Uchiha Kai sat with his brow furrowed.
In an instant, he realized something was off. Nara Shikaku couldn't possibly be that stupid. So why had he chosen to act this way?
Was it simply because the victims were Uchiha, so he didn't want to waste time investigating?
Or was it because they were at war, and he didn't want Konoha torn apart by internal strife?
Kai sank into thought.
But in the end, none of that mattered. What mattered was whether Nara Shikaku had already set his eyes on him.
Still—forget it.
Whether Shikaku suspected anything or not, since the man hadn't spoken up, there was no need for Kai to overthink.
What he needed most right now was time.
If he could just keep his head down and grow stronger, then once he reached Kage level, it wouldn't matter even if the truth came out.
In this world, strength was everything.
Having reasoned it through, he finally smiled and spoke.
"So that's how it is. For me, this is actually a good thing. With Uchiha Yoshio and the others dead, I can finally breathe easier."
Across from him, Shisui's expression grew conflicted.
He couldn't help it.
His kind heart just couldn't accept Kai's cold pragmatism.
And yet—he also understood how much humiliation Kai had suffered at the hands of Yoshio and the others over the years. No matter how bitter it made him feel, he could only stay silent.
Shaking his head with a sigh, Shisui drew in a deep breath.
"Alright, let's not talk about that. I brought everything you asked for. Take a look, see if you're satisfied."
Not wanting to linger on the subject, he pulled out three scrolls.
Kai's eyes lit up at once.
He opened the first scroll. Inside: three thousand explosive tags, five hundred fine steel kunai, and two hundred shuriken.
His mouth twitched, his heart full of astonishment.
The Uchiha really were filthy rich.
One explosive tag was worth a thousand Ryo—that was already two million. Add the kunai and shuriken, and this one scroll alone was worth nearly five million Ryo.
No wonder.
In the original story, when the clan was wiped out, the village confiscated everything. Sasuke didn't even bother paying attention to it.
Even if the bulk of the Uchiha's fortune was seized, the scraps left behind were still enough for Sasuke to live lavishly for a lifetime. And given that his only focus was revenge, he probably never cared about wealth in the first place.
When Kai had just crossed over and found his parents' ninety thousand Ryo, he'd thought it was a decent sum.
Looking at it now—he'd been too naïve.
Just the "compensation" the clan had casually given him was already worth five million Ryo. Compared to that, his parents had been nothing but paupers.
He couldn't help blurting out:
"Shisui, this is too much! Did you use your own money to help me out?"
At that, Shisui laughed lightly, shaking his head with a shrug.
"You're overthinking. This is just the clan's compensation. It's only five million Ryo—does that really seem like a lot? A B-rank mission easily pays sixty thousand. An A-rank starts at two hundred thousand. For me, this scroll is just the earnings of a few missions.
"The real treasures are in the other two scrolls.
"The second contains the early blade of my grandfather's uncle. By sheer value alone it's worth at least five hundred million Ryo, forged with large amounts of chakra metal and even some fragments of meteorite iron.
"Alongside it is a complete sword style, an Uchiha family technique—no weaker than the famed Hatake swordsmanship. It's just that our clan never had many sword specialists, so it hasn't seen much use.
"And the most valuable is the third scroll.
"Izanagi and Izanami—the clan's most secret kinjutsu. Those are truly priceless."
Hiss—
Kai drew in a sharp breath.
Good lord.
So this was what it meant to be an ancient noble clan.
No wonder ever since Senju Tobirama's era, the Hokage faction had wanted to get rid of the Uchiha.
Damn it, they were loaded!
Forget the mountain of wealth they'd built up over centuries—even just the things Shisui casually tossed at him would make countless civilians green with envy.
Even among the second-tier clans like the Akimichi, Nara, Yamanaka, Sarutobi, and Shimura, only their top elites could dream of such equipment.
As for the Aburame and Inuzuka, the so-called third-tier clans—don't even mention it.
And the Hatake? That was just laughable.
Hatake Sakumo had made his name by sheer swordsmanship alone.
Meanwhile, the Uchiha could hand out a blade style equal to the Hatake's like it was nothing.
That—that was true heritage.
Perhaps only the Hyuga could barely stand against them in this regard.
Ah…
Kai let out a sigh.
The Uchiha really were courting death.
Sitting on such immense wealth, yet lacking both the strength and the temperament to defend it.
If they didn't die, who would?
And once they were gone, Konoha would reap a windfall.
When a whale falls, a whole ecosystem thrives.
As these thoughts churned in his mind, Shisui smiled again.
"Want to head to the training grounds? I've got a bit of time today—I can give you some pointers. Tomorrow…"
His expression clouded with worry.
He knew full well—Kai was no prodigy.
Ordinary Uchiha didn't get elite Jounin instructors. At best, they might learn under some battle-hardened Chuunin. And with the war on, rookie squads had no time to build teamwork—missions were assigned, and they were thrown straight onto the battlefield.
Shisui wasn't at ease.
So while he had time, he wanted to train Kai himself.
And it wasn't arrogance—though still technically a Chuunin, he could already match most Jounin.
Kindhearted and earnest, Shisui also understood the value of bonds.
To him, Kai was like a younger brother—his childhood playmate, the orphaned son of comrades who had died because of his grandfather's choices.
Giving him special guidance?
Why not?
After all, would the clan really have given Kai all this compensation without Shisui pulling strings?
The blade, the sword style, the forbidden techniques—those were from Shisui's own stash.
But Kai immediately waved his hands.
"No, let's not. Tomorrow I'll be assigned to a squad and sent to the battlefield. Right now I just want to rest and conserve my strength. If I wear myself out training today, how could I be in top form tomorrow?
"I know you mean well, Shisui. But my talent is what it is. One day of practice won't change anything. What I need now is rest."
"…"
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