Unbeta'ed.

At around seven, Sakumo stops Dai from getting his eighth pint of beer in the nick of time, and after saying slurred goodbyes to their friends, Dai promptly passes out in the front seat of Sakumo's car. Sakumo starts the engine, and they drive to the elementary school to pick up their children. As they draw closer, he sees Kakashi and Dai's son kicking around a ball on the soccer field. Apart from them, there is no one else in the vicinity except for Inuzuka Tsume's teenage son sitting in the bleachers, watching them from afar.

Sakumo rolls down his window and waves his hand, catching the older boy's attention. The boy blows a whistle, and the two playing on the field stop to look at the source of the sound. When they spot Sakumo, Kakashi picks up the soccer ball and races to the bleachers for his bag. Gai follows suit, screaming something excitedly at the top of his lungs. The older boy saunters toward the car, clipboard in hand.

"Hey, Hatake-san," Inuzuka Kiba greets.

"Sorry about the wait," Sakumo tells the boy, scratching his head sheepishly. "We didn't expect to get out so late."

"No prob," the boy returns laconically. "Yer not that late. Mom had to end practice early 'cause of Hana throwin' a fit, so most of the kiddies left early. These two insisted on practicing some more step-overs, though." He nodded at the two younger children heading toward their direction. "They're pretty decent, when they aren't fighting with each other."

"High praise, coming from Konoha's soccer champ," Sakumo jokes, rummaging his pocket for his wallet. He slips a twenty into Kiba's hand. "Thanks for sticking around and looking after them, Kiba. Get yourself something to eat, it's getting late. Say hi to Tsume and Hana-chan for me."

"Thanks, Hatake-san. Will do."

Gai screams again, and both of them wince. "I'll be heading out, then," Kiba says.

"Alright. See you next week," Sakumo says, and Kiba nods before walking away. The thudding of small footsteps gets closer. Then the car handles on both rear doors click open.

"Tou-san!" Kakashi says happily.

"OTOU-SAN!" Gai shrieks, and Dai jerks awake.

The doors slam shut with a bang, and Sakumo winces again. "Don't slam the doors."

"Sorry," Kakashi and Gai say simultaneously. Kakashi turns around and glowers at his friend. Gai, being Gai, just smiles back innocently.

After dropping Gai and Dai home, Sakumo sends Kakashi upstairs to take a shower. Kakashi adamantly refuses, and after a few minutes of fruitless cajoling, Sakumo finally picks his struggling son up and carries him up the stairs to the bathroom in a fireman's lift.

"I hate showers," his son mutters, hanging limply across Sakumo's shoulders.

"I know, son. I do too," Sakumo sighs. He dreaded shower-time just as much as Kakashi did, and the tantrums that came along with it.

"Then whyyyy?" Kakashi moans, voice muffled by Sakumo's thick sweater. "Can't I take a shower after dinner? I'm hungry. And I really really want to tell you about this one thing that happened at practice, see, Gai, he—"

"You can tell me about soccer practice after you get clean," Sakumo says before depositing Kakashi in the bathroom. Sakumo closes the door and waits outside the bathroom for a few minutes. When he doesn't hear anything, he sighs.

"Let's hear some water running!" Sakumo hollers. Kakashi grumbles for a bit, but a little white after, the faucet squeaks, and the sound of water filling the bathtub reaches Sakumo's ears. Satisfied, Sakumo heads down the stairs to reheat last night's leftovers for dinner.

Kakashi returns from his shower with sopping wet hair and a dark scowl on his face that promptly vanishes when he sniffs the air.

"Saury?" he asks, and Sakumo nods. Kakashi brightens.

"I forgive you," he says magnanimously before scampering towards his spot at the dining table. He pushes the little step stool against the chair before clambering over it and into the cushioned booster seat. He grasps his chopsticks with one chubby hand and looks over at his father expectantly.

Sakumo barely restrains the urge to grab his camera and take a picture.

After dinner, Sakumo towels Kakashi's hair dry while they watch the evening news together in the living room. Kakashi snuggles between his father's knees and crosses his legs. Pakkun II trots over and nestles in Kakashi's arms with a whimper of content.

"Supers flout the Super Relocation Program in front of large crowd," the announcer says, and Sakumo stiffens. "Super talented, or super dumb? The government has not commented on the matter. Stay tuned for more details."

The screen then flashes blue before displaying the masked faces of three young supers: a pink-haired girl with a porcelain mask covering her entire face; a young man with the standard super mask over his eyes and a flashy black cape; and a shorter blond man clothed in a neon tracksuit. Sakumo gives the last picture another hard look.

The boy looks disconcertingly familiar.

"They're dumb," Kakashi mumbles suddenly, and Sakumo playfully covers Kakashi's eyes with the towel.

"What did I say about bad words, Kakashi?" He says reprovingly. Kakashi giggles. Sakumo lifts the towel and resumes drying Kakashi's hair, which now fluffs out like a dandelion clock.

"But Tou-san, they really are dumb. Even the man on the TV says so."

"Not dumb," Sakumo corrects, patting Kakashi's head. There. All done. "Just young. Everyone starts out like that."

Kakashi swivels around and squints at Sakumo. "How do you know, Tou-san?" He asks suspiciously.

Clever child.

"It's the same with everything, not just superhero work," Sakumo says. He changes the subject. "Including soccer. Tell me, straw son, how was practice today?"

Kakashi promptly clambers into Sakumo's lap and eagerly begins his story.

Soccer practice always tires Kakashi out, so when Kakashi starts to nod off in Sakumo's lap a little before half-past eight, Sakumo gently pulls Pakkun out of Kakashi's hands and deposits the dog on the couch before gathering Kakashi up in his arms. Kakashi clings to him like a koala, face pressed against his chest. If only he were this docile before, Sakumo thinks. Slowly, without disturbing Kakashi, he ascends the stairs and walk down the hallway to Kakashi's room.

He meets resistance when he tries to put Kakashi down on his bed.

Kakashi's arms tighten around him like a vise. "Don' go," Kakashi mumbles. "Need to tell you 'bout wha' Gai did at school today."

"You can tell me at breakfast, Kakashi," Sakumo soothes. He pries Kakashi's fingers from his neck and tuck the blankets around the boy securely. "Shhh."

"'m not sleepy," Kakashi protests drowsily. He tries to narrow his eyes, but they slowly slide shut. "No' sleepy."

Sakumo waits until Kakashi's breathing slows down before turning off the lights. "Good night, Kakashi," he says softly. When Kakashi doesn't respond, Sakumo tiptoes out of the room and shuts the door.

He remembers to place a sound barrier on the bedroom door before he goes down the stairs.

A few beats later, the doorbell rings.

"The Council's after you now, aren't they," Kagami says, crossing his arms and leaning against his chair. They're all sitting at the dining table. Kushina has shed her bubbly facade and sits across from Sakumo, looking as tense as her husband sitting next to her. Fugaku, of course, was not present.

"It wasn't as bad when Mito-sama was alive," Minato says. "But after she died last month, we started receiving summons to appear before the Council. There are a few reports about a rogue beast-human wreaking havoc on a small town a few miles away from the mountain, and they want to take Kushina into custody to make sure that it isn't her."

"Of course it's not me, dattebane," Kushina says, scowling. "I haven't gone outside Mt. Myoboku ever since Naruto and Menma were born."

Kagami stares at Minato. "You do realize what they want to do with her, I presume," Kagami says. "The Council is most definitely involved in the ongoing Super genetic trials. People who can transform into beasts are few and far in between."

"Of course I do," Minato replies tersely. "We've been lying low ever since the other children were born, but—" He closes his eyes and exhales. "Naruto and Menma are in danger," he says. "We just found that they've been leaving the mountain these past few weeks. We have to find them."

Sakumo looks at Minato and Kushina, nonplussed. "How did they slip past all those seals on Mt. Myoboku?" He asks. "Actually, no, I don't want to know. We're talking about the kids who undid the protective barrier around your house when they were two. Of course your children would know how to undo Jiraiya's handiwork."

Kushina puffs up her chest. "They are smart, aren't they? I'll tell them that you complimented them after I beat them up for sneaking out of the house."

Kagami's brows are still furrowed. "How in the world did you not notice that your children were gone, Tomato?" He asks Kushina. "A few days, I can accept, but a few weeks?!"

"I was bored, so I taught Naruto how to make shadow clones a while ago," Kushina says a little sheepishly. "It's a clan technique. Menma isn't as good at making them, but he has other talents." She glares at Kagami. "And for your information, I am NOT a tomato, you curly-haired freak."

Kagami snorts. Sakumo jumps in before Kagami can say anything else.

"You want us to help you find your sons, right?" Sakumo asks the Uzumakis. "Because I'm reasonably certain that I know where one of them is. The blond one. I saw him on TV an hour ago." He frowns. "He's probably at HQ right now. I'm guessing that you warned them away from it, right?"

Minato groans. "Of course they would," he mutters. "Why didn't I think of that." He stops, suddenly realizing something. "Jiraiya."

"...I hate to say this, but if they're with the old pervert, they're in good hands," Sakumo says. "Well, physically. Morally, not so much."

Kushina nudges her husband. "We'll have to deep cleanse their brains later," she mutters.

"I'd say that compared to your children, Tomato here is in bigger trouble," Kagami points out. "The Council wouldn't try to do anything as long as Jiraiya's around them."

The Uzumakis leave shortly afterwards in search of their errant children. Kagami, however, remains seated with a worried look in his eyes.

As soon as Minato and Kushina leave, Kagami slaps a seal on the table. It sparks before fizzing out, leaving a small burn mark on the finish.

"Hey!" Sakumo protests reflexively, then stiffens when he hears the faint buzz of the soundproof barrier Kagami had set up. The seal on Kakashi's door was a seal used for reconnaissance that muted sound for most people, excluding supers with heightened hearing, like Sakumo. This one, however, seemed a little different. Try as he might, Sakumo couldn't hear anything outside the barrier.

This didn't bode well.

"I'm sorry about the table, but there's no time and I need to ask you for a favor," Kagami says apologetically. "I can't trust anyone around me but you." He hesitates before elaborating. "Something might happen to my clan."

Sakumo, taken aback, looks at Kagami with a confused expression on his face. "What?"

Kagami places his palm face up on the table, and a small mirror materializes out of thin air. He reaches into the mirror and pulls out a manila file. He slides them over to Sakumo.

"These are the proposed changes to the Amendments that will pass if Shimura Danzo has his way," Kagami says.

"You mean the Council," Sakumo replies shortly, still pissed about the table. Kagami, however, shakes his head.

"Shimura's will is the Council's will," he says simply.

"I thought that Shimura was your friend," Sakumo says, now a little confused. "Weren't you two best friends in college? Didn't you convince Fugaku to back his bid for Councilman?"

Kagami doesn't answer, but Sakumo can see his jaw tighten. That must have hit a sore spot, then.

"We don't talk anymore," is all Kagami says. "Anyway, if you skip the first few pages about the new soda tax and muddle through all the technical jargon, the gist of it is that Shimura wants to limit the Uchiha by slashing the budget to the police department and setting a new quota on the number of Uchiha allowed to enter the Super Academy. He also wants to have special badges that identify Uchiha from non-Uchiha, and a few other things that I won't elaborate on."

"…He can't be serious," Sakumo says. "Does he think that this is Nazi Germany?"

Kagami barks out a short laugh. "Trust me. He's very serious."

"So how do you want me to help?" Sakumo asks. "I'm just a cop. There's literally nothing I can do."

"No, there is," Kagami says, then corrects himself. "Well, there're two things I have to ask of you." He pauses.

"I need you to help convince Minato to run for mayor." Kagami says. "Minato doesn't trust me as much as he trusts you. And you don't have a political incentive. I do."

Sakumo remains silent for a moment. He can see why Kagami would want Minato to be mayor. For one, despite his seclusion up on Mt. Myoboku, Minato remained a popular figure within the town. He was also fairly politically neutral, although the Council's current pursuit of his wife and children would probably make him less inclined to support their policies. All in all, he would make a good balance to curb some of the Council's excesses.

Most importantly, however, the mayor had the right to veto any amendment the Council wished to pass, and Sakumo suspected that this was the main reason Kagami wanted to back Minato. It also helped that Kushina was bosom friends with the Uchiha matriarch. Minato's victory would be a huge boon for the Uchiha.

But…

"I don't see why he would agree, especially with Kushina-san and the children in danger," Sakumo points out. "He won't have the time to campaign, not when he's busy protecting his family."

"The Uchiha can take care of the campaigning expenses," Kagami says, evidently expecting this argument. "Minato doesn't have to do anything."

"But what about their safety?" Sakumo asks.

"I'll ask Fugaku to station extra units around Mt. Myoboku," Kagami says. Sakumo just looks at Kagami, unconvinced.

"Minato becoming mayor won't stop the Council from going after his children, Kagami-san," he says. "If anything, they'll be more vulnerable once they move into Konoha. The mayoral residence won't have the same protections that the mountain provides. They're better off there."

Kagami snorts. "Mt. Myoboku's barriers will only withhold attacks, so long as there isn't a breach—especially from within the mountain. The two eldest have already found the weaknesses in the barrier. It's only a matter of time that the Council manages to find a way in, and Minato knows that. He just doesn't want to acknowledge the inevitable. There is no such thing as an impregnable fortress. The mayoral residence won't offer the same protection, true, but at least the Uzumakis will be in the public spotlight. They will have more resources at hand to ward off attacks and, in the worst case scenario, send out forces for retrieval."

"Fair enough," Sakumo concedes. "I'll help."

"Thanks," Kagami says with relief. He hesitates. "There's one more thing I wanted to ask from you."

"What is it?"

Kagami tells him.

"You can't be serious," Sakumo says flatly once he hears Kagami's request. "I'll be violating the terms of the Super Relocation Program. It'll be illegal."

Kagami raises an eyebrow. "You know as well as I do that supers still do super work, even in this political climate. Not as much as we used to, but…" he scowls. "All because of that stupid fool."

Sakumo doesn't need clarification to understand who the fool is. Mr. Incredible's incredibly inept blunder had cost active superheroes their livelihoods and the retirees their pensions. Small towns like Konoha with large percentages of supers were hard hit.

Needless to say, Mr. Incredible did not have a huge fanbase in Konoha.

"There should be plenty of people more qualified than me to do what you're asking me to do," Sakumo insists. He frowns slightly. "Where's everyone else?"

"HQ is pretty empty at the moment," Kagami replies. "Most of them haven't reported to HQ in a while and the few supers left are out at the moment. Something about fighting killer robot orbs in Manhattan?** Anyway, it sounds like Hiruzen's stretched paper-thin. These are just my own impressions, though, so you should call him in person. His number's still the same."

When Sakumo remains silent, Kagami sighs.

"I know I have no right to ask you, and I'm sorry, old friend. But I don't know who else I should turn to."

"You know I can't," Sakumo says quietly. "I…I can't do this again to Kakashi. Not again."

But to Sakumo's horror, Kagami lowers his head.

"Please," Kagami says, "please," and he bows to Sakumo.

Kagami is a fiercely prideful man, and Sakumo knows how much this one gesture costs the older man, to the man who refuses to bow to anyone, even to his clan head.

Sakumo hesitates. He thinks about his wife, now gone, but mostly about Kakashi, still asleep in his room.

Then he remembers how days after Niwa's death, Kagami had pulled him out of a drunken stupor from the bar and driven him back to his empty, wife-less home. Before leaving, Kagami had deposited a bundle into Sakumo's arms.

"I expect you to report to my office at 9," he'd said. "Don't be late," and he'd driven off. Sakumo had looked down at the bundle. It was the uniform of the Konoha Military Police Force.

Sakumo knows that Kagami is using him as a way to achieve his goals, but he doesn't blame the man for using every means accessible to protect his loved ones. Because despite Kagami's shortcomings, Kagami had always been a friend to Sakumo. He had given Sakumo his job at the police department all those years ago. More importantly, however, Kagami had given Sakumo a purpose when he'd desperately needed one.

It's the sort of favor that he doesn't think he'd ever be able to return in this lifetime.

So when he sees Kagami's bowed head, Sakumo makes a decision.

"I will," Sakumo tells him. Kagami raises his head, surprise and relief evident in his eyes.

"You will?"

"Yes," Sakumo promises, sighing internally. "I'll ask Hiruzen if he has any positions available on their teams. I won't let anything happen to Shisui and Sasuke. I promise."

Kagami leaves, but not before leaving behind a small business card.

Sarutobi Hiruzen, it reads, followed by a nonsensical string of letters and numbers in faded gold type.

"Classic sensei," Sakumo grouses aloud, before getting up from the table in search of pen and paper. He returns with a stub and a takeout menu, quickly writing out a twelve digit number on the paper after a cursory look at the code. He squints at the paper, then rearranges the numbers to form a nine digit number and a three digit number below it.

Sakumo hesitates for a brief moment before steeling his resolve and dialing the number. After a few rings, there's a click on the other side of the line.

"…Congratulations!" an automated female voice chirps. "You are our 100th caller today, and you have been selected for our one million dollar prize! Please enter your unique seven digit code—"

Sakumo promptly inputs the three digit number. There is silence on the other side.

Then—

"Please hold while I transfer your call," a male voice says smoothly, and there is a whirring sound. "Please hold," the male voice repeats.

There is a pause before the male voice resumes. "Before I transfer your call, we would like you to answer a three question survey. First question: Where would you find eternal flames?"

Sakumo begins to regret calling this number. He clears his throat. "When the tree leaves dance," he says, feeling foolish.

"Correct," the voice says. "Next question: what is the pillar that protects the nation?"

"The mayor and the will of the people."

"Correct. Last question: What is the Will of Fire?"

"The bonds between each and every person of this nation, regardless of blood relation." Sakumo recites from memory. "And every person will love, believe, and fight to protect this country."

There is a moment of silence. "Access granted," the voice says. "Please hold."

The line rings a few more times before someone finally picks up.

"Hiruzen speaking," his old teacher says.

Finally.

"Good evening, sensei."

There's a short pause.

"Sakumo?" Sarutobi-sensei's voice queries.

They exchange the usual greetings before Sakumo gently broaches the question to his former instructor. Sarutobi falls silent.

"I don't know, Sakumo," his old teacher sighs. "I'll see what I can do for you, but I can't make any promises."

"All right. Thanks, sensei." He had expected Sarutobi's dismissal, of course. Sakumo is about to end the call when he hears the distant sound of a crash.

"Sensei?" Sakumo asks. "Is everything okay?"

There's a sound of a muffled explosion and a shriek on the other end of the receiver.

"Sensei? Hello?"

"…Actually," Sarutobi says in a strained voice. "I have a job just for you. Come to HQ tomorrow morning at 8." The sound of another explosion cuts off when Sarutobi hangs up.

Sakumo just stares at his phone for a few seconds.

He's not entirely sure if he knows what he's gotten himself into.

AN: Thank you all for your encouragement! Let me know what your thoughts are on this chapter. I've realized that there really isn't that much Kakasaku content, whoops. I'll try to write more of that in the chapter right after the next one.

**In the Incredibles, Syndrome perfects his Omnidroids by hiring superheroes to fight it, all of whom are killed in the process, hence the disappearances. The remaining superheroes in the states, including those in Konoha, are ordered by the government to help the Incredibles and Frozone beat the Omnidroid that lands in Manhattan.