After dinner, Keiko asked Shirō,
"Shirō, where exactly is that medicinal field located?"
"Mom, are you really planning to go? Isn't that too much trouble for you?"
"Let her go," his father cut in. "She has nothing else to do at home anyway. Better she keeps busy than spends her time worrying."
"What do you mean, 'worrying too much'? Isn't Shirō your son? Can't I be concerned about him?"
"Uh… Mom, please don't argue," Shirō interjected quickly. "I'll tell you, but Mom, you don't really know much about this kind of thing, right?"
"It's fine, I can learn. Besides, I'll only be helping you check things out. I won't touch anything in the medicinal field—don't worry."
With no other choice, Shirō agreed. His father was right: it was better to let her stay occupied than leave her fretting alone at home.
"Alright then, it's settled. I'll head out to work now."
"Okay, Mom, go ahead. I'm going to find a friend first and see if I can resolve the medicinal field issue. If you're free later, you can take a look with Aunt Zhi Zi, or you can wait for me to take you."
"It's fine, I'll go with your aunt. You handle your business."
"Alright, I'll be off then."
---
Leaving home, Shirō made his way toward the Uchiha Clan's district. He intended to resolve the technical problems of cultivating medicinal herbs.
Actually, the Nara Clan would have been the best choice—their clan had long specialized in medicinal herbs, shadow strategies, and knowledge of flora. But Shirō had nothing valuable enough to entice them. With the Uchiha, however, he had connections.
He happened to have something the Uchiha might find interesting: a Lightning Release Body Flicker Technique from Kumogakure.
It wasn't from the Raikage's personal lineage—it came from a Kumogakure shinobi he'd fought alongside Kakuzu. Shirō had copied and reproduced it using Projection. While far inferior to the Raikage's "Lightning Chakra Mode," it was still faster and more refined than what the average Uchiha had access to.
If Taiyi, with his awakened Two-Tomoe Sharingan, learned such a technique… he would only grow stronger.
But that wasn't Shirō's concern. He wasn't here to exchange for secret techniques; what he had was enough leverage for his request.
So, he walked straight toward Taiyi's home.
---
At the entrance of the Uchiha district, he registered his name and endured the wary, piercing gazes of the clan's guards.
Only after stepping into their territory did Shirō finally understand why the Uchiha would one day be annihilated—they were too closed-off, too exclusive.
Even Taiyi's teammate didn't know where his house was. He had to ask the gate guard for directions. And those stares… cold, suspicious, unwelcoming. If every outsider who entered faced this treatment, it was no wonder the Uchiha were isolated.
But that was an internal matter of their clan. Shirō had no right—nor power—to intervene. For now, he ignored it.
Before long, he arrived at Taiyi's residence. It wasn't overly large—two to three hundred square meters, modest compared to the grander Uchiha homes.
Just as he raised his hand to knock, the door opened. A woman stood there, pausing slightly when she saw him.
"Excuse me, who are you?"
"Oh, hello Auntie. Is Taiyi home? I'm his teammate, Emiya Shirō. I came to see him about something."
"He is. Please, come in. I'll call him."
"Thank you, Auntie."
From inside, a man's voice called out, "Why are you back so soon? Weren't you shopping?"
"Taiyi's teammate is here. I'm going to fetch him."
"Taiyi's friend?" A middle-aged man stepped into view, his sharp eyes falling on Shirō. "And you are?"
"Hello, Uncle. My name is Emiya Shirō. I'm Taiyi's teammate. I came to discuss something with him."
"I see… Taiyi must have troubled you. Thank you for looking after him."
"Not at all, Uncle. If anything, Taiyi looks after me."
The man chuckled. "Are all young people nowadays this humble? Emiya Shirō… I've heard you're being taught by Lord Sakumo himself, aren't you?"
"Yes, I was fortunate enough to be acknowledged by Sakumo-sensei."
"Hahaha! With that humility, you'll surely make your mark in the ninja world."
"You flatter me," Shirō replied with a polite smile.
The man sighed. "Ah, if only Taiyi had half your temperament."
"Uncle, Taiyi isn't weak either! He's awakened the Two-Tomoe Sharingan."
"I know. He's talented… but arrogant. He looks down on his peers too much. That's dangerous."
"Those with true strength are called proud. Those without strength are just arrogant," Shirō said quietly. "Fortunately, he's been learning to temper that."
The man nodded. "And that's thanks to you. You're younger than him, yet already matching his level. That humbles him. Recently, he's grown more composed. You deserve credit."
"Uncle, I think you overpraise me. I'm still no match for Taiyi, especially against his Sharingan."
"That's normal. But tell me, Emiya—do you know why our clan has no shinobi standing equal to Hokage-sama right now?"
"Because the Uchiha haven't taken the front lines in the war?"
"That's part of it. But another reason is this: the Sharingan isn't invincible. There are ways to counter it. As for what those ways are… I can't say more."
"I understand. Thank you for your guidance. But… Why tell me all this? Because of Taiyi?"
"Exactly. I hope you'll defeat him one day—make him realize the Sharingan is not everything. If he clings to it, he won't go far."
Shirō drew in a slow breath and nodded. "Uncle, I promise. I'll make sure he learns that lesson."
"I trust Hokage-sama's judgment. Good. Now, Taiyi is here—talk with him yourselves."
"Father. Shirō," Taiyi greeted, stepping into the room.
"Yes, you two talk. I'll leave you."
The man departed, giving them space.
"Did my father tell you to defeat me?" Taiyi asked flatly.
"Uh… how did you know?"
"He says that to everyone who visits."
"…."
"Never mind. What did you want to see me about?"
"I'd like you to introduce me to your clan's higher-ups. I want to make a trade."
"A trade? What do you have in mind?"
"Kumogakure's Lightning Release Body Technique, in exchange for knowledge of medicinal field cultivation," Shirō replied, dangling a scroll in front of him with a small smile.
"Medicinal fields? Why are you after that?"
"Hokage-sama approved a medicinal field for me. But I don't know enough about cultivation techniques. So, I came to see if I could trade for it."
"I see… Alright, I'll take you to ask." To Shirō's surprise, Taiyi answered calmly.
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