[Read up to Chapter - 81 on P atreon at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]
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Mikoto, still sobbing in Kanzou's arms, eventually fainted from exhaustion.
The emotional strain had been too much—she had used Tsukuyomi right after awakening her Mangekyō Sharingan, and the exhaustion caught up to her.
It was only natural for her to collapse.
"Clean up Tadayoshi-sama's body. Also, the fact that Mikoto has awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan—I don't want word of that getting out. Understood?" Kanzou's eyes swept over everyone present, and the oppressive weight of his aura made them lower their heads in fear.
"Understood, Patriarch," they responded in unison.
With that, Kanzou temporarily withdrew from the scene, carrying unconscious Mikoto in his arms.
Later, after returning home, Satoru reported new information to Kanzou. Apparently, before his death, Shinkurou had relayed a message, instructing the diehards still loyal to Fugaku to temporarily leave Konoha. And they have indeed left while he wasn't paying any attention to them.
Heck, even Shinkurou was about to leave… but Elder Tadayoshi got to him first.
"Patriarch, should I gather some men and eliminate those rebels?" Satoru asked.
"No," Kanzou replied. "Their time will come."
Although letting them live seems kinda foolish at first thought Kanzou had a plan…
He had no intention of sending the clansmen after them—not yet.
Besides, those men had likely gone to join Fugaku.
Let them gather.
Kanzou would deal with them when the moment was right.
If Sarutobi Hiruzen had really taken Fugaku in, would he allow Kanzou to retaliate against the Uchiha clan that had betrayed him?
Certainly not.
While Hiruzen did harbour not-so-good intentions towards the Uchiha, he also needed those same people to oppose Kanzou.
That's why, if Kanzou were to send men to arrest them, the ANBU would undoubtedly intervene.
There was no point in doing something so meaningless.
Besides, the number of defectors wasn't even significant. Even when counting their entire families, they totalled no more than thirty people.
In comparison to the Uchiha clan's numbers—over 800 members strong—this was hardly a concern.
And that was only the ninjas he was speaking of.
Yes, at this point in time, the number of active ninjas in the Uchiha clan was as high as 800 clansmen…
As for the non-active and non-ninja part of the Clan… well… if they were counted, the number was much more significant.
It was no wonder the rest of Konoha feared them.
Of course, that didn't mean Kanzou planned to let the defectors go unpunished.
If he couldn't eliminate them openly, he would resort to the shadows—just like how the Senju clan had quietly faded into extinction.
If they couldn't be dealt with inside the village, then it would be done outside.
And even if they didn't leave the village, Kanzou would still find a way to make trouble for them.
He was the Captain of the Konoha Police Force—finding a reason to eliminate them wouldn't be difficult.
"Shin, inform all the clansmen that a grand funeral ceremony will be organized in honor of Tadayoshi-sama. And start preparations for that…"
"Understood, Kanzou-sama," Shin knew there was something special between the patriarch and Uchiha Mikoto, and that she might very well become his wife in the future.
And truth be told, Mikoto was more than worthy of the role—there wasn't even the slightest doubt about it, especially now that she had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, the pinnacle of the Uchiha clan's visual prowess.
So, it was only fitting that her grandfather be given a grand funeral ceremony.
After dismissing Satoru, Kanzou made his way to the bedroom to check on Mikoto.
By the time he arrived, Mikoto was already awake—but she sat there with her back against the wall, dishevelled, her cheeks streaked with dried tears, and her eyes clouded with sorrow.
"You're awake. This is the letter Tadayoshi-sama left behind for you."
The suicide note had been found in the elder's house by one of the Zodiacs, addressed specifically to Mikoto. Kanzou hadn't opened it.
"Sofu-sama left this…?" Mikoto immediately unfolded the note, and as she read it, fresh tears began to fall.
"Sofu-sama… I didn't want the Mangekyō Sharingan… I just wanted you to live…"
In the letter, the elder had written out his plan in full and urged Mikoto not to grieve—his old body was already nearing its limit, and this was the final gift he could leave her.
"I'll make sure Tadayoshi-sama receives the most honourable funeral possible," Kanzou said quietly to Mikoto.
"…Thank you, Kanzou-sama," Mikoto replied, casting him a grateful glance.
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No one from other clans attended the Elder's funeral—only the Uchiha came.
It was to be expected.
The Uchiha's relationship with the other clans had grown colder ever since Kanzou took the reins. And besides, he was only an elder, not the patriarch.
Even though only members of the Uchiha clan attended, the funeral was far from modest since almost the entire Clan was here, including the ninjas and civilians.
After the ceremony concluded, Kanzou gently patted Mikoto on the shoulder.
"Let's return home. Standing here any longer won't bring Tadayoshi-sama back to life."
Mikoto nodded quietly and followed behind him in silence.
As they walked, Mikoto suddenly spoke in a slightly hesitant voice. "Kanzou-sama…"
"What is it?" Kanzou asked casually.
"Do you remember," she began, "back when I asked if you'd be willing to marry me… You told me that you had no issue with my beauty or character, but it was my strength and usefulness that were lacking. And you promised me that if I became strong and useful, you'd grant me that wish…"
"Yes," Kanzou nodded. He remembered that night clearly since it was also the night he had planned Fugaku's downfall.
"Am I strong and useful enough now? Have I evolved from a Canary to a Black Swan as you desired? Would you be willing to grant me that wish of mine?" Mikoto asked, her voice soft, her expression tinged with loneliness.
She was truly alone now… Her heart needed someone to keep beating for. And Kanzou was the only one who could give her that.
At this point, her request wasn't born of reason, calculation, logic, resentment towards Fugaku, a woman's nature to search for someone who could provide and protect, or because it was the best thing to do.
No, none of that was the reason…
She wasn't asking because it was the most sensible choice—she was asking because it was the only choice she had left.
She was acting like that in search of a reason to let her heart beat…
The only person she could try to reach out to was Kanzou… Even if he was her abuser… he was still the only person in her heart who could give her the reason.
And she hoped that he would give her that reason… because if he doesn't… she knew that her heart would just stop beating. It wouldn't even be able to see the sun tomorrow.
Kanzou turned to look at her and was able to see through her thoughts.
After a moment of silence, he nodded, "You have indeed evolved… although not fully completed, and not taking the path I had intended for you… But I suppose we can ignore all that for now, as you do deserve this."
The True and complete evolution from a Canary to a Black Sawn in Kanzou's eyes would have been if Mikoto had been the one to plunge her Kunai through Elder Tadayoshi's heart.
It's a pity that Elder Tadayoshi just sacrificed himself in another way, saving Mikoto the agony.
'He might have even predicted that I might instruct this to her someday…' thought Kanzou, not ruling out the possibility.
"You're now indeed qualified to be the Black Swan in my Cage," nodded Kanzou, extending his hand to her.
A beautiful, strong, humble, and devoted woman offering herself willingly—why not?
Especially one like Mikoto, who now possessed strength close to the Kage level and potential for higher, having awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
A kunoichi with both strength and beauty, along with endless devotion, was a rare asset in the Shinobi World.
Mikoto slowly raised her hand and placed it gently over Kanzou's. "Thank you, Kanzou-sama…" she said softly, her voice full of gratitude as she felt his fingers clasp hers.
Hand in hand, the two then began to make their way to her cage.
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"A word of warning for you, Mikoto—don't use the Mangekyō Sharingan recklessly. It has side effects. Overuse will eventually lead to blindness."
Although Kanzou knew that Mikoto wasn't the type to abuse her Mangekyō Sharingan, he still gave her a word of caution.
"I understand. I'll keep that in mind," Mikoto nodded gently. She also knew that Kanzou had the Mangekyō Sharingan; therefore, she didn't question whether what he said was really true or not… since he said this, it must be true. She also kept in mind that she was going to be very careful when using the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Kanzou then asked her, "By the way, one of your ocular techniques is Tsukuyomi, right? What's the other one?"
Susanoo was available to anyone who had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan in both eyes, so Kanzou wasn't particularly concerned about that—Mikoto should naturally have access to it as well.
What intrigued him was the unique ability of her other eye.
"It's called Kuninotokotachi," answered Mikoto before explaining its usage. "It allows me to absorb an enemy's ninjutsu and convert it into chakra." She paused before adding, "But it also has a trump card. It can also absorb the visual prowess of another Sharingan to restore my own visual prowess."
If anyone else had asked about her Mangekyō Sharingan's abilities, she would have never shared them.
But since it was Kanzou, she revealed everything to him without much hesitation.
Not because she was naïve or careless, but because Kanzou had agreed to take her as his wife.
And to Mikoto, that made him her husband now.
She believed that with her husband, she had nothing to hide.
She was loyal and devoted to the core, and saw no reason to keep secrets from the man she had chosen to follow.
"Your ocular technique is incredibly powerful," Kanzou couldn't help but remark.
The ability to absorb an opponent's ninjutsu makes such attacks completely ineffective against her—and even allows her to replenish her own chakra.
Heck, it's a Rinnegan-tier technique and that was something the Ōtsutsuki are known for…
As for her trump card, it was even more absurd. The ability to absorb the visual prowess of other Sharingan users to restore her own… it practically eliminated the risk of going blind.
In fact, Kanzou suspected that if she absorbed enough Visual Prowess, her Mangekyō Sharingan might even evolve into the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan without the need of having to transplant a sibling or close relative's.
Awakening such a broken ability—it really felt like Uchiha Mikoto had been handed a protagonist's script.
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Drop power Powerstonessssssssss!
[Read up to Chapter - 81 on P atreon at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]