"I've got some things I need to move over," Rikuya Hayashi decided to reveal a bit.
After all, today's graduation exam had already exposed a glimpse of his abilities. If he didn't say anything now, did people really think no one would find out sooner or later?
"Let's go."
Uchiha Mei stepped past him without hesitation.
In truth, she'd already known about the exam before Rikuya even showed up. She had originally thought he might not pass the graduation test at all, but to her surprise, he'd managed to use a summoned beast to defeat Rikuya Hayashi head-on.
That had caught her so off guard she decided to stick around and meet him.
Otherwise, she would've been off on a mission already.
Even though Uchiha Mei was only thirteen years old, she was already a Special Jōnin.
This wasn't the current shinobi era where teenagers could casually reach Kage level—far from it. In this period, being a Special Jōnin at her age was already an impressive achievement, more than enough to earn her recognition as one of the clan's most promising talents.
The two left the courtyard, heading toward the place where Rikuya was temporarily staying.
Uchiha Mei—She was the very definition of a "rich, beautiful, strong, and tragic" type.
Her parents had died early, and her grandfather, the previous clan leader, had been the head of the main family branch and the leader of the Hawk faction.
Unfortunately, her grandfather passed away when she was still just a few years old. The clan leader position then went to the head of the third branch—Uchiha Fugaku's father—who was a centrist.
So yes, she could rightly be called the "Uchiha Princess," the perfect image of a rich and beautiful heiress.
But adding "strong" and "tragic" to the title was no exaggeration.
Strong, obviously—Being a Special Jōnin at thirteen was no small feat.
As for tragic… it didn't mean she would die on the Night of the Clan Massacre.
Given her identity and strength, if she had survived until then, she wouldn't have left any opportunity for that "dutiful son" to shine, nor would the Hawk faction have been suppressed so easily.
Which left only one possibility—She must have died too early.
Only that could explain why she left no trace in the historical record.
Thus, the label "rich, beautiful, strong, and tragic" fit her perfectly.
And yet, for certain special reasons, she had become Rikuya's fiancée.
The original Rikuya couldn't make the most of that situation—Good thing I'm here to take over.
…
A while later, they reached the outskirts of the village.
Rikuya hadn't chosen to live here—this had been the original's decision.
In fact, he'd only been able to cross into this world because the original had chosen to move out of the Uchiha compound and live alone. One day, the original had fallen gravely ill and died, leaving Rikuya to take over his body.
Click!
Rikuya opened the door and gestured inside.
"Please."
He stepped in first and flicked on the lights.
Uchiha Mei followed at a calm pace.
The room was cramped and old, overflowing with bookshelves, potted plants, and test tubes.
Most of these things had been accumulated by Rikuya over the two and a half years since his arrival in this world.
The books were borrowed from the academy library.
It was a huge library, though it only contained basic knowledge—material so few were interested in that it was almost always empty.
Shinobi sought jutsu and techniques that could make them stronger; few cared for dry fundamentals.
But Rikuya was different.
As a transmigrator, he understood better than anyone that in this world, knowledge was power—and the kind of power one could master alone.
This was the hidden shortcut.
A path he could take through learning alone.
Without it, as someone without even a drop of Ōtsutsuki blood, he had zero chance of reaching the highest levels of power.
As for his research talent—Sure, he couldn't compare to monsters like the Second Hokage or Orochimaru, but he was at least above average. Coupled with his unique advantage, his potential was enormous.
That advantage?
A transmigrator's knowledge.
He wasn't afraid of difficulty or tedious work—the only real danger in research was heading down the wrong path.
But Rikuya knew exactly which routes would work. All he had to do was keep moving forward, and success was inevitable.
What's more, he'd discovered a huge hidden strength in himself after he began experimenting.
It was that edge which allowed him to see results so quickly.
Without it, even knowing the right path, it could still take decades to achieve anything.
Research wasn't easy. If it were, there'd be far more people walking the science route in the shinobi world.
Plenty tried—But only a few ever made a name for themselves: the Second Hokage, Orochimaru, Kabuto Yakushi. That's how hard it was.
After a quick inspection, Rikuya suddenly stiffened.
"Something's wrong."
"What is it?" Mei stepped closer.
"Someone's been here."
His expression darkened.
Thankfully, there was nothing truly incriminating left out in the open.
Most of his experimental records and data were stored in his head or hidden elsewhere. Otherwise, this would've been a major loss.
Still, he wasn't completely unscathed.
A certain experimental byproduct was missing.
A healing potion.
Yes—this was something he'd developed to earn money once he decided to take it easy.
If he was going to slack off, he certainly wasn't going to suffer while doing it—money was a must.
He'd worked himself to death in his previous life; he deserved some comfort now.
"This has Danzō written all over it," Mei said without hesitation.
"The missing item was the healing potion…" Rikuya explained the byproduct's effect.
In short, even the diluted version couldn't match medical ninjutsu, but it could heal a wound completely within a few days.
On paper, it didn't sound like much.
But in wartime, the impact would be enormous.
Medical ninjutsu required rare talent, but this potion could be mass-produced. It was a strategic resource.
Mei instantly understood the significance and asked seriously, "Are you certain about its effect?"
The item was too important—she needed confirmation.
"Hold on…"
Rikuya quickly fished a few strands of vivid green seaweed from a small water tank in the corner and began brewing on the spot.
In under a few minutes, he'd extracted half a vial of green liquid—
The healing extract.
This was the potion's strongest form; the stolen vial had been diluted over a hundredfold.
If there was ever a time to prove its value, it was now.
Even if he knew her personality well enough to guess she wouldn't abandon her "fiancé," he wasn't about to risk his life on assumptions.
He hated Danzō with a passion.
He'd originally planned to fail the graduation exam and quit the shinobi track, or at worst, remain a low-profile ninja.
But Danzō had decided to use him as a warning to the Uchiha clan, forcing him into this situation.
If he'd actually died, he'd have made sure to show the man what "never insult a transmigrator" really meant.
"So this is the healing potion…?"
Mei's soft pink eyes studied the vial intently.
Then she moved.
"Wait!"
Rikuya saw her pull out a kunai and, without a flicker of hesitation, stab her own palm.
Shhhk!
The crisp sound of flesh being pierced filled the room, followed by a fresh wound blooming in her pale, delicate hand.
What a savage.
No one would believe, judging by her looks alone, that this girl could be so ruthless.
She ignored Rikuya's attempt to stop her.
Of course she knew she could test it on something else—
But what could be more convincing than firsthand experience?
Besides, a wound like this could be healed quickly with medical ninjutsu even if the potion failed. It was hardly a risk.
Without such a backup plan, she wouldn't have been so reckless.
The green liquid slowly dripped into the wound.
The bleeding stopped almost instantly, and before their eyes, the wound scabbed over and began to heal.
As the process unfolded, the ice-cold expression on Mei's face shifted in surprise.
The effect was… unbelievable.
Even if it still wasn't on par with medical ninjutsu—
There were fewer than a hundred medical ninja in all of Konoha, and that was only thanks to the influence of Tsunade, one of the legendary Sannin.
In other great villages, the number could easily be in the single digits.
Outside the Five Great Shinobi Nations, medical ninja didn't even exist.
But this potion—this could be produced in large quantities, carried anywhere, and used instantly.
That was its true, terrifying advantage.
(End of Chapter)