Chapter 22: BRING THE BOY HOME

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Yuki Yuichi followed Kakashi Hatake towards his house, asking, "What are the odds, 50-50, that no one's home?"

Kakashi paused, then turned back with a bit of uncertainty. "There... shouldn't be anyone there, right?"

Yuichi blinked in confusion. "??? You're not sure if anyone's home?"

"Do you want to go back or not?"

"Uhh..." Kakashi thought for a moment and then said, "Actually, I just realized we don't really need any ninja tools for training. Let's just head straight there."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Yuichi teased. "Afraid your dad will catch you skipping class and smack you around?"

Kakashi jumped slightly, looking defensive. "What are you talking about?! My dad doesn't care about little stuff like this!"

Seeing his reaction, Yuichi smirked. "Then why not head to your house?"

Kakashi calmed down and, seeing Yuichi's knowing grin, coughed awkwardly. "Fine, fine. Let's go."

As they walked, Yuichi couldn't help but rub his chin thoughtfully. 'Does this kid really not need his tools, or is he just avoiding something?'

Kakashi snorted as he caught Yuichi's glance, but Yuichi didn't mind. Boys should be a little proud, after all.

When they arrived at Kakashi's house, the young ninja froze in place at the front door.

"Well? Open it up. What are you waiting for?" Yuichi nudged him.

"Calm down, I'm opening it." Kakashi frowned before adding, "Don't touch my stuff."

Yuichi patted his shoulder. "Relax, do you even know who I am?"

Kakashi rolled his eyes but said nothing, pushing open the door. Yuichi looked around curiously as they entered.

It was a modest house, with a small yard out front. In the yard, there were wooden posts, some training swords, and visible slash marks from previous training sessions.

Seeing this, Yuichi nudged Kakashi with a grin. "Not bad, 50-50, your family has quite the setup."

"Hmph!" Kakashi puffed out his chest with pride.

Yuichi laughed. "You're such a tsundere, even though you're a guy. Though... I guess it's not impossible." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, teasing.

Kakashi blinked, then quickly sidestepped with a shout, "You idiot! What are you even talking about?!"

"I just meant that even guys can act all prideful," Yuichi clarified, walking towards the house.

Kakashi gave up arguing, realizing he wasn't winning any verbal battles today.

As they entered, Kakashi glanced through a window, relieved to find no sign of his father. He sighed, happy to avoid any awkward confrontations about skipping class.

Yuichi, meanwhile, was inspecting the yard when Kakashi tossed him a wooden sword. "Here."

"I don't need it," Yuichi said with a shrug, taking the sword anyway. He swung it casually as if practicing, making Kakashi facepalm.

Unbeknownst to the two boys, Hatake Sakumo was actually home and watching them from the shadows. He had heard their voices and decided to observe quietly, chuckling to himself rather than scolding Kakashi for skipping school.

It's only natural for Kakashi to ditch the ninja academy eventually, he mused. The lessons taught at school couldn't compare to what Sakumo could teach Kakashi in a much shorter time. His son's attendance was more about making friends than learning techniques.

Seeing that Kakashi had already brought a friend home made Sakumo proud. 'Good job, Kakashi. A boy today... maybe a girl tomorrow? In a few years, I'll have a grandson!'

Meanwhile, unaware of the proud thoughts running through Sakumo's mind, Yuichi and Kakashi grabbed some practice kunai and shuriken.

"Alright, let's head out," Kakashi said, glancing around nervously before the two left the house.

As they walked towards Hokage Rock, Yuichi asked, "Are you sure there's a good training spot up there?"

"Just ahead," Kakashi responded confidently.

After a bit more walking, Kakashi pointed to an open clearing in the distance. "We're here."

Yuichi's eyes lit up as he spotted the grassy clearing. It was the perfect spot for training, just as Kakashi had said.

But then Yuichi frowned. "Wait a minute... did someone make this spot on purpose?"

Kakashi blinked, confused. "It shouldn't be. I've been training here for a while, and if someone else was using it, they'd have kicked me out by now."

Yuichi considered this and nodded. "Good point." The two prepared to start their training, confident that they had found the perfect spot.

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