A few days had passed since Kaen's promotion to the sixth grade, placing him and Itachi in the advanced, multi-track program reserved for the academy's most gifted students. Unlike the majority of their peers, who followed the standard Active Duty path, the two prodigies had chosen to diversify their studies.
Itachi, a true genius in search of life's deeper meaning, had enrolled in a demanding dual track of Active Duty and Medical Ninjutsu, seeking to understand both the mechanisms of life and the techniques that end it.
Kaen, the quiet intellectual,
found his passion solely in the complexities of Chakra Science. However, as the only student remaining from the original three who had enrolled in the track on the first day, the administration had mandated he also attend the Active Duty curriculum.
Their reasoning, in Kaen's opinion, was a flimsy excuse to keep the class from being canceled due to low enrollment. Regardless, he was a geek at heart—
perfectly happy to absorb any subject thrown his way, so long as it piqued his interest. A geek, but one with standards.
On the seventh of September, Enju and her daughter, Izumi, returned to Konoha through the western gate, their journey from the Land of Earth finally concluded. They had visited the remote grave where Izumi's father was laid to rest.
Enju headed straight to her mother's house, intending to rest before tackling her own dust-filled home, which had been locked up for two weeks. The ever-present dust of Konoha was a problem she lacked the energy to face immediately.
Izumi burst inside, wrapping her grandmother in a quick hug before making a beeline for Kaen-nii-chan's room, knowing it would be far tidier than Obito's perpetually messy one. Enju, meanwhile, collapsed onto the sofa, extending her legs with a weary sigh.
"So, Mama," she began, rubbing her temples to soothe a travel headache. "How is my brother's son doing?"
Granny's expression softened, a veil of sadness falling over her features. "The nightmares won't go away," she said quietly.
Enju leaned forward, her exhaustion replaced by concern. "Did he told you what they're about?"
"No." The old woman's voice was heavy. "He just won't talk about them. And I don't want him to. It must be something so terrible that it has shaken him to his core. I don't want him to have to relive it by putting it into words."
Enju stood and stretched, a determined glint in her eyes. "Guess my rest will have to wait. Time for some serious business."
A warm, knowing smile touched Granny's lips as she watched her daughter's immediate concern for her nephew.
Enju left and made her way directly to the Academy, arriving just as the day's final bell was about to ring. She took a place among the waiting parents and asked for Kaen. Spotting him sitting alone on a bench, lost in thought, she waved, but he didn't notice.
A girl his age with sunny golden hair saw the gesture. She gently tapped Kaen's shoulder. "Hey, I think someone's here for you."
Kaen followed her gaze, and a wave of pure joy washed over him as he recognized Aunt Enju. He leapt up and ran toward her. As he did, a man with the same golden hair, standing near Enju, waved. "Oh, Papa's here too!" the girl exclaimed, and she sprinted after Kaen.
The man, however, was staring at Enju with dawning recognition. "Wait... Enju-chan...?" he asked, his voice full of disbelief.
"Yes...?" Enju replied, before her own memory clicked. "Yamanaka-senpai! Your beard has grown so much; I didn't recognize you for a moment!"
He smiled warmly. "Natsumi likes it this way."
"Speaking of her... how is she? I am upset you two haven't visited in three years." Enju said respectfully.
"It's not that we are ignoring her! Her health has declined this past year, but she would be overjoyed to see you. You should visit."
"I will," Enju promised.
Just then, Kaen and the girl arrived.
"My, you've grown!" Enju said to the golden-haired girl.
The girl, recognizing an acquaintance of her father's, bowed deeply. "Konnichiwa." Enju gave her head a loving pat.
"Your name is Rinka, right?" Rinka nodded, her smile radiating innocent delight.
Meanwhile, Kaen was staring intently at "Senpai," utterly captivated by the man's long, straight, and majestically shining golden beard—so different from his own father's curly one.
Senpai looked down at the boy. "Hey there, little one. And who might you be?"
"I am Kaen. Konnichiwa," he said with a respectful nod.
"You won't believe who Kaen's father is," Enju interjected, a playful smile on her face.
Senpai's eyes narrowed in curious anticipation. "Who?"
"Enji-nii-chan."
His jaw dropped. "Ohh... WHHHHAAAAAT?! HOW?! Where is that moron?!"
Kaen's eyes instantly narrowed, his small frame tensing at the insult. He was mentally preparing to teach this stranger a lesson.
"That... we don't know," Enju replied softly. "But Kaen is here now."
"Aww, man," Senpai sighed, a nostalgic grin spreading across his face. "I wanted to go on another one of his crazy missions with him one more time."
Kaen raised a single eyebrow, his voice deceptively calm and polite.
"Excuse me, stranger-san. Could you please introduce yourself before speaking of my father in such a manner? I am new here and your comment is sounding like an insult. And it is giving me a powerful urge to snatch that rather stupid-looking beard right off your..."
Enju's hand flew to Kaen's mouth, cutting off any further verbal jabs.
From Naoki's perspective, the boy was a paradox—both cute and terrifying.
Cute, because this small child, no older than seven, was ready to defend his father's honor against a man twice his height and decades his senior. Terrifying, because for a fleeting moment, the boy's fierce expression and unyielding stance were the perfect mirror of the late, formidable Akihiko.
Rinka, however, stared at Kaen with pure disapproval, her expression hardening at his perceived impoliteness. She stood ready to intervene if he dared to escalate.
Naoki let out a hearty laugh. "Yep… definitely his son." He knelt, bringing himself to Kaen's eye level. "So, Kaen… is Enji going to come back?"
Enju removed her hand from the boy's mouth. Kaen sighed, his face an unsettling mask of maturity. "No," he stated, his tone flat and far too world-weary for his age. "He's dead."
The words landed with a heavy finality. Rinka's expression instantly softened, her earlier judgment replaced by pity. Naoki stared for a long moment before his gaze dropped to the ground. A single, stray tear escaped down his cheek. "I see…" he murmured, ruffling Kaen's hair with a tender, grieving affection.
"I am Yamanaka Naoki. I was Enji's teammate. To the village, we were rivals—always competing, from who could reach a spot first to who could pass the hardest military exam in Konohagakure." He chuckled, the sound thick with nostalgia.
"Anyways… make sure to come visit Natsumi," he said, rising to his feet. He turned and left with Rinka, deliberately not looking back, perhaps to hide the tears now freely falling. Rinka, however, did glance back at Kaen, her eyes filled with a quiet apology for having misjudged him, even for a moment.
Enju and Kaen began the walk back to the compound in a heavy silence, the boy not uttering a single word.
Taking a detour through the bustling market, Enju noticed the moment his steps faltered. Kaen's gaze had locked onto a scene of uncomplicated joy: a child laughing, suspended between both parents.
He stared a second too long, and Enju immediately recognized the raw, aching envy that flashed across his face. It wasn't his fault; even her own Izumi sometimes felt that same hollow pang upon seeing other girls with their fathers.
Gently, Enju placed a hand on Kaen's head, steering his attention away. "Kaen-kun, I just remembered I have some shopping to do. Would you mind accompanying me to the mall?" she asked, her voice light. Kaen offered a synthetic, practiced smile and nodded.
They walked directly to "Uchigraments," the clothing store owned by her late husband's father. The old man was delighted to see them. Inside, Enju insisted on buying Kaen a whole new set of shirts, letting him pick each one himself.
As they left, bags in hand, she leaned down,
"Granny would've never notice your clothes are worn off. She loves you far too much to see anything but you." She gave his shoulder a soft squeeze. "So next time you need anything, you come straight to me, okay?"
A genuine chuckle of excitement finally escaped Kaen as he clutched the bags. For all the mature acts he tried to put on, in this moment, he was undeniably just a happy kid with new clothes.
That night, Kaen fell into an unusually deep and peaceful sleep. For the first time in weeks, the ghosts of his parents did not haunt his dreams. Yet, while the boy rested, the wheels of fate began to turn.
A different kind of storm was brewing, one that would be weathered not on a battlefield, but across a quiet table. In the modest residence of Namikaze Minato, three of the most powerful men in Konoha were about to convene: the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, the prodigy Namikaze Minato, and the Uchiha Clan Head, Fugaku. The future of the village, and perhaps the boy sleeping soundly nearby, was poised to be reshaped in the coming discussion.