"I never thought Teacher Tobirama, quiet as he was, would turn out to belong to the Armed Unification Faction too."
Watanabe Ichiro's spirit sat cross-legged on the desk, staring at the scroll.
The plan contained detailed analyses of the major nations' geography, reserves of talent, methods of attack, and feasibility.
Some of the writing looked years old, while some was still fresh.
Judging by the intelligence recorded on it, Tobirama Senju had probably started drafting this plan when the village was first founded.
It was clearly organized, thoroughly thought out, and highly likely to succeed.
Once Konoha had a little more time to cultivate a pool of talent loyal to the village, it could put the plan into action at any moment.
The only problem was that getting it started would be difficult.
People were creatures of inertia. Without some kind of trigger, Konoha would not destroy its hard-won peace and start a war of its own accord.
So this proposal lacked a legitimate reason to set it in motion.
It could, however, serve as a backup plan.
Impressive. Hokage paperwork, laboratory research, plans to unify the Shinobi World... Tobirama Senju really was a master of time management.
After finishing the scroll, Watanabe Ichiro slipped straight back to the hospital and possessed his Uchiha Ichiro Disguise. His new Disguise for roaming outside Konoha was ready.
That new card had come from the system's roulette. Its attributes were ordinary, with nothing worth mentioning.
Watanabe Ichiro had fashioned an appearance identical to Uchiha Kagami's, spent points to exchange for the Uchiha bloodline, and fitted it with the pair of Mangekyō Sharingan bearing the [Netherworld] skill.
From now on, the Uchiha Kagami roaming the Shinobi World would be someone else.
His publicly available information was-
An avenger who harbored resentment after losing the struggle for the position of Uchiha Clan Head, and had extended that hatred to Konoha.
Possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan; abilities unknown.
Bounty: fifty million ryō.
-Bounty offered by the Uchiha clan.
After possessing his Uchiha Ichiro Disguise, Watanabe Ichiro opened his eyes.
Everything before him was blurry, like having roughly three diopters of nearsightedness. The distant scenery was indistinct.
The side effects of overusing the Mangekyō Sharingan without being able to replenish its ocular power had appeared.
The medical ninja in the intensive care room noticed that Uchiha Ichiro had awakened and immediately hurried outside with quick, short steps to inform the others waiting there.
Before long, a large group of medical personnel filed in, putting him through one examination after another.
Once they concluded that Uchiha Ichiro had fully recovered, they finally relaxed, looking as though a weight had been lifted from their shoulders. They instructed Watanabe Ichiro to rest well and walked out with quiet steps. They had already stayed up for several nights and desperately needed sleep.
Wearing a hospital gown, Watanabe Ichiro stretched. This Disguise had been lying there so long that even its bones felt numb.
Beside the bed was a fruit basket from some unknown visitor, filled with all sorts of fresh fruit. Watanabe Ichiro wiped an apple clean, held it between his teeth as he bit into it, and strolled out of the room. He remembered that Kagami Uchiha's room was not far away.
"Miss Momoka, thank you for saving my life. My teacher told me you rescued me in the nick of time."
"N-no, it was nothing. I was just assigned to rescue you. It's not as though I volunteered because I was worried about you..."
Oh?
Something going on here?
Watanabe Ichiro stopped and concealed his presence.
He crept toward Kagami Uchiha's room on tiptoe and pressed his ear against the door.
Two slightly muffled voices slipped through the gap. They were quiet, but perfectly clear to a ninja with keen hearing and sight.
"Haha, you really are adorable, Momoka. By the way, may I call you Momoka?"
"We've only met twice. That's far too intimate! Things are moving too fast! B-but, if it's you, I suppose I don't mind."
Tsk, tsk. You've got game, Kagami Uchiha.
I really underestimated you. Going straight to calling her by her first name?
We've known each other for years, and you still only call me Lord Ichiro. Talk about playing favorites. Tsk, tsk.
You just want her body, you shameless bastard!
"Then! Then I'll call you Kagami too. That's an equivalent exchange!"
"It would be an honor to have you call me that, Momoka. My younger brother said that Teacher Momoka at the Ninja Academy was gentle and kind, like an angel. Now that I've met you... you certainly live up to that description."
"Mm, that's too much. An angel? Don't call me that. I don't deserve it... Hm? Why are you smiling? Are you teasing me? Hmph! I knew that little brat who skips class every day would never say that about me!"
"Hehe, you caught me~ Hey, hey, don't be angry. My brother never said it, but that really is how I feel."
"Momoka, when they had me surrounded and I was about to die, I'd almost given up struggling... but then you appeared. You descended before me like an angel and saved me from danger. Honestly, you were so cool."
"I'd read about 'love at first sight' in books, but I never understood what it meant. That night, as I lay on the cold ground and watched you come to me, I suddenly understood."
"Momoka, I fell in love with you at first sight..."
"So, would you go out with me?"
He confessed!
My God!
Kagami Uchiha, forget anyone else-you have my respect!
Watanabe Ichiro listened intently with the apple between his teeth, his heart filled with regret.
If I'd known there would be a show, I should have come over in spirit form to watch instead of logging into this Disguise.
The medical examinations had wasted so much time. Who knew how much of the lead-up he had missed? And he could not even watch in person, only eavesdrop here. What a regret.
So when Tobirama Senju learned that Uchiha Ichiro had awakened and came to the hospital to visit him, he found the boy crouched outside someone else's room, utterly absorbed in eavesdropping.
Resigned, he folded his arms and waited beside him. Raising a hand, he waved away the hospital staff who passed by and tried to greet him, signaling for them to keep the area clear for a while.
A little curious himself, he secretly pressed the fingers nearest the room against the wall and activated his sensory technique.
Inside Kagami Uchiha's room, the conversation continued.
Faced with Kagami Uchiha's extremely direct question, Senju Toka flushed bright red, stumbling over her words and flailing in confusion.
On the one hand, she said, "Who becomes a couple after only meeting twice?" On the other, she added, "If you're going to beg me like that, I suppose I could agree." Her logic was a mess, and her words failed to convey what she meant.
Senju Toka could not help remembering that night again.
Kagami Uchiha had been wreathed in a fierce, murderous aura after battle, his strong hands resting on her shoulders.
The situation had been urgent, and he had rapidly relayed the intelligence, yet he had still taken care not to grip hard enough to hurt her.
Amid the thunderous explosions, he had thoughtfully covered the ear closer to the blast and leaned down beside her other ear.
The soft moonlight had illuminated Kagami Uchiha's profile. His handsome face had been filled with resolve and the resignation of a man entrusting others to her care before his death.
That Shadow Clone had dissolved into white smoke, its voice fading away, its final words ending with "save Lord Ichiro."
Senju Toka had instinctively reached out, only to catch cold air. Her hand had remained empty.
He had clearly been closer. That intelligence had clearly concerned his own survival. Yet he had put himself last.
Even as his Shadow Clone was about to disappear, he had still been worried about everyone else's safety.
Dependable, considerate, decisive, self-sacrificing...
What was this...
Damn it, her heart was fluttering!
He really was one of those evil Uchiha Lord Tobirama talked about!
How could he casually make her heart race like that, then go off alone to die? What was that supposed to mean? How was that fair?
You could question whether the Uchiha had water in their brains, but never whether they were good-looking enough.
Though they had only met a handful of times, Kagami Uchiha's damned handsome face and his gentle, considerate actions had firmly captured Senju Toka's heart.
To put it simply-
A direct approach beat a tsundere.
Senju Toka had been won over.
Before you continue