[Read advance Chapters on P atreon at: p-atreon.com/SlytherinManor]
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Holding the unconscious Mikoto in his arms, Kanzou swept his gaze over everyone present at the scene.
Whether it was Hazuki, Shin, or Satoru loyal to him… or Makoto, Araki, or the other few, he made sure to memorize each one of them before ordering them coldly. "The fact that Mikoto has awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, I don't want a word of that getting out. Am I clear?"
His gaze was terrifying, and the oppressive weight of his chakra made everyone's breath hitch for a moment as they lowered their heads in fear. "Understood, Patriarch." They said collectively.
They really felt that at this time, Kanzou appeared scarier than Mikoto, who had just awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan!
'How could he be scarier than Mikoto-sama?'
Some of them couldn't help but wonder, doubts flickering in their hearts. 'Is it possible that Kanzou-sama also…?'
But they could only shoot darts in darkness without a direct way of confirming whether they were hitting the marks.
Not caring about what the others were thinking, Kanzou next ordered Hazuki, "Clean up Tadayoshi-sama's body… Later, a grand funeral will be organized in Tadayoshi-sama's honor... Start preparing for that…"
"Got it," Hazuki nodded.
With that, Kanzou took one more sweeping look at everyone before withdrawing from Shinkurou's house while carrying the unconscious Mikoto in his arms.
Returning home, he placed Mikoto on the bed and checked her state.
"Only unconscious, huh?" he murmured. She had experienced too many intense emotions all at once — hatred, rage, grief, sadness, guilt, loss, denial, and so on… The emotional strain she went through was already too much, and on top of that, just after awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan, she used Tsukuyomi and Susano'o one after another, resulting in severe exhaustion catching up to her.
And let's not forget the constant pressure Kanzou had been putting on her for such a long time.
Although she had been holding on and trying her best.
Having experienced this major loss, it was only natural for her to shut down. It would be strange if everything didn't catch up to her; after all, there's only so much she could bear.
Looking at the innocent, grief-stricken face of the unconscious Mikoto on the bed, nearly broken, Kanzou's lips curled sadistically, his face turning a little red.
'Ohhh… this is the best…' he couldn't help but think, exhaling a pleased hot breath.
For a sadistic bastard like him, pushing people to this extent where they even stop functioning for a moment and simply shut down… that's such a great feeling… it satisfied him… it aroused him to no end, making him unbearably hard.
'If only you had killed Tadayoshi-sama yourself…' he couldn't help but imagine. If she had done so herself, this entire situation would have been even more arousing…
But even now, Kanzou felt unbearably erect… and had the urge to immediately pull out his cock and give the unconscious Mikoto a beautiful bukkake.
"She'd definitely appreciate it…" he murmured, stroking his bulge.
Although this was sick, that's exactly what also made it sick. Giving in to his desires, he pulled down his pants and boxers as his throbbing, large cock sprang out, ready to shoot a massive load…
He gripped his cock and had only started rubbing it when suddenly the doorbell of his house rang.
DING~DONG!
"Fuck... who is coming at this point?" he clicked his tongue. He was just about to rub one out on her... but whoever was coming interrupted him.
"They better have a damn good reason..." he murmured, pulling his pants back up and taking a few breaths to calm his erection before going out to open the door.
The one at the door this time was none other than Misaki.
"Misaki? What are you doing here?" questioned Kanzou, sensing that something was wrong for her to be here.
...
ANBU Base—
The Eagle-masked ANBU entered the office to report something to Hiruzen. "Hokage-sama—"
But the ANBU was interrupted by Hiruzen. "Wait…" He then looked at the shinobi genuflecting before him. "Uchiha Tadayoshi and Uchiha Shinkurou… both of them… have died?" he questioned, taken aback upon hearing this news.
"Araki… what do you mean…?" Fugaku, who also didn't expect to hear this piece of news, was equally shocked. Of course, he was also shocked that Araki was actually at the ANBU base providing this intelligence, which meant Araki was Sarutobi Hiruzen's agent, a very concerning thing as Araki was one of the Clan's elite Jōnin… For one of the elite Jōnin of the Uchiha Clan to turn out to be Hiruzen's agent was indeed a serious matter. It made Fugaku realize that Hiruzen's agents had been embedded in the Clan all along. Right now, however, he was more concerned about the information Araki had brought. "How could they… how could both of them have died?"
He had only just seen Shinkurou the day before yesterday and had given him the task of delivering a message to Tadayoshi… and now he was learning that he was dead… and not only was he dead, but Tadayoshi as well?
How?
"Was it Kanzou… who killed them?" Fugaku clenched his fist in anger and hatred. He felt that it had to be that bastard Kanzou.
Araki shook his head. "It wasn't him…"
"Explain everything…" Hiruzen ordered.
Araki nodded and began explaining everything he witnessed—
And upon learning what exactly had happened there, which resulted in both Shinkurou and Tadayoshi's deaths, both Fugaku and Hiruzen were shocked again.
Tadayoshi sought his own death? He… committed suicide?
Was he mentally not alright?
In this situation… when the secret affair of Kanzou was revealed to him, shouldn't Tadayoshi… logically, for the sake of his granddaughter, oppose Kanzou? What do you mean you'd commit suicide and instead of framing Kanzou… who'd frame the very person bringing you that information?
What kind of reasoning is that…?
Sure enough, the Uchihas are all unpredictable and mentally unstable…
Hiruzen could only feel that the Uchihas were really a bunch that was hard to predict… they were mentally so unstable that they didn't act according to script at all… and did extreme things that didn't even make any sense.
What Hiruzen didn't know was that the Uchihas were not brainless… they did things their own way for suitable reasons… It's just that those who were prejudiced against them were sometimes unable to see things clearly without the complete story.
Hiruzen only knew the suicide of Tadayoshi from one perspective… not the series of events that led him to go through that…
But putting that aside, now Hiruzen was dealing with a major crisis. He looked at the man kneeling in front of him and asked, "Are you… absolutely certain that Uchiha Mikoto awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan?"
"Yes… I was there at that time. It happened right before my eyes…" nodded the man. "She awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan… and used its power to kill Shinkurou… It didn't even take five seconds… Although Shinkurou was restrained at that time, I don't think that would have made any difference… the power she showed, it was terrifying… I have never seen anything like that…" he said, explaining the turquoise ribcage structure made up of Chakra she manifested and used to kill Shinkurou.
Hearing the detailed description, Hiruzen's heart clenched tightly.
Based on his own knowledge of the Mangekyō Sharingan, he recognized what Araki had spoken.
'There is no mistaking it... that must have been the Susano'o... For Uchiha Mikoto to have used the Susano'o...'
It really meant that she had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
'This is the worst outcome…!'
Not only did Uchiha Tadayoshi die, but his death even caused Uchiha Mikoto to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan… and the bigger issue here is that Tadayoshi's death is related to Shinkurou, who was exposed to be working for Fugaku… which means that her hatred for Fugaku would only increase… so drawing her away from Kanzou… to Fugaku's side... that'd be impossible at this time…
And let's not forget the fact that she has awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan. That dōjutsu that has appeared in the Uchiha Clan after such a long time… It's not just power… it hasn't only just elevated her strength from that of an elite Jōnin to something much higher; it has also made her a symbol…
Indeed, for the Uchiha Clan, the Mangekyō Sharingan isn't just power; it's a symbol… symbol of an era, symbol of Madara's era when the Uchihas were at their peak and when they didn't bend to anyone… It's heavily admired, even worshipped…
With Uchiha Mikoto awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan, the fanaticism among the Uchihas would only increase…
Their arrogance would only increase, their pride would only inflate, their courage would only climb higher, and so would their unity…
At the same time, Fugaku's mind was running… and it wasn't going in a good direction…
'How… how could that bitch awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan?' he was furious.
Mikoto is a slut… a cheap, cheating, manipulative, backstabbing slut… she doesn't deserve anything… she doesn't deserve to be his wife, she doesn't deserve to be respected… all she deserves is to be chopped up and killed for betraying him… but such a cunt… who should be nothing more than a waste… why is she awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan?
Mangekyō Sharingan is something he… the rightful heir of the Uchiha Clan deserves to have. So how come, how come Mikoto awakened it and not him?
Fugaku clenched his fist.
'Damn it… why!!!!???'
On the other hand, Hiruzen also had to accept another reality…
Uchiha Kanzou, Uchiha Mikoto, Might Duy, and that certain Fūma Clan's ninja that is also loyal to Kanzou… The threat posed by the people under Kanzou's control… It's really gotten beyond when it's just a threat…
But among these, Uchiha Mikoto is still, without a doubt, has the potential to become the greatest threat... perhaps even bigger than Kanzou. Not because of who she is, but because of what she has awakened.
Hiruzen felt anxious, and he immediately ordered the Eagle Masked ANBU. "The ninjas sent to Sora-ku... stop them... tell them to abandon that mission..."
Fugaku frowned. Before the Eagle Masked ANBU could respond, he questioned, "Why... abandon?"
"..." Hiruzen opened his mouth, unable to come up with the right words to explain his reasoning for abandoning that mission. He... couldn't tell that it was because Uchiha Mikoto awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan... he had to give another reason... why he decided to order his men to abandon that mission...
Still, with his experience, it was pretty easy to come up with an explanation. "...It's pointless for that mission to continue... Uchiha Tadayoshi is dead... and Uchiha Mikoto, it would also be difficult to incite her..."
"But still—" Fugaku wanted to argue. So what if Mikoto couldn't be incited, Kanzou could still be threatened with Fūma Misaki, right? And also... he needed vengeance against Fūma Misaki too... that bitch had also humiliated him; how could he forget that? He needed her captured so that he could get his revenge on her.
However, Hiruzen shook his head. "It's too risky…" He wasn't going to take that risk at this point. He had to back off… Therefore, he didn't agree with Fugaku and ordered the ANBU again. "Call them all back…"
"Hokage-sama… I came here to report about that," the ANBU said with a tense voice.
"What do you mean?" Hiruzen questioned, sensing that something was wrong.
Fugaku also turned his gaze to the ANBU.
"Fūma Misaki… she has… arrived in Konoha…" the ANBU answered nervously.
Hiruzen stood up. "What? Fūma Misaki... she has come to Konoha?"
Fugaku's expression also changed.
Fūma Misaki coming to Konoha... it cannot be a good thing. Moreover, what happened to those ninjas sent to Sora-ku?
...
Back at the Patriarch's Mansion, Uchiha Compound—
"Here, Kanzou-sama… I brought this storage scroll… it has corpses of those ninjas who tried to attack us at Sora-ku…" Misaki said, passing the scroll to Kanzou. "They seem to be Konoha ninjas…"
"Sarutobi Hiruzen… that monkey… he really is…" Kanzou pursed his lips and took the scroll. Then he looked at her. "Are you alright?" he questioned.
"Is Kanzou-sama… worried about me? I am so touched~" she responded, teasing.
Kanzou flicked her forehead.
"Ouch…" Misaki rubbed her forehead before sighing. "Natsuhi-san was there at that time… so nothing happened. Without her, it could have been dangerous." She answered.
In Kakuzu's absence, Natsuhi was staying at Sora-ku, waiting for the next target of assassination. Hiruzen was unlucky to have sent ninjas to kidnap Misaki while she was hiding there. With her strength, combined with Misaki and the ninja cats, it wasn't too difficult for them to get rid of all the ninjas trying to kidnap Misaki.
Kanzou nodded. "It's good that nothing happened."
If anything had happened to her… he would have immediately headed to the Hokage Building and burnt Hiruzen's ass into cinders.
However, since she was safe, it didn't matter… what she was concerned about was something else, and she asked him in a low voice. "By the way… Kanzou-sama, I heard that Mikoto-sama's grandfather…" she trailed off for the last part.
"Yeah… things happened…" nodded Kanzou.
"How is Mikoto-sama?" Misaki questioned. She wondered if she should see Mikoto…
"She was too overwhelmed and is currently unconscious…" Kanzou answered.
"I… see…" murmured Misaki. After a bit of hesitation, she said to him. "Maybe you went a little too far with her…"
She is absolutely certain that, regardless of the outside story, Kanzou must still have a lot to do with what happened to Tadayoshi and Mikoto, and with why she is overwhelmed.
Kanzou shrugged. "That's not your concern."
"…Hmm," hummed Misaki, not knowing what else to say. Kanzou clearly felt no sense of guilt behind pushing Mikoto to this extent. Misaki even knew that he must be relishing it… after all, he is a sadist who enjoys this cruelty.
Of course, at the end of the day, she doesn't really care either. If she cared, she'd not be willing to suck his cock… so it doesn't matter.
"Anyway… what are you going to do now…?" questioned Kanzou, changing the topic.
"…I wonder if I can stay in Konoha for some time?" she asked. Without his permission, she can't do that.
"Yeah, do that… also attend the upcoming funeral of Tadayoshi-sama… and after that, hmm… maybe I'll pursue the matter of the attack on you…" instructed Kanzou.
Attack on her at Sora-ku… naturally, Kanzou wasn't going to let it slide…
"I understand," nodded Misaki, feeling very sweet to see that Kanzou wasn't going to let that matter slide. As for his anger, she sensed it as well, and that only made her devotion to him stronger.
After giving Misaki a few more instructions, he ordered one of the Zodiacs to arrange a place for her to stay, then went back to the bedroom.
...
By the time Kanzou returned to the bedroom, Mikoto was already awake.
"You're awake," he said, blinking. He was planning to rub one on her, but now that she was awake... that couldn't be done for now. Moving past it, he took a closer look at her.
She sat there with her back against the wall, dishevelled, her cheeks streaked with dried tears, and her eyes clouded with not just sorrow but also anger and hatred that was directed at him.
"You have something to say to me…?" he questioned, approaching her.
His question made her flinch for a moment, but she clenched her fists and questioned him. "Sofu-sama's suicide… was it… really just a suicide… you… you must have something to do with it, right?"
It was too coincidental for Tadayoshi to have committed suicide right after he left the Naka Shrine. At that underground chamber where Tadayoshi and Kanzou talked, and also in the main hall where the two talked… Mikoto suspects that Kanzou must have something to do with Tadayoshi's death. She feels that it might not be a suicide, but rather a cold-blooded murder by him… He could have put her grandfather in a Genjutsu and controlled him to go through with it all so as to torment her and also force her to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Anyway, Kanzou has been pushing her to kill her grandfather to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan. She suspects that he must have come to terms with the fact that she can't go through with it and chose an alternate route…
"Haha… is that what you suspect…?" he laughed before shaking his head and speaking honestly. "I did want him dead… but… I wanted you to be the one to do it… to kill him… the way he died… that had even caught me off-guard. It wasn't my plan. I feel sort of disappointed and even defeated… Although in his death, Tadayoshi-sama did manage to get a win over me…"
Mikoto looked at him with hatred and also suspicion, not knowing what to say.
She felt that he wasn't lying… well, he generally doesn't lie. He speaks the truth, even if the truth he is speaking is horrifying and showcases his cruel, sadistic nature… he does speak the truth, and even now he is speaking the truth. She knows that he wanted to put her through the agony of committing parricide… that was his intention… or perhaps he just wanted to test her choice… between her grandfather and himself, who'd she choose? Would she be willing to go that far... to any length for his sake?
Whatever his objective was by pushing her to commit parricide, he failed to do that because her grandfather sought death on his own terms.
But what is she supposed to do with this truth?
Should she feel glad that Kanzou's plan didn't work? But in the end, her grandfather still died… didn't he?
How could she feel glad? She felt heartbroken with this reality… and also very guilty to the point that her mind seemed not to be working for a moment… all she felt was the need to destroy something… hate everything… everything that caused her grandfather's death.
And at the center of this everything was undoubtedly Kanzou… who was undoubtedly responsible for it all.
She raised her eyes to meet his gaze, her eyes clouded with hatred and anger towards—
Feeling that hateful gaze directed upon him, Kanzou chuckled. He wasn't nervous and crouched down in front of her, getting to her eye level. Meeting her gaze directly, he questioned, "Do you want to kill me?"
"I…" she began, but couldn't speak more than a single word because while it's true that she felt intense hatred and anger towards him… in the end… does she want to kill him? Does she want him dead?
"…it seems you aren't sure," he said.
Unable to answer, she silently lowered her gaze. "…"
Kanzou shrugged, not caring. He took out a letter. Tadayoshi had written two letters. One was addressed to Kanzou, the other was addressed to Mikoto. While he had read the one addressed to him, which was filled with some melodrama as well as the matter concerning Shinkurou being in contact with Fugaku, he hadn't read the one that was addressed to Mikoto.
"Here… This is the letter Tadayoshi-sama left behind for you," he said, passing it to her.
"Sofu-sama left this for me…?" She immediately unfolded the letter and began reading it.
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My dearest Mikoto,
By the time you are reading this letter, I will no longer be in this world. Please do not cry for too long, my child. Do not let grief consume you.
I am an old man. My time in this world was always limited — a year or two at most before my body would have given out on its own. I have lived a long life, watched you grow from a gentle little girl into the strong, young woman, and that alone has filled my heart with more satisfaction than I could ever ask for.
What you attempted to do with that tea... I saw the hesitation in your eyes, the trembling of your hand, and the guilt that nearly broke you. Do not blame yourself. I forgive you completely — there is nothing to forgive. You were pushed into an impossible corner, and the fact that you ultimately could not go through with it shows the kind of woman you truly are. I am proud of you for that.
My death is my own choice, made on my own terms. No one forced my hand in the end, not even Kanzou-kun. I chose this path so that you would not have to carry the weight of my blood on yours and so that you would have the strength to protect yourself. With the strength that you'd gained following my death, I wish for you to live freely, Mikoto. Do not give up your agency. Do not let anyone, not even Kanzou-kun — take away your right to decide your own path or what you do not wish to accept. You are stronger than you believe.
I love you, my granddaughter. Always have, always will.
Live proudly.
Your grandfather, Uchiha Tadayoshi
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"Sofu-sama… I... I... I just wanted to—"
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Drop Power Stonessssssssss!!!
[Read advance Chapters on P atreon at: p-atreon.com/SlytherinManor]