Chapter 17: Dinner with the Uchiha

[Shinji's Perspective]

As Akane left, I found myself pondering the real reason behind this invitation. Was it truly just a casual dinner with a friend of their daughter, or was there a hidden agenda? Considering they were Uchiha and I was Jiraiya's student, the odds of some underlying motive were extremely high.

Just in case, I made sure to prepare—by loading up on explosive tags.

Night soon arrived, and I dressed in a black, long-sleeved shirt with a red sword-like pattern across the chest and matching black pants. Stepping outside, I took a deep breath before heading towards the Uchiha compound for the first time.

And it was huge.

Seeing it in person was nothing like the anime. The Uchiha police station stood tall near the entrance, with large training fields, a lake, and countless houses, all within the compound. The entire district was built for efficiency and power—a village within a village.

As I approached Akane's home, I saw her outside, helping a beautiful woman arrange flowers. The woman wore a traditional yukata, her long black hair tied neatly, and she had an elegance that was hard to ignore.

'That must be Akane's mother.'

I casually stepped forward and asked, "Why the decorations? Someone important coming?"

Akane yelped in surprise, spinning around to hit me with whatever she had in her hands. I dodged, grinning.

"Hey, it's me! Shinji!"

"I know it's you!" she shouted, swinging at me again.

A soft laugh caught my attention. The woman in the yukata watched our exchange with an amused expression. "You two seem quite close. I'm Miyuki Uchiha, Akane and Akira's mother. Thank you for watching over them and training with them."

Her voice was soothing, carrying an elegance and warmth that almost made me forget what to say.

For a brief moment, we just stared at each other, studying the other in silence.

Akane, now thoroughly annoyed at being ignored, stomped her foot. "Stop staring at my mom! And Mom, stop staring at him!"

Miyuki chuckled. "We should head inside before the food gets cold." She gracefully walked inside, leaving Akane and me standing there.

Akane turned to me with a sweet smile, one that definitely hid something dangerous. "Shinji, my mother is beautiful, right?"

I nodded absentmindedly. "Yeah."

'Wait—'

Too late. I had already fallen for the trap.

Akane's smile widened, her voice dropping to a dangerously sweet tone. "You've never said that about me before."

'I see where this is going.'

Panicking, I tried to recover. "You're beautiful too, Akane!"

Her face immediately turned a light shade of pink. She looked away, muttering, "I am her daughter. I'll be even more beautiful than her."

I decided not to respond to that comment for my own safety.

"We should go inside," I said, quickly changing the subject.

"Yeah," she agreed, still slightly flustered.

Inside, we sat around a round table. Seated with us were:

Miyuki Uchiha (Akane's mother)Izuno Uchiha (Akane's father)Akira (who looked way too amused about something—probably me nearly dying outside)

Izuno Uchiha was a massive man, easily larger than even Jiraiya-sensei. He had a stern expression, his presence demanding respect without saying a word.

As the meal began, we prayed, then started eating. It didn't take long for the first question to come.

Izuno put down his chopsticks and asked, "What does the Academy teach you about the Uchiha Clan?"

I mentally sighed. Ah. One of those conversations.

Akane and Akira both shot me apologetic looks. Clearly, they had expected this but didn't warn me.

'Traitors.'

Keeping my expression neutral, I answered, "The Uchiha Clan is one of Konoha's founding clans and serves the village as elite shinobi."

Izuno raised an eyebrow. I continued, "They wield the Sharingan, a powerful dōjutsu, and manage the Konoha Military Police Force."

He nodded, observing my words carefully. He remained silent for a moment before asking, "And what do you think of the Uchiha Clan?"

The table grew silent.

I calmly put down my chopsticks and met his gaze. "The Uchiha are a pillar of Konoha's strength. Without them, the village would suffer greatly."

Izuno smirked, seemingly satisfied. "You speak wisely for your age."

'Yeah, because I know how to handle extremists like you.'

Before the conversation could continue, Miyuki stepped in, smiling gently. "Honey, stop interrogating him. This is the first time our children have brought a friend from outside the clan. You'll scare him away."

Izuno exhaled through his nose, nodding. "I apologize if I made you uncomfortable. I simply wanted to share more about our clan."

'Trust me, I know more than you ever will.'

I simply nodded in response.

Miyuki took over the conversation. "So, Shinji, I heard your final exams are coming up. Will you be graduating early, like Itachi?"

"Yes," I confirmed. "That's my goal."

Miyuki's eyes sparkled with curiosity. "Another genius? The village will have its hands full deciding who will be the greatest—Itachi, Kakashi, or you."

I internally groaned. I didn't even graduate yet, and people were already making comparisons.

The conversation eventually shifted to lighter topics—the Rabbit Incident, Akira's suffering in theory classes, and general shinobi life. Just as we were finishing up, someone entered the room.

A familiar voice spoke. "Uncle Izuno, you called me?"

Everyone turned to see Uchiha Itachi standing at the entrance.

Izuno nodded, motioning toward me. "Yes, Itachi. I wanted you to meet him."

Itachi turned his gaze toward me, his expression calm and calculating.

'Uchiha and their mind games. Can't they ever just be normal?'

"Shinji Murakami," Izuno introduced me, "a genius like you—one who respects and admires the Uchiha."

I internally rolled my eyes. Did he really just say that?

But I kept my expression neutral, studying the Itachi Uchiha.

'He was my second favorite character in the anime… and one of those whose fate I want to change the most.'

Itachi gave me a small nod. "Shinji, it's a pleasure to finally meet you. I've heard a lot about you. I'm glad the village has more talented individuals to protect it."

I smirked. "Likewise, Itachi. You know, every time I accomplish something, people always compare me to you."

Akira suddenly spoke up. "Hey! Why don't you two fight? I've always wanted to see which one of you is stronger!"

Before I could respond, he added, "I think Shinji might win in kenjutsu. I've seen you both fight with blades."

I turned to him and grinned. "Oh? So you admit you've awakened your Sharingan?"

Akira froze. "How do you—"

I smirked. "You don't know how to hide it, idiot."

Akira looked like he had just lost his greatest secret.

I turned back to Itachi. "You up for a spar?"

He smiled faintly. "Tomorrow morning. Training ground 66."

'This… is going to be interesting.'