"Ah!"
Even though she knew Riku's reasoning was a bit of sophistry, Mikoto couldn't help but chuckle and nod, covering her mouth. "You're right!"
"But I haven't learned the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique) yet. I'll ask Grandpa for a scroll when I get home and learn it as soon as possible."
"Although…"
She turned to look at Riku seriously. "With how fast you learn, I'm guessing it won't take long before you've finished everything the academy can teach, huh?"
"And when that happens, are you going to have a shadow clone go in your place too?"
She felt like she had uncovered the truth.
"Exactly!"
Riku nodded openly and admitted it. "This is one of the rare periods of peace in the ninja world. It's the perfect time for us to grow stronger—I'm not about to waste it."
"I've got a hunch… the peace won't last many more years. Another war might break out soon."
"I need to prepare in advance and use this peaceful time to increase my strength as much as I can."
Only with enough power could he have the confidence to stand tall.
"Eh?"
Mikoto was a little stunned. "Why would you think that? Haven't we had peace for almost ten years now?"
Riku shook his head and said, "Exactly because there's been peace for so long. All the great ninja villages have been developing steadily, and their numbers of shinobi are growing rapidly. Naturally, so are their ambitions."
"To compete for more missions and resources, another great ninja war is inevitable."
"Really?"
Mikoto nodded slightly, seemingly understanding, and looked at Riku with admiration. "I didn't expect you to see through things like that so clearly. You really are a genius!"
"Oh right, your Gōkakyū no Jutsu (Fireball Technique) was amazing earlier—can you teach me some of your tricks? Mine isn't nearly as good!"
Since Riku had said it so seriously, she naturally believed him.
So she also wanted to grow stronger. If war really did come, she wanted to be able to protect not only herself but also Riku and her family.
"No problem…"
Riku, of course, wouldn't refuse. He immediately had Mikoto demonstrate her current version of Gōkakyū no Jutsu, and then began giving her tips based on her performance.
…
Early the next morning—
Riku had already gotten up and completed his morning martial arts training with his father and older brother.
Only after that did the family begin breakfast.
That's right—Fugaku had also been taught the martial arts training by Riku.
"Little bro, today's your first day at the academy, right?"
"What do you say—want your awesome big brother to come along?"
Fugaku grinned as he chewed his breakfast, waggling his brows at Riku.
Riku glanced sideways at him. "You don't have a mission today?"
"Haha!"
Fugaku laughed proudly. "Of course not. I already asked my squad leader for time off! One of my teammates also needs to take his little brother to school."
"Suit yourself."
Riku nodded casually. He didn't really mind.
Besides, it was clear Fugaku was looking forward to it—no need to spoil his fun.
And Riku could tell that his big brother had matured a lot lately. He'd become more stable, and the frequency of their arguments had gone way down.
Well, that might have had something to do with Fugaku being out on missions more often and not home as much.
But Riku definitely noticed the growth.
"Seems like Dad's training is paying off pretty well!" Riku thought cheerfully to himself.
Nobuhiko and Kokomi exchanged a glance as they watched their sons getting along so well, both smiling knowingly.
Now this was how brothers should act.
Always fighting wasn't good.
Knock knock knock!
Just then, someone knocked on the front gate, drawing everyone's attention.
With a quick scan of his spiritual perception, Riku saw Mikoto standing outside the gate.
"Coming!"
He stood up quickly, calling out while making his way to the gate. He opened it and welcomed Mikoto in. "Mikoto-nee, come in!"
"We're just finishing breakfast."
"Did you already eat?"
"Yup!"
Mikoto smiled as she reached out and gently patted Riku's head.
Riku made a helpless expression, which only made Mikoto laugh even more.
Soon, the two returned to the dining area.
"Huh? Oh, it's little Mikoto! You're here to walk Riku to school, right? Come sit down! Have you eaten yet?"
Kokomi saw Mikoto following Riku inside, the two acting quite close. Her brows rose slightly in curiosity as she glanced at Riku meaningfully, then smiled warmly and invited Mikoto over.
"Yes, good morning Kokomi-sama, Nobuhiko-sama!"
Mikoto quickly bowed to the couple, then sat down primly beside Kokomi.
Nobuhiko just nodded back with a smile and didn't say much else.
Of course he knew about this girl hanging around Riku all the time.
In fact, it seemed like Riku had been the one who started it.
And as his father, he knew exactly what Riku was thinking.
The kid might be small, but he was sly.
Not that he minded.
After all, Mikoto was the daughter of the clan's elder, and the elder had been supportive of Nobuhiko's work over the years.
If the two of them really ended up together, that would be a good thing for everyone.
Now that he thought about it… Nobuhiko remembered that Fugaku used to like this little girl too.
Turning his head, Nobuhiko glanced at his eldest son.
Fugaku seemed to sense the gaze and looked back.
When he saw the probing look in his father's eyes, he immediately understood what the old man was thinking.
He rolled his eyes and muttered in his heart, "Seriously, Dad? Yeah, I used to like Mikoto—but that was when I was young and stupid."
After Mikoto had directly rejected him to his face, he didn't bother her anymore.
And when she started getting closer to Riku, Fugaku completely gave up and moved on.
He was currently hitting it off with Reiko, the granddaughter of the third elder.
As the eldest son of the clan head, and with solid talent (even if he wasn't exactly a pretty boy), Fugaku wasn't lacking in attention from the girls in the clan.
Nobuhiko gave up his little moment of gossiping once he saw his son's reaction and refocused on breakfast.
Soon, everyone finished eating.
"Alright! Let's head out!"
"Right!"
Then Nobuhiko led Riku, Fugaku, and Mikoto out of the house toward the Ninja Academy.
Along the way, they passed several other clansmen also escorting their children to school.
Clearly, Riku wasn't the only Uchiha entering the academy this year.
Once they left the clan compound, the closer they got to the school, the more families they saw bringing their kids for enrollment.
Several people who saw Nobuhiko greeted him politely with respectful nods—not too close, but not distant either.
Indeed, many clans in Konoha had tensions with the Uchiha, but they still maintained the proper politeness and respect expected of them.
Even if it was all just surface-level.
…
(End of Chapter)
[Check Out My Patreon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!][www.p@treon.com/zaelum]
[+500 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter]
[Thank You For Your Support!]