Dad, Your Stash Is Gone

There seemed to be three possible worldlines, but in reality, there was only one mandatory mission.

[Worldline Three: Help Shota resolve his psychological problems and awaken his Sharingan.]

Shota's main psychological problem was his inferiority complex, caused by his lack of strength.

As a member of the Konoha Military Police Force, he couldn't possibly have both the Sharingan and an inferiority complex.

So as long as Kazuhiko helped Shota awaken his Sharingan, the mission would be complete.

Kazuhiko ignored Worldlines One and Two, chose Worldline Three directly, and began checking the rewards—

[Equipment Slot mission activated!]

Dear [Deep Blue], you really did hear my call!

Please give me a few more missions and fill up my equipment slots while you're at it.

Otherwise, the other systems will think we can't afford it!

[Eri's favorability has increased significantly.]

This reward was actually quite interesting too.

His mother Eri had started out with a high favorability rating, already at the [Bond] level.

Now she had reached [Through Life and Death Together], and her favorability couldn't go any higher.

Kazuhiko had tried all sorts of things:

Talking things over, serving tea and water, washing her feet and giving her massages, giving her presents, and so on. Her favorability hadn't budged in the slightest.

For a while, he'd thought [Through Life and Death Together] was the highest level of favorability.

Now [Deep Blue]'s reward told him otherwise: it wasn't!

There was still room for her favorability to increase!

Would he get a mysterious reward if he kept raising it?

He couldn't wait!

[Hideki's approval?]

Dad, you don't approve of your own son?

Fine. I, Uchiha Kazuhiko, hereby declare:

Your stash is gone.

I'll have a nice chat with Black Charcoal in a bit and find out where you've hidden your backup reserves.

Just then, Eri walked up to Kazuhiko.

She looked at her son, her usually stern expression softening.

"Feeling confident?"

"Of course."

"Don't put too much pressure on yourself. Just do your best."

"Don't worry. I definitely won't disappoint you, Mom."

Eri nodded and left the conference room without another word.

There was no need for mother and son to say anything more.

Eri had been persuaded by Kazuhiko to push through the opposition and establish the Psychology Clinic. She hadn't done so simply to protect him.

As a medical ninja, she accepted the theory that "the mind needs treatment too."

Mental health was just as important as physical health, especially for the Uchiha Clan's shinobi.

Because it was connected to the Uchiha's Kekkei Genkai: the Sharingan.

As the Uchiha Medical Director, Eri naturally had plenty of detailed case studies to examine when it came to the question of "how to awaken the Sharingan."

Her research showed that those who awakened the Sharingan shared the following traits:

First, whether you were pure-blooded or mixed, you had to be an Uchiha.

You had to possess the Uchiha Clan's bloodline and genes.

Second, you needed to have a certain level of chakra.

This was a prerequisite for awakening the Sharingan.

The more chakra an Uchiha shinobi had, the more tomoe his Sharingan would have when awakened, and the stronger his Kekkei Genkai abilities would be.

Third, you needed to experience extreme emotional distress.

Uchiha shinobi who awakened their Sharingan had generally suffered terrible experiences, such as losing both parents, seeing their companions die, or coming close to death themselves. They had endured extreme emotional distress.

Emotion was the key to awakening the Sharingan.

The more extreme the emotion, the more powerful the Sharingan. But it also became easier for the wielder to be consumed by those emotions and turn into a monster in the eyes of outsiders.

That was why Eri strongly agreed with her son's idea—

Every Uchiha shinobi needed a psychologist.

Uchiha who had awakened the Sharingan needed a psychologist to help them manage their emotions, preventing them from becoming mentally unstable and turning to crime, bringing grief to their loved ones and joy to their enemies.

Uchiha who hadn't awakened the Sharingan needed a psychologist to help them find "the key of emotion" and awaken their Sharingan, gaining the strength to protect those they loved and prevent tragedy.

That was why Kazuhiko had established the Psychology Clinic.

When Eri had first heard this theory, she'd been amazed. She thought her son was a medical genius.

That was why she'd spared no effort in protecting the Psychology Clinic.

She believed that psychological medicine would become a prominent field among the Uchiha.

"But will genjutsu really be enough to produce emotions extreme enough to awaken the Sharingan?"

Uchiha Eri didn't know the answer.

She wasn't worried about Kazuhiko because of it. Instead, she hurried toward the Intensive Care Unit.

Because she knew:

No matter what the result was tomorrow, the Psychology Clinic would continue to exist.

The Clan Clinic was hers to run.

Psychology Clinic.

Kazuhiko pushed open the office door and found Kurenai Yuhi inside.

She wore just a touch of makeup today, along with her classic red-and-black mesh bodysuit and a red miniskirt. She sat on the sofa with her legs crossed, her posture elegant.

The only flaw was that her legs were still wrapped in a few bandages.

Kazuhiko regretted not being able to see the full picture of her legs in person.

Why did she always keep them wrapped in bandages?

Could she not afford 5D sheer black tights?

Or was she covering up a tattoo so she could pass the Konoha teacher recruitment exam?

When Kurenai saw Kazuhiko, she raised her head and smiled.

"Hello, Doctor Kazuhiko. I'm back to offer you some guidance~"

There was a hint of amusement in her eyes too.

"Isn't it a bother for you if I come by so early?"

Kazuhiko smiled and waved a hand.

"How could someone as beautiful as you be a bother, Senpai Kurenai?"

He sat down across from Kurenai and noticed a square parcel wrapped in oil paper on the table.

"What's this...?"

"Something I brought especially for you. It'll give you something to report back to your clan. Take a look."

Kurenai winked at Kazuhiko with a mischievous smile.

So this was the "fish" he'd lured in with the secret technique.

Kazuhiko understood. He rested his fingers on the scroll but didn't open it right away.

"I gave you the secret technique to make up for offending you back then, Senpai Kurenai. I wasn't looking for anything in return."

Really, he'd only gone to all that trouble to get a genjutsu from the Yūhi Clan.

But for the sake of her favorability, he had to express this "sentiment" and let her feel it.

[Kurenai Yuhi's favorability toward you has increased.]

Kurenai's smile vanished, and her expression turned serious.

"The Genjutsu Seal is worth far more than an ordinary genjutsu. And this secret technique will be a great help to me, so I was tempted. That's why I accepted it."

She looked at the oil-paper parcel, her voice earnest.

"Take a look. I'm sure the genjutsu inside will be a great help to you too, and besides..."

Kurenai smiled again.

"You don't have to worry about being hunted down for using it."

Kazuhiko didn't stand on ceremony. He opened the parcel and found two yellowed scrolls inside. Their edges were worn, clearly showing their age.

"Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death, Demonic Illusion: Mirror Flower Echo..."

Kurenai introduced them herself.

"These are both signature genjutsu of the Yūhi Clan, and they're B-rank. You saw Tree Binding Death yesterday. As for Mirror Flower Echo, it confuses the enemy's five senses and creates illusions to launch feint attacks, making your opponent expose an opening."

"I chose this one especially for you. It's also a genjutsu that creates illusions to achieve its effects. I believe it can help you make your genjutsu world feel more real."