Minato sat in the Hokage's seat with Shikaku standing before him, reading a scroll that made his face contort in shock this information was about his nephew's abilities.
"How can you be certain this is true, Lord Fourth?" Shikaku asked, his voice heavy with worry.
He felt disappointed in himself as he realized how much Megumi could have contributed to the Nara clan if those bastard elders hadn't provoked Kaede. She wouldn't have left the clan with Megumi if not for their interference. But it was all his fault.
He had failed as a leader he couldn't even protect his own nephew.
"I'm certain of it. The information came from Kushina, so there's nothing to fear," Minato said as he continued working.
"The reason I called you here is to inform you that Kushina has made him the Uzumaki heir, and he has accepted. I'm telling you this now so you won't be surprised later," he added.
Shikaku was speechless upon hearing that his nephew now held the same status as him or perhaps even higher.
"I understand. I'll take my leave then."
Shikaku bowed and walked out of the Hokage building, still pondering where he had failed. Was it when Naosuke should have been punished? Or when Elder Tsunayoshi spoke bluntly against Megumi right in front of him?
On his way home, he saw Kaede with the Divine Dogs walking beside her.
Those are Megumi's summons, he noted. He could tell that Kaede no longer respected him as her brother-in-law, but only as the clan head of the Nara clanbif that.
He walked past her without greeting, understanding that his incompetence had divided not only his clan but his own family. His wife wanted nothing to do with him and wouldn't even allow him to take Shikamaru outside their front door.
Kaede noticed Shikaku but couldn't tell what he was doing at the Hokage's office—though she remembered he was a clan head, so perhaps he'd come for a meeting or village business. He was, after all, supposedly the "smartest" strategist in the village.
She didn't care. She was here to take a mission, so why would she concern herself with a man who couldn't even get justice for his own brother's son? Thinking about it irritated her, but also excited her—when they learned about Megumi's abilities, they would cry tears of blood.
She had received word that Yoshino had given birth to a boy, and she hadn't yet paid her a visit. She remembered yoshino being there for her before and after Megumi's birth now was the time to repay that debt.
"I'll get the mission, then buy her and the baby a gift on my way back," she thought, walking straight to the mission room.
---
**A few days later**
Yoshino was still cradling her son when she remembered that Kaede hadn't visited her since giving birth.
Shikaku, who was eating, could sense that his wife was not in a good mood, so he planned to step outside for a smoke.
As he was about to open the door, Yoshino shouted, "Because of you and your clan, my friend has to avoid visiting me, Shikaku!"
He was already fed up with this, and he hadn't told her what he'd learned from Minato, knowing full well she would mock him for losing a prodigy over some nobody.
"Please, you need to be careful saying such things outside. The boy is doing absolutely fine," Shikaku assured his wife.
Outside the clan compound, Kaede was being blocked by the men at the entrance from entering.
"State the reason for your visit," the man on the left asked in an arrogant tone.
Kaede couldn't understand what gave these old chunin fools the confidence to stop her. But she knew she was no longer welcome here, so she simply had to explain why she'd come.
"I'm here to see my friend Yoshino, who just gave birth," she replied.
"We didn't receive any notice about your visit, so please leave," the second man said in a mocking tone.
"So it seems you're deaf. I said your clan head's wife, who is my friend, gave birth, and I came to visit her."
"As gate watchers, your job is to confirm, not get cocky when you're just chunin rank..."
Kaede's words made the guards' veins bulge, teeth grinding in frustration.
"You bitch!" One of the men readied to attack her but was held back by his partner, who knew this woman could kill them before justice arrived.
"We were given orders that you and that pathetic son of yours are no longer considered members of the Nara clan, so you're an intruder here. Leave before we call the elders," he said.
Seeing Kaede's anger rise, he stepped back. Even his partner, who'd wanted to fight earlier, now had sweat on his face after recognizing the gap in strength between chunin and jonin.
"Hmph." Taking a breath, she was about to lash out.
She moved so fast that both men were caught off guard, slamming their heads together simultaneously.
She gave the one who'd called her son pathetic a high kick to the neck, finishing him with a low blow to the groin.
"Fine. I'll leave. But pray I don't see you two outside your parents' protection, because if I do, you're finished."
She left with the gift in her hand, unable to believe that these fools who couldn't even beat Megumi had called him pathetic. Was this pest of a clan really worth anything?
Just as she left, a clan member returning home saw the bloody scene and screamed for help, drawing the attention of both the elders and Shikaku's household after learning that two members had been attacked by someone in the clan compound.