The slap in the face came as fast as a tornado?

"Oh, right, Shinichi."

The Third Hokage took a deep drag on his pipe, then suddenly said, "About your request to join the Konoha Military Police Force, I've discussed it with Fugaku, the Uchiha clan head. He agreed to let you join and even gave you a squad leader position."

In truth, the Third Hokage had been discussing this with Fugaku all along, but had never managed to secure his approval.

Only after Shinichi decisively defeated the Fourth Raikage and publicly revealed his Mangekyō Sharingan did Fugaku stop resisting the idea.

"Really? Then I'll report for duty in a couple of days."

An unusual gleam flickered in Shinichi's eyes.

Uchiha Fugaku's sudden willingness to agree had to be because he had learned that Shinichi had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, right?

After all, the Mangekyō Sharingan was known as the "power of the gods" within the Uchiha Clan. Even setting aside Shinichi's own strength, his reputation in the village and his close relationship with the Third Hokage meant that Fugaku had to grit his teeth and agree, however reluctant he was.

"I'm sure you'll be able to handle your relationship with the Uchiha Clan."

The Third Hokage's smile looked deeply gratified.

Ever since Shinichi had truly begun to show his edge, the burden on his shoulders had grown considerably lighter.

Most importantly, though, he could tell that Shinichi seemed to have little interest in power. Otherwise, with his own attachment to authority, he would never have trusted Shinichi so completely. Naturally, the effects of [Talk no Jutsu King] had played no small part in that.

After saying goodbye to the Third Hokage, Shinichi finally returned to the Hatake home after his long absence.

But the moment he stepped through the door, he saw Kakashi and Naruto sitting at the table eating instant noodles.

Clatter.

Their chopsticks dropped to the floor in unison, and their expressions looked as though they had seen a ghost.

"You two..."

An angry mark had somehow appeared on Shinichi's forehead.

"Big brother, this is a misunderstanding! I didn't feed Naruto instant noodles because I was being lazy! He wanted them!"

"Shinichi, it really is just a misunderstanding!"

Kakashi and Naruto exchanged a glance and hurried to explain.

Why had such a bizarre scene unfolded?

The answer was simple.

Shinichi had laid down a rule forbidding instant noodles in the Hatake home. They had little nutritional value and weren't good for Naruto's development. He had warned Kakashi more than once that, no matter how lazy he felt, he had to cook proper meals for Naruto.

Yet he had only been away from Konoha for a few days, and these two had already started sneaking instant noodles again.

He had even spotted quite a few instant noodle bowls in the kitchen. It wasn't hard to imagine how carelessly these two had been eating over the past few days!

"Goddammit!"

Under Kakashi's and Naruto's terrified gazes, Shinichi gritted his teeth. "Naruto, go stand facing the wall! And you, Kakashi, clean up a room for Karin first. Then I'll deal with you!"

"Yes, big brother!"

The moment the head of the Hatake household returned, the entire home descended into chaos. Such was Shinichi's authority as the eldest brother.

This farce that barely qualified as a farce was simply another day of the Hatake family's usual antics.

Karin watched from the sidelines with great amusement, letting out little giggles now and then.

Even though this was her first time in the Hatake home, she could already feel how warm it was. Naruto and Kakashi were warmhearted people, too, and she couldn't help looking forward to the days ahead.

After everything had been put in order, the Hatake home finally quieted down.

"Let me introduce her. Her name is Karin Uzumaki, and she's a child I brought back from outside the village."

Looking at Naruto and Kakashi kneeling before him with their heads respectfully bowed to the floor, Shinichi said irritably, "From now on, Karin is part of our family, too. Kakashi, we finally have a little sister. You know what I mean, right?"

"Yes! I understand exactly what you mean, big brother!"

Kakashi nodded rapidly, like a chick pecking at grain.

He had heard Shinichi complain about Hatake Sakumo more than once, asking why he couldn't have left them another little sister or two instead of a useless little brother he had to worry about.

Put simply, Shinichi actually preferred little sisters to little brothers.

Now that Karin was their little sister, they had to spoil her rotten. Otherwise, Shinichi would never let Kakashi off the hook.

"Uzumaki? Your last name is Uzumaki, just like mine?"

Naruto's eyes widened with curiosity as he spoke excitedly.

They finally had someone his age at home, and she was a member of the Uzumaki Clan, too. How could he not be happy?

"That's right. Your name is Naruto? I look forward to getting to know you!"

Perhaps because of their shared bloodline, Karin had felt close to Naruto the moment she saw him.

After all the exhausting travel, Karin, who was still just a child, was soon sent to her room to rest by Shinichi.

While she rested, Shinichi made a point of telling Kakashi and Naruto what Karin and her mother had suffered. Naturally, his aim was to make sure these two took good care of Karin from then on.

"War really is terrifying..."

Kakashi sighed.

"Poor Karin. Thank goodness she met you, Shinichi!"

Naruto's eyes reddened. What he and Karin had suffered was so similar, but at least he had Konoha as his home and hadn't been left wandering outside.

At that thought, he silently resolved to protect Karin from now on. He would never let anyone exploit her special physique again.

"In short, we're adding another rule to the Hatake household."

Shinichi said solemnly, "If any outsider tries to take advantage of Karin's special physique, beat them to death. I'll take responsibility for the consequences! Kakashi, you understand what I mean, right? The Hatake Clan will never allow its family members to be hurt!"

"Of course."

Kakashi's expression was just as serious.

"All right! I'm going to train hard, too, so I can protect Shinichi and Karin!"

Naruto looked even more fired up.

Kakashi: "???"

Why am I the only one missing from your declaration?

Am I really the most unnecessary member of the Hatake family?

Unbeknownst to them, as the three brothers talked, a small figure was hiding outside the door, listening.

I'm so glad I got to come to this home!

Large tears rolled down Karin's cheeks, but her face was full of a blissful smile.

[Ding! Host detected to have successfully altered Hizashi Hyuga's fate. Points awarded: 100.]

[Ding! Host detected to have successfully altered Karin Uzumaki's fate. Points awarded: 200.]

Finally finding a moment to himself, Shinichi at last had a chance to open his system panel. The two notifications stood out prominently.

His efforts this time hadn't been wasted. He had earned another 300 points!

Points aren't easy to come by. I'd better save them for now!

Shinichi thought.

Precious resources had to be spent where they mattered most.

For him, converting talent traits of purple grade or above offered the greatest returns. Anything below purple really wasn't worth it.

Only an idiot would spend these precious 300 points on a red talent trait!

"Huh? Red hair? Karin must have shed it..."

Shinichi had just entered the kitchen to make himself a late-night snack when he spotted a few conspicuous red hairs under the light.

He instinctively picked them up, and a system notification immediately sounded in his mind.

[System has detected Karin Uzumaki's biological information. Would the host like to extract it?]

"Extract it now!"

[Ding! Congratulations to the host on successfully extracting biological information. Talent trait acquired: "Uzumaki's gift (red)."]

It was a red talent trait!

Still, that was only natural. Given Karin's importance in the original story, getting a red-grade talent trait from her was already pretty good.

[Uzumaki's gift (red): You are a great benefactor of the Uzumaki Clan, dedicated to saving its orphaned survivors. The departed members of the Uzumaki Clan are grateful for your deeds and bestow this gift upon you. Physical attributes +500%! Recovery +500%! Additional ability: complete sealing jutsu compendium.]

[Complete sealing jutsu compendium: You will acquire all the sealing jutsu knowledge possessed by the Uzumaki Clan. Note: Upon successful conversion, this ability will undergo a mutation, allowing you to instantly master all sealing jutsu.]

"Uh..."

Staring at the notifications on the system panel, Shinichi froze.

Is this instant karma?

The slap in the face came as fast as a tornado?

Still, embarrassing or not, what needed converting had to be converted!

"System, convert [Uzumaki's gift]!"

[300 points consumed! Talent trait successfully converted!]

Physical attributes +800%! Recovery +800%!

Additional ability evolved!

For a moment, the knowledge of the Uzumaki Clan's sealing jutsu in Shinichi's mind seemed to fuse completely with his body. Even though he had never seen these intricate sealing jutsu before, he could successfully perform them at will.

That wondrous sensation was like having a powerful member of the Uzumaki Clan possessing him.

"Worth it!"

Slurping his instant noodles, Shinichi nearly laughed aloud.

The importance of sealing jutsu was beyond question. Especially in certain situations, it was far more useful than other powerful ninjutsu-and this was the Uzumaki Clan's sealing jutsu, no less!

Speaking of which, these instant noodles made in Konoha really were delicious!

No wonder Naruto and Kakashi love instant noodles so much...

Shinichi thought.

Still, tasty or not, if he caught those two sneaking instant noodles again, he would enforce the household rules without mercy!

No more pretending. I admit it: I, Hatake Shinichi, am a shameless hypocrite!