Uchiha Mei stepped forward to stand in the center between two opposing rows of six seated senior "Longhouse" jōnin.
Rikuya Hayashi quietly moved to kneel just behind her.
He knew his place in the Uchiha clan—he wasn't anyone of significance.
Even so, someone still spoke up.
"Mei, why did you bring him here?"
The question came from the right-hand side, where the lead Uchiha jōnin sat—a burly man radiating oppressive pressure.
Uchiha Shōta!
He was not only a veteran jōnin but also the current leader of the clan's hawkish faction.
"Uncle Shōta," Mei replied without hesitation, "Rikuya is… well, he's supposed to be my fiancé. Isn't it normal for him to take part in the Longhouse meeting?"
She spoke as if it were nothing, without the faintest blush.
The engagement between the two was no secret in the Uchiha clan. It had been arranged by the old clan head to pave the way for his granddaughter's future.
Not marrying outside the clan meant Mei would have a better chance at climbing to the top without losing influence to an outsider husband. If the man married into her family instead, there was no worry of power slipping from her hands.
In short—a tool.
That was exactly why the original Rikuya had wanted to escape this relationship.
But the current Rikuya? Oh, he was enjoying this so-called "soft rice" just fine.
Back in his old world, a girl who was rich, beautiful, and powerful was way out of his reach. Yet the moment he transmigrated, one was spoon-feeding him luxury on a silver platter. How could he possibly refuse?
If he turned down this life, he'd have starved long ago—forget about ever getting into the elite jōnin academy.
Now, with him sitting here as the clan's "tool," it was only natural for Shōta to question his presence—not out of hostility, but because it was unexpected.
"But you two aren't married yet, are you?"
Another Uchiha jōnin spoke up.
The words seemed similar to Shōta's, but his tone carried a sharp, challenging edge.
After all, clan leadership positions weren't set in stone. He had his eyes on Mei's seat.
But Mei's supporters in the Longhouse outnumbered his faction, so the only way to rise was to keep chipping away at her prestige.
And now you see why this man—Uchiha Shū—was acting so hostile.
"Today's meeting concerns him," Mei declared.
Her gaze swept over the six clan members before her.
Though she was only thirteen, there was no trace of timidity in her posture or voice as she faced these high-ranking jōnin.
Pure dominance.
From behind, Rikuya couldn't help giving her a silent review in his mind: What a powerhouse.
Although he had been in this world for two and a half years, their meetings had been rare. All he knew of his fiancée came from other people's words—"genius," they called her. Beyond that, he knew little.
Now he was beginning to understand: strong-willed, and utterly commanding.
"Alright, Mei. You called us here in such a rush—what happened?"
This time, the speaker was the only female among the six—Uchiha Shizuka.
She also held another important identity: she was Mei's mother's best friend, making her an unshakable member of the "Mei faction."
It was thanks to Shizuka and Shōta's firm support that Mei had managed to keep her leadership seat so far.
"It's because of this…" Mei said, producing a vial of undiluted original solution.
A regular healing potion wouldn't be worth enduring the political pressure the village was putting on them over Rikuya.
When they heard her explanation, the six jōnin all reacted with exaggerated expressions—shock, disbelief, even a hint of awe.
They were all aware of Rikuya's reputation at the academy.
"Dead last," "hopeless," "waste of space"—those nicknames hadn't been given for no reason.
None of them expected him to create something like this.
It was akin to the Akimichi clan's secret medicine, except with far broader applications.
The village would definitely demand it.
Unlike a secret medicine that required special techniques to use, this could be used by anyone. That made it far too valuable for the village to allow the Uchiha to keep to themselves.
But how it would be handed over—that was a delicate matter.
If it had been made by an ordinary academy student, he'd be lucky just to walk away free.
But if the Uchiha clan handled negotiations, not only could they secure benefits, Rikuya wouldn't have to worry for his safety.
The ninja world wasn't the kind of place where "darkness" was just a figure of speech.
Even the Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had to rely on Root to shoulder the village's dirty work. That was how deep the darkness ran.
At last, the six Longhouse jōnin reached a consensus:
The healing potion would be handed over in batches.
The village would provide compensation to the clan, of which Rikuya would receive ten percent. The Uchiha would shoulder all external pressure.
Sound like a bad deal?
Anyone who knew the ninja world's reality would see it as a great bargain.
Without his "golden thigh" to cling to, Rikuya would likely have been dragged into Root, brainwashed, and turned into a tool.
That was exactly why he had chosen to reveal his worth now.
Of course, he had already told Mei in advance what he wanted, so his share of the deal would come entirely in the form of laboratory equipment, materials, knowledge, and other precious resources.
Many of these were things he'd dreamed of owning.
So far from feeling dissatisfied, he was thrilled.
The meeting concluded, and Rikuya returned to his room.
Since only two people lived in the residence, his quarters were enormous, with even a basement space cleared out for his experiments.
The next morning
Rikuya rose early—not to attend school, but to participate in team assignments.
After graduation, new shinobi were placed into three-man squads under a jōnin leader.
They stayed together unless promoted to chūnin or jōnin.
If yesterday's surprise event hadn't happened, Rikuya would've been lazing around again today.
But after defeating Kakashi—the son of Rikuya Hayashi—there was no way the academy could keep him from graduating.
Now he was officially an "active-duty shinobi"… without a basic salary.
To earn money, he'd need an official post.
The Uchiha-controlled Police Force was coveted not just for its authority but also for its steady pay.
Without a post, an active-duty shinobi had to take missions to earn rewards.
And no—he couldn't refuse active duty.
Why?
Because he was a product of the academy—a shinobi trained by the village.
Only those raised entirely within the clan could reject active-duty service and serve as private clan forces instead.
That's how, in the anime, the Sarutobi clan managed to hide thousands of ninja—it was perfectly legal under this rule.
But academy-trained ninja? They had to be enlisted and obey village assignments.
That was why Rikuya had played the slacker all along—better to graduate late than lose all autonomy.
Unfortunately, that plan had failed.
Now, unless the village had gone insane, they weren't about to let him graduate without enlisting him.
Just as he left the clan compound, Rikuya suddenly darted to the side—not because of an attack, but to avoid the blur of someone rushing past behind him.
(End of Chapter)