Chapter 9

Kushina's little face instantly turned scarlet, and she lowered her head, falling silent.

Clearly, Liuyun's words had embarrassed her.

Just then, a young Teuchi brought over three bowls of freshly made ramen and set them before the trio.

"Three bowls of tonkotsu ramen! Enjoy!"

All three nodded, picked up their chopsticks, and began slurping loudly.

After the afternoon's combat training and all the time that had passed since, it would have been strange if they weren't hungry, especially since they were all still growing!

Before long, the three large bowls of tonkotsu ramen in front of them were empty.

"I'm stuffed! That was so good!" Kushina patted her stomach, her eyes curving into crescents as satisfaction filled her face.

"Then we'll come again!" Liuyun smiled faintly, affection in his eyes.

After paying, the three slowly headed toward the Senju Clan's compound, following Kushina.

The Uzumaki Clan was distantly related to the Senju Clan, and Kushina had lived there ever since coming to Konoha.

She even lived with Mito Uzumaki, an elderly woman whose prestige and strength were both frighteningly great.

Naturally, Liuyun had no need to worry about her safety.

He walked Kushina home because he wanted to follow Xiao Huo's example: start courting your future wife while she was still young.

After walking her home for five or six years, that pretty wife would naturally be his.

It had to be said that Konoha, the most economically prosperous place in the Five Great Nations, was bustling even at night.

The three admired Konoha's nighttime streets as they walked, getting a little exercise to help digest their dinner.

This was Konoha's busiest street, and at its far end stood the compound of the now-declining Senju Clan.

Before long, the three arrived at the Senju Clan's main gate.

Two stone lions stood beside the elegant vermilion gate, with two large lanterns hanging directly above it.

The lights shone as brightly as daylight, illuminating every detail of the gilded words "Senju" on the plaque above the entrance.

Even though he had visited many times, Liuyun couldn't help sighing inwardly whenever he came here.

Who could have known that this seemingly magnificent Senju Clan would soon vanish from the shinobi world, leaving only Tsunade behind?

He shook his head slightly. None of that was his concern anyway; all he needed to do was protect Kushina, that little spitfire.

Looking up, Liuyun and Uchiha Mikoto smiled and waved together. "Bye, Kushina! See you tomorrow!"

"Bye! See you tomorrow!" Kushina waved back, then turned, pushed open the gate, and skipped inside.

"Let's go too!" Liuyun said with a smile as he watched Kushina enter.

Without waiting for Uchiha Mikoto to respond, he took her soft little hand and disappeared into the night with her.

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Hiruzen Sarutobi! Uchiha Fuchu! (Fourth update!)

The Hokage Office.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, still in his prime, held a large pipe between his lips as he studied the report in his hand.

Wang Tenggangyi stood respectfully beside him.

"You're saying Uchiha Liuyun took first place in this combat exercise? And he defeated Minato Namikaze head-on?"

"Yes, Lord Hokage! Uchiha Liuyun also used Ice Release!" Wang Tenggangyi hurriedly replied.

"Ice Release?" A flicker of surprise crossed Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes.

That was the Yuki Clan's signature kekkei genkai!

Could Liuyun not be a member of the Uchiha Clan?

Could he be a spy sent by Kirigakure instead?

The moment that thought surfaced, Hiruzen Sarutobi dismissed it.

He glanced at Wang Tenggangyi beside him and waved a hand. "Understood. You may go."

"Yes, Lord Hokage!" With that, Wang Tenggangyi left the Hokage Office.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was now alone in the brightly lit Hokage Office.

"Someone bring me Uchiha Liuyun's records!"

"Yes, Lord Hokage!" A cold voice rang out in the empty room.

A moment later, an Anbu appeared before Hiruzen Sarutobi, holding a stack of documents.

Liuyun's photograph sat right in the center.

Hiruzen Sarutobi waved a hand, and the Anbu vanished.

Picking up the documents on the desk, Hiruzen Sarutobi began reading carefully.

Liuyun's file looked lengthy, but once he skipped the miscellaneous, irrelevant details, Hiruzen Sarutobi finished it quickly.

With the pipe between his lips, he took a deep drag, then slowly exhaled.

For a moment, smoke wreathed the entire room, making it resemble an earthly paradise.

"The records can't be wrong," he murmured. "He really was born into the Uchiha Clan. There's nothing wrong with his identity."

Then the only possibility is that one of Uchiha Liuyun's ancestors married someone from the Yuki Clan.

Uchiha Liuyun must have manifested an ancestral bloodline!

I wonder if he's awakened the Sharingan.

If he has, the combination of the Uchiha bloodline and the Yuki bloodline might produce another Madara Uchiha.

Still, this child's situation within the Uchiha Clan isn't particularly good.

He doesn't have the Uchiha Clan's air of superiority, either.

Are Kushina Uzumaki and Uchiha Mikoto the people he cares about?

His temperament is rather like Jiraiya's.

Perhaps I could... but all that will have to wait until he graduates.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes flickered, making him look just like a crafty old fox.

Had Liuyun been there, he would certainly have grumbled that the old bastard was clearly up to no good again.

The Uchiha Clan Compound!

When Liuyun and Uchiha Mikoto returned home hand in hand, they discovered that the lights were on.

Uchiha Mikoto's little face creased in a slight frown.

"Liuyun! Looks like someone's waiting for us inside! No, they're probably here for you!"

Uchiha Mikoto was clever and immediately connected this to Liuyun's performance that day.

After all, their clan treated geniuses exceptionally well.

She didn't mistake the person inside for a thief.

Even if the two of them weren't particularly well liked within the Uchiha Clan, their surname was still Uchiha.

Anyone who came here to steal must have had a death wish.

"Whoever it is, we'll find out once we go inside!"

Liuyun smiled nonchalantly. Naturally, anything Mikoto could think of had occurred to him too.

With his current strength, it would only take a few years for him to become someone the Uchiha Clan could only look up to.

Any investment from the Uchiha Clan would merely be icing on the cake.

Whether they invested in him or not made no difference to him.

Besides, he believed his records had probably already reached the Third Hokage that evening.

Given how crafty that old man was, he would never pass up a chance to win him over.

Shaking his head slightly, Liuyun cast those thoughts aside. His immediate priority was dealing with the person waiting inside.

Holding Mikoto's little hand, Liuyun pushed open the door and entered.

A tall, imposing figure knelt on the floor.

His face looked somewhat fierce, commanding respect even without anger, and he gave off a faint air of authority.

This was Uchiha Fuchu, the current head of the Uchiha Clan and the father of that bastard Uchiha Fugaku.

"You're back!"

A smile appeared on Uchiha Fuchu's imposing face.

"Clan Head! What brings you to our home?"

Liuyun feigned a puzzled expression.

"We thought a thief had broken in!"

Uchiha Fuchu froze, not expecting Liuyun to say something like that.

But he was, after all, the head of the Uchiha Clan, and he took no offense.

He laughed heartily. "The clan noticed that you two live a little far from the main compound."

"As it happens, two houses have become available in the center of the compound. I'd like you to move there!"

Since he had come in person, he naturally knew even more about Liuyun's identity than Hiruzen Sarutobi did.

Liuyun was a genuine member of the Uchiha Clan, and his own conclusions matched Hiruzen Sarutobi's.

An ancestor of Uchiha Liuyun's branch must have married someone from the Yuki Clan, and Liuyun's Ice Release was an ancestral throwback.

If Liuyun also awakened the Sharingan... just imagining that strength made Uchiha Fuchu excited.

Awakening two bloodlines would definitely produce something greater than the sum of its parts.

Otherwise, why would he have insisted on waiting until Liuyun and Mikoto came home?

The Uchiha Clan produced plenty of geniuses. There was no need to look far; Uchiha Mikoto right in front of him and his own son, Uchiha Fugaku, were prime examples.

It was simply that Liuyun's rarity already surpassed them both.

Otherwise, who could have prompted him, the Uchiha Clan Head, to pay a personal visit?

"Thank you for your kindness, Clan Head, but Mikoto and I are used to living here. There aren't many people around, and it's quiet. We like it very much!"

Liuyun shook his head and refused outright, neither servile nor overbearing.

What a fucking joke. If we moved to the center of the compound, never mind how I'd enjoy my intimate little life with Mikoto.

If that bastard Uchiha Fugaku found out we'd moved there, wouldn't he constantly come over to fawn on her?

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Uchiha Fuchu's Attempt to Win Him Over! (Fifth update!)

With his temper, he probably wouldn't be able to resist giving Uchiha Fugaku a vicious beating.

Besides, Uchiha Fuchu had been very clear: two houses in the center of the compound.

Didn't that mean they would have to sleep separately once they moved there? He absolutely could not allow that.

This home was great. Hardly anyone was around, and if watching Secret Room Douluo at night got him fired up, he could even sneak in a little surprise attack on Mikoto, his little wife-to-be.

Only an idiot would agree to Uchiha Fuchu's offer and give up such a delightful life.

Uchiha Fuchu's expression remained unchanged. Clearly, Liuyun's refusal had been within his expectations.

Then his expression shifted, and his voice filled with emotion.

"I know your life in the clan hasn't been very good these past few years! I've already given those clan members a harsh reprimand!"

"Rest assured, I swear here in my capacity as clan head that what happened before will never happen to you again!"

"As for Uchiha Yuantong, I've already sent him to the Uchiha Cemetery. You won't see him around the clan anymore!"