northernbook Chapter 323 Motherhood
Chapter 323 Motherhood
This was utterly unbelievable, like something out of a fairy tale—a person who had long since passed away was now standing alive before him. It wasn't an illusion, nor a transformation, but a real, tangible deceased who should have been resting in peace.
Kakashi slowly pulled his headband down again, concealing his Sharingan, which was trembling slightly with shock. Although he was still filled with disbelief, the facts were undeniable, leaving him no choice but to believe it.
"Mrs. Kushina...it really is you...I..."
His voice lowered unconsciously, his gaze shifting, and he never dared to meet Kushina's eyes.
"Hey, why are you being so formal?" Kushina's tone was natural and friendly. "It reminds me of when I was pregnant with Naruto, and Minato asked you to be my bodyguard. Even though we were already quite familiar with each other, you always acted so businesslike."
She casually brought up the past, while Kakashi could only nod helplessly, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the edge of his clothes.
"You've grown so much..." Kushina carefully looked at the silver-haired Jonin who was now much taller than her, her tone tinged with emotion. "It's like a dream. That little brat from back then has actually grown into a handsome young man."
For Kakashi, the ordinary greeting from an old friend he hadn't seen in a long time was a completely unfamiliar experience. He could only nod awkwardly in response, his throat feeling as if something was blocking it, unable to utter a complete syllable.
Seeing Kakashi's embarrassed expression, Kushina sighed softly. She abandoned her casual tone and decided to ask some questions that had been lingering in her mind.
"How have you been all these years since Minato and I left?"
"...After my teacher's sacrifice..." Kakashi's voice was low and hoarse, "I joined Konoha's Anbu, and then... a few years ago, I left the Anbu and became a Jonin leading a team..."
"The Anbu..." Kushina frowned slightly. "The lifestyle you've chosen is still as arduous as ever."
However, her tone softened, "But, like I said before, I need to properly thank the friend who pulled you out of the Anbu. You're Naruto's teacher now, right?"
Kushina sensed something from Kakashi's answer. Based on her understanding of Kakashi's personality, he wasn't the type to leave the Anbu voluntarily, so she deduced that it was Kakashi's friend who pulled him out of the Anbu.
"Hmm..." Kakashi finally raised his head, a complex look flashing in his eyes, "Naruto... that kid is really outstanding, just like Minato-sensei."
"But I already know," her voice trembled with suppressed emotion, "that Naruto used to live a... very lonely life because of some damned old man's rumors..."
Upon hearing this topic, Kakashi's heart sank. He knew what Kushina was going to ask next, and his gaze, which had just been raised, lowered again, almost burying his face in his collar.
"Before, after we left," Kushina's voice was soft, but each word was clear, "did you ever care about Naruto?"
Kakashi already harbored immense guilt and remorse. When his deceased mentor asked, "After we left, did you protect the others?" he felt an unprecedented sense of shame.
"...No," his voice was so low it was almost inaudible, "I'm...I'm so sorry...I...only met him for the first time when Naruto graduated from the Ninja Academy..."
The expression Kakashi displayed at this moment was truly rare. In the eyes of most people who knew him, Hatake Kakashi had always been a sunny and cheerful Jonin, spending his days leisurely with a copy of "Icha Icha Paradise," appearing harmless to everyone.
Aside from his decisiveness in battle, there's no trace of darkness in his personality in everyday life; at most, he's just a bit lazy.
However, at this moment, he hung his head like a sinner, his whole being shrouded in a heavy sense of guilt.
"...Why...?" Kushina's voice was filled with deep disappointment. "You clearly have this responsibility. Why... why do you all disappoint me...?"
Hearing his teacher's wife's disappointed words, Kakashi lowered his head even further. He didn't defend himself; he was never the kind of person to make excuses for his mistakes.
It's a fact that I disappointed my teacher's wife, and it's also a fact that I ignored young Naruto. These past mistakes, no matter how much I apologize now, seem futile.
Based on his understanding of his teacher's wife, speaking in that tone usually meant that anger was about to erupt. Kakashi silently prepared himself to be beaten up—he even felt that being beaten up would make him feel better.
Kushina gently put down the vegetable basket in her hand. Kakashi closed his eyes, awaiting the expected pain. Suddenly, he felt himself being pulled forward by a force—was it time to attack?
He kept his eyes tightly closed, offering no resistance to the impending action.
"...?"
However, the expected pain did not come. Kakashi opened his eyes in confusion, only to find that he had been pulled closer not to be beaten, but to be embraced in a warm hug. His head rested gently on Kushina's shoulder, and this sudden tenderness left him bewildered.
"...Master...Master's wife..."
The anticipated violence did not occur; instead, there was unexpected tolerance.
"I'm sorry... Kakashi..." Kushina's voice became unusually gentle, "I said some harsh things because I was emotional..."
She gently patted Kakashi's back, as if comforting a wounded child. "I can imagine that, although you may not be as well off as Naruto describes, you must have had a very difficult time all these years..."
"Obito... what happened to Rin's two children must have been a huge blow to you... You must have been in a lot of pain... And then, at that time... Minato and I abandoned you too..."
"I should be the one apologizing... I was your elder, yet I couldn't do anything for you during your most painful time... and instead, I just left like this..."
Kakashi's eyelashes trembled violently. This feeling of being cared for and understood was all too unfamiliar to him. An urge to cry welled up inside him, but he struggled to hold it back.
When a person suffers pain alone, they will subconsciously activate psychological defense mechanisms and force themselves to be strong to cope with the predicament, but this does not mean that they are not in pain inside.
When others show concern, the brain judges that it is in a "safe environment" and there is no need to be on guard. The grievances and sadness that have been deliberately suppressed will naturally be revealed.
Those deep-seated wounds are like unopened letters, and the gentleness and care of others are the key to unlocking those emotions.
After experiencing that tender care that Kakashi felt he didn't deserve, Kushina gently released him. Looking at the tall Jonin who seemed exceptionally fragile before her, she couldn't help but recall Kakashi, who had also been depressed during the time after Minato's other two students had sacrificed themselves.
She had always tried to care for Minato's students as if they were her own children, but the successive wars and Kakashi's later coldness and precociousness made it difficult for Kushina to find a suitable opportunity.
"I still have so many things I want to ask you," Kushina's tone returned to its usual gentleness. "It's almost lunchtime, let's go to Naruto's house. We can eat and talk after I finish cooking."
She made the suggestion gently, but Kakashi remained trapped in guilt and remorse.
"No...no need to trouble you..." he declined softly, "I will report to you everything later..."
"Don't be so formal, I've said it several times already. Come on, really, there's no need to be so polite."
"...Really...really, it's not necessary..."
"Hey? I don't like that about you. Hurry up, or I'll get angry."
"...This...is too troublesome...?!"
"boom!"
Before Kakashi could finish his third refusal, a sharp pain shot through his head. The next second, he was knocked to the ground, seeing stars.
"You come when I tell you to! How many times do I have to tell you?!" Kushina withdrew her fist from Kakashi's head, her bright red hair moving without wind. "If you dare disobey me, you're a hundred years too young!"
She looked down at Kakashi, who was sprawled on the ground, her tone unyielding and authoritative. "Now, immediately, come home with me for dinner. Understand?"
That familiar punch instantly transported Kakashira back to more than a decade ago. Back then, whenever he got stuck in a rut or became overly stubborn, his teacher's wife would always use this method to bring him back to his senses.
Kakashi lay on the ground, feeling the burning pain on his head. This long-lost way of interacting, rough yet caring, made him feel inexplicably at ease.
"Yes...yes...I understand, Madam."