Chapter 4
Chapter 4: Moving On
Kakashi sighed, swirling the cup of sake in his hand as he sat cross-legged on the Namikaze family's couch. Minato, not wearing his Hokage robes for once, gave him a firm pat on the shoulder.
“You failed another team, Kakashi? Seriously?” Minato said, his voice tinged with mock exasperation.
Kakashi rolled his eyes, leaning back into the couch. “Minato-sensei, they were awful. They spent more time fighting each other than trying to get the bells. No teamwork whatsoever.”
Minato hummed thoughtfully, taking a sip of his sake. Across the room, Kushina and Naruto paused their animated discussion about seals to look over.
“Again?!” Kushina shook her head, grinning. “Guess you’ve got to wait for the right team, huh?”
Naruto giggled and pointed at him. “Kakashi-nii, you’re a meanie! You don’t even give them a chance!”
He groaned softly, rubbing his temple. “It’s not about chances, Naruto. They weren’t ready.”
The lighthearted conversation drifted for a moment, but Minato’s gaze sharpened as he leaned forward, placing his cup on the table. “Kakashi... it’s been a month. Have you thought about holding a memorial for ‘Petal’ yet?”
Kakashi froze. He hadn’t expected the question, though he knew it had been lingering in the back of his mind for weeks. Slowly, he sighed, his voice quiet.
“I already made a shrine at home,” he admitted. “She had Hatake DNA, Minato. She could’ve been...”
He didn’t finish the sentence. The word family hung in the air, unspoken but palpable.
Minato’s expression softened, and Kushina frowned from the corner of the room. Even Naruto stopped fidgeting, sensing the somber atmosphere.
“She deserves it,” Minato said gently. “Whether or not she was family, she deserves to be remembered.”
Kakashi nodded but said nothing more. He drained his cup, standing to wave a quick goodbye to the Namikaze family before heading back to the Hatake compound.
The house was quiet, save for the soft hum of the heater. His father, Sakumo, stood at the kitchen counter, leaning on it with one hand. In front of him was the file on Petal, open to her profile.
Sakumo didn’t look up as Kakashi entered. His eyes were fixed on the document, his face a mask of contemplation.
Kakashi didn’t interrupt him. He understood the pull of that file, the haunting weight of its words. He moved to the living room, where the small shrine he had assembled sat against the wall. A single candle burned, flickering softly next to a framed photo of a field of flowers. It was generic, something he had picked up from a shop in town, but it felt fitting.
He knelt before it, closing his eyes and folding his hands. “I hope you’re at peace,” he murmured. “Wherever you are. I hope you’re with Obito, Rin, and... my mother.”
The thought lingered as he stood, his gaze drifting toward his father again. Sakumo’s hands trembled slightly, but his legs seemed steady as he moved to take a seat.
Kakashi allowed himself a small smile. His father was recovering, slowly but surely.
I need to move forward too, he thought. Just like you, Petal. You fought for others even when everything was against you.
He wouldn’t let her legacy end in that file. He’d keep fighting, keep living—just as she would have wanted.