"I have some things to move over!"
Shigure Uchiha decided to reveal a few things. After all, the exam earlier today had already shown some signs of what he was capable of. If he didn't speak up now, would they really believe that no one would notice?
"Let's go!"
Mei Uchiha stepped past him.
In truth, Mei already knew about the exam before Shigure arrived. She had originally thought that he wouldn't pass the graduation exam, but to her surprise, he was able to defeat the "Son of White Fang" head-on with the help of a summoned beast. This unexpected result left her astounded, which was why she had stayed to meet with him. Otherwise, she would have already left to complete her mission.
Although Mei Uchiha was only 13 years old, she was already a "Special Jonin."
At this point in the ninja world, it wasn't like the era when kids in their teens could casually achieve Kage-level power. Her strength was already impressive, and she had earned her place as a future genius in the eyes of her family.
The two of them left the courtyard and headed toward Shigure's temporary residence.
Mei Uchiha was the epitome of the "rich, beautiful, and tragic" archetype.
Both of her parents had passed away, and her grandfather was the previous clan leader. He was also the head of the family's main branch and the leader of the hawkish faction. However, Mei was very young when her grandfather died, which allowed the clan leadership to pass to the more moderate third faction, led by her father, Fugaku Uchiha.
As a result, Mei could be considered a true Uchiha princess — the ultimate "rich girl."
The "tragic" part came from something more personal.
While she was incredibly strong—being a 13-year-old Special Jonin—her tragedy wasn't tied to the night of the clan's massacre. Given her identity and abilities, if she had survived that night, there would have been no way for the Uchiha clan to hold back the hawkish faction.
No, the tragedy was that she died too early.
It was the only way her existence wouldn't leave a trace in history.
Thus, her label of "rich, beautiful, tragic" was painfully accurate.
Yet despite her status, for some strange reason, she had become Shigure Uchiha's "fiancée."
It was clear that the original host of this body couldn't hold onto the luxury of being pampered, so it fell to Shigure to take on the role.
A short while later, the two arrived at the edge of the village.
Living here wasn't Shigure's choice, but the choice of the original host. He had been able to travel to this world because the original had decided to leave the Uchiha compound and live alone. Unfortunately, due to a sudden illness, the original had died, and now Shigure had inherited the body.
Creak!
Shigure opened the door and turned to invite Mei in.
"Please!"
He stepped inside and turned on the lights.
Mei followed slowly behind him.
As the lights flickered on, the room was immediately revealed to be cramped and overflowing with bookshelves, flower pots, and test tubes.
Most of the items in the room were things Shigure had gathered over the past two and a half years since his arrival. The books, for example, were borrowed from the village's large library.
The library itself was huge, but it mostly contained basic knowledge, so very few people were interested in it. After all, most ninjas were focused on techniques that could make them stronger, and this type of foundational knowledge was not particularly appealing.
But Shigure was different!
As a traveler from another world, he understood that in the ninja world, "knowledge is power," and it could be harnessed by an individual. This was a hidden shortcut to power.
Without this, a regular "ordinary person" like him—without the bloodline of the Otsutsuki—would have no chance of ever reaching the highest level of combat.
As for his research talent?
While he wasn't as remarkable as geniuses like the Second Hokage or Orochimaru, Shigure had an average level of talent, and with his unique advantages, he was more than capable of becoming incredibly strong.
The experiences and knowledge of a traveler from another world—this was his biggest advantage.
Doing experiments didn't scare him due to the challenges and troubles. What truly frightened him was going down the wrong path. But for Shigure, the right path was obvious. He just had to keep pushing in that direction, and he would succeed.
After he began his research, he soon realized that he had a significant advantage that would allow him to see results quickly. Otherwise, even with the right path, achieving meaningful results would take decades.
Was research really that easy to succeed at?
If it were, then so many people wouldn't shy away from the research path.
While many ninjas in the world of ninjas had invested in research, only a few had truly made a name for themselves, such as the Second Hokage, Orochimaru, and Kabuto. This made it clear just how difficult it was to succeed in the research field.
After quickly checking the room, Shigure suddenly spoke out.
"Wait! Someone has been here!"
"Who?" Mei Uchiha asked, walking over.
"Someone came by!" Shigure's face darkened.
Luckily, there was nothing truly embarrassing. Most of his research notes and data were either stored mentally or hidden away in other places, so nothing important had been discovered. Still, there was some loss.
One of his experimental "byproducts" was missing.
A healing potion!
Yes, this was something Shigure had been working on for when he decided to "lie flat" and make money. If he was going to relax and enjoy his life, he had to earn money first.
"Definitely Danzo's doing!" Mei Uchiha immediately deduced.
"The one that was lost was the healing potion..." Shigure explained the effects of the byproduct.
In general, the diluted version was far less effective than medical ninjutsu, but it could still heal a wound in a few days.
It didn't sound like much, but in the event of war, this kind of potion could be terrifyingly effective. Medical ninjas relied on talent, but this potion could be mass-produced, making it a strategic resource.
After hearing the effects, Mei understood the importance of the potion and asked gravely, "Is the effect really as you said?"
She needed to confirm because this was far too important.
"Wait a moment..."
Shigure quickly retrieved a few strands of green algae from a small water tank in the corner and began preparing the potion on the spot.
In less than a few minutes, he expertly extracted a small amount of green liquid into a vial.
This was the most potent form of the healing potion.
The one that had been lost was the highly diluted version.
Now it was time to prove its value.
Even though Shigure knew that Mei, due to her nature, would never abandon her "fiancé," he wasn't willing to risk his life over this.
He couldn't help but curse Danzo for putting him in this situation.
Shigure had originally planned to fail the exam to exit the ninja world, or at worst, be a low-ranking ninja. But because Danzo wanted to use his life as a warning to the Uchiha clan, Shigure had been pushed to this point.
He didn't die, but he made sure that Danzo understood just how dangerous it was to mess with a traveler.
"Is this the healing potion?" Mei Uchiha's soft pink eyes examined the green liquid in the vial, and then she made a move.
"Wait!"
Shigure noticed that Mei had pulled out a kunai and, without changing her expression, stabbed it into her palm.
Ssshh!
With a light sound, a wound appeared on Mei's delicate palm.
It was a Wolf Kill!
From the outside, no one would believe that such a young girl would be so decisive.
Mei didn't even acknowledge Shigure's attempt to stop her.
Of course, she knew she could use other things to test it. But what was more direct than experiencing it for herself?
And this small injury would be fine even if the potion didn't work—she could simply use medical ninjutsu to heal it instantly. It was no problem.
After all, she wasn't foolish enough to go without a backup plan.
The healing liquid slowly poured into her palm's wound.
The bleeding, which had been steadily flowing, visibly stopped, and the wound rapidly scabbed and healed.
During this process, Mei's previously icy expression slowly changed.
The effect was far more impressive than she expected.
Though it wasn't quite as powerful as medical ninjutsu, the number of medical ninjas in Konoha was still under a hundred—thanks to the influence of Tsunade, one of the Sannin. In other villages, the number of medical ninjas might not even reach double digits.
In villages outside the Five Great Shinobi Countries, there were no medical ninjas at all.
But this potion could be mass-produced and carried everywhere—this was the true advantage.