"That's great! Congratulations, Mom!"
Uchiha Genkei beamed with joy.
Nothing could've pleased him more.
"As for restoring your soul essence… we'll work on that next."
"Oh—Mom, does our clan have any meditation techniques for improving mental strength or soul power? Yin Release cultivation methods would work too."
He looked up expectantly.
With the Heaven Rewards Diligence trait, Genkei didn't need a perfect soul cultivation technique.
Even an incomplete or flawed version was enough. He could push it to the limit, break through its bottlenecks, and awaken entirely new methods.
Once that happened, healing Chiri's depleted soul essence wouldn't be a problem at all.
In fact, he might even optimize the process of awakening the Sharingan—maybe even create a structured method for the Mangekyō Sharingan, Eternal Mangekyō, or even the Rinnegan.
"Well…"
Chiri frowned slightly, thinking. "There are a few Yin Release-based meditation methods designed to enhance mental energy—but the results are slow. You'd have to be very consistent over time. Are you sure you want them?"
She could already guess why he was asking.
Clearly, her son had some way to use them to develop true soul-strengthening methods.
The so-called 'Sage inheritance' he'd received was clearly more than just a bag of tricks.
"I do!"
Genkei nodded enthusiastically.
"As long as it works, I can refine it and improve it."
"With any luck, it might let us actively accelerate the healing of your soul essence too."
"Alright."
Chiri smiled warmly, touched by his thoughtfulness.
"I'll head back later and fetch the scrolls for you."
"But remember—don't push yourself too hard. Pace yourself."
"My body's already healing. I'll be around for a long time."
"You don't have to carry everything alone. Whatever future you've seen, remember…"
"You'll always have your mother. I'll be your shield, no matter what comes."
Hearing her soft, resolute voice, Genkei felt warmth spread through his chest.
He chuckled gently and nodded. "Yeah. I know, Mom."
"…Wait. How'd you know I'd seen the future?"
"Hehe!"
Chiri reached out and tapped his forehead with a teasing smile.
"Did you really think you could hide something like that from your own mother?"
"You didn't exactly cover your tracks—and I am your mother, you know."
"But now I'm curious. What exactly did you see? What future made you so desperate to save me and grow stronger so quickly?"
Her gaze turned serious.
She wasn't just trying to help him carry the weight.
She wanted to prepare. To plan ahead. To strike first.
Chiri had never been one to wait and react. She preferred to act with certainty—and with overwhelming force.
Genkei fell silent for a moment. Then, at his request, Chiri sealed the room with a soundproof chakra barrier.
Only then did he speak.
"In the future… under pressure from Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō, the Uchiha clan is massacred in the fifty-fifth year of Konoha's founding."
From there, he told her everything.
The Second Great Ninja War. The Third. The Fourth.
The return of Uchiha Madara. The true identity of Black Zetsu. Kaguya Ōtsutsuki. The Sage of Six Paths. The entire Ōtsutsuki clan…
He held nothing back.
After all, Chiri had full Favorability—100. Absolute trust, forever.
She was one person he could rely on completely.
"…I didn't think the future would be like that."
Chiri's brow tightened.
"Madara is still alive and manipulating everything from the shadows. And this Black Zetsu… a thousand-year-old schemer behind it all?"
"Not to mention aliens… and the Sage of Six Paths himself?"
She exhaled slowly.
"No wonder you've been so on edge. That's not pressure—it's a tidal wave."
"With enemies that strong… yeah. Our current strength isn't nearly enough."
"But…"
Her eyes burned with resolve.
"We still have time. And we have the One Piece world's resources."
"I believe I can grow strong enough to match—or even surpass—Uchiha Madara."
"So don't worry. We'll face it together."
If she hadn't had Genkei's Gate trait or the ability to access another world's resources and training, she might have doubted.
But now?
They were both cheating.
Why fear Madara? Why fear the Ōtsutsuki?
"Mm!"
Genkei grinned. "I've always had confidence. It's just… the pressure."
"I mean, worst case? We hide out in the One Piece world until we're strong enough. Then we come back and flip the table."
"From the moment I awakened the Gate of Time and Space… we were never playing a fair game."
"Haha! Exactly!"
Chiri smiled as well.
"No wonder you're my son—shameless and strategic!"
"But Hiruzen and Danzō…"
Her tone turned ice-cold.
"I can't believe they'd go that far. It seems I've been far too soft."
"I thought I didn't have much time left… so I tolerated things, compromised, all for your sake and the clan's."
"But now?"
"Now, everything's changed."
"I won't be forgiving them again."
"If they dare to reach for our clan's throat, then I'll bury the Sarutobi and Shimura clans myself."
Do they think I'm a sick old cat? They're in for a rude awakening.
She was Uchiha Chiri. And she wasn't dying anymore.
She had already begun calculating how to approach the Senju and Uzumaki clans—especially Mito and their shared legacy—to isolate and punish Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō.
She was never the type to wait and react.
"Mom, you're badass."
Genkei gave her a massive thumbs-up.
Having a mother like this was the greatest reassurance in the world.
"Hehehe~"
Chiri laughed, ruffling his hair.
"Leave it to me. I'll handle it."
"Of course, if you have any ideas, tell me anytime. We're in this together."
"Mm! You got it!"
Genkei nodded rapidly.
They were a team.
"…But seriously," Chiri added, face darkening again. "Uchiha Itachi was completely brainwashed by Hiruzen and Danzō."
"To the point of slaughtering his own clan…"
"His brain must've rotted."
"Right?!"
Genkei leaped to agree.
"And part of the blame lies with Uchiha Fugaku."
"Taking a three- or four-year-old to the front lines of a war? To 'teach him the cruelty of battle'?! That man's insane."
"Itachi was twisted from the start—by him."
"And later? Fugaku just kept appeasing Hiruzen and Danzō, step by step dragging the Uchiha into a pit of despair."
"He was never fit to lead the clan."
"And honestly? He didn't deserve Mikoto-neesan either!"