Ties That Bind

The Old Clan Head returned to the clan compound and immediately sent for Uchiha Setsuna and Uchiha Koh.

Before long, the three Uchiha elders had gathered in a simple yet elegant tatami room.

Perhaps because they had made their decision and formally entrusted the family's future to the younger generation, the burdens weighing on their shoulders and the conflicts between them suddenly vanished.

Seated across from one another, they felt a rare peace they had not known in a long time.

It was almost... as if they had been transported to another life.

Long ago, they had been hot-blooded young men fighting shoulder to shoulder for the family they loved, on the banks of the Naka River beneath the Uchiha Clan crest. The roar of ninjutsu had shaken their eardrums, and blood had soaked the earth beneath their feet.

"...Sarutobi's still the same. He only gave us some empty excuse."

The Old Clan Head recounted the negotiations in detail. At the end, he lifted his teacup, his expression unexpectedly relaxed, as though he had foreseen the outcome all along.

The warm tea soothed his throat. He set down his cup, and its porcelain base made a clear, crisp sound against the table.

Uchiha Setsuna leaned against his cushion, his long, gaunt fingers tapping absently against his knee.

After hearing the Old Clan Head's account, his eyebrows shot up, and a deeply scornful snort escaped his nose.

"He expects Uchiha to risk their lives, yet clings to every scrap of power and refuses to let go. He wants it both ways."

The old man's biting words were like poisoned kunai, striking straight at the heart of the matter. "His conduct is even more nauseating than the prostitutes on the hot spring street in the Land of Hot Water, who at least put a price on their services!"

Setsuna turned his head toward the blue sky and white clouds outside the window. His hoarse voice carried the cold mockery of a man who had seen through the ways of the world.

"At least those people understand the fairness of a transaction between consenting parties."

Silence settled over the room. The faint tap of his knuckles against his knee was the only sound, accompanied by the clack of the deer scarer outside.

The old man's cloudy yet still piercing eyes flashed with a sharpness like reflected steel.

"We absolutely cannot compromise this time!"

"Setsuna, don't rush."

Uchiha Koh leisurely set down his teacup and looked up at Setsuna, whose brows were still knitted with anger. His voice was as calm as the still waters deep in the Naka River.

"We're both old. It's time to let our anger settle."

Ever since he had entrusted his granddaughter to that brilliant younger generation member and knelt all night before the memorial tablets of his son and daughter-in-law, the obsession that had plagued him for years had vanished.

Now Koh sat in the light and shadow, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes relaxing into a serene expression.

The family's future belonged to the new generation, whose blood would blaze like the rising sun.

All he could do now was steer his weather-beaten body like a boat, guiding his people through the final stretch of the voyage.

If the time came, even his old bones could become kindling to light the way ahead.

"You always have a whole pile of reasons."

Watching Koh sit there so serenely, Setsuna straightened up and cleared his throat before abruptly changing the subject.

"Once we've taken care of everything at hand, why don't you come over to my place? We should sit down and discuss the children's wedding."

Koh's expression changed at once.

Even if he had tacitly accepted the reality, the thought of facing the fact that Setsuna's brat would whisk away his precious, carefully cherished granddaughter still made his chest tighten.

"Mm. That's true."

Koh agreed, then smoothly changed the subject without missing a beat. He glanced toward the Old Clan Head, who had been watching the exchange, and spoke up.

"Clan Head, speaking of which, Fugaku's getting on in years. When does he plan to marry?"

It's only because he's pursuing Mikoto. Otherwise, Fugaku would've been married long ago, and his children would probably be four or five by now, the Old Clan Head grumbled inwardly. He glanced at the two men before him—

Koh casually looked away, while Setsuna lifted his chin with composure, unconcealed smugness gleaming in his eyes.

After all, when Ren managed to win Mikoto over, Setsuna had been so delighted that he'd let himself go and gotten drunk the night before.

"With a major war looming and the Shinobi World in turmoil, arranging a marriage now would leave them with no certainty of tomorrow. We can wait until the situation becomes clearer."

The Old Clan Head glanced at Koh, whose expression held a trace of hopeful anticipation, and saw through him at once—

His old friend simply wanted to use his own words to delay Mikoto's marriage.

He already found the smug Setsuna irritating, so he decided to go along with it.

"Marriage concerns the children's whole lives. It would be far more fitting to hold the ceremony after they return victorious."

Setsuna snorted. How could he fail to understand what the two old men were up to?

But he didn't make a fuss. With his boy's careful mind and methods, it was only a matter of time before Mikoto willingly stayed by his side for the rest of her life.

Just wait until she gets pregnant before they're married. Let's see if Koh doesn't jump out of his skin.

Setsuna lifted his teacup and took a small sip, thinking gleefully to himself.

Seeing that he showed no further reaction, the other two returned to the matter at hand.

"The situation in the village is clear. Now we just have to see how Sarutobi Monkey intends to haggle with us."

"But the situation beyond the village is changing by the day. We need more comprehensive and timely intelligence to secure the initiative in our future negotiations with the Hokage, and even in the war."

The Old Clan Head looked at his two old friends, his gaze calm and resolute.

"So it's time to combine our separate intelligence networks into one."

"Only by joining forces and working toward the same goal can the Uchiha take steadier, longer strides."

Outside the window, sunlight shifted with the swaying shadows of the trees, casting the solemn figures of the three old men onto the wall like three ancient pines with deeply intertwined roots.

"Of course."

Koh nodded gravely.

"As for who should coordinate the intelligence, I propose that Mikoto, who's less suited to direct combat, take charge. Ren and Fugaku are better suited to leading the charge."

His suggestion was partly motivated by a desire to keep his granddaughter away from danger at the heart of things, but more than that, he was volunteering from an objective perspective.

The importance of intelligence was beyond question. It had to remain in the hands of their own people. Even Koh had reservations about entrusting it to their most loyal confidants!

Only Ren, Fugaku, and Mikoto could perfectly combine the intelligence gathered by the three families.

The other two understood that as well.

They also knew that assigning their younger generation to intelligence work, which would take a great deal of time to organize, would be a complete waste of their abilities.

Setsuna clapped his hands and nodded decisively.

"I agree. Mikoto is meticulous and thorough in everything she does. She's the ideal person to take charge of intelligence."

The Old Clan Head felt as though the other two had set him up. Watching them sing the same tune and then turn toward him in unison, urging him to respond, the corners of his mouth twitched. At last, he could only shake his head helplessly.

"You two old foxes... don't go dragging my Fugaku into this."

At his teasing rebuke, Koh and Setsuna laughed along with him.

Their laughter mingled with decades of grudges and understanding, like the crisp crack of the Naka River thawing as spring arrived.

The old divisions gradually faded like morning mist, replaced by the bond beneath the Uchiha Clan crest—a bond that had never changed!