When the Root operative finally left, "Nara Ryoko" exhaled slowly.Her heartbeat settled, her nerves unwound, and she muttered inwardly:
I probably didn't ruin Ryoko's life tonight. Good.
Then she noticed the weight hanging from her neck.Her eyes lowered.
There, clinging to her chest like a stubborn barnacle, was Uchiha Tobika in his child-transformation—arms around her neck, cheek pressed against her collarbone.
He looked… perfectly natural.Like he'd always been her kid.
Honestly, the accuracy of his transformed anatomy and mannerisms was so precise that even she, a seasoned Yamanaka, found no flaw.He looked more like Ryoko's son than Ryoko's actual nephew.
And the worst part?
Under stress, she had briefly forgotten he was Tobika—and had affectionately nuzzled him like he were family.
The memory struck her like a kunai to the dignity.Her temple twitched visibly.
Tobika felt her mood shift instantly.
She spoke in an icy tone."You getting off or not?"
Tobika hopped down immediately, dispelled the Transformation Technique, stretched his shoulders, and—feeling the awkward tension—asked the safest question he could manage.
"So… what exactly was tonight's plan?"
The woman gave him a mirthless smile, walked toward the bedroom, and explained as she went.
"I use basic Yamanaka Mind-Transfer to control Ryoko. When the 'intruder' arrives, I bind him with Nara shadow techniques. The Akimichi crush his fighting ability. My clan invades his mind and tears through his memories until he breaks. If he escapes, a tracker is positioned outside."
She paused.
"But it seems none of this is needed now… Uchiha Tobika. We'll have a talk later."
"Is it serious?"
"Whether it's serious or not... If you run, Ryoko will appear at your doorstep tomorrow, and the day after that we'll be holding your wedding banquet in the Uchiha district."
Tobika froze mid-step like he'd been hit by a paralyzing seal.
She knows? She definitely knows something.
Later, when Yoshino had sent away the women who'd helped her and canceled the clan's hidden alarm system, she returned to her room.
Tobika was sitting on the sofa, face carved with the kanji for "thinking deeply."
"Uchiha Tobika. Do I look like an idiot to you? You've been lying to me this whole time."
He looked up slowly—only to find Nara Yoshino, Shikamaru's future mother, standing before him with the aura of a detective who had cornered her suspect.
So even Shikamaru's mom has this kind of IQ. Terrifying.
"Lady Yoshino," Tobika asked carefully, "you were the one controlling Ryoko earlier?"
"Yes."
She sat down, expression cool.
"Pig–Deer–Butterfly have been allies since the Warring States era. We three clans share techniques. We share secrets. We raise our kids together. Unlike your Uchiha, we don't hide everything from each other. So."
Her eyes sharpened.
"Why don't you tell me your real purpose for approaching the Nara clan?"
Tobika exhaled.
Time to bluff.
He stood, gestured for her to sit, then positioned himself near a window—just in case he needed to escape through it.
"Honestly? Our clan head sent me to arrange a marriage."
"Fugaku? He's not the type to cheat. Don't use that excuse."
"What if he gets divorced?"
Yoshino scoffed—until she realized Tobika wasn't joking.
Her eyelids twitched.
"…You're the bastard Mikoto keeps cursing, aren't you?"
Tobika coughed lightly.
"If you understand now, I'll take my leave—"
"Sit."
Yoshino cut him off.
"While Ryoko is still unconscious, tell me your other motives."
Tobika blinked.
"Other motives?"
"Yes. The ones you didn't say."
He hesitated. Yoshino stared him down with a seasoned interrogator's gaze.
So Tobika pointed at her belly.
"Friendship?"
Her face blanked.
"Friendship… with my body?"
"No, no! With your son."
Yoshino burst into a disbelieving laugh."My son is still in the womb. What are you, a prophet? Trying to invest early in his future?"
Tobika stayed silent.
Yoshino sighed and hugged a pillow.
"Fine. Shikamaru kicked my stomach just now. That must mean he agrees to be your 'friend.' Next motive."
"That's it."
"That's it?"
"That's really it."
Two goals:Warm up to Root so he could sabotage Danzō later, and recruit Shikamaru early with candy and emotional manipulation.
Nothing more.
But Yoshino's expression hardened.
"No. You're hiding the real one."
She leaned forward.
"When you saw Ryoko earlier, your reaction was completely natural—meaning you didn't know I had taken her body. You treated me as the real Ryoko. And I assumed you were with us and not the suspect."
Her eyes gleamed like a kunoichi solving a murder case.
"But the intruder we've been hunting…was actually you."
Tobika fell silent.
Yoshino continued mercilessly.
"Ryoko carries three labels:Root member.Nara clan head's cousin.Widow."
"When I hugged you using her body, you recoiled. That eliminates the widow angle. The clan head's cousin? Many exist. And I know Mikoto well; Ryoko would never betray the Nara clan."
"So the only remaining identity…"
Her voice lowered.
"…is that she's Root."
She held his gaze.
"You Uchiha are making a move against Danzō, aren't you?"
Tobika massaged his chin thoughtfully.
Then, with great seriousness:
"…Or maybe the clan head just likes widows of high status."
Yoshino stared at him like he'd spoken forbidden jutsu.
Widows? High-status?The clan head likes them?And Uchiha as a whole like… married women?
Her brain broke in half.
"You are all insane."
Tobika straightened his back and spoke gravely.
"Lady Yoshino."
She tensed—chakra spiking—only for Tobika to appear beside her with sudden speed.
He placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Uchiha will fully support Senju Tsunade as Fifth Hokage."
Yoshino blinked rapidly, stunned by the tonal shift.
"If Tsunade-sama truly runs, we'll support her," she managed.
Tobika nodded.
"And we wish for our clan to become part of the Senju family."
"…That's not my concern."
"And we want the clan head to divorce."
"Still not my problem."
"You owe me for saving your nephew."
Yoshino's eye twitched. "…Yes."
"Then convince Mikoto to make room. A clan head's wife must be prepared to sacrifice."
And with that, Tobika vanished like a ghost.
Yoshino stared at the empty doorway for several seconds.
Her certainty, her logic, her detective's calm…all shattered.
This man… is not normal.
She unfolded the paper he had shoved into her hand before leaving.
It read:
"Your future daughter-in-law has been eliminated."
She stared at the note.
"…My son isn't even born yet. Where did the daughter-in-law come from?"