Deep inside the shelter.
By the corner of the rock wall.
"Mom, I also want a father like that!" A little boy clung to his mother and pleaded.
His head pressed against her skirt, tilting slightly to gaze at the Susanoo, eyes overflowing with envy.
"You little brat, your old man isn't dead yet!" A burly man grabbed the boy.
The fear he had felt before vanished completely, replaced by rage. He loosened his belt, lifted his son up, and was about to smack his backside.
"Aaahhh—!"
The pig-like scream echoed suddenly.
The other children, who had been looking at the Susanoo with admiration and dreams in their eyes, immediately withdrew their thoughts in fear.
"That one… is here to pick up Sasuke…"
Sakura's brows relaxed slightly.
Her heart tensed again, worry creeping back for their fates.
At the far edge of the shelter, Sasuke—curled up in Mikoto's embrace—suddenly froze.
Mother and Uchiha Yu?
Developed that quickly?
His tears stopped instantly. Sasuke was always clever; with just a little thought, he could understand what his mother's words implied.
"I… I have a father again?" Sasuke's mind was in turmoil, as if he were a boat tossed on stormy seas, unable to find his place.
"Sasuke…"
Mikoto gazed at her son with tender affection.
She released him gently.
Seeing Sasuke stunned, she shook him lightly. Mikoto herself understood well—this news might be too much for Sasuke to process…
But the longer it was delayed, the harder it would be to speak of.
Ever since she decided that Sasuke's growth should not lack fatherly love, she knew this day would come.
Mikoto's beautiful eyes softened, shimmering with tears, as she quietly watched her son.
She was always this kind of gentle and virtuous woman, yet with firmness and resolve rooted in her bones.
On one hand, willing to be a devoted wife and mother for the sake of family life.
On the other, facing death without hesitation on the night of the clan's downfall.
Sasuke furrowed his brows, face flushed, muttering in embarrassment: "Couldn't you wait until later… or at least say it somewhere with no one else around before calling him that!"
Hearing her son complain, Mikoto suddenly burst into laughter through her tears, and said softly:
"It's Mother who was too impatient."
She looked around, and upon seeing Uchiha Yu leading his squad into the inner wall passage, her heart sank.
Lowering her voice, Mikoto asked:
"Sasuke… what about Itachi? He didn't come with you?"
Sasuke looked straight at his mother, noticing no extra emotions on her face.
He sighed in relief and replied:
"In the early chaos of the villages, he was taken away by the ANBU who had been monitoring us. As for where… I don't know."
After speaking, Sasuke lowered his head, face shadowed, mood sinking.
He muttered gloomily:
"Mother, our whole family, the Uchiha ending up like this, it's all thanks to Itachi. Don't ask about him anymore. Even if I can endure it, Uchiha Yu… Father… Lord Uchiha Yu will be upset. If he treats you badly because of it, then what will you do?"
Mikoto revealed a satisfied smile. Her expression was sweet, mature, with an alluring grace.
She plunged her blood-stained kunai into the ground, extended her arms, and embraced Sasuke tightly.
She soothed him gently:
"Mother understands. I won't mention that person again. Rest assured, Sasuke—Lord Yu treats me very well… very well."
"Mm!"
Sasuke nodded vigorously, holding onto his mother tightly, his body finally relaxing.
He truly saw on her face a kind of happiness and joy he had never witnessed before, emotions she had never shown back at home.
From this, it was clear—Uchiha Yu… no, his new father—truly treated his mother well.
Sasuke was completely relieved.
---
In the dark rocky passageway.
The Uchiha squad marched slowly forward. Once they entered, the ninjas of the three great villages—too late to escape—were slaughtered by Yu. .
Uchiha Yu's eyes burned scarlet, his Mangekyō gaze cold as he swept across the surrounding cavern.
"Yu… I—I want to look for Naruto here…" Kushina suddenly spoke up.
She clenched her right hand against her chest and turned back toward Mikoto and her child at the edge of the shelter.
Kushina could no longer suppress the surge of emotion in her heart. Having clawed her way back to life—
Even if it was only half a life—
She had to see her son.
Her words fell into the air.
Yu abruptly halted, his scarlet eyes calmly fixing on the fox-masked Kushina.
"I… I… I won't try to escape."
Kushina lowered her head, her chest tightening.
She knew well that as a "prisoner" under these circumstances, her request was excessive.
But for her child, she was willing to risk it.
"He's not here," Yu replied flatly.
Still, if she combed through the shelter, it might help her better understand Konoha's high command.
Besides, with the Hachisuki Spear binding her and the sealing kunai controlling her, every move Kushina made was already under his perception.
Kushina fell silent, hands clasped in front of her, fingers fidgeting nervously.
Her voice cracked with emotion:
"B-but I… I really want to see my child. Let me look for him—after that, whatever you want me to do, I'll do it!"
Tamao's eyes lit up.
He gave a sly laugh:
"Anything, huh? That's good. Then, milady, you can follow us and help revitalize the Uchiha clan!"
The other Uchiha immediately cast approving looks at Tamao. After all, their clan was in dire need of manpower.
"W-well… it's not impossible," Kushina murmured awkwardly after a pause.
She was, after all, half-dead—
A shade of her former self.
Even she couldn't understand what value she had left.
Moreover, Kushina wasn't a native of Konoha; she belonged to the Uzumaki clan. And the Uzumaki had no direct enmity with the Uchiha.
If she could just see Naruto—watch over him for a time—that would be enough.
"…" Yu's brow furrowed tightly before he finally answered:
"Go. If you can't find him, then seek out Mikoto."
Kushina's eyes widened in disbelief. Fearing he would change his mind, she quickly responded:
"Alright—!"
No sooner had she dashed away from the group than—
She came scurrying back.
Scratching her head awkwardly, she admitted, "I… I don't know what Naruto looks like!"
"..."
Every Uchiha's brows furrowed, fixing Kushina with the same look they usually reserved for Tamao.
But it was understandable.
This woman had been dead for seven or eight years. Of course she wouldn't recognize the child she left behind in the shinobi world.
Yu thought for a moment.
Then, pulling out an old, unused ninja tool pouch from his storage space, he withdrew a bundle of scrolls and tossed them to Kushina.
"His portrait is in there."
Kushina's pupils quivered. She caught the scroll, unrolled it—
And there it was. The familiar blond hair, sky-blue eyes, the whisker-like marks etched into his cheeks.
Her nose stung, tears threatening but refusing to fall.
After a brief silence—
A radiant smile blossomed on her face.
Behind the fox mask, her delicate features shone with gratitude. Imitating Nonoyu's tone, she spoke sincerely yet playfully:
"Thank you—Captain!"
This time, clutching the scroll, Kushina searched the shelter earnestly for Naruto.
The Uchiha squad continued onward.
Out of nowhere, Uchiha Izumi asked:
"Captain… why do you have a portrait of her son?"
She widened her beautiful eyes, carrying the Samehada that was even larger than her own body, her bloodstained face showing curiosity.
The other Uchiha turned their gazes toward their captain.
If anyone said the captain had no interest in that widow and orphan, they wouldn't believe it.
Otherwise, how could they explain this portrait?
Uchiha Yu replied:
"During one of the clan's secret meetings, a hot-tempered elder suggested that before rebelling, we should capture Naruto Uzumaki, the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, and release the Nine-Tails—just like during the Nine-Tails' Rampage."
"He even thoughtfully prepared portraits of each jinchūriki for everyone."
After saying this, Uchiha Yu looked at Izumi, and noticed a streak of crimson smeared across her face, like a flower cat.
He reached out and wiped the blood from her cheek. Izumi, startled by the gesture, quickly pulled out a handkerchief from her bosom and used it to wipe her captain's right hand.
"The elder with the bad temper." Izumi thought seriously, and an austere old face came to her mind. She immediately exclaimed: "Oh, I remember now, it was Elder Uchiha Mado!"
"…" Uchiha Yu nodded.
"Captain, did the Uchiha really think about rebellion?" Izumi asked painfully.
She thought of the Night of the Massacre, when familiar elders, companions, and neighbors all perished at Itachi's hands, and her heart ached.
She had always been haunted by doubts about whether the Uchiha had truly plotted rebellion.
Izumi's father was not an Uchiha; her mother was.
After her father's death, her mother brought her back to the Uchiha clan and changed her surname to Uchiha.
Thus, Izumi, like other weaker Uchiha, was not qualified to attend the clan's highest-level secret meetings.
But the clan had never despised her background; instead, they had cared for her in every possible way.
She still remembered that, back in the Konoha Ninja Academy, when she was bullied, that very hot-tempered elder had stood up for her.
Moreover, after she graduated, whenever she returned from missions and passed the clan's entrance, the middle-aged couple, Uchiha Komei and Uchiha Tebiyaki, would warmly invite her to enjoy sweet pancakes.
Yet all of this had turned into memories, erased by a single "crime of rebellion."
The other Uchiha present grew sorrowful as well. They too had lacked the strength back then, and thus had not been able to attend the clan's high-level meetings.
"Yes, the Uchiha did think about rebellion."
Uchiha Yu replied.
"I see."
Izumi's eyes trembled, her face filled with grief.
This seemed to confirm the legitimacy of Konoha's actions against the Uchiha.
Uchiha Yu continued:
"But you must understand, before the Uchiha even thought of rebellion, they had already suffered racial discrimination, political suppression, slander, their avenues for advancement completely blocked, and were even exiled to the outskirts of the village."
"The thought of rebellion was suppressed by Fugaku."
"Konoha's higher-ups, however, never once tried to sincerely negotiate with the Uchiha. Instead, they chose the path of annihilation."
Uchiha Yu explained calmly.
°°°
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