The moment the Uchiha forces returned to the village, a clan meeting was convened.
"Clan Head, Kura's efforts on the eastern border have brought great renown to our name," Inaho began, his voice ringing with purpose. As Fugaku's right-hand man, he was long-since aligned with the clan head's agenda. After settling the minor clan affairs, he rose to make his proposal. "I believe Kura-sama is more than qualified for a position as an elder."
Fugaku's gaze swept across the assembled shinobi. "And what do the rest of you think of Inaho's suggestion?"
"I object," one of the older members interjected. "Kura is far too young. Many of his ideas are naive. It would not serve the Uchiha to have him among the elders."
"I think it's a fine idea," another countered. "Kura-sama is powerful, and he maintains close ties to the Hokage's circle. His promotion could bring the clan significant benefits."
"Since when do the Uchiha need to curry favor with the Hokage?" a third scoffed.
"I believe..."
The room erupted into a familiar, chaotic debate among the elders and Jonin. This was how it always went whenever Kura's name came up. Fugaku was used to it. He let them argue for a moment longer before tapping his knuckles lightly on the table.
"This is a clan meeting, not a fishmarket," he said, his voice low and stern. "Must you all carry on like this?"
"Yes."
The room quieted, but one elder, leaning heavily on his cane, pushed himself forward. "We cannot let Kura become an elder. Have we learned nothing from what happened with Kagami? Weakness has no place in the Uchiha clan."
A heavy silence fell. Fugaku shot the man a cold glance, scoffing inwardly.
'Kagami?' he thought. 'When Kagami was alive, this elder opposed him at every turn. Now that he's gone, he acts like his staunchest defender, spreading that ridiculous conspiracy that the Hokage's faction had him killed.'
People only believe what they want to believe. Fugaku sighed to himself. There was little he could do about their stubbornness, but promoting Kura was still within his power. The man had his advantages, even when his opinions clashed with others, he never held a grudge. He simply carried on as he always had.
The proposal had been Fugaku's idea to begin with. Seeing the elders throw their weight around, he mentally noted each one of them. Finally, he offered a thin smile. "Since there is no consensus, we will set this matter aside for now. Let us move on to our cooperation with the ninken, specifically, the Nin-Neko Clan."
"The Nin-Neko Clan?"
"Precisely," Fugaku said. "Given their unique strengths, I believe we should deepen our alliance with them. Perhaps by providing more funds, weaponry, or supplies."
"Why?" The elders exchanged baffled looks. What was Fugaku talking about? The cat clan? Beyond gathering intelligence, what strength did they have to speak of? Even their two-tailed leader Nekomata was nothing remarkable. What was the point of strengthening ties?
But to their surprise:
"I agree."
"The Clan Head is right. The friendship of the Nin-Neko is more valuable than any amount of ryo."
"But, Clan Head," someone asked, "is that cat truly connected to them?"
The room filled with murmurs of agreement, a wave of understanding that completely bypassed the older generation.
'That cat... what happened while we were gone?' one elder wondered.
"I have sufficient evidence that the connection is deep," Fugaku stated, nodding. "Which is why we should strengthen our cooperation. If we can obtain the summoning contract for the cat clan, any price we pay will be worth it."
"Now that you mention it," a Jonin exclaimed, "wasn't it the two-tailed cat Nekomata that Nohara Rin summoned that day?"
"So Rin has their summoning contract?"
"Then it's settled!"
The proposal passed with nearly ninety percent approval. The remaining ten percent, the elders, were left utterly bewildered, sharing a familiar feeling of being left behind by the times.
--**--**
Two days later, the Nohara family got the news: the paperwork for their new house was complete. It was time to move.
"Meow~ I can get that," Takeshi offered.
"No, I've got it," Aizawa insisted. "I can still manage this much."
"Father..." Rin started.
"Trust me!"
Aizawa stubbornly grabbed the largest bundle and began hauling it toward the new house. It was a man's last shred of dignity, the dignity of the head of the household. Takeshi just wagged his tail, not bothering to argue. Rin sighed and picked up another large item.
They had hired a horse-drawn cart for the furniture. Aizawa, straining under the weight of the large bundle, made it halfway to the cart before letting out a sharp shout.
"Ah! My back!"
He dropped the heavy load and clutched his lower back in pain. Rin rushed over, ready to apply medical ninjutsu.
Across the yard, Takeshi's fur bristled. Dozens of fine strands shot out, wrapping around the furniture and cargo, and began loading everything onto the cart with swift, practiced ease.
Aizawa and his wife, Megumi, could only stare.
It was done. Just like that.
Aizawa was speechless, still frozen in his pained posture.
"Meow," Takeshi chirped, retracting his fur. He leaped onto the top of the loaded cart and motioned for them to get a move on.
"I'll treat you, Father," Rin said, too weary to lecture him. It should have been a simple move, but her father had to make it complicated.
With Megumi's help, the horse got moving, slowly pulling the cart toward their destination.
The new home was located in one of Konoha's more prosperous districts. In his thirty-odd years, Aizawa had never imagined he would live in a place like this. But now... well, the dream he'd never dared to have, Takeshi had made a reality.
Technically, the house belonged to the cat. But that wasn't a problem. They were a family, and living together was what mattered. Even so, Aizawa had tried to find excuses not to go, but Rin's persistent coaxing had finally worn him down. It was just a matter of pride.
Before long, they arrived. The house was large, situated near the Shiranui and Gekko clan compounds. Takeshi knew people on both sides. On the way over, Megumi had been mentally preparing to clean the house and yard, but when they pulled up, they found it was...
Spotless!
Inside and out, the place had clearly just been cleaned. Takeshi was as puzzled as they were.
'What's going on?'
"Sensei is here!"
"Quick, everyone!"
"Sensei!"
In a flash, Genma, Guy, and Ebisu appeared at the door, bowing respectfully to Takeshi. A moment later, a small boy was reluctantly pulled out from inside by a girl, and he too bowed. Takeshi recognized his three students immediately.
The other two...
Seeing their faces, Takeshi's memory clicked.
'Oh, right. Hayate Gekko and Yugao Uzuki. The kids I scared that one time.'
Takeshi leaped from the cart, transforming to the size of a tiger as he landed.
"It's you!" Hayate Gekko glared, the unpleasant memory rushing back. He gritted his teeth so hard it felt like they might fall out. It really was this cat. And the worst part? If he was going to run away back then, he could have at least stayed hidden. Did he have to show up again, flaunting his new rank?
Beside him, Yugao Uzuki offered a sweet smile and bowed politely. "I never would have guessed it was you. Thank you so much."
"Meow?" Both Takeshi and Hayate were baffled.
'Thank me?' Takeshi thought. 'Is she alright?'
"Thanks to your guidance," Yugao continued, "Hayate-kun has been training much harder lately."
She was too young to be reserved. Yugao had been terrified that day, but Takeshi hadn't actually harmed them. And afterward, Hayate had thrown himself into his training. In her eyes, she owed this cat her gratitude, she just hadn't known who to thank until now.
"..." Hayate was speechless. 'Training harder? I was training so I could kill him with a sword!'
The saddest thing in the world was realizing that while you were working your heart out to surpass an opponent, their own growth was already far beyond anything your efforts could ever touch. A wave of despondency washed over him.
"Meow~ Losing to me is nothing to be ashamed of," Takeshi said, raising a paw and patting Hayate's head. "The Raikage and the Mizukage lost to me, too. In a way, you're already on par with a Kage."
*Cough, cough, cough!*
Hayate was so "touched" that he started coughing, tears welling in his eyes.
"Don't get too excited, meow. We're neighbors now. We'll have plenty of time to catch up."
Hearing this, the little boy looked even more "moved." The others sighed. What a demon.
"Sensei, we heard you were moving in today, so we called some friends to help tidy up," Genma explained, opening the door and leading them inside. "We weren't sure what you'd want for the interior, so we left it alone."
Takeshi and Rin were surprised, but Genma explained that the house had previously belonged to a Shiranui Jonin who had died in battle. His family had moved back to the clan compound, leaving the house empty.
"The layout is great," Takeshi declared. "No need to change a thing, meow!"
The house was enormous. Even with a room for each of them, three were still left over. Not that Aizawa would be having more children anytime soon. Moreover, given his back, he had likely said goodbye to such activities anyway. A peaceful life was more than enough.
Takeshi was particularly pleased with the location. They were right next to smaller clans like the Gekko, Shiranui, and Yuhi. Once the war was over, he could make regular visits and collect points from their Jonin and Tokubetsu Jonin.
'A steady source of points,' he thought. Just look at Hayate, he'd only been here a few minutes and had already politely coughed up over two hundred. The amount was a drop in the bucket for Takeshi now, but for a kid who hadn't even graduated, it was quite the sum.
Now that his living situation was settled, it was time to think about his other obligations. Hiashi had invited him repeatedly. After putting him off for two days, it was time to find out what the man really wanted. Judging by his behavior during the war, his intentions were likely more helpful than harmful.
But before he could even head out, visitors started arriving at his door. Most were new neighbors from the Gekko and Shiranui clans, as well as shinobi from other smaller families like the Yuhi. With most of the powerful Jonin still out on missions, it was mainly Chunin who came to pay their respects.
Takeshi didn't try to collect points from them. He simply exchanged pleasantries, making a good first impression.
===============
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