After leaving the Hokage's office, Uchiha Kai walked straight toward the Yamanaka flower shop. He had been staying within the Uchiha compound for some time now, rarely venturing out. But today, he immediately noticed a shift—the streets of Konoha were crowded with shinobi.
Many of them bore fresh injuries, bandages wrapped around arms, slings supporting shoulders, yet they were in surprisingly high spirits. Several of them greeted him respectfully as he passed.
Kai quickly understood—they had just returned from the battlefront in the Land of Grass, the same theater of war where he himself had fought.
He offered polite greetings in return, listening to their stories. Some spoke proudly of their heroism, while others laughed bitterly at their misfortune—injured before they could land a single blow. Kai simply shook his head at their words.
Though relieved to have survived, many of them clearly wished to return to the front lines. Kai knew that if the village elders—Hiruzen Sarutobi among them—framed such a request as a noble sacrifice for the future of Konoha, these shinobi would lay down their lives without hesitation.
The village's cohesion and loyalty among its ordinary ninjas was, in Kai's eyes, both admirable and terrifying.
History had proven that these men and women were willing to die for abstract ideals. It was thanks to them that Konoha still stood—but the rewards of war had already been divided among the upper echelons: the elders, the clan heads, and the political elite.
As the celebration buzzed around him, Uchiha Kai remained an island of calm, feeling somewhat out of place. A trace of sarcasm flickered in his thoughts—how enviable it must be to remain blissfully unaware.
Still, Kai didn't voice any of this. He kept a small smile on his face, interacting with the returning soldiers. Perhaps the war really was coming to an end.
With his hands in his pockets, Kai continued walking until he reached the flower shop owned by the Yamanaka clan.
"Kai-kun?" a familiar voice called out.
To his surprise, it was Masato Yamanaka, a fellow shinobi.
"Masato-kun?" Kai gave him a puzzled look. "What are you doing here? Is this flower shop owned by your clan?"
"More or less," Masato chuckled. "Our young clan head—Inoichi—bought the place so his wife wouldn't be too lonely while he was away at war."
Masato gestured around the shop. "I'm injured and on medical leave, so I'm helping out for now. Training's out of the question."
Kai nodded. It was well known that the Ino-Shika-Cho trio—members of the Yamanaka, Nara, and Akimichi clans—were expected to serve in every major conflict. It was as much a show of loyalty to the Hokage as it was tradition.
Still, due to their positions and responsibilities, they were rarely sent to the most dangerous fronts. Their chances of survival were higher—but their loved ones would still endure the same loneliness and worry.
Inoichi Yamanaka was known to be a thoughtful man, someone who took care of his family. It made sense that he'd buy his wife a flower shop. Plus, a civilian-facing business like this helped blur the lines between clan and non-clan shinobi—an image the Second and Third Hokage had worked hard to maintain.
"Here to buy flowers?" Masato asked suddenly. "Visiting someone? A teammate?"
"Yeah," Kai replied. "Kakashi... and Aya Hyuga."
"Close friends, huh? Sorry, I'm not good with flower meanings. But…" He pointed toward a cluster of orchids. "People tend to pick those up when visiting comrades."
"Orchids?" Kai looked at the flowers thoughtfully before nodding.
He knew nothing about flower symbolism—beyond maybe carnations for Mother's Day. Still, he decided to trust Masato's suggestion. Building good rapport with him wouldn't hurt either.
Though they'd fought side by side on the battlefield—and Kai had even saved his life—clan politics often made such alliances uneasy. In the past, Kai wouldn't have even considered this. The Uchiha clan's relationship with the Third Hokage was, after all, deeply strained.
But Kai was aware that Hiruzen Sarutobi's reign was nearing its twilight, with Orochimaru's growing shadow and the end of the war accelerating change behind the scenes.
When the Fourth Hokage eventually took over—most likely Minato Namikaze—the village's power dynamics might shift. The great clans would certainly look for new alliances.
Holding the orchid bouquet, Kai left the shop and headed toward Konoha Hospital.
The hospital was bustling. After the war's final push—and the battles Kai had helped fight—many injured shinobi had returned. The corridors were crowded with both wounded and the loved ones who had come to visit them.
Of course, not all had made it back. In quiet corners, grieving families sobbed softly over those who hadn't returned alive. Their cries, muffled by restraint or heartbreak, mingled with the hum of life around them.
Kai didn't like the sound, but he didn't flinch either. The battlefield had offered worse.
He made his way, slightly numb, to the ward where Kakashi was being treated.
"Kai-kun?"
As he opened the door, he saw several wounded shinobi inside—Kakashi Hatake among them.
Rin Nohara was the first to notice him. She waved energetically, her voice rising with surprise. Her cry quieted the entire room.
Uchiha Kai's name had begun to carry weight. As he stepped in, the injured and their families turned to look at him.
In the next moment, several people stood up, surrounding him.
"Are you Uchiha Kai?"
"Thank you for everything you did!"
"Thanks to you, Ryosuke made it back alive!"
"Thank you—really, thank you!"
…