After watching Sentaro vanish down the corridor to deliver his report, Kadoya remained still.
His thoughts drifted, inevitably, to Setsuna Uchiha.
That old waste.
Who was once played by Tobirama, and now, crawling out of the shadows again?
Why?
Had the Clan Leader forgotten to take his medication, become senile, and finally thought it was a good idea to hand power to a waste like himself?
Typical.
After all, this was the father of Fugaku Uchiha.
Weak. Passive. Mediocre to the core, just like his future son, who would go on to become the clan leader... and lead it straight into disaster.
The more Kadoya thought about it, the harder it was to hold in his laughter. He gave up trying to make sense of it entirely.
Fugaku Uchiha.
A man who awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan and never once used Susanoo.
In the entire history of the Uchiha, going back a thousand years, he might be the only one.
The sheer cowardice, the indecision, Kadoya was willing to crown him the undisputed champion in that category.
Ordinary people couldn't understand how someone could operate like that.
But then again, understanding the logic of the mentally deranged required one to first lower their own IQ.
This was a man, an abstract concept of a man, who could:
Let his son be brainwashed.
Let the clan rot under political isolation.
Then, after letting it all fall to shambles, decide to seize power by force…
…and finally kill himself.
Kadoya scoffed.
There was no point in trying to decipher the thought process of fools.
He didn't need to understand them.
He only needed to stop them before they dragged the Uchiha down with them.
...
The incident from yesterday passed quietly, unnoticed by anyone aside from Kadoya and Sentaro, only they knew what had truly transpired.
Meanwhile, Kadoya and his friends continued their steady growth. Lady Mito had formally announced to the village higher-ups that Kadoya would now serve as the Clan Head of the Uzumaki. Likewise, Tsunade had been named the head of the Senju Clan, set to take the mantle once Mito passed.
At the moment, Kadoya sat in the school library, surrounded by stacks of books, his attention focused on a particular subject: plant life. With his janky, off-brand version of Wood Release, he planned to fully explore the potential of Flower Release and Leaf Release.
Closing a book titled Gardener's Guide for Dummies, he casually reached for the next one: Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers. As he flipped it open, his [Photographic Memory] kicked in. Page after page flew by as his mind effortlessly absorbed the information, storing every plant, petal, and pollen fact for later use.
...
As the sun dipped below the horizon, Kadoya made his way to Training Ground #7 to meet up with his friends. While Minato helped Kushina with her shuriken techniques, Kadoya stood behind Saiguu, a pair of scissors in hand.
"You really sure about this?" he asked, raising a brow.
Saiguu, sitting on a log, nodded with her usual composed tone.
"Of course. I cut it myself not long ago, but I don't like how it turned out. I want you to adjust it."
Kadoya chuckled, spinning the scissors between his fingers.
"Oh? You're not even afraid I might butcher it?"
Saiguu didn't even flinch.
"Not at all. But if you do, next year Minato will be bringing flowers to your grave."
Kadoya: "…"
Minato: "…"
Kushina: "…Wait, what?"
Kadoya's smirk immediately vanished, and Minato shot him a subtle 'play it safe' glance. Kushina just blinked in confusion, not quite understanding the meaning behind Saiguu's words, only that Kadoya might somehow die by next spring.
He briefly considered making a joke cut… but quickly abandoned that idea. He liked living. And more importantly, he liked their friendship. He has already invested too much into this friendship to let it be ruined because he couldn't keep his impulsive thought to himself.
With steady hands, he brought the scissors to her long black hair, carefully trimming and adjusting. Each snip was deliberate, almost artistic. When he finished, he gently pulled back the hair on her left side and tied it with the Ribbon of Friendship he had given her.
Taking a step back, Kadoya admired his handiwork. Minato and Kushina both smiled.
"So?" Saiguu asked, turning her head slightly. "How do I look?"
"You look great! Kadoya, do my hair next!" Kushina grinned, eyes sparkling.
"I didn't think you could actually pull it off," Minato added with a smirk. "Honestly thought you'd mess up and die early."
Kadoya scowled. "What's that supposed to mean?" He briefly imagined shaving Minato's spiky blonde head on the spot.
"It's just scissors," he muttered, brushing it off with a shrug and spinning them in his hand again.
Thanks to her earlier kunai-cut, Saiguu's hair had already been shortened, but Kadoya's clean-up brought out a sharper shape. The result? Her hairstyle now resembled Sakura Matou from Fate/Stay Night, not to be confused with the pink-haired kunoichi of future Konoha.
With his [Photographic Memory], Kadoya had easily pulled the exact look from his otherworldly knowledge. In his mind's eye, he saw Sakura's soft, straight style and replicated it perfectly.
After all, Sakura Matou was a sweet, gentle, kind-hearted girl. Maybe giving Saiguu her hairstyle might rub off on her attitude a little.
…Though he couldn't shake the feeling he was forgetting something important.
Ahem! Dark Sa- Ahem!
Gazing at her reflection in the polished surface of her short knife, Saiguu smiled, genuinely pleased. Kadoya hadn't butchered her hair. In fact, he'd done a surprisingly good job.
"You did well," she said, glancing over her shoulder. "Tell me what you want to eat. I'll make it for you."
Even though Kadoya now had the Golden Rule and access to the Shop System, allowing him to buy gourmet meals or rare ingredients with ease, he still chose to mooch off his friends when it came to food.
Not because he couldn't afford better. But because he understood people.
If all he ever did was give, constantly helping others without accepting anything in return, sooner or later, people would stop seeing him as an equal. They'd think he didn't need help, that he expected nothing, and worse… that he was someone to be taken for granted.
Kadoya wasn't going to let that happen.
Instead, he created an atmosphere of mutual reliance, where giving and receiving felt naturally balanced. That way, even as he pushed Minato and Saiguu to grow stronger, they didn't feel like burdens. They felt like companions. Like equals.
And because of that, both of them felt compelled to give something back, anything that showed their appreciation.
That's why, even at just eight years old, Saiguu had started learning how to cook, clean, and even knit, determined to give Kadoya a handmade gift for his next birthday.
Minato, on the other hand, made it a habit to cover the bill whenever they ate out. He knew it was just a small gesture, but the fact that Kadoya never refused it made him feel like his efforts mattered.
Kadoya understood the human heart.
...
In the Hyuga Compound…
"Lady Saiguu, when cooking takoyaki, it's best to use low to medium heat. That way, you won't burn them by accident," a composed Branch family servant instructed, carefully demonstrating the process as Saiguu stood beside her, focused and attentive.
In the days following Lady Mito's public declaration that Kadoya Uchiha would succeed her as the new Clan Head of the Uzumaki, word had spread like wildfire among Konoha's higher-ups. Present during that meeting was none other than the Hyuga Branch Family Head, who, not long ago, was convinced Kadoya was just a cursed Uchiha corrupting their precious prodigy, Saiguu Hyuga.
But with the recent revelation… opinions had begun to shift. Rapidly.
Upon returning to the compound, the Branch Head wasted no time sharing the news with the rest of the Branch family: Kadoya was now not only an Uchiha but the head of the Uzumaki Clan, a clan long revered for their mastery of sealing jutsu.
To the Branch members, this wasn't just interesting. This was hope.
The Uzumaki had been nearly wiped out, leaving only Lady Mito and young Kushina as survivors.
Lady Mito couldn't intervene in other clans' matters, while the thought of Kushina Uzumaki marrying into the Hyuga was non-existent.
The chance of ever finding someone strong enough in sealing arts to potentially dismantle the cursed Caged Bird Seal had seemed nonexistent... until now.
And Kadoya Uchiha, the rumored "corruptor," was not only close with Saiguu, he clearly trusted her. Respected her. Maybe even loved her.
Ahem! The last part is gossip. Ahem!
And so, the Branch members began to see Saiguu in a new light, not just as a prodigy or heiress, but as their savior.
She was kind, fair, and had never once treated them as lesser. Like the other member in the Main House.
Although her personality was a bit cold and distant, as long as you showed her some respect and didn't annoy her, she would show you some respect back.
In their eyes, her standing had grown far beyond that of even the Main House Leader. If any elder or member of the Main House tried to sever her ties with Kadoya, the Branch family would not stay silent.
They would fight.
Meanwhile, Saiguu silently listened to the servant's instructions, nodding calmly. "I see," she replied, copying the motion with quiet precision.
In the background, a group of young Hyuga boys, clearly from the Main House, peeked around the corner, watching her with expressions twisted in a mix of envy and despair.
She's actually practicing to be a housewife for him?!
They nearly cried blood.
They had tried so hard to impress her, with jutsu, with grades, with elegance, but here she was, casually learning how to make takoyaki because of that guy.
The Branch members nearby, however, were watching the same scene with shining eyes.
Although knowing that they couldn't be with her, as long as she can convince Kadoya to break the Caged Bird Seal.
They would be free.
...
Minato stood beside Kadoya behind the counter at Ichiraku Ramen, both of them wearing aprons and smelling faintly of broth and soy sauce.
After a beat of silence, the blonde finally turned to his best friend and asked, deadpan:
"...Why are we here again?"
Kadoya didn't even pause in stirring the pot. "I got bored. So, we're learning how to make ramen."
Minato: "..."
He blinked. Slowly.
"You got bored, so now we're working part-time... to learn how to make ramen?"
He stared at his friend, mildly offended by the sheer randomness. Kadoya, as usual, looked completely unbothered.
Minato wanted to argue, he really did, but in the end, he just sighed in defeat.
"…Fine."
And just like that, the two began quietly helping out, slipping into the rhythm of prepping noodles and boiling broth.
As the dinner rush kicked in, Minato was starting to feel the pressure of working in a cramped ramen stall. Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead as he worked over the steaming pots.
He let out a breath, quickly wiped his brow, and returned to his station beside Kadoya to help knead the dough.
Then he heard it.
"Rasengan!"
Minato snapped his head toward his best friend, blinking in disbelief. Kadoya was actually using the Rasengan to spin a lump of dough like a living mixer, swirling it into a perfect sphere before slamming it onto the prep table with a puff of steam.
Kadoya inhaled deeply, gathering Hamon into his hands.
"White Dough Overdrive!"
His fists blurred as he pounded the dough with rapid, precise strikes, chakra crackling faintly from his skin.
Then came the hand seals.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Three Kadoyas moved in unison, one pulled the dough from each side to stretch it, another folded it back, and the last sliced it effortlessly into fine noodle strands with a kunai.
Minato just stood there.
"…"
Are you seriously using high-level ninjutsu to make noodles?
But then something clicked in his head.
Wait… we're ninja (in training). We can use chakra for daily life stuff. I've only been using it for training and combat… why haven't I thought of this before?
A slow grin crept onto his face.
Forming a quick set of hand seals, he called out, "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Two clones appeared beside him, and together, they mimicked Kadoya's noodle-making routine. Chakra-enhanced precision. Physical discipline. Practical efficiency.
Not only was he helping out, but he was training at the same time.
By the time the dinner rush wound down, the stall owner cheerfully invited them to sit down and eat. They slurped up their well-earned bowls of ramen with quiet satisfaction.
"Thanks, Kadoya," Minato said, glancing at his friend.
The young Uchiha raised an eyebrow mid-bite. "Huh?"
"You really showed me a whole new world," Minato said with a sincere smile. "I was too focused on training to notice how chakra could help in everyday life."
Kadoya smirked. "What, you never thought of that before?"
Minato just chuckled lightly while scratching the back of his head. "I never thought of it before."
Kadoya simply nodded with a smile. "I see, so you're giving up on becoming Hokage to open your own ramen stall now?"
Minato's eye twitched. "Get lost."