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Although just a second ago he had marveled at Hatake Kuroshi's strength... because he had previously thought Hatake Kuroshi was strong, he defaulted to thinking he always knew Hatake Kuroshi was strong.
"I don't like sweets. Give it back to you." Sasuke walked up to Hatake Kuroshi, handing back the paper bag. Hatake Kuroshi's bag was entirely filled with sweets. Sasuke was basically an anomaly within the Uchiha clan; the kid detested sweets. Although Sasuke tried his best to maintain a gloomy facade, the light shining in a child's eyes definitely wouldn't lie. No matter how he tried to hide it, he was still very excited to see Hatake Kuroshi.
"So handsome..." Sakura's eyes faintly sparkled. After all, the only handsome guy she had really known before was the Sasuke type. She had never seen a somewhat flippant yet refreshingly handsome man like Hatake Kuroshi. Although definitely much older than them, just looking at him, he simply appeared as a tall, handsome man. And his clothes were very fashionable, completely unlike Kakashi who wore the Jonin uniform like an uncle.
But ultimately, it was just because she didn't know Hatake Kuroshi.
"You were still awkward as hell before I left. It's normal not to know me well~"
"Maybe these two students of yours know me better." Hatake Kuroshi casually patted Naruto and Sasuke's heads.
Sasuke tilted his head away disdainfully. Although he was happy Hatake Kuroshi was back... it didn't mean he could forgive Hatake Kuroshi for knocking him out back then.
Kakashi's eye twitched. He quickly shifted the topic away from himself.
"Wait a minute... You three defected a bit too quickly, didn't you?"
"I'm your teacher." Kakashi looked at the three kids who had run over to Hatake Kuroshi's side, pointing at his own face.
Although his teacher-student bond with Naruto and Sasuke had only been established for a few hours, them immediately siding with his just-returned older brother... didn't seem quite right no matter how you looked at it. Besides, Hatake Kuroshi, this guy... ever since childhood, Kakashi had never figured out what this person really wanted to do. His sudden appearance with his newly assigned team now made him feel vaguely uneasy.
"But we knew Kuroshi-nii long ago."
"At most, this is just returning to base." Naruto puffed out his cheeks and mumbled.
"But even if you knew me long ago, I won't become your teacher~ After all, I'm just an ordinary person."
"This time was just a coincidence seeing you all here." Saves me the trouble of visiting each one individually later. After all, returning after such a long time, if he wanted to see these kids, starting with Kakashi was indeed more appropriate.
"Ordinary person... huh?"
This guy really has the nerve to say that!? Whether physique or ability, he was at least Jonin level or above, yet he still called himself an ordinary person! The three kids couldn't help letting their faces fall, looking at Hatake Kuroshi hesitantly....
"Mm-hm—just an ordinary person who's a bit older." Hatake Kuroshi nodded, quite satisfied with his self-assessment as an ordinary person.
"Ah, since I helped you snatch the bells, I might as well kindly tell you."
"What Kakashi wanted to tell you was about teamwork. You three running up one by one just won't work."
"Although there are only two bells, meaning only two can pass..."
"But without cooperation, none of you will be able to get one~"
As expected of someone who was previously a teacher. It wasn't strange for Hatake Kuroshi to see through this teaching method. Kakashi, whose teaching duties were just usurped, nonchalantly took out Icha Icha Paradise, flipped through two pages, and raised his dead fish eyes in agreement.
"Hai, hai. But even knowing this now is already too late."
"This time counts as an interruption. You have another chance this afternoon."
"Go eat first~ Ah, but don't give any to Naruto. His performance was too poor. What's all this about a fair duel?"
As soon as the words fell, Naruto started fussing about being targeted. Hatake Kuroshi wouldn't interfere with the bento matter again. Well, these three probably know what to do.
Immediately, Hatake Kuroshi curiously leaned his head towards the book in Kakashi's hand. Although Kakashi tried to close the book, Hatake Kuroshi appeared too quickly; he still saw everything.
"Eh—you actually read this kind of book openly?"
"Not having parents around really makes one go bad. Let me see, let me see."
Hatake Kuroshi's punchable voice immediately sounded beside his ear. Kakashi's body stiffened for a second. This was the first time since he started reading Icha Icha Paradise that he experienced the shame of being caught reading H-books by someone else.
"Why bring parents into this now? You're only two years older than me." Kakashi sighed, feeling a headache coming on, snapped the book shut with a slap, and pushed Hatake Kuroshi towards the edge of the training ground with both hands. With these three kids pestering, even talking became inconvenient.
"Whoever gives Naruto bento fails." Kakashi instructed the two as he pushed Hatake Kuroshi away. Immediately, the two figures vanished from the vicinity of the training ground.
Although Hatake Kuroshi had already given them dango, ultimately, that kind of sweet didn't really stave off hunger. The moment Sakura and Sasuke opened their bento boxes, Naruto's stomach let out a loud "Gurgle~".
"..."
"..."
"...Don't look at me! I'm not hungry at all!" Naruto shouted while turning his back, silently chanting 'if I don't see it, I won't feel hungry'. Hungry was hungry, but it wasn't unbearable yet. It wasn't five o'clock yet either; he could still hold out until the next bell snatching attempt.
"They probably won't be back anytime soon." Sasuke handed over the barely touched bento, warily observing the situation in the adjacent training ground. Hatake Kuroshi's pestering manner seemed like he was creating an opportunity for them by leading Kakashi away. They had to seize this chance and finish the bento quickly.
Sakura paused, holding her chopsticks. Although they were all trying to snatch the bells together... she had actually played very little effective role, not even directly confronting Kakashi. If she ate more than Sasuke now, wouldn't it make her seem like she had a huge appetite? After a brief hesitation, Sakura also handed over her bento box.
"I can't eat more than Sasuke-kun... Ah no, I mean, I've been dieting recently, so here you go!"
Hatake Kuroshi and Kakashi hadn't gone far at all; the two hid behind a tree while chatting.
"They're all good kids~" Hatake Kuroshi rested his cheek on his hand, squatting on a tree branch, chuckled lightly, and vanished from the spot.
"Well, passable, I guess." Kakashi stood behind the tree, shrugged, then charged towards the scene of the three harmoniously eating bento.
Naturally, all three graduated and passed. The students Kakashi tested before were all obedient idiots. Only guys like these who knew how to adapt were good kids.
...
Kakashi paused in front of the wooden door of the Hatake house. Speaking of which, after Hatake Kuroshi left, Kakashi had done a major cleaning of this place... and then never came back. He had dorms during his ANBU days, and dorms after becoming a regular Jonin. There was no particular need for him to return.
Previously, he came back once or twice using the excuse of getting clothes, but that was because Hatake Kuroshi was here. No matter when he returned, there would always be family waiting. Well, although the Kakashi back then would never directly state such reasons.
After Hatake Kuroshi left, Kakashi initially felt this place was full of sad memories. Later, when he got busy, he simply forgot about it. Besides sending back living expenses on time, Hatake Kuroshi seemed to have died outside; his whereabouts were completely untraceable. Kakashi once believed Hatake Kuroshi had been assassinated outside, and someone else was sending the money on his behalf. So, seeing him return alive was truly quite unexpected.
The dim yellow light at the entrance suddenly turned on. Before Kakashi could readjust his expression... Swish. The sliding door was pulled open.
"Hm?" Hatake Kuroshi, carrying a bag of trash, looked out with his eye patch at Kakashi standing blankly outside the door.
"What are you standing here for? Your name might be Scarecrow, but you don't need to moonlight at the doorstep, right?" Hatake Kuroshi placed the trash outside the door, walking back inside as he spoke.
"What...? Don't tease people's names like a child." Kakashi scratched his head and couldn't help sighing. Although still somewhat unbelievable, the only one who could talk to him like this was his own brother.
"Even if I've reached that age, I don't need to live like an uncle like you~" Hatake Kuroshi looked disgusted, waving his hand at Kakashi.
...Being called an uncle by someone older than him really is somewhat annoying.
The two sat opposite each other at the table. Although Hatake Kuroshi looked like he was suffering from sugar addiction, the food he made was surprisingly decent. Kakashi separated the fish meat with his chopsticks, then saw Hatake Kuroshi squeezing condensed milk into the seasoning dish beside the fish. He couldn't help frowning slightly. A man in his twenties, still eating so many sweets. Isn't he afraid his teeth will retire early?
"Although caring about you feels a bit strange... how long will you be back this time?" Kakashi thought thoughtfully about the daytime duel with Hatake Kuroshi. Although his own brother, no matter how he looked at it, he knew too little about Hatake Kuroshi.
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