In the forty-eighth year of Konoha, a year unforgettable for all *Naruto* fans.
This was the year when Naruto and Sasuke were born, and the Nine-Tails plunged the village into turmoil. It marked the beginning of what would become the Naruto story, as well as the start of a dream.
However...
"The Nine-Tails not appearing in the story is one thing," Kaze muttered to himself, "but why haven't Naruto and Sasuke shown up yet even though it's almost time for the ending?"
He just couldn't figure it out.
Could it be that Indra and Asura have run out of revival coins?
Or…
Kaze glanced at his two infant sons in the crib, suddenly falling into deep thought.
"Could it possibly be…?"
"No, I must've been thinking too much…"
Rubbing his chin, he refused to believe it at first. But still, he decided to name his two sons after Naruto and Sasuke.
Don't question it—it's just a tribute.
"Recently, I should work harder with Yukiko—time to make another little troublemaker like Konohamaru," Kaze murmured to himself.
"I should also check in on Fugaku and Minato and see what's going on with them—they're seriously underperforming."
After considering things for a moment, Kaze decided to skip work and invite Fugaku out for a meal.
The reason he decided to play hooky? Blame it on his cheap old man of a father.
Putting Minato as Hokage's assistant was bad enough, but why did he insist on dragging Kaze into it too? It seriously annoyed him.
As a result, he had no choice but to fake being sick six days a week.
Of course, today wasn't granted out of respect for Danzō. It was simply because he wanted to spend a day accompanying Minato.
...
Hokage's Office.
Another day, another sick leave notice from his son—Danzō was once again furious enough to burst a blood vessel.
That disobedient brat wants to skip work? At least come up with a slightly better excuse!
You're strong enough to take on an entire ninja village by yourself!
Every single day it's some made-up excuse—headache, backache… Come on!
Do you really expect me to believe that?
You think making up excuses is fooling anyone?
Looking at Minato working diligently nearby, Danzō felt a pang of mixed emotions.
Sighing, Danzō approached Minato, patted his shoulder, and said,
"With Kaze taking so many sick leaves, you must bear more responsibility."
Minato blinked. "Sure thing, Father-in-law."
Don't get fooled by Minato's polite answer—he was secretly fuming inside.
"That old bastard's got me working zero-zero-seven every week! Now I don't even have the energy to spend quality time with little Kyu anymore!"
Their plans for starting a family had to be put on hold.
"Not once did Kaze offer to cover for me. Total freeloader!"
...
Inside a teahouse in Konoha.
Kaze casually entered a private room he was familiar with, where he saw Fugaku, already grown into a middle-aged man.
He sat down across from Fugaku and cheerfully greeted him, "Big Brother Fugaku, long time no see."
Even the usually stern Fugaku couldn't help but smile when he saw Kaze.
"Long time indeed, Kaze. Why'd you suddenly decide to meet up with me today?" Fugaku asked.
Getting straight to the point, Kaze asked, "Big Brother Fugaku, are you and Big Sister Mikoto planning on having a second child?"
Fugaku's face turned red. He quickly took a sip of tea before sighing.
"Things have been busy lately between the village and clan affairs. Even if we want to, your sister-in-law and I barely have the time or energy."
On the bright side,
Thanks to Fugaku's tireless efforts over the years, the Uchiha clan gradually became integrated into the village and finally earned recognition from the villagers.
And he had earned the recognition of the Konoha Elite Four, officially entering Konoha's core ranks.
Or perhaps it was only after becoming brothers-in-law with Kaze that Fugaku finally rose to prominence, free from the Shimura clan's interference...
"Speaking of kids, there's something I'd like to ask you," Fugaku said, setting down his teacup with a smile.
"Itachi has self-taught everything at the Ninja Academy. I'm thinking about finding someone to guide his training. Do you have any good recommendations?"
"Damn it!" Kaze thought with an internal whistle.
When he was eight years old, he was still struggling to master the Ninjutsu taught at the Academy.
Yet this four-year-old Itachi had already become a self-taught prodigy!
These geniuses were just ridiculous—enough to make anyone jealous!
"A suitable candidate… let me think…"
The first name that came to Kaze's mind was Toyo Jiraiya, the most powerful instructor under the Hokage—the biggest pushover in the village.
But recently, this guy had been busy accompanying Lady Tsunade in refining foundational Medical Ninjutsu, practically turning into a halfway-to-becoming-a-full-time medical ninja himself. Naturally, he wouldn't have time to mentor an apprentice.
Hmm…
After some consideration, Kaze made a decision and spoke up. "How about letting Itachi train under Minato?"
Whenever unsure who should handle something, pushing it toward Minato was always a safe bet.
"Minato, huh…" Fugaku gave a slight nod, disappointment stirring inside him.
Truthfully, he had hoped Kaze himself could guide Itachi.
Although Minato was also strong, compared to Kaze—who had once defeated an entire nation alone—he was somewhat lacking.
"You're not satisfied? Let me think again then," Kaze mused thoughtfully.
Actually, as he pondered, another more suitable candidate did come to mind.
If Itachi truly learned something from that person, it would absolutely help fill in the Uchiha clan's missing edge.
"Aniki Fugaku," Kaze said suddenly, "actually, now that you mention it, I do know someone perfect."
Hearing this, Fugaku hurriedly asked, "Who is it?"
Kaze replied slowly, "Senju… Tobirama!"
Fugaku: *(╯°Д°)╯︵┻━┻*
Kaze: "!!! Aniki Fugaku, what are you doing? Put that table back down right now!"
After some mad chaos, Kaze fixed the overturned table.
*┯━┯ノ('–'ノ)*
"Aniki Fugaku, your reaction was way too extreme," Kaze complained.
"If Itachi trains under Lord Tobirama, his future is golden! He'll be on the path to unstoppable greatness!"
Fugaku, however, was panicking internally and shaking his head furiously.
"Lord Tobirama has been incredibly swamped since his resurrection. How can we trouble him further to personally mentor my humble son? That's inappropriate, simply inappropriate…"
Fear of Senju Tobirama had long been etched into every Uchiha's DNA.
"What's inappropriate about it?" Kaze thumped his chest with exaggerated confidence. "Tobirama-dono is basically my grandfather. By extension, he's your grandfather too. We're all family here!"
"Well… this… sigh… fine."
Eventually, convinced by Kaze's hardcore persuasion, Fugaku relented.
He saw this as a veiled warning from Kaze to the Uchiha clan—an unspoken message that the Shimura could elevate the Uchiha to prosperity with a mere gesture. But they could just as easily bring them to ruin.
The fate of the entire clan hung on Kaze's whim alone...
If he refused, the Uchiha might face total annihilation!
However, in reality, Fugaku was overcomplicating things.
Kaze genuinely wanted to find a good mentor for his nephew. After Tobirama trained Itachi for a while, he was even planning to have Madara take over.
Right now, seeing Fugaku so excited, he smiled and patted the other's shoulder, saying,
"Aniki Fugaku, you don't have to be this happy, do you? You look like you're about to cry."
Fugaku thought inwardly, *I am crying, okay?!*
The mere thought of sacrificing his obedient son for the sake of the Uchiha clan alone was unbearably painful.
...
Meanwhile, inside Kaze's home.
A dark figure silently emerged from the living room floor.
Through the paper door, it gazed at the two children inside the main house.
"Mother, I will definitely bring you back to life. Definitely!" The figure silently vowed in his heart.
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>