Private Tutor

Although the New Year's Eve dinner had looked lavish, with even fruit on the table, Sasuke later learned that those things, like seafood, cost as much as beef. Some special varieties were even more expensive.

The Shikaku family could afford to splurge, after all, since they were the head of a clan no matter how small.

Although the Nara household also had greenhouses, they were used to grow special medicinal herbs with higher added value.

That was another choice he had to make.

Growing medicinal herbs was certainly profitable, while growing food could satisfy cravings during special times.

After becoming a ninja, whether he grew fruits and vegetables or medicinal herbs, long missions would leave him with no time to tend them. On the other hand, the more difficult and dangerous the mission, the higher the reward. The profits earned by risking his life were far beyond anything that could compare to fencing off a small plot of land for farming.

Sasuke had limited time, limited manpower, and limited energy.

The Nara had an entire clan behind them to support and manage things. They surely had many clan members with mediocre talent, or no ninja talent at all, who needed this kind of steady livelihood.

In short, getting rich through farming was not very suitable for him at this stage.

There were still four years until graduation. He would be twelve, and Orochimaru would invade in less than half a year. If he did not defect, the Fourth Shinobi World War would begin three years later. Without a cheat, he could not help feeling somewhat insecure.

At most, he had seven years. If he did not consider killing Pain, then no matter how well he built his greenhouse, a single Shinra Tensei would wipe it out when the time came.

The fields lay behind the mansion, while the front yard already had a greenhouse set up. Empty flowerpots sat right under his nose, with no high walls blocking them. The sunlight was perfect, and the weather was not extreme.

And he was not going to plant anything?

What if, after becoming a ninja, he was forced to save the world, and that old bastard saw that he was not the original reincarnation of Indra, decided not to lend him a hand, while his black heart favored Asura instead? Then that would be the end of it. Sasuke was not going to gamble on the odds of transmigrating again.

He could not die before he had his fill of growing flowers and plants.

He still had to farm. At least until graduation, he had four years, and it was inconvenient to travel far. He could not take missions either. Aside from studying and training, farming was a small way to relax.

At worst, when Konoha was about to be blown up, he could move everything elsewhere. Storage Scrolls were barely convenient enough.

By rough estimate, a greenhouse of less than one mu was barely enough to supply vegetables for one person. If he wanted to cultivate and research this world's special plants, the sort that resembled spiritual herbs and immortal grasses, he really needed to expand the space a little.

Then he would build another, smaller greenhouse.

Shikaku was, after all, something like the strategist at the Hokage's side. Though it was not wartime and he was not that busy, adults did not get much vacation time either. Sasuke could not possibly show up at his door every day and disturb him.

Two days after the New Year, Sasuke asked Shikamaru a day in advance and learned that his dad would be home the next day. That was effectively sending a calling card.

After lunch, Sasuke left with a box of fruit pastries he had prepared himself, along with some vegetables from the greenhouse.

Vegetables were not worth much in season, but now that light snowflakes drifted through the air and none were available on the market, the Nara disdained growing them, so leafy greens and fruit vegetables became somewhat presentable gifts.

Knock, knock, knock.

With the upbringing from his previous life, Sasuke still could not bring himself to barge straight into someone else's home without any sense of boundaries like everyone else did.

However, knocking and waiting for someone to answer seemed, in the Naruto world, to feel like he was troubling them too.

...Better to knock.

It was not as though the whole family was dead and there was no mother.

"It's Sasuke. Come in quickly."

Seeing that Sasuke had come alone, Yoshino's nervous mood eased considerably.

"Hello, Aunt Yoshino. Yesterday, I told Shikamaru that I would come to ask Senior Shikaku about ninjutsu. Sorry to disturb you."

"These are some vegetables I grew myself, along with some pastries. Please do not mind them."

Yoshino accepted them with a smile. "If that boy Shikamaru were half as sensible as you, that would be wonderful. When he goes to play with you, make him learn from you more."

"You are too kind, Auntie. Shikamaru may seem a little absent-minded at school, but I only have some advantages thanks to my bloodline limit. If it truly came down to grades, he could surpass me at any time. I still have much to learn from him in that regard."

This was already getting awkward. Was not this sort of face-saving competition between children supposed to be a contest between their mothers? It was unbearably awkward for a junior like him to say such things.

"Come in. Shikamaru should be playing shogi with his dad in the backyard tea room."

He had visited once before, so he could still find his way around Shikamaru's home.

The father and son really were playing shogi.

Shikamaru had his back to him. Sasuke nodded to Senior Shikaku in greeting, then watched them play. Thinking that one should not speak while watching a game, he did not interrupt and sat behind Shikamaru to wait for them to finish.

Before long, Shikamaru's side was completely trapped.

"You lost."

He lost more often than he won. Beating his dad still required a bit of luck.

Shikamaru asked, "Another game?"

But Shikaku shook his head. "Sasuke is here."

"Really? I'll go bring him over."

Sasuke coughed lightly behind Shikamaru.

"When did you get here?!"

Shikamaru was startled.

"Honestly, Sasuke, why didn't you say something when you arrived? You scared me to death."

Shikaku seized the chance to lecture his son. "If you cannot constantly observe your surroundings after becoming a ninja, you might really die the next second!"

"About fifty steps ago. Teacher Shikaku, Shikamaru was surely able to focus on the game because you were beside him. If he had to stay alert all the time even at home, that would be too exhausting."

Shikamaru was not someone who liked shifting blame either. "But you got that close and I still did not notice you. I really was careless. How did you do it?"

Shikaku asked a question, though it sounded more like he was explaining the reason. "Sasuke, you have already completed Water Walking training, right?"

"Yes. After Water Walking training, things like walking without making a sound become much easier. Then I just control my breathing a little. Chakra can also restrain the movement of my clothes."

"Shikamaru, there are still half a month before school starts. Do you want to train in something? A secret technique from the family, or Tree Climbing and Water Walking training like Sasuke?"

Shikamaru's face was filled with the Dislike Trouble expression that said, I knew this was coming.

"See? Sasuke, this is all your fault."

"My fault, my fault. Do I have to treat you to ramen too?"

"Honestly, I'm not Naruto."

After the two children bantered for a few lines, Shikaku went straight to the point. "Sasuke, what training questions did you come with today?"

"At my age, the clan says I should begin introductory genjutsu training. Although the Three Body Technique has some basic explanations of genjutsu, that is not nearly enough for genjutsu training. I would like Teacher Shikaku to give me some guidance in this area."

"I know some genjutsu, but I do not specialize in it. I cannot teach you much on this path. How about I introduce you to a teacher who specializes in genjutsu?"

How many genjutsu teachers were there in Konoha?

First, he could rule out the old monkey. The Hokage could not possibly lower himself to teach him ninjutsu.

After that came the Yūhi clan and the Kurama clan.

The Kurama's genjutsu was a special secret technique. Most Likely, it would lean toward the Yūhi route. Otherwise, he could get a private tutor like Ebisu.

Kurenai Yuhi had ties to Sarutobi. If he ever had the chance to kill Sarutobi's entire family, taking their teacher-student relationship into account would feel like betraying his teacher and ancestors. There was no need for that.