Over the past few days, Kaede had often found himself gazing at the newborn Quan, lost in thought. The little girl had filled out beautifully over the last couple of days. She was soft and fair, though she did cry a lot. Her bright eyes were like a clear spring, reflecting the impurities in people's hearts.
June was bright but muggy. Only the cold wind blowing from the north, high up on the cliff, made the air feel refreshing. Kaede quietly gazed down at the orderly rooftops of the Uchiha Clan Grounds not far away. Every so often, he spotted children running and playing happily, though he couldn't hear their laughter.
Yet laughter and cheerful voices rang in his heart, filling him with joy. In a few years, Quan would be running beneath the sunset just like them. He would never let anyone destroy such a beautiful thing.
"Kaede, what's wrong? Do you feel neglected now that you have a little sister?" Tong appeared beside him and teased him.
He turned and smiled in reply. After a long pause, he finally spoke.
"How could I? I was just thinking about some things and feeling a little sentimental. Tong, do you like the Uchiha as they are now?"
Tong didn't know what Kaede meant by the question, so she answered honestly. "I wouldn't say I like it, but I don't dislike it either. After all, it's our own clan."
She knew that many people in the village disliked the Uchiha, but what could she do? She was Uchiha Tong. She couldn't bring herself to hate her own clan.
Kaede rose to his feet. The setting sun bathed his chiseled face in its afterglow, lending his gentle features a resolute, masculine air. "Tong, if I changed the Uchiha Clan and made the villagers like it, would you like the Uchiha then?"
Tong gazed quietly at the captivating air Kaede exuded at that moment. "Then, Kaede, would you like the Uchiha that way?"
"Of course. I'll change it according to my own wishes."
Tong narrowed her eyes, her pretty face tinged with a blush. "If Kaede likes it, then I'll like it too!"
Kaede turned to look at her. Tong shyly turned her face away. "Silly girl. Let's go back."
With her thoughts in a tangle, Tong followed behind Kaede. Playfully, she clenched a fist and made a threatening gesture. As she grew up, she became prettier and prettier.
To Kaede, he could always find a trace of Tong's ancestor, Uchiha Haru, in her. There was a tranquil beauty about her, like a still lake that gently nourished all things. Tong and that extraordinary Uchiha woman were rather alike. It must have been inherited.
The moment he stepped through the door, he heard Quan crying inside the house. Her cries pierced through the wooden walls, shrill and loud. They were pretty annoying to listen to.
He went into the room and, sure enough, found his father, Mingye, looking after Quan. He seemed unable to figure out how to deal with her. After all, the first child he'd ever cared for was Kaede, who hadn't been a real baby and hadn't cried like this. "Father, let me try."
Mingye looked at Kaede and quickly handed Quan over. He even grumbled as he did so. "Why is this little girl so fussy? You weren't like this when you were little, Kaede."
Kaede felt too embarrassed to call him out. With the way he handled babies, it was lucky Kaede had an adult's soul. Otherwise, his childhood really would have been dangerous.
He gently supported Quan's head and shifted her into a more comfortable position. With a slight rocking motion, she gradually quieted down. Her tear-bright eyes opened and looked at him. Her long eyelashes fluttered softly, giving her eyes a lively sparkle.
Mingye saw how quickly Kaede had stopped Quan from crying and came closer. "I never knew you had a knack for this, Kaede. You'll definitely be a good father one day, just like me."
Kaede: Pah... Who's anything like you?
Tong smiled as she watched them. She reached out and touched Quan's soft, fair cheek. Seeing that Kaede was too busy to pay attention to her, she quietly started to leave.
"Tong, stay for dinner!"
"Mm~"
Just as Kaede was about to make dinner himself, an unwelcome visitor interrupted everything, earning a resentful glare from Tong.
The visitor wore the standard Konoha Chunin vest, and a colorful mask concealed his face.
"Uchiha Kaede, Lord Hokage summons you. Please come with me at once."
Kaede had already sensed something was up when the Anbu appeared, and he could guess what it was. He had waited a long time for this day. How many years had he spent preparing so he could appear before the Third Hokage naturally and with good reason? At last, the day had come. For him, this was the beginning of everything changing.
Suppressing his rising excitement, Kaede smiled at the Anbu.
"Please wait a moment. I'll change clothes."
Kaede went into his room, took off his Uchiha robe, and changed into combat gear. He strapped his short sword to his back, made sure everything was in order, and walked out.
He turned to Tong, whose face was full of worry, and smiled as he nodded. Then he left the Uchiha Clan Grounds with the Anbu using the Body Flicker Technique.
The Anbu was fast, but Kaede wasn't slow either. He knew the Hokage's assessment had begun the moment the Anbu appeared. Its outcome would determine whether he became the right tool in the Third Hokage's hands to change the Uchiha—and a link between the Uchiha and the village.
They leaped from rooftop to rooftop. They weren't heading for the Hokage Building, but for Kage Rock. Kaede had already spotted Hiruzen Sarutobi, smoking atop the monument.
"Lord Third."
Kaede knelt behind the Hokage and spoke.
After bringing him here, the Anbu left. Everything had been arranged in advance.
As someone chosen by the Third Hokage to serve as a tool, Kaede had the standing to warrant the Third's carefully planned assessment.
"Before you, I already met with Shisui. He's a child who puts me at ease. What about you, Kaede? 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 Hokage's eyes, Shisui was the most suitable candidate. After all, in terms of talent and reputation, he far surpassed Kaede.
That left Kaede at a loss. What should he say? He hadn't expected the Third Hokage to pull something like this and make him speak first. He truly had no idea how to begin. The conversation he had rehearsed so many times in his mind was useless now.
No matter how thoroughly you prepared, fate could still catch you off guard.
Shisui was the genius of their generation who had been chosen to stay with the clan and train. He was two years younger than Kaede and Kakashi, the other kids his age. He was ten now, while Shisui was eight. Itachi would be born on June 9 this year, and Quan on June 13. Kaede knew every one of these details very well.
"Shisui, huh? He's a kind and gentle fellow."
"Kaede, I'd like to hear your thoughts on the shinobi clans and the village." The Third Hokage turned around, smoking. A ring of white smoke obscured his face, making it impossible for Kaede to see his expression.
"I don't know. How do you see the relationship between Konoha and the Land of Fire, Lord Third?" Instead of delivering the lines he had prepared, Kaede asked what seemed like an unrelated question.
The relationship between the shinobi villages and the nations was full of contradictions. Officially, the Land of Fire could command its shinobi village, and the Daimyo of the Land of Fire was the nation's highest authority. Anyone taking office as Hokage had to secure not only the unanimous approval of the village's Jonin, but also an appointment from the Daimyo.
Konoha served as the Land of Fire's army, endowed with supernatural power. In name, it was supposed to answer to the Daimyo's commands. In practice, as long as the Daimyo's demands weren't too unreasonable, Konoha and the Hokage would do their best to comply.
That was how things worked in the Shinobi World's largest village, and it was even more true elsewhere. Sunagakure, in the Land of Wind, had lost all three Shinobi World Wars. In the end, the Daimyo of the Land of Wind had directly cut Sunagakure's budget, forcing the village to rely on an elite strategy.
That showed how much power the Daimyos of the Five Great Nations really held.
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