After a final chat with Uzumaki Mito, Ren Takashi bid farewell and returned home.
He quickly realized his father wasn't there, so he scanned the area and found his mother, Uchiha Xinmei, training in the backyard.
"Mom! Is Dad not home?"
Xinmei paused her training and replied, "He's probably at the Security Department. What do you need him for?"
"Nothing urgent, just something about the nutrition pill and steel company," Ren Takashi said casually, transmitting a spiritual message to his father through a Flying Thunder God mark.
At that moment, Uchiha Nobuhiko, deep in a training session with contracted ninjas, froze mid-sentence. "When did that kid learn to do this?" he mused. He quickly delegated training supervision and hurried back.
Upon arriving, Nobuhiko activated the Five Elements Sealing Barrier and sat across from Ren Takashi. "What was so urgent?" he asked, before raising an eyebrow. "Also, what's with this telepathic messaging? Did you actually transmit that from home?"
Ren Takashi smirked. "I left a Flying Thunder God mark on you. Through that spatial coordinate, I can send messages directly, as long as there's no space interference."
Impressed and mildly defeated, Nobuhiko muttered, "When did my son become so much more talented than me..."
Shrugging off the topic, he asked, "Alright, what's this about?"
Ren Takashi placed a document and three elixir samples on the table. "We've completed the nutrition pill. We're ready to launch the company, set up production, allocate shares, and open bidding. Same for the steel company—tech has been validated."
Nobuhiko immediately flipped through the report and tested a high-level pill. Within minutes, he felt his stamina surge.
"Amazing! This could redefine field survivability for ninjas. Are there limits on how often one can take these?"
"Not really," Ren Takashi said. "But don't expect infinite Chakra. It doesn't restore mental energy."
Nobuhiko nodded. "Even so, this is huge. Especially for meditation-trained ninjas. But what about the Third Hokage? Won't he interfere?"
"We've reserved 40% of shares for open bidding. If Sarutobi can't secure one, that's on him," Ren Takashi explained. "The steel company will include village investment from the start to avoid issues."
With everything clarified, Nobuhiko praised his son and immediately set off to meet Uzumaki Mito, carrying samples and plans.
Ren Takashi stretched in relief. Finally, no more research Shadow Clones—just training and meditation.
Meanwhile, Nobuhiko met with Mito, updated the Uchiha clan elders, and began mobilizing resources. While some elders grumbled about profit sharing or closeness with Senju, the economic opportunity silenced serious opposition.
Nobuhiko also leveraged this moment to promote the Merit Pavilion and welfare contributions system. His and Ren Takashi's prestige soared.
Soon, invitation letters for the nutrition pill and steel bidding conference were dispatched across Konoha—each with sample pills and promises of revolutionary tech.
Within a day, the village was buzzing.
At Nara Luming's Residence
After receiving their invitations, Akimichi Heishi and Yamanaka Hidemitsu gathered at Nara Luming's home.
"You saw the news, Luming?"
"I did," Luming replied, handing out tea. "That Uchiha kid did it again, and this time it's bigger than the Sihai Restaurant."
He leaned back with a sigh. "This time, it's serious—nutritional pills and steelmaking. High stakes. No wonder our kids didn't mention a thing."
"But for the pill side of things, we three clans are in a great position. We dominate Konoha's herb and meat supply chains. We're essential to this."
"As for steel—we're out of our depth. If we grab from both pies, we'll get burned."
The others nodded.
"Let's focus entirely on the pills," Luming continued. "And I'll have Shikaku speak with Ren Takashi privately. Secure a share if possible."
He gave a cynical smile. "Fair play? This is politics and profit. Connections matter."
He paused, reflecting. "Honestly, I didn't expect Ren Takashi to rise so fast. He's got Mito's support, Tsunade as his teacher... he's a strategist."
"Do we risk angering Sarutobi if we support Uchiha?" Yamanaka Hidemitsu asked.
"Does it matter?" Luming shot back. "Sarutobi has long stopped treating us as equals. Danzo's aggression, the forced recruitment—all signs that we're just tools to him now."
"He sees Konoha as his own personal Sarutobi fiefdom."
A heavy silence fell.
"Truthfully," Luming said, "if Ren Takashi hadn't emerged, I'd avoid Uchiha entirely. But he's different. This is only the beginning, and if we don't get on board now, we'll regret it."
"So—do we gamble?"