The green grass stretched endlessly across the land.
Under the moonlight, vibrant hues shimmered across the vast and boundless earth. The sky above was clear, bright, and cloudless. Amid this vast world, a white conical tent swayed gently in the night breeze.
Inside, the heavy breathing was loud enough to be heard from outside.
Naruto Uzumaki was repeatedly pushing Uchiha Mikoto away, his face panicked and embarrassed, like a delicate woman being overpowered.
In contrast, Mikoto—normally a gentle woman—was strikingly forceful at this moment.
When Naruto tried to resist, she tore off his clothes. Her rosy lips parted slightly, biting down on his face, shoulders, and neck again and again.
His entire body was flushed with red kiss marks.
"Menma-kun, stop hiding. Help me," Mikoto whispered.
Her voice was still soft, but it carried urgency, along with a faint intoxicating fragrance.
She had become completely restless, unable to endure any longer.
"Mikoto-sister, I already have Yoshino. And you have a husband," Naruto said firmly, trying to hold onto his reason.
Mikoto silenced him by pressing her lips over his.
"I don't care anymore," she said breathlessly.
Naruto turned his head and spoke again, "You have a son."
Yes. She had a son.
But Mikoto pressed against him once more. "Fugaku is a good father. He'll take care of him. He won't go hungry."
And with that, she pushed Naruto down.
Her face was flushed with both anger and desire. As the wife of the Uchiha clan leader, how dare Naruto refuse her again and again?
With no way out, Naruto reluctantly went along with her... completing the "task" she had assigned.
(Three thousand words the readers don't enjoy are omitted here.)
At the same time, Uchiha Fugaku was deep in a game of shogi with Uchiha Yashiro, one of his most trusted men.
Their topic: Namikaze Menma, who had recently appeared.
Fugaku shared everything Menma had told him—except anything related to Mikoto.
Yashiro was one of the rare few who knew that Fugaku had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan. Even Mikoto didn't know. That alone revealed how much Fugaku trusted Yashiro.
"From what he said, it seems many in the Anbu are dissatisfied with the Third Hokage. And if he's really Minato's blood relative..." Yashiro trailed off, rubbing his temples.
Fugaku nodded. "Minato's been hiding his cards. Who would've thought he'd plant such a pawn beside the Third?"
"I suggest we cut ties with Orochimaru and fully back Minato from now on," Yashiro said as he moved a shogi piece.
The Third Hokage and Danzo had clung to the Second Hokage's policies, marginalizing the Uchiha for years.
Even when they pretended to accept Uchiha into Anbu or Root, they treated them like disposable tools. Those Uchiha who left those departments rarely returned to their clan.
But now, the Third Hokage's time was nearly over. The next generation of leaders—Minato and Orochimaru—had no deep-seated hostility toward the clan.
Minato treated everyone fairly. No favoritism, no suppression.
Orochimaru, on the other hand, had once promised the Uchiha more privileges—but only if they pledged loyalty and served him.
Prideful as ever, the Uchiha refused to play lapdog.
Now that Minato had a better chance of becoming Hokage than Orochimaru, the decision was clear.
"Clan Leader!"
Someone called from outside the tent.
Fugaku casually placed a piece down. "Keep today's meeting a secret."
Yashiro nodded solemnly.
Orochimaru was shrewd. If word of the Uchiha's shift leaked, there was no telling what he might do.
He might even arrange for "accidents" during missions outside the village.
The two exchanged a knowing glance.
"Come in," Fugaku called.
A Chunin entered respectfully and knelt before him, handing over writing tools.
"Patriarch, the brush and ink you requested."
Fugaku dipped the brush and began writing. His penmanship was elegant and precise.
One letter was addressed to Minato, the other to Nara Shikaku.
To Minato, he wrote that he had encountered someone claiming to be Minato's brother, and that he would take care of him for now.
Still, Fugaku remained cautious. If Minato didn't know about this "younger brother," could it be someone brainwashed by Danzo?
Better safe than sorry.
As for the letter to Shikaku, it was more subtle—a discreet message implying something important had happened to Yoshino.
"Send them," he ordered.
Fugaku then excused both the Chunin and Yashiro, pretending he needed rest.
As he lay down, he recalled Yoshino's situation and chuckled.
"My woman is still the best."
"Shikaku will never know what it's like to have a wife like Mikoto."
Even after his injury, Mikoto never showed disdain. She cared for him gently, day after day.
Where could you find a woman like that in all of Konoha?
"You won't suffer long, Mikoto. Once we return to the village, I'll find a specialist to fix me—even if it costs a fortune."
"For now, I just need you to endure."
With that, he drifted off to sleep—never suspecting his perfect wife had already found a new father for their son.
Crack!
Outside the tent, Uchiha Izumi snapped a branch in her hand.
She stared at the unconscious Uchiha Itachi lying on the ground, then listened to the movement inside the tent.
For some reason, she felt refreshed.
Naruto had slept with Itachi's mother.
That made Naruto his stepfather. And Izumi, being Naruto's woman, was now… kind of his mother too?
She grinned, humming a tune from the Land of Fire—a song Itachi had once taught her.
Back then, she'd truly liked Itachi.
But he… he'd tried to have her killed.
That was unforgivable.
She took a few steps forward, glanced mockingly at Itachi, and muttered, "If being your girlfriend meant death, maybe being your mom is safer."
Then she paused. "Wait, no. You killed your own mother too. I don't want a 'filial' son like that."
Inside the tent, the passionate noise ceased. Uchiha Mikoto lay beside Naruto, drenched in sweat, her cheeks flushed, her expression radiant.
So this… this was the life Yoshino enjoyed?
What a miserable contrast to her years with Fugaku.
Forget it. The past was the past.
"Menma-kun, today was a mistake. Let's keep it between us," she whispered.
She wanted to treat it like a harmless accident.
Naruto's expression darkened.
"A mistake?" His lips curled, eyes locking onto hers. "You used me. Now you're trying to toss me aside?"
He remembered clearly—how many times he had refused, how she tore off his clothes and forced herself on him.
Now she wanted to walk away?
"Don't twist things!" Mikoto's cheeks flushed with both shame and anger. "There must've been some kind of spell… something impure in the room!"
She couldn't explain it, but blamed an unknown force.
"I don't know of any spell," Naruto replied calmly. "If you really thought there was something unclean, why did you stay? You were obviously waiting for me."
Mikoto clamped a hand over his mouth.
"I was called by Yoshino! I just felt sleepy waiting for her, so I lay down for a bit!"
She assumed it was Yoshino's doing—some lingering charm or aura from their intimacy had affected her judgment.
After all, Yoshino didn't come back until dark to explain herself.
Naruto raised an eyebrow. "If you were looking for Yoshino, why didn't you go to the hillside?"
"The hillside? What would she be doing there?"
"Training."
"She made plans with me and went off training?!" Mikoto exploded.
Naruto folded his arms. "If you didn't know that, I doubt Yoshino actually called you here."
She hesitated. "Why would I lie to you?"
"You tell me," he replied coldly.
"You!" she snapped, blushing again. "I really didn't mean to lie!"
"Then why did you do it?"
Mikoto opened her mouth—and found no words.
It was what she'd done. But she hadn't meant for any of it to happen.
"I don't know what happened. But I didn't do it on purpose," she said softly.
Naruto pulled her into his arms. "Well, you've already taken advantage of me. Now you have to take responsibility!"
It was a bizarre reversal: a man demanding accountability from a woman.
But Mikoto, despite herself, couldn't help liking Naruto. Even his shamelessness felt sweet to her.
If she were single, she might not hesitate. But she had a husband. A child.
"You still have Yoshino. I still have Fugaku. Let's stop this here," she said, gently pushing him away.
She wasn't willing to destroy her family.
And that made her all the more valuable to Naruto—after all, Sasuke still needed Fugaku.
Naruto leaned in. "That's exactly what makes it exciting."
Mikoto froze. "What do you mean?"
"Exactly what I said," he whispered in her ear. "You can't leave Fugaku. I won't leave Yoshino."
"So why not enjoy the thrill?"
He refused to give her up—and Mikoto's gentle expression turned shy, tinged with shame.
She closed her eyes.
That was her answer.
Naruto moved in again.
(Here are the 3,000 words readers don't like to read.)
Two days later, under a clear sunny sky, the team resumed its march toward Konoha.
Elsewhere, shocking news rocked the ninja world.
Just after Konoha's war with Iwagakure ended, Kirigakure launched a sudden, large-scale attack.
The frontlines, the Fire Daimyo's mansion, even Konoha itself—none were spared.
Yet Konoha, even after consecutive battles with two Great Nations, stood firm.
More impressively, the Yellow Flash—Minato Namikaze—personally captured all the attackers.
His power was terrifying.
At the frontlines, a Chunin rushed forward with two letters in hand.
"Minato-sama, Shikaku-sama! Letters from Fugaku-sama."
Minato and Shikaku each took one.
After reading, Minato blinked in confusion. What was this about a younger brother?
Was Fugaku mocking him for being an orphan?
Impossible.
Though not close, Fugaku wasn't cruel like that.
Maybe someone had pretended to be Minato's brother and offered proof?
"Could it be a long-lost relative of Kushina?" Minato wondered. She did have missing clan members. Anything was possible.
He decided he'd visit this "brother" once he returned.
Meanwhile, Shikaku suddenly shouted, "Bastard!"
Minato looked up to see his friend's face darken.
"What happened?" he asked.
Shikaku clenched his fists and handed Minato the letter.
"Please don't say anything, Minato," he said grimly.
Minato took the letter.
And froze.
Though Fugaku's tone was indirect, the implications were clear.
Yoshino had cheated.
And worse—she planned to divorce Shikaku for her lover after returning to the village.