The Power of Bonds, Uchiha Jin's Choice!

Uchiha Jin's mouth twitched, and his mind went blank in an instant.

He admitted that he had some feelings for Nohara Rin, but they hadn't reached the point of defining their relationship yet, had they?

Looking at Nara Shikaichi before him, he couldn't help saying, "We were talking about serious matters. How did we end up discussing this?"

"Jin, this is a serious matter!" Nara Shikaichi said solemnly. "It's time for you to make a choice!"

"Although the word 'bonds' is disgusting and is also one of the village's methods, I have to admit that they're indeed necessary."

"Have you still not realized that you have no weaknesses?"

"You have no friends among the Uchiha. Although you play with friends from the village, in reality, you still don't have any close friends."

"Although it looks like you have Kakashi and me as friends, we're more like an alliance formed for mutual benefit. Simply put, you have no bonds at all—at most, you only have your parents within the clan."

"That state is terrifying. No one would dare trust you. As your strength increased, everyone would instead grow wary of you."

"With no bonds tying you down, as long as you could ensure your parents' safety, you would defect without the slightest hesitation!"

"Don't treat everyone like fools. Who would dare open their heart to someone in your position? Let alone form an alliance of forces with you!"

"Having you confess to Nohara Rin isn't merely a personal matter. It would let you resolve your triangle with Obito as soon as possible, but more importantly, it would show the outside world where you stand. Only with more bonds would you be qualified to join and lead this alliance."

"I can tell that you look down on the Uchiha. Otherwise, you should be trying to integrate into the clan and seize power and rise within it as much as possible."

"Since you chose to begin with Kakashi's father's legacy, you must first prove that you're willing to integrate into the village. Otherwise, even if you become stronger in the future, Kakashi's support won't be enough."

For a moment, the atmosphere turned heavy.

Uchiha Jin froze where he stood, his mind going completely blank.

He had underestimated the heroes of the world!

He had thought his plan was clever. Since he had few ties to Konoha, he could defect at any time if he ever found himself unable to stay.

Only now did he realize that there were no fools in the Shinobi World!

The Shinobi World might not have the cultural heritage of the China of his previous life, but it still had plenty of clever people. Konoha's emphasis on bonds was precisely meant to prevent something like this.

It was like the emperors of feudal dynasties. Only with heirs could they truly bring some stability to the realm.

The Shinobi World was the same!

Someone without any bonds, or with too few of them, could never become the leader of a force. They might not even qualify to enter its core.

Before Orochimaru defected, hadn't he first needed to sever his bonds as well?

Clearly.

Nara Shikaichi had seen through his thoughts long ago. It was just that they had previously only been squad members, so Shikaichi hadn't cared about such matters.

Now, however, things were different!

Since they had decided to establish a force, Nara Shikaichi naturally had to resolve this issue.

Uchiha Jin fell silent.

Although bonds would tie his hands and feet, someone without bonds also couldn't earn the true trust of others.

This matter had two sides!

But the matter with Nohara Rin really wasn't easy to handle. Could he truly withstand Uchiha Madara's schemes?

If he really defined their relationship, then he would have to withstand them!

Damn it, I'm going all in!

On one hand, he did indeed have feelings for Nohara Rin. She truly fit the image of a "wife" in his heart. More importantly, with the system at his side, he might not be without a chance to contend with Uchiha Madara.

There were still six or seven years before the Battle of Kannabi Bridge. As long as he planned carefully, the odds of success were not small!

With that thought, he slapped the table. "Fine, I'll do it!"

"The Uchiha have too many flaws in their character. Unless someone has overwhelming strength, it's difficult to unite them into a single force. Fugaku and his father, the two clan leaders, have already proven that to me."

"If I truly become powerful in the future, the Uchiha will submit to me of their own accord without any need for persuasion."

"Kakashi's father's legacy is our first choice!"

Since he had made his decision and the two people before him were his own, there was naturally no need to hide it from them.

At that, Shikaichi and Kakashi couldn't help laughing.

It was precisely because of Uchiha Jin's decision that their little group was considered established.

Kakashi wanted revenge, while Shikaichi was unwilling to remain beneath others and wanted to rise to power...

Uchiha Jin didn't want to defect, yet he wanted to protect himself and his parents while possessing a force of his own.

Therefore.

The three of them had completely joined together as one today!

Six o'clock in the evening.

After leaving the Hatake House, Uchiha Jin went straight to the Ino House and bought a bouquet of flowers. He then headed directly to the hospital entrance.

Not long afterward.

Nohara Rin and her tagalong, Obito, emerged after finishing their internship for the day.

"Jin, what are you...?"

Nohara Rin looked at Uchiha Jin before her, her eyes filled with curiosity and confusion.

Obito's back turned cold. The faint premonition in his heart made his expression rather ugly.

Clearly.

The bouquet of flowers in Uchiha Jin's hand gave him a very bad feeling.

"Rin, I like you."

"I've actually thought about it for a long time. I decided it would be better to be direct."

"Will you be my girlfriend?"

He was exceptionally direct.

Having the souls of two lifetimes, he naturally lacked a young boy's shyness.

Nohara Rin stood frozen in place.

When Obito heard this, he practically jumped three feet into the air. He was completely dumbfounded, staring at Uchiha Jin in disbelief.

But before he could speak, Nohara Rin said, "I will!"

She took the bouquet directly and openly expressed her feelings.

Children in the Shinobi World matured early. The scene of Jin helping her before had actually been etched into her heart all along.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have kept clinging to Uchiha Jin, trying to get him to interact with others as much as possible.

Now that Uchiha Jin had taken the initiative, she naturally had no intention of refusing.

Consider it?

That didn't exist!

Although Nohara Rin felt shy inside, she also knew Uchiha Jin's personality. If she said she needed to think about it now, he would take it as a rejection.

This wasn't the time to be shy!

"Thank you, Rin!"

"I'll definitely treat you well from now on. Let me take you out to eat."

Uchiha Jin spoke directly.

Nohara Rin didn't refuse. She apologized to Obito and said goodbye before leaving with Uchiha Jin.

Of course, she knew how Obito felt about her, but she only had sibling-like feelings for him. She thought it would be better to make things clear while she had the chance, so Obito wouldn't sink deeper into his feelings for her.

Obito: "..."

He watched the two of them leave. His heart shattered completely.