"What do you think?"
Uchiha Nobuyuki gestured toward the seat across from him, signaling Ren Takashi to sit. Once Ren was settled, Nobuyuki leaned forward and asked with curiosity,
"Come on—explain it to me. How exactly did you pull it off?"
"I didn't expect your plan to apprentice under Tsunade to actually succeed. Honestly, I thought it was a long shot—yet you did it. It's almost unbelievable."
To be safe, Nobuyuki hadn't deactivated the isolation barrier surrounding the courtyard and, with a flick of his hand, layered a second barrier over the living room.
He wasn't taking any chances—the upcoming conversation couldn't risk being overheard.
"I didn't do anything extraordinary," Ren replied, smiling innocently.
"I just made sure to show passionate admiration for the Will of Fire during the opening ceremony—acted like a die-hard fan of the Third Hokage."
"Combined with the 'genius' persona you two helped me build, plus my Uchiha identity… it caught Hiruzen's attention."
"He's actually been watching me closely for the past month. Monitoring everything I say and do."
"He even sent Anbu to tail me and report back—just to confirm whether I was truly devoted to him and his ideology."
"And now that Tsunade has come to take me on as a student, it means my plan worked."
"I've successfully deceived the Third Hokage."
"He sees me as a promising tool—likely even a way to influence or control the Uchiha clan in the future."
"So really, my success wasn't that surprising."
…Of course, none of this would've gone so smoothly without the mysterious power from his twenty wishes.
Without that divine intervention, the chances of failure would've been extremely high.
But that was a secret—something even his parents couldn't know.
"Hisss…"
Both Nobuyuki and Shinmi inhaled sharply, stunned.
"You mean… all of this was part of your calculation? And the Third Hokage is dancing in the palm of your hand?"
Their son's level of scheming was… frightening.
"Pretty much."
Ren nodded without hesitation. "You know my spiritual strength is fairly high. My sensing range is already up to five hundred meters—I can pick up all kinds of details."
"Oh right—speaking of mental strength, I recently created two new Sharingan-related techniques: one for awakening the eye, and one for cultivating the three-tomoe stage."
"The first one activates the Uchiha bloodline safely through peaceful training—no emotional trauma required—and prevents the common personality shifts."
"The second is a meditation technique that deepens our bloodline potential. It enhances spiritual power and ocular strength, allowing a one-tomoe Sharingan to evolve to three-tomoe fully, and lays the groundwork for awakening the Mangekyō."
"I've already tested them over time—they're safe and reliable. You two can start practicing them now."
As he spoke, Ren raised his hand and pointed at them. A surge of mental energy transferred both cultivation methods directly into their minds.
Nobuyuki and Shinmi closed their eyes, digesting the flood of knowledge.
Several minutes passed—
"Hiss…"
They opened their eyes in near-perfect unison, faces pale with shock as they stared at Ren.
"Are these real? You created these techniques… at your age? Is there anything you can't do?"
Ren grinned and shrugged. "Well, I owe it all to you, really."
"Dad, you gave me access to the clan's archives."
"Mom, you carefully guided me in learning medical ninjutsu."
"All that knowledge helped me formulate these techniques."
That wasn't entirely false. Without the Uchiha clan's deep trove of knowledge on the Sharingan and human anatomy, even with his cheat-like powers, Ren couldn't have created these so quickly. It had all come together through mutual reinforcement.
"Cut it out."
Nobuyuki waved it off, shaking his head in disbelief.
"I know exactly how limited the clan archive is. Let's not pretend this isn't 90% your own freakish talent."
I really hit the jackpot with this son…
"By the way—when's my brother getting back? I should pass the three-tomoe training method to him too."
Ren smoothly shifted the topic.
"Should be a few more days," Nobuyuki said, then gave him a knowing smile. "Didn't expect you to care so much about your brother. From the way you two usually bicker, I wouldn't have guessed."
Ren shrugged indifferently. "We're still siblings. Joking around, messing with each other—that's normal. But when it comes to serious matters, I don't let that get in the way."
Nobuyuki and Shinmi both smiled warmly.
That… was exactly the kind of maturity they hoped to see.
"When your brother returns, you should pass it to him personally."
Nobuyuki gave Ren a firm nod, then his expression turned serious.
"But listen—don't share these techniques with anyone outside our immediate family. Not yet."
"It's not the right time. Let me first restructure the clan and weed out the problematic elements. Once internal reform is complete, then we'll consider it."
"For now, your safety comes first."
Even if that slowed the clan's rise temporarily, Nobuyuki would rather take that risk than expose Ren to danger.
He was determined to eliminate any threat before it could reach his son.
"And the Sharingan awakening method—absolutely not."
"Its implications go far beyond the three-tomoe technique."
"If news of it leaks, especially to the village leadership, the Third Hokage and his circle will definitely target us."
The idea of a method that allowed any Uchiha to awaken their Sharingan and eventually reach the three-tomoe stage through training?
That was a nightmare scenario for the upper echelons of the village.
It meant that every Uchiha would become a potential jonin.
Even if Ren never developed a Mangekyō training method, the sheer number of fully evolved Sharingan users would make natural awakenings of the Mangekyō far more likely.
And with Mangekyō came Kage-level combat power.
Combine that with eye techniques and Susanoo, and they wouldn't just be strong—they'd be dominant.
Dangerous.
"Agreed."
Ren nodded without hesitation. "That was my thinking too."
"Of course I wouldn't hide it from you both."
"First, because I trust you."
"Second, because I need your cooperation. I can't enact my vision for reform—of the Uchiha, of Konoha, and even the shinobi world—without your help."
At his current age, he wasn't in a position to directly influence clan politics.
That was his father's arena.
So transparency was essential.
Besides, so long as it didn't reveal his wish-based powers, he didn't see any harm in sharing it.
"So that's what you're planning…"
Nobuyuki let out a thoughtful sigh, then broke into a smile.
His son trusted him completely—and that trust meant everything.
"So I'm just your reform tool, huh?" he joked.
Ren smirked. "And you mind that?"
"Of course not!" Nobuyuki laughed. "Bring it on! I live for this kind of thing!"
After all… this was his son.