Boom—Boom—Boom—
At a certain point in time, a loud explosion erupted overhead. One after another, dazzling fireworks bloomed in the night sky.
People along the streets stopped in their tracks. Some in pairs, others as families, all looked up in awe, voicing their amazement, hope, and wonder for the future.
Thousands of sparks scattered like shooting stars, fading away and leaving behind the most beautiful scene of the night.
Multicolored lights lit up Mikoto's tear-streaked face. She looked delicate, pitiful—heart-wrenching. Tilting her head back, she stared blankly at the magnificent display overhead.
Ever since living in the clan leader's estate, she hadn't seen the kind of fireworks she'd dreamed of as a young girl…
Mikoto slowly stood up. When the explosion first rang out, she didn't react at all. Instinctively, like a startled fawn, she grabbed Yu's hand.
"This is the local annual fireworks festival," Yu explained calmly. "It symbolizes a new beginning. So keep living. The shinobi world still holds many beautiful things waiting for you to discover. And for Sasuke—only with you around can he stay on the right path."
Mikoto came back to her senses and realized how forward her gesture had been. She lowered her voice:
"I want to watch him grow up, make sure he eats properly every day, sew his new clothes every year, see him get married, have children… build a home."
Yu nodded, then teased:
"I'm afraid just doing that won't be enough to heal Sasuke's wounds."
"What do you mean, Yu-kun?" Mikoto asked softly, wiping the last of her tears from the corners of her red eyes.
"Maybe… you could find Sasuke a new father. Give him a brand-new home."
"Eh?"
Mikoto's cheeks flushed. She looked carefully at Yu, and for the first time in years, her long-silent heart began to beat fast.
---
Land of Hot Water – Yugakure
At a luxurious hot spring inn, steam filled the air around a private tub. Mist swirled above rippling waters, painting a dreamy, surreal scene.
"…"
Yu leaned against the wooden wall, slowly sinking into the warm spring water.
At first, his body was tense. But as the water enveloped him, he began to relax—each inch of skin soaking in comfort and relief.
He raised his right hand. The air shimmered slightly as a small test tube appeared in his palm—thumb-thick, middle-finger-long—filled with a floating pink liquid.
Glub—
He eyed the bubbling potion, uncorked the wooden seal, and took a whiff, frowning slightly.
There was no scent.
Unlike the vibrant vitality in the green potion, this pink one was dull—like plain water. But Yu knew better. That was just an illusion.
Creak—
The wooden sliding door to the dressing area opened from the outside. The sound of high heels clacking against the floor echoed.
Yu looked up through the mist. Tsunade stormed in, face full of fury, still wearing her familiar green robe with the "Gamble" kanji on the back.
She stopped by the artificial rocks near the hot spring, glaring down at him.
"If you have something to say, say it directly!" Tsunade snapped.
After being drained in Orochimaru's underground lab, it was only upon reaching the Land of Hot Water that her strength and spirit had begun to recover.
When she woke up, she received a summons from the Uchiha—saying Yu had something to discuss.
Her first instinct was to refuse, but her pride got the better of her.
She wanted revenge for the humiliation she suffered. To beat Yu up. Hard.
"You, Shizune, and Tonton have all been eating my food and using my supplies. At the very least, show some respect to your sponsor, won't you?" Yu said flatly, holding out the pink potion. "Check this for me."
With someone like Tsunade around—the top-tier expert in medical ninjutsu—there was no one better to evaluate mysterious substances.
Tsunade's eyes narrowed with even more anger. She didn't understand what he meant by "sponsor," and mistook it as him claiming to be her father…
An outrageous insult!
Did Yu expect her to call him Daddy?
Tsunade clenched her jaw.
She was about to swat the vial away, but her eyes caught the strange liquid inside. Somehow, it captivated her.
Her hatred momentarily faded.
Tsunade's curiosity took over. She took the test tube and examined it closely, then brought it to her nose for a sniff.
Suddenly, her breathing quickened—as if she were standing before a vast abyss of corruption.
A terrifying thought crossed her mind: What if this was poison? Deadly poison.
Even with her sharp senses, she couldn't identify the potion's exact effects. But her instincts screamed that if she drank it, her body would undergo an intense reaction.
Yu calmly observed the rapid changes on her beautiful face, trying to read her thoughts.
"Here. It's not poison," he said.
Tsunade's expression steadied. She handed the test tube back, her brows still slightly furrowed.
After a pause, she asked:
"We'd need clinical trials to know for sure. Did Orochimaru give you this?"
"Yeah. Orochimaru gave it to me," Yu replied without blinking.
Green potion or pink potion—whenever Orochimaru wasn't around to confirm, everything was his fault by default.
No one would go question him over something so trivial anyway.
"Did he tell you what it does?" Tsunade pressed.
"Nope. Just told me to drink it quick. Said it might have surprising effects."
"…" Tsunade.
She tried to guess Orochimaru's motive. If that madman gave Yu something possibly poisonous, maybe the two weren't on the same side after all.
"Then go ahead and drink it. I'm here, so you'll be fine," Tsunade urged.
Her eyes lit up—clearly looking forward to seeing Yu's reaction after ingesting something possibly toxic.
This would be her chance to make a move!
Yu nodded slightly. With his left hand, he pulled out a green potion from the hot spring water. The space around him rippled again.
If the pink potion had any side effects, he could immediately counteract it with the green one.
That might've been why the green potion quest came before the pink one in the first place.
With green potion in hand, he feared no toxin.
Tsunade's eyes widened as she watched him produce a second potion out of thin air—like magic.
Her expression shifted. A moment later, she caught a hint of the green potion's unique energy—an overwhelming vitality.
"Let me take a look at that green one…"
Tsunade's eyes sparkled as she urgently reached out to request it.
"Hold on," Yu replied.
Yu tilted his head back and drank the pink potion in his right hand in one gulp.
The liquid, which had drastically altered Tsunade's expression earlier, had no taste once it entered his mouth—bland as water.
"How do you feel?" Tsunade asked, carefully studying Yu's expression with curiosity.
Yu silently shook his head.
Half a minute passed.
Yu's body still felt no different—it was like drinking a bottle of plain water. Other than relieving the slight thirst from soaking in the hot spring, the potion had no obvious effect.
Just as he was about to toss the green potion to Tsunade as a precaution, something shifted in his mind. A certain meridian seemed to activate.
His mental energy slightly increased, and the proper method for using the potion began repeating itself in his mind, flowing like a stream of consciousness.
Yu's pupils shrank. After confirming it multiple times, he muttered, "Mental power cultivation…?"
He had guessed half right about the potion—it did enhance spiritual power, but only through gradual cultivation conducted with a partner of the opposite sex.
Under its effect, both male and female participants could strengthen their mental power together, in tandem.
Much like how the green potion allowed one to sense plants within a 500-meter radius, Yu could now sense emotional energy produced by humans within 500 meters, all flowing toward the hot spring and forming a strange energy field.
"Damn you, Orochimaru! What the hell is this stuff?!" Tsunade's cheeks flushed red again. Her lips parted as she cursed, stepping into the hot spring.
Tsunade's expression was conflicted.
She was fully aware of what she wanted, and it seemed that if she followed through, her spiritual strength would indeed break through.
"What's wrong with you?" Yu asked, studying the clearly affected Tsunade.
Oddly enough, the emotional field seemed not to affect him at all.
Tsunade struggled with her inner resistance but found herself unable to fight it off. In the end, she threw herself into Yu's arms, blushing as she said, "Bastard… forget everything that happens tonight…"
Her face switched between fierce and gentle as he wrapped his arm around her waist.
The thick steam veiled the moonlight. Outside, the bamboo grove rustled under the night wind.
Her lips met his, and her breath smelled faintly of orchids.
Their spiritual energies slowly merged, flowing and intertwining, their deep emotions condensing into pure mental strength, which they shared evenly.
Back in the room, the door slammed shut behind them.
---
Late Night – Hot Spring Inn – A Guest Room
Mikoto tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. Eventually, she threw off the blanket and sat up.
Now dressed in warm-colored pajamas, she paced the room, cheeks flushed, her mind in turmoil.
"You could find Sasuke a new father. Give him a new home."
Yu's words echoed endlessly in her mind like an enchantment, stirring a restless desire within her that left her flustered and uneasy.
"Sasuke's growth really does require a strict father. Without a paternal figure… if I can't restrain him on my own, he might still take a dark path…"
Mikoto consoled herself, tugging at her silky black hair, her dark eyes full of sorrow. Her bare feet tapped the cold wooden floor as she paced in deep thought.
"Yu-kun… can he truly become a good father?"
She whispered to herself.
"I need to test him… or at least get to know him more deeply."
With her cheeks burning, she mustered her courage and left the room.
Standing outside Yu's door, she had just knocked when—
Hearing movement from inside, Mikoto's expression grew bashful. She froze in place, overwhelmed with shame. She hadn't expected Yu-kun to be exactly as the clan members had gossiped…
She had only delayed her decision a bit…
And now even something like this…
Required lining up!
But the knock had already sounded. Mikoto was now stuck, her mind blank.
Creak—
The sliding door suddenly opened. Yu, looking refreshed, stepped out and locked eyes with her, surprised she was still awake.
"Sorry… Yu-kun… I came at a bad time…" Mikoto said shyly, turning away.
"No, you came at just the right time."
Yu reached out, took her wrist, and pulled her inside.
Moonlight streamed through the window, driving away the room's darkness and illuminating the floor. Mikoto caught a strange, mixed scent in the air.
"What is…?"
She looked down and saw Tsunade, golden hair disheveled, sleeping soundly on the futon. She nearly cried out in shock.
Mikoto squinted, scanning the messy bed. Of all the people she imagined might be in Yu's room, she never expected her.
"Oh, I was just helping her treat her hemophobia," Yu said calmly, without even blinking.
"…" Mikoto gave him a strange look, then teased gently, "How's the treatment going?"
Yu thought for a moment and lied with a straight face, "Pretty good. She'll sleep well tonight. But… she'll need several more sessions to fully recover."
Mikoto had no words for that.
They sat together by the window on the tatami floor, gazing out at the peaceful green bamboo grove below. When the wind blew, the rustling of bamboo leaves sounded like rain falling to earth.
After a long silence, Mikoto parted her red lips, mind still in chaos. She decided to trust his nonsense for now.
She spoke in a soft voice:
"The things you showed me… those were really the torments and suffering Sasuke will experience in the future?"
She kept her voice low and gentle, afraid to wake the sleeping Tsunade.
"That was a future I projected with Tsukuyomi. If you had died, and I had died, Sasuke's future would've followed that path—watered with hatred and pain by Itachi."
Yu didn't bother lowering his voice.
He wasn't worried about Tsunade waking up.
After what happened earlier, she had passed out mid-begging, and even a paper bomb going off in the room wouldn't wake her.
Yu, meanwhile, felt more mentally refreshed than ever, his spiritual energy steadily increasing.
Mikoto glanced at the floor, sighing after a long pause. "Yu-kun… I've made up my mind. Sasuke really does need a teacher who's as strict as a father. If you're willing, I'll have him become your disciple… to inherit your legacy."
Her words were phrased gently and indirectly.
She couldn't bring herself to ask Yu to become Sasuke's father just yet. Starting with mentorship felt safer.
If Yu proved worthy, she'd take the next step and fully accept him into their lives.
"Mm." Yu nodded.
Seeing him agree without hesitation, Mikoto smiled with joy, then lowered her head again, murmuring:
"I still don't know how I can atone for the sins Itachi committed… I'm sorry, it feels like I haven't done anything."
Yu looked at her calmly. "The old you couldn't. But now, you can help me cultivate."
"Hmm?" Mikoto blinked, confused. "Cultivate?"
Glancing at the pre-dawn sky and the peacefully sleeping Tsunade, Yu said:
"It's almost morning. Just stay here tonight. I'll show you the method."
"…Okay."
A moment later, Mikoto, half-reluctant, lay beside the sleeping Tsunade under the blanket, nervous and uneasy.
Until she felt a warm embrace.
Her breathing grew fast. She bit her lip and turned to glance at Yu behind her with a look of surprise.
"Focus your mind," Yu reminded her.
Rustle, rustle— Outside, the wind blew through the bamboo forest.
That night, Tsunade slept soundly.
"How do you feel?"
"Mm… My mental energy seems stronger. My mind feels clearer than before…"
"See? I wasn't lying to you."
"No… you weren't, Yu-kun."
"Then let's keep training." Yu could feel his spiritual power growing.
He couldn't help but complain—this stuff was just like the green potion!
No matter how hard he worked…
Each dose only boosted his spiritual power by around 1%.
°°°
Hungry for more chaps? Then check out our pătreon!
Link: Påtreon.com/BaphometFiction
I post 20 advanced chapters of this fanfic there.
If you do subscribe, please do so in the web patreon, not the ios app.