Uchiha Obito

Evening fell.

Kakashi came home, still unaware of what had happened.

Young and innocent, he was delighted that his ponytailed Second Uncle had come home and his ponytailed dad was cooking dinner himself.

Even better, his dad said he probably would not be going on missions anymore. Kakashi still did not understand what that meant.

All he knew was that he would no longer have to sleep alone at night, go to and from school without anyone accompanying him, or head over to Second Uncle's place alone to mooch meals.

Mm, starting tomorrow, I'll bring Dad along and go mooch meals with Obito.

As for Ling Tian, seeing the heartfelt smile spreading across his older brother's face made him genuinely happy for him.

At that moment, there was no transmigrator, no mission, and certainly no slapping his older brother. There was only family.

One family!

If White Fang could stay this way forever, then fuck the mission, and fuck unlocking the panel early.

But was that possible?

No. What was coming would come.

And so the night passed, with little Kakashi happy, White Fang guilt-ridden, and Ling Tian worried.

The next day.

The sky had barely brightened. The sun was rising, and red clouds spread across half the heavens.

Ling Tian knew his older brother might still be unsure how to face his son, so he volunteered first thing in the morning to take his nephew to school.

Kakashi was not particularly pleased, but what he thought did not matter.

If he dared kick up a fuss, well, Ling Tian had nothing better to do than give his nephew a morning spanking.

At that moment.

The uncle and nephew, one big and one small, walked hand in hand through the streets of the Leaf Village.

Dressed in casual clothes with his hair tied in a ponytail, Ling Tian held his nephew's hand, a faint, heartwarming smile on his face as he walked and chatted with the parents who greeted him.

"Daigu's mom, good morning."

"Why, our great benefactor! You have time to take a child to school today? This must be Lord White Fang's son, right?"

"Granny Wang, just call me Ling Tian. Taking your granddaughter to school? You're in such good health! I hope I'm as healthy as you when I reach your age."

"Morning, ma'am. Your two children are adorable, much cuter than our Kakashi. When Jonin Watanabe gets back, I'll have to tell him to come buy you some jewelry at my shop to make it up to you. Looking after two children alone at home isn't easy!"

"Oh, not at all. It's Kakashi who's been troubling your clan's children. He lost his mother when he was little, and my brother and I have spoiled him. Please don't hold it against him if he misbehaves."

"A marriage alliance? Of course, of course. As long as the children like each other, we'd be delighted. Why would we object? It would be an honor for the Hatake Clan to marry a girl from the Uchiha Clan."

"What? You want to introduce someone to me, not Kakashi? To tell you the truth, Ling Tian's heart already belongs to someone."

"She isn't from our village. She's from another village, a big star."

"No, she's not a Daimyo's daughter or some great noble. She's just an ordinary girl. Mostly, I just really like her."

"What? You say Mikoto would be quite heartbroken if she knew..."

"..."

Only once there were fewer passersby did Ling Tian ask his nephew, "Notice anything?"

"What?"

Kakashi rolled his eyes, finding his uncle's behavior incredibly boring.

He was not a little kid, nor was he seventy or eighty. Why did he have to be as long-winded as the granny next door, chatting forever with everyone he met?

Ling Tian stopped and said sternly, "A ninja's code: observe every change in your surroundings. What happened to everything you learned?"

"..."

"Second Uncle, how do you know about these things?"

"What, you think your Second Uncle shouldn't know these things just because he never attended the Ninja Academy?"

Kakashi said, "Our teachers haven't taught us that yet."

So long-winded.

I never asked you to take me.

Ling Tian had no idea what his nephew was thinking.

He continued, "Fewer people came to greet us today than before. Didn't you notice?" Kakashi paused. If his Second Uncle had not mentioned it, he would not have noticed. In the past, all those grannies, grandpas, and aunties could pester him to death.

But what did that prove?

There were just fewer people saying hello. So what?

"Your dad is White Fang. Everyone used to want him to recognize their faces. But today, only people from ordinary civilian families came to greet us. Didn't you notice anything?"

Ling Tian continued, "Have you ever seen anyone from the Uchiha Clan come greet us before? Today was the first time, wasn't it?"

"Uncle, do you mean we're going to be in trouble?"

Ling Tian said earnestly, "Before, the Uchiha Clan had to avoid arousing suspicion, so they didn't dare have ties with us. Now the other ninja clans are distancing themselves from us, while the Uchiha Clan has taken the initiative to show goodwill. All of that proves one thing: our Hatake Clan is in trouble. From here on, one wrong step could leave us beyond saving."

"Is it because of Father?"

Kakashi recalled his conversation with Second Uncle yesterday, as well as what his dad had said last night.

"Yes!" Ling Tian smiled. "Your dad has been set up. From now on, our Hatake Clan needs to keep a lower profile. If anyone from the Uchiha Clan approaches you at school, remember to accept some of their goodwill. As for people from the other clans, remember to keep your distance."

"Uncle, is it really that serious?"

Kakashi was somewhat unconvinced.

You have money, and my dad has earned plenty of merit. He's so strong, too. What is there to fear?

Ling Tian said gravely, "It's even more serious than you imagine. They can't do anything to your dad or Second Uncle, so they can only use you to achieve certain goals..."

"You must remember that everything your dad does is for the two of us. He has never thought of himself, so don't let anyone use you. If there's anything you don't understand, come ask me."

Kakashi nodded. Clearly, the words had sunk in.

"All right."

Ling Tian pinched his nephew's cheek. Afraid he would worry too much, he reassured him, "It's not such a big deal. You still have your Second Uncle here. It won't be that easy for them to scheme against us. We'll let them enjoy themselves for a few days, then settle the score later."

This nephew of mine has had a hard life, too!

"Second Uncle, I understand. Is there anything I can do to help?"

Ling Tian was momentarily at a loss. "What, don't you trust your father and your Second Uncle? You don't have to be so well-behaved. Just know what you should and shouldn't do. We're only pretending to be weak right now. You don't need to worry."

"But I want to help, too."

Seeing his nephew's serious expression, Ling Tian nodded. "All right, then. Do your Second Uncle a favor. Starting today, bring a classmate home for dinner. We need people to think we've allied with the Uchiha Clan."

Kakashi hesitated at that. "That's all?"

"It's not that simple."

Ling Tian said softly, "First, that person must have some standing in the Uchiha Clan. Even if he doesn't have any now, one of his relatives must have been an important figure in the past...

"Second, you have to get him to come willingly to our house for dinner. Finally, you need to find a way to spread the news. Ideally, everyone in the school should know."

Kakashi froze.

Ling Tian smiled. "What, realizing it isn't easy?"

Kakashi shook his head. "I know someone."

Then he hesitated. "But he doesn't have much talent as a ninja. He's the dead last."

"Who are you talking about?"

"His name is Obito."

It took some doing! You finally thought of Obito... Ling Tian feigned surprise. "Obito? The one you mentioned last time?"

"Mm." Kakashi nodded emphatically. "Lord Kagami Uchiha was Obito's great-uncle. Obito has no family, so Lord Kagami Uchiha's wife raised him..."