The Third Generation's Summons

These past few days, Kaede had often been absentmindedly gazing at the newborn Quan. The little girl had fully opened up over the last couple of days—fair and tender, if a bit prone to crying. Those bright eyes, like a clear spring, reflected all the impurities of the human heart.

The June sky was bright but carried a hint of sweltering heat. Standing atop the cliff, facing the cold wind from the north, brought a sense of relief. Kaede quietly looked down at the neatly arranged houses of the Uchiha Clan Grounds not far below. Occasionally, he could see children running and playing joyfully, though he couldn't hear their laughter.

Yet in his heart, laughter and cheer rang out—so uplifting. In a few years, Quan would be like them, running happily under the setting sun. Such a beautiful thing, he would never allow anyone to destroy it.

"Kaede, what's wrong? Feeling neglected now that you have a little sister?" Hitomi appeared beside Kaede, teasing him.

He turned back with a faint smile in response, and after a long pause, said, "How could that be? I was just thinking about some things, feeling a bit sentimental. Hitomi, do you like the Uchiha as they are now?"

Hitomi didn't know the intent behind Kaede's question, but answered honestly, "I wouldn't say I like them, but I don't dislike them either. After all, it's our own clan." She knew that many in the village disliked the Uchiha Clan, but she was Uchiha Hitomi—she couldn't bring herself to hate her own family.

Kaede stood up. The slanting rays of the setting sun fell on his chiseled face, gentle yet carrying a resolute strength. "Hitomi, what if I said I want to change the Uchiha Clan, make it so the villagers like us? Would you like an Uchiha like that?"

Hitomi quietly watched the captivating aura radiating from Kaede at that moment. "Then, Kaede, would you like an Uchiha like that?"

"Of course. I'll change it according to my own will."

Squinting, a blush tinting her pretty face, Hitomi said, "What Kaede likes, I'll like too."

Kaede turned to look, and Hitomi shyly averted her face. "Silly girl, let's head back."

Hitomi followed behind Kaede, her mind full of thoughts. She playfully clenched her fist and made a threatening gesture. As she grew up, she became more and more beautiful.

In Kaede's eyes, he could always find traces of Hitomi's ancestor, Uchiha Haru, in her—that quiet beauty, like a still lake, gently nourishing all things. Hitomi bore some resemblance to that remarkable woman of the Uchiha; it must be a matter of genetics.

Just as he stepped through the door, he heard Quan's crying from inside the house. The wailing pierced through the wooden walls, crisp and loud, quite irritating to the ears.

He entered the room and saw his father Mingye trying to take care of Quan, seemingly at a loss for how to handle her. After all, the first child he had raised was Kaede, who wasn't a real baby and didn't cry like this. "Father, let me try."

Mingye looked at Kaede and quickly handed Quan over to him, grumbling, "This little girl is so fussy. Nothing like you when you were little, Kaede."

Kaede didn't have the heart to call him out. With his father's parenting style, it was only thanks to his own adult soul that his childhood hadn't been truly dangerous.

He gently lifted Quan's head, adjusting her to a more comfortable position. With a slight rocking, Quan gradually quieted down. She opened her tear-filled eyes and looked at him. Her long lashes fluttered lightly, full of liveliness.

Seeing that Kaede had calmed Quan so quickly, Mingye walked over. "I never would have guessed you had this talent, Kaede. You'll make a great father someday, just like me."

Kaede: Hah... pfft. Who's like you?

Hitomi, smiling at the scene, gently touched Quan's soft cheek. Seeing that Kaede was busy, she quietly turned to leave.

"Hitomi, stay for dinner!"

"Mmm~"

Just as Kaede was about to start cooking dinner, an uninvited guest interrupted everything, drawing a resentful glare from Hitomi.

The figure wore the standard Konoha chunin vest, a colorful mask hiding their face.

"Uchiha Kaede, the Hokage summons you. Please come with me immediately."

When the Anbu appeared, Kaede already had a feeling and guessed what it was about. He had been waiting for this day for a long time. How many years had he prepared to appear naturally and reasonably before the Third Hokage? This day had finally come. For him, it was the beginning of everything changing.

Kaede suppressed his surging emotions and said to the Anbu with a smile, "Please wait a moment. Let me change clothes."

Kaede entered the room, swapped his Uchiha robe for combat gear, strapped his short sword to his back, tidied everything up, and walked out the door.

He turned to Hitomi, whose face was full of worry, nodded with a smile, and vanished with the Anbu from the Uchiha Clan Grounds.

The Anbu moved fast, and Kaede was no slower. He knew the Hokage's test had begun the moment the Anbu appeared. This would determine whether he became the suitable tool in the Third Hokage's hands to change the Uchiha, a bridge between the clan and the village.

Leaping between rooftops, their destination was not the Hokage Building but the Hokage Monument. He could already see Hiruzen Sarutobi's figure, smoking on the monument.

"Third Hokage-sama."

Kaede knelt behind the Hokage and spoke.

The Anbu had left after bringing him here. Everything was arranged.

As the tool chosen by the Third Hokage, he had the qualification for the Third to meticulously orchestrate this test for him.

"Before you, I've already met Shisui. He's a child who gives me great peace of mind. Kaede, what about you? Is there anything you want to say to me?"

The Third Hokage spoke with his back to Kaede.

Shisui, huh. It seemed that in the Third's eyes, Shisui was the most suitable candidate. After all, in terms of talent and reputation, he was quite a bit above Kaede.

This put Kaede in a bit of a bind. What should he say? He hadn't expected the Third to pull this move—letting him speak first. He really didn't know how to start. The dialogue he had rehearsed in his mind for so long was useless now.

Even if you prepared for everything, fate could still catch you off guard.

Shisui was the one chosen from their generation to stay in the clan and train as a genius disciple. He was two years younger than Kaede and Kakashi. This year, Kaede was ten, Shisui eight. On June 9th, Itachi was born; on June 13th, Quan was born. Every single event, he knew clearly.

"Shisui, huh. He's a gentle and kind guy."

"Kaede, I want to hear your thoughts on the ninja clans and the village." The Third Hokage turned around, smoking. A ring of smoke obscured his face, making it impossible for Kaede to read his expression.

"I don't know, Third Hokage-sama, how do you view Konoha and the Land of Fire?" Instead of delivering his prepared lines, Kaede asked what seemed like an irrelevant question.

The relationship between a ninja village and a nation was full of fantastical contradictions. In name, the Land of Fire could command the ninja village, and the Daimyo of the Land of Fire was the nation's highest leader. The appointment of a Hokage required not only the collective agreement of the village's jonin but also the Daimyo's approval.

Konoha existed as a military force with extraordinary power under the Land of Fire, nominally subject to the Daimyo's orders. In practice, as long as the Daimyo didn't make excessive demands, Konoha and the Hokage would try their best to comply.

This was true for the largest village in the ninja world, and even more so for other nations. Sunagakure of the Land of Wind had lost all three Great Ninja Wars, and the Daimyo of the Land of Wind directly cut Sunagakure's budget, forcing the village to adopt an elite model.

Clearly, the Daimyo of the Five Great Nations wielded immense power.