New Home and New Neighbor

Pushing open the creaking wooden courtyard gate, Uchiha Kyohaku officially began his life on Konoha Village's eastern outskirts.

The new home was small, with only one bedroom, a small hall that doubled as a kitchen and dining room, and a narrow washroom. The house had some age to it; the wooden floor groaned faintly beneath his feet, and the walls bore a few mottled marks. But its overall structure was still solid. Most importantly, it came with a small courtyard of roughly twenty square meters. In one corner, a half-dead old tree stretched its branches at an angle, adding a touch of wild charm.

What satisfied him most was its location. Less than a hundred meters to the right stood the towering wall of the Hidden Leaf Village. Its cold, sturdy stone surface rose upward, creating a peculiar sense of boundary and... safety? At the very least, it left one less direction to worry about. It was exceptionally quiet here, with almost none of the bustle from the village center. There was only the rustling of wind through the forest above the wall, along with the occasional, extremely faint call for a shift change from the distant East Gate.

He spent several days slowly cleaning the place by himself, relying on his crutch. He scrubbed away years of dust, patched the drafty window paper, and made the empty house barely livable. The process was difficult, and the aching pain in his right foot followed him like a shadow, but he enjoyed it. Building his own nest with his own hands gave him the illusion of truly having control over his life.

While clearing the courtyard, he noticed the neighbor to his left. It was another old house with a courtyard, slightly larger than his own and kept impeccably clean. From time to time, he could see a gray-haired, stooped old woman hanging laundry in the yard or tending to several thriving potted plants.

Their first meeting came on the evening of his third day after moving in. He was struggling to drag a bag of trash to the designated pile outside the courtyard gate. Still unfamiliar with using his crutch, he looked clumsy and strained.

"Ah, be careful, child." A gentle, elderly voice came from beside him.

Kyohaku looked up and saw the old woman standing by the fence between their homes, concern on her face. She appeared to be in her sixties. Her features were kind, but her eyes were clear and bright.

"Thank you, Grandma. I'm fine." Kyohaku immediately slipped into character, putting on the appearance of a well-behaved but slightly shy child as he answered softly.

"You just moved in, didn't you? Are you all alone? Where are the adults in your family?" The old woman looked over the child, who seemed far too young and was leaning on a crutch, her brows knitting slightly.

Kyohaku lowered his head, his voice becoming even softer. "Mm... I'm alone. My parents... passed away some time ago."

Deep sympathy immediately appeared on the old woman's face. "Oh... what a poor child. What's your name? How old are you?"

"Uchiha Kyohaku. I'm five." He answered truthfully and deliberately mentioned "Uchiha." In this era, that surname still carried weight. It could explain why he owned property independently and offer him a certain degree of protection.

"Uchiha?" The old woman was indeed somewhat surprised before understanding dawned on her. "Oh, you're a child of the clan... no wonder. My surname is Uchiha too. You can call me Grandma Uchiha, or just Grandma. My grandson is an Uchiha as well. His name is Obito, and he's two years younger than you. He's terribly mischievous." She pointed toward her house, her tone filled with affection and a touch of helplessness.

Obito! So it really was her.

Kyohaku's heart stirred, but he appropriately showed a timid hint of delight at meeting someone from the same clan. "Hello, Grandma."

From that day onward, Grandma Uchiha began taking greater care of him. Perhaps she saw that he was alone and disabled, or perhaps it was the faint but still existing bond between clan members. Whenever he was cleaning the courtyard, the kind old woman would often offer him a few pointers through the fence. Or when he was clearly making do with dry food because of his limited mobility, she would bring him a small bowl of steaming miso soup or several freshly steamed rice balls.

"Kyohaku, you're still growing. You can't keep eating things with no nutrition," Grandma would always say as she handed him the food. "If you haven't cooked by mealtime, come eat at Grandma's place. It's no trouble to add another pair of chopsticks."

At first, Kyohaku wanted to refuse. He was unused to owing favors, and he was even more concerned that too much contact would invite unnecessary scrutiny. But he soon realized that this was actually a better disguise. A lonely, pitiful disabled orphan who accepted help from his neighbors was far less likely to arouse suspicion than a child who was entirely self-sufficient and without a single flaw.

So he chose to accept, always appearing exceptionally grateful and polite. "Thank you, Grandma. I've troubled you again."

He had also seen the little boy named Uchiha Obito a few times. He was a three-year-old boy with a round, sturdy build and spiky hair, as energetic as a little monkey. He often chased after a ball rolling around the courtyard or clumsily imitated a ninja throwing punches, making his own "Hey! Ha!" sound effects as he did so. Whenever he saw Kyohaku, he would curiously widen his eyes and stare at his crutch, but his attention would soon be drawn away by something else, and he would run off to play. His innocence and cheerfulness stood in stark contrast to the aged soul within Kyohaku.

With Grandma's help, his little house soon gained more signs of life. She even mended his torn clothes and taught him how to light a fire and cook while using less firewood. In this secluded corner, those little acts of help radiated a rare warmth.

At night, Kyohaku sat on the cold tatami mat beneath the dim oil lamp and counted his assets once more. The money from selling the house, combined with the compensation payment, left him with five hundred thousand ryo in cash after buying this house and covering various expenses. It was an enormous sum. He calculated carefully.

If I only maintain the bare minimum for daily food and living, fifty thousand ryo a year is more than enough. It can last for ten years, he analyzed calmly. But ninja training is a money pit. Shuriken, kunai, bandages, medicinal materials, specialized training equipment, perhaps Chakra test paper in the future, ninja tool maintenance oil... every single thing costs money.

His gaze swept over the scrolls his father had left behind, especially the one containing the Great Fireball Technique. Practicing ninjutsu itself consumes huge amounts of Chakra and stamina. My nutrition has to keep up, so food expenses will rise considerably. And if I want to buy additional books on medicine or herbalism...

He reached a more realistic conclusion. At the minimum standard of ninja training, along with nutritional supplements, I'll need at least one hundred fifty to two hundred thousand ryo a year. This money will only last three years at most. Maybe even less.

Three years.

Time suddenly became urgent.

He blew out the oil lamp and lay down on the cold bedding, looking at the faint moonlight filtering through the paper window.

The new home provided a hiding place, the kind neighbor offered a little warmth and convenience, and the money provided starting capital. But the road ahead was still narrow and perilous.

He had to find a way to increase income and reduce expenses within those three years, or... find a faster path to becoming stronger.