Return to the Village

"Kaede, Tong, you two finished over there already?" Hakuya looked at the two who had come to his side, asking with some disappointment.

"You're really impressive, Hakuya. Look, I even got hurt—Kaede helped me finish up quickly." Tong spoke up to explain to Hakuya; she could tell he was a very hardworking person and couldn't afford to dampen a teammate's confidence.

"Hakuya, none of that matters. Gather the bandits' valuables—we need to head back to the village." Kaede's attitude toward his teammates was good. Hakuya seemed flashy but was meticulous, a solid teammate. He didn't want to lose someone so reliable.

As a Genin squad leaving the village on a mission, they naturally had a Jonin instructor. But their instructor was rather carefree—after leading them out of the village, he went off to enjoy himself.

"Yo~ Not bad, you three have improved a lot." Mingye, full of laziness, crouched atop a tree and greeted them with a grin.

"So annoying." His demeanor made him utterly detestable.

Kaede shot Mingye a sidelong glance. Now he knew just how unreliable this man was—taking them out on a mission only to sneak off for fun, leaving the three of them to handle it alone.

After the mission was complete, as their Jonin instructor, he still took the largest share of the reward. It gave off the vibe of a shady boss, and how could that not be infuriating?

"Let me see this mission's payout... looks pretty valuable. Let me calculate how much I get to split. Ah! Several tens of thousands of ryo. My little savings are about to grow again."

Mingye not only ignored Kaede's glare but even started calculating the reward in a mocking tone right in front of him, making the anger in Kaede's eyes flare up with no outlet.

"Hahaha, kids, we're heading back to the village." Mingye laughed loudly.

His son was getting stronger by the day; in a few years, his strength would probably match his own. Then it'd be hard to keep him in line. While he could still take advantage of his son being young, he enjoyed teasing Kaede.

"I really can't figure it out—are kids these days all this strong?" Mingye muttered to himself.

His son Kaede was definitely the strongest among their generation. Kakashi, son of the White Fang, had already become a Chunin, and among the Uchiha, the famous Uchiha Shisui had emerged—all of the younger generation.

This group of kids in their teens was putting quite a bit of pressure on the old-timers like him.

Tong and Hakuya watched the father-son pair bickering and snickered quietly; they were used to it by now.

"Uncle Mingye, when we get back this time, how long until we go out on another mission?" The pretty Tong asked a question that concerned Kaede.

"For the next mission, barring any surprises, we'll need at least a month of rest." Mingye said.

He and his wife both liked Tong, a young girl, as if she were their own daughter.

From the Land of Fire Border back to Konoha, even at their speed, it would take considerable time.

"Finally back. It feels great to return to the village!" Hakuya said.

Standing at Konoha's main gate, everyone shared that sentiment. Even if the village treated them harshly a thousand times, they'd still treat it like a first love—that was the feeling of home.

After verifying their identities, they entered the village. The guards at the gate were from the Uchiha and the Barrier Team—this was the only bit of presence the Uchiha had left: the Konoha Military Police.

In truth, it was a mix of something like city guards and garrison troops. So it wasn't without reason that the villagers disliked the Uchiha—letting a bunch of prideful people handle that job was bound to stir up public outrage.

It was all the work of that schemer Tobirama. You had to admit, among the Hokage, the only one who truly mastered politics was the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju.

He understood human nature and people's hearts with pinpoint accuracy. Konoha owed much to him and the systems he established for its enduring prosperity. Many of Konoha's institutions—like the Anbu, the ninja squad system, and the ninja academy—were all founded by him, later copied by the hidden villages of the other great nations.

He was the pioneer who opened the path of development for the Shinobi World, an undeniable leader. Maybe that was why he was so scheming—always feeling like someone was out to get him, unable to trust anyone—so he ended up dying without a wife.

Kaede thought maliciously as he returned to the Uchiha Clan Grounds.

After parting ways with Tong and Hakuya, he and his father entered the house, where his eagerly waiting mother, Xiang, greeted them.

"Xiang, why are you out here? Get inside—you're at a critical stage now, can't catch a cold." Mingye saw his wife and hurriedly sent her back to her room.

"Hmph! It's both your faults. You're both the same—heartless. Every time you go out, it's ten days or half a month before you come back, leaving me alone at home..."

Xiang rambled on, and the two men in the family—father and son—hung their heads low, not daring to provoke her. Only when she grew tired did she yawn and speak.

"I'll let you off today. Lucky for me, I'm clever—if you two won't keep me company, I'll just make another one." Xiang stroked her swollen belly, radiating maternal glow.

"Especially you, Kaede. You've grown up and don't listen to me anymore, so I have no choice but to give you a little brother or sister. You don't mind, do you?" Xiang shot a glance at Mingye, then turned to Kaede.

"No, not at all."

Seeing the fire about to land on him, he quickly explained.

Wiping away cold sweat, his mom's temper during pregnancy was way too fierce, and he dared not provoke her—she was the family treasure now.

"Actually, having a little brother or sister to keep her company isn't a bad choice." That was his true thought.

He was already ten years old, soon to be eleven in a few days, standing about 1.5 meters tall—fairly tall for his age.

Thanks to the power of the Divine Body Rune, he never got sick, had boundless energy, and developed well. The only flaw was that his "tool" was still maturing.

Running missions with his father and training at home, he might even have to go to the battlefield in a few years—he simply didn't have the time to keep his lonely mother company.

"Mother, I'm going to rest now."

With that, he quickly got up and left, escaping his mother's mental assault and leaving everything to his unreliable father.

"Uncle Teuchi, give me a bowl of ramen!"

After washing off the dust of the journey, Kaede arrived at Ichiraku Ramen, ready to fill his stomach—he had no desire to eat his father's terrible cooking.

"Oh, Kaede! Back from a mission?" Teuchi squinted happily and set a bowl of ramen on Kaede's table.

"Uncle, looks like business is getting better and better lately. How much are we making this month?"

"Profit isn't the main thing. Bringing people joy with delicious food—that's the true essence of Ichiraku Ramen, Kaede." Teuchi said to Kaede with a serious face.

"Ahaha... I was just curious."

"Haven't calculated it yet, but it should be double last month's." Teuchi lowered his voice to Kaede.

"Tsk tsk! Investing in the food business and being the boss really is the most profitable." Kaede sighed.

Ichiraku Ramen had gone from a tiny little shack to a restaurant with a big hall, still located in Konoha's busiest district.

And that was the result of Teuchi and Kaede working together.