"I've got some things I need to move over."
Shien decided to reveal a bit of the truth.
After all, today's assessment had already exposed part of his abilities. If he didn't explain at least something, did he really think no one would dig deeper?
"Let's go."
Uchiha Mei strode past him without hesitation.
In fact, she already knew about the exam before Shien arrived.
Originally, she thought he'd fail the graduation test as usual. She hadn't expected him to defeat the White Fang's son head-on with a summoned beast. That alone was enough to surprise her — and it was the reason she'd stayed behind to meet him.
Otherwise, she'd already be off on another mission.
Though Uchiha Mei was only thirteen, she was already a Special Jonin.
At this stage of the ninja world, that was an impressive rank — this wasn't yet the era when teenagers reached Kage-level or rampaged like cheat characters. Being a Special Jonin at her age marked her as one of the village's top young talents, worthy of being called a future prodigy of the Uchiha.
The two left the courtyard and headed toward the small house where Shien was temporarily living.
Uchiha Mei — the perfect example of the white-rich-beautiful-tragic archetype.
Her parents had both died young. Her grandfather, but had been the previous clan head — leader of the Uchiha's main family branch and the hawkish faction's figurehead.
Unfortunately, he died when she was still a child. That was the only reason the clan leadership had shifted to the more moderate third branch — to Uchiha Fugaku's father.
So yes, Mei was essentially the "Uchiha princess," the textbook white-rich-beautiful.
And the tragic part? Oh, that fit too.
Her strength spoke for itself — a thirteen-year-old Special Jonin was no pushover.
But "tragic" didn't refer to dying in the Night of the Uchiha Massacre.
With her background and power, had she survived to that point, she would've changed the entire course of that event. The hawkish faction never would've been so easily suppressed, and a certain filial prodigy wouldn't have had the chance to shine.
So there was only one explanation — she must have died too early.
That was why she left no trace in history.
Thus the description "white-rich-beautiful-tragic" suited her perfectly.
And yet, due to certain family arrangements, this remarkable girl had become Shien's fiancée.
As Shien saw it, the original owner of this body hadn't known how to appreciate such good fortune — but he sure did.
Soft-rice like this can't go to waste. Since the original guy couldn't handle it, I'll take over.
A while later, the two arrived at the outskirts of the village.
Shien hadn't chosen to live here — the original body had.
In fact, Shien's transmigration had happened because of that choice: the original had left the Uchiha compound to live alone, caught a sudden illness, and died… allowing Shien to take over the "lease."
Click.
He unlocked the door and gestured politely.
"Please, come in."
Then he stepped inside and flicked on the light.
Uchiha Mei followed quietly, stepping into a cramped, cluttered room stuffed full of bookshelves, flowerpots, and glass tubes.
Most of the things inside were items Shien had slowly gathered over the past two and a half years.
The books had all been borrowed from the academy's library.
It was a large library — but mostly filled with theoretical knowledge. Few students ever went there.
Ninjas were obsessed with "jutsu" and direct power; who cared about boring fundamentals?
But Shien was different.
As a transmigrator, he understood one truth better than anyone: in the ninja world, knowledge itself is power — and it's the kind that one person can truly master.
That was the hidden shortcut.
A path that didn't require bloodline cheats or divine eyes — just study and persistence.
After all, he didn't have any Otsutsuki bloodline or ancient god-tier lineage. The only way he could ever hope to stand among the top was through brains and understanding.
As for research talent…
He wasn't some genius like the Second Hokage or Orochimaru, but he was certainly above average — and with his unique advantage, that was more than enough.
His advantage was his transmigrator's knowledge.
He wasn't afraid of hardship or complexity in experiments — only of taking the wrong path.
But Shien already knew which research routes would lead to success. All he had to do was keep working in the right direction.
And once he'd started his experiments, he discovered an even greater edge — something within himself that drastically accelerated his progress.
Without it, even knowing the right path wouldn't help; true scientific achievement took decades.
If it were that easy, the ninja world wouldn't have so few researchers.
Out of countless shinobi, only a handful — the Second Hokage, Orochimaru, Kabuto — were known for groundbreaking research. That said it all.
Shien scanned the room carefully, then suddenly stiffened.
"Something's off."
"What is it?"
"What is it?" Uchiha Mei asked, stepping closer.
"Someone's been here."
Shien's expression darkened.
Thankfully, there wasn't anything truly incriminating left out.
His experiment records and notes were mostly kept in his head — or hidden elsewhere. Otherwise, this would've been a disaster.
Still, that didn't mean he'd gotten off without loss.
A certain experimental byproduct was missing.
A healing potion.
Yes — the very product Shien had developed as a side business for when he eventually "retired to lie flat."
He didn't plan to struggle forever; lying flat didn't mean suffering. He still needed income.
He'd overworked himself to death in his previous life — surely he deserved to enjoy things this time around?
"It must've been Danzo," Uchiha Mei said coldly, without hesitation.
Shien nodded grimly. "What they took was a healing solution…"
He briefly explained its properties.
The diluted version wasn't as effective as medical ninjutsu, but it could heal wounds completely within a few days.
It didn't sound like much — until one considered war.
In wartime, such potions would be terrifyingly useful.
Medical ninjas were rare and required exceptional talent; these potions, on the other hand, could be mass-produced. That made them strategic resources.
After listening to his explanation, Uchiha Mei's face grew solemn.
"You're serious? It really works like that?"
Given its potential importance, she had to confirm.
"Wait a moment…"
Shien hurried to a small water jar in the corner, fished out several strands of bright-green seaweed, and began preparing the potion on the spot.
Within minutes, he skillfully extracted half a vial of emerald-green liquid.
Healing Essence.
That was the purest, strongest form — the missing bottle had been diluted over a hundredfold.
Now was the time to prove its worth.
Even if he knew Mei wouldn't abandon her "fiancé," Shien wasn't willing to risk his life on blind faith.
Damn that old fox Danzo.
He'd planned to fail the exam deliberately and quietly exit the shinobi world — maybe live as a small-time ninja.
But Danzo had used him as bait to send a message to the Uchiha, forcing him into this mess.
If he had even a fraction of a cheat system, he'd have already shown them what "a transmigrator's wrath" really meant.
"This is the healing potion…?"
Mei's soft pink eyes studied the vial. Then, without warning—
"Wait—!"
"Wait—!" Shien started, but it was too late.
Shh!
She drew a kunai and stabbed it into her own palm.
A clean, crisp sound of pierced flesh. Blood welled up instantly.
What a savage woman…!
Her face didn't flinch in the slightest.
She could've used an animal or a test sample — but she preferred firsthand proof.
And besides, even if it failed, she could heal the cut instantly with medical ninjutsu.
She wasn't reckless — just confident.
The vivid green liquid dripped onto her wound.
Instantly, the bleeding slowed — then stopped altogether.
Before Shien's eyes, the gash scabbed over, the skin knitting back together in seconds.
Uchiha Mei's usually cold expression flickered — her eyes widening slightly in astonishment.
The effect was astonishing.
It wasn't quite on par with true medical ninjutsu, but considering that there were fewer than a hundred medical-nin in all of Konoha — thanks mostly to Tsunade's influence — the implications were staggering.
In the other four great villages, there were probably fewer than a dozen in total.
And beyond the Five Great Villages? Practically none.
A healing potion that could be mass-produced and carried into battle…
That wasn't just a useful invention.
It was a potential game-changer.
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