Chapter 206: Ōnoki Arrives
When the three of them arrived home, Mikoto was already busy cooking in the kitchen.
Sasuke dropped his schoolbag by the stairs near the entrance, peeked inside, and ran straight into the kitchen.
"Kasan, where's Ni-san?" he asked eagerly.
"Didn't you see him on the way?" Mikoto replied without turning around. "We ran out of soy sauce, so I sent your brother to buy some."
"Oh… we didn't run into him," Sasuke said, a little disappointed.
"Then you and Naruto go bring in the laundry from the yard before it gets dark," Mikoto instructed.
"I'll do it!" Naruto volunteered, dashing outside toward the clothesline.
Fugaku headed straight for the refrigerator, grabbed a cold can of beer, turned on the TV, and leaned back on the sofa in complete comfort.
Sasuke, still disappointed that he hadn't seen his brother, helped Naruto collect the laundry. As they worked, Naruto nudged Sasuke with his elbow.
Sasuke frowned, about to complain—until Naruto whispered, eyes shining, "Look, it's Itachi-aniki!"
Sasuke's expression instantly changed. His eyes lit up, and he turned toward the road — where Itachi's familiar silhouette appeared, walking back with a small bag in hand.
Overjoyed, Sasuke dropped the clothes into Naruto's arms and sprinted toward him.
"Ni-san!"
Itachi chuckled softly, holding up the soy sauce bottle in one hand to keep it from spilling as Sasuke jumped into his arms.
"Sasuke, did anything interesting happen at school today?" Itachi asked warmly.
Sasuke thought for a moment. "Naruto, that big idiot, got called to answer a theory question in Iruka-sensei's class. He couldn't answer, so he got punished and had to stand in the corner."
Itachi smiled faintly. That sounded exactly like Naruto. He wasn't very fond of theory and preferred hands-on training.
Perhaps I should help him strengthen that area later, Itachi thought. Theory may not win battles, but it builds a foundation — and Naruto needs that.
With that thought, he and Sasuke walked into the yard together.
Naruto had just finished gathering all the laundry. "Welcome back, Itachi-aniki!" he said cheerfully.
"Hmm, Naruto's very diligent," Itachi praised, smiling at him. "Come on, let's head inside."
Sasuke watched Naruto beam under their brother's praise and immediately regretted handing over the laundry.
If only I'd carried it myself, Ni-san would've praised me instead…
The three went inside, changing shoes at the entrance. Itachi took the soy sauce to the kitchen, with Sasuke following close behind like a little shadow, while Naruto went to hang the clean clothes on the balcony.
---
"Naruto, good work," Fugaku said from the sofa once the boy was done. "Come have some snacks."
"Coming, Uncle!" Naruto grinned and sat beside him, grabbing a handful of snacks without hesitation.
"Uncle, is that drink good?" he asked curiously, eyeing the can of cold beer in Fugaku's hand.
"This?" Fugaku smirked playfully. "Want to try it?"
Naruto's eyes sparkled. "Really?"
Before anyone could stop him, Naruto grabbed the can and took a huge gulp — no hesitation, no testing sip.
The cold bitterness hit his tongue, and his face immediately twisted. "Bleh! It tastes awful!" he sputtered, handing it back.
Fugaku laughed heartily and downed the rest in one go.
"Clear the table — dinner's ready!" Mikoto's gentle voice called from the kitchen.
Naruto, tongue still sticking out, leapt off the sofa and ran to clear the table. Sasuke followed right behind Itachi, both carrying their bowls and chopsticks.
---
After dinner, Itachi took Naruto and Sasuke to the training grounds for their daily lessons.
Fugaku watched TV for a while longer before getting up and heading to the kitchen. Mikoto was finishing the dishes when he came up behind her and slipped his arms around her slender waist.
The light fragrance of her hair and skin made his heartbeat quicken.
Smirking, Fugaku easily lifted her into his arms in a princess carry.
"Oh— I haven't finished washing yet," Mikoto protested softly, her fair legs kicking playfully.
Fugaku chuckled, "We'll finish later. Let's do something fun first."
The bedroom door closed with a soft click.
Moments later, the house filled with rhythmic, familiar sounds.
(Thousands of words omitted.)
---
The next morning.
Arriving at the Hokage Office, Fugaku once again followed his new daily routine: his real body slipped into the inner room to nap, while a Shadow Clone sat at the desk — appearing busy, but in reality, continuing to write his serialized story.
Around noon, Nara Shikaku came by with a document for Fugaku to sign — a housing allocation for Jiraiya.
Fugaku signed without issue.
The rest of the day passed uneventfully.
By afternoon, Fugaku went to the Academy to pick up Sasuke and Naruto, bringing them home as usual.
---
Meanwhile, far away on the northern coast of the Land of Lightning, the Iwagakure forces had gathered.
Nearly three hundred ninja stood assembled on the beach, their eyes turned toward the distant horizon.
The sky was painted gold by the setting sun — but none of them were admiring the view. They were waiting.
Waiting for the arrival of the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki.
Soon, a small figure appeared in the distance, floating closer through the air.
"The Tsuchikage-sama has arrived!" someone shouted.
The entire army straightened at once.
Kitsuchi's face lit up — after being humiliated and robbed by the Fourth Mizukage, his frustration had been unbearable. But now that his father was here, they could finally strike back.
Ōnoki landed without a word and immediately led his troops forward. His expression was dark with anger.
For the Hidden Mist Village to rob Iwagakure… they clearly thought he wouldn't dare retaliate.
He had already heard the reports — the Mist had been in decline for years, their ranks thinned by desertion. Only a handful of true elites remained loyal to Yagura Karatachi.
And with so few men, they still dared to rob us?
Ōnoki's jaw tightened. His temper flared like a volcano.
He was determined to see just how far the Fourth Mizukage's arrogance went — and whether Yagura's full Tailed Beast transformation could withstand the destructive might of Dust Release, the ultimate Bloodline Technique.
---
But while Ōnoki led his troops through the Land of Lightning in search of the Hidden Mist forces…
Yagura Karatachi had already set sail for home, his ships loaded with plunder from several cities.
While Iwagakure's army scoured the countryside, the Fourth Mizukage was already halfway back to the Hidden Mist.
Ōnoki's men searched all night and found nothing.
Enraged, the old Tsuchikage cursed loudly — mostly at his son, Kitsuchi, for not ordering anyone to track the Mist ninjas after their encounter.
If Kitsuchi had sent scouts to follow them, Ōnoki wouldn't have had to drag his entire army across the continent chasing ghosts.
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