A month later, at the Naka River.
Shin and Nao were sparring.
"Pfft, hahahaha..."
Shin, who had been practicing Fire Release, remembered something funny and burst out laughing.
"What are you laughing at?"
"Nothing. That was just your imagination."
Faced with Nao's death glare, he wisely chose to yield.
"Pfft, hahahaha..."
The death glare struck again.
"Nao, you really can't blame me for this. Every time I see you, I think of... Pfft, hahahahaha..." Shin clutched his stomach and squatted down, laughing wildly.
He even laughed until tears came out.
"And you still dare say that? If you'd clearly told me it would spray ink, I would've opened it myself!"
"But before you left, I clearly said I was going to..."
"I couldn't hear you!"
Shin spread his hands, looking utterly innocent.
If a girl said she couldn't hear it, then she couldn't hear it.
If you wanted to reason with her... go on, brother. Wishing you happiness, health, and all the best.
Nao had always felt that he had acted rather strangely that day. "Why did you personally deliver the antidote to Father?"
Anyone would find it suspicious if someone kept hovering around them.
"No, I was just showing concern for your father. Didn't he politely thank me afterward?"
Shin was hardly kind enough to personally bring Meitoku the antidote.
He had just sprayed the man's face, then gone straight to his door?
It was only because, after seeing the man's appearance, he had immediately thought of a great idea.
His brain had plenty of storage. One glance was enough to save the image.
That was right. He had dared to face the entire Hyuga clan's Byakugan alone that day because he wanted to "take pictures."
At the thought that he was about to obtain the Hyuga Clan Head's "dark history," he had repeatedly apologized with impeccable manners, making it difficult for the other man to lash out.
Over the past month, whenever Shin thought of those multi-angle "exclusive private photos of the Hyuga Clan Head" stored in his mind, he would burst into laughter.
Nao had thought that her father's embarrassing appearance that day was what made him unable to stop laughing.
"Father is... forget it. I refuse to believe you can keep laughing forever."
Nao had nearly gotten used to the inexplicable laughter that had appeared so often lately.
She felt that it would not be strange even if Shin laughed himself to death.
"Fine, this really is the last time."
"You promise?"
"I promi... Pfft, hahahaha..."
"I'm ignoring you! I'm going home!"
Seeing Shin rolling around on the ground with laughter, Nao suddenly felt it would be best to let him laugh himself to death.
"Don't go, pfft, hahahaha... This really is the last... hahahaha..."
In an instant, Nao had vanished without even leaving a silhouette behind.
Only after his friend disappeared did Shin finally stop laughing. "Can you blame me? The moment I think about it, the pictures automatically pop up in my mind... Pfft, hahahaha..."
The laughter filling the entire Naka River that day finally faded around sunset.
After dinner, Shin headed alone to the underground laboratory beneath the Shopping Street.
"Uncle Orochimaru, I've already started producing these appliances in the factory according to the third version. When the time comes, I'll give you ten percent of the net profit."
"Ten percent of the net profit? That's quite a substantial sum." Orochimaru was somewhat shocked by Shin's generosity.
That was net profit after labor costs had been deducted.
He estimated that selling ten units would equal the reward for a B-rank mission.
Orochimaru, who had wanted to work here for the rest of his life, thought of his teacher, the Third Hokage, and immediately abandoned that idea.
Shin raised a hand, pinching his index finger and thumb together as he said casually, "This is nothing to the Uchiha. Buying all of Konoha would be moderately impressive."
"..."
Orochimaru was stunned by Shin's extravagance, and felt deeply depressed inside. "Talking like that makes it very easy to lose friends."
"I have no interest in money. Seriously, I still haven't even collected a salary." Shin activated his Acting Skill and continued his mental assault.
In response, Orochimaru declared that he was sleepy and headed toward his private lounge.
He did not want to keep facing someone who kept showing off like that.
Just a few sentences had already shattered his defenses.
"Uncle Orochimaru, wait! I haven't gotten to the main point yet..."
What greeted Shin was a closed door.
"I haven't even mentioned the preparations for the Shopping Street's opening next week..."
That was right, Uchiha Commercial Street had already been completed. Otherwise, why would Shin come here at night?
Was he really so idle that he had come here just to show off to Uncle Orochimaru?
Shin declared that he was already a man who had risen above such lowly interests.
He was only trying to lighten the mood. A scientist like Orochimaru, one deprived of sunlight, needed the occasional little joke.
(Orochimaru: Did you think I wanted to build my laboratory underground? If it weren't for security concerns, who would build a place where the sun never shone...)
"Right, I think Uncle Orochimaru mentioned that the printer already had a prototype..."
Shin rummaged through the display room for a while before finding the printer.
However, the thin layer of dust on it made it obvious at a glance that it had been placed in the display room shortly after it was made.
"Uncle Orochimaru must've thought this thing wasn't very useful and tossed it in a corner..."
"Wait until later... hehehe..."
With some sinister scheme in mind, he carefully packed the thick stack of freshly printed photos into a document bag and happily headed home.
Along the way, he kept humming something about starting over and Li Bai.
If he could do it over again, Orochimaru definitely would not have closed that door.
Two in the morning, at the Uchiha Clan Head's home.
"Brat, where were you going this late at night?"
Chiken had been unable to sleep. The moment he stepped out of the living room, he saw Shin sneaking into the house.
One glance was enough for him to know that the boy had definitely gone off to do something bad.
"Hehe... Old man, I've got a huge treasure to show you." As he spoke, he pulled out a huge...
"???"
Chiken looked in disappointment at the large document bag Shin had pulled out.
For a moment, he had really thought it would be some huge treasure.
"Old man, were you thinking something dirty just now?" Shin quickly covered an important part of himself.
Seeing the brat fool around, Chiken chose to respond without expression. "Hurry up. I'm going to rest after this. Tomorrow, I still have to discuss rent with a whole bunch of clans."
With a mysterious expression, Shin handed him the document bag.
Then he said sinisterly, "Hehe... Old man, you won't be able to sleep after looking at this."
Chiken took the document bag and quickly replied, "Brat, there isn't some little something of Jiraiya's inside, is there... Pfft, hahahaha... This Old Fossil... hahahaha..."
"Old man, exciting, isn't it?"
"Hahahaha... Exciting... exciting..."
"Impressive, right?"
"Impressive... hahahaha..."
"Old man, don't show it around. I'm afraid... Pfft, hahahaha..."
"I'm afraid people will..." Shin could not help laughing as he spoke. "Hahaha... kidnap me..."
Just imagine it: the usually refined Hyuga Clan Head, his entire face covered in ink.
The image alone was enough to make anyone laugh.
Not to mention that there was now such a thick stack of photos, showing different expressions and angles.
"I know... hahaha... I know!"
Father and son exchanged a look, then burst into laughter in perfect sync. "Wahahahaha..."
That night, laughter from the Uchiha Clan Head's home continued without end.
However, the Uchiha clansmen all said it was merely a minor scene.
It was clear that these two great figures having a father-son laughing fit every few days had already become an ordinary part of life for them.
Before you continue