Earlier, when Uchiha Retsu and Uchiha Honō were both detained, the Uchiha clan's long-standing rotation system—five young shinobi stationed in the Land of Fire—was disrupted.
To fill the gap, the clan dispatched three new members:
Uchiha Yadai, the twelve-year-old eldest son of Uchiha Sa;
Uchiha Inoka, the twelve-year-old second son of Uchiha Ze;
and leading them, a nineteen-year-old married man, Uchiha Kenshin—third place in the previous Shinobi Sword Tournament.
Without a doubt, these were all clan kin—obvious evidence that the family intended to strengthen the bonds between the younger generation, continuing the camaraderie and trust that had tied their parents before them.
After greeting Uchiha Kenshin, Uchiha Kairen told him he would be returning to Konoha and that the clan would soon send another brother to take his place. He asked Kenshin to temporarily assume his own duties as guardian shinobi.
Before leaving, Kairen also handed over his position as squad captain to Uzumaki Shito, the oldest among them. After all, aside from the Fire Temple, most other clans rotated their disciples in and out of service.
Only the Uzumaki clan maintained a constant presence in the Land of Fire. Over the past year, their efforts had earned the Daimyō's deep trust—he had even hinted that he hoped the Uzumaki could permanently take over the captain's post. Seeing this, Kairen simply went along with the flow and let both sides have their way.
Returning to Konoha, he exchanged greetings with the gate guards. Oddly, everyone seemed hesitant, their faces showing something they wanted to say but couldn't. He noticed but didn't press—it was clear they were all holding something back.
Strange.
When he arrived home, Kairen was stunned. The handsome old man—his father—was in the kitchen, cooking.
Dad, do you have any idea how bad your cooking is? What on earth was he doing?
Seeing his son return, his father grinned from ear to ear. "Haha, Kairen, you're back! Your mother went out for a walk—she'll be back soon. Dinner's almost ready!"
"Dad, maybe I should cook instead. I learned a few dishes from Honō—they're actually edible." Kairen really didn't want to eat his father's "dark cuisine."
"No need, no need. I've been learning from Meimei—everyone says it's pretty good. You should try it." His father's face was brimming with confidence.
You're joking, right? Kairen thought. If I rush to Ichiraku Ramen right now, I could still get a few hot bowls. Worst case, I'll send a ninken to pick up some KFC—it'll be back in no time.
But wait—who the hell is Meimei?
Just as he was about to argue further, someone knocked on the courtyard gate. Kairen hurried out, planning to expose his father's culinary crimes before his mother returned.
After all, with his mother's cooking around, who would eat his food? And that mysterious "Meimei"? Something was definitely going on. He had to report this to his mother—his dad was learning to cook from another woman!
But the moment he stepped into the courtyard, Kairen froze completely.
His mother was standing there, her belly round and heavy with pregnancy, supported on one side by a beautiful young woman holding a basket of vegetables in her other hand.
Forget the pretty girl for a second—his mother was visibly pregnant.
Wait—just what kind of enthusiasm is this for the clan's "two-child policy"? She's about to give birth! I've only been gone six months! What the hell happened?!
His mother smiled gently at his shocked expression, reaching out to pat his head. "What's wrong? Don't you like having a little brother or sister? Don't worry, your father and I still love you the most."
His father chimed in cheerfully, "You know about the clan's two-child policy. We're just answering the call! Besides, you've always been mature for your age—your mother and I barely got to experience what it's like to be real parents. Hahaha! Who'd have thought it'd be twins? In a few days, I'll ask the Hyūga clan to check whether they're boys or girls."
Kairen finally came back to his senses and turned toward the young woman beside his mother. She was beautiful—strikingly so. She reminded him of Uchiha Naori, the legendary kunoichi from the original history who created the Izanami technique.
"Hello, my name's Uchiha Meimei. Please take care of me," she said shyly, clearly uncomfortable under his gaze.
"Ah—hello, I'm Uchiha Kairen. Please take care of me as well." He scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"I'll get started on dinner then! I bought a lot of fresh ingredients today. Uncle, why don't I cook? You should rest. Your son just got home—you must have a lot to talk about."
Her cheeks flushed slightly as she hurried into the kitchen, politely but efficiently replacing the King of Dark Cuisine.
"Heh heh, Kairen," said his mother, Uchiha Ran, her mood clearly lifted, "this is the girl I found for you—the daughter of that someone from that family. What do you think? Pretty nice, isn't she?"
She could tell at a glance that her son already had a good impression of Meimei. The girl had lived a hard life, but precisely because of that, she was kind, mature, and grounded—an excellent match.
That someone's daughter… Kairen frowned. Why does that sound familiar?
Wait—Uchiha Gorou! Damn it, he thought. Looks like I'll need to find a way to make that guy earn some points with the clan again.
"Mom, who exactly is she? And what do you mean 'that someone's daughter'?" Kairen asked, a bit embarrassed.
"Meimei is your uncle's orphaned daughter," Uchiha Ran began softly. "Your uncle once went against the clan's wishes—he insisted on marrying a civilian woman. Your grandfather expelled them from the family. Later, your uncle died in battle, and your grandfather was too ashamed to ask that woman and her daughter to return to the clan. So the girl grew up among civilians. Her mother, Yukiyuki, refused to let her become a ninja, so she's just an ordinary girl."
"Not long ago, some people in the clan remembered the two of them and went to propose on her behalf. But her grandmother refused outright. She said that even though their family were commoners, they'd learned their lesson—she'd never let her granddaughter get involved with us again.
Then, to protect her daughter, Yukiyuki accepted help from a longtime family friend and neighbor. Normally, that would've been fine… but you know how our clan is—our bloodline is special."
"Your father's side descends from the Warring States era master Uchiha Hokaku—a warrior second only to Madara and Izuna. My side, however, traces back to the legendary kunoichi Uchiha Naori. Both branches share one thing in common: every generation, our ancestors have awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan. Only those whose forebears possessed it can hope to awaken it again."
"That's why our clan could never truly abandon Meimei. She carries a crucial bloodline—we couldn't just let it fade away. Things just got… complicated for a while."
"Her mother has remarried, but Meimei herself still bears the Uchiha blood. Because of that, the clan invoked a special clause—the Bloodline Treaty signed between Konoha and its noble families—and forcibly brought her back into the clan."
"Yukiyuki hadn't expected that her own attempt to be clever would backfire—she practically handed her daughter over herself. Desperate, she came to me for help."
"So I kept Meimei here. I told everyone she was the fiancée I'd chosen for you. And just like that, everything was neatly resolved."
Uchiha Ran spoke slowly and carefully, making sure her son understood—after all, this concerned his future partner.
Kairen listened attentively, but after a while, one crucial thought struck him. "Mom… aren't we technically related? Wouldn't our children have… problems?"
He felt a bit proud of himself for thinking so quickly—clearly, he was as sharp as ever.
"Hahaha! So that's what's been bothering you? You really do think far ahead! Looks like you do like Meimei, hm? All right, let's do the math."
"My grandfather was the first generation;
my father—your grandfather—and your mother's aunt were the second;
I and my cousin Uchiha Kagami were the third;
you and Mimi are the fourth.
And the most important thing—your grandfather and the aunt who raised me were half-siblings, same mother, different fathers. Our bloodline's strong—every generation awakens the three-tomoe Sharingan."
"My grandmother even married twice within the clan, both times to powerful men. It was all to strengthen our bloodline—and in those turbulent times, that was seen as a noble sacrifice for the clan's sake."
"So, no need to worry about that kind of thing. Feeling better now?"
She patted Kairen on the shoulder, and, leaning on her husband's arm, returned to her room to rest.
Kairen stood there in the courtyard breeze, utterly bewildered.
Damn it… I need to untangle this family tree. First generation, second, third… wait a second.
Suddenly, something clicked.
In the original timeline, Uchiha Shisui came from Kagami's line… Shisui was only one or two years older than Itachi. Which means—I could very well be Shisui's father. If I hadn't died in battle, and if Meimei hadn't remarried…
No doubt about it—my grandfather was a traitorous bastard, and my great-grandfather probably was too. That makes Shisui's odds of being a double agent ridiculously high. If I die, and my father ends up raising him for a while, that kid's brain will definitely get washed clean!
Then he passes the infection on to my nephew, Uchiha Itachi… Two cousins, both corrupted—double agents working side by side!
No way. I absolutely can't let that happen. I have to stop it!
When he entered his room, he saw Mimi cooking at the stove, humming softly.
Kairen sighed inwardly. Looks like the only solution… is to keep Dad as far away from my future son as possible…