WUM 216

Chapter 216: You’re Not Allowed to Watch That Next Time!

When Uzumaki Kikyo first woke up, she was completely disoriented—everything around her was unfamiliar.

Of course, she wasn’t surprised to see so many Uchiha around. Having struggled to survive as a Grass ninja and braved the depths of that hellish dungeon, she had never even heard of the Uchiha clan’s downfall in Konoha.

Under Uchiha Rie’s careful care, Kikyo gradually recovered from her near-death state. Still, it was largely thanks to the Uzumaki clan’s powerful life force that she was able to pull through at all.

Unfortunately, even Uchiha Rie knew that no matter how strong that vitality was, it couldn’t undo the damage caused by the tortures of Grass Village. Kikyo’s lifespan could never again be that of a normal person.

Even so, the revived Uzumaki Kikyo felt nothing but the joy of surviving disaster—especially since she and her daughter had finally escaped the clutches of the Grass ninjas.

After spending quite some time learning about the modern life of the Marvel world, Kikyo and her daughter Karin temporarily settled in the Land of Sakura.

Next to the old Yashida estate, the Uchiha purchased a large tract of land and founded a ninja academy—of course, a closed one, not open to outsiders.

Karin was currently studying there, and after classes, both she and her mother Kikyo would follow Uchiha Rie to learn formal medical ninjutsu.

Unlike the Uzumaki’s self-sacrificial healing arts, true medical ninjutsu didn’t harm the user—Kikyo’s inherited abilities, on the other hand, were literally “hurting oneself to help others.”

In the end, the two unfortunate Uzumaki women had found a true home among the Uchiha.

During her free time, Kikyo took it upon herself to tend to Mariko’s daily needs.

At first, Mariko resisted, but Kikyo insisted so earnestly that she eventually gave in. Mariko, of course, understood that Kikyo was doing this to repay Uchiha Akira’s kindness.

When Kikyo saw the two of them disheveled and flushed one morning, she instantly understood what had happened between them, simply sighing inwardly, Ah, youth really is wonderful.

“Lord Akira, allow me to handle tonight’s dinner.”

“Then I’ll trouble you with that,” Akira replied without objection.

By dinnertime, Karin had returned from the academy.

“Lord Akira?!” she exclaimed with a bright smile the moment she saw him. She looked as if she wanted to run up and hug him, but hesitated.

Seeing her uncertainty, Akira stepped forward and hugged her first.

“How is it? Are you keeping up with the academy’s lessons?”

“I’m the top of my class! I’m even better than the other Uchiha—” Karin stopped mid-sentence, realizing what she’d just said. As an outsider, boasting that she’d surpassed a bunch of Uchiha might not be the smartest move.

She had only wanted to show off in front of Akira, but now she worried that her words might have offended him.

“Really? That’s impressive. Well done. If there’s any ninjutsu you want to learn, just tell me. During combat training, feel free to kick their butts as hard as you can!”

Akira encouraged her warmly. To him, Karin had remarkable potential—in perception, healing, and sealing tailed beasts, she was a born prodigy.

Her role suited a hybrid specialist—scout and healer both—and with the vast chakra reserves of the Uzumaki, her learning speed was exceptional.

“Lord Akira, are you really okay with that?”

“It’s fine. You don’t need to hide your abilities, Karin. You can show your talent freely at the academy. The stronger you become, the more I can offer you in return.”

He smiled and patted her on the head.

Akira could tell that Karin’s cautiousness came from trauma left over from her childhood in Grass Village—she’d learned all too well how to read people’s moods.

“But I should warn you,” he added. “When Uchiha kids are young, they don’t stand out much. But once their eyes awaken, their power skyrockets. Don’t slack off, or they’ll catch up to you.”

“I understand, Lord Akira! I’ll work hard! Once I’m strong enough, I’ll be able to help you!” Karin clenched her fists and made a determined pose.

“Good,” Akira said with a smile. “I’ll be waiting for you to grow up and help me fight the bad guys.”

“Lord Akira, I’m not a child! Stop treating me like one!”

“Alright, alright, I know. Now let’s eat.” In truth, Karin was right—academy first-years were about as mentally mature as fifth graders in normal schools.

Over dinner, they chatted about current affairs—like the growth of the Yashida Group and the rising fame of the Osborn Corporation.

“Sorry to dampen the mood,” Mariko said, “but lately the Yashida Group has been under attack from the Mitsui Zaibatsu. Our new medical division has cut into their profits, so they’ve started causing trouble.”

“But our people already handled it—the claws they extended have been chopped off,” she added coolly. These days, Mariko was practically “Uchiha Mariko,” following the local custom of wives taking their husband’s surname.

So calling the Uchiha her “clan” wasn’t wrong at all.

“Which Tokyo yakuza group has that kind of nerve?” Akira mused. Back when the Yashida Group transitioned ownership, they’d already crushed the Inagawa-kai so thoroughly the gang still trembled at the name “Uchiha.”

After all, what chance did ordinary humans have against shinobi from the world of Naruto? The Inagawa-kai had backed the wrong side and paid dearly for it—reduced from one of Tokyo’s Big Four syndicates to a mid-tier gang.

And that was after the Uchiha had decided to leave them alone.

“It’s probably the Hand,” Mariko said.

The Uchiha called themselves ninjas—and so did the Hand. Mariko, having grown up around Japan’s romanticized tales of ninja, hadn’t realized what real ninjas were like until she met Uchiha Akira.

The Hand’s so-called “ninjas” were a joke by comparison.

“Got it,” Akira said. “If the Hand in Tokyo can’t behave, maybe I should take a little time to remind them of their place.”

After a cheerful dinner, Akira and Mariko once again retired to their bedroom.

“Mom, isn’t Lord Akira worried that I might surpass the Uchiha kids in my class?” Karin asked later.

“What are you thinking? Lord Akira is far too generous to care about something like that,” Kikyo said, patting her daughter’s head. She couldn’t help feeling grateful every time she thought about how they’d escaped that living hell.

“Mom, is Sister Mariko Lord Akira’s wife?”

“Not yet—they’re still just boyfriend and girlfriend.”

“What about Sister Izumi Uchiha, then?”

“Uh…” Kikyo froze at the question, hesitated a moment, and then answered, “Izumi is also Lord Akira’s girlfriend.”

“But on TV, it says a boyfriend can only have one girlfriend! Dating two girls at once makes you a scumbag!”

“Shh! Karin, don’t say things like that! What kind of TV have you been watching? You’re not allowed to watch that again!”