A leap in class and the Hokage's attention

Summer, Year 6 of Konoha.

The waters of the Naka River flowed noisily day and night, as though urging something important along.

Only a few days had passed since Yinglang had yielded the peach, but talk of it was like the waters of the Naka River: rather than stopping, it flowed deeper and farther. After meals, beside the well, during breaks at the training grounds, people could always be heard discussing how filial and modest "that boy Yinglang" was. In just a few months, the child had grown into a fine young tree in the hearts of his clansmen.

Even the white-haired elders at the ancestral hall entrance, who ordinarily discussed only major clan affairs, would sigh as they chatted in the sun. "That girl Ning has had a hard life, but she's raised a fine seedling."

"A disposition like that is rare. How long has it been since our Uchiha produced such an upright child?"

"It's just that his foundations are too weak. His father died early, and Ning's health is... such a pity. If only someone could give him a hand..."

And one man had been watching all of this-Uchiha Gen.

He was one of the Uchiha's six core elders, forty-eight years old that year. In strength, he was firmly at Kage Level. He oversaw the clan's rules and punishments, had a stern disposition, and spoke little. His wife had died on a mission years earlier, leaving no son, only a daughter, Uchiha Ruri. His home had always been quiet and desolate.

Over the years, there had been no shortage of people with designs on him. Some branch families had wanted to have him adopt their clever sons or nephews; some affiliated families had wanted to send pretty, quick-witted girls to attend him; and plenty of colleagues had tactfully hinted at marriage alliances to consolidate their influence... He had rejected them all, swiftly and decisively, leaving no room for negotiation. In time, no one dared knock lightly on that ironwood door anymore.

But this time, that ironwood door opened from within.

He went straight to Uchiha Yinglang's mother, Uchiha Ning, and stated his intentions:

"I've observed that Yinglang has a good, steady disposition. He would be a fitting match for my daughter Ruri. I have no son. In the future, my position and my influence will all pass to him. Let Yinglang marry into my family as my son-in-law."

Uchiha Ning froze on the spot.

She had just been hanging up the laundry. She had never expected Elder Uchiha Gen to visit her home, much less say such things!

A core elder's son-in-law? This was an enormous opportunity fallen from the heavens. A helpless woman who had protected her child all these years, she had dreamed of finding Yinglang someone to rely on!

Uchiha Ning's breath stopped short. She stared wide-eyed at Uchiha Gen, wondering whether the afternoon sun had left her dizzy and hearing things.

She asked quietly, "Is... is that true, Elder Xuan?"

"I've been observing Yinglang for some time." Uchiha Gen's voice held little inflection, as though he were stating something unrelated to himself. "Catching fish in the bitter winter shows filial devotion; yielding a peach in spring shows modesty. He is steady by nature, knows when to advance and retreat, and understands proper limits. I have no son, only a daughter named Ruri, sixteen years of age. With Yinglang's character, he would be a fitting match for her."

Worried she had not understood, Uchiha Gen continued in that same even tone. "My line has few members, but we have everything we ought to have. Status, resources, prestige, texts and secret collections... But I'm already old. Nearly fifty counts as old among shinobi, and someone must take over my estate. Let Yinglang enter my household, become my son-in-law, and inherit my legacy. In the future, all of this will be his."

Every word fell like a heavy stone into the stagnant lake of Uchiha Ning's heart, sending up towering waves. A core elder's son-in-law? His heir? Those things she had never dared even dream of-a powerful backer, protection, a secure future, a respected position-were like clouds in the sky that someone had suddenly plucked down and placed before her.

Her mouth hung open, but no sound came from her throat. Immense surprise, disbelieving trepidation, the ache of years of hardship and grievances surging up... All those emotions tangled and collided, making her vision darken. Her body swayed, and she had to reach out and steady herself against the clothes pole beside her.

Gen watched her quietly, neither urging her nor showing any impatience. He simply waited.

Only after a long while did Uchiha Ning barely recover a trace of her senses from the enormous shock. Looking at this lofty core elder, who now seemed unusually "approachable," she suddenly found all her worries, doubts, and feelings of inferiority suppressed by something stronger: a mother's resolve. This was her son's opportunity, a heaven-sent chance to change both their fates! What reason did she have to refuse? What right did she have to refuse?

Unable to say anything, she abruptly bent deeply at the waist, bowing until she was almost folded in half. When she straightened, her eyes were already red, her voice choked. "For your great kindness, Elder... on Yinglang's behalf, I thank you for your great kindness! We... we'll follow your arrangements!"

Uchiha Gen gave an almost imperceptible nod. The hard lines of his face seemed to soften by the tiniest fraction. "Then have Yinglang move into my home in three days."

With that, he said no more and turned to leave. His dark gray figure soon vanished around the corner of the alley, as though he had never appeared. Only the invisible pressure in the courtyard slowly dissipated with his departure.

Once the news spread, the entire Uchiha Clan was shaken.

"Have you heard? Elder Xuan has taken Ning's boy Yinglang as his son-in-law!"

"Marrying into his family? My heavens... Elder Xuan's line..."

"Incredible! With that one step, he's leaped straight from the mud into the clouds!"

"Who could have imagined it? Someone from a marginal branch family actually knocked open Elder Xuan's iron door with nothing but 'filial devotion' and 'modesty'!"

"I'm sending my son fishing right now! Let's see whether he can win some elder's favor!"

Envy, jealousy, disbelief-complicated looks intertwined in the shadows.

After Madara Uchiha had left Konoha, the six core elders and a dozen or so ordinary elders had jointly governed the entire Uchiha Clan. Though Uchiha Gen had little interest in vying for power, he held an extremely high position and wielded real authority.

Once Uchiha Yinglang married into his family, he would step straight from a marginal branch family into the Uchiha's circle of power, making a leap in class.

Yet no one dared voice a single doubt or objection in public.

Because "filial devotion" and "modesty" had now become the most dignified, most impregnable shield, standing firmly before Uchiha Yinglang and blocking every possible overt or covert attack. Among the Uchiha, who revered strength but also placed extreme importance on the clan's moral character, questioning Uchiha Yinglang was tantamount to questioning the very foundation of the clan.

And so, at just five years old, Uchiha Yinglang formally married into Uchiha Gen's household, becoming the core elder's tacitly acknowledged heir.

Meanwhile, in the Hokage Office.

Hashirama Senju finished listening to the brief report from his subordinate dressed as an Anbu, his cheeks bulging with half a rice ball he had brought from home, packed with far too much filling. He laboriously chewed, swallowed, then gulped down a mouthful of water before finally letting out a long "Hmm."

"Uchiha... Yinglang?" He blinked, trying hard to remember. "Isn't he that little fellow who broke the ice to catch fish in winter and gave up the big peach in spring a while back?"

"That's him." The subordinate lowered his head.

"I remember him..." Hashirama Senju said happily, almost as though talking to himself. "He's a child with a strong Will of Fire. He understands filial devotion and courtesy, and his heart is in the right place... What our Konoha needs most right now is young people with the Will of Fire, just like him."

He turned toward his younger brother, who had stood silently in the shadows by the window all this time.

"Tobirama, what do you think?"

Tobirama Senju stood with his arms folded. His stern face showed little expression, but his gaze behind his lenses was as sharp as ever.

"Uchiha Gen is one of the clan's core elders. He oversees punishments and is aloof by nature. There must be a deeper meaning behind his suddenly taking a son-in-law. That child..." He paused. "He's only five this year. His reputation for filial devotion and modesty has come far too quickly, and far too conveniently! Perhaps someone skilled is advising him from behind the scenes, or perhaps he himself is deeply calculating. Brother! We must remain on guard against the Uchiha!"

Hashirama smiled. His smile was as hearty as ever, but now held a little more of a Hokage's far-reaching perspective.

"Relax, Tobirama. Don't be so tense! That's all just wild speculation on your part. When Madara Uchiha left Konoha, not a single clansman followed him. Doesn't that show the Uchiha Clan's sense of belonging to Konoha?" His gaze returned to the window, as though he could see through the houses to the Uchiha Clan Compound across the Naka River. "If this Yinglang really is what he appears to be, a seedling that can grow upright on its own... that may not be a bad thing for either the Uchiha or Konoha. Keep a close watch on him. Let's see which way this seedling grows next."

Tobirama argued no further, merely nodding ever so slightly. In the shadows by the window, his figure looked even colder and harder.

On the newly formed, still-wobbling scales that were Konoha, the choice of a five-year-old child within the Uchiha Clan Compound had quietly caused the weights on one side to shift almost imperceptibly.