Chapter 280: The Condition Set Forth by Sakumo Hatake

Back at home, Takuya took two bottles of water from the fridge and placed them on the table.

A few seconds later, Sakumo Hatake jumped down from the balcony.

Takuya twitched at the corner of his mouth.

"Senior, the balcony's paint was just touched up."

"....."

Sakumo froze for a moment, turned around in surprise to see the two footprints he left, and his face instantly flushed. He awkwardly raised a hand to scratch his head.

"Ahaha, I didn't notice. Next time, I'll come through the front. Definitely next time."

Yeah, right!!

What's with you people and not using the front door? Either climbing through windows or jumping off balconies.

Oh well, guess I'll get used to it.

Takuya shook his head and decided not to dwell on it.

"Senior, are you here for Kakashi?"

Sakumo smiled and nodded.

"Yes, I'm here for Kakashi. The kid has a lot of potential, which is why I came to see you. Although I can teach him myself, I don't want him to be overly influenced by me."

"Why me, though?" Takuya was a bit speechless.

In the entire village of Konoha, wasn't there anyone else who could teach Kakashi?

"Senior, if it's about swordsmanship, there are many skilled sword masters in Konoha. If it's taijutsu, you can find plenty of qualified people. The same goes for using and mastering Lightning Release. Besides, I have a habit of not taking disciples. Why do you think Kakashi would grow well under me?"

"I don't think I'd be a good teacher."

Sakumo let out a hearty laugh, took a few sips of water, and sighed, a hint of melancholy in his voice.

"To be honest, I've been reflecting on my shortcomings these past few days, and I realized I have quite a few of them. Like this one."

He lifted his arm, showing Takuya the sleeve of his Hokage half-robe.

"A lot of people think I can be the Fourth Hokage. What about you?"

"....."

That straightforward, huh?

I was just saying that Sakumo Hatake lacks political savvy, and here he is, practically proving me wrong.

"Probably... there might be some difficulty."

"Why is that?"

"Because this half-robe came from the Daimyo's recommendation, not the Hokage's direct nomination. There's quite a difference between the Daimyo and the Hokage. Besides, Senior, you must have noticed that Orochimaru has certain ambitions regarding the Hokage position, which wasn't the case before."

"True..."

Sakumo couldn't help but smile wryly.

"Honestly, I don't care much about whether I can become Hokage or not. This half-robe, regardless of who proposed it, is an honor that I cannot and will not refuse."

"Maybe that's the influence of the samurai spirit."

The Hatake clan was originally a samurai family, which later transitioned into a ninja clan, but the samurai spirit remained ingrained.

A lack of political insight doesn't mean Sakumo is an idiot. After some deep reflection over the past few days, he seemed to have realized his own shortcomings.

"I don't want Kakashi to end up like me, which is why I told him about your past. You, Takuya Yagami, are not just an unknown elite Jonin of Konoha; you're a genius of the village, a hero, a contributor."

"Kakashi is too withdrawn. If he continues learning from me for too long, I'm afraid he'll become even more introverted."

"That's why I hope you can take him in."

Every parent wants the best for their child, to receive the best education and growth, and Sakumo was no exception.

Moreover, the Hatake clan didn't have strange, rigid traditions.

Otherwise, Sakumo wouldn't be trying so hard to find a suitable teacher for Kakashi, hoping to change his son's personality for the better.

He didn't want Kakashi to grow up with flaws.

"I understand your concerns, Senior."

Takuya rubbed his face and asked, with a wry smile,

"But why me? There are many suitable candidates in Konoha, aren't there?"

"Because of your strength," Sakumo said seriously.

"And because of your good relationship with Tsunade and your closeness to Kushina. If I approached someone else, they might show favoritism toward Kakashi because of me. That's not what I want."

"So I ask you to take in Kakashi."

"I know you have a habit of not taking disciples, and I know why you're not interested in teacher-student relationships."

"But if you do choose to take Kakashi as your disciple, it means that the Hatake clan will stand by your side. Unless you defect from Konoha, the Hatake clan will be your ally."

"..."

It seemed Sakumo was already aware of his and his clan's current situation.

Taking on a disciple in exchange for gaining the support of a powerful ally—was it worth it?

"I'm sorry, Senior."

In the end, Takuya still refused Sakumo.

Despite how tempting the offer sounded, Takuya had no intention of taking anyone as a disciple.

As for the Hatake clan's friendship, to be honest, Takuya didn't really need it.

If Takuya had ambitions for the Hokage position, then Sakumo's proposal would undoubtedly be attractive.

But he never had such aspirations.

As for Tsunade...

Come on, if Tsunade really wanted to be Hokage, it wouldn't matter whether she had Sakumo's support or not; the result would be the same.

There was hardly anyone who could compete with her—not even Orochimaru would have a chance.

"No problem. I guess I was overthinking it. Since that's the case, I won't bother you any longer."

Having been refused, Sakumo felt a sense of regret. He didn't linger, standing up decisively to leave.

"Did Senior leave?"

Not long after Sakumo left, Tsunade arrived.

Their houses were next to each other, so Sakumo's visit hadn't escaped the attention of Tsunade, who had been lazing around at home.

"He's gone."

Takuya tidied up the table and said,

"He wanted me to take Kakashi as a disciple and partner with the Hatake clan."

"Wouldn't refusing be a bit inappropriate?"

"I'm not aiming to become Hokage. What would I need supporters for?"

Takuya was exasperated.

If this kind of support was offered to Orochimaru, it might have been useful.

No, even Orochimaru wouldn't accept it.

Because as long as Sakumo couldn't let go of his samurai spirit, almost no one would choose to work with him.

Takuya had no such intentions, and Tsunade hadn't shown any interest in competing for the Hokage position either.

Besides, the Third Hokage was still perfectly fine; it wasn't like he'd give up his position anytime soon.

Instead of dwelling on useless thoughts, why not do something fun, like...

"Takuya, call Kushina and Minato over; let's play mahjong."

"..."

Tsunade hadn't even gotten over her obsession with poker and 'Run Fast,' and now she was hooked on mahjong.

Takuya somewhat regretted introducing these games.

His intention had been to give Kushina something to do in the village so she wouldn't be bored and could pass the time by playing cards.

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Next Bonus: 2400 Power Stones ╰ (´꒳`) ╯

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(P)(S): If you're interested, you can read up to chapter 340+ at patreon.com/ Emik01. ಥ‿ಥ

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