At that moment, the first thing Kakashi thought of was whether someone had disguised themselves as him, snuck into the village, and done something suspicious.
Such a thing would be serious, no doubt, but he didn't panic. After all, he really had been at home all night. Even if something had happened, he could withstand any investigation.
"You were at home the whole time?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's hand, still holding his teacup, paused in midair. He looked at Kakashi in surprise, sensing that Kakashi wasn't pretending or playing dumb.
After a brief moment of confusion, Hiruzen gestured with one hand. An Anbu ninja instantly appeared in the office. Hiruzen turned to him and said in a deep voice:
"Call in the patrol team and have them report on last night's activities."
"Yes, sir."
The Anbu ninja vanished quickly.
Moments later, several masked Anbu operatives arrived to give their reports.
Kakashi occasionally exchanged words with them, and after comparing accounts, it was confirmed, he hadn't left his home at all the previous night.
Once it was clear that the Hidden Mist Village scout hadn't been killed by Kakashi, Hiruzen's expression turned pensive. He mulled it over carefully, he had no memory of Sakumo Hatake ever passing down the Hatake sword techniques to anyone else.
"Kakashi, did Sakumo ever take on any students? Anyone he might've taught his swordsmanship to?"
"I'm not sure," Kakashi replied with a shake of his head.
Sakumo had once led the Anbu and served as commander during the Second Great Ninja War. Kakashi never had many conversations with him about such matters.
After a pause, Kakashi added in confusion, "...Lord Hokage, what exactly happened?"
Hiruzen considered for a moment, then gave Kakashi a brief rundown of what had transpired the night before.
As Kakashi listened, his expression shifted from surprise to realization. His eyes widened slightly, and his lips parted.
Noticing Kakashi's reaction, Hiruzen asked, "Did something come to mind?"
"Uhm… well…" Kakashi hesitated. He had a pretty good guess that this was Kaede's doing. The question was whether he should say anything.
Seeing Kakashi clearly knew something, Hiruzen frowned and said, "Report everything you know. In full detail."
Since Kaede hadn't asked him to keep this quiet, Kakashi figured there was no need to hide it and said, "If that's the case, then I think I know who might've done it."
"Who?"
Hiruzen fixed his gaze on Kakashi.
"…My older brother, Kaede," Kakashi replied quietly, silently reminding himself that this wasn't his problem.
Hiruzen blinked in astonishment. "Who did you say?"
Kakashi repeated himself without changing his tone.
Hiruzen wasn't the only one stunned. Even the Anbu squad leader and the jonin who had come to make a report looked surprised.
"…Kaede?"
Hiruzen stared at Kakashi in disbelief. "Are you sure? That was a Mist elite scout, and the battle was over in under a minute."
Since he'd already thrown Kaede under the bus, Kakashi decided to be direct. "I don't know the exact details of the fight, but it's definitely within his capabilities. My brother's always been stronger than me."
Cough!
Hiruzen couldn't help but cough as he sat back down.
Kakashi had no reason to lie, especially not in a situation that could be easily verified by simply summoning Kaede. Hiruzen just needed a moment to process the information.
Kaede… stronger than Kakashi?!
Ordinarily, it wouldn't be strange for an older brother to be stronger than his younger sibling. But in this case, it was anything but ordinary.
Kakashi was one of Konoha's rare prodigies in recent years, reminiscent of his father, the White Fang, Sakumo Hatake.
If this were all true… then that would mean this eight-year-old boy had taken down a Mist Village elite chunin in under a minute. His talent might even exceed Kakashi's!
Hiruzen took a deep drag from his pipe, exhaling a long plume of smoke before saying, "Bring Kaede here."
"Yes, sir."
An Anbu ninja nodded and vanished with a whoosh.
…
Ninja Academy
It was the final day before the end-of-term exams.
Kaede's class was currently gathered on the training grounds, lined up in rows. In the open space at the front, two students were locked in a fierce sparring match.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Kunai clashed with crisp metallic notes, sending sparks flying.
"Yaaahhh!"
Uchiha Obito let out a loud shout, bringing his kunai down with full force. He pushed his opponent back and immediately threw his kunai, forcing another step of retreat.
Then he rapidly formed hand seals.
"Fire Style! Fireball Jutsu!"
This time, the jutsu didn't fail, it was successfully cast. A giant fireball roared toward his opponent, who looked horrified, clearly unable to dodge in time.
Whoosh!
A chunin instructor stepped in, flashing into view and swiftly weaving hand signs.
"Water Style! Water Wall!"
Splash!
Water surged up and collided with the fireball. With a sizzling hiss, the jutsu was extinguished.
After suppressing the flames, the instructor straightened up and announced, "Uchiha Obito wins."
"YESSS!!"
Obito pumped his fist and cheered, practically bursting with excitement.
He'd finally done it, no embarrassing failure this time.
Looking back, he saw Rin Nohara and the other students clapping for him, filling him with satisfaction. As he walked back toward the group, he shot Kaede a smug look and tilted his chin.
Kaede, however, didn't react at all. He simply stood calmly, applauding like the others. His eyes, deep and unreadable, gave away none of his thoughts.
"…Kaede, are you in a bad mood?"
Kurenai Yuhi had already noticed that Kaede seemed a bit off today. After the applause, she quietly asked him in a low voice.
"No."
Kaede shook his head and replied, "Just thinking about something…"
As Kaede stood lost in thought, the chunin instructor pulled out the list of matches and called out the names of the next pair.
"Next match: Hatake Kaede vs. Hyuga Homon."
All eyes turned toward Kaede and Hyuga Homon.
Homon stepped out of the group, his tone calm. "Not a bad matchup. Let me show you the strength of the noble Hyuga clan, Kaede."
He had held a bit of a grudge against Kaede for something that happened earlier, but not enough to start trouble like a child. This sparring match was the perfect way to settle things.