"You shouldn't have talked to Suzaku like that."
After Nara Suzaku and his son walked off, Nara Shikaku let out a heavy sigh.
"What do you mean?" Shikage asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Ever since the Third Hokage clawed back full power, Danzō's been rising fast. Anyone with eyes can see he wants the hat for himself."
"But instead of keeping the old snake on a short leash, Lord Hokage keeps trusting him more."
"These days every major clan has Danzō's people inside. Ours is no different."
"The faction led by Nara Suzaku already sold out to him years ago."
"Danzō plays dirtier and meaner than the Third ever did, and his loyal dogs copy the same style. If they ever—"
Shikage cut his father off.
"There's no 'if.'"
"If they try anything, I'll make those idiots regret being born."
He smirked, cold and dismissive, then kept going.
"Honestly, the Hyūga and Uchiha have the right idea with their clan rules."
"Hyūga doesn't even pretend—main house versus branch house is crystal clear. Main family gets pissed at you? One Caged Bird seal and your life turns into living hell."
"Uchiha aren't quite as fossilized, but the main line is still untouchable compared to the side branches."
"We Ino-Shika-Chō only erased that difference to kiss up to Hokage policy."
"Back in the Warring States era, forget Nara Kizashi—even Nara Suzaku wouldn't have dared talk to us that way. We'd have cut his head off on the spot."
Nara Shikaku didn't bother arguing.
If the Nara had kept those old iron-fist rules, there'd be no Ino-Shika-Chō today and he sure as hell wouldn't be sitting in the Hokage's advisory seat.
Of course, Shikage was just venting.
He waved the whole thing off, done with the topic.
"Anyway, once I'm in Anbu, all those little schemes will evaporate."
"That's what we agreed on, right?"
"Between me and Shikamaru, one of us has to go."
Nara Shikaku gave a tired, bitter smile.
"Compared to that, I've got something more important to talk about."
"What?"
Shikage grinned wide and spread his hands.
"Hook me up with more cash?"
"Nope. Cleaned out."
Nara Shikaku shook his head, then chuckled as something clicked.
"Speaking of which, your Uncle Suzaku only came today waving the 'clan assets' flag."
"Last time your mother dipped into Deer Management Bureau funds to back you. As bureau head, he had to come poke around."
"So I told you to show him some respect. Who knows—if he's in a good mood he might green-light some extra funding."
Shikage's eyes lit up like lanterns.
"Seriously?"
"Hell, maybe I should just become his son and send Nara Kizashi to Anbu instead!"
Nara Shikaku stared at his eldest, completely deadpan.
"Stop screwing around."
"Just kidding."
Shikage said it lightly, but in his head he'd already put Nara Suzaku on the "milk for everything he's worth" list.
The Deer Management Bureau was one of the Nara clan's two biggest cash engines.
They'd been raising deer herds since before the Warring States. Every year the antlers, hides, and processed goods alone raked in a fortune.
"Forget the bureau. Your Nara Research Institute's gotta have deep pockets, right?"
"It does, but the institute isn't mine alone, and it's not even purely Nara property."
Shikage couldn't help griping.
"Nothing works. Being clan head sounds like a raw deal."
Seeing his son's attitude, Nara Shikaku's eyebrow twitched hard.
"Joking aside—it's just money. My son wants it? I'll find it."
"I fucking love you too much, you little bastard!"
After squeezing another fat stack of ryo out of the old man, Shikage left the compound feeling extremely satisfied and headed straight back to the Naka River forest.
On the way he passed Shikamaru and gave the kid's pineapple hair a brutal ruffle.
"Study hard, reach for the stars, little bro."
"As the eldest legitimate son of the Nara, getting threatened by some minor side branch? That's humiliating for me."
Shikamaru, already rocking that dead-fish face at seven years old, muttered back:
"Big bro, I'm only seven… and Nara Kizashi already graduated…"
"No worries. I'll collect a little interest for you first."
"What do you mean?"
Shikage just smiled and didn't answer.
But his shadow rippled like water in a pond.
...
Family drama had been nonstop lately—mostly the knife-fighting between Danzō's faction and the Hokage's.
Shikage had complete faith in his cheap old man. Nara Shikaku could handle it.
So he bounced right back to his own plans.
First thing in the forest: more terrain recon.
He already knew the area cold, but for grabbing Shisui's body the instant it dropped, the more familiar the better.
Daily quests were still mandatory during recon, of course.
Today's random box only coughed up a pack of tasty snacks. Nothing great.
Everything else was routine.
The only real change came at dusk—private tutoring for Sasuke.
At first he'd only been teaching the kid for quick cash and Uchiha intel.
But the favorability trigger he got from Naruto showed him the smart play.
So when Sasuke showed up at their agreed spot, he was greeted by a beaming Nara Shikage.
"Afternoon, Sasuke."
"Here—spicy strips, on the house."
"Uh…" Shikage's overly friendly vibe caught Sasuke off guard. The kid took the snacks on reflex.
But he recovered fast and pulled out the tuition money his parents had given him.
"Shikage-nii, here's 100,000 ryo."
Worried it might seem cheap, Sasuke blushed and rushed to explain:
"My parents said… just try it out first…"
Shikage didn't feel insulted—he'd only graduated recently himself.
He snatched the bills lightning-quick, then flashed an understanding smile.
"Come on, we're basically brothers. No need for that formal crap."
"Let's not waste time. Now that I'm officially your private tutor, I'll see it through to the end."
While talking he split off several shadow clones.
"This one teaches basic taijutsu, this one chakra control, this one ninjutsu theory…"
Since he'd learned Multi Shadow Clone, might as well use it properly!
Fighting and killing was a total waste of this forbidden technique's potential.
Besides the five or six clones handling lessons, he'd secretly split two more for terrain scouting and hunting dangerous animals.
Killing people wasn't convenient right now, so farming beasts for exp was still a solid side hustle.
Of course Sasuke had no clue about the full clone setup.
He stared at "Shikage-nii" and the naked enthusiasm burning in every pair of eyes. For a second the kid looked a little panicked.
"Then… please teach me well…"
...
Time flew.
Dusk gave way to full night, the moon just starting to show.
When lessons wrapped, Shikage walked up to Sasuke—who was now a sweaty, exhausted mess—and asked casually, voice gentle but probing:
"Sasuke, you seemed a little distracted today."
"Something happen at home?"
"If anything's bothering you, tell me. It'll mess with our training efficiency otherwise."
Sasuke blinked, brain still foggy from the knowledge dump.
—Distracted?
—Me?
—Was I?