Nohara Moku had been lying in the hospital for two days and was finally discharged with Lady Tsunade's approval.
Honestly, he felt he could have left on the first day.
His Chakra had long since recovered, and his body was fine.
At most, he was just a bit weak, which could be fixed by eating two extra bowls of rice.
But with one "I'm in charge" from Lady Tsunade, he was pinned to the bed for another day and night.
Two whole days.
Lying in bed every day, staring at the ceiling cracks, occasionally being fed by his sister, occasionally being fed by Shizune, and occasionally being hit on the forehead by an apple thrown by Lady Tsunade as she passed by.
"Catch."
"Hiss— Teacher, can we change to a gentler way of feeding?"
"No."
On the day of his discharge, Rin specially took time off to pick him up.
The siblings returned to the Senju Ancestral Home, and Moku lay on his long-missed bedding, letting out a long sigh of relief.
"It's still best at home..."
But he didn't have many days of leisure.
On the morning of the third day, there was a knock at the door.
"Knock, knock, knock."
"Coming, coming." Moku hurriedly ran to open the door.
The moment the door opened, he was stunned.
Sakumo Hatake.
The White Fang of Konoha, who once shook the Ninja World, was standing right in front of the Senju Ancestral Home.
His figure was much thinner than in his memories—it seemed that incident had taken a heavy toll on his body.
But what Moku cared about more were his eyes; those eyes no longer held the will to die.
Although they still carried exhaustion and vicissitudes, there was light in them now.
"Nohara Moku-kun." Sakumo bowed solemnly, "I will never forget the debt of saving my life."
Moku was startled by this grand gesture and hurriedly dodged to the side, scrambling to help him up: "Uncle Sakumo, don't do this! I just did what I had to do! Please get up!"
Sakumo straightened up, looked at Moku's flustered appearance, then looked at Kakashi beside him, and suddenly smiled.
"It is Kakashi's good fortune to have a classmate like you."
Kakashi's half-moon eyes widened slightly, then he looked away, pretending to watch the trees in the courtyard.
Moku gave a dry laugh: "Don't say that, Kakashi is much better than me. It's my honor to be his classmate."
He secretly glanced at Kakashi and found that he was staring at a corner of the courtyard, but his ear tips were slightly red.
Tsk, this guy, clearly happy inside, what's with the feigned calmness.
In the living room.
After serving tea, Shizune retreated, leaving the space to the guests.
Rin originally wanted to stay and help host, but Moku signaled her with his eyes to avoid it first—he could roughly guess what Sakumo wanted to say.
Sure enough, after Shizune left, the first thing Sakumo said was:
"I remember what happened that day."
He sat on the tatami, holding the teacup with both hands, his gaze falling on the tea leaves floating in the cup.
"I remember making that decision, remember returning home, remember picking up the blade... and then everything was a blur."
He raised his head and looked at Moku, "But I remember you, sweating profusely."
Moku scratched his head, not knowing what to say.
Sakumo continued: "Lady Tsunade told me later that if it weren't for that palm of Sage Jutsu of yours stabilizing my injuries, she wouldn't have made it in time."
He put down the teacup and looked at Moku solemnly.
"You saved my life, and you also saved Kakashi's life."
Moku was stunned for a moment and subconsciously looked at Kakashi beside him.
Kakashi lowered his head, his expression unclear. But his hands were gripping his pant legs tightly.
"I am not just being polite." Sakumo's voice was very calm, "When I made that choice, I thought that my death would be the best ending for everyone—the Village wouldn't have to face me, a'sinner,' anymore, and Kakashi wouldn't be dragged down by my infamy."
He paused, a bitter smile appearing on the corner of his mouth.
"But when I woke up and saw Kakashi sitting by the bed, his eyes red but holding back tears, I realized how stupid I was."
"If I had died, what would have happened to Kakashi?" Sakumo's gaze fell on his son, filled with heartache and guilt.
"Would he have lived on carrying my'sin,' or would he have blamed everything on himself? Would he have become indifferent, or paranoid?"
He took a deep breath and looked back at Moku.
"It was you who gave him a father, and gave me a chance to be a father again."
Moku felt a bit embarrassed by these words, his face slightly hot: "Uncle Sakumo, please don't say that... I just thought at the time that I couldn't let Kakashi lose his father, I didn't think that much..."
"That is why I must thank you even more." Sakumo said seriously, "Because you didn't think that much, and simply didn't want to watch a classmate lose a loved one, this sentiment is even more precious."
He suddenly stood up and bowed again.
This time Moku couldn't dodge—Sakumo's movements were too fast and clearly sincere.
"Moku-kun, from today on, the Hatake family owes you a life." He straightened up, his gaze firm, "In the future, if you need anything, just say the word. Even if it's a mountain of blades or a sea of fire, I, Sakumo Hatake, will never frown."
Moku looked at the serious expression of this man who once shook the Ninja World, and suddenly felt a bit dazed.
He saved the White Fang; he didn't just save Kakashi's father, nor did he just change Kakashi's life trajectory.
He also kept a top-tier combat power for Konoha.
In the original work, this person died when Kakashi was six, and from then on, Konoha lost one of its sharpest blades.
And now, this blade is still here.
Then, what will the future Ninja World War be like...
Moku took a deep breath, pushed those distant thoughts down, and gave a sweet smile.
"Uncle Sakumo, you really don't have to do this. How about..."
He thought for a moment, and his eyes lit up.
"You can just treat me to Ichiraku Ramen. Kakashi still owes me a meal, so we can just have it together. And don't call me Moku-kun, just Moku is fine."
Sakumo was stunned, then laughed.
"Alright, Ichiraku Ramen." He glanced at Kakashi, who finally raised his head beside him, "However, ramen alone is not enough to repay this favor."
He suddenly remembered something, and his gaze swept over Moku.
"Then, Moku, do you want to learn swordsmanship?"
"Eh?" Moku was stunned.
"If you don't mind, I can give you some pointers."
"You saved my life, and I have nothing to repay you with. But as for swordsmanship, I have practiced it for a lifetime, and I have some insights."
He paused, his tone serious, "Are you willing to learn?"
Moku opened his mouth, unable to speak for a moment.
He had been worrying about the swordsmanship rewarded by the system—in his memory, Kakashi didn't use a sword much later on, and grinding favorability with Kakashi probably wouldn't improve his swordsmanship.
Wouldn't that swordsmanship just be wasted?
Unexpectedly, someone offered a pillow just as he was getting sleepy.
"I'm willing!" Moku nodded like a chicken pecking at rice, afraid that Sakumo would regret it the next second, "Thank you, Uncle Sakumo!"
Sakumo smiled and reached out to pat his shoulder.
"Then starting tomorrow, come to my house every afternoon."
He glanced at Kakashi beside him, his tone tinged with a bit of teasing, "It just so happens that you can practice with Kakashi."
Kakashi's expression stiffened visibly.
"Father, I—"
Sakumo rarely showed a father's dignity, raised his eyebrows, "Why? Isn't it a good thing to have a partner to practice swordsmanship with?"
Kakashi opened his mouth, but finally closed it.
But he secretly glanced at Moku.
Moku happened to look over too and winked at him.
Kakashi silently looked away.
But Moku clearly saw that his ear, the only one exposed, turned red again.
Tsk, what is this guy doing today? Either lowering his head or avoiding me, this isn't like him?
Wait!
Why have I seen this scene before?
He stared at Kakashi's red ear, deep in thought.
[ Favorability from Kakashi + 1 ]
Moku: "..."
He only hopes now that Kakashi's "favorability" means the same thing as his understanding of "favorability."
Otherwise, this plot direction... is a bit dangerous.