"Kai-kun!"
"If it weren't for you, I…"
Hyuga Aya hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward and gave him a deep bow.
It was clear—
She truly felt nothing but gratitude toward Uchiha Kai.
But Kai only waved it off.
"It's fine.
We're teammates, aren't we? This is what I should do.
Since I gave my word, of course I'll see it through."
Aya only shook her head.
"You're being too humble, Kai-kun." She took a deep breath. "From now on, I am yours."
Then she froze.
Realizing how that sounded, her face flushed bright red.
"That's not what I meant! What I mean is—whatever concerns Kai-kun, is also my concern."
Kai's mouth twitched.
He couldn't deny it—
Her words were very easy to misinterpret.
But looking at Aya now, with her pale hair and reddened cheeks, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of surprise.
He'd never paid attention before… but looking again now, he realized—Aya was actually quite beautiful.
Of course, it made sense.
Back at the Hidden Blood Mist Village battlefield, he had only been a confused, desperate cannon fodder shinobi.
But now?
Things were different.
Through his own efforts, much had already changed.
He had wrestled authority away from the Hokage's faction.
The Aburame clan had joined him.
Even Minato had turned against the leadership.
Everything was moving in the right direction.
When one finally has the chance to breathe, the scenery one sees also changes.
And as the old saying goes—
"When fed and warm, desires arise."
"Really, it's fine," Kai said lightly.
"What's done is done.
Don't dwell on the past—look forward.
As for the Caged Bird Seal, don't worry. I'll find a way to resolve it for you.
And I'm not just saying that to comfort you. I do have a way.
It's just… right now, I'm missing certain conditions."
He smiled as he spoke.
He wasn't lying.
With the system at his back, solving it wasn't just empty talk.
Even if the system failed, he had another path—
his Mangekyo.
The fusion technique of his eyes: Ame-no-Minakanushi.
Words become reality, fantasies manifest.
A godlike power—
if his chakra was sufficient, he could erase the shinobi world itself.
Compared to that, the Caged Bird Seal was trivial.
The problem was…
He had tried to test the fusion once.
But the moment the thought arose, his sixth sense screamed in alarm.
He instantly realized—though Ame-no-Minakanushi was powerful, the backlash might be worse than Kotoamatsukami's.
"T-this…" Aya stammered, stunned. "Is that really possible?"
"It's possible," Kai said with a smile. "I can only tell you this much: it's my Mangekyo's ability.
The rest, you'll understand in time."
Aya's mind went blank.
Never in her life had she imagined—
freedom from the Caged Bird Seal…
"Aya, don't worry," Shisui said warmly. "Kai doesn't joke about things like this."
Nara Kazama also nodded.
Unlike the others, he had caught the subtle shift in Kai's expression.
His eyes gleamed, and he chuckled.
"Shisui's right.
Kai-kun wouldn't say anything he isn't sure of.
So Aya, don't trouble yourself with whether it's real or not—
just think carefully about how you'll repay him.
And if you can't think of a way—well, you could always repay him with yourself."
Unlike the others, Kazama was looking much further ahead.
More than anyone, he wanted Kai to marry and have children soon.
Because only then would Kai's ambition burn even brighter—
and that was how Kazama himself would reap the greatest benefits.
His words left the group stunned.
Shisui looked blank, failing to catch the innuendo.
He only thought—this wasn't a bad idea at all.
Kai was a Uchiha prodigy.
Aya was beautiful, capable, and strong.
Together, they'd be a perfect match.
So Shisui smiled.
"Aya, you heard him. Kai-kun is quite the catch.
Better hold on tight—
or someone else might take him first."
Aya's face went scarlet.
The shinobi world matured early—
Most boys and girls their age already had such thoughts.
And Aya's situation was special.
To her, Kai wasn't just a teammate—
He was like a gift from the heavens.
He had freed her from her clan's oppression.
Now he was promising to break the Caged Bird Seal itself.
How could she not be moved?
But as a girl, she couldn't say it aloud.
Even Kai himself was caught off guard by the teasing.
Looking at Aya's blushing face, his thoughts tangled into chaos.
He could face war, schemes, and power struggles—
but when it came to girls, he was hopeless.
In his last life, he had died a bachelor.
A millennium-old virgin!
And Kazama…
Others might not see through his intent, but Kai wasn't fooled.
In the end, he chose to dodge the issue.
He gave a slightly awkward cough before speaking.
"Alright, enough teasing.
It's starting to feel like you're forcing her.
What, do I look like the type to take advantage of someone's weakness?"
"Anyway, back to business."
He quickly shifted the topic.
"Let me introduce someone. This is Aburame Ryoma. From today, he's one of us.
And a comrade we can absolutely trust."
Pulling Ryoma forward, Kai gestured.
"Nice to meet you all," Ryoma said calmly. "I'm Aburame Ryoma."
Silence.
Dead silence.
Shisui and the others stared at him in shock.
They were dumbfounded.
They'd been chatting for ages—
and if Kai hadn't spoken up, none of them would have realized someone else was in the tent all along.
"Uh… Ryoma, welcome?"
"Ryoma-kun, were you using invisibility just now?"
"Yeah, I didn't notice you at all."
"…."
The three spoke one after another, their expressions stiff.
Ryoma's face stayed neutral.
He had long grown used to this reaction.
"No," he said simply, shaking his head.
He hadn't used invisibility.
The group fell into silence again.
Their mouths twitched violently.
Even Kai was astonished.
Then suddenly, a thought struck him.
"Wait, Ryoma," he said quickly. "Back when I was talking with Minato and the others in the command tent… were you there?"
Yes. That was it.
Back then, he hadn't noticed Ryoma at all.
And not just him—
not Minato, not Shikaku, not Mimura Hamaki.
Everyone had subconsciously ignored him.
Ryoma nodded.
"I was standing just behind you, to your left."
"Then you heard all of our discussion?"
"Yes."
"And Minato and the others… they didn't notice you?"
"Doesn't seem like they did."
…
This time, even Uchiha Kai felt like curling up in a corner.
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