They walked through the ruined district.

The female Mist ninja couldn't help but stretch her neck and cautiously asked, "Am I… really going to be okay?"

"You'll be fine," Yu replied casually.

"That's good," she whispered shakily, finally feeling relieved.

In the Bloody Mist–shrouded Kirigakure, what she did tonight was basically a death sentence.

She watched as Uchiha Yu returned to the guesthouse.

The Mist kunoichi remained standing in place, unable to move for a long time as her thoughts raced.

She knew clearly that the Uchiha were honored guests to the Hidden Mist — potential saviors of the village.

But she hadn't expected that Lady Mei would sacrifice so much for Kirigakure.

…

In the guesthouse hallway…

As Yu ascended the stairs, he noticed a familiar figure sitting at the landing.

Her face was soft and calm, her long black hair falling straight beside her ears, exuding grace and elegance.

Her long lashes curled above deep, beautiful black eyes that stared at the corner of the corridor, seemingly unconcerned by the quiet, dragging passage of night.

"Still awake?" Yu asked, eyeing the now pajama-clad Mikoto.

"I was worried you'd return late and not know which room they gave you," Mikoto said with a gentle smile, her eyes lighting up slightly as she walked over.

She subtly sniffed the air near him — not detecting any other woman's scent — and visibly relaxed.

"Thanks," Yu replied.

The sea breeze outside had long since carried away any trace of Mei's scent.

From Yu's point of view, Mikoto was probably here to ask for his guidance in training as well…

Mikoto turned, her silky hair flowing down her elegant waist like a waterfall — a picture of poise.

She reached back, took Yu's hand, and led him upstairs.

At the rooftop was a single, large suite.

Lavishly decorated.

Fully furnished.

"This bedroom is normally reserved by the Mist for hosting the Hokage of Konoha, the Kazekage of the Sand, the Tsuchikage of the Stone, and the Raikage of the Cloud."

"Because the Mist has been closed off for years…"

"You're the first one to use it. I cleaned and prepared it before you returned."

Mikoto pressed close to Yu's back and gently removed his outer coat, hanging it by the door.

"You're the first."

Yu nodded.

In the battle with the Six-Tails, he'd activated his Full-Body Susanoo. The backlash from his Mangekyō Sharingan had lessened this time — likely due to his enhanced mental strength.

Which meant strengthening his mental energy was now a must.

After an intense round of intimacy—

"Yu-kun… Can I ask you something?" Mikoto, still in pain but snuggling close, asked in a side-lying position.

"Go ahead."

Yu's heart was like still water now, detached like a sage, untempted by anything.

He wanted to tell her: if you're going to negotiate with a man, never choose this kind of moment.

But remembering she'd only have him from now on, he let it slide.

Yu gently brushed aside her silky black hair and stared into her pleading eyes.

The air was filled with a warm, lingering atmosphere.

Mikoto lowered her head in shyness, then whispered, "It's about Sasuke."

Yu had a vague idea what she was going to say and simply listened without interrupting.

"I want Yu-kun to be Sasuke's father. A child can't grow up without a father's love," Mikoto said hesitantly.

If it hadn't been for Sasuke, Mikoto figured things between her and Yu wouldn't have developed this quickly. She might've waited for him to make the first move.

After speaking, Mikoto widened her eyes and gazed up at Yu with pleading sincerity, her presence radiating an aura that evoked compassion.

"To become Sasuke's father… wouldn't that mean becoming Itachi's father too…"

Yu sighed.

Hearing Itachi's name, Mikoto's body went soft. Tears of helplessness slid down her cheeks, making her look even more fragile.

"We'll see how you behave in the future," Yu said, then pulled out a nearly depleted green potion, uncapped it, and drank it in one gulp.

He grabbed Mikoto's delicate foot.

"No… not tonight…"

"Go ask Nono to heal you tomorrow."

"But… that's too embarrassing…"

A new storm was on the horizon.

With the battle now over and his energy restored—

Yu was heading to shower when a mission prompt suddenly popped into his mind:

[Side Mission]: Fatherly Love, As Steady As a Mountain.

[Objective]:

1. Gain Sasuke's recognition and become his father.

[Reward]: Green Potion x1

Fatherly love as steady as a mountain?

Yu's pupils slightly contracted. Could this mission be any more random?

Still, at least it didn't interrupt him in the middle of a fight.

He supposed it was… considerate, in a way.

For the sake of the green potion, Yu leaned in toward the soft and vulnerable Mikoto and whispered in her ear, "I agree to become Sasuke's father."

"Mmh—" Mikoto's mind was already blank, her voice faint as a dream, "Thank you… Yu-kun… I love you most…"

...

The next morning, in the soft light of dawn—

Uchiha Yu was full of energy as he led the Uchiha clan members toward the Mizukage building.

"Yawn—" Izumi slung the Samehada sword on her back, rubbing her sleepy eyes and yawning loudly.

She glanced around the group and noticed Mikoto wasn't among them, muttering, "Why does she get to sleep in and skip early morning duties..."

Tamayo stretched his mouth wide in a massive yawn like a hippo, wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes, and said casually, "Probably because she's too beautiful."

Inside the Mizukage's office—

Uchiha Yu entered with the Uchiha group. Mei Terumi was seated in the Mizukage's chair.

Mist shinobi came and went around the desk, delivering scrolls of intel.

Mei looked exhausted, clearly having stayed up all night on duty.

When the Uchiha arrived, the Mist ninja tactfully stepped aside to make way and lined up on either side.

"Yu-kun!" Mei greeted him with a soft, flower-like smile.

She stood up and picked out a few scrolls from the stack, handing them over.

"These are personnel records the Kirigakure hospital found. One of them matches the appearance you described last night, though his name isn't Shinno."

"He didn't work at the hospital for long—it seems he only infiltrated to conveniently search for something within the village."

"Possibly because he didn't find what he wanted, he left Kirigakure a week ago. The last sighting was at the southwestern docks."

Mei summarized the key points in one breath.

Uchiha Yu's expression shifted slightly.

An unexpected gain.

The rest of the Uchiha clan perked up—they knew Yu was determined to find this "Shinno" guy, who was critical to the founding of the new ninja village.

Opening the scroll—

Yu found a photo and a detailed dossier inside.

The man in the photo had a long face with deep smile lines around his nose.

Horse-like features, a black cotton cap, and long, slightly curled, ash-blond hair.

No doubt—

This was the Shinno of the ninja world he was searching for.

"Southwestern port." Yu opened another scroll, reading it closely.

It recorded Shinno's last known location—he had likely snuck off Kirigakure Island via that port, which connected to the mainland through the Land of Waves and then to the Land of Fire.

"Land of Fire… Konoha," Yu muttered, beginning to piece it together.

He flicked his right hand, and the scroll vanished into his storage space.

Shinno most likely headed to Konoha a week ago. That was good news.

Yu planned to return to the Land of Rice Fields and see if Orochimaru had gathered any leads. If not, he'd go to Konoha himself.

"Thank you for everything."

Yu looked at Mei in front of him.

Mei smiled, replying,

"This is the least we could do. And thank you for your help last night during the interrogation. Oh, and after extracting intel, we sent scout units to the borders of the Land of Water—they found that Sunagakure had already begun retreating."

Her brows relaxed into a smile. Kirigakure was in a fragile state—it couldn't afford more chaos.

"They retreated?"

Yu frowned slightly. What was the Fourth Kazekage up to now?

"Yes, it seems they've also turned toward Konoha and lost interest in Kirigakure."

In full view of the Mist shinobi, Mei handed over an important military scroll to Yu.

None of the Mist ninja objected.

After all, the intel about the potential Sand surprise attack had come from Yu's interrogation efforts.

Yu checked the scroll—the reports aligned with what Mei had said and were consistent across multiple updates. No errors.

Sunagakure…

Rasa…

Yu handed the scroll back to Mei.

In his heart, he sighed.

The debt from last night—when Rasa ruined his good moment—would be repaid, sooner or later.

"Since Kirigakure is temporarily safe, we'll be leaving today. If the village faces danger again, send word to the Sound Village in the Land of Rice Fields."

Yu gave his instructions.

"…Will you come back for me?"

The next day, morning light broke faintly.

Early in the morning.

Yu was full of energy, leading the Uchiha group toward the Mizukage building.

"Yaaawn—" Izumi, carrying the Samehada sword on her back, yawned sleepily.

She scanned the Uchiha team and noticed Mikoto was missing. She muttered quietly, "Why does she get to sleep in…"

Tamayo tilted his head back with his mouth wide open, letting out a huge yawn like a hippo.

He wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes and casually said, "Maybe it's because she's too beautiful!"

Mizukage's office.

Yu led the Uchiha inside and saw Mei Terumi sitting in the Mizukage's seat.

Mist-nin moved in and out around the desk, carrying intelligence scrolls.

Mei Terumi looked exhausted. She clearly hadn't slept all night, tirelessly holding her post.

When the Uchiha arrived, the Mist-nin tactfully made way for them, stepping aside.

"Yu-kun!"

Mei Terumi smiled like a blooming flower.

She stood slowly, picked out a few scrolls from the pile, and handed them over:

"These are personnel records found by the Kirigakure hospital. One of them matches the description you gave last night, but he's not called Shennong."

"He didn't work at the hospital for long—seems he only infiltrated to conveniently search for something within the village."

"Maybe because he didn't find it, he left Kirigakure a week ago. His last known location was the southwest harbor."

She laid out the important information in one go.

Yu's expression shifted slightly.

An unexpected but welcome surprise.

The other Uchiha showed interest too—they knew Yu was determined to find this man called "Shinno," as he was important to the founding of the new shinobi village.

Yu unrolled the scroll.

Inside was a photo and detailed profile.

The middle-aged man in the photo had a long face, deep nasolabial lines on both sides of his nose.

Horse-faced, wearing a black cotton hat, and with slightly wavy, off-white long hair.

Clearly.

This was the Shinno of the shinobi world he'd been searching for.

°°°

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