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Yoruichi walked alongside Kushina, being dragged along as usual.
"What now?" Yoruichi asked with a sigh.
"We're going shopping for Mikoto's birthday! We can't show up empty-handed tomorrow, can we?" Kushina said, grinning.
Yoruichi grimaced. Shopping? The bane of every man's existence. But Kushina seemed thrilled, probably because she hadn't been outside much recently.
Apparently, Grandma Mito had confirmed that the higher-ups weren't targeting Kushina anymore. That reassurance gave her the freedom to drag Yoruichi along, whether he liked it or not.
As they wandered through the streets of Konoha, they ran into a group of shinobi. Leading them was none other than Danzo, flanked by Sakumo Hatake, the legendary White Fang, and a younger Minato Namikaze.
Danzo's gaze briefly landed on Yoruichi before turning away without a word.
As the group walked past, Yoruichi reached out and grabbed Minato's shoulder. "Hey, what's going on?"
Minato glanced back with a blank expression. "Classified mission. Can't talk."
"Really? Nothing at all?" Yoruichi pressed.
Minato shook his head. "Not a word. Lord Third is keeping watch."
Yoruichi looked around. He didn't spot Hiruzen's usual surveillance tricks, but he could feel someone keeping tabs. Probably the old man again.
Reluctantly, he let Minato go.
As they walked away, Sakumo glanced at Minato. "You know him well?"
Minato nodded. "We've sparred before. He's strong."
"How strong?" Sakumo asked.
Minato hesitated. "I'm planning to challenge him again soon to settle things, but—"
"You won't win," Sakumo interrupted, shaking his head.
"Don't say it like that, Sakumo-senpai!" Minato protested. "At least give me some hope."
"I'm not trying to discourage you," Sakumo replied calmly. "I'm just saying... his strength might surpass mine."
Minato's eyes widened in disbelief.
---
"Where do you think they're going?" Kushina asked curiously.
Yoruichi shrugged. "Minato wouldn't say. Maybe we should follow them?"
"No way," Kushina said firmly. "We've got errands to run. Let's go buy Mikoto's gift."
Yoruichi sighed, knowing he had no choice in the matter. He was dragged from one cake shop to another across Konoha until Kushina finally settled on a cake. It wasn't cheap either—10,000 ryo just for the cake. Then she picked out a pair of earrings, costing nearly 40,000 ryo in total.
Yoruichi's wallet felt light in comparison, with only 1,000 ryo left from his last mission payout. Living under Kushina's roof spared him rent, but if this continued, he'd need to take on more missions just to survive.
---
The next day, Yoruichi and Kushina arrived at the Uchiha clan's compound, carrying the cake and gifts. The Uchiha clan was as proud as ever, their status as the protectors of the Konoha Police Force inflating their egos.
Still, even the Uchihas couldn't ignore Yoruichi's reputation. As the last heir of the Senju clan, Yoruichi had recently dismantled a conspiracy from the Hidden Cloud Village and exposed corruption among Konoha's elders. His achievements put him on par with Uchiha Fugaku, the clan leader.
At the gates, Uchiha Mikoto and Fugaku were already waiting. Mikoto beamed when she saw them.
"Mikoto, happy birthday!" Kushina said cheerfully, handing over the cake and the earrings. "Sorry if it's not much; we were short on time."
Mikoto's face lit up as she opened the box. "Kushina, these are beautiful! Thank you so much!"
She immediately put on the earrings and turned to Kushina. "How do they look?"
Kushina nudged Yoruichi with her elbow. "Well? Say something!"
Yoruichi groaned inwardly. A trap question if there ever was one. "Uh… I'm blind to beauty, so I can't say."
Both girls burst out laughing.
---
[System Notification:
[Kushina Uzumaki's favorability +5.]
[Uchiha Mikoto's favorability +10.]
Yoruichi froze. What the hell, system? I didn't even say anything to Mikoto. Why's her favorability jumping?
###
Yoruichi and Kushina attended Uchiha Mikoto's birthday banquet. The major clans in Konoha noticed this event quickly.
"What are the Uchiha planning?"
"What do the Senju and Uzumaki clans think about this?"
Speculations and whispers filled the air as the clans analyzed the significance of today's gathering.
At the head of the table, Uchiha Mikoto's father, a prominent figure in the Uchiha clan, raised his glass. His voice was calm yet commanding.
"This glass of wine, I drink first. Thank you both for attending my daughter's birthday."
Beside him stood Mikoto's elegant and dignified mother.
The guests, including Yoruichi, Kushina, and other high-ranking individuals like Uchiha Fugaku, raised their glasses in unison. The wine disappeared quickly.
Yoruichi noticed that the atmosphere was less about celebration and more about alliances. The Uchiha clan seemed interested in pairing Fugaku with Mikoto. Fugaku, a young captain in the Konoha Military Police, was poised to become the future clan head.
Once the formalities ended, Mikoto's parents excused themselves, leaving the younger group to mingle.
Yoruichi introduced a dice game to lighten the mood.
"Let's play this," he suggested.
At first, the Uchiha prodigies were skeptical, but soon, everyone was hooked. The game wasn't just about luck; it demanded sharp wits and the ability to bluff convincingly.
"Six sixes!"
"Twelve sixes!"
"Call it!"
The room grew louder as the players became more competitive, their faces flushed from both the alcohol and the excitement. Even Fugaku, usually reserved, got into the spirit of the game.
Between rounds, Fugaku leaned closer to Yoruichi. His tone was low, almost conspiratorial.
"Yoruichi, you mentioned someone from the Uchiha joined Root, right?"
Yoruichi nodded. "I saw the Sharingan. Why?"
Fugaku frowned. "That's strange. No one from our clan has joined Root, and even those in the ANBU are accounted for. There are strict records within the clan."
Yoruichi raised an eyebrow. "So, the Sharingan user isn't Uchiha?"
"That's right," Fugaku confirmed.
Yoruichi smirked. "Interesting."
Fugaku continued playing while muttering, "Our clan head has already raised this issue with the Third Hokage. The Sharingan experiment… it's disgusting. A violation of our clan's bloodline."
Mikoto chimed in, her tone light but her eyes sharp. "Split!"
"Counter-split!" someone called out.
The dice were revealed. Fugaku lost but only chuckled.
As the game carried on, Fugaku shared more than Yoruichi expected. Whether it was the alcohol or trust, he didn't hold back.
"That experiment you mentioned… Danzo funded it with Orochimaru's help. They created a Sharingan user from stolen Uchiha blood. But now, Orochimaru's experiments are shut down. Danzo is being punished. He's being sent to Kumogakure as a spy to redeem himself."
Fugaku's voice lowered further. "If he fails to achieve something significant, he won't return."
Moments later, Fugaku's head hit the table. He was completely drunk.
Yoruichi shook his head. "This guy spilled classified information."
Meanwhile, Kushina giggled, her cheeks red. "Drink more!"
Mikoto, equally tipsy, clung to Yoruichi's arm. "Come on, drink more!"
Yoruichi sighed. "Drink more, my ass."
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Translator's Note;
Dang... Sad that we didn't get any new members on the page today 😔 😞
Advance Chapters Up To Ch: 40 in my new Patreon, all ready to be consumed by you guys. Here's the link; P@treon.com/Tyrouge