In the early morning, the first ray of sunlight slipped through the window and fell across a neatly folded bed.
Kakashi, who hadn't slept the entire night, returned home early, changed into a set of black mourning clothes, and headed toward the burial grounds.
That's right—today was Hatake Sakumo's funeral.
As the paulownia coffin was slowly lowered into the grave, the Third Hokage turned his gaze to Kakashi. The boy silently shook his head, indicating he had no final words.
Understanding the message, Hiruzen Sarutobi raised his left hand slightly. At his gesture, the Anbu ninja beside him stepped forward, formed hand seals, and placed their hands firmly on the ground in front of the tomb.
"Earth Style: Burial!"
At their command, the soil on both sides of the grave rose quickly toward the center, covering the coffin and forming a smooth, dome-shaped burial mound.
Once the technique was complete, the Third Hokage walked over to the memorial stone. His eyes rested on the freshly engraved name—Hatake Sakumo—and he began solemnly recounting the man's life and accomplishments.
There weren't many people in attendance. All were dressed in black, holding white flowers as they quietly paid their respects.
Kakashi watched it all in silence, a deep sadness welling up in his heart. Though he had transmigrated into this world and merged with the original Kakashi's soul, he had also inherited some of his emotions.
The once-feared White Fang of Konoha—so powerful that even the legendary Sannin had spoken of him with respect—had now become part of the village's history.
And from this moment on, Kakashi was truly alone.
His only family was gone.
Eventually, the Third Hokage finished his speech and approached Kakashi.
"Sakumo was a hero of the village," he said gently. "Now that he's gone, I will be your family, Kakashi. And so will the villagers of Konoha."
Kakashi said nothing.
Seeing this, the Third Hokage sighed and chose not to press further. He understood Kakashi needed time to process the loss in his own way.
The funeral stretched on until evening.
By the time it ended, Kakashi was physically and emotionally drained. He dragged his weary body back to the Hatake residence.
Correction—his residence now.
The house was quiet and empty. After a simple wash, Kakashi collapsed into bed and instantly fell into a deep sleep.
He was just… too tired.
---
An unknown amount of time passed.
Kakashi woke up in a daze, his body still sore but his mind somewhat refreshed. Gathering his strength, he got out of bed and made his way to Sakumo's old room.
In the corner of the bookshelf, he found an unremarkable volume titled Atlas of Fire Country Geography. With a firm tug, he pulled it out.
The bookshelf began to shift.
With a low rumble, the entire structure slowly moved aside, revealing a secret door embedded into the wall.
Kakashi stepped forward, formed a unique seal with his hands, and pressed his palm against a specific point on the locking mechanism.
Click.
The door unlocked and opened, revealing a stone staircase leading downward into darkness.
Grabbing a flashlight from the desk drawer, Kakashi descended the steps.
At the bottom was a hidden chamber, carved from green hemp stone and roughly the same size as the room above. The dimly lit space was filled with three rows of bookshelves, each stacked with scrolls arranged meticulously by category.
Ignoring the ones labeled Family Secrets and General Ninjutsu, Kakashi walked directly to the section labeled Hatake Swordsmanship.
He pulled out a long-forgotten scroll titled Hatake Sword Technique.
Swordsmanship was the foundation of the Hatake clan—White Fang's legendary battlefield technique had earned its place among Konoha's most feared skills. It was a secret art that Kakashi had been trained in since childhood.
But unlike conventional swordplay, the Hatake style was essentially a form of ninjutsu.
Its defining feature? The ability to combine standard sword techniques with different Chakra natures to produce wildly different effects.
Thanks to the clan's naturally balanced Chakra affinity, each head of the Hatake family had developed the technique according to their own strengths.
The three most refined styles were:
Flame Blade – combining fire Chakra, the user could unleash explosive sword strikes;
Wind Blade – with wind Chakra, the sword became razor-sharp, capable of slicing enemies to pieces;
Lightning Blade – imbued with lightning Chakra, the sword gained extreme penetrative power. At its peak, even a fully-formed Susanoo could be pierced with a single blow!
But mastery came at a high cost.
Hatake swordsmanship was easy to begin but incredibly hard to master. One had to undergo repeated life-and-death battles, possess an extraordinary physique, and harbor an enormous reserve of Chakra.
These demands had led to countless deaths among clan members.
Eventually, the clan's numbers dwindled—until Kakashi was the only one left of his generation.
Thinking of this, Kakashi couldn't help but sigh.
If I die, this sword style will die with me.
Carefully, he rolled up the scroll and tucked it inside his clothes.
He didn't touch the other ninjutsu scrolls. With his system, he could instantly master a jutsu as long as someone demonstrated it in front of him.
Time spent practicing those now would be better used elsewhere—like building a strong physical foundation.
That was the right path.
---
After resetting the hidden chamber to its original state, Kakashi made his way to the waterfall in the Konoha Forest using his shinobi movement techniques.
Removing his shoes and socks, he stepped barefoot onto the water's surface and walked toward the pounding waterfall.
Compared to basic tree climbing or water walking, standing motionless under a thundering waterfall required far more precise Chakra control.
Thankfully, White Fang had subjected him to similar training in the past. Thanks to that, Kakashi avoided being blasted into the water on the first try.
Once he found his balance, he closed his eyes and adjusted his breathing, syncing his body to the special rhythm required by Hatake swordsmanship.
Then—
His eyes snapped open. With one smooth motion, he drew his sword.
Lift, chop, slice, thrust, cut, cleave, block, press, crash, flick, sweep.
Even though these were basic movements he'd already mastered, performing them under the crashing weight of the waterfall made everything several times harder.
But Kakashi gritted his teeth and endured.
He repeated each move a thousand times, making sure every action was precise despite the constant pressure.
---
Time passed.
Eventually, an exhausted Kakashi dragged himself out of the water and collapsed on the shore, panting heavily.
His body felt like it was falling apart. His consciousness was beginning to fade.
He wanted to sleep.
But somewhere in the back of his mind, a voice warned him: Don't fall asleep here.
With wet clothes and the chill of night setting in, hypothermia could easily claim his life.
So he forced himself up and staggered back toward the village, his steps heavy and unsteady, as if walking through clouds.
He made it home.
After a quick shower, he passed out in bed without even drying his hair.
---
One year later.
A silver-haired teenager stood under the same waterfall, sword in hand.
His movements were elegant and sharp—each slash flowing like a dance.
Suddenly, he stepped back, holding his breath. His left hand gripped the sheath while his right hovered over the hilt.
Stillness.
His body blended subtly into the environment, like a predator waiting for the right moment to strike.
As his Chakra surged, he felt a force begin to gather in his right hand.
The handle began to tremble slightly.
Now!
"Hatake Style: Wind Blade – Sword Slash!"
With a shout, Kakashi drew his sword in a blur, slashing forward with all his might.
A glowing crescent of wind Chakra exploded from the blade, cutting the waterfall in front of him cleanly in half. For a brief moment, it split in the shape of a single horizontal stroke—「一」.
"Hahh—"
Breathing hard, Kakashi sheathed his sword and let the adrenaline settle.
Over the past year, he had trained relentlessly, never missing a single day.
He had finally begun to grasp the basics of wind attribute transformation.
All that hard work had paid off.
Looking up at the fading sun, Kakashi muttered to himself, "Tomorrow's the start of the new school year."
Unlike the original timeline, Kakashi hadn't graduated early after Sakumo's death.
He had chosen to stay behind and build a stronger foundation first. Missions like catching cats or chasing dogs weren't worth his time.
He had endured painful, intensive physical training until his body adapted.
And during that time, he always maintained a Shadow Clone in class to take his place. So far, no one—aside from Rin and Obito—had discovered the deception.
As for Guy, Kakashi always managed to dodge his schoolyard challenges with a few clever excuses.
But tomorrow… he would need to appear in person.
The Third Hokage would be there for the opening ceremony, after all.
And some appearances still had to be maintained.