Chapter 17: Sharing Goodwill, Bumping Into Mina
Uchiha Tonan returned exhausted after a day of practicing sword techniques at the Hatake household. Just as soon as he reached outside the clan’s territory, he saw Umino Naoto standing at the road outside, waiting for him.
“Tonan!” Naoto waved at him, and explained while handing him an envelope, “This is the death benefit from the village, as well as a bonus for taking out a spy. Hokage-sama has been very busy, so he asked me to bring this to you instead.”
Tonan accepted the envelope and bowed to Naoto without even looking at him. “Sorry for troubling you to come all this way, Naoto-sensei.”
Naoto scratched his head and gave his student a warm smile. “Don’t worry, it’s no trouble at all. You, on the other hand… it really was something to take down a shinobi spy all by yourself, Tonan.”
“It was no big deal.” Tonan shook his head.
Naoto was happy with Tonan’s behavior but also very concerned. He asked, “You look tired. Did you just come back from training?”
Tonan nodded, and said, “Yes, I was fortunate enough to get some pointers from Sakumo-sama. It was a rewarding session.”
“Konoha’s White Fang? To receive even his recognition, Tonan’s aptitude may be greater than I expected.”
At this thought, Naoto added, “It’s good to work hard, but you must also remember to relax. I won’t hold you any longer. Go and rest, I’ll see you at the academy tomorrow.”
“Thank you, Naoto-sensei. Goodbye.”
Naoto turned and left. After walking down half a block, he turned around and saw Tonan still standing at the same spot, seeing him off. He couldn’t help but feel touched.
“I never thought I’d get to teach such a talented student with such a fine character.”
“You should go back now!” Naoto shouted from a distance. But Tonan did not respond. He just smiled at him.
Once Naoto was out of sight, he finally went into the clan grounds.
Uchiha guards were patrolling the perimeter. They all nodded their heads kindly when they saw Tonan, and he returned the gesture with a smile.
No matter which world one was in, that was just how things go.
As soon as he returned home, Tonan saw the Great Elder standing at his courtyard’s entrance. He had clearly been waiting there for long.
“Tonan. You’re back,” the Great Elder greeted Tonan first.
With both hands on his knees, Tonan bowed respectfully to him, and said, “Greetings, Great Elder.”
The Great Elder waved his hand with a smile and shoved a thick envelope into Tonan’s hand.
“We’re all family. There’s no need for formalities. I’m here today to hand you the pension for your parents’ demise and your living expenses for this month.”
Tonan covertly squeezed the envelope. The Great Elder’s generosity was much thicker than Sarutobi Hiruzen’s.
Then, with a puzzled expression, he asked, “But hasn’t Hokage-sama handed out the compensation already?”
The Great Elder shot him a meaningful look.
“Hokage-sama represents the village but the Uchiha clan treats our clan members equally. Now that you’re orphaned, you’ll receive an appropriate amount of living expenses each month. If you face any problems, you can come to either me or the clan leader. Clan members are family. We will do our utmost to help as best as we can.”
After saying this, he patted Tonan’s shoulder, and without any further explanations or actions, he turned around and left. This was a clever move.
At least it was, in most cases. For Tonan, though, who had seen the ways of the world, it was too naive. This was the trick to giving a gift. Once your goodwill was received, it needed time to ferment. If you stayed around and spoke meaninglessly, people would know you had ulterior motives.
Once Tonan returned home, he took the money out of both envelopes and put it into the safe. It seemed like he had become hot property.
The compensation Hiruzen gave him was already way over the limit. There was no way the amount could be this high for two mere genin and for killing a spy. The Great Elder was even more generous, giving almost twice that of what Hiruzen did.
Tonan guessed the Great Elder did not initially plan this much. He must have noticed Naoto outside the clan’s territory, and gauging by the envelope’s thickness, he must have guessed the approximate amount and then doubled his compensation.
This worked well for Tonan.
For the death of two genin parents, the compensation he received was equal to two jonin. Now that he had the money, he could raise a few more white pigeon ninja beasts. Until the Third Shinobi World War began, he wouldn’t have to worry about running out of money.
The next day, Tonan went out as usual and headed to the academy. But before he could leave the clan grounds, he bumped into a classmate.
Uchiha Mina.
Mina looked at him in surprise, and greeted, “Tonan-kun, what a coincidence.”
“Yes, what a coincidence,” Tonan said, as a gentle smile appeared on his face.
The two of them walked to the academy side by side.
Mina didn’t know Tonan was aware this was no coincidence. He had seen the sneaky way she had been lingering around this road with his white pigeons. But he continued with the charade. After all, there was a high probability she would become ration for him in the future. He should show care to his rations.
Tonan was reminded that Mina wasn’t the only classmate he had. If he didn’t manage to get Hatake Sakumo’s acknowledgment, then he would be left in a dangerous position. These provisions might play a key role then.
Especially Mina. For a small-timer who’d never even been heard of in the previous timeline, she was basically set up for death. And, she was an Uchiha. If she could become stronger, then…
If he did it right, and if he were lucky, then he might be able to get her to awaken a three tomoe Sharingan. That would help him with his Mangekyou.
Tonan’s eyes lit up as he looked towards Mina. She was looking ahead but was in fact stealing glances at him. When she saw Tonan looking at her, she couldn’t help her heart from racing.
“Tonan-kun, what’s wrong?”
As soon as the question left her lips, she immediately wanted to slap herself.
“How could I ask him that? Won’t he feel embarrassed? What if he just started liking me? Wouldn’t he stop if I asked him that?”
“You’re different from the other clan members, Mina.” An old veteran like Tonan had thicker skin than ordinary people, so, of course, he was not embarrassed.
“Really? What’s different about me?” Mina felt fuzzy inside, a hint of blush appearing on her cheeks.
“Other than Obito, the other clan members I’ve met are all… too arrogant. You’re different. I knew you have a lively personality but I didn’t expect you to have such a cute side as well.”
Tonan spoke lightly with a smile as if he were merely stating a fact without any intention of flattering her. The two of them chatted as they walked.
Just like the young couple in the previous life.
