Because of the era, there were always rogue shinobi committing misdeeds. To protect the Daimyo, Konohagakure—along with other scattered forces within the Land of Fire—contributed members to form a specialized shinobi organization.
It was known as the Guardian Shinobi Twelve, an elite group under the direct management of the Daimyo. Joining the Guardian Shinobi Twelve was a matter of great honor; for the elite shinobi of the Land of Fire, it was often the essential path toward political involvement and a meteoric rise in status.
"Once Asuma goes there to train for a while, he should be able to shed that rebellious streak and become a reliable man."
Hiruzen Sarutobi entered the living room, found several pipes he had left at home, and began to smoke. Outside, Asuma Sarutobi had no idea that Hiruzen had already mapped out his future with clinical precision. At this moment, his heart was still preoccupied with Kurenai Yuhi.
"Why hasn't Kurenai arrived yet?"
Asuma had been waiting for one or two hours already. Suddenly, a terrible possibility struck him: he and Kurenai had already missed each other, and she had already gone home!
"No, I have to go check."
"Dinner's ready, Asuma," the voice of his mother, Biwako Sarutobi, drifted through the half-open door.
Asuma immediately called back, "I'm eating out!" and bolted toward Kurenai Yuhi's house.
The Uchiha Residence.
Guren pouted. Looking at the now stone-cold meal, she simply couldn't fathom how Lord Shimizu and that woman could stay in the bedroom for so long. It wasn't as if any strange noises were coming out of there, either.
"It's been... two hours." Guren looked at the clock on the wall, completely baffled.
Beneath the very floor she stood on—past the floorboards and deep into the soil—was a secret chamber.
Inside, Kurenai Yuhi's eyes had lost their focus, her body twitching intermittently.
"Is this all the intelligence you have?"
Shimizu looked at the scroll in his hand, filled with information he had extracted from Kurenai during the interrogation. On the ground, a discarded gag rolled away, discarded and forgotten.
"Release (Kai)."
Shimizu dispelled the reflected Magen: Jubaku Satsu. The scenes presented by Genjutsu were all false; moments ago, Kurenai's entire body had simply been frozen in place, rigid.
Thud.
Kurenai collapsed to the floor, her expression a mask of disheveled misery. Overwhelmed by the humiliation of her failure, tears escaped her eyes, wetting her beautiful face.
"Go on back. I acknowledge your efforts, Kurenai..." Shimizu dropped the word "classmate" and spoke tonelessly.
He was quite satisfied with Kurenai Yuhi. She was like a sponge—the more you interrogated her, the more information you could squeeze out.
"Uuu..." Kurenai sobbed softly.
She felt an immense sense of disappointment in herself, coupled with a profound sorrow. If only Shimizu could be a little kinder to her—or perhaps even more cruel. Then, this distorted relationship wouldn't have formed. What she thought in her head and what her body did were two entirely different things.
"Next time, I will suppress my strength. If you can defeat me, you'll receive a small reward."
Shimizu reached out with his index finger, hooking Kurenai's chin to force her dark eyes to meet his.
"A reward...?"
Kurenai's face was pale, and her lips were cracked and dry—clear symptoms of extreme dehydration. But upon hearing Shimizu mention a reward, an inexplicable sense of anticipation rose within her, and the corners of her mouth twitched into a faint, eerie smile.
What... could she possibly gain from this demon?
Shimizu's finger moved slowly from her chin to the corner of her mouth as he said, "When facing a difficult goal, try breaking it down into several parts. Conquer them one by one. Who knows? Even if I don't hold back in the end, I might not be able to beat you."
One must always give those in despair a glimmer of hope. Shimizu had discovered that Kurenai was particularly susceptible to this tactic. Her worldview had been suppressed since the age of four, before she could form proper values. This had left her desperately starved for affection, especially after losing her mother and living with only a rigid, traditional father.
Give her a little sunshine, and she would bloom with everything she had.
"Hmph." After a long silence, Kurenai turned away and used the wall for support to slowly walk upstairs. Shimizu followed behind her.
Creak...
The door opened. After considerately closing the secret passage in the bedroom, Shimizu opened the door to the hallway. The flow of fresh air from the outside prompted Kurenai to take a deep breath. After all, out here, the air wasn't thick with "her scent" like it was in the secret chamber.
"Lord Shimizu!" Guren immediately ran over. She thought she caught a whiff of a strange smell.
"Kurenai, go on. I look forward to your progress next time."
Kurenai looked back at Shimizu once before leaving without a word.
"What were you two doing in there?" Guren asked.
"Hmm, a secret between adults."
"Can I know?"
"No," Shimizu refused. Guren was still a bit too young; she needed time to grow. Once she was older...
Shimizu shook his head. Guren was his most loyal subordinate. She was different from Kamizuru Suzumebachi, who had yielded only because of power. How could he treat her like that?
Well, at least wait until she's properly developed, Shimizu thought to himself.
Time flew by, and several months passed.
The flames of war had died down in most parts of the Land of Fire, with the exception of Kumogakure, which still refused to sign a peace treaty with Konohagakure. However, anyone with eyes could see that peace was the inevitable trend. This was merely the final darkness before the dawn.
Today was an extraordinary day for the Uchiha Clan.
"What?!"
While on patrol, Fugaku Uchiha heard from a female clanswoman that Mikoto seemed to be in labor and was currently at the hospital!
"Yashiro, I'm leaving things here to you. I have to handle matters over there."
Fugaku hurriedly dropped those words and rushed toward the Konoha Hospital. When he arrived, he saw Mikoto's pale face. Her hair was soaked with sweat, and she looked to be in immense pain.
"Lord Fugaku, you're here." A female doctor in a white lab coat approached him.
"How is she?"
"Lady Mikoto took a fall. The child in her womb might be born prematurely."
"What are the consequences?"
"The child may be physically weaker at birth, but otherwise, they will be no different from a normal infant." The doctor produced a form for Fugaku to sign.
This was the wife of the Uchiha Clan Head; no one could take responsibility if something went wrong. A healthy baby was one thing, but the immediate concern was how to handle a premature delivery. If handled poorly, it could result in the loss of both mother and child.
"Get Shimizu over here," Fugaku suddenly ordered.
"Doctor Shimizu?" The female doctor blinked, then quickly realized the logic.
Currently, Shimizu's medical reputation was legendary within the hospital. It was rumored that even Shizune—who received personal instruction from Lady Tsunade day and night—could not compare to him.
"Yes, go! Quickly!" Fugaku shouted, his face stern and urgent. Seeing Mikoto in such distress made his heart race with anxiety.
Intimidated by Fugaku's aura, the doctor scrambled to find Shimizu.
"Mikoto, Shimizu is coming. He'll handle the delivery; nothing will go wrong," Fugaku comforted her.
"...Shi... mizu?" Mikoto's pale face turned even whiter.
Having Shimizu perform the delivery? She wanted nothing more than to avoid him in her attempt to forget those dark memories.
"Go with her!" Seeing Mikoto's face pale further, Fugaku's heart tightened. Assuming her condition was worsening, he immediately ordered the Uchiha subordinates behind him to go find Shimizu as well.
"Yes, Captain Fugaku!" The Uchiha members looked at each other, knowing there was no time to lose, and sprinted through the hospital corridors.
A short while later, Shimizu arrived wearing a white lab coat over his fitted Uchiha robes.
"Leave it to me," Shimizu said calmly.
Truthfully, this was his first time delivering a baby. But he had nothing to fear; with his Medical Ninjutsu, an accident was practically impossible. Several female nurses responsible for the delivery placed Mikoto on a gurney and pushed her into the operating room. Shimizu followed.
Fugaku waited outside, his expression fraught with anxiety. He knew Shimizu's medical skills were superb, but anyone would be anxious in this situation.
"Mikoto... Itachi... you will both be safe." Fugaku stared unblinkingly at the operating room door, waiting for the final result.
"Sister Mikoto, our 'son' is about to be born."
Shimizu pulled on his gloves.
Lying on the bed, Mikoto's pupils shrank in shock, and for a brief moment, she even forgot the pain in her abdomen. Her expression was one of sheer horror. There were outsiders present—how could he say that secret out loud?!
"No... that's not it... he's talking nonsense..." Mikoto explained frantically, not wanting the surrounding nurses to misunderstand.
Fugaku was only a door away! Mikoto couldn't imagine what kind of rage Fugaku would fly into if he learned the truth. Neither she nor the "bastard child" in her womb would meet a good end.
"The wife of the Uchiha Clan Head is actually such a harlot.""Yeah, it's true."
As Mikoto listened to the nurses whispering to each other, she nearly fainted on the spot. It was over. Everything was over. The secret was out. Her life as the wife of the Uchiha Clan Head was coming to an end. Her breathing became shallow and ragged.
"Don't be nervous," Shimizu said, stroking Mikoto's elegant, refined face.
Mikoto tried to jerk her face away from his hand, but in that moment, she noticed the other nurses. Their eyes were vacant, as if they had lost their highlights.
Sharingan Genjutsu!
Mikoto realized the truth. From the very beginning, Shimizu had been toying with her! She gasped for air. The matter of the child in her womb had nearly become her inner demon. Now, suddenly ascending from hell back to heaven, a faint sense of relief washed over her.
Relief that no one would know the secret.
"Nngh...!"
As her tensed spirit relaxed, the pain surged back into her heart like a tide.
"Alright, let's begin the procedure and welcome our 'son'."
Mikoto felt a chill against her skin as Shimizu began the surgery. She stared blankly at the incandescent lights on the ceiling, her heart filled with nothing but uncertainty for the future.
She had narrowly managed to hide it this time. But what about next time? What if next time wasn't one of Shimizu's games?
A new life was being born, stepping into the light. An old life, however, was falling into the abyss, staring into an endless, profound darkness.
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