Leaving the Training Grounds, which reeked of iron and blood, Raien returned to his luxurious personal chambers deep within the palace.
In stark contrast to the killing intent outside, this place was warm, quiet, and filled with fragrant incense, carrying a lazy, enchanting aura that dulled the edge of violence.
His gaze was instantly drawn to the figure sitting by the bed.
It was a beautiful woman with a gentle, watery disposition.
Her dark hair flowed smoothly over her shoulders, a few stray strands resting against her smooth forehead.
Her skin was like fine white porcelain, so delicate that not a single blemish could be found.
Her features were exquisitely refined, as if painted with a fine brush, yet a faint, unresolved sadness lingered between her brows, as though she carried too many burdens in her heart.
She wore a loose, light-colored, form-fitting kimono.
The soft fabric subtly outlined her mature, graceful figure, exuding a restrained yet irresistible charm unique to a fully grown woman.
At this moment, she was looking down.
Her slender fingers skillfully threaded a needle, diligently tailoring a dark robe clearly meant for a grown man.
Her focused expression carried a gentle, maternal warmth, yet also a sorrow that could not be erased.
Uchiha Mikoto.
The former wife of the Uchiha Clan Head.
When Raien's footsteps sounded, Mikoto looked up like a startled deer.
Upon seeing him, she quickly put down her needlework and stood up, her movements slightly flustered.
She clasped her hands in front of her and curtsied gently, her posture elegant yet habitually deferential.
"Your Majesty."
Raien strode forward and reached out, naturally drawing her soft body into his embrace, as if it were the most normal thing in the world.
Lowering his head, his nose brushing against her faintly fragrant hair, he spoke in a deliberately gentle voice.
"Aunt Mikoto, what are you thinking about again? You look troubled."
His fingers lightly traced the faint crease in her brow.
Mikoto stiffened for a brief moment in his arms, then slowly relaxed, as if surrendering to something she could no longer resist.
She raised her eyes—still beautiful, still sorrowful—and looked at Raien's young yet commanding face.
Her voice trembled with emotion.
"I… I'm worried about Sasuke. Ever since he defected from Konoha and went with Orochimaru, there's been no news of him.
He's already an adult, but… I don't know what kind of hardships he's endured out there."
Her voice choked by the end.
Her eyes reddened.
As a mother, her worry for her son was the deepest pain carved into her heart.
A trace of calculation flashed deep within Raien's eyes, but his expression remained gentle and reassuring.
He softly patted Mikoto's back.
"Don't worry, Aunt Mikoto. I have informants on Orochimaru's side. Sasuke is fine. He's alive, and he's growing stronger. When he's ready, he'll return to you."
His words carried undeniable certainty, temporarily easing the anxiety crushing her heart.
Mikoto's tense body relaxed slightly.
She let out a soft hum and buried her face against his chest, as if drawing comfort from an illusion of safety.
But soon, she noticed Raien's hands beginning to move.
His warm palm slid deliberately along her slender waist and soft back.
Mikoto's body trembled.
A blush spread rapidly across her cheeks.
Half annoyed, half helpless, she lightly slapped his wandering hand.
"Your Majesty… you're already an emperor. How can you still be… still be like this…"
"Like this?" Raien tightened his arms instead of stopping,
pulling her even closer.
He leaned down and breathed hot air into her ear, his voice teasing.
"Like when, exactly, Aunt Mikoto?"
Mikoto's face instantly flushed crimson.
Even her earlobes burned red.
She lowered her head shyly, her voice barely audible.
"It's… it's just like when you stayed at my home… you were just as restless back then. Even… even…"
She couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence.
That night remained carved deeply into her soul.
Raien's lips curled into a slow, triumphant smile.
Of course, he knew exactly what she meant.
That stormy night—
the night that completely changed their relationship.
His thoughts drifted back many years.
Back when he had transmigrated into this world, his status awkward and precarious.
His servant-born mother had died after giving birth to him, leaving him the least favored son of the old Daimyō.
Within the cold, indifferent Daimyō residence, he had existed like a transparent shadow.
As a transmigrator, Raien understood one thing clearly:
opportunities never come to those who wait.
To gain power and change his fate, he had to seize it himself.
Thus, as an adult, he proposed going to Konoha to "study."
The old Daimyō was eager to send him away and readily agreed.
Konoha's higher-ups, wary of the Daimyō's son, gave him high-level reception.
Raien then made a bold request—
to lodge at the home of the Uchiha Clan Head, Uchiha Fugaku.
To curry favor with the Daimyō, Fugaku agreed without hesitation.
Thus, Raien moved into the Uchiha compound.
By day, he interacted with adult ninja like Kurenai Yuhi, Kakashi, and others, maintaining the image of a noble scion.
By night, he returned to a residence filled with the secrets of the Sharingan.
Later, war broke out.
Fugaku and Itachi were dispatched to the battlefield.
Within the vast Uchiha residence, only Mikoto, her son Sasuke… and Raien remained.
And Raien never forgot his goal.
The Sharingan.
The Uchiha Bloodline Limit.
At the time, he lacked power.
So he chose the most despicable—
and most direct—method.
On a carefully chosen night, he used special drugs acquired from the black market, mixing them silently into Mikoto's tea.
Watching the gentle, beautiful clan leader's wife drink it without suspicion, his heart raced— half guilt, half anticipation.
When the drug took effect, Mikoto's resistance collapsed under uncontrollable physiological reactions.
That night marked the beginning of sin.
What was even more cruel was what followed.
Immersed in pain and betrayal, Mikoto—under the drug's influence and immense psychological shock— ended up blaming herself.
She believed it was loneliness.
That she had developed inappropriate feelings for Raien, who was mature, capable, and constantly by her side.
That she had committed something unforgivable while "confused."
Shame and guilt nearly crushed her.
And that twisted self-blame gave Raien his opening.
Feigning affection and understanding, he became her only confidant.
Her guilt, dependence, and the complex sensations of her first experience intertwined, binding her tighter and tighter.
Like a drowning woman clutching driftwood, Uchiha Mikoto sank deeper into Raien's carefully woven trap.
"Heh…"
Raien returned from his memories.
Holding the shy woman in his arms, he tightened his embrace, lowered his head, and kissed her smooth forehead.
His voice was low and seductive.
"How can you blame me? If you must blame someone… blame Aunt Mikoto for being too beautiful."
"Like a ripe peach making it impossible not to take a bite."
Mikoto's body trembled.
She didn't know whether it was his words, or the weight of that inescapable shame and dependence.
She closed her eyes, long lashes trembling, and finally released a faint sigh, allowing Raien's presence to completely envelop her.
Within this magnificent cage, she was both a mother— and a lover.