Awakening Of Uchiha [Naruto/One Piece]

Chapter 43: Investing In Minato

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"I don't mind!"

Kushina listened, glanced at Minato, and agreed.

Although she still thought Minato was a bit of a sissy and somewhat irritating, they were friends, after all. It was only right to take care of each other's feelings.

"Eh? Is this really okay?"

Minato looked at Katsumi, his face filled with gratitude.

He hadn't expected that someone like Katsumi—a child from a prestigious family—would not only lack arrogance but also be so willing to befriend him.

Now, Katsumi was even going out of his way to accommodate and support him. Minato truly didn't know what to say.

At that moment, Katsumi noticed a significant change. Minato's favorability toward him had just surged by 10 points, reaching 65.

"There's nothing inappropriate about it! We all need to practice, and it's good to grow stronger together," Katsumi said with a smile. "We're friends, aren't we?"

Even aside from the potential benefits, Katsumi genuinely valued friendships with people like Minato.

At least with him, there was no need to worry about being stabbed in the back.

"But I don't know the Shadow Clone Technique. I'd only be able to practice after school. Would that be okay?"

Minato asked hesitantly, clearly feeling a bit embarrassed.

"That's a minor issue!"

Katsumi waved his hand nonchalantly. "I have high hopes for your talent and potential, Minato. As an advanced investment, I can teach you the Shadow Clone Technique—and even some ninjutsu that suits you!"

"When you grow up and become stronger, you can repay me and the village. How about it? Do you dare to accept this offer?"

Not wanting Minato to decline out of modesty, Katsumi added a touch of provocation to his tone.

After all, by the time Minato "repaid" him, the village might already be under the banner of Uchiha Katsumi.

"Dare? Of course, I dare!"

Sure enough, Minato was spurred by the challenge and nodded decisively.

Then, as the adrenaline wore off, he scratched the back of his head sheepishly and said, "But won't this mean I'll owe you too much, Katsumi? I'm not even sure if I can repay you in the future."

It seemed to him that Katsumi believed in him more than he believed in himself.

"Then repay me slowly in the future! I'm not afraid of you owing me too much, so what are you afraid of?"

Katsumi patted Minato's shoulder casually. "It's settled, then!"

"Thanks, Katsumi!"

Minato looked at Katsumi with a mix of gratitude and determination. His eyes shone with sincerity.

This was the first time someone had been so kind to him and thought so highly of his potential.

He secretly vowed that Katsumi would always be his best friend.

At the same time, Katsumi noticed Minato's favorability toward him had skyrocketed to 84 points.

"Wow, so high? Should I just draft a contract now?"

Katsumi remained calm on the surface, but inwardly, he was surprised.

"Still, we haven't known each other for very long, and suggesting a contract too soon might come across as overly utilitarian."

"Better to wait a few days. Once I've taught Minato the Shadow Clone Technique and a few other ninjutsu, I'll consolidate his goodwill first."

Katsumi quickly made up his mind.

Minato's pure and straightforward nature made this rapid increase in favorability a bit overwhelming.

"Come on, let's head to my house. I'll teach you the Shadow Clone Technique first, and then we can talk about other things!"

After saying that, Katsumi turned to Kushina and said, "Then Kushina, we'll say goodbye here today! Ask Lord Mito first, and if it doesn't work, don't force it."

"Yeah! Go ahead!"

Kushina nodded, waved, and left quickly.

"Let's go too!"

Katsumi patted Minato's shoulder, signaling him to follow.

Not long after, they entered the Uchiha clan's territory.

Along the way, many members of the clan looked at Katsumi and Minato with surprise.

"Katsumi is back? Is this your friend?"

An older clan member greeted Katsumi and asked curiously.

"Yes! Uncle Shiru, how's business today?"

Katsumi replied with a smile.

"It's going well! I'll be finishing up for the day soon. Tomorrow, the family pharmacy is opening, and I'll be helping out there!"

Uchiha Shiru's face lit up with excitement.

He had already seen the medicines that would be sold and knew the sensation they were likely to create. If sales went well, the clan's financial troubles would ease considerably.

Recently, the family's reforms had been costly, especially with the establishment of clan schools, the expansion of the elite guard, and the implementation of a new reward-and-punishment welfare system. All of it required significant funding and resources.

"Oh? The pharmacy is opening tomorrow? That's great news!"

Katsumi's eyes lit up slightly.

He had only spent about two hours a day making medicines recently and hadn't been involved in the other preparations. He didn't expect his mother to move so quickly.

"It looks like I'll need to produce more medicines in the coming days. Otherwise, there definitely won't be enough to meet demand," Katsumi thought to himself.

He had considered delegating the task of making these medicines, but there wasn't a suitable or reliable candidate at the moment.

Many of the medicines required ingredients like Sea King meat or higher-grade pharmaceutical components.

"I need to train a group of qualified pharmaceutical personnel as soon as possible—or come up with a proper batch production line," he mused again.

With these thoughts in mind, Katsumi led Minato to the small training ground in his backyard.

He began teaching Minato the Shadow Clone Technique.

First, Katsumi explained the training method in detail. Then, step by step, he demonstrated it carefully.

Before long, Minato successfully got the hang of it!

"Good! I knew I wasn't wrong about you!"

Katsumi gave Minato a thumbs-up.

"Hehe! It's all thanks to your great teaching!"

Minato scratched the back of his head, smiling sheepishly.

"Keep practicing a few more times. Once you've fully mastered it, we'll call it a day," Katsumi said, raising his hand in a gesture of encouragement.

"Okay!"

Minato quickly released his Shadow Clone and practiced four or five more times.

After his technique became increasingly stable, Katsumi signaled for him to stop.

"That's enough for today! Keep practicing regularly to solidify it. As for practicing together, I'll finalize the arrangements tomorrow after Kushina's matters are settled."

"I'll take you home now," Katsumi offered.

"Okay!"

Minato nodded, and Katsumi escorted him to the edge of the Uchiha clan's territory.

At that point, Minato stopped and said, "You don't need to go any further. I'll head back on my own from here."

"Katsumi, goodbye! And thank you!"

With that, Minato turned and ran off quickly.

"This kid," Katsumi muttered with a faint smile.

He turned around, slipped his hands into his pockets, and strolled back home.

Once home, Katsumi formed a hand seal and created three Shadow Clones.

One clone was sent to study sealing techniques, another to practice Chakra control and sealing methods, while the third focused on ninjutsu training.

Meanwhile, Katsumi's original body teleported directly to the pirate world, where he joined Mikoto in a unique training session aimed at sparring and sharpening their skills.

Together, they practiced Observation Haki, attempting to awaken it.

Kaori had previously discovered that awakening Haki required being in the pirate world. It simply couldn't be done in the ninja world, likely due to missing essential conditions.

Katsumi speculated that this limitation was tied to the differing rules of the two worlds.

However, once Observation Haki was awakened, it could be practiced and enhanced in the ninja world as well, making the dynamic quite intriguing.

Their training method was straightforward: they threw snowballs at each other in rapid succession, creating a mix of surprise attacks and reflex-based counters.

"Swish, swish, swish!!"

The sound of projectiles slicing through the air quickly filled the area.

Occasionally, a pained yelp echoed through the training ground.

Inside a nearby room, Kureha frowned slightly as the racket outside continued. Eventually, she shook her head in exasperation.

"What kind of karma is this?" she muttered to herself. "To end up with these two troublemakers..."

Outside, the pace of their snowball fight escalated as the duo threw faster and faster. Both were soon entirely immersed in the exercise.