In an instant, the idea crystallized in Futian's mind,
"If Fugaku manages to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan, the collective power of the Uchiha clan will undoubtedly ascend to new levels. Even if Konoha's high command contemplates taking action against us, they will be forced to carefully reconsider their options."
An icy look flashed in his eyes.
At this critical moment.
The actions of Konoha's high officials caused him deep disgust.
As patriarch of the Uchiha clan, he had been forced to passively accept a compromise, leading a large contingent to the Land of Waves to face the ninja army of Kirigakure.
Now, however.
A more promising strategy was emerging on the horizon.
Wouldn't the Uchiha clan benefit more from forging an alliance with Konoha's acclaimed Superhero, Luo Lei?
Since the time of the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, the Uchiha clan had been the object of fierce scrutiny and distrust.
It was the opportune moment to alter this unfavorable balance...
And what would they have to offer in return?
A woman from the Uchiha clan, an insignificant price to pay.
To prosper in this world, sometimes it's necessary to make morally ambiguous concessions.
After all, it's just a woman. Fugaku will surely not object.
____
On the other side of the camp;
Mikoto had just come out of the shower, a temporary structure that barely offered privacy in the busy military camp.
Steam still floated in the air, mixing with the scent of soap and the characteristic smell of the forest. She sat on a small folding stool in front of a hand mirror propped against her backpack.
She wore a light navy blue yukata with the Uchiha clan emblem embroidered on the back. Her bare feet rested on the cool grass, providing a comforting sensation after the hot bath.
Suddenly, she frowned as she ran a comb through her long raven-black hair, still damp from the shower.
Her dark eyes reflected unease.
The water drops falling from the tips of her hair fell at her feet.
"What was that?" She whispered.
A shiver ran down her spine, raising her hair.
The sensation was unmistakable: someone had been watching her while she bathed.
Her kunoichi instinct rarely erred.
Scrutinizing the surroundings cautiously.
The camp was bustling with activity even at that late hour.
The tents stretched in all directions, with ninjas from the Uchiha clan standing guard or preparing for the next shift.
The scattered torches and bonfires created a play of lights and shadows that could hide a skilled spy.
"Who would dare to spy on me while I bathe?" she muttered to herself. "We're surrounded by allies and clan mates. Surely no one would be so reckless..."
An expression of weariness was drawn on her pale cheeks, accentuating the dark circles that had begun to form under her eyes.
The exhaustion of recent weeks weighed on her.
"Maybe stress is playing tricks on me," she reflected, massaging her temples.
"I could be imagining things due to fatigue."
Recent events had been a test. The defeat and retreat of Konoha's army in the Land of Waves had been a hard blow to morale.
Each day brought new complications, and the situation seemed to constantly deteriorate.
Mikoto felt the weight of responsibility on her shoulders.
With one last cautious look around, she returned to the tent.
Once inside, she sat on her futon, hugging her knees to her chest. The interior of the tent was austere.
"I've heard that Luo Lei, whose fame extends throughout the world, is here," she murmured to herself. "I wonder if his presence will bring any change to our situation..."
As if lost in thought, she absentmindedly rubbed her small nose. A look of admiration, mixed with a hint of nostalgia, shone in her eyes.
Memories of her days at the ninja academy flooded her mind. She could see herself surrounded by her classmates: Kushina with her fiery red hair, the always serious Fugaku, the reserved Hiashi, the brilliant Minato, and of course, Luo Lei.
All of them, figures who were now legends in their own right, had shared a classroom and dreams.
"Luo Lei and Minato..." she sighed with a bittersweet smile forming on her lips. "They were like two bright stars, the light and hope of Konoha's civilians. And now, Luo Lei has achieved incredible things, things we couldn't even imagine in those days."
Her heart beat a little faster thinking about Luo Lei. "This is the kind of man a girl could dream of," she allowed herself to think for a moment, before reality hit her again.
"What a pity!" she exclaimed softly, her expression turning sad and helpless.
The memory of the arranged engagement with Fugaku weighed on her like an invisible chain. Thanks to her grandfather, the great elder of the Uchiha clan, the future was dictated without considering her wishes.
"All to consolidate the clan's position," she murmured, her fingers nervously playing with a lock of her long black hair. "My dreams, my aspirations... everything took a back seat to the alliance between clan factions."
The future wedding was scheduled for after the wars....
Mikoto closed her eyes, allowing herself a moment of privacy in the tent. A solitary tear rolled down her cheek.
"What would my life have been like if I had had the freedom to choose?"
Suddenly, the silence was broken by a commotion. Mikoto startled.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
Hurried footsteps approached the tent.
"Who is it?" Mikoto asked in confusion.
The tent flap fluttered, and a familiar figure peeked in.
"Futian-sama?" Mikoto exclaimed, recognizing the patriarch of the Uchiha clan.
"Please, come in!" Bewildered, she quickly stood up.
The respect due to the clan leader overcame her initial surprise.
"Mikoto, don't get up," Futian said as he entered, an unusual smile drawn on his normally serious face. "Just sit and let's talk."
"..."
Mikoto was stunned at the sight of a smiling Futian.
The contrast with his usual stern countenance was so marked that for a moment she thought she was dreaming.
'Is the sun rising in the west now?' she wondered internally, suppressing the urge to pinch herself to check if she was awake.
"Patriarch, please, sit down!" she offered cautiously.
"You sit," Futian insisted, still smiling. "I'll remain standing."
The air in the tent seemed charged with a strange tension.
"Patriarch, you... do you have something to do?" Mikoto asked curiously.
"..." Futian smiled awkwardly, and Mikoto noticed how the palms of his hands, hidden behind his back, shone with nervous sweat.
It was evident that the patriarch was out of his element.
After a moment of silence, broken only by the sound of his deep breathing, Futian's expression suddenly turned serious.
"Mikoto," he said solemnly, "You don't want the Uchiha clan to disappear from the world, do you?"
"What?!" Mikoto exclaimed, her face visibly paling. The question fell like a bomb.
"Patriarch, has something serious happened?"
"Mmm!" Futian nodded. "The Uchiha clan has fallen into a great crisis. If we don't act, we run the risk of extinction."
Mikoto's heart was beating hard. The idea of the clan's disappearance was unthinkable, something she had never considered real.
"Do I need to do something?" she asked hastily. The seriousness of the situation had erased any trace of her previous melancholy.
It's not a joke. If the Uchiha clan is really on the brink of extinction, she has an obligation. She is an Uchiha, after all.
Futian, with a hesitant expression, opened his mouth to speak, but the words seemed to get stuck in his throat.
"That is the..." he began, but stopped, as if gathering courage to continue.
Mikoto, unable to bear the tension, exclaimed.
"Patriarch, please, just say it!"
Her voice was charged with emotion, a mixture of fear and determination. "I'll do whatever is necessary, I promise. I won't let you down... I won't let the clan down."
Breathing deeply, Futian prepared to jump into an abyss. "Mikoto," he began, his voice unusually soft.
"As you know, Luo Lei has already arrived at our camp." He paused, his eyes searching for hers. "He lacks someone to attend to him, and... he wants you."
The silence that followed was odd.
Mikoto felt as if the world had stopped. A buzzing filled her ears, and for a moment, her mind went completely blank.
'Terrified?' she asked herself. 'No... this is... a surprise?'
The news had hit her like lightning, unexpected and powerful. Just moments before, she had been daydreaming about the possibility of reuniting with her old classmates.
And now, suddenly, this opportunity was presented to her.
'Isn't this an honor?' She thought with her heart beating hard. 'To attend to Luo Lei, the Superhero of Konoha...'
Futian, misinterpreting her silence as reluctance, hastily added,
"By the way, when I say 'attend to him', I mean all of Luo Lei's daily life needs... without objection."
Mikoto's eyes widened, surprise giving way to disbelief.
"What? This... is this really what you're saying, Futian-sama?"
Never in her wildest dreams would she have imagined that Futian, Fugaku's father, would actually let her go... release her from an engagement that had been a cage.
'Double happiness has arrived,' Mikoto thought, struggling to maintain a neutral expression.
In her heart, long-repressed feelings began to bubble up. Fugaku, that boy who had always hidden in the clan's shadow, had never been more than a disappointment to her.
'How could he be the first genius of the Uchiha clan?' She wondered bitterly. 'Even I have unlocked the three tomoe of the Sharingan. What is Fugaku proud of? He can't even compare to Minato, let alone Luo Lei.'
'What a waste!' The word resonated in her mind, charged with years of frustration.
Still interpreting her silence as reluctance, Futian sighed heavily. "I know it's difficult for you," he said regretfully. "But... now the survival of the Uchiha clan depends only on you. I hope you can consider it."
Mikoto struggled to maintain her composure. Although inside she was jumping with excitement, her face remained impassive.
With a wave of her hand and a cold voice that masked her inner joy, she said: "I understand. Say no more."
"The Uchiha clan will not forget this," Futian added, with clenched teeth and a pained expression, "I hope you can think about it carefully. As for your engagement, I will personally speak with your grandfather and return your freedom to you."
With these words, he left without looking back, unaware of the playful smile that drew on Mikoto's face as soon as he turned his back.
'After all,' she thought as she began to dress hurriedly, 'How could I allow the Uchiha clan to disappear from the world?'
That night, under the astonished gazes of countless members of the Uchiha clan, Mikoto, dressed in a beautiful transparent white outfit with matching lingerie, walked with determined steps towards Luo Lei's tent, the Superhero of Konoha, in the center of the camp.ñ
________
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