Chapter 23: For the Future of the Clan
"Madam."
"Hmm?"
"I want..."
"Want what?"
"You."
Nara Yoshino paused, looking at Uchiha Asuka's serious expression. She seemed to understand what he meant, and after a moment of hesitation, she refused.
"No. Shikaku would beat me if he found out."
"If you don't tell him, and I don't tell him, he won't know."
"There are no secrets forever."
"Just satisfy my request, please."
Uchiha Asuka clasped his hands together, looking sincerely at the wife of the Nara Clan Head.
"No."
Seeing her shake her head and refuse him again, Uchiha Asuka took a step back. A determined look appeared on his face, as if he had just made a very important decision. Gritting his teeth, he said,
"Three times. Just three times."
"Three times?"
Nara Yoshino rested a hand on her chin, secretly sizing up Uchiha Asuka's sturdy physique. She sighed, then held up five fingers as she bargained.
"Three is too little. Five times.
If you agree, I'll do it."
"Alright, alright."
After thinking for a moment, Uchiha Asuka nodded in agreement.
"Here you go!"
Nara Yoshino took a large package from the counter and handed it to Uchiha Asuka. Patting the package, she looked at him curiously.
The Nara Clan had raised deer for Konoha for generations. Deer antlers were a valuable medicinal ingredient, and the clan's expertise in medicine was second to none. Most of Konoha's medicinal herbs and medicines were supplied by them.
Whether ordinary civilians or ninja, anyone who needed medicine usually came to their shop.
Earlier that day, as Yoshino approached the entrance, she had found Uchiha Asuka fiercely haggling with one of the shop assistants. She had immediately pushed the assistant aside and negotiated the price with him herself.
"Asuka-kun, what do you need all these basic medicinal herbs for? Is someone from the Uchiha Clan trying to become a medical ninja again?"
"No."
Uchiha Asuka slung the bundle of medicinal herbs over his shoulder and pouted.
"This morning I took on an apprentice who wants to learn medical ninjutsu. She just graduated from the Ninja Academy, and her pockets are cleaner than your face, Madam."
"Wow!"
Yoshino stared at him in exaggerated surprise before giving him a thumbs-up.
"Asuka-kun, you're quite the smooth talker."
"Since you think I'm such a smooth talker, how about three medical checkups?"
"No way. Five times is what we agreed on. Besides, you bought these medicinal herbs at half price. That's practically the same as giving them away."
"Heh~"
The corner of Uchiha Asuka's mouth twitched.
If it weren't for the unscrupulous merchants in Konoha, when had he ever bothered haggling?
Back when he had planned to defect, he had sold everything he owned, using nearly all his savings to buy weapons from Cat Granny.
Then, after deciding not to defect, he went back to buy those weapons again.
That old hag had mercilessly slashed the buyback price, instantly wiping out a third of his wealth.
When he went to redeem the items he had pawned, those black-hearted merchants had somehow turned his ordinary kitchen cleaver into the legendary Wind and Thunder Blade, while his whetstone had become the Calamity Stone.
The prices doubled on the spot.
If it weren't for the fact that he was a ninja...
"Asuka-kun, how's your investigation coming along?"
Yoshino's voice pulled Uchiha Asuka out of his thoughts.
He pointed helplessly at the calendar hanging on the wall behind her.
"Madam, it's only been a day."
"Really?
I thought much longer had passed. Well, you'll have to work harder."
"Got it."
With a wave of his hand, Uchiha Asuka left the Nara Clan's pharmacy.
While accepting the medicinal herbs, he had discreetly probed Yoshino.
He now had a rough estimate of Shikamaru's birth.
September.
Judging by how quickly children matured in the Naruto world, he could probably become friends with Shikamaru using nothing more than a lollipop by next February.
...No, that wasn't right.
Thinking about Tsunade, whom Shizune had said had practically grown up within a year, Asuka revised the timeline again.
With Shikamaru's genius intellect...
He might recognize people within a month of being born.
Learn to read within two months.
And start making friends within three.
---
Night.
The Nara Clan compound.
Dressed in black, Uchiha Asuka skillfully avoided the patrolling ninja before arriving outside Nara Ryoko's room.
"Who's there?"
The moment she spoke, Ryoko saw Asuka removing his mask. She hurried over, grabbed his arm, and said anxiously,
"You're finally here."
"No need to panic."
Asuka reassured her. Seeing the worried look on her face, he continued,
"The last time I came, a patrolling member of the Nara Clan spotted me outside.
Then your sister-in-law, Yoshino, started suspecting that the two of us were having an affair."
"Oh~"
Ryoko suddenly understood.
She had wondered why Yoshino had visited her recently, repeatedly asking—both directly and indirectly—whether she had found another man.
It was outrageous.
Her husband had only just passed away, yet she was already being suspected of remarrying.
She had been so furious that she'd chased Yoshino out with a broom.
So that had been the root of the misunderstanding.
Her narrow eyes studied Uchiha Asuka for a long moment before she finally made up her mind.
"As long as my son is cured, I don't care whether it's a rumor or the truth."
"But I care."
With that, Uchiha Asuka followed her out of the room and downstairs.
He didn't want Danzo to discover that he was deliberately approaching a Root member.
Nor did he want the reputation of sneaking into a widow's room at night.
Especially when the widow already had a son...
And wasn't particularly beautiful.
Honestly, not everyone could be like Cao Cao, happily treating another man's son as his own.
That required a far broader mindset than he possessed.
With his mentality...
He'd probably never rise above village chief in this lifetime.
Looking at the moonlight streaming through the window, Uchiha Asuka thought of Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, who resided on the moon.
Although she had sons...
Some were dead.
Some had disappeared.
And the only one still around was busy helping Uchiha Madara.
He couldn't help wondering...
If Fugaku married a Hyuga woman...
Would their descendants undergo some kind of ancestral reversion?
Having discovered another angle worth exploring, Uchiha Asuka decided to bring it up at the next clan meeting.
After finishing today's treatment, the two of them simply sat against the wall to prevent their shadows from being cast onto the window again.
"Actually, this isn't difficult.
Just tell Yoshino the truth."
Ryoko gazed at the moon outside the window, a rare look of relief appearing on her face.
She had just realized that her son's condition had genuinely improved.
After another seven or eight treatments...
He should be able to move around like any normal child.
Thinking of that, she looked gratefully at Uchiha Asuka.
"Sister-in-law Yoshino is very understanding. Once she learns you came here to treat my son, she definitely won't say anything."
"Oh?
Now she's your sister-in-law?
Just a moment ago you were cursing her and spreading rumors about her.
Besides, the real problem here is Danzo."
Uchiha Asuka rolled his eyes.
If Danzo were an idiot, he wouldn't be nearly this worried.
The problem was...
That old man wasn't stupid.
He was merely evil.
And extremely crafty.
If Danzo sensed there was something between Ryoko and Asuka...
He would inevitably follow the trail and thoroughly clean house within Root.
"Then what should we do?"
Hearing that, Uchiha Asuka stood up, dusted off his pants, and said,
"Actually, I think a marriage alliance between the Uchiha and the Nara wouldn't be a bad idea.
After all, Uchiha not being known for using their brains is a major weakness."
"So...?"
Ryoko looked at him in complete confusion.
She had no idea where this conversation was going.
Is he... actually planning to marry me?
It wasn't impossible.
And she wasn't entirely against the idea.
But...
Wasn't this moving a little too fast?
At that moment, Uchiha Asuka turned toward the center of the Uchiha compound.
His gaze seemed to pierce through countless walls before settling on a certain house.
"For the bright future of the clan..."
"Let's sacrifice the Clan Head."
Ryoko blinked.
Then the confusion on her face instantly turned into horror.
She covered her mouth with both hands and stared at him in disbelief.
He's planning to kill the Clan Head?
Over something this trivial?
That's completely unnecessary!
"Don't overthink it."
Looking at her horrified expression, Uchiha Asuka stretched lazily before saying,
"I'm just going to pin the responsibility on the Clan Head.
Who says there can only be one marriage proposal?
As a proud member of the Uchiha Divorce Faction, I'll enthusiastically help the Clan Head find a beautiful woman.
He'd never find such a considerate clansman even if he searched with a lantern.
Then, when Danzo asks why your son's condition has improved, you simply tell him that I sincerely wanted to arrange a marriage for the Clan Head.
Outwardly, you pretended to consider it, but inwardly remained a chaste and faithful widow, determined never to remarry.
Wouldn't that solve everything?
A perfect solution."
Hearing that, Ryoko finally let out a sigh of relief.
She had honestly thought the Clan Head was about to die.
Fortunately...
That wasn't the case at all.
Thinking it over...
His plan actually sounded fairly reasonable.
She could also tell others that the Uchiha clansman had been pestering her, insisting she marry Fugaku.
For the sake of her son, she would deliberately keep her attitude ambiguous.
Then, once her son recovered...
She would immediately reject the proposal.
Hmm...
But...
Looking at Uchiha Asuka worriedly, Ryoko hesitated before asking,
"Won't... won't your Clan Head beat you to death?"
"Beat me to death?"
Asuka raised an eyebrow.
He pointed at himself.
Then pointed toward the Uchiha compound.
"Unless he's willing to risk going blind by using Susanoo...
It's hard to say who would beat whom.
Besides, he hasn't said a word about all the radical factions within the clan.
Why would he single me out?
At the last clan meeting, one of the extremist factions even proposed killing the Konoha elders who openly discriminated against the Uchiha."
"Heh... heh..."
Ryoko looked at him speechlessly.
She had always known there were plenty of mentally unstable people in the Uchiha Clan.
But she had never imagined they were this extreme.
They even wanted to kill Konoha's elders.
Compared to them...
The man standing before her suddenly seemed like one of the few normal people in the entire clan.
Then she remembered—
This "normal person" had been sent by Nara Yoshino to investigate her.
Her face immediately darkened.
Turning toward the center of the Nara compound, she gritted her teeth and cursed,
"Damn you, Nara Yoshino!
You actually sent someone to investigate me!"