Sakumo Hatake

Sakumo had a gentle face marked by dark eyes with deep creases beneath them. His silver hair stood in spikes that reached the middle of his back, gathered into a ponytail, with bangs draped over his forehead protector. He wore the standard Konoha uniform with gloves, a flak jacket, and bandages on one arm, set apart by a short white sleeve trimmed in red and stamped with the crest of Uzushiogakure. A holster slung across his shoulder carried the White Light Chakra Sabre. So closely does his son resemble him that Kakashi was more than once mistaken for his father.

Kind and steadfast, Sakumo cherished his only son and, for all his fame and strength, carried himself with genuine humility, which is why Kakashi looked up to him so completely. His loyalty to Konoha was matched by an even fiercer commitment to those he cared for, a devotion so strong that he would forfeit a mission's success to save his comrades' lives. He was perceptive too, reading the worn-down Might Guy at a glance and rightly predicting the boy would grow into a formidable ninja.

In his prime Sakumo was hailed as a genius whose skill and fame were said to eclipse even the Sannin, his name a source of dread among rival nations, and his mastery of the White Light Chakra Sabre earned him his famous epithet. He killed Sasori's parents in the line of duty, drawing Chiyo's lasting hatred. His downfall came after he chose to abandon a vital mission to rescue his endangered teammates; the failure turned the Land of Fire, his village, and even the very people he had saved against him. Broken by the disgrace, Sakumo sank into depression, his abilities withered, and he eventually took his own life. Years later, after Kakashi briefly died defending Konoha during Pain's assault, father and son met at last in a shadowy limbo, where Kakashi voiced his understanding and forgiveness, freeing Sakumo to move on and rejoin his wife. His genius, his sabre, and his belief that comrades come before the mission all passed to Kakashi, shaping the ideals his son would one day teach Naruto.