright, Haku, don't be upset. These people are all my friends. You'll be seeing them often from now on, so properly introduce yourself."
To Haku, Hoshiyomi's words were like divine decree—he had to obey them.
So he quickly pushed aside Jiraiya's teasing and stepped forward:
"My name is Haku. I… I'm a child from a nearby village. My home was attacked, so I ended up wandering the streets. Lord Hoshiyomi saved me, so I must repay him in the future."
The moment Haku finished, Kakashi turned to Hoshiyomi in surprise:
"We just visited Elder Genji and heard from him that the Yuki Clan was wiped out. He said even their last surviving child was forced into the river and died without a trace.
This kid has strong chakra despite being so young…
Don't tell me he's the last surviving Yuki child from two days ago?"
Haku's entire body trembled violently.
The tension he had only just relaxed returned instantly, and chakra surged from him involuntarily—lowering the temperature of the entire room.
Why did this man suddenly know his identity?
He had only told Lord Hoshiyomi…
Could it be—were these people the accomplices who killed his mother?
Seeing Haku's reaction, Jiraiya elbowed Sakumo in irritation:
"Sakumo, what did you teach Kakashi? The kid doesn't want to talk about it, so why bring it up? Look at how scared he is!"
Hoshiyomi pulled Haku closer and gently patted his head:
"You don't need to worry. Things aren't what you think. Everyone you see here—including me—we're all shinobi from Konoha. We're not the ones who killed your family."
Under Hoshiyomi's gentle touch, Haku slowly relaxed.
Once calm, he suddenly froze again and tilted his head in confusion, glancing at Sakumo—who was currently scolding Kakashi—and muttered:
"Sakumo…?"
Seeing Haku's reaction, Hoshiyomi smiled:
"Have you heard his name before?"
Haku nodded softly:
"How could I not recognize him? Two years ago, Konoha's White Fang led troops to suppress the Kirigakure uprising. Even now, there are children's songs about it."
At that, Haku's entire body stiffened.
Recognizing Sakumo suddenly made him recall Hoshiyomi's name as well.
No wonder Hoshiyomi's name had sounded familiar earlier.
His mother used to mention him in bedtime stories—
the legendary shinobi who single-handedly ended the Third Shinobi World War and once rampaged through Kirigakure—
Gekko Hoshiyomi!
Once that realization hit, Haku's gaze toward Hoshiyomi changed again—this time filled with disbelief.
The person who saved his life was the legendary shinobi who had vanished for three years!
Seeing Haku's expression, Hoshiyomi immediately understood what the boy had remembered.
He rubbed Haku's head casually:
"Don't mind those empty titles. You already said you want to help me someday, so make sure you work hard."
Looking at Hoshiyomi's gentle expression, Haku's eyes shifted from gratitude to pure admiration.
He nodded vigorously:
"Don't worry, Lord Hoshiyomi! I will definitely work hard to help you in the future!"
...
Haku's identity might be extremely important to Kirigakure's conservative faction,
but to Hoshiyomi and the others, it wasn't a big deal.
Hoshiyomi had already taken Haku in, and he fully intended to bring Haku back to Konoha to raise and train him.
So none of them were particularly concerned about Haku's Ice Release or his status as the last surviving Yuki clansman.
After introductions were done, no one mentioned Haku's background again.
Instead, they freely ate breakfast while discussing the intel they had gathered from visiting Elder Genji.
Sakumo took a bite of breakfast and said to Hoshiyomi:
"When we visited Elder Genji today, we learned a lot of special information about Kirigakure's internal situation.
Right now, Kirigakure is a complete mess—far worse than when I came to suppress the uprising years ago.
Back then, we could use the excuse of supporting the village leadership and suppress the rebels with force.
But now the rebellion is entirely an internal issue.
Even if we're here, it won't be easy for us to intervene."
As he spoke, Sakumo cleared a space on the table, spread out a map he had received from Elder Genji—showing the distribution of factions across Kirigakure—and began analyzing the situation in each area.