Illiterate

The meal was enjoyable for both host and guests.

Afterward, Shisui rose to say goodbye. Their earlier conversation had filled his mind with thoughts, and he needed to hurry home and sort them out.

Hazuki was washing dishes in the kitchen, having chased out Shu and Izumi when they tried to help.

Uchiha Shu felt somewhat embarrassed about it. After all, this was his own home. Even before enrolling in the Academy, he had moved out of Hazuki's house under the pretext of becoming independent.

By all rights, Hazuki and Izumi were guests. How could he let guests wash the dishes?

But the two of them clearly did not see it that way. The mother and daughter still treated Shu as they always had, coming by every few days to help clean his house or having Izumi forcibly drag him back to their place for dinner.

This gave Shu quite a headache. He had been so eager to move back into his own home precisely to ease Hazuki's financial burden, yet he had somehow only created more trouble for her.

Uchiha Hazuki's financial situation was not good. After her husband died, she changed her surname back to Uchiha and returned to the clan grounds with Uchiha Izumi. Since she had to care for a child, despite being a Chunin, she could only take on Genin work that did not require leaving the village.

During that time, she had also accepted Uchiha Shu's mother's dying request and had since raised two children alone.

Fortunately, Uchiha Izumi was gentle and well-behaved, while Uchiha Shu was a transmigrator with a cheat ability. That was the only reason they had not placed too great a burden on Uchiha Hazuki.

Watching the busy figure in the kitchen, Uchiha Shu fell into thought.

Recently, he had been pondering where to make some money so he could set Hazuki up with a business and spare her the daily toil.

But the current point in time was delicate. They were on the eve of the Uchiha clan massacre, and now that he had intervened, no one knew how the story would develop next.

When he had lacked the strength, Shu had intended to sit by and watch the Uchiha clan be destroyed, so long as he could protect the mother and daughter.

But now that he had the ability, he naturally was not content with that.

After all, he was an Uchiha too. Though he did not have much of a relationship with most of them, his looks were right there, and the clan members had actually always treated him warmly.

Besides, they saw one another every day. If the clan truly got wiped out, it would be impossible for him to feel nothing at all.

Even if he did not care, what about Uchiha Izumi and Hazuki?

That was also why he had warned Shisui. He had wanted to take the opportunity to see if he could get Shisui to give him Transcription Seal, Izanagi, Izanami, and a few other techniques, so he could prepare some means of survival for the mother and daughter. But that bastard had killed the conversation with a single sentence: "I believe in the Third Hokage"...

Fortunately, Sasuke had popped up right afterward and gotten caught in Shu's chain of traps.

Who would have thought that Shisui would come looking for him again at just that moment?

So, in the bedroom earlier, Uchiha Shu had taken the opportunity to ask Shisui for those techniques.

Unfortunately, as forbidden techniques, Shisui did not possess the training methods for Izanagi or Izanami either.

But fortunately, he got the most important Transcription Seal. Not only had he obtained it, but Shisui had transmitted it directly from eye to eye. With the Sharingan's copying ability, Shu had completely mastered the technique in an instant.

It was faster than a file transfer assistant. No wonder Danzo was always obsessed with digging out eyeballs.

Doing the math, it was about time to start preparing...

As he was thinking, a small hand suddenly reached over from beside him and lightly poked his cheek.

"What are you thinking about?" Uchiha Izumi looked at Shu with a smile. Her large eyes were bright and lively, and the beauty mark beneath the corner of her right eye lent the young girl an extra touch of softness.

Uchiha Shu gazed at the beautiful face before him and suddenly grew curious. "Do you still keep in touch with Itachi Uchiha?"

"That guy? No." Izumi shook her head, her tone utterly calm, as if she were talking about someone irrelevant.

"I remember you used to say he was handsome."

"That did happen, but didn't you say he wasn't a good person and tell me to stay away from him?" Uchiha Izumi said, then suddenly broke into a smile and teased, "Could it be that our little Shu said that because he was jealous?"

"Tch, looks like you really need to get shocked..." Uchiha Shu raised a hand and brushed aside her mischievous little hand. "I'm just curious why you agreed so readily."

"Hmm..." Izumi tilted her head and thought for a moment. "I believed there had to be a reason for you to say that. After all, even though you're younger, you feel more mature and dependable than Itachi."

"You're both the little-adult type, but compared to you, Itachi gives me the feeling that he's putting on airs and is all surface with no substance. It always feels like he's missing something. Shu, do you know why?"

Uchiha Shu could not help laughing. "What other reason could there be? Tell me, how old was Itachi Uchiha when he graduated?"

Izumi thought back. "I remember he was seven."

Shu spread his hands. "Exactly. So doesn't that make him an illiterate?"

"Eh?!!!"

Uchiha Izumi's eyes widened. "That's truly an angle I never considered! But you're joking, right? There should be plenty of books in the clan head's home..."

"Ninjas exist for missions, but ninjas are people too. And people have feelings and social lives; they cannot do without food, clothing, shelter, and transportation. So even for ninjas, society, economics, and politics are still the main themes of life."

Uchiha Shu raised an eyebrow, amused. "Do you think he cares how much eggs cost per pound?"

Uchiha Izumi: "..."

Thinking about that image, it really was a little strange.

"Not getting along with peers shows that he is smart and proud, a typical precocious child. But because he lacks accumulated life experience, he cannot adapt to adult society."

Shu shook his head. "In other words, he's a smart and proud illiterate. That is probably why you feel as if something is missing."

"Eh... so that's how it is..." Uchiha Izumi sighed softly.

"That child really is strange."

As the two chatted, Uchiha Hazuki finished cleaning the kitchen and returned to the living room carrying a plate of fruit. "I've heard that unseasoned wheat stalks are no different from barnyard grass. Is that about it?"

"That's right. Aunt Hazuki truly is a mature adult!"

Uchiha Shu clapped enthusiastically, giving her plenty of emotional validation and making Uchiha Hazuki laugh softly.

"Alright, enough about that Yellow Weasel." Shu waved a hand. "I happen to have something important to announce."

"Mhm, go ahead~" Izumi put on an attentive expression.

Uchiha Shu said, "I plan to graduate early."

At once, Izumi's delicate brows shot up. "You want to become an illiterate too?"

Shu made a hand gesture insulting Koreans. "Though I would also love to happily keep being that thoughtless, the truth is that my accumulated knowledge really is a tiny bit greater than that of most people in the Shinobi World. Also, not only am I graduating early—you are too."

As he spoke, he pulled a Pacifier from who knew where and casually stuffed it into Izumi's mouth, cutting off whatever she was about to say.

"If you have questions, ask them later. Listen to me first! For the next period of time, wherever you go, you must keep... this Pacifier with you at all times."

"???"

Perhaps because she was too shocked, Izumi instinctively sucked on the Pacifier.

The next second, a warm current instantly surged through all four of her limbs and into every part of her body!