A few days later, in the study of the Uchiha clan head's residence.
"I'm not studying anymore! I wanna go out!"
"No, dear Shen. Today's the last day—just do this for your father, okay?"
"I don't care! That old man keeps bullying me just 'cause I'm still young!"
"Shhh, speak softer. If your dad hears you, you'll have to stay here even longer."
The Uchiha mother and son were locked in an intense argument by the desk.
"C'mon, after all these days, what's he gonna do if I skip just one?" Shen defiantly slammed the scroll shut.
"You forgot when he ran you around the compound like a dog? And who was the one who promised to behave from then on?" Aiko gently ruffled her son's hair while reminding him.
Shen smacked his mother Aiko's teasing hand away and retorted excitedly, "I wasn't the one running! It was him—the old man—who chased me like a mad dog all night!"
"Be good now. If your dad lets you out tomorrow, I'll take you to see the goldfish."
"No way! How can a charming yet villainous character like me just give in so easily?" Shen firmly believed he mustn't let his old man win.
"Pfft, charming villain my ass. You're cracking me up, seriously."
Aiko didn't seem to mind Shen labeling himself as the villain. Back in her youth, she probably had been just as oblivious too.
"Forget it—I'm ditching this place!"
Shen stood up, ready to bolt, but was unexpectedly pulled into Aiko's embrace. She proceeded to coax (coerce) him with sweet words: "Shen Shen, tell Mama what you're planning. There's no way I believe someone who's been cooped up for five whole years couldn't even last a week."
Inside his mother's hold, Shen puckered his lips while secretly thinking, "Same old tricks—guess it's true what they say: the older ones are always sharper." He quickly broke free and ran over to the bookshelf, pulling down several scrolls. Watching him suspiciously, Aiko felt a sudden sense of foreboding creeping up inside her.
With a "Plop!" Shen activated his [Konoha Office Flow Desktop Cleaning Jutsu], sweeping the extra scrolls off the table onto the floor. Then he unfurled the scroll he had been holding and revealed its contents to Aiko. She looked closely and saw various blueprints along with detailed dimensions and assembly methods for detachable components.
"What do you think, Mother?" Shen proudly said with arms akimbo and pride written all over his face. "My achievements these past few days are pretty impressive, right?"
Aiko put down the scroll and turned to look at Shen, then glanced back at the diagrams several more times.
Still standing with arms crossed, Shen felt a strange mix of emotions inside. Was showing off his talent just a little really that hard to believe?
Finally convinced her son truly was a genius, Aiko allowed a small smile and praised, "Although I don't quite understand how these things work, if their functions truly match what's described here, then it definitely deserves recognition."
Overjoyed, Shen immediately asked, "Then can I go out and find a blacksmith to build them?"
"You can go—but only if I come with you." Aiko was still worried about what kind of trouble he might cause once outside.
As for what those blueprints were exactly…
Of course, these were some daily necessities designed by Shen based on physics knowledge from his previous life—appliances like washing machines and microwave ovens.
You're wondering what's used to generate power? Definitely not love!
Actually, Shen had designed a core scroll capable of storing and converting chakra, based on Chakra Nature Transformations. The formulas related to this part on the blueprints were things Aiko couldn't understand. Not knowing how to create such scrolls himself, he could only wait until he learned the skill or sought help from relevant experts.
The devices in those blueprints didn't run on electricity at all. Take the washing machine for example—it simply used those scrolls to convert stored chakra into Wind Chakra, which then drove an elaborately designed internal drum to clean clothes. Moreover, the scrolls could also transform into Fire Chakra to dry the clothes afterward. Microwaves similarly used converted Fire Chakra for heating.
Originally, Shen had planned to make everything from cars to planes. Unfortunately, when he tried to mentally simulate how an engine worked, his brain just "crashed." But that didn't scare him in the least—he could always try his [*Kage Bunshin Supercomputer Jutsu*].
Luckily he had come here early enough; if it had been the Heir's era instead, air conditioners, televisions, and game consoles would've long been monopolized by the rough crowd at Kumogakure Village.
The Uchiha Ninja Tools Shop was the top choice for clan members purchasing ninja tools.
Outside the store stood mother and son Uchiha, discussing whether they should acquire the shop. Once these items rolled off the production line, they could be sold all over the Commercial Street for big bucks.
"Why don't we merge all the clan's shops into one large corporation, distributing shares among the clan members?"
Shen's suggestion left Aiko puzzled. "What's a 'corporation'? And 'shares'?"
Shen sighed as he admired how great this era truly was—imagine if he'd arrived ten years later, by then all the 'lambs' would've already been sheared clean! Old moneybag Shen began explaining company and group concepts to his mother, leaving her quite stunned.
"In other words, are you saying we will change the clan member shops into companies integrated within the clan group, and then distribute shares to them?" Aiko questioned further, still confused about sharing profits. "Then wouldn't our family earn less money? Why share with others? Isn't keeping everything ourselves better?"
Big capitalist Shen patiently explained: "Dear mother, certainly keeping everything to ourselves is good, but think about this—if we give other clan members shares, wouldn't they work harder? Plus, if someone tries causing trouble, do you think the clan members would let them off easily? It's essentially spending just a little bit of cash to hire the entire clan as bodyguards!"
This time Aiko understood—wasn't it basically similar to the current clan system, only swapping authority for money?
"Mother dear," Shen continued, "I suggest you serve as Chairman and General Manager."
But being only five years old, how could he possibly convince anyone in the clan?
"Me? Can I really handle it?" replied Aiko, clearly lacking confidence.
"What's there to worry about? Don't I have your back? Just follow my advice. Everyone should listen to me." Big capitalist Shen concluded decisively.
Mother and son exchanged knowing looks before walking into the Uchiha Ninja Tools Shop with identical grins on their faces.
"Hey Shoda-bro, can you craft these items according to the designs?" Shen asked Shoda, who was working inside the shop.
Of course, he hadn't brought the combination-style blueprints along.
"The latter went over the blueprints and said, 'No problem building it—everything's clearly marked. Though if we're only doing single units of each item, costs'll sky-rocket, and it'll still take at least a month.'"
"It's okay, Brother Shoda," Shen replied in that swaggering rich-kid tone. "In a few days, my father should be purchasing this shop."
"???"
Shoda wore that classic confused emoji face. Just a few days ago, father and son were on bad terms—now they seemed to have patched things up?
"Brother Shoda, you'll be the store manager!" Shen patted Shoda, who was still looking doubtful.
"But I really don't think—"
"Your opinion doesn't matter. What I say goes—this is final!" Shen quickly interrupted before Shoda could finish. That kind of thing gave him a real thrill deep down.
As he watched the mother and son leave, Shoda couldn't help but marvel at how fate really had a twisted sense of humor. One moment he was just an employee, and now he was going to become the manager in a few days?
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~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** on the weekend!