Uchiha Jingyan didn't have any special feelings toward Hatake Sakumo.
To be precise, he didn't have a good impression of him.
Of course, this tragic figure was undeniably strong, and for the sake of the story he had to be sacrificed—but objectively speaking, he was nothing more than a glass-hearted man…
Because of rumors in the village and his own guilt, Hatake Sakumo chose to end everything through suicide.
Leaving behind a five-year-old child…
But no matter what, the living Hatake Sakumo gave off enormous pressure.
Uchiha Jingyan felt this deeply.
The man in front of them still had freshly changed bandages on his left shoulder. He sat upright in the living room, his expression calm and emotionless.
His aura was so heavy, like a mountain standing there—yet at the same time, like a blade returned to its sheath, ready to reveal its cold edge at any moment!
"I'm sorry. Kakashi has caused you trouble."
That single apology opened the conversation between host and guests. Even though the ones in front of him were just two kids, Hatake Sakumo still lowered his posture.
"So… how much money does Kakashi actually owe you?"
This was a very realistic question.
Hatake Kakashi's face instantly turned sour…
What the hell were these two doing?!
At first, when he heard them shouting at his gate, he thought he was hallucinating.
When did he ever owe these two money?
Did he look like someone short on cash?!
Until that idiot Obito seriously started "calculating" the debt with him…
For the past half month, the two Uchiha brothers had accompanied him in training—shouldn't they get paid for hard work?
Forget everything else.
Did your speed and tactical awareness improve or not?
If yes—pay up!
Did your ninjutsu and taijutsu improve or not?
If yes—pay up!
In Obito's words…
Kakashi being where he was today was definitely thanks to the two Uchiha brothers!
Otherwise, why did you graduate so early?
Do you really think you're an Uchiha or something?!
Kakashi was speechless.
He even felt like just beating them out of the house!
But when he saw the mysterious look on Uchiha Jingyan's face…
He decided to wait and see.
Jingyan still had some credibility…
At worst, they could explain later.
"How much Kakashi owes us depends on how much you think… this is worth."
Sitting across from Hatake Sakumo, Uchiha Jingyan finally spoke.
The words sounded vague, but Jingyan's eyes were extremely clear.
"If you can see Kakashi's changes… then you decide the price."
Hatake Sakumo raised an eyebrow.
This kid, about the same age as his son… was interesting.
To be honest, these past few days had been extremely depressing for him.
A mission that affected the entire future direction of Konoha's war had failed in his hands—because he chose his comrades.
He didn't regret it…
If he had to choose again, he believed he would make the same decision.
But still…
The mission failed…
That meant Konoha would have to send even more ninja into battle because of his failure—causing even more sacrifice.
However—
It seemed heaven approved of his choice.
When he returned home, his son gave him a huge surprise.
Five-year-old Kakashi had become a ninja!
That was undoubtedly good news…
And pride in his son slightly washed away the gloom in his heart.
Kakashi had told him—
At first, he wasn't confident. But after training with two Uchiha classmates for a while, he suddenly made that decision.
So it must be these two kids in front of him…
Interesting.
They came under the excuse of asking for money—what was their real purpose?
"I'm very happy that Kakashi has made friends."
Hatake Sakumo glanced at his son and smiled.
"If you don't mind… how about you train at the Hatake clan's own training ground from now on?"
"That way, when I have time, I can also guide your training."
At this point, the topic finally moved away from "money" and rose to something more meaningful.
"Then we'll also trouble you for kunai and shuriken for training," Uchiha Jingyan accepted naturally.
"No problem."
...
After that, Uchiha Jingyan asked Hatake Sakumo many questions about chakra nature transformation.
He benefited greatly—so much that the main quest progress even advanced a little.
When night fell, the two boys even stayed for dinner before finally leaving.
But when it was time to part, Kakashi, who came to see them off, finally couldn't hold back and stopped Jingyan.
"Can you tell me what this is really about?"
Kakashi's voice was terrifyingly low.
In his impression, Jingyan couldn't possibly be here just for their training ground…
Saying he came to learn from his father's reputation made some sense—but the Hatake clan specialized in sword techniques, which clearly didn't match Jingyan's path.
"Don't tell me you suddenly want to learn swordsmanship."
"Of course not."
Jingyan shook his head, his expression turning serious.
"The coming period will be the darkest time in your father's life."
"When one day you feel something is wrong with him…"
"Remember—come find me and Obito immediately."
"Don't hesitate."
T/N:
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