Treating Guests

When Akaseki and the others arrived at the classroom entrance, two Anbu blocked their path. They could only see Mito and the Redhead talking about something...

Akaseki looked at the masked figures and curled his lip—he figured that if it weren't for Ranwu, they wouldn't have waited until they reached the door to stop them.

Regarding the Anbu, the Uchiha clan at this time generally didn't have a good impression of them. After all, the Anbu was a department originally established by Tobirama Senju to supervise and restrict the Uchiha clan's Police Force. In the beginning, the Police Force was not only responsible for security within the village but also for mission oversight and the like...

However, by now, most of the supervisory power outside the village had been taken over by the Anbu.

"Hmm? Is that little Ranwu... Are you and Kushina good friends?" Mito turned her head to look at Ranwu.

"We..." Ranwu wanted to be polite.

"Not close!" Kushina said bluntly.

"Hahaha, it doesn't matter. Friends are always not close before they become friends." Mito smiled, then said, "You came to find Kushina, didn't you?"

"Yes, it's Minato..." Ranwu said, turning her head to look at Minato.

However, Minato had already spoken up: "That's right, Lady Mito. We were worried about Kushina. We were wondering if she graduated successfully?"

Akaseki glanced at him upon hearing this—what "we"? Isn't it just you? Why am I worried about her?

"Not successfully! I didn't even graduate!" Kushina said unceremoniously at this moment.

In Kushina's heart, she even suspected that Minato was looking to make a fool of her; after all... she hadn't seen Minato show this much concern for her before.

Although she knew Minato was always watching her, the problem was... whenever she was being bullied, Minato would always just stand by and watch with a smile!

Mito corrected her at this point: "Who said you didn't graduate? Kushina, you are already a genin of our Konoha!" As she spoke, Mito took out a forehead protector.

Akaseki realized then that for some reason, Kushina hadn't been assigned to a squad, and instead, Lady Mito had come personally to bestow the forehead protector upon her...

Seeing the Konoha forehead protector, the once stubborn-looking Kushina couldn't help but shed tears, whether from grievance or relief, it was hard to tell.

Seeing this, Ranwu couldn't help but say: "In that case... let's go to the Pine Deer Pavilion later! Let's celebrate the four of us graduating!"

Although she didn't know what was going on, Ranwu's inherent kindness made her willing to include one more person.

"Pine Deer Pavilion? Has little Ranwu saved up that much pocket money? Then Kushina must have a good meal!" Mito said intentionally.

"No, it's this Uchiha. He said he's super rich, so order whatever!" Ranwu pointed directly at Akaseki.

"Y-yes, that's right!" Akaseki nodded, biting the bullet.

Mito looked at Akaseki, specifically at the fan crest on his clothes, and nodded as if she had realized something. She even specifically corrected him: "Little Ranwu, be friendly to your companions..."

Although Kushina wasn't exactly close to the trio of Akaseki at this time, under Mito's encouragement, she still went with them to celebrate their graduation.

The Pine Deer Pavilion was a place of top-tier luxury in Konoha. A single sashimi platter cost as much as the reward for a C-rank mission. For four growing boys and girls, a meal there would cost as much as a B-rank mission—and a high-paying B-rank mission at that, and that was the total price, not what a single ninja would take home!

There was one thing Ranwu got wrong.

Although Uchiha Akaseki was an Uchiha, because he was an orphan, he didn't actually have much pocket money.

Even with the monthly pension issued for his fallen parents, what he had saved up over the years was only enough for this one meal!

By comparison, although Ranwu no longer carried the Senju name, she had inherited the assets left behind by Tobirama Senju. In reality, she was much wealthier than Akaseki...

Seeing Akaseki at the front desk, fishing out the very last silver coin from the lining of his coin purse to pay the bill, Ranwu curled her lip and was about to step forward to pay for him, but Minato pulled her back and shook his head.

After the sting of the expense faded, when Akaseki turned back to rejoin the group, he had already put on an "easygoing" expression.

Under Minato's reminder, Kushina and Ranwu also pretended not to notice him putting on a brave front...

"Then... I'll take Kushina back to Lady Mito's place! See you tomorrow." Minato said goodbye to Akaseki and Ranwu.

While eating together earlier, everyone had already learned about Kushina's situation.

Although it wasn't stated in great detail, they at least knew that Kushina wouldn't be "squad-assigned" like a normal genin after graduation, with a jonin instructor... instead, she would be going to study [Fuinjutsu] with Lady Mito.

As an Uchiha, Akaseki knew about the Tailed Beasts and vaguely guessed something, but of course, such things could not be spoken aloud.

"See you tomorrow." Namikaze said goodbye to Ranwu and Akaseki.

Afterward, Akaseki looked at Ranwu, and the atmosphere between them became awkward.

Akaseki faced a choice—one, go home by himself; two, walk Ranwu home...

"Then I'm going home too!" Akaseki decisively chose one.

Who would want to go to the house of that cunning old Senju ghost?

"Don't be late tomorrow." Ranwu's attitude had improved quite a bit, likely because she had just eaten a meal on Akaseki's dime.

After Akaseki returned to the Uchiha compound, before he could even reach his small house, someone had already notified him—the Clan Head wanted to see him!

This was within Akaseki's expectations.

Any clansman who had just awakened the Sharingan would certainly be summoned by the Clan Head or the elders. After all, the Sharingan of the Uchiha clan wasn't as cheap as the Byakugan of the Hyuga clan, which almost everyone possessed as long as they inherited the bloodline; most Uchiha clansmen never had the chance to awaken the Sharingan at all.

If no one awakened it for several generations, that branch would basically be considered finished.

Awakening at twelve was already considered quite early, and especially since Akaseki had awakened on such a special occasion today, it was only logical that he would be personally summoned by the clan head.

What surprised Akaseki slightly was that the location he was called to was the front courtyard of the clan head's residence—this was considered a very private meeting place.

Thinking about it, it was inevitable; after all, since they were meeting Akaseki specifically, a private location also seemed more intimate.

Akaseki arrived at the front courtyard of the residence, and before he could even look around, the clan head's voice drifted out from within: "Is that Akaseki? Come in."

Akaseki walked in, feeling a bit nervous, and discovered that besides the clan head Kensho Uchiha, another elder, Ranyu Uchiha, was also present—who was none other than Kotomi's father.

Kensho, Ranyu, and Kagami were known as the Three Treasures of Uchiha, the three strongest ninjas of the contemporary Uchiha clan. However, although Clan Head Kensho and Elder Ranyu were of the same generation as Kagami, they were over a dozen years older, both being around forty years of age.

Seeing Akaseki enter, Clan Head Kensho revealed a gentle and benevolent smile, and even Ranyu, who was usually stern, looked a bit softer at this moment.

Perhaps this was the treatment reserved for a "budding genius."

"Akaseki, you awakened your eyes today, is that correct?" Kensho asked gently.

At the mention of this, Ranyu's expression became a bit more serious—he had heard from his daughter about the timing of Akaseki's awakening...

Although criticizing Madara Uchiha was considered "politically correct" in Konoha, and the Uchiha clan followed suit, but... you didn't have to be so genuinely emotional about it, did you?

They were quite concerned about the ninja path orientation of this new talent within the clan.

After all, having one Kagami Uchiha was enough...

If another one came along who was even more extreme than Kagami Uchiha, they wouldn't be able to handle it!

"That's right, today at the graduation ceremony..." Akaseki said, his eyes turning red.