"Sure."
"That's great! "
Hearing that Fugaku would accompany them, Mikoto and Sasuke both smiled brightly.
And so, the three left together, heading toward the nearby park.
Fugaku had a clear purpose for joining them—he'd just thought of a way to provoke the Third Hokage.
According to his information, that particular park was often visited by the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, Naruto Uzumaki—a child the Third Hokage was extremely sensitive about.
All it would take was a brief encounter with Naruto to infuriate the Hokage.
"Sasuke, Sasuke…! "
"You're here again, Sasuke! "
Just like before, the moment Sasuke arrived, a group of young girls swarmed around him with excitement.
He kept his usual cold expression, responding only occasionally.
Yet this aloof attitude only made the girls like him more—they thought he was incredibly cool.
Standing at the side of the park, Fugaku and Mikoto watched, smiling proudly at their son being surrounded by admirers.
Seeing how popular Sasuke was, they felt relieved—certain he wouldn't struggle to find a wife in the future.
"If only Itachi were this popular too…" Mikoto said with a hint of regret.
"Well, isn't there that girl—Uchiha Izumi—who's fond of him? She's quite pretty, from what I recall," Fugaku replied with a chuckle.
"She is pretty, and she truly likes Itachi… but he's always so indifferent to her," Mikoto said worriedly.
"That's just his personality. The fact that he even acknowledges her at all says something," Fugaku reassured her.
"I hope so…" Mikoto sighed.
After watching Sasuke for a while, Mikoto's gaze wandered across the park—and once again, she saw that little blonde-haired boy sitting alone on a swing.
He watched the other children play with longing and envy in his eyes, clearly hoping someone would invite him to join.
But as always, no one did.
Instead, the children kept their distance from him—as if he carried a disease.
Mikoto's heart tightened painfully.
She had been Kushina's best friend.
As someone who cared deeply for Kushina, she should've looked after her son. But due to the political tension between the Uchiha clan and the Third Hokage, she'd never been allowed to.
The guilt weighed heavily on her.
Tap—
A hand gently rested on her shoulder.
Turning, she saw Fugaku giving her a warm, encouraging look.
"I told you—if there's something you want to do, then do it. I, and the Uchiha Clan, will stand behind you."
His voice was calm but firm.
"No… it's fine." Mikoto felt a sudden impulse to act but quickly suppressed it. She didn't want to cause trouble for her husband or the clan.
"Come with me."
Fugaku sighed, wrapped an arm around her shoulder, and began walking toward the blonde boy.
"Fugaku—don't. It's really okay."
Mikoto shook her head quickly.
"Trust me. Don't let this become a lifelong regret."
Though gentle, Fugaku's tone left no room for resistance.
He wasn't doing this solely to provoke the Hokage—he also genuinely cared about Mikoto's pain. He couldn't bear to see her live in guilt any longer.
Those words shattered the final wall in Mikoto's heart.
She stopped resisting and allowed him to guide her forward—toward Naruto.
In her heart, a quiet sweetness bloomed.
Naruto noticed the adults approaching and immediately stood up from the swing, backing away.
He'd learned long ago that most adults hated him. Some even called him a "demon fox" behind his back.
So his instinct was always to avoid them.
"Wait!"
Mikoto's voice trembled as she called out.
The fact that he immediately moved to avoid them only confirmed her fear—this child was afraid of adults.
Her eyes grew misty. This boy had suffered far too much.
"…?"
Naruto stopped, confused.
One of the adults—a kind-looking woman—had called out to him.
Were they here to yell at him?
He hadn't even done anything. Why would they yell at him?
"Hello… I'm Mikoto Uchiha. I was a close friend of your mother's."
She crouched down, trying not to scare him, and spoke gently.
"My mom… had a friend? "
Naruto looked at her blankly.
She said she knew his mom. He hadn't known his mom had friends.
If she had friends… why didn't any of them ever come to see him?
"Yes, I was your mother's friend—her best friend."
"I'm sorry it took me so long to come see you…"
Mikoto's voice wavered slightly when she saw Naruto's clothes—worn thin, with small holes.
She could only imagine how lonely, hungry, and hurt this child must've been over the years.
From a distance, three masked ANBU were watching carefully.
They were assigned to monitor Naruto and prevent unauthorized contact.
The moment they saw Fugaku arrive at the park, their alertness spiked.
And when he and Mikoto approached Naruto, they prepared to intervene.
But suddenly—
Whoosh—
Fugaku vanished from Mikoto's side and reappeared beside the ANBU trio, blocking their path.
"Could I ask you three to let them be? "
Though polite in tone, Fugaku's voice carried firm authority.
"Clan Head Fugaku, under orders from the Third Hokage, no one is permitted to make private contact with Naruto Uzumaki."
The female ANBU among them spoke first.
"I'll explain everything to the Hokage later," Fugaku said calmly.
"Please don't make this difficult for us," a male ANBU added with a frown.
"I said I'll explain it myself."
Fugaku's voice grew colder.
"Step aside. Or we'll be forced to take action."
The last of the three—his tone younger, more aggressive—spoke bluntly.
"Oh? And what would that look like? "
Fugaku's gaze sharpened.
Three tomoe swirled into his eyes.
Before any of them could react, he locked eyes with each of them.
Whoosh—
In an instant, all three froze.
No more words. No more movement.
Beneath their masks, their expressions shifted in confusion and alarm.
They had fallen into a genjutsu cast by Fugaku's Sharingan.
From afar, another ANBU watching from the shadows saw what happened.
His expression changed drastically.
"I have to report this to the Hokage—immediately! "
He turned and raced off toward the Hokage's office.