Buried
"Thud! Thud! Thud!"
Shirō knocked his head against the ground three times before Sakumo. He did not rise immediately. Instead, he kept his head lowered and said in a subdued voice,
"Sakumo-sensei, you've worked hard all these years."
"Heh." Sakumo chuckled softly. "You're already a grown man. Get up. It's getting late."
"Yes, Sensei. Safe travels."
Shirō bowed deeply once more, then turned and left without hesitation. He didn't want Sakumo to see his eyes. Since Sakumo had already made an irreversible decision, Shirō knew that the worst thing he could do was let his teacher leave with a burden of guilt.
"Hah… this kid…"
Sakumo stood at the doorway, watching Shirō's retreating figure until it disappeared from sight. Only then did he turn around and return inside.
Back home, Sakumo sat quietly in his bedroom, waiting.
Kakashi had been coming home increasingly late these past few days. Sakumo understood the reason all too well, but Kakashi had deliberately avoided him, leaving no chance for reconciliation.
Before long, Kakashi returned.
He pushed the door open silently, changed his shoes without a word, and went straight into his room.
Sakumo watched it all from the shadows and could only shake his head without speaking.
He had thought everything through. This decision had not been made in haste, and he would not change it—no matter how much it hurt Kakashi.
In the early hours before dawn, Sakumo sensed that Kakashi was finally asleep. He rose quietly and stopped before Kakashi's door. Peering through the narrow gap, he looked at his son for one last time.
Then he turned away.
Back in his own room, Sakumo knelt in the center of the floor. Before him lay a short blade and a neatly folded white cloth. In his hand was a photograph, which he gazed at with a gentle smile.
After a long while, he set the photo down.
"I'm coming," he murmured.
Moments later, Shirō—who had been sitting silently on his bed—suddenly frowned. He stood, stepped into the courtyard, and looked toward the Hatake residence.
"…Safe travels, Sensei."
When Shirō had kowtowed earlier that evening, he had discreetly set up several perception jutsu around the Hatake home. Just now, he had clearly felt Sakumo's chakra weaken—until it vanished entirely.
---
The next morning, Kakashi woke up with a frown.
Something felt wrong.
Normally, as long as Sakumo was home, breakfast would already be prepared. That routine had never once been broken. Even when Sakumo left on missions, he always left a note in a conspicuous place.
But this morning, there was nothing.
An ominous feeling gripped Kakashi's chest.
He opened Sakumo's door.
"Father…"
Kakashi stood frozen, staring at Sakumo's lifeless body as regret surged violently through his heart.
---
In the Hokage Office, an ANBU suddenly appeared, kneeling before the Third Hokage.
"Hokage-sama. Hatake Sakumo… has passed away."
"What?!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi rose abruptly, shock written plainly on his face.
Similar scenes unfolded across the strongholds of Konoha's major clans and factions.
---
At the Hatake residence, Kakashi still stood motionless before Sakumo, barely registering Shirō's arrival behind him. Shirō placed a firm hand on his shoulder.
"That's enough. Sensei wouldn't want you like this. Let's bury him first."
"Father, he—"
Kakashi tried to speak, but Shirō cut him off.
"Any questions can wait until after the burial. For now, don't talk about this."
"…I understand."
Together, Shirō and Kakashi began preparing Sakumo's body. He could not be buried in that state.
Shirō's delay was not without reason. Earlier, he had sought out Kushina to request her help in preparing a sealing formula for the coffin. He refused to allow Sakumo's remains—or soul—to be disturbed after death.
At the same time, he had gone to the Memorial Stone to apply for a place for Sakumo's name. News spread quickly through this channel; few dared to openly monitor Sakumo, even after his fall.
By the time Shirō and Kakashi carried the sealed coffin into the courtyard, they both paused in surprise.
Almost all of Konoha's high-ranking officials were already present.
"Shirō… is Sakumo—"
"I apologize, Hokage-sama."
Shirō bowed stiffly. "My master has just passed away. I do not wish to discuss these matters right now. Please understand."
"…I see."
Hiruzen sighed softly. "My condolences. Has the burial site been arranged?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama. Everything has been prepared."
Hiruzen immediately sensed the resentment beneath Shirō's rigid politeness.
This child had always been perceptive. There was no way he didn't understand the truth behind Sakumo's fate.
And ultimately, Hiruzen knew—it was his failure.
If he had not tacitly allowed Danzo's methods to continue unchecked, things would never have reached this point.
Faced with Shirō's undisguised coldness, the Third Hokage said nothing more.
He understood Shirō's character well. Though mature, no one could remain calm in the face of such loss. And as long as Shirō would never betray the village, a little resentment was something Hiruzen had no right to complain about.
Shirō wasn't even trying to hide his emotions.
He simply couldn't.
He had never considered himself a qualified shinobi—nor had he ever truly wanted to be one. The fact that he could still speak politely at all was already the limit of his restraint.
Fortunately, he had not lost control. He still understood the situation and did not openly turn against them.
---
At the cemetery, silence reigned as Sakumo's sealed coffin was slowly lowered into the earth.
No one spoke.
As if by coincidence, a dark cloud drifted across the sky, blotting out the gentle sunlight and casting a mournful shadow over the gravesite.
The burial had been rushed, and Shirō wished for Sakumo to be laid to rest as soon as possible. No eulogy was prepared. They simply stood there in silence.
Gradually, representatives of the various factions departed one by one. Everyone had their own matters to attend to—and as Shirō had said, now was not the time for questions.
Kushina had intended to stay behind with Shirō and Kakashi, but Minato forcibly took her away using the Flying Thunder God. At this moment, Kakashi needed Shirō more.
After a long silence, Kakashi finally spoke.
"Now that Father has been buried… can you tell me?"
"Bang!"
Shirō punched Kakashi hard on the head.
"What?" he said coldly. "Is this really all you've learned in the Academy these past two years? Have you even forgotten basic etiquette?"
He turned away slightly.
"I'll explain Sensei's matters after the seventh day. Until then, wait quietly."
As he spoke, Shirō sighed inwardly.
From what he had observed, Kakashi's resentment toward Sakumo had already grown dangerously deep—so deep that he could forget something this important.
There was no choice but to guide him slowly.
And for now, Kakashi's path as a shinobi… would have to be sealed.
---
Visit patreon.com/MexxyWave to get access to 30+ chapters