Nobuhiko and Kokomi finally turned to Riku, and Nobuhiko asked, "So, what are you thinking?"
Riku calmly replied, "I want to go through all the medical texts in Konoha's Ninja Hospital—ideally, I want to master all of Tsunade-sama's medical knowledge and skills."
"This would be extremely helpful for me to create the follow-up stages of the body-strengthening training method I've been working on."
"In fact, the method I just taught you is only the first stage of what I have in mind. There are several more stages to come!"
"My ultimate vision is that this training method, once perfected, will allow someone to match a Kage-level opponent using only taijutsu."
"And it requires much less innate talent or bloodline power compared to chakra or ninjutsu."
"Also..."
Riku then shared with his parents the four benefits he had already considered about becoming Tsunade-sama's disciple.
He even added, "If I succeed in becoming her student and officially enter the Hokage's inner circle, then if I ever aim to become Hokage myself, the difficulty would be significantly reduced. Don't you agree?"
"That-..."
Nobuhiko and Kokomi both sucked in a breath upon hearing Riku's detailed and thorough reasoning.
"You thought of all this yourself?" Nobuhiko asked, barely able to believe it.
"Who else?" Riku shrugged. "C'mon, Dad. Just tell me—will you support me or not?"
Nobuhiko let out a helpless chuckle and shook his head. "It's not that I don't want to support you, it's just that... I don't even know how I could. This is nearly impossible."
"Since you were able to analyze it so well, I assume you already understand the situation our clan is in, right?"
"Yeah." Riku nodded. "We're being deliberately excluded from Konoha's core by the factions led by the Third and Danzo. Most of the other clans and civilians in the village look down on us."
"Exactly." Nobuhiko nodded with a mix of approval and helplessness. He genuinely felt that Riku's intelligence and emotional maturity far exceeded even his eldest son Fugaku.
Possibly, even more than himself.
"That's why I said it's almost impossible for you to become Tsunade-sama's disciple."
"Neither I nor the clan can help much. The Third probably won't allow it either."
Nobuhiko sighed with regret. Although he had only practiced the initial version of Riku's body-strengthening method a couple of times, he already sensed how powerful it was.
If Riku's vision came true, the completed method would have limitless potential.
But right now, he could do nothing to help. It was a bitter feeling.
"You've misunderstood, Father."
Riku smiled and shook his head. "I already have a plan for how to become Tsunade-sama's disciple."
"What I need from you and the clan isn't much. I just need you to quietly help spread the word that I have extraordinary talent in medical ninjutsu."
"In the meantime, I'll also start learning more medical ninjutsu and theory from Mom every day."
"That shouldn't be a problem, right?"
Of course, he was aware of how difficult this whole thing would be.
Under normal circumstances, it would be near-impossible.
But don't forget—he had his Wish Talent. That meant he could cheat the system.
And that talent was built specifically to turn the impossible into possible.
"Oh?" Nobuhiko raised an eyebrow, surprised. "That's all you need? Can you share more of your plan?"
"Just being good at medical ninjutsu may not be enough to make Tsunade-sama take you in."
"After all, the one who really makes the final decision... is the Third. You're aware of that, right?"
"Absolutely." Riku nodded. "Which is exactly why—once I start attending the Ninja Academy next month—I plan to subtly show that I understand and agree with the Will of Fire."
"At the same time, I'll reveal a portion of my ninjutsu talent—just enough to gradually attract the Third's attention and trust."
"At that point, in order to bring me into his fold—to make me his pawn in the Uchiha—he'll think having me become Tsunade-sama's disciple is the best move. What do you think, Father?"
Of course, making the Third believe all of this wouldn't be easy.
That's when his Wish Talent would come into play to nudge things along.
He'd used it for similar strategies in his past life with great results.
He had no reason to believe it wouldn't work here too.
Worst case, it just cost him a few more wishes.
"You..."
Once again, Nobuhiko and Kokomi were stunned by their son's strategic thinking and awareness.
"You thought all of this up on your own?" Nobuhiko asked, eyes wide and full of disbelief.
He was amazed that his son had such an accurate and deep understanding of the Third's personality and tactics.
And it wasn't like Riku had ever spent much time outside the clan compound. Where had he learned all this?
The first thing Nobuhiko thought of was maybe the clan archive.
Then some of the older members of the clan.
And maybe some idle talk between himself and Kokomi.
But for Riku to piece together the true nature of the Third Hokage from those scattered bits of information... that was terrifying.
If he weren't his own son, he might've considered silencing him to prevent any future trouble.
He checked the sealing barrier they had around their home—it was still up. Fugaku was still upstairs in the bath.
Relieved, he added an extra layer of silence seals around the dining room before turning back to Riku.
"How confident are you in this plan?" he asked.
"Ninety percent."
Riku confidently offered a very high number.
He actually wanted to say one hundred percent but worried it would sound arrogant or unrealistic, so he lowered it slightly.
"Tch..."
Nobuhiko was once again shocked by his son's confidence.
But he clenched his fists, gritted his teeth, and made up his mind. "Alright. If you're this sure, then I'll support you."
"I'll secretly mobilize the clan to help you with this."
"Sigh… Let's hope it works."
"If it does, our clan's entire situation could change."
These past years, the Third and Danzo had become more entrenched in their power, and their suppression of the Uchiha grew harsher by the day.
It left Nobuhiko feeling powerless and humiliated.
Despite his strength and the clan's decent combat power, he'd been stuck playing defense—unable to break the deadlock.
But now, Riku's plan and the way he presented it made him feel like this might be the breakthrough they'd been waiting for.
"Good."
Riku nodded in satisfaction. "Just remember—the best thing would be for the Third to 'accidentally' discover my medical ninjutsu talent and some of my other skills."
"My reputation as a genius—especially a medical ninjutsu genius—needs to spread naturally."
"Don't let anyone suspect that the Uchiha clan is secretly promoting it."
"Otherwise, it could backfire."
"In fact, once rumors of my talent start spreading, it'd be best if the clan reacted with anger and frustration."
People tend to believe what they discover themselves or hear through whispers…
Not what's obviously served up to them.
(End of Chapter)
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