Hanrei moved quickly, Kakashi barely had to wait before the door opened.
She paused for a split second when she saw his bruised, swollen face, but quickly recovered and stepped aside.
"Please, come in… um, what happened to you?" she asked carefully.
Kakashi answered in a calm, even tone.
"I took a wrong turn on life's road… and tripped."
Hanrei gave him a strange look. "That must've been some fall."
She hesitated for a moment, then slowly rolled up her sleeve, revealing her pale arm. Turning her face slightly away, she pressed her lips together.
"…Go ahead. This will help you recover."
For a moment, it felt like time rewound.
Kakashi remembered the first time he saw her, remembered the pain on her face when others had bitten her.
She wasn't some emotionless tool.
She was just… someone who felt pain like anyone else.
Kakashi sighed.
"You don't have to do that. It hurts you."
Hanrei tried to sound casual.
"If it's you… one bite is fine. Just once."
But Kakashi wasn't fooled. The way she avoided eye contact said everything.
He gently pulled her sleeve back down, then looked at her seriously.
"Don't do this anymore. No one is worth that."
"I saved you because I didn't want you to keep living like that. If I went along with it… I'd be no different from the people who hurt you."
"Konoha isn't like that. We have plenty of medical ninja."
Kakashi didn't consider himself a perfect person.
But he had his own quiet sense of kindness.
For a brief moment, Hanrei felt like he seemed… bigger somehow.
Then she blinked, realizing
He was still just a thirteen-year-old boy.
"Whoever raised you must've been an incredible person," she said softly.
Kakashi froze.
Silence.
Hanrei immediately realized she might've crossed a line.
"I...I'm sorry, I didn't mean"
"It's fine," Kakashi said quietly. "He was incredible."
"He was a hero of Konoha."
These days, he'd started to come to terms with it.
Obito had always believed his father was a hero.
And Aaron-sensei respected his ideals.
So why should he care about what strangers thought?
To him
His father was a hero.
Always had been. Always would be.
"Come on," Kakashi said, a faint smile returning. "Let's get you registered. Once that's done, you'll officially be part of Konoha."
Hanrei nodded.
For the first time, she felt a flicker of hope for the future.
Maybe this time…
She could finally live the peaceful life she'd always wanted.
Kakashi led her quickly toward the Hokage's office.
Quickly, because they needed to catch Minato before he left for the day.
Normally, if all the paperwork was done, he'd leave around five.
Ever since Aaron reminded him about work-life balance, he'd been heading home on time to be with Kushina.
Inside the Hokage building, Hanrei stayed close to Kakashi, not daring to look around too much.
She could feel it
So many powerful presences.
It made her nervous without even realizing it, until Kakashi's voice snapped her back.
"Minato-sensei, this is Hanrei Uzumaki."
Minato looked at her bright red hair and smiled warmly.
"Hanrei Uzumaki… would you like to become a resident of Konoha? To be one of us?"
"I would."
He handed her two forms.
"Fill these out, and you'll officially be registered. Welcome to Konoha."
Hanrei completed them quickly and returned them.
Minato stamped the papers, then glanced at the time.
"Hanrei , would you like to come over for dinner? My wife is also from the Uzumaki clan; she's been hoping to meet you."
Hanrei instinctively looked at Kakashi.
Kakashi hesitated.
Why are you looking at me? I'm thirteen…
Minato chuckled, picking up on it.
"Kakashi, you should come too. It's been a while since you've eaten at my place. By the way… what happened to your face?"
Only now did he notice the bruising.
"…Training with Aaron-sensei," Kakashi admitted honestly.
He might joke around with others, but not with Minato.
Minato nodded with a gentle smile.
"Aaron-sensei, huh? Sounds like things are going well. Learn all you can, there's a lot worth picking up from him."
Kakashi nodded.
In more ways than one.
Minato's house wasn't nearly as extravagant as Hanrei had imagined.
Just a simple two-story home, no different from most others in the village.
It surprised her.
In her mind, the Hokage should've lived somewhere grand.
Instead…
This felt normal.
Warm.
As they stepped inside, Hanrei looked around curiously.
The interior was modest, though she noticed a few oddly marked kunai placed here and there.
Then
She felt it.
A strong presence… but strangely comforting.
A red-haired woman in an apron stepped into view, holding a cooking spoon.
"Kushina," Minato called.
Kushina looked up
Then froze when she saw Hanrei .
But only for a moment.
She quickly walked over and lightly punched Minato's chest with a playful grin.
"You could've warned me we had guests! I would've made more food!"
"My fault," Minato admitted easily, smiling.
Watching them, Kakashi felt like he was being force-fed affection before dinner even started.
At the table, Kushina kept piling food onto Hanrei's plate, chatting with her nonstop.
Talking about the Uzumaki clan.
Sharing stories.
Understanding.
That warmth made Hanrei's opinion of her skyrocket.
Maybe…
She really had made the right choice.
Then Kushina glanced at Kakashi.
"Hey, Kakashi… what happened to your face? It looks pretty swollen."
Kakashi felt exhausted.
At this point, the mask felt completely useless.
"… "
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