Uchiha Yoru sighed and nodded, accepting the assignment before sending the messenger away.
There was no way to refuse.
Just think about it—
The clan head's son had only just reached his one-month ceremony, and Fugaku Uchiha was so busy he barely had time for his own child.
Meanwhile, a mere chūnin like Yoru was lounging at home?
If he dared refuse—
Would Fugaku, already overwhelmed, not get angry?
Of course he would.
In fact, he'd probably come personally—
Grab Yoru by the collar, beat him senseless—
And still force Obito Uchiha onto him afterward.
"…Sigh. Shot myself in the foot."
"So what are you going to do, Yoru?" Miwa Masayo asked. "Teach him seriously, or just slack off for a few days?"
"Of course I'll teach him properly," Yoru replied without hesitation. "This concerns my persona. I can't afford to half-ass it."
He paused, then added thoughtfully:
"And if you think about it, there are quite a few benefits to teaching Obito seriously."
Activating his All-Knowing Mind's Eye, Yoru walked through every corner of his house, confirming there were no traces of White Zetsu.
Only then did he continue:
"First, Obito will become a disciple of the Fourth Hokage in the future. This gives me a connection."
"Second, it makes my relationship with him appear genuine—so when I kill him later, it won't seem out of place."
Miwa Masayo froze.
…Did he even hear what he just said?
Yoru spoke calmly, as if stating a simple fact.
"This is foresight."
"…Foresight?"
"Yes."
"Heh." The tabby cat gave him a deadpan stare. "You think I'd believe that? Prove it. What are we eating tomorrow?"
"…You idiot cat. I'm the one cooking. I don't need foresight to know that."
"…Ah… that…"
"I don't care. Prove it."
Yoru sighed dramatically, his tone turning almost wounded.
"There's no way to prove it. I thought, with our relationship, you'd trust me without needing proof."
"I even considered sharing my greatest secret with you… seems I was being sentimental."
The emotional performance hit like lightning.
Miwa Masayo panicked immediately, scrambling to apologize, clumsily trying to express that she did trust him.
"Let me touch your paw pads," Yoru said calmly. "Then I'll believe you."
"Okay—wait, what?"
"Meow?!"
The moment her soft paw pads were squeezed—
A sharp, electrifying sensation shot through her body.
She snapped back to her senses instantly.
She might be a bit slow—
But she wasn't stupid.
No matter whether Yoru's "foresight" was real or not—
He had just tricked her.
Again.
Rage surged.
This was too much.
First, he kept mixing "Rika-chan" into her proper name, tricking her into responding again and again until she almost got used to it.
Then—
He touched her ears.
Her ears!
She endured that.
But now—
He'd escalated to paw pads.
Unforgivable.
This servant—
Had to go.
"Take this! Cat Punch!"
Of course—
She couldn't actually hurt him.
After entering the foundation stage, Yoru's strength hadn't skyrocketed dramatically—
But his foundation had become terrifyingly solid.
His body alone was absurdly durable.
Without going all out, Miwa Masayo couldn't even scratch his skin.
She even felt—
That ridiculous face of his could probably resist a thrown kunai.
Naturally, the two didn't actually fall out.
And somehow—
She ended up accepting the idea of "foresight."
Yoru, for his part, had deliberately revealed fragments of the "future."
Because as Miwa Masayo grew stronger—
He no longer saw her as just a companion.
But as a future partner on the same path.
A dao companion.
And a dao companion—
Deserved more trust.
As long as it didn't involve his core secrets—
There was no need to hide everything.
…
"Why is it you?"
"Yoru-senpai?! It's really you!"
"Uchiha-senpai, hello."
As expected—
When Yoru arrived at the South River training ground, it wasn't just Obito waiting.
It was his entire team.
Of course.
There was no way Obito would leave Rin Nohara behind—
And no way Rin would abandon their last teammate.
Seeing Yoru again, a faint blush appeared on Rin's face.
Yoru was, after all—
Handsome in the truest sense.
Tall.
Fair-skinned.
And as someone who carried the maturity of another lifetime—
His demeanor held a calm, grounded presence far beyond his age.
To a girl of thirteen or fourteen—
That kind of presence was almost irresistible.
Obito, on the other hand, felt like coughing up blood.
Facing the oldest among their generation of Uchiha—
He couldn't even bring himself to say something like:
"Just wait until I awaken my Sharingan!"
Yoru, however, had no interest in Rin.
To him, she was just a skinny little girl.
He wasn't a lolicon.
Nor some kind of obsessive.
And he wasn't worried about her feelings either.
What she felt wasn't romantic—
Just a kind of admiration toward a paternal figure.
Something that would fade naturally as she grew older.
Unless—
Something went wrong at home and left a deep psychological scar.
"I'll be training you for two weeks," Yoru said calmly. "The training is simple—tree climbing and water walking."
He stepped toward a nearby tree, placing one foot on the trunk as demonstration.
"Tree climbing doesn't use your hands."
"You gather chakra at your feet and stick to the surface."
"Then walk upward step by step."
"This trains chakra control, chakra capacity, and core strength."
"All fundamental."
"All essential."
Standing sideways on the very tip of a branch, parallel to the ground, Yoru explained the finer details—techniques, balance, control—before letting them try.
Rin proved her talent immediately.
As a future medical ninja, her chakra control was excellent.
On her first attempt—
She stood firmly on the trunk.
And even took two steps upward.
The two boys struggled more.
Either they used too much chakra and punched into the bark—
Or they blasted themselves backward.
Yoru wasn't disappointed.
He hadn't succeeded on his first try either.
Failure was normal.
Those who succeeded instantly—
Were genuine prodigies.
And someone like that would never end up in a "forgotten team."
He patiently corrected their mistakes—
Pointed out flaws—
Taught control techniques.
Soon, the third boy managed a few steps—
Then steadily climbed higher than Rin.
But Obito…
Was a different story.
He managed three steps.
His face flushed bright red with excitement—
Then suddenly—
He flipped upside down.
Dangling like a fish on a hook—
Thrashing helplessly.
No matter what he did—
He couldn't stabilize himself like the others.
Yoru stared at him, dumbfounded.
"…Obito."
"How exactly did you graduate from the academy?"
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