When the carriage stopped at the village gates, Kairen stepped out and immediately saw the clan elders waiting — the Great Elder, his uncle, and several frail old men leaning on their canes. He knew at once they were here to receive his grandfather's ashes.
He bowed respectfully beside his father, one by one greeting the elders before the carriage slowly rolled toward the Uchiha cemetery — toward his grandmother's resting place.
At the clan graveyard, everything had already been prepared. The Uchiha stood in silent rows, waiting solemnly. Kairen spotted familiar faces — his mother's old friends, his three instructors, his aunt and uncle's families, and his older cousin's household. Among the crowd, he even saw his two closest brothers-in-arms — though neither stood together, each was now stationed behind a different elder.
The farewell ceremony was simple. Prayers were offered, incense lit. When it was done, Kairen's family bowed deeply to each attending clan member. His mother held her father's portrait tightly as she sat in the carriage. His father stayed close by, while Kairen took the reins and led them back home in silence.
— — —
The next morning, Uchiha Honō and Uchiha Retsu came to visit. It had been a long time since the three had last met, and their reunion was filled with laughter, banter, and the kind of familiarity only old comrades shared. After explaining the situation to his mother, Kairen joined them on a walk toward the Hokage Rock.
"Man, Kairen, you were gone forever!" Retsu called out, grinning. "At first I thought you were just taking some time off — didn't expect you to vanish this long. Oh, and by the way, Honō and I both got promoted. We're squad captains now. I've got three full teams under me, hahaha!"
Honō smirked and added, "I'm a chūnin now too. How about a spar? Let's see what all those years of training in the mountains did for you."
Kairen shrugged casually. "Sure." He formed the Hand Seal.
Honō's Sharingan flared open the instant the match began. Kairen, however, closed his eyes, inhaling slowly as he slid his hand toward the hilt at his waist. Honō made the first move —
"Fire Release: Dragon Fire Jutsu!"
Then came his clones — two shadow doubles.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
"Fire Release: Dragon Fire Majestic Arrow!"
"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Bullet!"
The air roared with heat. Kairen could feel the waves of fire tearing toward him. His fingers tightened around the hilt — and in the next breath, steel flashed.
"Iaijutsu: Sky-Cutting Slash!"
"One-Sword Style: Fine Snow!"
"Uchiha Sword Kenjutsu: Flashing Severance!"
Three strikes in one flow — the combined ninjutsu shattered, the clones dispersed like mist, and before Honō could react, Kairen's blade was already sheathed again, its hilt pressing lightly against Honō's chest.
Honō froze, eyes wide. Retsu stared, jaw slack. "This guy's even more of a monster than before…"
"That sword style — you learned it from your grandfather, didn't you?" Honō finally managed.
Kairen nodded. "Not just swordsmanship. He taught me what true strength really means."
Then he turned his gaze toward the trees at the forest edge. No one emerged, but Kairen bowed respectfully. "You two come with me to the Police Force headquarters. I need to talk to my uncle."
Retsu slung an arm around Kairen's shoulder, laughing as the three of them walked toward the district. Hidden among the trees, Uchiha Ankoku remained silent, watching the boy he'd once mentored. To think Kairen could detect him now… The little monster had come home.
— — —
At the Police Force building, they met captain, who nodded and let them through.
Inside the office, everything looked the same as it always had. His uncle — Uchiha Nobunaga — stood before the window, gazing out over the compound.
Kairen stepped forward. "Uncle, I've created a ninjutsu of my own. I'd like to submit it to the clan — to enrich our family's jutsu archive."
Nobunaga turned, raising a brow. "The Rasengan, right? Your father wrote about it in his last letter. Said you trained relentlessly. Your grandfather was a remarkable shinobi — and this jutsu has great value."
He pulled a scroll from his desk and handed it to Kairen. "This is your official promotion — you're now a chūnin and a squad captain.
"You can also offer the jutsu to the village, but you mustn't claim it as your own. Say it was your grandfather's. The Hokage's office will decide what reward you get."
Kairen grinned. "Thank you, Uncle. Then I'll go pick up my uniform. Oh — Dad asked me to give you this letter. He said he's staying home with Mom and won't be reporting in."
Nobunaga blinked. "A letter? But he was just here — said he'd have dinner at your place tonight…"
He opened it in front of Kairen — and chuckled helplessly. Inside was a "recommendation" praising Kairen's strength, claiming that within a few years, he could surpass his own father — a note supposedly dictated by their late grandfather. The letter went on to say Kairen's friends had all been promoted, yet he was still a genin, and that his kindhearted uncle surely couldn't stand such injustice. Maybe appoint him deputy captain — seven or eight squads would do…
Kairen rubbed his forehead, embarrassed. "Uncle, I'll just take this back with me. See you tonight."
Nobunaga waved him off with a laugh. When Kairen left, he looked again out the window and murmured, "Father… my brother's still the same fool. And now I'm clan head. Togashi's gone, and the Uchiha have lost yet another of our strong ones…"
Kairen donned his new uniform, preening proudly. Honō and Retsu looked on, exasperated. So this is what walking the easy road looks like, they thought. He 'invented' a jutsu — yeah right, it's obviously his grandfather's. Then he uses a family letter as leverage? This guy's shameless!
Kairen, grinning ear to ear, said, "Come on, brothers, let's go see the Hokage — maybe we can trade this for something good."
The two exchanged a look. After so many years together, they knew each other's thoughts. He's actually going to sell it twice. Unbelievable. Still… shaking down the Hokage a little sounds fun.
"Hokage-sama, Uchiha Kairen requests an audience."
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked up from his desk and nodded. The guard let Kairen in, closing the door behind him.
"Hokage-sama," Kairen began, bowing deeply, "I know you're busy, so I'll be brief. My late grandfather left me a jutsu — the Rasengan, a technique that requires no hand signs.
"I believe that as a member of Konoha, such power should serve the village, not remain hidden. Only by sharing can we strengthen the nation — after all, there is no home without the village…"
He went on for half an hour, eloquent and patriotic.
Hiruzen's smile grew wider. "Remarkable. So young, yet so aware." He clasped his hands behind his back and recited, "Wherever the leaves dance, fire burns. The fire's light will guide the village, and new leaves shall sprout once again."
He launched into a full speech on the Will of Fire.
Honō and Retsu listened from the side, barely suppressing laughter. This is next-level negotiation, they thought. They're both talking nonsense — and both loving it. What a match.
Finally, Hiruzen gestured to an Anbu, who brought the Scroll of Seals. "Write it here," he said. After testing it himself, he classified it as an A-rank, no-hand-sign ninjutsu.
He praised Kairen again, then added warmly, "The village never lets its people suffer loss. If we only take and never give, that would be unjust. Pick a jutsu from the archives as your reward."
Kairen bowed deeply. "Hokage-sama, I've always admired the Second Hokage. His swordsmanship — the Konoha-style Kenjutsu — has been my dream to learn. I'd like that, if it pleases you."
Outside the Hokage Tower, all three exhaled in relief.
Kairen was ecstatic. "Tobirama's sword style! That's practically an heirloom technique! Hahaha!" He made a copy of the scroll before heading straight back to the Police Force.
Retsu stared at him in disbelief. "Kairen… don't tell me you're gonna… sell it again?"
Honō covered his face. Please no…
Kairen stopped and smiled slyly. "Of course. Such a valuable technique should belong to the clan. Only in Uchiha hands can it truly shine."
Both of them nearly fainted. This guy's insane.
He marched back to Nobunaga's office, bowed, and said solemnly, "Uncle, I've just returned from the Hokage. He said the village shouldn't take without giving — that such imbalance harms unity. So he let me choose a jutsu as compensation. I picked the Konoha-Styls Kenjutsu.
"I believe something this valuable should serve the clan. Only in our hands can it fulfill its true purpose."
Nobunaga's mouth twitched. Did he really just trade one jutsu for two, and now wants to trade again?
Honō and Retsu were on the verge of bursting out laughing.
Nobunaga sighed and handed him a sealed scroll. "The clan won't let its own go unrewarded either. This contains exclusive Sharingan training methods — and a few genjutsu that only Sharingan users can perform. Take it. And don't you dare go trade these again."
Kairen cheerfully accepted and left.
"Come on," he told his two friends. "Help me find Jiraiya and Orochimaru. I've got a few things to discuss with them."
They both stared at him, horrified. You're a demon!
By the end of the week, Kairen had traded the Konoha-Style Kenjutsu to Orochimaru for the Five Elements Seal, and to Jiraiya for the Evil Flame Seal.
Word spread quickly through Konoha. Soon, everyone was laughing:
"That Uchiha kid from the mountains? He's gone mad from poverty —
sold one jutsu three times!"