At seven o'clock in the evening.
Naruto climbed to the top of the mountain alone, sat cross-legged in the cool evening breeze, and formed the seal for the Tensou Jutsu.
He closed his eyes and used his chakra to clearly sense the outside world. One by one, glowing white dots appeared and disappeared.
His eyes swept over one of them. After locking onto it, he threw a stone into the point. After entering the white dot, the stone fell thirty meters away, following the trajectory Naruto had set.
A thirty-meter teleportation distance is already impressive—even for this technique, it would usually take at least two or three seconds to cross that span. But using the Heaven's Song Technique, it arrived in less than the span of a single breath.
Naruto ignored the success and continued tracking white dots, repeatedly throwing stones again and again.
After all, he had the legendary Uzumaki "power bank"—his chakra reserves were enormous. He didn't have to worry about running out.
So why not go all out?
He had no textbook knowledge to rely on. He could only experiment repeatedly, fail again and again.
Failure is the mother of success. If you do something long enough, you'll eventually get it right.
But experimenting with the Heaven's Song Technique was even more boring than driving a long-distance truck alone. At least truck drivers get paid. This was just endless, mind-numbing repetition.
"What kind of lunatic invented this Heaven's Sending Technique, anyway?"
"I seriously think it was made by accident. Probably just meant for teleporting objects."
Suddenly, as Naruto performed another attempt, something strange happened.
The stone's teleportation was much slower this time.
Still thirty meters—but unlike earlier trials that completed instantly, this one took several full minutes to pass through the channel.
It moved like an old man, slowly wandering by.
This change made the drowsy Naruto instantly perk up. "There's definitely something interesting going on here!"
He quickly sat upright and focused again, continuing to track the white dots and launch his experiments.
The night wind blew gently, and a crescent moon shone brightly in the sky.
Time passed rapidly as the moon crept across the heavens.
Finally, after another hour, Naruto once again located one of those extremely slow-moving white dots.
He examined it carefully. It looked nearly identical to the others—but this one had a slightly brighter glow. If you weren't paying close attention, you wouldn't even notice the difference.
Naruto had a theory.
A portal leading to the past might travel backward through time, which could make objects appear to move very slowly inside it—even though they feel like they're moving quickly from the outside.
But what if the channel moved in the same direction as time itself?
Then maybe the object's speed wouldn't change much at all.
And maybe… this slightly brighter white dot was a portal to the future.
"That's enough for today," Naruto said, exhaling.
"If I keep pushing, I'll end up going in myself."
"Before that happens, I should clean up the mess I've already made."
Around midnight.
When Naruto returned to his tent, he never expected to see Mikoto already inside—relaxing in the tent he shared with Yoshino.
"Mikoto-san? What are you doing here so late?" Naruto asked as he stepped inside. He glanced around but didn't see Yoshino anywhere.
All he saw was a stunning woman reclining on the bed, wearing a light white T-shirt and a long black skirt.
Mikoto rolled her eyes at him and sat up. Her long black hair cascaded over her full chest, and as she moved from lying down to sitting, her round hips looked particularly prominent.
"Don't bother looking for her. I told Yoshino at noon that I missed my husband and asked her to take care of my son. She's still with him now. He's probably asleep."
"You asked Yoshino to sleep with your son?" Naruto raised an eyebrow.
"Oh come on, don't tell me you're jealous of a four-year-old," Mikoto scoffed.
She cursed him inwardly—shouldn't he at least act touched that she missed her husband?
Truth be told, Naruto was a little annoyed.
Even if the boy was just four, he was still a little guy.
Back then, didn't Sister Xiyan treat Naruto the same way—as a "little boy"? And look how that turned out.
Seeing his displeased expression, Mikoto sighed. "Don't worry, I knew you'd mind. Their beds are separate."
That was… acceptable.
Still, Naruto said one thing on the surface and another in his heart: "I don't mind at all. After all, your son is basically my son. Yoshino is my woman, and she's also his mother. Why would I mind if a mother sleeps beside her child?"
Hearing this, Mikoto smiled faintly. "You're right. Yoshino put her son to bed today—and now I want to put her son to bed. What do you say?"
"Good boy," Mikoto purred.
As she spoke, she slowly lifted her skirt, revealing her small feet wrapped in black stockings.
She was clearly suggesting they "study" together tonight.
Like answering some… fill-in-the-blank questions.
"I'm coming, Mom," Naruto whispered, diving into her arms and breathing in her faint, familiar scent.
Mikoto wrapped her arm around his neck. "Hurry. I snuck out while Fugaku was asleep. I need to get back before he realizes."
She was flirting shamelessly now, and Naruto was all in.
"Damn, does your husband know you're like this?" he asked with a grin.
"You're my husband," Mikoto replied with a smile.
The more dignified a woman was in public, the more unrestrained she became in private.
Naruto loved that.
"Wife, let's have another son," Naruto teased, gently lifting her chin.
Mikoto thought he was just joking and chuckled. "Sure, have as many as you like. We've got people to raise them."
She never imagined her offhand joke would come true.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations! Option Three Completed. Reward (Uzumaki Sasuke) successfully granted.]
[Note: Your child "Sasuke" will be born on July 7 next year.]
Tch. Mikoto would cry her eyes out if she knew.
Not only was pregnancy dangerous—but she'd have to suffer for eleven whole months.
(If readers don't like this part, I won't write it again.)
Afterward, Mikoto slowly dressed and gave Naruto a playful kick.
"Next time, if I have to clear out Yoshino myself again, I'll make you pay."
Naruto, familiar with Mikoto's moods, wasn't scared at all.
Normally, he'd take that as a cue to "ride the horse" once more.
But because of the secret pregnancy, he felt a little guilty and quickly explained, "I just didn't want Brother Fugaku to find out about us."
Mikoto snorted, a trace of resentment in her eyes. "You're right. If he finds out, my life will be ruined because of you."
Naruto gave her a pitiful look. "Ruined by me? I've been ruined too! From now on, people will call me the yellow-haired guy who stole someone's wife. I cry just thinking about it."
"You are that guy," she snapped, giving him a kick in the face with her soft foot before quickly running off.
She needed to get back.
For Mikoto, no matter how much she loved Naruto, her family still mattered deeply.
Even if her husband was powerless, she didn't want to abandon him.
Moonlight blanketed the land in silvery white silk.
The world was quiet and still, with only the grass rustling softly in the breeze.
When Mikoto returned to her tent, she was startled to find Fugaku sitting silently beside the bed, as if he had been waiting for her.
"Mikoto. Where did you go so late?" Fugaku asked.
Mikoto dared not tell the truth. "Itachi fell asleep, and I went to check on him."
"But didn't you go to Yoshino's tent?" Fugaku tapped the table with a finger.
He didn't reveal that he had been awake the whole time—and had watched her go to Yoshino's tent with his own eyes. She hadn't visited their son at all.
Mikoto panicked inside, but somehow her instincts kicked in. The more nervous she felt, the calmer she looked.
"That was earlier. I went to play cards with Yoshino and Menma. When I got tired, I stopped by to check on our son."
Fugaku frowned slightly.
Mikoto was lying.
He had clearly seen Menma training on the mountaintop. There was no way they'd been playing cards.
Which meant Mikoto was deceiving him.
"Honey, what's with that look?" Mikoto snapped. "Are you accusing me of something?!"
"No," Fugaku said flatly.
"Not only are you suspicious, you followed me, didn't you?"
"I—" Fugaku hesitated. Following someone was a sign of distrust. If you found something, maybe it was justified. But if not...
"Wife, please. I was just worried—"
"Uchiha Fugaku! I've had enough of this. Get out!"
For the first time in his life, Fugaku saw his gentle wife explode in anger.
The grown man nearly buckled under pressure.
But pride kept him upright.
"Fine. If you want me to leave, I will!"
After he stormed out, Mikoto collapsed on the mattress, trembling.
She'd been terrified.
But judging by Fugaku's expression, he didn't know anything.
Next time, she'd have to coordinate more carefully with Menma.
Outside the tent, Fugaku snorted coldly. A few minutes later, he stood hugging himself, shivering with regret.
Regret!
His wife had been doting on their son every day. Now she finally came to his tent, and he ended up being kicked out.
What the hell was that?
Still, once they got back to the village, he planned to discipline her properly.
"…Wait. Mikoto wore stockings when she went to Yoshino's tent. Why weren't they on when she came back?"
A horrible thought crossed his mind.
Mikoto and Yoshino were very close...
Could it be…?
Meanwhile, inside Naruto's tent...
Naruto was locked in a fierce battle with Uzumaki Chiana.
Not that kind of battle—but the kind where you slap each other like grade-schoolers.
He had no idea why—but just after Mikoto left, Chiana barged in like a madwoman and started beating him up.
She ignored every warning and declared between tears that even if Naruto turned her into ashes, she had to beat someone up tonight—not even Izumi could stop her.
"Fine, hit me all you want. But can you at least tell me why you're so mad?"
Naruto gave up. Chiana's stunning face was just too much. He could scare her—but he couldn't bring himself to erase her.
Chiana glared. "Because you're shameless."
What?
That wasn't even a real reason.
Izumi leaned close and whispered, "She got jealous because you were 'studying' with Uchiha Mikoto."
What the heck?
She'd never acted jealous before.
Naruto turned to Chiana. "Okay, explain exactly how I offended you. Speak clearly. I might not kill you—but I can put you in solitary confinement."
Rules had to be established.
If every woman in his life threw tantrums like this, he'd be in trouble.
Chiana had already cooled down a little from the outburst.
"You know why I'm mad."
"This is your last chance," Naruto warned. "Tell me or you're staying locked up."
She finally gave in and muttered, "Because you lowered your generation level for no reason."
…Huh?
Oh. Naruto finally got it.
Izumi got it too.
Chiana was mad because he'd called Mikoto "Mom."
Izumi scratched her chin. "Chiana, that was over ten years ago. If Naruto-kun calls us that, it's not a big deal. Mikoto's an old woman anyway."
"She is," Chiana grumbled. "We're still young."
Izumi patted her on the shoulder. "Think positive."
Naruto smirked. "See how mature Sister Izumi is?"
"Ugh, you talked back again! I'm gonna beat you!"
She lunged again—but Naruto had enough. He locked her inside his space, using a classroom as a tiny solitary room.
"Uzumaki Naruto! You black-hearted man! Let me out!"
"Reflect on your behavior before we talk again."
Half a month later.
The Uchiha clan returned to Konoha.
Patriarch Uchiha Fugaku and his troops were welcomed back by the village's top leadership.
Naruto, wearing a black robe and fox mask, walked silently behind the group.
"Menma, I'm so nervous," Yoshino whispered, trembling slightly. Filing for divorce now that they were home was suddenly very real.
"It's okay. I'm with you. And Sister Mikoto will help," Naruto said, glancing at Mikoto. "Right?"
"Of course." Mikoto smiled sweetly and tickled Naruto's palm.
No one noticed Naruto, who walked at the back of the team, had one hand around Yoshino's waist…
…and the other secretly holding Mikoto's hand.
So thrilling.
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