Same day, 5:30 AM — Granny Honoka's home
Kaen woke up early, exactly on routine. He stretched with a long, relaxed groan — after a week of nightmares, he had finally slept peacefully. No visions, no shadows, no jolting awake in cold sweat.
Just sleep.
He was genuinely happy.
Still half-drowsy, he wandered into the kitchen, opened the fridge, grabbed a bottle of milk, and chugged it in one go.
Then he stepped outside for his morning walk — his favorite time of day. The air was cool and crisp, the sun barely peeking over the horizon, and the streets were silent. Just a six-year-old with too much energy and an entire empty village to explore.
Life couldn't get better… or maybe it could.
He made his way to the familiar pond by the training ground and dove straight in. The water was clean and cold, shocking him awake. After a quick swim, he jumped out and practiced a few Fire Style techniques — the steam turning the pond lukewarm. The fish began leaping joyfully, and Kaen, of course, took it as gratitude for his massive Fireball Jutsu.
At least… that's how he interpreted it.
Next came shadowboxing.He worked on the moves he'd picked up during his two-month bootcamp with Fugaku-san:
First: The stomp kick — his new favorite. He'd finally mastered faking a high kick and instantly switching to the stomp.
Second: His fire fist — which actually burned now, thanks to new chakra control exercises. This technique alone was enough to push him toward enrolling in the Chakra Science Department someday.
Third: Shuriken jutsu — bending trajectories, trick spins, hidden angles. He and Itachi were stuck in a friendly rivalry over this one, with Itachi constantly pulling off insane throws that left Kaen speechless.
After an hour and a half of training, Kaen's stomach growled loudly.
He sprinted back home, ready for one of Granny Honoka's legendary breakfasts.
Kaen entered the house cheerfully but stopped short when he noticed four pairs of sandals lined up at the door.
"Huh… guests? This early?"
He walked toward the tatami room and immediately heard Minato's voice. His whole face lit up — Minato was like a superhero to most kids in Konoha, and Kaen was no exception.
He slid open the wooden door.
Right in front of him sat Fugaku-san.
To the left were Granny Honoka and Aunt Enju.
Kaen bowed deeply to Fugaku out of respect, then turned to the right where Minato—
"Ohayo go—"
His greeting died in his throat.
Sitting beside Minato was a woman.
A woman with a slim face.
Warm brown eyes.
Crimson hair that spilled down her back.
A gentle, innocent expression—
Exactly like his mother.
As if she had walked straight out of the grave.
Kaen froze. His breath hitched. His hands trembled as he took one hesitant, terrified step forward.
On the second step, his eyes burned red—
The Sharingan flickered to life.
Each slow step made his pupils shake harder. His fists clenched. The possibility that this was "just another nightmare" was shrinking with every heartbeat.
Two steps away from the woman, Kaen's hands rose shakily to his hair.
He gripped hard.
And pulled.
The trauma hit like a kunai to the chest — the vision of his mother's face drenched in blood, her body pierced by countless blades.
A scream tore out of him.
Raw. Terrified. Broken.
Granny Honoka jolted from her seat and rushed toward him, but before she reached him—
The woman — Kushina — wrapped her arms around Kaen.
Kaen shuddered violently as his face crashed against her shoulder.
He looked up, Sharingan burning and aching, confusion and agony flooding his expression.
Tears burst out of him.
He clung to her with desperate, tiny arms, holding on as if he feared that letting go would make her vanish again.
Fugaku had already stepped out into the front yard, unwilling to let anyone see the emotions threatening to break through his usual stoic mask. Minato sat beside Kushina, tears silently dripping down his cheeks.
Enju and Honoka were openly crying — not from sadness, but from overwhelming relief and joy.
Kaen looked up at Kushina, cried harder, and pulled her back into a hug.
Then he'd pull away, look at her again — almost checking — and immediately hug her again.
He repeated this over and over.
Because for him… his mother didn't "just die."
He buried her. Himself.
So having someone with her face and smile sitting in front of him felt too unreal to accept all at once.
For the next fifteen minutes, Kaen looked up at her and buried his face back into her shoulder fifteen different times. Eventually, Enju approached and gently rubbed his back.
Kaen turned slightly to look at Enju, still clinging tightly to Kushina.
"She is Uzumaki Kushina," Enju said softly. "Your mother's relative — the one you mentioned before. She's her younger sister."
Kaen blinked twice, letting the words settle.
"So she's…" He looked back at Kushina and lightly touched her right eyebrow. "Yeah… she doesn't have the scar here."
He looked at Kushina, eyes wide. "Wait… so you're her sister?"
Then a laugh burst out of him — loud, childish, unfiltered joy. His mother was gone, yes… but he suddenly had someone connected to her. Someone he could hold onto.
He stepped back and called to Enju, "Oba-chan! Grab her and don't let her go!"
Enju chuckled as Kaen darted upstairs.
He ran into his room, opened the drawer under his desk, and took something out.
On the way back, he literally jumped over half the staircase.
He skidded back into the tatami room and stopped right in front of Kushina, breathless.
He held out his small fist… and slowly opened it.
A hairpin.
An old Uzumaki-design hairpin — the kind a little girl would wear.
Kushina gently lifted it from his palm and stared at it, confused for a moment… until recognition hit her like a thunderbolt.
It was the farewell gift she had bought for her elder sister before leaving the Land of Whirlpools… the last little token she had ever given her.
Her eyes widened. Her hand flew to her mouth as tears streamed down her face.
"Ane-chan…" she whispered, kissing the small hairpin between trembling fingers.
Enju wiped her eyes and spoke softly, as if addressing her mother, "Aww, Mama… I wanted a sister like that too."
Kaen beamed — a wide, innocent, prideful smile stretching across his face.
He felt good. For the first time in a long time, he felt like he had done something truly good.
Obito, meanwhile, just glanced left and right, trying to piece together the situation. Eventually, he gave up — too much emotional chaos, too early in the morning.
But it didn't matter.
Kaen — his little brother — was happy.
And that alone was enough for him.
The balcony door slid open slightly. Fugaku stepped inside.
He glanced at Minato and gave a single nod.
Minato understood immediately.
He met Kushina's eyes and silently conveyed everything he needed to.
Then he turned to Granny Honoka and Enju, apologizing softly before taking his leave.
---
Outside, Fugaku stopped in front of seventeen-year-old Daichi — who looked like he was moments away from breaking down completely.
He let his arms fall to his sides.
"Come on, you two. You're both exactly where you shouldn't be on a day like this," he said — the restrained kind of frustration one only uses toward superiors, a tone that says I'm pissed, but I'm still being respectful.
"What happened, Daichi-kun? You seem really off today," Minato asked kindly.
And that was all it took.
Daichi's composure crumbled.
"Minato-senpai… my day's just getting worse," he cried. "First they woke me up at midnight to get Fugaku-san." He shot a betrayed look at Fugaku, who immediately turned away like he saw a crow in the distance.
"I asked him if he could receive the grand guest… and do you know what he did?"
Minato placed a calming hand on his shoulder, but the dam had already burst.
"He shut the door on my face! So I went to Hiashi-san — and he also shut the door on my face! Then I went to Shippu Sensei, who just shrugged and dumped the job on Moroha-senpai."
He sniffed, wiping his nose.
"Moroha-senpai showed up… but ever since he met the grand guest, he's been giving me those looks. What did I do wrong?? It's only my third day — and Lord Hokage, who's supposed to be cool-headed,yelled at me for a freaking coffee!" He buried his face in his sleeve.
"Grand guest…?" Minato asked.
Fugaku facepalmed hard.
Daichi erupted again.
"That— oh man, he's a disgusting piece of shit! First I saved him from embarrassing himself, and he treated me like absolute dogshit! Like, come on, I know I bathe more times a week than him! And then he ruined everyone's mood, and now I'm the punching bag because I'm the youngest one in the tower!"
Minato gave a nervous smile and looked at Fugaku for clarity.
"The Pandit," Fugaku said with a long exhale.
"Who?" Minato blinked.
"Oh… you've never met the Pandit." Fugaku nodded slowly.
"Pandit who??" Minato asked again.
Fugaku placed a heavy hand on Minato's shoulder.
"Come on, then. You're in for a great adventure… Lord Fourth."
He turned to Daichi.
"Come see me this weekend. I'm considering recommending you for Tier 2 of the Jōnin Exams."
Daichi wiped his tears, a small smile forming.
And with that, the future Fourth Hokage and the Uchiha clan head headed toward the Hokage Tower — side by side.