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Sakumo’s only child wasn’t a picky one. The pup usually went along with anything the man did. Training, eating, they just got through it all without a hitch. But things started to change as the little menace enrolled in the ninja academy.
That mask that the child was so fond off now became a fixture on that chubby face. No friends ever came to visit the Hatake state and now he noticed his child seemed to often be… uncomfortable.
Sakumo worried. He worried he might have isolated his only child too much and stumped her social skills, hell, Sakumo himself wasn’t a good example of socializing, seeing how people would often make him break into a sweat (despite how he could easily fight with a power to rival the fiercest storms).
His child refused to spend time with anyone but himself, and when it was time for the spring festival and Sakumo tried to dress his heir in a pretty yukata so she could go around having fun with friends, she threw a fit.
“Please, pup. It’s gonna be fun. We can just stay a few minutes and then head home!” He tried arguing, his little menace just crossing her arms and turning her head away from him.
“I won’t!”
“Why not? You never disliked the festival so much before.” The white fang felt himself whine.
“I don’t want to put it on!” She argued. Sakumo looked at the yukata he held. There didn’t seem to be anything wrong with it. It looked pretty in his opinion yellow and oranges adorning the thing like a bright sunrise, but maybe he had a bad eye for it.
“What’s wrong with it?” He asked.
“It’s for girls, I don’t want it.”
Sakumo frowned, confused.
“Well, yes. You are a girl after all.”
His child glared daggers at him, eyes lit with fury. She closed the door to the bathroom and refused to go out. Sakumo sighed with irritation, and then a strange sadness. He really wasn’t good at this.
“Will you come with the blue one then?” He asked, referring to the blue yukata she had used a few months before. It was probably getting small and it had a dull pattern. Just a boring but comfortable thing overall.
His child hesitated, but finally came out of the bathroom, relenting.
They went to the festival together and his child stuck to his side until Sakumo basically ordered her to try and go have fun. He followed her with his eyes as she paced through stalls, participating in a game or another, avoiding talking to anyone. She then returned to him later holding her prices, silent.
Sakumo really needed help with this.
The days passed by and things returned to normal. Or as normal as they usually were. And so Sakumo’s worries slowly dwindled as he slotted that event as just a temper tantrum. Maybe she had just as boring taste in clothes as himself, which was a shame.
But when the weeks in the academy started passing by, his child started a new routine of coming home and, well, bringing up concerns about the classes she took. Some about her classmates, some about her teachers, but mostly the classes themselves.
“I don’t like kunoichi classes.” She started during their little afternoon training.
“I’ve told you already, pup. They are necessary.” Sakumo said as he stretched.
“Why do only girls learn that? Shouldn’t you know that too then?”
Sakumo took a deep breath. Well, she was right, in a way. Sakumo found silly the strange classes the girls would have to take to become a genin, but he didn’t really question it, thinking that maybe he just didn’t know any better to say what’s right and wrong.
“I don’t want to be in the girls class.” There it was again, Sakumo looked confused at his daughter.
“But you are a girl.”
And his daughter stared back. Angry and upset, looking away like Sakumo had just said something wrong.
“I don’t want to be.”
“Why not?” He stopped his training, attention fully on his child now.
“I wanna be like you.” She said under her breath.
“You can be a girl and be a strong ninja.” Sakumo tried. “You know, like Tsunade-sama for example…” he tried for other examples of women closer to his style of action and came up short. God, was he that dense or did they really lack giving kunoichi proper credit for their achievements throughout history? He wasn’t ready to talk about his wife at that moment (if she was there she would know what to do, wouldn’t she?).
“I know that.” She shot him a glance that clearly communicated that she thought he was stupid. “I just don’t want to be a girl.”
Sakumo felt his anxiety bubbling at the pit of his stomach.
Maybe he really had gone and ruined his daughter's social skills. Isolated her so much her only figure to look up to was himself, and she mirrored herself in his image so bad she didn’t know how to positively be a woman. Because Sakumo was that good at ruining things.
Or maybe he was getting it all wrong again because Sakumo was bad at this . He sighed, running a hand through his hair.
“I’m gonna graduate soon so I don’t have to take those dumb classes anymore.” She grumbled.
“Okay…” he said, because he didn’t know what else to say and maybe that was the escape he needed. “Okay...” and he got back to training and let the topic drop.
And the next morning he sought out Tsunade.
Only halfway through doing so he realized how bad of an idea this was. Tsunade scared him. She was strong in the literal and metaphorical sense, she was legendary, having feats that most likely surpassed his and she was even scarier when sober.
And Sakumo was a fool in a man’s shoes.
Even so, she was a friend of Jiraiya, thus somewhat a friend of his as well, and hopefully someone well suited to help him with his problem.
“Are you going to spit it out already or are you just gonna keep pouting at me?” She stared up at him (because she was strong but Sakumo was very tall).
“Sorry, “ he started, he didn’t know how else to “it’s just well… it’s my daughter-”
“I’m not taking anyone as students, I’ve got my hands full already.” She interrupted him.
“What? No, that’s not it. I mean… I think she needs as mother figure in her life.”
Sakumo could see the veins in Tsunade’s brows pop.
“Are you hitting on me, bastard?!” She clenched her fists. He suddenly realised what he had said, sweat collecting on his forehead. He wildly waved his hands in a pacifying manner.
“N-no! That came out wrong! Sorry! What I meant is, I don’t think I’m raising her right!” He tried amending. “She’s been complaining about kunoichi classes and saying things like she doesn’t want to be a girl and I was afraid that maybe I was a bad influence.”
Tsunade continued to stare, rage simmering down but not really leaving as she listened in.
“Did I accidentally make her hate women? She hasn’t been socializing well with other kids and… with her saying she wants to be like me and not a girl… I just…” he trailed off, nervously scratching the back of his neck. A tick of silence passed as Tsunade raised a brow at him.
“Idiot, why are you asking me about this?” She crossed her arms.
“Well, since you are such a strong role model, I thought maybe you could help her? If you wanted of course.” He felt just more anxious saying it out loud. “I don’t know how to help her make friends or fit in, and I fear my advice outside of combat is a bit useless. Maybe if she made other ties…”
“Tch, you and your pity party. Not everything is about you.” She yanked his arm, leading him into the library at the street corner. “Seriously, why’d you come dumping your family problems on me? It’s your kid! You talk to her about it like a decent human being instead of pitying yourself like a damn fool.” She dragged him inside and across isles, stopping to browse through a shelf.
Sakumo only stared in silence as she cursed under her breath. Her fingers finally stopped over a book, pulling it out and hitting it over Sakumo’s head. He winced, rubbing his head and accepting the book.
“‘Legend of Konoha’, hah.” She scoffed, turning away to leave. “Scared of little children.” She half heartedly waved at him, raising her voice “Talk to me again if that turns out to be the case.”
She continued, exiting the building and leaving Sakumo to nurse his wounded pride (and head).
He turned the book in his hand, reading over the title. Gender and Sexuality . He frowned, sitting by the closest table and carefully opening it. If Tsunade wanted him to read this and talk to his daughter, then he would.
It was… an interesting read. Sakumo felt, well, dumb at how ignorant he had been of such matters. He had vague ideas and heard distant stories, but it never really clicked how those things just… happened. They just were. (He’d have to look into his own relationships with people after that, just not now).
It made sense really and if that applied to his daughter (child?)... Well… he’d really only be sure by talking about it.
He collected a few more books and headed home.
Afternoon came and finally his child arrived home from the academy.
“Hey, can we talk about yesterday?” He asked, signing for the pup to sit down at the dining table. They just stared at him suspiciously, sitting down.
“Well…” Sakumo stared away, scratching the back of his head. “You know how you said about not wanting to be a girl?”
His child nodded.
“Does that mean… you’d be happier if you were a boy?” He asked awkwardly.
There was a glint in his child’s eyes.
“Can I?”
“If… if that’s what you want, I… We can do that, yes.” He swallowed the lump in his throat. “I’m just happy with whatever makes you happy.”
His child seemed to think for a moment. Legs kicking under the table, betraying the emotion they felt.
“Then… I can be a boy?”
“Yes.”
There was another pause as they thought.
“Okay, I want that.” He said firmly, as stubborn as he always was.
Sakumo let out a breath. His child definitely seemed to be… well… beaming in his own way. He was happy, Sakumo could deal with this, this was okay.
“Well, did you have any names in mind?”
“For me?” The pup asked. “You already gave me one.”
“Which one?”
“The one you picked.”
“Kakashi?” Sakumo asked, referring to the name he and his wife had settled with in case their child was…well... a boy. He had told his kid about it some time ago, he didn’t know he remembered it.
“Yes.” It wouldn’t go to waste at least.
“If you like it.” He ruffled his son’s hair, taking comfort that maybe he was doing parenting okay.
At least he thought he could claim so, if the bright glint in his son’s eyes was anything to go by it when he showed his dad his graduation papers weeks later, the name Hatake Kakashi displayed in a neat font (Tsunade really had her ways, huh?).
Yes, he was doing okay.