Chapter 4, "Uchiha Itachi, your vulnerable state..."
I've gotten used to Itachi occasionally spouting some nonsensical things, and the best way to deal with it is to pretend I didn't hear it.
Fortunately, he became extremely busy after that celebration, and you wouldn't see him for five, six, or seven days a week.
Although he didn't come back, the envelope containing the task payment was still delivered on time every month. As the difficulty of the tasks he took on increased, the task payment also increased accordingly. Eventually, it couldn't fit in one envelope anymore, so he simply transferred it directly to your account.
Speaking of accounts, the happiest thing for you recently is that you have finally successfully obtained the inheritance left to you by your parents, giving you more start-up capital. It's truly something to celebrate!
Out of caution, you have two accounts: one is the public one, and the other is used to store your business funds.
Time flies, and your birthday is just around the corner again. This year's birthday is a little special (according to Mikoto). She thinks your thirteenth birthday should be celebrated properly.
If you ask me, even your birthday is no different from any other day of the year; it's just an ordinary day. It's just that people always like to give ordinary days special meaning.
You recently graduated from school and are currently doing some clerical work in the Uchiha Guard. You hadn't originally planned to work in the Guard, but Mikoto felt that you weren't happy staying at home, so she suggested to her husband that you go to the Guard.
That's the advantage of having a guard captain as your adoptive father; he can get you in with just a word.
The guard unit is mostly composed of Uchiha, so you won't have much work to do. At most, it will involve correcting typos and formatting, and helping to organize past files. You know that with your status, you definitely won't have access to the guard unit's secrets, and you're not interested anyway.
While at work, you would open the system to check your business empire. Over the years, you have expanded from two stores to more than twenty, from the catering industry to the clothing industry and even the weapons manufacturing industry. In short, you are gradually expanding your business circle. After the cash flow stabilized, you no longer check your assets much. You care more about other industries that you have not yet entered.
For example, the medical industry, and the entertainment industry.
You've recently been planning to enter the pharmaceutical industry, and for that you've come into contact with quite a few pharmaceutical researchers, including, by the way, Orochimaru, one of the former Legendary Sannin of Konoha, who is currently on the run.
As you envisioned, you started with the pharmaceutical manufacturing process. You used your available funds to buy several pharmaceutical factories and one or two pharmaceutical companies that were on the verge of bankruptcy due to poor management.
Open the system panel. You have already activated many modules, from the initial catering industry to the later clothing industry. Your business center has gradually expanded from the tertiary industry to the primary and secondary industries.
Your gaze sweeps over the [Catering Industry] and [Clothing Industry], then you scroll down the page to find the [Pharmaceutical Industry], which was recently activated.
Clicking on this module will display a semi-transparent world map. The pharmacies, companies, and pharmaceutical factories you own are marked with green dots on the map.
The main pharmaceutical factory is located in the Land of Fields, which sounds like a small country, but Orochimaru is hiding in this country.
Currently, the medicines produced by the factory can be distributed through pharmacies, and there is even a shortage of supply. So you have two options: one is to build another factory, and the other is to expand the existing pharmaceutical factory.
You prefer the latter.
Click the [Upgrade] button and a system prompt will pop up.
[Should we choose to spend 10,000,000 taels to expand the [pharmaceutical factory]?]
All the hard work and money earned in the early stages of opening a restaurant is for this moment when you can pay without batting an eye.
Click [OK].
The chibi-style factory icon on the map immediately changed to a construction site, with a bubble above it saying "[Under Construction...]".
The factory expansion is estimated to take a considerable amount of time. What else can you do during this period?
As you're pondering your next move, a figure appears beside your desk. You look up, and although the person is wearing a mask, you recognize them by their distinctive naturally curly hair. You say, "Uchiha Shisui? What's the matter?"
Shisui removed his mask. "There are so many Uchiha here, you can just omit the 'Uchiha' part and call me Shisui."
"Alright, Shisui, what's up?" Given that Shisui and Itachi are good friends, and as the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together, being able to be friends with Itachi is enough to prove that Shisui is not someone to be trifled with.
"Itachi probably won't be able to make it back to celebrate your birthday, so he asked me to give you the present ahead of time."
As he spoke, he handed you a square box. The box felt heavy in your hand. When you opened it, you found a pearl necklace inside. Each pearl was almost the same size, round in shape, and had a warm luster.
As far as you know, there is no artificial pearl industry on the market yet. You stare at this necklace in a daze, thinking about what you should do next: create a luxury brand to reap the money of those powerful and wealthy people.
Your prolonged gaze took on a different meaning in Shisui's eyes. He said, "As expected, Itachi said you would definitely like it."
"Thank him for me." You accepted the pearl necklace, but Zhi Shui shook his head and said, "You have to tell him yourself; it's pointless for me to relay the message."
The message was delivered, and the gift was sent. Logically, he should have left, but he didn't. Since he wouldn't leave, you can rightfully dump the work on him. Shisui said, "Aki, you're really good at ordering people around," but his body honestly did the work for you.
Not only do you order him around, but you also ask him for your birthday present, asking, "Where's your present?"
"I thought you wouldn't ask, since you only care about Itachi."
What do you mean by only caring about Itachi? Who's spreading rumors?
Zhi Shui will help you finish your work so you can leave early. He says the gift is at home and you'll have to wait a while. You immediately understand his implication and grab his wrist. "If you're going to invite me to your house, you might as well be more generous and just say so."
"So, are you willing?"
"It's still early, is that alright? I hope you won't take up too much of my time."
Shisui said that you are still the same as before. You are not afraid of these ninjas and can even give orders as if it is a matter of course. He still remembers the first time he saw you. You were arguing with Itachi. You pinched his cheek as if to retaliate. In Shisui's memory, the genius who was always extremely proud did not resist. He even had a smile in his eyes.
You seem to possess a kind of magic that makes people accept all your actions.
You followed Zhishui to his apartment, which he kept very clean. You stood at the door and took off your shoes, saying that you were thirsty and asking why the crows kept staring at you.
Zhi Shui busied himself pouring you water and moving the crows to other places. You sat down at the coffee table and reached out to him, "Where's the gift?"
Another box appears in your palm, equally heavy. When you open it, you are dazzled by the sparkling light of the diamonds. The polished and cut diamonds radiate a brilliant brilliance. It is a diamond necklace, and one that is absolutely not suitable for everyday wear.
One gave pearls and the other gave diamonds; no wonder they are friends.
"You...don't like it?" Shisui asked nervously.
"Your income isn't that high, is it?" you said, because once your assets reach a certain level, your love for these jewelry pieces will also diminish. Of course, you still like them, after all, they are sparkling diamonds.
"Well, it's actually not too bad."
Since he said so, you accepted the gift without hesitation. Having achieved your purpose for coming here, you got up to leave. Shisui offered to take you home, and considering the diamond necklace he gave you, you walked home side by side with him. At the door, Sasuke happened to be returning from school. He smiled when he saw you, but the smile vanished when he saw Shisui beside you. He took your hand and led you home, "Aki, let's go home—!"
You nodded to Shisui, who replied, "Then goodbye."
"goodbye."
When you get home, Sasuke grabs your hand, pouting, and asks, "Aki, why are you with Shisui?"
"Because he said he had something to give me."
Sasuke knows your birthday is coming up, and he has already prepared a gift for you. It is a hairpin he made himself, in the shape of a camellia, with red petals adorned with irregular rubies.
Because everyone else took this birthday very seriously, the day itself was also very grand, and everyone put in a lot of effort. However, you, the person in question, didn't seem to care much. It's not your fault, though. The day before your birthday, you used the system to get involved in the jewelry industry and are now worried about whether your decision will result in a loss. If you do lose money, maintaining a stable cash flow will be a headache.
This worry kept you awake all night, so you decided to take your Walkman and books to the rooftop to bask in the moonlight.
Put on your headphones, open a jewelry magazine, and you'll find yourself drawn to a jewelry brand that has already declined in popularity.
【Do you choose to spend 15,000,000 to purchase [Brand · Chunshi]?】
This brand has been passed down for generations, but it couldn't keep up with the rapid changes in high society and eventually declined.
You hesitated for a moment, then finally clicked [OK].
You have purchased [Brand: Chunshi]
The next step is to figure out how to revitalize the brand. I'm looking at jewelry magazines and thinking about how to give it a fresh start.
A youthful female voice came through the headphones of my Walkman. It was Nana, a newcomer who had just debuted. It is common practice to have celebrities endorse jewelry. The key is that the selected celebrity must perfectly match the brand's style.
"My love won't fade because of my immaturity... Why not listen to the voice in my heart..." When you hear these two lines of lyrics, a night breeze suddenly blows, ruffling the stray hairs on your face. When you look up again, the familiar boy appears in front of you.
"My true love has arrived at this moment—" the song continued to play.
Itachi's lips moved slightly, as if he were saying something. You took off one of your headphones and asked, "What were you saying?"
"I made it in time; today isn't over yet." Itachi's words carried a hint of smugness. "I didn't miss your birthday."
"It's okay if you miss it."
Itachi sighed, sat down next to you, took the other half of the earphone from your hand, and after listening to only one line of lyrics, said, "Ruby Apple?"
"What? You listen to music too?"
"I'm not some old fogey who's lived for decades," he would joke.
"Hmm... what you're saying isn't very convincing."
Itachi smiled even more helplessly. He wanted to hug you, but he was worried that the blood on his body would stain your clothes. He was so conflicted, so conflicted about this and that, but in the end you saw through him. You said, "What else do you want to do?"
He gazes at you silently, like a shadow that won't leave you so easily. You catch a glimpse of the wound on his cheek and reach out to touch it, but he slightly turns his head, and your fingers brush against his lips.
His breath caught in his throat for a moment, visibly.
What? Was he scared? You suddenly realized some weakness in him, pinched his chin, and his eyelashes trembled slightly. His beautiful profile made you want to destroy him.
“Uchiha Itachi, your vulnerable side seems even more endearing,” you said.
At the same time, the lyrics of the next song came through the headphones: "A wicked lover always brings sweet torment, but I, and I, cannot refuse."
A note from the author:
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And so, the Uchiha clan was completely manipulated by Aki. [cat emoji][cat emoji]
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