Yamanaka Flower Shop.
As Yun walked out the door, Yamanaka Inoichi glanced at the money in his wife's hand.
"I thought you were going to give it to him for free."
Lino shot him a look, "He's a pitiful kid, yes, but we're pitiful too. All the food, drinks, daily expenses…"
Her endless muttering made Inoichi quickly change the subject, "That child… isn't just a regular academy student, is he?"
Lino blinked. "Another genius like Kakashi?"
Inoichi nodded, "Probably more than just a Kakashi-level genius. I heard that in his special Chūnin exam, he fought Kakashi… and Kakashi lost."
Lino was stunned. 'That little boy… was that strong?'
Inoichi smiled, "The Uchiha clan is really lucky. Not only do they have Shisui, but now there's Uchiha Yun. I heard that a year ago, Uchiha Itachi in the Minazuki squad awakened his two-tomoe Sharingan. The new generation of Uchiha is already growing into a force that can't be ignored."
Lino chuckled, "Well, it doesn't really concern the Yamanaka clan. The Ino-Shika-Cho trio has stood together since the Warring States period. No matter what happens, no one's targeting us."
Inoichi nodded, "With Root disbanded, our child Fu can stay within the clan again. Whether it's the Third or the Fourth Hokage, they both have clear boundaries."
The little girl in Inoichi's arms looked up, confused, "Daddy, what's that big brother's name?"
...
Konoha Memorial Stone.
Yun placed a bouquet of chrysanthemums at a small stone monument.
Because the bodies of the two deceased had been obliterated, blown apart along with the snakes summoned by Orochimaru, there were no remains. Beneath the memorial stone were only their everyday clothes.
Sigh…
Yun let out a long breath and looked at the unfamiliar names. "Cat" and "En" were their ANBU codenames, true identities only revealed at times like this.
"Plop."
A soft sound nearby drew Yun's attention. He saw Kakashi placing two bouquets at two gravestones.
Kakashi stood silently between the stones, grief written all over his face, as if speaking silently to the departed.
'Obito Uchiha and Rin Nohara's memorials, huh?'
'Looks like the Fourth still hadn't told Kakashi about the masked man from three years ago.'
Their eyes met, and Yun approached.
"You came to visit your old teammates?"
Kakashi nodded, "This Sharingan of mine was a gift from Obito before he died. He asked me to protect Rin… but in the end, I couldn't keep that promise."
'Oof…'
'A two-tomoe Sharingan and an unfinished Chidori, yeah, that combo was no match for Madara's schemes.'
"You're here for your teammates too, right? Cat and En. I heard about that mission from the Fourth. I don't agree with what happened, but… you handled it well."
Yun scratched his head, "Why does it feel like so many people know about ANBU missions? Inoichi-senpai knew, and now you…"
Kakashi calmly replied, "Inoichi only knew ANBU had casualties yesterday. As for me… I heard from our teacher."
"Obito once said: In the ninja world, those who break the rules are scum, but those who abandon their comrades are worse than scum."
Then he turned to Yun, "Even if I agree with your decision, you should still be cautious with Mangekyō power. The Uchiha right now can't afford to lose a pair of Mangekyō Sharingan."
Yun looked at him, surprised, "Why are you telling me this?"
Kakashi shook his head slightly, "Our teacher once said, only with power can you bring others to the negotiating table. Right now, the Uchiha have that power. All they need is an opportunity to return to Konoha's center."
"But if you lose that power, the Uchiha become irrelevant, neither a threat nor a force."
They both fell silent.
Soon, both those who came to truly mourn and those just putting on a show had finished their rituals.
On their way back to the village, Yun and Kakashi passed a playground and saw two boys arguing.
One had black hair and the Uchiha clan's fan crest on his back, it was little Sasuke.
The other had blonde hair and a swirl symbol on his clothes, the Uzumaki crest, it was little Naruto.
"My big brother graduated early, he's a genius ninja!"
"Well, my dad is the Hokage!"
"My brother's shuriken hit every target, whoosh whoosh whoosh!"
"My dad is the Hokage!"
"My brother's Fire Style is super strong, he can burn down this whole forest!"
"My dad is the Hokage!"
Sasuke pouted, "All you ever say is 'my dad this, my dad that!'"
Naruto smirked, "Well, all you ever do is talk about your brother! Hmph! And you don't even have a dad!"
At that, Sasuke burst into tears.
"Waaahhh… You said I don't have a dad… I'm never playing with you again!"
Naruto was frozen in place. He wanted to apologize, but his pride held him back.
"Sa… Sasuke…"
He reached out, but as soon as he touched Sasuke, the boy bolted, crying as he ran home.
Naruto was left alone, staring blankly at the empty swing set.
'They were such good friends a moment ago…'
'Did I really say something wrong?'
'But… he really doesn't have a dad…'
'That's what all the other kids said too…'
Swish.
Kakashi appeared beside Naruto and looked apologetically at Yun. "I'll make sure our teacher disciplines him. Sorry, Yun."
Yun scratched his head, "It's just a kid's quarrel. They'll probably make up by tomorrow, it's no big deal."
Kakashi gave a small smile, then suddenly turned stern toward Naruto. "Since you can say things like that, I think it's time we told your mom."
"Huh?"
The moment Naruto imagined his mother's angry face, his knees nearly gave out.
But knowing he was in the wrong, he still took Kakashi's hand and walked home.
Meanwhile, Yun sighed and followed after the distant figure of Sasuke.
'Has Asura and Indra's chakra already started influencing things? They're already butting heads this early?'
'But still… what Naruto said really was too much. After all, Fugaku's death was partly connected to Naruto's birth and the Fourth Hokage's decisions.'
'Come to think of it, if it weren't for me, Fugaku might not have died so early…'
Yun instantly appeared beside little Sasuke and placed a gentle hand on his head.
...
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
[email protected]/DaoistJinzu