Kakashi stared down at the lifeless corpse at her feet. Sweat gathered on her forehead.
"I see." She might have miscalculated and fucked up a little. "So… who is in charge now that he is… pretty dead?"
Murmurs broke out among the people around her, but no one seemed eager to answer.
"Er… well, I think that would be you."
"Eh?!" Kakashi pointed at herself in surprise.
Is this karma?
It must be karma because she made fun of how Naruto looked in the Hokage hat. She made fun of him once, and now she is cursed to be the authoritative figure everyone looks to again.
"And how does it make any sense that I would be the one in charge now?"
"Sana-san…" The man hesitated, looking almost afraid to explain. "The only way for someone to become the next clan leader is by killing the previous one."
Ah…
That's right… Sana's husband, Hatake Daichi, had been the clan head, and to take his place, Min- whatever his name was, had killed Daichi and then wanted to take everything that belonged to him.
So after killing Daichi, he kicked Sana out of their home and threw her into the shack that Kakashi woke up in until she agreed to marry him.
Because Sana was the clan head's wife, Minoru believed that taking the position also meant taking possession of her.
God, Kakashi killed him a little too fast. She should have just kept him alive as her punching bag. Maybe then she wouldn't be in this situation.
She literally just retired! Why is this happening?!
She can't handle being a leader again! The paperwork is just too much! This is straight-up abuse!
"There is no way we are letting a grieving widow lead us." Someone suddenly spoke up in the crowd.
Kakashi's gaze flicked toward the speaker.
The people who were suddenly in the line of sight of the woman who made killing Minoru look like child's play quickly scattered, leaving only…
A teenager, or maybe a young man, who was rather short.
While others backed away, he stood his ground under Kakashi's scrutiny. "Sana-sama, you only killed Minoru as revenge for your husband and not because you wanted to challenge him for the title of a clan head." He straightened as he spoke to her. "Forcing you to take the title is unfair to you."
Huh, if Kakashi is being honest, when he first spoke up, she had expected him to argue that they couldn't let her lead because she was a woman.
Turns out he was only rightfully worried about her mental stability. Which was really valid. Don't just allow the woman who killed your leader to lead you.
Looking at him, with his bright eyes and clenched fists, this guy might actually make a decent clan head.
"I totally agree." Kakashi nodded. "You should be the clan head instead."
"Huh- wait, what?"
"I'm totally unfit to lead since I am oh so very heartbroken." She dramatically held a hand over her heart. "So you should be the leader."
"But- but I can't even fight that well," the guy stuttered out uncertainly, looking to the other guy standing by Kakashi, who just shrugged at him. "How can I be the clan head if I can't defend?"
"Maa," Kakashi paused to think about it. For now, she was stuck here, so it wouldn't hurt to help these people out a little. "I guess I will have to teach you how to fight."
He looked at her with wide eyes. "You would teach me how to fight like you?"
The fight between the widow and Minoru might have been short, but that only proved how easily she could end a fight.
The fact that she was even willing to teach him was a miracle. After all, it wasn't very common for people who competed for the title of clan head to teach the younger generation, in fear that they would one day replace them because of that knowledge.
"The important question right now is whether you're willing to learn."
"I am!" He answered immediately, his voice sure and his stance steady.
Kakashi closed her eyes in a smile, her lips twitching up behind the cloth mask. "It has been decided. Then tell me your name."
It was so exciting, getting a new student.
"My name is Hatake Itsuki! Please take care of me, Sana-sensei." He gave her a deep bow.
Kakashi flicked his forehead. "You should call me Kakashi-sensei instead."
Itsuki looked up at her, rubbing at the place he was hit in confusion. "Kakashi-sensei…?"
"Yes, after all, with Daichi gone, so is Sana. So I am Kakashi now." Kakashi shrugged a shoulder.
It was simply because Kakashi didn't plan to be Sana, and he didn't mind letting them think the grief had made Sana lose her mind if it allowed her to keep her identity.
Kakashi was still Kakashi. No matter the state of the body.
The people watching had interpreted those words in many ways.
Some thought that hearing her name from someone other than her late husband might have triggered a wave of grief in her and reminded her of what she had lost.
Some assumed she decided to be a different person after losing him.
None truly understood what Kakashi meant. That was exactly why she had kept her words vague.
Itsuki, who was among the people who thought hearing her name might hurt her, hurried to follow what his new mentor demanded. The last thing he wanted was to anger her and make her retract her offer to him. "Then I will be in your capable hands, Kakashi-sensei!"
"Wait! We aren't really letting a woman and some pathetic guy lead us!" Some guy in his thirties interrupted the heartfelt moment. "The elders can't truly approve this!"
The elders he pointed to quickly looked away. They all wanted to beat him up and curse at him. What kind of nonsense was he spouting?!
The elders' top priority was keeping the Hatake clan prosperous, and to that end, their head needed to be strong enough to fight off anyone who might encroach on their territory.
In a time like this, when their entire clan could be annihilated at any moment, who cared about the leader's gender as long as they were a good fighter?
Had that fool seen how the widow killed Minoru?
If she was willing to teach Itsuki to fight like that, they didn't care which of them took the seat, as long as their clan lived another year.
"Someone shut that idiot up," One of the elders hissed, though maybe a little too loudly, because the widow heard her.
"I got you." Kakashi winked at the elderly lady, then went up to the guy and kneed him in the balls before he could react.
All the men in their little crowd took three steps back from her with a wince, as if Kakashi had struck them collectively. Their faces contorted as the man dropped to the floor.
Yeah, getting balls smashed sure hurts, huh.
"That's for ruining such an emotional moment."
If Kakashi doesn't get to have a dick, then neither does a trash like this bastard. Let's see if you can still act like a dick if you no longer have one.