"Oh?"
Nara Shikamei raised an eyebrow, his tone neutral but laced with concern. "Even if that's true, do you realize the kind of trouble this could bring our clan?"
"It's bound to draw attention from the Third Hokage and his faction. Don't pretend you're unaware of the Uchiha's current reputation in the village."
"You should know better than anyone how... unwelcome they are among certain circles."
There was an edge to his words—a blend of frustration and protective worry.
"Of course I know," Shikaku replied, raising his chin with conviction. "But what does that have to do with Ren?"
"You're probably already aware that more than twenty days ago, Lord Tsunade officially took Ren Takashi as her student."
"And something like that wouldn't have gone through without Lord Hiruzen's personal approval, right?"
"That alone proves Ren isn't just some ordinary Uchiha."
"I believe us opening a restaurant together won't cause any real stir with the Third Hokage. After all… it's just a few kids running a business. The impact is far less dramatic than you're making it out to be."
Trying to scare him?
Not a chance.
Shikaku had long since noticed the deeper layers of village politics. He wasn't naïve.
If Ren hadn't been taken in by Tsunade, none of this would have been possible.
"Oh?" Shikamei looked at his son, now with a trace of amusement. "So, you've given this serious thought."
"Good."
"I've noticed you three have been making unusually fast progress in your training lately," he added with a smirk. "That's Ren Takashi's doing, isn't it?"
They had already investigated thoroughly, of course. You didn't just let your clan heirs open a business without doing your homework.
Turns out, the three boys had been skipping class using shadow clones and secretly training with Ren.
More surprisingly, Ren had been generously teaching them his enhanced body-strengthening techniques.
And clearly, he was an excellent instructor. Their improvements had been obvious.
Knowing all this, tonight's "interrogation" was more of a test—to see if they'd thought through their decisions, not to punish them.
Fortunately, Shikaku didn't disappoint.
"Well… that's part of it," he admitted. "But the real reason is—he's our friend."
A wave of relief passed through him. He knew he'd passed.
Choza and Inoichi nodded firmly beside him.
Their friendship with Ren had deepened quickly—barely over a month—but it felt genuine.
"Friends, huh?"
The three clan heads exchanged glances, then smiled.
Honestly, it wasn't bad at all. Their sons had found a capable, loyal friend.
As for the Uchiha? None of them shared the Hokage's bias. Their reservations stemmed from a desire to avoid unnecessary trouble.
But now that Ren was Tsunade's student, he clearly stood apart from the rest of his clan.
And Shikamei? He understood all too well what Hiruzen Sarutobi was trying to do.
Train another "Uchiha Kagami."
Or worse—subtly brainwash Ren and use him to control his entire clan from the inside.
To dominate Uchiha politics in the future.
"How unfortunate… looks like Hiruzen may have miscalculated this time."
Shikamei sighed inwardly.
Truth be told, there was a touch of schadenfreude in his heart. A secret delight in watching the Hokage's schemes backfire.
For years now, as Hiruzen's power consolidated, he'd been suppressing the old clans. Hoarding village resources for the benefit of the Sarutobi.
Even clans like theirs—the loyal Ino-Shika-Cho trio—weren't exempt.
If not for Ren's sudden rise, they'd planned to back Minato Namikaze as the next Hokage. A worthy candidate, charismatic and brilliant.
But in that old future, Minato died young—sealing the Nine-Tails.
After Hiruzen returned to power, their clans suffered even worse suppression.
Some of their brightest were swallowed up by Danzo's Root—reprogrammed into tools for Hiruzen's ambitions.
That, perhaps, was why no one truly mourned when Orochimaru finally took Hiruzen's life.
There is always cause behind effect.
Now, with Ren Takashi in the picture, the future was changing.
He wasn't just a prodigy—he was Tsunade's apprentice.
Shikamei didn't know how far the boy would go, but if he survived… he could be a game-changer.
He found himself silently rooting for him.
Let's see you try to brainwash this one, Hiruzen.
Ren was too sharp for that. And Tsunade wouldn't stand for it, either.
"Continue building a strong relationship with Ren," Shikamei said at last.
"If you need anything—come to us."
"Yes, sir!"
The three boys answered in unison.
—
Ten days later, the chefs finished training.
With Ren's custom-made seasoning blends, the dishes they cooked weren't as flawless as his—but still 90% there.
And compared to the rest of Konoha's eateries?
Miles ahead.
On opening day, the Four Seas Restaurant burst into life. The Nara, Yamanaka, Akimichi, and Uchiha clans all showed up in support.
Word spread like wildfire.
The food was excellent. The recipes were fresh and original. From day one, the restaurant was packed.
Business was booming. Profits soared.
Naturally… the Third Hokage took notice.
"Ren Takashi is working with the heirs of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio?"
Hiruzen frowned.
Then, after a moment's thought, he nodded slowly. "Ah… right. They're classmates. They've been close for a while now."
"They even used shadow clones to skip class and train together."
So this is a continuation of that.
He wasn't happy.
He wanted to intervene.
But he had no good excuse.
Every week, he still summoned Ren to his office—talking, mentoring, trying to subtly "shape" the boy.
If he made a move now—blocked the restaurant—he risked ruining all that progress.
"Fine. It's just a restaurant. Their clans haven't directly gotten involved… it's mostly the kids themselves."
"Let them play entrepreneur. Earn a little pocket money."
That's what he told himself.
But then the weekly report came in from the ANBU.
Two million ryo in pure profit. In just one month.
Hiruzen's hand froze on the scroll.
That's the reward from two S-rank missions… maybe more, after village taxes.
It was absurd. The kind of wealth that could build empires.
He'd been trying for years to grow the Sarutobi clan's influence and economy—but they lacked the foundation. The resources. The connections.
So he'd resorted to underhanded methods—teaming up with Danzo, Homura, and Koharu to siphon village funds.
He wanted to establish industries. To give his clan a self-sufficient foundation.
But nothing had worked.
Then this group of teenage "brats" opened one restaurant… and pulled it off in weeks.
He was jealous. No point pretending otherwise.
He wanted it.
But… he couldn't touch it.
Not yet.