With his father's recent death, Kakashi was naturally in deep pain.
At times, he even found the very human emotion called "grief" terrifying.
Though there was someone whose very presence silently offered different answers—a guiding figure always standing before him—Kakashi still struggled.
Comrades, missions, shinobi—these three words kept uncontrollably surfacing in Kakashi's mind.
Unlike Gintoki, who possessed unwavering conviction, he was truly still just a child.
Thus, he was easily colored by the world's many shades, losing his own judgment.
His transformation began after White Fang's death.
...
Two years after Sakumo's staged suicide.
As spring approached, the cherry tree in the yard began emitting a faint floral fragrance.
Gintoki, now ten years old, sat casually on the rear veranda, one leg propped up.
A small flask of sake, two tiny dishes.
The three shinobi prohibitions meant nothing to Gintoki.
Kakashi had found his hidden stashes countless times at home and witnessed him losing everything down to his strawberry shorts at gambling dens just as often.
After endless futile warnings, Kakashi gradually abandoned his plans to reform this hopeless older brother.
Yet in Kakashi's heart, this brother remained his pride—a shinobi with a 100% mission completion rate, a model for all ninja.
The reputation of Hatake's eldest son, Hatake Gintoki, quietly grew to rival that of Konoha's other household name—the Yellow Flash.
Losing his father didn't mean losing his purpose.
His brother was now his goal.
...
At some point, a large bump the size of a bowl had appeared on Gintoki's head, and the small flask of sake beside him was nearly empty.
Strangely, though, only one sake cup remained on the floor.
"It's still too early for you!"
A somewhat stern voice came from the eaves above Gintoki's head.
"I don't even want to imagine the look on your face right now. Just thinking about it makes me sick. Don't get so full of yourself that you suddenly drop dead, you stinking old man."
Sakumo, standing on the roof, grinned at these words.
Just as Gintoki had said, sharing a drink with his son was indeed a deeply moving and heartwarming experience.
"Alright, about Kakashi..."
Sakumo picked up the sake cup but hesitated to continue.
As someone living under the same roof, Gintoki was well aware of Kakashi's situation.
Though he had talked to Kakashi many times, the results were far from ideal.
During missions, Kakashi always prioritized the task above all else.
Even after being reassigned to multiple squads, he never changed—and as a result, he never truly integrated into any team.
Of course, that was only on the surface. Gintoki knew the guy was just a tsundere, hiding his concern for his teammates deep inside, never letting it show.
He still hadn't found his own answer, constantly torn between the mission and his comrades.
"I've already done my best."
"I know. But he... he can't keep going like this."
"Tch—" Gintoki sighed, then dug his pinky into his nose.
"Ah, whatever. What else do you adults do besides dumping troublesome problems on kids? Guess I'll reluctantly put in a bit more effort this time."
"What are you planning?"
"Ordinary lectures won't work, and I'm not good at them anyway. In cases like this, the only thing that can light up his heart is a little sunbeam of hope."
"Huh?" Sakumo was puzzled, but before he could ask, Kakashi's voice interrupted.
"Useless Gintoki, dinner's ready."
"I should get going. See you."
With that, Sakumo vanished without a trace, leaving no sign of his presence.
Walking down the hallway to the backyard, Kakashi's sharp nose immediately caught the scent of alcohol.
Spotting the sake flask and cup beside Gintoki, he gave him a look of utter disdain.
So he's even broken the last taboo and started drinking...
Kakashi sighed inwardly.
This older brother of his was probably beyond saving—rotten to the core in certain ways, reeking of decay.
Still, despite his disgust, Kakashi cleaned up the abandoned flask and cup.
As he put the sake cup away, he noticed one seemed to be missing from the household set.
Assuming Gintoki had carelessly broken and thrown it away, Kakashi didn't dwell on it.
...
At the dinner table, Gintoki stared silently at the two pan-fried fish, rice, and miso soup in front of him before finally looking up at Kakashi, who was quietly eating across from him.
"Didn't I say I wouldn't eat anything that wasn't an Uji Gintoki rice bowl?"
"Haah..." Kakashi sighed, lowering his head. "Eating sweets every day will literally kill you."
"That kind of thing doesn't matter at all!" Gintoki replied with utmost seriousness.
"Gin-san has decided—to eat what I love and live a short but lazy life! That's my ninja way!"
"What kind of ninja way is that?!" Kakashi couldn't help but retort.
"Tch, what do kids know?" Gintoki curled his lips, then leaned back, propping himself up with his hands on the floor, staring at the ceiling with dead-fish eyes.
Seeing Gintoki's resolute determination to starve himself, Kakashi sighed helplessly again and reached out to him.
"What?"
"Money. You haven't contributed to the household expenses for months. If you want to eat what you love, at least pay your share of the food bill."
"Relax, I have a feeling I'll make a fortune tonight. So... lend me some startup funds."
Kakashi fell silent.
As someone who lived under the same roof with Gintoki day and night, he knew exactly what Gintoki meant by "startup funds"—gambling money.
"I won't redeem your clothes for you next time!"
"Obito-kun—!"
"Obito?"
Kakashi frowned, puzzled as to why Gintoki would call out Obito's name now.
But soon, he noticed a boy wearing goggles emerging from the bushes outside the window, scratching the back of his head with an awkward grin.
How had he failed to notice such a noticeable person?
A strange feeling crept into Kakashi's heart.
Could it be that this dead-last student, who hadn't even graduated yet, had actually grown stronger?
"Mission accomplished, Gintoki-nii! Here's today's share!"
Obito, who had climbed in through the window, walked straight to Gintoki's side, pulled out a lollipop from his pocket, and solemnly bowed as he presented it with both hands.
"Uh... what's this all about?"
Kakashi deadpanned, but as soon as he spoke, he noticed another figure outside the window—this time, it was a girl.