Time passed quietly, little by little, until the golden autumn of September arrived.
"Kairen, your birthday's coming up soon! How about we hold a little party this year? You could invite your teammates over to the house too!"
His mother's warm voice filled the room.
"Honestly, you've never liked playing with other kids since you were small. Now that you've finally got two friends you get along with, you'd better cherish them!
"We'll invite your uncle and aunt's families as well. I'll ask Aoko-nee to invite your teacher, too—let's make it lively! After all, this is your first birthday since becoming a shinobi…"
Kairen just watched his mother as she happily rambled on, fully immersed in her own world.
He couldn't help but smile. In this life, he had a loving family—parents who truly cared for him, two occasionally ridiculous but loyal teammates, a sharp-tongued teacher who treated his blade like his own life, a proud clan, and a thriving village. Everything about it felt… right.
Perched on a tree branch, Kairen gazed up at the sky, his thoughts drifting toward the complicated bond between the Uchiha and the village.
The Senju and the Uchiha—clans who built this village together in the name of peace—how had it all ended in massacre? What kind of absurd twist of fate was that?
Who could accept something like that? We created this village to protect our people, to stop the meaningless bloodshed. Other clans joined in for safety—that was fine. The more, the merrier; united, we'd ensure no more needless deaths. Yet, a few generations later, the founding clan ends up erased by their own village?
This wasn't peace. This was power's corruption, pure and simple.
It was a purge—those with lesser power conspiring to topple the strong. They couldn't suppress the great clans, so they destroyed them. After all, becoming a "great clan" during the Warring States period wasn't luck—it was proof of absolute strength.
And yet, the weak always wanted control. Like ancient emperors who, upon taking the throne, immediately moved to strip their vassals of power. No ruler tolerates a rival mountain within their domain. Small factions could coexist in balance—but one towering mountain? Unacceptable.
The Senju were already down to a handful, which only made the Uchiha stand out even more.
In the current shinobi world, there was no clan capable of rivaling the Uchiha. The Hyūga's rigid hierarchy crippled their growth; their internal conflicts were tolerated precisely because it made them manageable.
So for the Uchiha to truly integrate into Konoha was nearly impossible—unless they themselves stood at the top. Unless they became the power that looked down on all others.
In this village, ordinary ninjas—prodigies and civilians alike—would not be suppressed. They wouldn't die mysteriously "for the Will of Fire," or be sacrificed "for Konoha" without reason, or be crushed by schemes born of power struggles. Why? Because they were too weak to threaten the throne.
But the Uchiha… if ever unrestrained, they would never need to fear betrayal from within. Look at the Fourth Great War—half of it was practically an Uchiha civil war.
Count the Uchiha who reached Kage level: Uchiha Fugaku, Uchiha Shisui, Uchiha Obito, Uchiha Itachi, Uchiha Sasuke… how many of their generation could stand against them? And that's with suppression policies in place—imagine if they hadn't been restrained! They'd have soared beyond the heavens.
The Sarutobi-led Hokage faction had used "righteous duty" to send the Senju into endless wars for power's sake, until they either died or were crippled. The so-called "Will of Fire" even deceived Tsunade herself—her brother and lover both lost to war, her clan reduced to myth, and she left traumatized by the sight of blood.
If not for Jiraiya's refusal to take the position, she'd never have become the Fifth Hokage. And just like how the current leadership treats the Uchiha—could you imagine them ever being allowed to become Hokage?
The Second Hokage's policies of suppressing the Uchiha weren't arbitrary. They came from necessity—because there was no competent Senju successor. Tsunade was still a child; had there been a capable heir, would Sarutobi Hiruzen ever have become Hokage? That immense inheritance would never have been handed outside the clan.
Tobirama wasn't the altruistic idealist his brother was. He thought, even if he died, his sister-in-law would guard the clan until the next generation rose up. But what happened? The Uzumaki—the Senju's greatest allies—were wiped out because of Konoha's negligence. Another great pillar fell.
No matter how powerful Mito-sama was, she was only one person. The constant wars wore even her down. And why, after the fall of Uzushiogakure, did so few survivors seek refuge in Konoha? Why was Kushina the only one? Simple—because they no longer trusted them.
Even the Konoha's forehead protector—the symbol of the village—was modeled after the Uzumaki clan's spiral crest. We fought beside you in your first wars, our clan bled for you. But when our home was attacked, you claimed ignorance. Or worse—you "knew" but "couldn't make it in time."
What do you take us for—fools?
Exhaling heavily, Kairen finally understood. For the Uchiha to survive, there was only one path.
The path to Hokage.
---
"Happy birthday!"
Laughter and cheers filled the house. Uchiha Kairen smiled brightly, surrounded by warmth.
His little cousin, Uchiha Rei, leapt into his arms and demanded a hug, sticking her tongue out playfully at Fugaku behind him.
Fugaku rolled his eyes and turned away, pretending not to see her. Kairen couldn't help chuckling—somehow, Fugaku's stiff little mannerisms reminded him of Sasuke.
Smiling, Kairen ruffled the boy's hair and tapped his forehead just like Itachi once did. "Come on, Fugaku—give your big brother a smile."
Everyone burst into laughter, even his usually stone-faced uncle cracking a rare grin.
Rei giggled mischievously. "You little tsundere! Hee hee hee~ Big Brother Fugaku specifically asked me to prepare a gift for you!"
Before Kairen could react—smooch!—she kissed him on the cheek.
"That's from me! Do you like it, big brother?"
"Haha, of course. Anything from my adorable Rei-chan is my favorite gift."
Then Fugaku, blushing slightly, handed over a scroll. "Brother... this is my gift for you."
Kairen opened it. Inside was the Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Jutsu.
"Thank you, Fugaku. Someday, you'll become a great ninja like your father."
"This is a gift from Mom an exquisite protective charm. May it keep our Uchiha Kairen safe and bring him home unharmed every time!"
Then his father, Uchiha Ankoku, stood up. Taking a short sword from his wife, he passed it to Kairen. "Training in kenjutsu starts next week. This blade's name is 'Clear Wind.' Treat it well."
He added, "I've arranged a little test for you with your uncle. It shouldn't be a problem. Complete it tomorrow, and you'll see what your real gift is."
His uncle stepped forward and handed Kairen an appointment scroll. "From today onward, you're the leader of your squad. Ankoku will step down from your team to command the Fourth Division. You three will form the division's first squad."
The others also came forward with gifts.
"Thank you, everyone," Kairen said, voice trembling slightly. "I'll train harder than ever. I won't let you down. I'll become strong enough to protect my family, protect the Uchiha, and make our name resound across the shinobi world!"
Everyone turned curiously toward his two teammates—what would they give him? The two boys flushed red.
Uchiha Honō finally said, "We've got a special gift for you, but you'll have to wait until after the party. We'll take you there ourselves—you're gonna love it."
"Haha! Looks like the kids have their little secrets!" joked one of the older clansmen, clearly tipsy. Nobody minded—everyone was in high spirits.
Kairen grinned. Those two had been acting suspiciously for days. So they had been preparing something behind his back. He could hardly wait to find out.
When the party ended, Honō and Retsu grabbed him and led him out—to their usual patrol area. Only then did Kairen notice they were both wearing combat gear.
"Your turn, Kairen. Here—put on your uniform," said Retsu, tossing him his gear. "Our gift to you is something you've been waiting for—a big catch. It's your birthday, brother. Let's go fishing."
"Happy birthday, Kairen," Honō added with a grin.
Kairen chuckled. "You guys are something else. A special gift, huh? Guess I should thank that bearded man for showing up just in time for my birthday."
As he changed, Retsu began reporting what they'd found.
"The bearded guy came back two mornings ago—I ran into him at the village gate when I went to meet my uncle. Honō found out the fishball shop is closed today. I checked the market—the orphan girl took the day off, said she was helping at the orphanage. We're guessing they'll move tonight or tomorrow."
"We don't have enough manpower," Honō continued. "So no matter what they're planning, we decided to tail the bearded man. He'll lead us straight to your birthday gift."
"Then it's settled," said Kairen, fastening his gear. "Let's go find my birthday present."
His eyes gleamed with anticipation.