"Grandma, I'm going to the park!"
With his goggles strapped firmly over his forehead, a young Obito dashed cheerfully out of the house.
Every afternoon was Obito's favorite part of the day. That was when the children of the village gathered in the park to play together, and among all their games, pretending to be shinobi was by far the most popular.
There was the kind and adorable Rin, the infuriating Kakashi, the endlessly passionate Guy, Asuma—who never seemed to tire of reminding everyone that his father was the Hokage—and the beautiful Kurenai.
The park near the center of the village was a paradise for Konoha's children. For countless villagers, it was also the place where many of their fondest childhood memories had been made.
What are we going to play today?
Is Rin already there?
That irritating Kakashi will probably get dragged there by Guy again. He always acts like he doesn't want to come. What a difficult person!
With his small head filled with wandering thoughts, Obito raced through the streets of the Uchiha clan compound.
By the time he reached the busier main road, he was already panting. He slowed down, catching his breath as he continued forward with a light skip in his step.
"I truly apologize about Fugaku. That boy must have caused you trouble by acting on his own. I'll give him a proper lecture when he returns."
"Ohh, no need for that. Fugaku was only trying to speak on behalf of his fellow villagers. You shouldn't be too hard on him."
The familiar voice of the clan head reached Obito's ears from farther down the street.
His steps slowed even further.
Curious, Obito glanced toward the group of adults approaching from ahead.
The moment he saw the unusually tall man dressed in yellow, recognition flashed across his face.
That was the strange uncle who was always lying around and sunbathing in the park!
Obito had heard from Kakashi that the man's name was Kizaru. According to him, Kizaru was a lazy, unpleasant old man who had no real ability whatsoever.
But if that was true, why were the clan head and the elders treating him with so much respect?
They were behaving almost the same way they did whenever they spoke to Obito's grandmother.
As Kizaru and the Uchiha clan head walked closer, confusion filled Obito's young face.
"My clan and I fully support your appointment as the Fourth Hokage," the clan head said solemnly. "We believe the village will become even more prosperous under your leadership."
"Ohoho… I'll only be able to become Hokage because of everyone's support."
Kizaru spoke with his usual relaxed drawl, wearing a lazy smile.
"I haven't forgotten how firmly the Uchiha have stood behind me. Once Fugaku returns, you should have him marry as soon as possible. I'm still waiting to take his child as my disciple, you know."
Hearing Kizaru mention his promise once again, the Uchiha clan head's smile widened.
"He is already in his early twenties. It is indeed time for him to settle down. If he continues delaying, it may become troublesome. Once he returns, I will urge him and Mikoto to finalize the matter."
Obito came to an abrupt stop.
His eyes widened.
The new Hokage everyone in the clan had been talking about…
Was this strange uncle?
The very same supposedly useless man Kakashi had complained about?
Having been raised by his grandmother, Obito had grown into a warmhearted child who could never ignore someone in need. His greatest dream was to become Hokage one day.
Now, as he stared at Kizaru, envy gradually appeared in his eyes.
The Hokage…
I wonder when I'll finally become one.
This strange uncle is unbelievably lucky!
Obito's envious stare was so intense that Kizaru immediately noticed it.
Even while listening to the Uchiha clan head's praise, Kizaru calmly shifted his gaze toward the child standing in the road.
Since Kizaru often visited the park, he recognized the boy at once.
Uchiha Obito.
The Uchiha clan head had been carefully observing Kizaru's expressions and movements throughout their conversation. Naturally, he noticed where Kizaru's attention had gone.
Following his gaze, he also looked toward Obito.
As the head of the clan, he could not personally recognize every member of the Uchiha. However, he happened to know the child before him.
Obito's parents had both been shinobi. They had died in the line of duty, leaving him to be raised by his grandmother.
The Uchiha clan head had always paid particular attention to the children left behind by shinobi who had sacrificed their lives for the clan, ensuring that they received the care and support they needed.
"That child is Uchiha Obito," he explained. "Both of his parents were shinobi, but they died during a mission. He currently lives alone with his grandmother."
Although he did not understand why Kizaru seemed interested in the boy, the clan head still gave him a detailed explanation.
Kizaru already knew far more about Obito than the clan head could have imagined, but he merely smiled and nodded.
At that moment, Obito realized that all the adults were looking at him.
Still young and easily flustered, he immediately grew nervous. He hurried forward and bowed respectfully toward the clan head.
"Good afternoon, Clan Head!"
The Uchiha clan head nodded and offered him a gentle smile.
"Where are you going, Obito?"
"I'm going to play at the park!" Obito answered quickly.
"Then you should hurry. Your friends are probably already waiting for you."
"Yes!"
Obito nodded, but his gaze soon drifted back toward Kizaru. The curiosity in his eyes was impossible to conceal.
Noticing this, the Uchiha clan head smiled.
"Obito, this is Kizaru. He is one of the village's most powerful shinobi and a hero of Konoha. Before long, he will officially become the Fourth Hokage."
"Eh?!"
The clan head's description was so completely different from Kakashi's that Obito could not stop himself from crying out.
The instant the sound escaped his mouth, he realized how disrespectful it might have seemed and hurriedly covered his lips with both hands.
The Uchiha clan head gave Kizaru an apologetic look.
Kizaru, however, did not mind in the slightest. He only shook his head, indicating that there was no need to worry.
Stepping forward, Kizaru crouched in front of Obito. He placed one hand on the boy's head and smiled.
"Ooh… Little one, you seem awfully surprised."
Obito looked at him.
Completely missing the warning glance the clan head was giving him from behind Kizaru, he honestly voiced the question in his mind.
"Well… I have a friend named Kakashi. He told me you were a really lazy uncle with a terrible personality who wasn't capable of anything."
Behind Kizaru, the Uchiha clan head shook his head helplessly.
However, he was not truly concerned that Kizaru would become angry.
After knowing him for so many years, the clan head understood that Kizaru would never take offense at the innocent words of a child.
Standing beside the Uchiha clan head was Tsunade, who had accompanied Kizaru on his visit to the Uchiha compound.
The moment she heard Obito's words, amusement appeared in her eyes.
Well said, kid.
Seeing the faint trace of awkwardness on Kizaru's face immediately lifted her mood.
Kizaru looked at Obito without the slightest hint of anger. In fact, his smile only deepened.
"Ooh… What a cruel assessment. That truly hurts."
"Uncle, I wasn't trying to say you were a bad person!"
Obito hurriedly waved his hands in explanation.
"I just wanted to ask… How did you become Hokage?"
Rather than answering directly, Kizaru tilted his head.
"What kind of person do you think the Hokage should be?"
Obito did not respond immediately.
He raised one finger to his chin and began thinking as hard as he could.
Obito was not the only one drawn into thought.
The Uchiha clan members standing behind Kizaru and even Tsunade instinctively considered the same question.
What kind of person deserved to become Hokage?
To the Uchiha, the answer was someone with exceptional ability—someone possessing enough strength and influence to stand above the rest of the village.
To Tsunade, it was someone capable of protecting Konoha and everyone who lived within it.
But what did Obito think?
After struggling with the question for a while, he looked back at Kizaru and answered uncertainly.
"They should be the strongest shinobi in the village!"
Kizaru's smile faded slightly.
"The Hokage…"
His voice remained relaxed, yet there was an unusual weight behind every word.
"The Hokage is the unfortunate person everyone chooses to acknowledge. Once he accepts that position, he has to place the entire village on his shoulders and keep moving forward."
Obito listened silently.
"He might become tired. He might lose his way. He might even make mistakes."
Kizaru's gaze settled on the distant village streets.
"But he cannot turn his back on the village, and he cannot allow himself to remain weak. Everyone is standing behind him, after all."
He slowly lowered his gaze toward Obito once more.
"A crown may look impressive, but the one wearing it must endure its weight. Becoming Hokage means accepting the hopes and expectations of the entire village."
Obito nodded, though much of what Kizaru said was still beyond his young understanding.
However, he understood one thing.
To become Hokage, he had to earn everyone's recognition and lead the entire village forward.
"I'll work hard!" Obito declared, looking directly at Kizaru. "One day, I'll definitely become Hokage!"
"Ohohoho!"
Kizaru laughed, reaching out to pinch Obito's cheek before standing upright again.
"Very well. I'll sit in the Hokage's seat and wait for you."
His lips curved into a teasing smile.
"You'll have to become a Kage worthy of taking it from me, though."
"Yeah!"
Receiving acknowledgment from the man who was about to become Hokage left Obito practically trembling with happiness.
What was Kakashi talking about?
Uncle Kizaru is obviously a good person!
Obito immediately began criticizing Kakashi's judgment in his mind.
"All right. You should hurry to the park before everyone starts playing without you."
Kizaru patted him on the head.
"Goodbye, Uncle Kizaru! Goodbye, Clan Head!"
Obito waved enthusiastically before turning to leave, thoroughly satisfied by the encounter.
Kizaru stood with both hands tucked inside his pockets, watching Obito walk away.
Then, without warning, a particularly mischievous thought entered his mind.
"By the way, Obito…"
The boy stopped and turned around.
"If you know Kakashi, then you must know Rin as well."
"Rin is my best friend!" Obito replied happily.
"Ooh… Is that so?"
Kizaru deliberately raised his voice. He lifted his right hand to his chin, wearing a suggestive grin.
"I happened to see Rin at Kakashi's house yesterday. The two of them seemed to be having an awfully good time together."
Crack!
Obito froze in place.
He did not understand why, but something inside his chest suddenly felt uncomfortable.
He was still too young to properly understand love or what it meant to like someone romantically.
However, Rin had always held an unusually important place in his heart.
Rin went to Kakashi's house?
And the two of them were having fun together?
As those words repeated inside his head, Obito began to panic.
It felt as though Rin was about to be taken away by that irritating Kakashi.
"I—"
Obito could not remain still for even another moment.
He spun around and sprinted toward the park as quickly as his legs could carry him.
Rin! We're best friends!
Kakashi, you infuriating jerk!
Kizaru watched Obito race away, his suggestive grin growing even wider.
"Ooh… Children these days are truly frightening."
He gave a slow shake of his head.
"So precocious…"
Tsunade stepped toward him with an irritated expression.
Without attracting the attention of the surrounding Uchiha, she reached out and sharply pinched his side.
"You…" she whispered furiously. "Do you really enjoy teasing children that much?"
Kizaru lowered his head and leaned toward her ear.
"In that case…"
His voice dropped to a whisper.
"Why don't we have one of our own soon?"
Tsunade's cheeks instantly turned red.
Had they not been standing in the middle of the Uchiha compound, with the Uchiha clan head and numerous clan members directly behind them, she would already have driven her fist into Kizaru's face.
There are people everywhere!
What is this idiot saying in a place like this?!
And why does it sound as if he only wants a child so he can have someone new to tease?
Are children toys for you to play with?!
You shameless bastard!
Burning with embarrassment and anger, Tsunade glared fiercely at Kizaru, silently warning him to remember where they were and behave with at least a little dignity.
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