The autumn wind carried with it a faint sense of melancholy.
Uchiha Fugaku led a dozen elite Uchiha jonin—each of them fiercely loyal—as they rushed back home.
Walking beside him was Uchiha Yashiro, clutching a blade, his expression cold as ice and his hair fluttering in the wind.
Yashiro's sadness was more for Fugaku than for himself.
If what Fugaku had said was true, then the blow he had just received could very well be more devastating than when he first awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
"Fugaku, shouldn't you check again? It might all be a misunderstanding," Yashiro said cautiously. "Those were words from outsiders, after all. We shouldn't believe them blindly."
Fugaku lifted his gaze toward the sky and slowly shook his head. "I've made my decision. There's no need to persuade me."
After hearing Orochimaru and Shikaku's insights, Fugaku had finally seen through the strange behavior Mikoto had been displaying in recent days.
Something wasn't right. Something was deeply wrong with Mikoto.
And the most terrifying part? She was the woman who had been sleeping beside him all these years.
That's why Fugaku had made up his mind—to kill his wife, Uchiha Mikoto, the woman he'd loved for so long.
As for Menma...
Since Minato had visited him and hadn't denied his connection to Menma afterward, Fugaku had decided not to touch the boy—for now.
His only target tonight... was Mikoto.
He would fabricate the perfect illusion: that Mikoto had committed suicide.
Still, they were husband and wife. Fugaku didn't want to do it with his own hands. He would leave the task to Yashiro and the others.
He would go in first to make sure Menma wasn't there. If he was, Fugaku would invite him out for drinks, creating the perfect window for Yashiro and his men to strike.
No matter what—Mikoto had to die.
She knew far too much.
Mikoto, it was you who betrayed me first. Don't blame me.
I'll raise Itachi well.
Elsewhere, Mikoto—dressed in a bunny costume—and Yoshino—dressed as a white bull—froze in shock the moment they saw Uzumaki Chiname.
Especially Yoshino. She had learned the truth about Naruto's identity from Chiname, and now, upon seeing him again, she was tongue-tied, unable to form a complete sentence.
Naruto gently stroked the hair of both women and asked Chiname in a soft voice, "Why are you here?"
"Naruto, something terrible has happened!" Chiname rushed toward him in a panic, ignoring the expressions of Mikoto and Yoshino.
"Uchiha Fugaku is leading people here. He's coming to kill us."
Her words were like a thunderclap.
Naruto's mind buzzed as the weight of the revelation hit him. Mikoto, too, stood frozen, paralyzed with fear.
Just like criminals who tremble at the sound of approaching police sirens, both of them felt a cold chill run down their spines.
They immediately thought back to everything that had happened in recent days.
And when they considered it seriously... yes, they had gone way too far.
Itachi and Fugaku in the living room... Naruto and Mikoto in the kitchen.
Fugaku sleeping soundly while Naruto and Mikoto lay beside him.
They all shared meals—Fugaku, Mikoto, Itachi—and Naruto hiding under the table.
Fugaku had even invited Naruto to go fishing, and Naruto had abandoned his rod by the river just to sneak into the woods to "fish" with Mikoto.
Although Fugaku had been knocked unconscious every time, the incidents had piled up. There were too many inconsistencies.
No doubt about it now—Fugaku had found out about their affair. And now, he was coming to silence them.
"What should we do? What should we do?!" Mikoto muttered, her face growing paler by the second. She clutched Naruto's chest, trembling, seeking reassurance.
Naruto wrapped an arm around her waist. "Don't be afraid. I'm here."
He wasn't afraid of Fugaku. That man simply wasn't in Naruto's league.
His only concern was whether intervening would disrupt the natural order of the world... and whether Mikoto would be able to accept the consequences.
Thinking this through, Naruto lifted Mikoto's chin and asked gently, "Mikoto, if I kill Fugaku... will you hate me?"
Mikoto paused. Her face twisted with pain, confusion, and conflict.
Even if she had betrayed Fugaku and loved Naruto far more than her husband—Fugaku was still the man she had shared her life with.
Killing him... would be cruel.
But she also knew that now that Fugaku had uncovered the truth, he would never let her live.
Chiname let out a faint sigh.
After all, this situation had been caused by Naruto. And now Mikoto was pregnant with Naruto's child. Chiname couldn't just stand by and do nothing.
No one in Konoha could stop her—except Naruto.
"Naruto, stay here with Mikoto. I'll go take care of it." Chiname tied her long red hair into a high ponytail—the sign she was ready for battle.
Naruto nodded. It was time to adjust the story's trajectory.
After careful thought, Fugaku's death wouldn't change much. Sasuke could still be born. That alone was a relief.
"Wait," Mikoto said suddenly, wiping her eyes. Her voice was low and bitter.
"Let me decide how Fugaku dies. After all... we were husband and wife. I don't want him to suffer too much."
Chiname looked to Naruto. The final decision was his.
"Alright," he said.
Dead trees stood chaotically in the yard, their twisted branches reaching toward the sky like warriors wielding swords.
A faint mist hung over the ground, and though the wind blew silently, it never ceased.
As Fugaku stepped into what was supposed to be his home, a strange soreness filled his nose.
He didn't know... Mikoto already knew he was coming.
"I'm home," he called.
"I stood for a long time today at the Third Hokage's place. I'm exhausted."
He steadied his breathing, keeping his tone casual as he entered.
In the living room, he found Mikoto holding their four-year-old son in her arms, both of them watching TV.
Itachi was already asleep.
Hah...
Mikoto, you forced me to do this.
"Itachi's been lazy lately. No training, just naps," Fugaku said as he sat beside her, hoping to catch her off guard.
But Mikoto was calm.
"He's still young. No need to rush," she replied, pouring him a cup of herbal tea.
Fugaku frowned. "He was born into the Uchiha clan. He has responsibilities."
"If we were just a normal family," Mikoto said softly, stroking Itachi's cheek, "he wouldn't have to act like a little adult. You wouldn't be so tired."
Fugaku sighed. "Yeah. A normal family..."
But even now, he knew his words were hollow. He wasn't here to reminisce.
"Did Menma visit today?" he asked, feigning surprise.
"No," Mikoto said calmly. "Just me and Itachi. No one else came."
"Is that so…" Fugaku narrowed his eyes. If Menma wasn't here... then it was time.
Still, better to check once more.
Just as he stood to investigate, Mikoto exclaimed, "Oh no! I forgot I was making sukiyaki! Darling, can you grab the pot from the kitchen?"
Fugaku, uncertain if Naruto was hiding somewhere, obeyed and walked into the kitchen.
The delicious aroma filled the air.
Outside, Mikoto gently shook Itachi awake.
"Itachi, it's time for dinner."
"Mmm… what's for dinner?"
"Sukiyaki!"
"Yay!"
Their joyful voices reached his ears.
Fugaku hesitated.
Maybe... he should share one last meal with them.
Itachi would be motherless from now on.
He forced a smile and returned to the living room with the pot. "Itachi, dinner's ready."
"Awesome!" Itachi rushed over to help.
They ate. Mikoto and Itachi were lively. Fugaku didn't touch his chopsticks.
He claimed he had already eaten at the Hokage's place.
Mikoto gently scolded Itachi. "Eat your vegetables too—it'll help you grow taller."
"Then you should eat more too, Mommy!"
"Silly, Mommy can't grow anymore. I'll just eat meat."
Watching his wife and son laugh... Fugaku felt tears welling up.
He wouldn't see this again.
"Mikoto, you two eat. I just remembered something—I need some air."
He walked out.
Mikoto silently watched his back.
She had made this sukiyaki with care, as a final warmth for him.
But he didn't cherish it.
"Goodbye, Fugaku," she whispered. "I'm sorry. Let's not meet again in the next life."
Jingle jingle.
The wind chimes tinkled softly.
They had been hung the year Itachi was born.
The house was silent, but Fugaku's Sharingan remained active. He was sure—Menma had to be here. He was just hiding.
East guest rooms—empty.
West guest rooms—also empty.
"Could it be... my room?"
Fugaku clenched his fists.
If he hadn't seen Menma's strength, if he hadn't feared angering Minato and endangering the clan...
He would have killed that yellow-haired bastard first.
As he stepped out of the guest room, footsteps sounded behind him.
He turned sharply—then relaxed. It was Yashiro.
"Why haven't you acted yet?" Yashiro asked impatiently.
Wrong.
Yashiro would have calmed me. This one is urging me.
Who is this?
How does he have the Sharingan?
Fugaku whipped out a kunai and slashed—perfectly intercepting the opponent's blade.
He lunged forward—aiming for the heart.
"You've lost," he declared.
"No, you've lost," the false Yashiro replied, his eyes turning into a five-pointed Mangekyō Sharingan.
"Uga no Mi."
Clink!
The blade should have pierced the heart—but it shattered.
Fugaku's world turned black.
A cold feeling grazed his neck.
Then... nothing.
The sky remained clear. The world unchanged.
In just a moment, Uchiha Fugaku—the clan head of the Uchiha—was dead.
No resistance.
The one who killed him?
A seemingly harmless woman.
She looked at his corpse and muttered, "You found out at just the right time."
"My vision's been failing... so your eyes came just in time."
Uchiha Izumi returned to her original form.
"Sister Chiname, I've handled Fugaku. I want to transplant his eyes."
"You did better than I expected," Chiname replied, appearing silently at her side.
"I knew everything about Fugaku," Izumi said with a smile. "And he never used his Mangekyō unless absolutely necessary. He was too cautious."
"He was destined to lose."
Naruto stepped out of the shadows, impressed.
She hadn't even given Fugaku a chance to activate Izanagi.
"Let's do the transplant quickly. We still need to handle Yashiro and the others."
Naruto sealed Fugaku's body away and used Scorch Release to evaporate the blood.
From today onward—Uchiha Izumi would become Uchiha Fugaku.
She would live in disguise until the day Uchiha Itachi wiped out the clan.
"Izumi, thank you," Naruto said, guilt in his eyes.
"It's not so bad," she smiled. "I'll miss you, but at least now I can make sure my mother survives the massacre."
She had already visited her mother.
But only from a distance.
Just watching.
Silently protecting.