Disclaimer: Naruto and all of its character belong to Masashi Kishimoto. I own nothing but the original characters I make.
Chapter 201: Secret Kekkei Genkai
Later that night, Mikoto found Raiken in their room. He sat by the window, as he always did when deep in thought, instead of just resting.
"Anata (Dear)," she said, closing the door behind her. "We need to talk about Uchiha Madara and Otsutsuki Kaguya staying here."
Raiken turned toward her.
"I am listening," he said.
Mikoto sat across from him and folded her hands in her lap. All evening, she had watched two of the most powerful and dangerous people in the shinobi world sit in her living room and talk with her children. The unease she had felt all day finally turned into words.
"I trust you," she said, choosing her words carefully. "I want you to know that first, so you don't think I doubt your judgment but Madara once tried to destroy this village. Otsutsuki Kaguya was sealed away because she was too dangerous. Now both of them are in our home, where our children sleep."
Raiken did not respond immediately, letting her finish her sentence.
"I am not asking you to change your mind," continued Mikoto. "I am asking you to tell me why."
Raiken looked at her for a long moment and then reached over and took her hand.
"You have every reason to be worried," he said. "I would be disappointed if you weren't, but I didn't make this choice lightly." He paused. "This house is more secure than anywhere else in the village, even the Hokage building and office. If either of them ever became a real threat, I could contain them faster than anyone else could react and bringing them here wasn't reckless. It was the safest option to save everyone. I could use the seal that I planted in this house to transport them to some places. I brought the danger to the one place I know I can control."
Mikoto absorbed the information, she looked more at ease with his answer, some of the tension in her shoulders easing slightly.
"And more than just containing them," Raiken said, "I know Madara was still alive for years, and only now did I decide to confront him. Do you want to know why?"
Mikoto looked at her husband, then nodded. "Why?"
"Because I am ready and confident to face him. Didn't you remember what I did to your blood and living cells?" said Raiken. His eyes turned red eyes, the Sharingan had been activated.
Mikoto paused, looking at her husband's Sharingan. She still remembered what Raiken had done after the war.
"I understand. Thank you for telling me the truth," said Mikoto, smiling.
Raiken nodded and deactivated his Sharingan. " And I also think Madara no longer wanted to destroy. He wants to see if the Konoha he helped create was worth the price he paid. Kaguya has carried guilt for a century over what happened when she was gone. Neither of them is the same threat the old records talk about."
"You believe that," said Mikoto.
"I believe that enough to bet my family's safety on it," said Raiken. "Which I do not do lightly."
His abilities are similar to Sherlock Holmes; he can detect every detail of body language.
Mikoto looked at him for a long moment, then nodded slowly. Her tension faded, replaced by trust.
"Over the years," she said quietly, "you have shown me many times what you are capable of. I would be foolish to stop believing in your judgment now."
Raiken smiled softly and squeezed her hand.
Mikoto didn't say it out loud, but her trust in her husband came from more than just watching him. Years ago, Raiken had quietly given her Wood Style cells, letting her use Hashirama's abilities along with her Sharingan and the physical changes he had given her before. She had never shown these powers in public or mentioned them to anyone, but she trained with them in private. She knew, with confidence, that she was the second strongest shinobi in Konoha after her husband.
If Madara or Kaguya ever turned against her in her own home, she would not be defenseless.
That certainty, more than anything Raiken said that night, finally let her relax.
….
THE NEXT MORNING - HOKAGE OFFICE
The next morning, Sakumo called Raiken, Hikaku, and the other clan leaders to a smaller, private meeting focused on whether Madara should remain in the village.
Raiken did not attend in person. He sent a shadow clone in his place, while the real Raiken remained at his house where he could monitor Madara and Kaguya directly.
He wore an expression of easy indifference throughout the meeting, the same relaxed posture he always carried, but beneath it he paid closer attention to every word than anyone in the room would have guessed. He didn't trust Madara enough to leave him unsupervised, and the nonchalance was the most efficient way to keep everyone else calm while he quietly managed the real risk.
"Raiken," said Sakumo once the room had settled. "I want to understand exactly what safeguards exist regarding Madara. He is currently staying inside the village with full access to his abilities and no restrictions that I am aware of. That is not something I can allow to continue without a clearer picture."
"I understand the concern," replied the clone, his tone carrying the same calm as the original would have used. "But I want to reassure everyone in this room that Madara is not unsupervised in the way it might appear."
"Explain," said Hikaku, his eyes narrowing slightly.
The clone fell silent for a moment, then, without further preamble, activated his Mangekyou Sharingan.
Everyone in the room reacted immediately.
Hikaku leaned forward, eyes wide as he stared at the pattern spinning in his son-in-law's eyes. He recognized it as the Mangekyou Sharingan, the same eyes that he had.
"You have the Mangekyou," said Hikaku, his voice carrying genuine shock. "Since when?"
"For some time now," replied the clone simply. "I have not made it public," the clone answered. "I haven't made a habit of telling people, but I'm sharing it now because it answers the Hokage's question. I have Sharingan techniques that let me watch and, if needed, restrain someone as strong as Madara without being there in person."
"Does Madara know you have this?" asked Sakumo.
"No," the clone said. "And I'd rather keep it that way for now."
"Wait, how did you get the Sharingan?" asked Hikaku. Even though Raiken was his son-in-law, he still needed to know.
Raiken pulled his shirt aside a little to show his chest, surprising everyone when they saw it.
There was Mikoto's face on his body.
"Mikoto and I did an experiment where we shared our kekkei genkai. I now have the Mangekyou Sharingan, and she has my adamantine chains. I hope that answers everyone's question," said Raiken.
Normally, this might have been a bad thing, but with Madara in front of them, that could endanger everyone. He got unanimous approval even from the Uchiha Clan. "You have been holding this back," said Hikaku. "For how long?"
"Long enough to know it works exactly as I need," the clone replied, and said nothing more.
Sakumo exhaled slowly, some of the tension leaving his shoulders now that he had a clear answer instead of just being asked to trust.
"Then I will trust your judgment on this," said Sakumo. "But Raiken, if anything changes, if Madara does anything that suggests the situation is bad enough, I need to know immediately."
"Yes," said the clone. "I have more at stake in that house than anyone else in this room, my child is living there. "
After that, the meeting calmed down, and everyone talked about Isshiki and the other Otsutsuki Clan. Raiken shared what he knew and told them that he would bring Madara and Kaguya to the next meeting too.