"Nawaki, do you have any allowance left? I'll pay you back tenfold when I win big."
Tsunade looked at her brother hopefully.
"Nope, not a penny."
Nawaki even turned his pockets inside out to prove he was broke.
But Tsunade wasn't convinced. She suspected he was hiding money, but she had no proof.
"Oh well, it seems you're not destined for wealth," Tsunade sighed dramatically.
Nawaki breathed a sigh of relief. He wanted nothing to do with that kind of "wealth."
He sidled up to Shin and whispered, "Remember, never lend my sister money. You'll never see it again."
Then he scurried off, afraid Tsunade might overhear.
"Doesn't he live with you?"
Shin watched Nawaki go, confused.
"He lives with Grandma. That little rascal avoids me like the plague," Tsunade grumbled.
"That's understandable. If I were your brother, I'd avoid you too."
Shin looked at Tsunade pointedly. Who wouldn't avoid someone who took all their allowance?
Tsunade might not eat people, but she sure ate money. Shin suspected her gambling habits had something to do with the Senju Clan's decline.
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing. Come on, Kushina, let's go."
Shin took Kushina's hand and returned to Tsunade's courtyard. He pulled out the Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu scroll and started studying.
The Jutsu was simple enough. It didn't take him long to master it.
He formed the Ram seal. Poof! Dozens of Shin clones filled the room.
He dispelled the clones and went to inform Tsunade and Kushina that he was leaving the courtyard to explore the Senju compound.
He wasn't just wandering aimlessly. He was looking for a suitable training spot. There was a training ground within Tsunade's courtyard, but he didn't want to train there and risk exposing his secrets.
After a thorough search, he found no suitable location within the Senju compound. He'd have to look elsewhere in Konoha.
But he wasn't going to wander around just yet. He had just arrived; the Sandaime was likely keeping an eye on them.
He'd wait a while, lay low for now.
He also had his Replication System to consider. He currently had three Common Replication Cards and one Advanced.
The Advanced card could copy a wide range of things: S-rank Jutsu, Kage-level Chakra and physique, even Kekkei Genkai.
But there were limitations to copying Kekkei Genkai. He couldn't copy the Rinnegan, or even the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
The Mangekyō Sharingan, however, was within reach.
"If I awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan and then copy another pair, could I evolve it into the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan?"
Shin wondered.
The Mangekyō Sharingan was the Uchiha Clan's ultimate dōjutsu, but it had a fatal flaw: overuse led to blindness. It was like a curse.
The only way to overcome this was to evolve it into the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, which also granted the ability to use the Perfect Susanoo.
But to evolve it, one had to transplant the Mangekyō Sharingan of a sibling.
Shin had no siblings. That path was closed to him.
He'd have to find another way. The System was one option. He also suspected there might be other ways to evolve the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Otherwise, how did Indra Ōtsutsuki obtain his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan? And Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki's Rinnegan wasn't innate; it had evolved from the Sharingan.
Shin wasn't too worried. Even if he couldn't evolve his Mangekyō Sharingan, he wouldn't go blind.
He had the Perfect Sage Body. Obito Uchiha had been able to use the Mangekyō Sharingan without side effects after transplanting Hashirama Senju's cells.
With the Perfect Sage Body, Shin didn't have to worry about blindness.
But even so, he still wanted to evolve his Sharingan into the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan. He coveted its power.
The Perfect Susanoo was practically invincible.
And with the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan and his Perfect Sage Body, he could potentially awaken the Rinnegan himself.
Just the thought was exciting.
But it was too early to think about that now. His Sharingan was only at the one-tomoe stage. It would take time to reach the Mangekyō Sharingan, and even then, evolving it wouldn't be easy.
By the time Shin returned to the courtyard, it was already dark. He had dinner and went to bed.
<><><><>
The next day, Tsunade took Shin, Kushina, Akiko, and Kai to the Ninja Academy.
The Academy had been founded by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju.
"It's already been a while since the semester started, so you'll be joining as transfer students. If there's anything you don't understand, don't hesitate to ask your teacher."
Tsunade instructed them.
"Tanaka-sensei, these children are in your care now."
"Don't worry, Lady Tsunade. I'll take good care of them," Tanaka-sensei assured her.
After entrusting the children to Tanaka-sensei, Tsunade left. As an Elite Jōnin, she was a busy woman.
They followed Tanaka-sensei to their classroom. Shin spotted Nawaki immediately.
"Hey, Shin, Kushina! You're in our class!" Nawaki exclaimed, jumping up.
"Nawaki, sit down!" Tanaka-sensei scolded.
Nawaki obediently sat back down. Despite being the grandson of the Shodaime Hokage, he still had to behave in class.
"We have four new transfer students. Please welcome them to our class," Tanaka-sensei announced.
The other students looked at Shin and the others curiously. Red hair was rare; to have four at once was unusual.
No, wait, there were five, including the other red-haired student already in the class.
Chōza Akimichi.
"Why don't you all introduce yourselves? You first," Tanaka-sensei said, pointing to Shin.
Shin shrugged. "I'm Uzumaki Shin. I like beautiful girls and dislike creeps. That's all."
Tanaka-sensei's lips twitched. That was certainly an interesting introduction.
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