[Bind or Not?]

Mikoto Uchiha looked surprised when she saw who had arrived.

"Why are you here?"

"Isn't there a clan meeting today?"

The man smiled and said, "The clan meeting is already over."

"I just happened to come by to see you all. How is it? Are the little ones doing well?"

Mikoto Uchiha nodded. "Mm."

"They all have decent talent. If they train hard, they can all become independent ninjas."

Hearing this, a look of surprise crossed the man's face, and he turned his gaze toward Nebula Kotetsu and the other two. Nebula Kotetsu looked back at him.

Fugaku Uchiha.

The current head of the Uchiha clan, a major clan in Konoha... or rather, a major clan in the ninja world.

A powerhouse with at least a Three-Tomoe Sharingan, and highly likely to possess the Mangekyo Sharingan. Aside from Hiruzen Sarutobi, whom he had seen giving a speech on the Will of Fire at the start of the school year, this was undoubtedly the strongest person he had ever met face-to-face.

At this moment, the gaze of this powerhouse was quite amiable, eventually settling on Asuma Sarutobi.

"Asuma, right?"

"I've heard people mention you before."

"They say the Sarutobi family has produced a very outstanding young man. Not bad, not bad at all. To earn such high praise from Mikoto, it seems the rumors are true."

Asuma Sarutobi straightened his back instinctively, a self-satisfied smile appearing on his face.

The pressure that Nebula Kotetsu felt in the presence of Fugaku Uchiha was something he felt not at all.

As the young master of the Sarutobi clan and the son of the Third Hokage, he felt no restraint even when facing the head of the Uchiha clan.

A major clan?

What major clan?

That was just hearsay spread by outsiders.

The strongest in their clan were merely elite jonin, while the old man he looked down upon was a bona fide Kage-level powerhouse, and the widely acknowledged strongest Hokage in history!

Therefore, he simply viewed the man opposite him as a kind, ordinary uncle who just happened to have a larger house.

He greeted him with a smile: "Clan Head Fugaku."

"You flatter me."

"Besides, Mikoto-sensei went easy on me just now. If she had been serious, I would have been on the ground long ago."

"Hahaha..." Fugaku Uchiha seemed amused by the boy's humility. He laughed, "No need to belittle yourself."

"Work hard, and I believe you will sooner or later surpass Mikoto and become an even more powerful jonin than her."

Asuma Sarutobi nodded earnestly. "Mm, I will work hard."

To the side, Nebula Kotetsu felt incredibly awkward.

One was capable of spewing such praise, and the other actually believed it.

What did he mean by "If she had been serious, I would have been on the ground long ago"? If Mikoto Uchiha were actually serious, Asuma Sarutobi wouldn't even have the chance to stand in front of her.

He could see it now: Fugaku Uchiha had made this trip specifically to see Asuma Sarutobi, and his motives were self-evident.

He could only try his best to look away, hoping to make himself feel less awkward.

After offering a few more words of praise to Asuma Sarutobi, Fugaku Uchiha's gaze fell upon Kurenai Yuhi.

"Kurenai, how are things?"

"Are you getting used to training here?"

Kurenai Yuhi replied obediently, "I am. Mikoto-sensei is very attentive to us."

"That's good." Fugaku Uchiha encouraged her, "Keep up the good work."

"Your father is always bragging to his colleagues about how high his level of genjutsu is."

"Kurenai, you must train hard and strive to surpass your father soon, so he has less to show off about in front of me."

Kurenai Yuhi gave a shy smile, feeling that the Uchiha clan head before her was much more approachable than she had thought.

Fugaku Uchiha's gaze finally landed on Nebula Kotetsu.

The latter felt the stare, turned his head, and met the man's eyes.

Nebula Kotetsu did not dodge his gaze, watching the realistic fake smile on Fugaku Uchiha's face, curious to see what else he could say.

Come on.

Come on~

Praise me too~

As the head of a clan, you can't be biased, can you?

As he waited, Fugaku Uchiha hesitated, looking at Nebula Kotetsu with a hint of surprise before speaking slowly after a moment.

"Nebula Kotetsu, is it? Young man... you're quite handsome!"

Nebula Kotetsu: ...That's it?

"Keep up the good work; the future of Konoha depends on you all."

Nebula Kotetsu offered only an awkward yet polite smile.

You brush me off, I brush you off.

Suddenly, his smile stiffened.

A panel notification popped up before his eyes.

[Ding!]

[Bindable character discovered: Mikoto Uchiha (A sorrowful woman who died at the hands of her eldest son; change her tragic fate).]

[Bind?]

"Alright, there's nothing else here, you can go about your business." While Nebula Kotetsu was "at a loss," Mikoto Uchiha spoke up impatiently from the side: "I still have to take them for training."

Fugaku Uchiha hurriedly replied, "Yes, yes, yes."

"You all continue, I won't disturb you further."

Just as he reached the door, he seemed to remember something, turned around, and said, "Right, since it's your first time here, don't be in a rush to leave at noon."

"I've had someone prepare lunch, let's all eat together."

After Fugaku Uchiha left, Asuma Sarutobi and Kurenai Yuhi remarked, "Clan Leader Fugaku is quite different from the rumors; he's a pretty decent uncle."

Kurenai Yuhi nodded.

Next, Mikoto Uchiha began to answer everyone's questions and resolve their doubts.

As before, she started with Asuma Sarutobi.

Taking advantage of the Q&A session, Nebula Kotetsu walked to the side. Looking at the notification on the panel, his thoughts churned.

[Bindable character discovered: Mikoto Uchiha (A sorrowful woman who died at the hands of her eldest son; change her tragic fate).]

[Bind?]

Should he bind or not?

If he bound her, what kind of missions would the system issue?

Would it be a general mission like Might Guy's, or something like Rin Nohara's...

"System."

"Can you give me a hint?"

There was no response.

He thought for a moment and changed his way of asking.

"System, if I bind a character and fail to complete the issued mission, will there be any penalties or other consequences?"

This time, the system finally responded.

[There are no penalties or other consequences for failing to complete missions issued by bound characters.]

Nebula Kotetsu breathed a sigh of relief.

With no consequences, the situation was much better.

He already had Rin Nohara, Might Guy, and Kurenai Yuhi as bound characters.

The mission time limits for all three were quite long; if he added a new bound character, his rate of growth would also increase.

He said in his heart, "System, bind."

[Binding successful!]

Nebula Kotetsu widened his eyes slightly.

What kind of mission would the system issue?

Would it be to save her from her fated death? Or to prevent the Night of the Uchiha Massacre?

Or perhaps, to teach the wayward Itachi Uchiha?

If it were a simple daily task like "study hard and improve every day," that would be even better.

Under his nervous and expectant gaze, the panel information changed. When he saw the refreshed information, Nebula Kotetsu's expression froze on his face.

[Bound Target: Mikoto Uchiha (Copy - Fugaku Uchiha)]

[Current Mission: Filial Piety of Master and Disciple (Your team's jonin leader has been feeling troubled lately; as a genin in the team, please provide a one-hour fingertip massage to relieve their stress)]

[Mission Time Limit: Seven days.]

[Mission Reward (Choose one): Child-rearing Manual Lv2, Shurikenjutsu Lv2, Great Fireball 10x Specialized Skill Boost Card.]

Nebula Kotetsu: "..."