Uchiha Hazuki

What about Kurenai Yuhi and Nohara Rin? They each had their own lovesick admirers.

Hadn't he offended people in his past life?

Now that he had the Simulator, and was a transmigrator with knowledge of the future, why should he cater to these natives?

"It'd be a shame if Nohara Rin died just like that. I might as well make her mine."

Nohara Rin had a decent talent for medical ninjutsu. She could use the Mystical Palm Technique as a Chunin, and if she hadn't died young, she would have accomplished a great deal.

Shimizu gradually came up with a series of plans. He'd lived a second life; if he couldn't make the most of it, he might as well not live at all.

Besides, things between him and Obito were already beyond repair, and he had no intention of fawning over him.

He might as well keep Nohara Rin in his hands. One day, she could even serve as leverage against Obito.

The next day, Shimizu arrived at the agreed meeting place.

Nohara Rin didn't disappoint him. She showed up right on time.

Shimizu glanced unobtrusively to the southeast. Obito was hiding over there.

"Rin, let's go in."

"Oh, this place..."

Nohara Rin looked over the restaurant's decor.

Above the entrance were the words "Konoha Steakhouse."

Stone pillars stood on either side, carved with ornate patterns.

Flowers filled the restaurant, lending it an elegant air. Every corner had clearly been carefully arranged, and soft lighting bathed the interior, giving it a welcoming feel.

"What's wrong?"

"N-nothing."

Nohara Rin quickly waved her hands.

She'd never been to this restaurant before. She'd heard it was an upscale place run by the Uchiha Clan.

Coming from an ordinary family, Nohara Rin had never considered eating here.

If Shimizu hadn't chosen it as their meeting place, she wouldn't have come.

"Shimizu, this is a surprise. What brings you to visit your aunt?"

The manager standing at the entrance had been about to ask Shimizu whether he'd reserved a table, but when the owner came out, she swallowed her question.

Uchiha Hazuki walked over.

She wore a Uchiha robe with a high collar.

The robe was fitted, revealing Uchiha Hazuki's slender upper body and ample curves below the waist. She was quite striking.

"Aunt Hazuki," Shimizu greeted her.

His parents had died when he was young, and he'd needed someone to look after him.

Uchiha Hazuki had been the one to take care of him most. She'd seen to his meals and clean clothes alike.

Uchiha Hazuki had little talent as a ninja, so she ran a modestly successful business on her own.

Seeing this, Shimizu had written down some of the business ideas and shop designs he remembered from his previous life. He'd claimed he'd found them while sorting through his belongings and that they were his parents' keepsakes.

Shimizu had found an excuse to give the notes to Uchiha Hazuki, and that was how this restaurant had come to be.

"Why haven't you come to see your aunt? Don't you worry I'll get lonely?"

Uchiha Hazuki picked Shimizu up and realized he'd been growing so fast that he was nearly as tall as an eleven- or twelve-year-old.

She raised an eyebrow and pressed her cheek against his.

Uchiha Hazuki had raised Shimizu until he was four, so she thought of him as her own child.

"I've been busy training," Shimizu said with a laugh.

Back then, he'd been entirely focused on finding a way to survive and prepare for the dangers ahead. He hadn't had time for any of that.

When he'd heard Uchiha Hazuki was getting married, he'd gradually lost touch with her.

In the original story, Uchiha Hazuki had married an ordinary man from another clan.

"What about your husband?" Shimizu asked.

"What husband? We never got together. We only met twice, and the rest of the time he was doing business in the Land of Water. Do you think that could've worked out?" Uchiha Hazuki shook her head.

They'd only just met through a matchmaker. They'd barely spoken, hadn't even held hands, and then he'd gone off to do business.

In recent years, this restaurant had kept her busy, so she hadn't had time to find a companion.

People said that once a woman became devoted to her career, she felt fulfilled. Uchiha Hazuki had lost interest in romance, too.

It made no difference to her whether she had a man or not. She'd only gone to the matchmaker because her elders had pressured her.

"Uh..."

Shimizu had thought Uchiha Hazuki was married. He'd assumed they'd kept things simple and skipped a wedding banquet, but it turned out there'd never been a marriage at all.

Then how would Uchiha Izumi be born?

Shimizu suddenly felt that the ripple effects of his arrival might keep growing.

"Is this your classmate, or your little girlfriend?" Uchiha Hazuki teased, her narrow eyes nearly closing.

"Aunt Hazuki, we're just friends," Nohara Rin hurriedly explained, having quietly listened to the conversation.

What if Kakashi heard about this? How could she face him?

"Aunt Hazuki, could you get us a private room?"

Uchiha Hazuki nodded. That was a small favor.

She led them to a private room and told the manager to take good care of them.

"Make sure you come visit your aunt more often. You're getting older, Shimizu, and less affectionate."

Uchiha Hazuki shook her head. Boys really did grow up and leave home.

Outside the restaurant, Uchiha Obito saw Shimizu go inside. Figuring enough time had passed, he hurried over too.

"Aunt Hazuki, it's me! Obito!"

Obito greeted Uchiha Hazuki enthusiastically. As a fellow clan member, he knew her too.

"Oh, it's Obito."

Uchiha Hazuki's smile gradually faded.

She'd raised Shimizu herself, so naturally, the more she saw him, the more she liked him.

But she didn't know Uchiha Obito very well, and he was always getting into mischief. She didn't feel much affection for him.

"Give your grandmother my regards," Uchiha Hazuki said politely.

"Hehe, I will, Aunt Hazuki."

Obito chuckled foolishly, not realizing she was just being polite. He thought she genuinely meant it.

"Then, Auntie, can I go in?"

"Of course. Just reserve a table."

Uchiha Hazuki called over a manager and asked her to help Obito with that.

Then she headed inside to her private lounge.

The restaurant catered to the elite. It covered two thousand square meters and served the wealthy of the Hidden Leaf Village. She'd been busy for several days straight and needed to catch up on sleep.

With the Uchiha Clan backing her, nobody dared cause trouble.

No one in the Uchiha Clan would try to take advantage of her, either. They wouldn't stoop to targeting a shop run by one of their own.

Uchiha ninja earned money partly through their salaries from the Konoha Military Police Force and partly through the Uchiha Clan's trade in ninja tools with people outside the village. They also owned many shops beyond the village.

However, those shops were generally run by local civilians, who paid the Uchiha Clan a share of the profits each year.

This was Uchiha Obito's first time at the restaurant. Seeing that Uchiha Hazuki looked tired, he didn't want to bother her, so he followed the manager to the front desk to register.

"Please pay first."

The manager handed him a bill. At Konoha Steakhouse, customers paid before their meal.

"Huh? This much?"

Uchiha Obito stared at the string of zeroes on the bill in a daze. That guy Shimizu had just walked straight in, hadn't he?

Why was he being charged—and so much at that?