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Sakumo lazily watched his infant son toddle around, playing with his toys on the living room carpet in front of him.
Sakumo was an extremely talented ninja, no less than a genius. Looked up to by nearly his entire village, stronger than even the Legendary Sannin, he barely took the dangers of his missions into consideration when given orders.
However when it came to taking care of Kakashi, even he wasn’t above admitting he was a little too in over his head, because last he checked, he was fairly certain most children didn’t begin walking at just 8 months old.
Yes, his child was, like him- a genius. Though he couldn’t quite talk yet, he was always getting into mischief around the estate. He could already open cupboards and any door handles he was able to reach, he was working on being able to climb onto the counter top. Sakumo was dreading the day he achieved his goal.
Though he was proud of Kakashi most of the time, it was a hassle taking care of such an intelligent child. He had to constantly make sure his weapons and explosive tags were far out of reach. (Yet another reason to be weary of Kakashi’s growing abilities, because heaven forbid he get his grubby little hands on Sakumo’s explosives) Underneath it all though, was a fair bit of sadness. Sakumo was a rather introverted man, meaning nobody talking to him as a kid was more of a bonus in his eyes. But what if his son didn’t turn out like that? Being a genius could be surprisingly lonely at times, and he wanted his son to make friends and bonds.
He shrugged off his musings as he focused back on Kakashi, observing a deep blue ball as if it was a science experiment of some sort. Sakumo couldn’t help but giggle as it fell out of his son’s grip, causing him to let out a little whine as he looked to his father for assistance. He gently handed the ball to Kakashi, who immediately lit up and grabbed it.
Kakashi opened his mouth wide in the beginnings of a sneeze, Sakumo had a chance to get a good look at Kakashi’s sharp teeth before his mouth quickly closed again with a sharp sneeze. Sakumo laughed. “Bless you.” Kakashi looked up at the sound of his father’s warm voice, regarding him for a second before resuming playing, now uninterested with the blue ball, focused on his favourite dog plushie.
Sakumo thought about Kakashi’s sharp canine teeth. He was so much like his mother.
Kakashi’s mother had been an Inuzuka, and came with all the typical Inuzuka traits. She was bold and brash, a bit stubborn and brute- like at times, but all in all she had been a very caring woman. Sakumo missed her deeply, though he was overjoyed Kakashi had inherited many of her qualities, mainly the dog- like ones; the ones he loved the most.
Kakashi had quite an impressive sense of smell for a human, let alone a baby. He of course had sharp teeth that came with a tendency to bite or chew on things even when he wasn’t teething. When angry or annoyed, he would catch a growl coming from his son. He would sometimes find his son lying in a sunny spot on the floor, similar to a dog, or chasing small animals such as squirrels around in the backyard.
Though Sakumo’s wife may no longer have been with him physically, part of him knew she was always watching him, making sure he was taking good care of their little puppy.
Kakashi yawned, drowsiness clouding his eyes. “Oi, Pup.” Kakashi turned to his father, knowing he’d been addressed. Sakumo had been calling Kakashi that nickname ever since he was born, so Kakashi figured out pretty quickly that whenever his father referred to someone as ‘Pup’ it generally meant him.
Sakumo gently picked up his child, pressing him close to his chest, stroking his soft hair. Kakashi, still clutching his plushie, leaned into his father’s hand, pressing for him to pet him more. Sakumo laughed his classic warm, hearty laugh, kissing the top of his son’s forehead.
His little puppy soon fell asleep safe and sound in his arms.