A week later.
Swish!
"Are you ready?"
Shishou's figure appeared beside Mikoto, pulling her into his arms and inhaling her scent with a blissful expression.
A fragrant and soft embrace—how could he not be entranced?
Shishou had bought a piece of land and a house in Fire Source City to house Uchiha Mikoto and the Uchiha orphans.
Mikoto would also oversee his operations in Fire Source City, handling issues that Takeko couldn't manage.
Shishou had already transferred Uchiha Izumi and the other children to the new location using the Flying Thunder God Technique. Only Mikoto remained.
"Yes."
Uchiha Mikoto's cheeks flushed as she nodded, casting a shy glance at Shishou.
Even after overcoming her initial shock, she still marveled at Shishou's talent for mastering the Flying Thunder God Technique in just a few months.
Seeing Mikoto's submissive demeanor, Shishou felt secretly pleased.
After long-term conditioning, Mikoto was very obedient to him.
Unfortunately, her strength was still lacking; she couldn't yet be independent.
He needed to find more opportunities to train her, hoping to help her awaken the Mangekyou Sharingan.
Swish!
Shishou released Mikoto, donned his mask, and took her hand.
In an instant, they were standing in front of a luxurious mansion.
The mansion, a traditional Japanese-style family compound, could accommodate over a hundred residents and occupied a vast area.
It included a main house, main hall, side courtyards, training halls, indoor hot springs, outdoor pools, and everything else Shishou could think of.
This mansion, located in the heart of Fire Source City, had been purchased at a high price from an official of the Land of Fire.
"That's it for today. I'll return to Konoha now."
"Make sure to follow the training plan I gave you. I'll test your strength in a while."
"Uchiha Izumi as well; make sure she trains diligently."
"Hmm, if you need anything, just instruct Takeko to handle it."
With Uchiha Izumi and over a dozen children and servants around, Shishou couldn't do anything intimate with Mikoto. After a few instructions, he used the Flying Thunder God Technique to return to Konoha.
Back in his bedroom in Konoha, Shishou immediately fell asleep.
Using the Flying Thunder God Technique repeatedly had exhausted his body.
"Madam, has our benefactor left?"
"Are we really going to live here from now on?"
Uchiha Izumi, leading a group of children, stood at a distance. Seeing Shishou leave, they quickly ran over to ask Mikoto.
Since Shishou always wore a mask in front of them and never interacted with them, Izumi didn't dare to approach when he was around, fearing his anger.
Knowing about Shishou and Mikoto's relationship made her even more cautious, afraid of seeing something she shouldn't.
"Yes, we'll live here from now on."
"Hmm, Izumi, you need to start training seriously."
Looking at the enormous mansion, Mikoto felt a sense of nostalgia.
Once, she had also lived in a similar grand residence.
Quickly adjusting, Mikoto displayed the demeanor of the Uchiha matriarch, responding to Izumi before approaching Takeko, who had been standing respectfully in the distance.
"Miss Takeko, I'll be counting on you from now on."
"Madam, it's no trouble at all."
Takeko answered respectfully while secretly admiring the elegant and charming Mikoto, sighing inwardly.
No wonder Shishou had never taken an interest in her with such a beautiful and refined wife.
...
Three days later.
After sending a clone disguised as a child to attend classes, Shishou arrived at the Forest of Death.
He used Phosphorescent Worms to devour a giant frog before continuing his search for other large creatures.
Currently, Shishou had awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan and was waiting for his body to adapt.
Additionally, he had mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique, though he couldn't yet use it in combat like the Fourth Hokage.
The Fourth Hokage's prowess with the Flying Thunder God Technique stemmed from his exceptional sensory abilities, rivaling those of the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju.
Thus, Shishou needed to find a suitable sensory ninjutsu to advance his training with the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Only then could he perform flashy moves like the Fourth Hokage, rather than just using it as a transportation skill.
Although he couldn't continue his Sharingan and Flying Thunder God training, Shishou didn't mind.
This allowed him more time to find giant creatures for his Phosphorescent Worms to devour and evolve.
With Mikoto and the others safely relocated to Fire Source City, he had nothing to worry about.
So, for the past three days, Shishou had been in the Forest of Death, transforming animals to feed his Phosphorescent Worms.
After a morning of searching,
Shishou found several more giant creatures. After using the Phosphorescent Worms to devour them, his Phosphorescent Worms finally reached the required quantity for evolution.
[Phosphorescent Worm, Epic Insect Species, Evolved Four Times, Ready to Evolve]
Seeing the notification, Shishou felt tears of joy.
His Healing Worms had already evolved six times.
The caterpillar had evolved eight times and was set to undergo its ninth evolution the next day.
Yet, the Phosphorescent Worms were only now ready for their fifth evolution.
Indeed, to make the Phosphorescent Worms evolve quickly, he needed to find more creatures for them to devour.
Relying solely on the insect breeding space would take too long.
He wondered how many more times the animals in the Forest of Death could help his Phosphorescent Worms evolve.
"Root members again?"
"What are they doing here?"
As Shishou pondered and prepared for the evolution, he received feedback from his insects about people passing by nearby.
Quickly reaching the location indicated by the insects, he saw Root members.
With the mindset that causing trouble for Danzo was doing good,
Shishou paused the evolution and quietly followed them.