Chapter 17: Sharing Goodwill, Bumping Into Mina
After a full day of grinding away at the Hatake residence, training swordsmanship until his arms felt like ramen noodles, Uchiha Tonan finally dragged himself back to the outskirts of the Uchiha compound. That's when he spotted Umino Naoto, waiting by the road like a loyal summon animal.
"Tonan!" Naoto called, waving. He passed him a sealed envelope. "This is the death benefit from the village… plus a little something extra from Hokage-sama for neutralizing that enemy spy. Hokage-sama's been buried in work, so he asked me to deliver it personally."
Tonan accepted the envelope and bowed deeply. "Sorry to make you come all the way here, Naoto-sensei."
Naoto scratched the back of his head, smiling like a proud uncle. "Nah, it's fine. You, on the other hand… You took out a shinobi-class spy on your own. That's not something to brush off."
"It wasn't anything major," Tonan said, shaking his head modestly.
But Naoto couldn't hide the admiration in his eyes. Still, his teacher instincts kicked in, and he asked with concern, "You look beat. Were you training again?"
"Yes," Tonan nodded. "Sakumo-sama gave me some guidance today. It was very… enlightening."
Naoto blinked. The White Fang himself? That kind of recognition was no joke. Looks like Tonan's talent is even higher than I thought.
"It's great to train hard, but don't forget to rest. See you at the Academy tomorrow," Naoto said, giving him a thumbs-up and turning to leave.
"Goodbye, Naoto-sensei."
Naoto walked half a block, then turned around and saw Tonan still standing there, silently seeing him off. The gesture tugged at his heartstrings.
Man… when did I get lucky enough to teach a kid like this?
"Oi! Go back already!" Naoto called.
Tonan didn't say anything—just gave him a gentle, grateful smile.
Once Naoto vanished around the corner, Tonan headed home.
At the clan perimeter, the Uchiha patrols nodded at him with friendly expressions. Tonan returned each with a courteous smile. Some things never change. Whether in the shinobi world or elsewhere, warmth follows where power grows.
Back at his home, Tonan found a surprise: the Uchiha Great Elder himself standing at the entrance of his courtyard, arms behind his back like a wise old sage.
"Tonan. You're back," he greeted.
Tonan immediately bowed low. "Greetings, Great Elder."
The elder waved off the formality and handed him another thick envelope. "We're all family. No need to stand on ceremony. This is the clan's pension for your parents, plus your monthly living allowance."
Tonan discreetly tested the weight. Huh… heavier than the one from Hiruzen.
Feigning confusion, Tonan asked, "But didn't Hokage-sama already provide compensation?"
The elder gave him a meaningful glance. "Hokage-sama speaks for the village. But we—the Uchiha—look after our own. Now that you've lost your parents, you'll get support every month. If you need anything, come to me or the clan head. We're here for you."
He gave Tonan's shoulder a grandfatherly pat and left without saying more. It was a clean, clever move.
To most, it would've seemed genuine.
To Tonan, though? Transparent.
Classic goodwill bait. Give the benefit, let it simmer. If you linger too long, people start wondering what you're really after.
Inside, Tonan opened both envelopes and stashed the cash in his hidden safe. Between the Hokage's "generous" reward and the clan's "support," he was basically swimming in ryo.
Two genin parents and one dead spy shouldn't add up to this much. Which means… they're both overbidding.
He smirked.
The Great Elder likely spotted Naoto earlier and guessed the envelope's size. Then, not to be outdone, he doubled it. Smart play, but obvious.
Well, Tonan wasn't complaining. More money meant more white pigeon ninja beasts. With the war still a few years away, this windfall gave him options—and leverage.
The next morning, Tonan set off toward the Academy. But just as he was leaving the compound, he accidentally bumped into someone.
Uchiha Mina.
"Oh! Tonan-kun, what a coincidence," she said, eyes wide.
Tonan smiled softly. "Yes, quite the coincidence."
They began walking side by side toward the Academy.
Of course, he knew it wasn't a coincidence. His ninja pigeons had been tracking Mina lurking near this path for days now. But he kept up the act. After all, she was potential future rations.
Yes, rations. In a world of limited resources and uncertain allies, it was always wise to invest in the ones who might one day fuel your rise. And Mina? She was perfectly suited for it. Low profile in the original timeline. Disposable. Uchiha. Female.
With the right push, she might even awaken a three-tomoe Sharingan… which would come in very handy for my Mangekyou.
His eyes lingered on her a moment longer.
Mina, sensing the stare, blushed and asked nervously, "Tonan-kun… is something wrong?"
As soon as the words left her mouth, she mentally slapped herself. Why did I say that!? What if he thinks I'm weird? What if he liked me and I just scared him off!?
Tonan, of course, had skin thicker than an Earth Release wall.
"You're different from the other clan members, Mina," he said with an earnest smile.
"R-really? How so?" she asked, her heart suddenly doing somersaults.
"The others—besides Obito, maybe—are too stiff, too proud. You're not like them. I always thought you were cheerful… but I didn't expect you to be this cute."
Tonan said it so naturally it didn't even sound like flirting—just a plain statement of fact.
Mina's cheeks burned red.
They walked along, chatting lightly. To an outsider, it looked like two innocent classmates bonding.
But Tonan knew better.
This wasn't a childhood friendship.
This was cultivation.