Fugaku's Request

Impossible!

Absolutely impossible!

All he could do was scrape by, completing missions with the system.

His girlfriends all said the sweetest things.

And he didn't have to worry about whether they were people or ghosts, like he had in his previous life. With enough options, there was no need to worry about that kind of thing. He was bound to meet good people eventually.

So no matter what the system was like, it was still a good system.

At one point, Nebula Kotetsu casually asked in his mind, as if making small talk.

"System, do you think I can defeat the Otsutsuki?"

"How powerful are you, really?"

He was only asking offhandedly, almost like talking to himself. He hadn't expected a prompt to appear on the panel.

[Host, just focus on completing your missions. Kaguya won't stand a chance.]

[After achieving certain milestones, you can bring your skills back to the real world and choose when to be reborn.]

When Izumo Kamizuki got back from school, he heard a cheerful whistle coming from the kitchen.

Smelling the delicious aroma wafting out, Izumo Kamizuki dropped his schoolbag and ran to the kitchen doorway.

"What are you so happy about?"

"Got yourself another girlfriend?"

"You brat!" Nebula Kotetsu scolded him. He was about to retort, but when he thought of his newly bound Uzuki Yugao, for some reason, the words died in his throat.

"Go wash your hands. It's time to eat."

"Eat? Aren't you taking soup to your girlfriend?"

"No."

Izumo Kamizuki looked surprised. "Really?"

"What's going on today?"

Nebula Kotetsu replied, "We just became Genin, so everyone's busy with missions. The one I had planned for today was canceled because something came up."

He looked relaxed.

He hoped his girlfriends would have to work overtime more often. That way, he'd have more time to himself.

As Izumo Kamizuki set out the bowls and chopsticks, he said, "I don't get you."

"What's so great about having so many girlfriends?"

"Just thinking about it sounds like a huge hassle."

"That's because you're still young..." Nebula Kotetsu replied casually. But before he could finish, something suddenly occurred to him, and his expression turned serious.

"Izumo, is there a girl in your class you like?"

Izumo Kamizuki shook his head without hesitation. "No."

"I think girls are a pain. They're always chattering away about boring stuff."

"They drive me crazy."

Nebula Kotetsu felt his heart sink.

This kid...

In his memories, Izumo became one of Konoha's gatekeepers, always partnered with a male ninja. He seemed to be single, too.

Could he be not into women?

No way, right?

Watching Izumo Kamizuki wolf down his food, Nebula Kotetsu shook his head.

It couldn't be.

His foolish little brother was just young. Maybe in a couple of years, he'd naturally start liking girls. Plenty of boys thought playing with girls was embarrassing when they were little, only to regret it when they got older.

Putting the matter aside for now, he asked about his brother's life.

"How have things been at school lately?"

"Is that kid from the Sarutobi Clan still giving you trouble?"

Izumo Kamizuki shoveled food into his mouth as he replied, "No."

"He's stopped."

"I heard his brother got another girlfriend, and now he spends all his time paying attention to her."

Nebula Kotetsu said, "...What kind of nonsense is that?"

"What about the others?"

"Is anyone else picking on you?"

"No." Izumo Kamizuki set down his bowl and served himself another one.

"No one's been picking on me lately."

"Someone stood up for me." At that, Izumo Kamizuki's face lit up.

Nebula Kotetsu asked curiously, "Who stood up for you?"

"My new friend, Izumo Kamizuki!" Izumo Kamizuki said, unable to hide his smile. "One day, he got into a huge argument with the other boys in class, right in front of everyone."

"He said, 'Every grievance has someone responsible for it,' 'It's not your fault your older brother is a womanizing good-for-nothing,' and 'Picking on someone's little brother is cowardly.' After that, the boys in class stopped giving me trouble."

"You have no idea how cool Izumo was that day..."

As he watched his little brother get carried away talking about his friend, Nebula Kotetsu's expression grew more and more serious.

He wanted to say something, but didn't know where to begin.

In the end, he sighed and silently went back to his meal.

Seeing him like that, Izumo Kamizuki stopped bragging about his good friend Izumo and asked, "What's wrong?"

"You're not happy that no one's picking on me?"

Nebula Kotetsu paused mid-bite, then picked up his chopsticks and lightly tapped his brother on the head with the thick end.

"Just eat your food!"

Izumo Kamizuki, confused, obediently went back to eating, while Nebula Kotetsu's thoughts churned.

What should he do if his little brother was growing up all wrong?

Oh, right. He'd heard that a new volume of Icha Icha Paradise was coming out. Should he buy one for Izumo? He was a bit young, but better to start early than late.

Hmm... Better buy two. One could easily get lost, so he'd keep the other as a backup.

After dinner, he practiced the Great Fireball Technique to improve his proficiency. Even as bedtime drew near, Nebula Kotetsu still couldn't stop worrying about how to raise Izumo Kamizuki.

Meanwhile...

At the Uchiha Clan Compound.

In the bedroom, Mikoto Uchiha lay on the bed in purple pajamas, holding a book.

The lamp had been turned off, and a candle lit in its place. Its gentle glow filled the bedroom with a hazy light, while a heady fragrance hung in the air.

Purple satin lay smoothly against her body, outlining a figure that stirred the heart.

Though she held the book in her hands, Mikoto Uchiha's attention was clearly elsewhere.

Every few minutes, she glanced toward the bedroom door.

The candle slowly burned down.

Just as she was beginning to feel tired, the sound of the door opening chased away her drowsiness. A weary Fugaku Uchiha walked in.

"You're back?"

"Mm." Fugaku Uchiha replied flatly.

"What kept you so long today?"

"There's been a lot going on in the clan lately. Everyone keeps arguing."

"The old men in the clan never seem to know how to behave."

Hearing the fatigue in her husband's voice, Mikoto Uchiha spoke gently.

"Don't worry so much. Even if the sky falls, you can't be the only one responsible for holding it up. Those old men should go home and dote on their grandchildren instead of stirring up trouble."

Fugaku Uchiha said, "The Uchiha are still in a bad position. If things were better for the clan, people wouldn't be acting this way."

After a brief sigh, he suddenly brought up something else. "By the way, what do you think of that kid Asuma?"

Mikoto Uchiha answered bluntly, "Arrogant, average intelligence, and mediocre talent."

Fugaku Uchiha nodded. "Mm, I think so too."

"Shame about the Third. He's quite capable himself, but his son hasn't amounted to much."

Mikoto Uchiha gave a soft snort. "Even so, you went to all that trouble to make me his team's jōnin-sensei."

Fugaku Uchiha replied, "I was just saying. Whether he amounts to anything or not is none of my concern."

"You must maintain a good teacher-student relationship with him."

"If I try for that position in the future, my relationship with Asuma will be very important."