Time passed quickly amidst casual chatter, and Uchiha Gen finally returned to Konoha Village after escorting Orochimaru to the outskirts of the Konoha camp in the Land of Rice Fields.
The round trip had taken him across nearly half of the Land of Fire, and by the time he reached the forests outside the village, the sun was already sinking. Only the last sliver of daylight clung stubbornly to the horizon, painting the sky with faint gold and fading red.
Gen touched down lightly among the trees.
After a day of travel, Shuryu shrank back into his smaller form and burrowed into Gen's sleeve to rest. With a small hop, Gen leapt out of the forest and landed on the main road that led to the village gates, strolling leisurely toward Konoha.
He had no intention of cooking tonight. After such a long day, he was too tired to shop for ingredients.
Tomorrow morning, he could buy the freshest groceries and prepare something decent. For now, the commercial district was the better choice.
Konoha's scars from the Nine-Tails' attack had long since healed, even if the memory had not. The wars against Hidden Mist and Kumogakure barely touched civilian life, and the village had returned to its old prosperity.
Orange lanterns glowed warmly along the commercial street, their light mixing with the multicolored flicker of shop signs. Laughter, hawking calls, and casual chatter blended into a comforting hum. Civilians and shinobi alike strolled arm in arm with family and friends, enjoying the lively nightlife.
This street was the busiest of all. Crowds pressed shoulder to shoulder; aromas of grilled skewers, fried dumplings, and sweet bean paste buns wafted together; and children ran between their parents' legs, pointing at toys or sweets they wanted.
Gen began his evening meal the way many bachelors did, sampling from one food stall to the next. Dango here, skewers there. By the time he finished a circuit, he'd be comfortably full.
"Gen, when did you get back?"
The familiar voice stopped him mid-bite. Gen turned and spotted a small group approaching, two men, two women. But it was the women he recognized first; Uchiha Mikoto and Uzumaki Kushina.
Mikoto wore a light-blue blouse tucked into a matching skirt that brushed her knees. Her long, dark hair shone beneath the lantern light, draping loosely down her back. She looked gentle as always, a kind smile softening her beautiful face. In her arms, she carried a small boy with black hair.
Beside her stood Kushina, vibrant as ever in a long red dress. Her waist-length crimson hair spilled down her back, with a neat bun pinned at the side by a hair ornament. Though her features were delicate, there was still that hint of fiery strength in her gaze. She too held a child, this one a blond boy with whisker-like marks on his cheeks.
Both children had their fingers stuffed in their mouths, but their wide, unblinking eyes weren't on Gen, they were locked firmly on the dango skewer in his hand.
Gen blinked in surprise, then broke into a smile. "Mikoto-nee, Kushina, I just returned. And these must be Sasuke and Naruto, right? They've grown so much already."
It was an unexpected reunion. Clearly, the two friends had decided to take their children out for an evening walk.
"Sasuke, greet your older brother," Mikoto coaxed gently, pulling her son's hand from his mouth.
"Come on, Naruto, say hello too," Kushina added with the same patience.
Gen knew Kushina in passing from the days he'd followed Minato, though they'd never been close. Now, Naruto was nearly a year old, while Sasuke had just turned one.
At that age, children could barely form words. Simple syllables, babble, rarely more than that.
"Goggo," Sasuke mumbled.
"Goggo," Naruto echoed, equally serious.
Gen chuckled warmly. Then, noticing the two boys' unwavering stares at his dango, he raised the skewer and waggled it teasingly. "You want some?"
"Eat!" both little ones cried instantly, eyes lighting up.
Children really were at their cutest in these years. Later… well, adolescence changed people into all sorts of troublesome shapes.
"Mikoto-nee, can they eat this?" Gen asked.
"Dango isn't easy to digest," Mikoto admitted, "but a little wouldn't hurt."
"Then tofu pudding would be safer." Gen turned to the stall vendor. "Boss, three servings of tofu pudding."
The old man behind the counter nodded. "What flavors?"
Gen glanced at Mikoto and Kushina. The babies' opinions didn't matter; they weren't exactly at decision-making age.
"Savory," Kushina said with a grin.
"Sweet," Mikoto replied at almost the same time.
Gen blinked. Opposite tastes, perfectly matched. No wonder these two had been best friends for years.
"Then I'll take half sweet, half savory."
The vendor stared at him blankly, lips twitching. In all his years of selling tofu pudding, he had never once been asked for that combination. But a customer was a customer.
"…Alright."
While the vendor worked, Gen deliberately leaned closer to the babies, stuffing an entire dango skewer into his mouth and chewing noisily.
Sasuke and Naruto's little faces scrunched with indignation. Their mouths trembled, on the verge of bawling. Mikoto and Kushina scrambled to soothe them, shooting Gen twin glares; Mikoto's gentle but firm, Kushina's fiery and sharp.
Gen burst out laughing.
It struck him then how much had changed. Kushina hadn't died, and everything Minato left behind naturally now belonged to her and her son. Though widowed, she was still a skilled jōnin, perfectly capable of raising Naruto without worry.
Soon the tofu pudding arrived. Gen paid and said, "Mikoto-nee, it's a little crowded here. Let's find somewhere quieter to sit."
The three found a bench in a nearby park. Kushina sat with Naruto on the left, Mikoto in the middle with Sasuke, and Gen on the right. A gentle breeze rustled the leaves overhead, carrying with it the faint milky scent of tofu pudding.
They ate and talked, pausing every so often to feed tiny spoonfuls to the babies, who were content after only a few bites.
"Gen, your return is sudden," Mikoto said. "Has the war with Hidden Mist ended?"
She carefully avoided mentioning Whirlpool Country, Kushina's homeland. That loss still lingered, and she didn't want to reopen old wounds.
Gen shook his head. "Not yet. But unless something unexpected happens, it won't last much longer."
His face darkened. "Though honestly, I'm furious. Orochimaru-sensei and I worked hard to turn small advantages into major victories, and just as the tide shifted, the higher-ups interfered. They reassigned the commanders, Sarutobi Shinnosuke and Nara Shikaku were moved to the Hidden Mist front, while Orochimaru-sensei and I were transferred to Kumogakure. At the most critical moment! It's absurd."
"What?!" Mikoto gasped, outrage flashing in her eyes. Wasn't this blatant suppression of Orochimaru and Gen?
She and Fugaku had long harbored hopes for their clan. If Orochimaru became Fifth Hokage, then someday Itachi could learn under Gen, the Hokage's disciple, and perhaps inherit that dream himself. But if Orochimaru was being cut down by the very elders who should support him, what future was left?
Her fists clenched. How many generations had the Uchiha waited for their chance at the Hokage's seat?
Kushina too frowned. It was unfair, stealing away the credit that had been earned on the battlefield.
Gen sighed heavily. "It's already disheartened Orochimaru-sensei. He's preparing to withdraw from the succession altogether."
Mikoto froze, nearly forgetting to feed Sasuke. "Gen, you must persuade him! There's still hope, isn't there?"
Gen shook his head gravely. "It might look that way, but the truth is harsher. If the higher-ups won't even put his name forward, what chance is there? And the one most opposed to him…" Gen let his words hang before dropping the weight. "…is the Third Hokage himself."
Both women were stunned.
"That can't be!" Mikoto's gentle face went pale.
Kushina, remembering things she'd overheard between Jiraiya and Minato, realized with a chill that it might very well be true.
Gen continued in a lowered voice. "Sensei told me himself. Hiruzen believes he's fallen into darkness, unfit to be Hokage."
The words settled like a heavy stone. If your own teacher, your Hokage, refused to support you, then what support could anyone else truly give?
"Did Orochimaru-sama… do something?" Mikoto asked hesitantly. "Something he could still correct?"
Gen gave a bitter smile. "Does an obsession with human experimentation count?"
Kushina's eyes widened. "Human experimentation?!"
The boys, ignored too long, began wailing at the top of their lungs. Mikoto and Kushina hurried to comfort them while Gen quietly finished his pudding. With attention back on them and their bellies refilled, the toddlers soon calmed.
"Why would Orochimaru-sama pursue such things?" Mikoto asked softly.
"Originally? Because the higher-ups ordered him to. Later… he became fascinated. On the battlefield, I handled more and more of the military decisions myself."
Kushina's face twisted in disbelief. "Konoha actually permits human experimentation?"
"Kushina," Gen said quietly, "where there is light, there is shadow. Konoha is no different from any other village. Every great village runs experiments. It's only the scale and subjects that change. For example, Danzo currently oversees a renewed attempt to recreate Wood Release. Orochimaru handles the research. They've tried ever since the Second Hokage died. Volunteers, even Senju clansmen, died in droves. Officially, it was sealed away. Unofficially, it never truly stopped."
The two women exchanged a troubled look. The brilliant, respected image of Konoha's leadership seemed far less righteous in that moment.
"So… if Orochimaru only became obsessed later," Mikoto tried again, "surely it isn't enough to destroy his chances completely?"
Gen sighed. "If it were only obsession, perhaps not. But he's after something greater; eternal life."
The women stared at him.
"Eternal life? That's ridiculous."
"Daydreaming," Kushina muttered.
Yet both felt the chill of it. Superhuman powers were one thing but seeking immortality went beyond anything sane.
"Could he still be persuaded to stop?" Mikoto pressed.
"Maybe in theory. But in reality, he's too far gone. I've tried to reason with him. If I push harder, he'll only resent me. It's a dead end." Gen tossed his empty container into the trash and sat back.
Mikoto's lips tightened. "But the clan's plans…"
"Plans change," Gen said simply. "We can only keep training and wait for a new opening. Mikoto-nee, don't spread this too widely. Let Fugaku and the other clan leaders know, but no further. Too much talk will bring trouble."
She nodded.
"Then who will become the Fifth?" she asked at last.
Gen crossed his legs casually. "There aren't many candidates. Besides Orochimaru-sensei, there's Lady Tsunade, Lord Jiraiya… and Danzo, though I'd barely count him. As for the other two Hokage's advisors, they lack both ambition and qualifications."
Mikoto's expression darkened. "Then you mean… Danzo could actually take the seat?"