A father's duty - pt 1

Ugh... Damn... could you take it a little easier?" Kakashi complained, the poor boy lying on the floor with some visible bruises on his body.

"You'll only learn to survive by fighting seriously, no pain, no gain!" Eiji responded without an ounce of mercy. He felt his face was sore too, but his physique was more resilient and had much more vigor, so there were no permanent marks on his body.

"How come you don't have bruises on your body like me? I hit you hard last time, didn't I?" Kakashi grumbled.

Eiji looked at his brother with pity. 'Tough luck, at least I won't be sore,' Eiji thought in his mind.

"Let's go inside, it's getting late, and we stink too much. You go to the bathroom while I cook our food." Eiji knew how to cook the basics, so he could save some money that their father had given them.

"You just want to boss me around, don't you?" Kakashi teased.

"Hmm, really? How about this, I'll take a shower, and you can cook the food." Eiji poked fun at the fact that Kakashi couldn't cook.

Kakashi quickly shut his mouth and ran inside the house, obviously not to cook.

'Lazy boy... well, who cares?' Eiji hummed as he headed to the kitchen.

*sound of a depressed guy opening the door*

Eiji heard the door open and became alarmed until he heard a familiar voice. "Eiji, Kakashi, where are you? I'm back from the mission." It was a voice so familiar and calm, but now it seemed to be filled with sadness and hurt.

"You finally came back, old man. Kashi-ni went to take a bath while I'm cooking something to eat," Eiji shouted, his voice echoing in the kitchen.

Soon, a man in a worn-out jonin outfit with some cuts in various places on the fabric and a few bruises on his body appeared. He looked relatively well. Looking at his father's face, Eiji realized what had happened.

'You failed, huh... I should have expected that.' Although Sakumo showed a reassuring smile, his eyes betrayed his emotions.

"So, you've learned to cook, huh? I guess I'll have to eat my own son's cooking, hahaha," Sakumo said joyfully. He desperately tried to show as much emotion as possible to not reveal his concerns. But to Eiji, the sadness surrounding Sakumo was clearly apparent.

Soon, Kakashi appeared in the kitchen and saw Sakumo. He quickly hugged the older man and exclaimed, "Dad, you're back!"

"Haha, I'm back, Kakashi. How's your training with Eiji going?" Sakumo said, trying to hide the growing guilt as much as possible.

"We trained more taijutsu! Dad, you have to teach me kenjutsu, right?" Kakashi started narrating his training session, completely oblivious to his father's thoughts.

"Alright, I'll do my best. But let's eat first." Sakumo said, wanting to have his last meal.

Soon, everyone was eating happily and in harmony...

Until Kakashi asked a question. "How was your mission, Dad?" Kakashi enjoyed hearing stories from his father; after all, he aspired to be as capable a ninja as his father, so listening to tales about his father's missions was his biggest hobby.

So, his ears perked up, and his eyes gleamed with anticipation for an exciting story.

Sakumo flinched for a moment, but quickly straightened up, though it didn't escape Eiji's eyes. "We failed the mission," he paused for a moment before continuing, "The mission couldn't be completed without a sacrifice, so I decided to retreat."

"So the mission failed just because of that?" Kakashi blinked, unable to grasp the fact that his father had failed a mission.

"Yes, the mission was extremely secretive, so I can't talk about it, I'm sorry," Sakumo said warmly, not changing his expression after the initial question. But inside his mind was filled with thoughts of regrets.

"Are you okay, Dad?" Eiji asked Sakumo, expressing his concerns, after all, this man raised him. Obviously, Eiji was worried about his father's condition.

Sakumo noticed something different in Eiji's question, but he maintained his composure and smiled gently. "Of course, I'm fine, after all, I'm eating something made by my own son."

'I hope so...'

**********************

"Let's go to class," Sakumo shouted; he wondered if his children were doing it on purpose.

"Damn, Dad, we don't even have anything to learn there, we've only been there for a little over a month," complained Kakashi, fed up with the academy.

"No, you'll stay there even if it's just for 1 year. You should at least make some friends; going to the academy is also about making connections with future talented clans and shinobi," Sakumo warned Kakashi sternly.

"Haiiii," Kakashi replied, still not wanting to go there; he could learn much more at home.

****************************

"Look, it's him... I heard he failed the mission."

"Yes, he's a failure, a traitor."

"The new disgrace of Konoha."

"He caused Konoha many losses."

"Why is he still a ninja?"

Various comments were heard by the Hatake trio as they walked through the streets. Sakumo pretended not to hear anything. Kakashi was getting annoyed with the comments made against his father.

'So things are really going to be like this, huh... this level of information manipulation...'

Eiji looked at his father, although his face remained expressionless. There was a lot of sadness in his eyes; the words spoken by the citizens struck right in the middle of his heart.

********************************

As each day passed, the rumors worsened, and Sakumo's condition became more pitiable. Kakashi became a little more reserved and serious due to constant verbal attacks and harassment, but compared to what it should be, it was very little.

"Let's have dinner, kids; you should sleep early today," Sakumo announced; he seemed more worn out and lifeless? His hair was messy as if he hadn't groomed it in days, the happy and gentle man they were used to seemed to have disappeared.

"Okay, Dad," Kakashi replied; he wouldn't mind sleeping early.

But Eiji noticed the changes in his father's words.

'Sleep early? That never happened. It must be today,' Eiji guessed; Sakumo never cared about the time we slept; he was always very open about those things.

After finishing Eiji's food, he looked at Kakashi and declared, "Let's go, Kashi-ni; tomorrow, I think I'll take the training to a new level." Upon hearing such ominous words, Kakashi's hair stood on end... he wanted to escape, but he couldn't.

"Sleep well, kids," Sakumo smiled; he loved the interaction between this pair of siblings, but when the two disappeared into the hallway, Sakumo's smile vanished, and he assumed a lifeless expression.

Then time passed, ten minutes, fifteen minutes, 20 minutes... Until his children might have fallen asleep.

Putting the dishes in the kitchen, Sak

umo picked up a kitchen knife and walked to the living room, pausing for a moment. He stared at the blade of the knife, and he could see his own shattered reflection.

For a man who had always given his all for the village, to have his friends, colleagues, his fame, and reputation, as well as his entire ninja history, destroyed in seconds and be labeled as a traitor and a cowardly waste, made his mind break and fall into endless depression.