New Paths

Exhausted, Kakashi sank onto his bed and leaned back. His back touched the soft mattress while his legs dangled over the edge. His eyes were fixed on the ceiling as he sought a moment of calm. The past week had really taken a toll on him. The training remained as strenuous as expected, and every single muscle in his body seemed to ache. The constant scrutiny from his father was also burdensome and was slowly starting to wear him down.

Kakashi longed for his independence and the freedom to go outside alone again, but that seemed far off. Still, he hoped that his father would soon be sent on missions again. After all, the situation was tense, and the threat of another war loomed. Every Shinobi was needed. They couldn't do without Sakumo for long.

Slowly, Kakashi sat up, his body still aching from the training. Yet, for him, it was an uplifting pain, a sign that his body was regaining strength and his muscles were gradually returning. Nevertheless, he yearned for additional solo training sessions, but that was difficult with someone constantly hovering over him. The barrier around the property only made the situation more challenging.

Carefully, Kakashi slid off the bed and sat cross-legged on the floor. But now he had something else in mind. He needed to summon Pakkun; the pug was probably already worried. Kakashi hadn't had the chance to have a quiet conversation in recent days. He was simply too tired in the evenings to focus on a conversation. Besides, he had been somewhat avoiding it; he knew he would get scolded by his ninken.

Without hesitation, Kakashi bit his thumb, performed the necessary hand signs, and then placed his hand on the ground. A puff of smoke appeared, and Pakkun stared at him darkly from within it. "Took you long enough to get back to us. We thought you'd gotten yourself into more trouble," Pakkun grumbled.

A laugh escaped Kakashi's lips as he scratched the back of his head. "You can't greet me like that every time. I expected a bit of a warmer welcome," he replied with a wink.

Pakkun snorted lightly and sat on the floor. His gaze roamed the room before finally settling on Kakashi. "The last time you summoned me, we were in exactly the same situation, and you told me we'd landed in the past. So, what's it this time?"

Kakashi shook his head fondly, crossed his arms behind his head, and answered casually. "I have no idea what you mean. I had everything under control," Kakashi lied, then let his hands fall back down.

A suspicious look crossed Pakkun's face, followed by a brief silence. Then Pakkun began to speak. "You've kept me waiting long enough, so let's get straight to the point. Did you manage to stop Sakumo from taking that mission?"

Kakashi took a deep breath and then nodded resolutely. "Yes, I did. Dad didn’t go on that mission."

"How did you manage that?" the pug asked curiously.

A slight smile played on Kakashi's lips as he looked at the floor in front of him. He knew he couldn’t avoid the truth. Pakkun would know if he lied, so he decided to keep it short and painless. Kakashi lifted his gaze, looked at Pakkun calmly, and explained quietly, "I poisoned myself, but I misjudged the dosage and almost died."

Immediately, a heavy silence filled the room as Pakkun and Kakashi stared at each other. Suddenly, Pakkun growled angrily and bit Kakashi's foot. Kakashi instantly slid back, clutching his aching foot and couldn't suppress a cry of pain. "Ouch!" he yelled, glaring at Pakkun.

Before he could say anything, Kakashi heard hurried footsteps approaching his room. The next moment, the door was flung open, and Sakumo appeared in the doorway with a kunai in his hand. A worried and determined expression was on his face as his gaze swept across the room and finally landed on Kakashi and Pakkun.

Both of them looked at Sakumo with innocent expressions, and Kakashi cursed himself inwardly for causing his father such alarm. Sakumo watched them for a moment before his posture relaxed. Pakkun was the first to find his words. "Hello, Sakumo!" the pug greeted him and sat back down.

Sakumo turned his gaze to Pakkun. "Hello, Pakkun, nice to see you again." Kakashi was fascinated by how quickly his father had regained his composure. Then Sakumo looked at Kakashi. "Is everything alright?"

Kakashi nodded with a smile. "Yes, sorry, Pakkun was a bit wild with his greeting." With a sigh, Sakumo put his kunai away. "Sorry, Dad, we didn't mean to scare you," Kakashi apologized sincerely.

With a warm smile, Sakumo waved it off and turned slightly. "It's okay, but please be more careful now. I'm going to prepare dinner. Would you like to stay, Pakkun? I'll make you something to eat."

Pakkun nodded gratefully. "I'd love to, thank you, Sakumo," he said. "And don't worry, I'll keep a close eye on the pup."

Sakumo nodded appreciatively with a warm smile, left the room, and gently closed the door behind him. Kakashi exhaled and glared at Pakkun. The pug looked at Kakashi, unimpressed. "Don't look at me like that; you deserved it! What were you thinking?" Pakkun scolded him with a stern look.

Kakashi settled back down comfortably and looked at Pakkun seriously. "I had no other choice. I couldn't just stand by and watch my father die again," Kakashi confessed. "You know it wouldn't have bothered me if I had died..."

Pakkun snorted angrily and interrupted Kakashi. "I thought we were past this phase! You might not care, but did you think about everyone else? Stop being so selfish like you were during your ANBU days!"

Pakkun paused as Kakashi raised his hand to interrupt the pug. "Let me finish. I realize now that it was a mistake. It wasn't my intention to almost kill myself. It was an accident," Kakashi explained, scratching the back of his head and chuckling lightly. But he had to admit Pakkun was right: During his ANBU days, he had been reckless. Back then, he didn't care if he lived or died. He was at the edge and saw no way out.

"You're going to drive me crazy someday!" Pakkun snorted and rolled his eyes. "Alright, tell me what’s happened in the past few weeks. I'm listening." With a longing look, Pakkun rested his head and gazed at Kakashi intently.

Kakashi nodded and began to recount everything that had happened in the past few weeks. Starting from his poisoning, his time in the hospital, the tensions between Sakumo and Danzo, to the overheard conversation between Sakumo and Shikato.

After Kakashi finished his story, Pakkun sat up again. "So Sakumo is supposed to be the next Hokage," Pakkun repeated thoughtfully. "That doesn't surprise me. He's the perfect candidate."

Kakashi nodded in agreement. "Of course, it's no surprise, but honestly, I didn't think the Third had already been considering his successor this early."

"That's true, but it's very wise of the Third to have a successor," Pakkun confirmed calmly. "Now I understand why Sakumo was so tense earlier. Your father isn't stupid. This would be something Danzo would do."

Kakashi nodded in agreement, and for a moment, silence settled between them. Slowly, Kakashi turned his gaze towards the window. Clouds were gathering, and it looked like it would start raining soon. "Kakashi?" Pakkun's voice drew his attention back.

Kakashi immediately looked at Pakkun. "What is it?"

Pakkun gave Kakashi a serious look. "Have you thought about the possibility that Danzo might already know?" he asked thoughtfully.

Confused, Kakashi tilted his head and stared at Pakkun curiously. "What do you mean? Of course, he might know, but he hasn't done anything yet. That's my concern: that he might still act."

Pakkun shook his head. "I don't mean that he only found out in this timeline, but also in the timeline we come from," he explained quietly.

Kakashi's eyes widened, his gaze dropped to the floor, and he felt his heart start to race as he began to grasp Pakkun's suspicion. He needed a moment to gather himself before he could speak again. "You mean Danzo is responsible for what happened back then?" He looked back at Pakkun.

With a nod, Pakkun confirmed the assumption. Kakashi needed a moment to calm his racing thoughts. He leaned on the bed to pull himself to his feet. Slowly, he stumbled to the window, gripping the windowsill tightly, his gaze fixed outside. The first raindrops fell from the sky, wetting the ground.

Kakashi closed his eyes for a moment. Pakkun's suspicion cast a new light on what had happened. It would mean that Danzo was responsible for Sakumo's death. His hands clenched as anger rose within him. "Kakashi!" Instantly, Kakashi's eyes flew open, and he turned to Pakkun, who was staring at him. "You need to calm down! If you release any more killing intent, Sakumo will notice."

Kakashi looked at Pakkun for a moment before turning his gaze back outside to watch the raindrops falling from the sky. After a moment of tense silence, Kakashi found his words again. "What do you think Danzo could have done?" he asked, his eyes still on the window.

He heard Pakkun take a few steps and felt him sit beside him. "There are many possibilities. Maybe he manipulated the mission or incited the hunt and turned everyone against Sakumo. Of course, it's hard to say exactly now. Nevertheless, I don't think it's unlikely that he had something to do with it," Pakkun explained calmly.

Kakashi swallowed hard before looking down at Pakkun. "What if my father never committed suicide? What if Danzo killed him and made it look like a suicide?" Kakashi asked, his eyes clearly showing his anger.

Pakkun sighed and hung his head. "I don't know, Kakashi. Your father wouldn't have let himself be killed so easily."

Slowly, Kakashi turned his gaze back to the window. "Maybe it was Danzo's tactic to weaken my father first so he could get to him. My father wasn't well; maybe he didn't have the strength to fight back." Kakashi paused briefly. At his next thought, he felt tears welling up in his eyes. His hands gripped the windowsill tighter. "Maybe my father never wanted to leave me alone," his voice was slightly shaky. The thought hurt but also fueled his anger.

For a moment, silence fell over them. Kakashi simmered with emotion, forcing himself to suppress it all, just as he used to. He closed his eyes and focused. After a few deep breaths, he opened his eyes and looked at Pakkun. His gaze was cold and emotionless, and a slight wave of killing intent emanated from him.

"I'll kill him!" His voice was firm and resolute. Pushing off from the windowsill, he turned to Pakkun, fists clenched. "I don't know when or how, but this time, it'll be me who kills him! He'll pay for everything he's done and will do!"

Pakkun snorted lightly, eyeing Kakashi for a moment. "Don't rush into anything. Right now, you wouldn't even get close to him. You need to stay calm for now," the dog warned him calmly.

Frustrated, Kakashi turned away. "I'm the damn Hokage of this village! It's my duty to protect this village and its inhabitants. Danzo is a threat and shouldn't be allowed to continue unchecked."

Pakkun fixed Kakashi with a serious look. "Right now, you're a five-year-old kid who isn't even allowed to leave the house alone. You're far from being a Hokage."

Kakashi immediately turned to Pakkun, glaring at him fiercely. Pakkun met his gaze, a silent challenge in his eyes. It took a few seconds before Kakashi let his shoulders slump and exhaled in frustration. Then he sank to his knees and stared at his hands. He knew Pakkun was right. In his current state, he couldn't accomplish anything, and it infuriated him. The frustration of the past few days weighed heavily on him, and he felt defeated. Kakashi was tired of being a child again and just watching.

"You're right," he began in a calm voice, still staring at his hands. "I can't do anything at the moment."

Pakkun walked over to Kakashi and nuzzled against him. Surprised, Kakashi looked down at Pakkun and felt the dog's calmness wash over him. "Don't let your spirits sink now. I just want you to stay calm and think carefully about what you're going to do. The pack and I don't want anything to happen to you. We'll find a way together." Then Pakkun pulled away from Kakashi and looked up at him. "Let's just think about how to proceed from here," he gently suggested.

A faint smile played on Kakashi's lips as he gently placed his hand on Pakkun's head, giving him a light scratch. "It's really not easy right now," he confessed softly. "I wish I could do more, but it seems like there's always something getting in the way. The constant surveillance by my father, Minato holding me back in training, and my weakened body."

"It must be incredibly difficult for you, but you're not alone," Pakkun began empathetically. "Did you not want to accept help from others this time? And you've already achieved a lot, even though I don't approve of how you achieved it. You saved your father from his fate. We've been through worse together." His voice remained calm as he leaned into Kakashi's touch. "So, what's your plan?"

Kakashi withdrew his hand and resumed his cross-legged position. "I'm considering checking out Orochimaru's apartment. I want to find out how far along he is with his research and then think about how I might possibly influence him to never leave the village," he explained thoughtfully.

Pakkun sat in front of Kakashi. "That won't be an easy task. Do you have any idea how you could persuade him?"

Kakashi shrugged and leaned forward slightly. "Honestly, I have no idea," he admitted.

"Perhaps we should take it step by step," Pakkun suggested. "Let's first look into his apartment and see if we can find anything. Then we can plan further."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow in surprise. "We?" he questioned, but then quickly shook his head. "No, I'll go alone, that's for sure."

Pakkun snorted lightly and looked at Kakashi with determination. "That's exactly why I should go with you. Someone should know where you are in case something happens. It's just for emergencies. You probably don't want to tell Minato right away what you're planning, do you? Because you know he'll want to come along, and you want that even less. So I think it's a good compromise if I come with you."

Kakashi sighed and let his gaze fall to the ground. Pakkun was right. If something went wrong, it would be good for someone to know. But the idea of Minato coming along was not an option. He wouldn't allow Minato to get into trouble because of him, breaking into random apartments. He felt responsible for him.

Kakashi nodded in agreement. "Alright," he said. "We just have to wait until my father is back on a mission."

Pakkun confirmed with a nod. "Okay. But be warned, I'll find out if you've gone alone after all!"

Kakashi smiled and nodded to Pakkun. "Don't worry, I promise to call you when the time comes."

With a suspicious glance, Pakkun looked at Kakashi. But before he could reply, Sakumo called out, "Kakashi! Pakkun! Are you coming for dinner?"

"Come on, we shouldn't keep him waiting," said Pakkun, getting up and heading towards the door. But he paused and turned to Kakashi, who was still sitting on the floor. "What's wrong?"

"Thanks, Pakkun!" Kakashi got up, stretched, and hurried to the door. When he reached it, he opened it and disappeared into the hallway, leaving Pakkun bewildered. Then he turned around. "Come on, Pakkun!"

Pakkun immediately sprung into action and followed Kakashi into the kitchen. Kakashi smirked as he entered the kitchen, where his father was busy setting the food on the table. As Kakashi approached the table, Sakumo looked up and smiled at him. "Did you wash your hands?"

Following Kakashi, Pakkun went to his bowl and sniffed at it. "He didn't!" Pakkun answered for him, inspecting his food contentedly.

Kakashi rolled his eyes slightly and sank into a chair. "I just had a bath and haven't been outside since then, that should be enough."

With a gentle smile, Sakumo sat down in front of Kakashi and lovingly rolled his eyes. "Well then, enjoy your meal!"

As they ate, Kakashi sank into his thoughts, replaying the conversation in his mind once again. The thought kept circling in his head whether Danzo really had something to do with Sakumo's mission and his suicide. It annoyed him that he would never know for sure. Nevertheless, he was convinced it wasn't unlikely. Then the question arose of what Danzo might do next. Perhaps he would now wait and hope that Sakumo wouldn't accept the offer. Whatever one might think of Danzo, he wasn't stupid either; he could imagine that Sakumo was shaken by the incident and might have doubts about accepting the offer.

Suddenly, Sakumo's concerned voice interrupted his thoughts. "Is the food not to your liking?" Kakashi immediately lifted his gaze and looked into his father's worried face. He hadn't even noticed that he had hardly eaten anything.

Kakashi set his chopsticks aside and shook his head. "No, it's really delicious. I just don't have much of an appetite," he explained sincerely. "Minato-sensei and I had lunch together today." It wasn't a lie; Minato had insisted on treating him to lunch. Although Kakashi would have preferred to train, he had eventually relented and done him the favor.

For a moment, Sakumo regarded Kakashi, and Kakashi sensed that his father had something to say. It didn't take long for Sakumo to lean back in his chair. "How are you feeling at the moment? After a week of training, do you still feel anything?"

Kakashi looked at his father for a moment before replying, "I'm fine, aside from some muscle soreness."

Sakumo also set aside his chopsticks and took a sip of water. After placing the glass back down, he looked back at Kakashi. "The Hokage has asked me to join a mission again," Sakumo began. "I'll need to leave next week and be out of the village for a few weeks."

Immediately, Kakashi offered a reassuring smile. "That's no problem, I'll manage just fine on my own. Pakkun is still here, and besides, I'll be staying with Minato-sensei during that time, so you can accept the mission without worry." Kakashi could see Sakumo's doubts clearly, but he knew his father had to take this mission so that Kakashi could finally move forward.

Sakumo sighed softly and rubbed his temple. "To be honest, I'm still not entirely comfortable leaving you alone just yet," he confessed, then let his hand drop again.

Pakkun, who had emptied his bowl and settled comfortably under the kitchen table, spoke up. "You really don't need to worry, Sakumo. The pack will take good care of him. Kakashi just needs to always call one of us, and we'll watch over him. And as he said, Minato definitely won't let him out of his sight for a minute. You can go on the mission without any worries." Pakkun yawned once and curled up a bit tighter.

Grateful, Kakashi smiled at the mop under the table. Sakumo also looked at Pakkun, a slight smile forming on his lips. "As calm as ever. Thank you, Pakkun. I know you'll take good care of Kakashi." Then he turned his gaze to Kakashi, who refocused his attention on Sakumo. "Can I count on you?"

With a smile, Kakashi nodded. "Of course! I'll listen to Minato-sensei and the pack, and if I'm not feeling well, I'll let Minato-sensei know and rest. You can count on me, I promise!" Kakashi assured sincerely. They looked at each other silently for a moment. Kakashi could feel Sakumo's uncertainty.

Finally, Sakumo sighed and nodded. "Alright, I'll accept the mission." His gaze drifted out the window as Kakashi watched his father, sensing his doubts. Then Sakumo turned his gaze back to Kakashi. "Please take care of yourself while I'm away!"

Kakashi flinched briefly; feeling his father's uncertainty was still unfamiliar. But with a warm smile, he slid off his chair and walked over to his father. He climbed onto the chair next to Sakumo and looked him in the eyes. "You don't need to worry. I'll take good care of myself and behave while you're away."

Sakumo smiled affectionately, tousled Kakashi's hair, and then pulled him onto his lap. He hugged Kakashi tightly, pressing him close. Kakashi sank into the embrace and enjoyed the closeness to his father. Once again, he realized that there was something good about being a child again. He got the chance to spend more time with his father.

Even as an adult, there were moments when Kakashi missed his father and wished he were by his side. In his life, there were many such moments when he needed the closeness and advice of his father. Kakashi closed his eyes and let himself be enveloped by his father's warmth, at least for this one moment.