Fugaku and Mikoto

"Big Brother Fugaku put that so well..."

Mikoto gazed admiringly at the smiling Uchiha Fugaku.

Ever since a few years ago, when she had been practicing shuriken alone and Big Brother Fugaku had generously offered her guidance, he had become someone she admired.

Strictly speaking, although Mikoto had not received much support from the clan, her first teacher had been Uchiha Fugaku.

As Uchiha Mikoto's parents were not ninja, she had attended the Ninja Academy normally and learned only the most basic ninjutsu.

Although the Uchiha Clan's basic ninjutsu and ninja tool techniques were available for all clan members to learn, having someone to teach them and having no one to teach them were two entirely different things.

Mikoto had belonged entirely to the latter group.

But carrying the Uchiha name, people outside did not care whether she was a core clan member or not. Uchiha were, to some extent, synonymous with genius.

So Mikoto had actually been under quite a bit of pressure as a child.

Fortunately, she had met Uchiha Fugaku. Fugaku had been the first to discover Mikoto's talent.

It was also because Fugaku had helped Mikoto practice in his spare time that she had progressed so quickly.

To the powerful yet gentle older boy from her clan who had been willing to guide her, young Mikoto had looked up to Fugaku as if he were an older brother.

But Uchiha Fugaku could not do much more. There were too many geniuses in the Uchiha Clan, and for someone like Mikoto, who had no foundation at all, entering the clan's core would instead have been a bad thing.

Once Uchiha Fugaku officially joined the Konoha Military Police Force, he no longer had time to continue guiding Mikoto.

By the time he had begun to make a name for himself and been promoted to vice-captain, Mikoto had not seen him for a long time.

Yet without even realizing it herself, as she grew older, Mikoto's former admiration and reverence for Fugaku as an older brother seemed to have fermented into something else...

"Oh? Mikoto?"

Fugaku, who had been walking over, spotted Mikoto by the roadside. He paused slightly, then gave her a gentle smile.

"It's been a long time. You've grown up—you're already an official ninja."

"Big Brother Fugaku... it's... it's been a long time..."

When Mikoto saw Fugaku greeting her, her face instantly flushed all the way to her neck.

"Um... you're busy... I... I'll be going first..."

Fugaku watched Mikoto suddenly turn and run away, utterly baffled.

"Huh?"

"..."

His subordinates stared at him with meaningful looks and all chimed in together.

"Vice-Captain, what did you do to that young lady?"

"I didn't..."

"Hehe... we understand. We won't tell anyone!"

Uchiha Fugaku scratched his head with a wry smile.

"...I only taught her some basic ninjutsu and ninja tool techniques before. Don't get the wrong idea."

In truth, Uchiha Fugaku had also been somewhat struck by Mikoto at first sight.

That cute little girl from before had already become a true ninja.

Uchiha Fugaku was not the type who enjoyed teaching others. The reason he had guided Mikoto when she had still been a little girl was not merely because of the talent she had displayed.

It was also because Mikoto lacked the prideful, arrogant temperament that most ordinary Uchiha clan members possessed.

At the time, Fugaku had just gone through a fierce battle and awakened his Sharingan. Meeting the gentle and innocent Mikoto had instantly eased his taut nerves.

As for whether he had chosen not to bring Mikoto into the clan through the Uchiha higher-ups because he wanted to protect that gentleness and innocence, even Fugaku himself could no longer say for sure.

"Mikoto is very talented, but neither of her parents is a ninja and they can't teach her the basics. I only saw that she..."

"Oh... we get it, we get it!"

His subordinates kept nodding, veins bulging on Fugaku's forehead.

"That's enough! Mikoto has been assigned to the team of that genius Orochimaru, a disciple of the Third Hokage. You should know what that means, right?"

"..."

His subordinates stopped joking, their expressions turning serious.

"So that means that although that girl is from our Uchiha Clan, she can go to the battlefield?"

"Exactly."

Fugaku nodded. The arrangement for Uchiha Mikoto proved that the village's policy toward the Uchiha probably had not changed.

His subordinates began murmuring.

"Then it looks like this is just a normal defense reassignment... The clan should give Mikoto some support."

"That's right. Members of our Uchiha Clan are the best wherever they go!"

"With talent acknowledged by you, Vice-Captain, perhaps she can awaken her Sharingan early!"

Their words made Fugaku somewhat awkward. This support...

"Vice-Captain! There's no one better suited for this than you!"

"That's right, Vice-Captain. We'll have to trouble you with it!"

"Leave the patrols to us. Vice-Captain, just go!"

"..."

Meanwhile, Satoru was assisting Orochimaru with a comprehensive examination of Nawaki's body.

"Hmm... truly incredible. This kind of fixed enhancement effect is what they call an 'enchantment'..."

Orochimaru looked at Nawaki with a desire for inquiry so intense that Nawaki could not help shivering.

"Tea... Teacher, it suddenly feels a little cold..."

"Cough..."

Orochimaru gave a light cough, glanced at Satoru's exaggerated pout, and raised an eyebrow.

"Satoru, this Enchantment Technique reminds me of a very famous technique in the Shinobi World."

"The Shinobi World? So there's no such technique in the village?"

Orochimaru nodded.

"In the Land of Lightning, Kumogakure's current Raikage uses a kind of Nintaijutsu called Lightning Release Chakra Mode."

"Nintaijutsu? What's that?"

Nawaki was the one who asked. He understood ninjutsu, and he understood taijutsu, but he did not understand Nintaijutsu.

"Nintaijutsu does not use ninjutsu directly to attack. Instead, it is a special technique that enhances the body, activates it, and grants tremendous strength, speed, and defense for fighting with taijutsu."

"The Raikage's secret technique uses Lightning Release Chakra to greatly activate the body's cells.

"Not only can it provide temporary enhancements, but long-term training can also greatly improve one's physical constitution. It is like a weakened version of an Enchantment Technique that can be stacked countless times."

"But that technique requires a continuous output of Lightning Release Chakra, so it cannot be used on others."

After explaining it to Nawaki, Orochimaru did not ask Satoru to enhance him as well.

To Orochimaru, only what he himself had mastered was trustworthy. Before he had completely learned and understood the Enchantment Technique, he could simply observe Nawaki's and Satoru's conditions.

"Don't use this technique on anyone else. Until the research is complete, we don't know whether this method of enhancement will affect future development."

Orochimaru carefully examined Nawaki's body and found nothing unusual. Satoru's Chakra had not remained in Nawaki's body; it had merely strengthened his muscles, bones, and the like.

After briefly giving them instructions, Orochimaru hurried off to study Enchantment Basics in detail.

"Nawaki, it's been nearly a day already. How do you feel?"

Of course, Satoru knew there would not be any problems. Otherwise, Might Duy's side would have discovered them long ago.

"No problem!" Nawaki grinned. "I already had my sister check me over. I'm perfectly fine!"

"She even praised me for improving tremendously... I didn't tell her about the Body Tempering Technique. So, what do you think? I'm a good friend, right?"

"Uh... I suppose so."