[Read up to Chapter - 94 on P atreon at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]
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Mikoto invited Uzumaki Kushina, but she didn't come—Jiraiya had decided to take her for training that day.
Kushina originally intended to ask for leave in order to visit her friend Mikoto, but Jiraiya was firm in his refusal and wouldn't allow it.
With no other choice, Kushina sent someone to deliver a letter to Mikoto, apologising and promising to visit after the training was over.
When Mikoto received the message, she let out a sigh of relief.
She had chosen to side with Kanzou and help him, but the guilt weighed heavily on her.
For now, at least, Kushina had escaped—if only temporarily.
But at the same time, Mikoto became nervous… after all, she had failed to call over Kushina.
"Kan-sama… Kushina-chan… she went to train with her teacher, Jiraiya-sama. So… um… She… she won't be able to come today," Mikoto informed Kanzou nervously.
Without lifting his head from the scroll he was reading, Kanzou replied calmly. "It's fine if she's busy."
"Kan-sama… I really did invite her—she even agreed yesterday, but all of a sudden…" Mikoto said nervously, afraid Kanzou might think she hadn't kept her word.
Hearing her words, Kanzou raised his head to look at her, "Didn't I say that it's alright…"
"Kan-sama… I…" Mikoto murmured, noting the traces of disappointment in his eyes.
'Have I disappointed Kan-sama?' she thought.
Even though she had indeed tried to call Kushina… the fact that Kushina didn't come meant failure to complete the task Kanzou had given her.
She had failed—and that meant punishment.
'Punishment?' The word echoed in her mind, and her face paled slightly at the thought.
Last time, it was a spanking—so harsh that she couldn't sit properly for an entire week.
And yet, she still felt she deserved to be punished.
'I failed… It's only natural that I be punished,' she thought, burdened by guilt for disappointing Kanzou.
With that belief, she silently pulled down her panties and lifted her skirt. Then, kneeling in front of Kanzou in a submissive posture, she exposed her bare bottom, ready to be spanked.
"Kan-sama… I… I apologize," she whispered, voice trembling. "Please… forgive me, and please punish me…"
Watching her actions, Kanzou smiled and reached out with his right hand, gently caressing her bare ass cheek as if preparing it for the spanking, while praising her, "Mikoto… you really do seem to understand your place now…"
In fact, he was a bit surprised that she'd willingly position herself to be spanked… but he was satisfied to see this.
Meanwhile, Mikoto nodded and said softly, "Please punish me for disappointing you… but please don't be angry with me…"
"Very well, then," Kanzou replied with a smirk, giving her cheek a firm squeeze. "Are you ready?" he asked, raising his hand.
"Y-yes…" Mikoto whispered, bracing herself for the pain that was to come.
But no matter how long she waited, the pain never came. All she heard was the rustling of clothes, which confused Mikoto. She turned her head to look at Kanzou. "Kan-sama?"
At that moment, she felt a pair of hands spread her ass cheeks, revealing the cleft of her butt and her vagina. Before she could prepare herself, Kanzou plunged his meat inside her womanhood, causing her eyes to roll back. "This…?"
She had expected a spanking, but instead, Kanzou had entered inside her—they were now having sex.
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Sometime later, a tired Mikoto sat in Kanzou's arms and asked with uncertainty, "Kan-sama… why wasn't I punished?"
She was supposed to be punished—which meant a spanking and being handled very roughly—yet Kanzou had done neither as if he had no intention of punishing her at all.
It left her wondering if something was wrong.
Not that she was unhappy with the rare gentleness he showed her today… but it confused her.
After all, punishment and tenderness didn't usually go hand in hand.
Kanzou chuckled, gently caressing her hair. "How could I be angry with my Black Swan this time?"
He kissed her neck and added, "Uzumaki Kushina couldn't make it—that's on her. As for you, you did your part. I'm satisfied with the choice you made."
"Huh?" Mikoto blinked in surprise. 'It really was a test…'
That's right, Kanzou's instruction to invite Uzumaki Kushina was indeed a test… he wanted to see that after having been punished by him once, and now married to him, what choice would Mikoto make.
And even with guilt heavily weighing on her heart, she chose him as she should, as his Black Swan and lawful wife.
That alone made Kanzou very pleased.
Mikoto was relieved, "I see…"
"But there is still a problem…" said Kanzou, stroking her hair.
"A problem?" asked Mikoto, tilting her head.
"It seems Konoha's higher up doesn't want Uzumaki Kushina to have any ties with you or the other Uchiha," he added.
"Huh? Why?" Mikoto asked, confused.
"You may not know this, but Uzumaki Kushina is the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki…"
The fact that Kushina was the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki was indeed a tightly kept secret.
Very few people in the village knew about it—certainly not at this stage.
Even Mikoto, a very close friend of Kushina, had never known.
"Kushina-chan… is the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki?" she murmured in disbelief.
After hearing this information, Mikoto was genuinely shocked.
She had known Kushina for so many years, yet never learned this secret.
But it made sense—no matter how close they were, Kushina couldn't have told her such a deep secret.
The higher-ups in Konoha strictly forbade her from revealing such information to anyone.
And Kushina herself might have been afraid—afraid that Mikoto would develop a disgust towards her… might treat her like a monster once she found out about this secret.
"The Sharingan is a tool that can bend the tailed beasts to our will," Kanzou explained. "There are traitors within the Uchiha clan, and news of your Mangekyō Sharingan awakening has already leaked. The Third Hokage knows about it. An Uchiha with the Mangekyō coming into close contact with the Nine-Tails... that's bound to stir up painful memories for them. So tell me—do you really think Konoha's top brass would be comfortable letting the Jinchūriki anywhere near you?"
Sharingan can control tailed beasts directly—something Uchiha Madara once proved.
Only a few decades ago, he used the Nine Tails to attack Konoha and clashed with Senju Hashirama in a legendary battle.
Back when no one knew Mikoto had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, it was one thing. But now… now, they couldn't afford to take any chances.
Especially now, with tensions escalating between Sarutobi Hiruzen and Uchiha Kanzou, it was only a matter of time before they completely fell out.
At the same time, hearing the deepest secret of Kushina… Mikoto suddenly thought of something and looked at Kanzou, "Kan-sama—" but she hesitated, thinking she might be overstepping and stopped herself, "I—no… nothing…"
But Kanzou had already read through her doubts, and meeting her eyes, he asked her, "Are you wondering if I'm planning to target the Nine Tails sealed inside Uzumaki Kushina?"
After a while of silence, Mikoto nodded, "…Yes."
When she didn't know that Kushina was the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki, Mikoto had assumed Kanzou's interest in her was just like it had once been in herself—simply another toy he wanted to play with and possess. But now that she knew the secret, one even she had been unaware of for so long, she couldn't help but wonder if Kanzou's interest in Kushina was actually driven by his desire to possess the Nine-Tails sealed within her.
And she didn't know how to feel about that.
Part of her felt relieved—relieved that, unlike her, Kushina wouldn't be broken by Kanzou. But then her thoughts turned to the Nine-Tails, and the possibility that Kanzou wanted it for himself.
If that were true, it would mean extracting the beast from Kushina's body… and that meant one thing: her death.
'Is Kan-sama going to kill Kushina-chan?' Mikoto wondered, feeling troubled at the thought.
She certainly didn't want Kushina to die… but she also couldn't bring herself to oppose Kanzou if he really wanted to do that.
In the end, all she could feel for her best friend was a heavy mix of guilt and pity.
But Kanzou's next words brought her a strange sense of relief.
"No need to worry… I'm not targeting the Nine Tails," he said casually. "The nine-tails is barely a pet for me."
He truly didn't hold the Nine Tails in high regard.
Though the beast's strength was immense—likely on the level of a Super Kage—it was still susceptible to the power of the Sharingan.
As long as the Nine Tails remained sealed within a Jinchūriki, it posed no immediate threat.
And even if it broke free, Kanzou's Mangekyō Sharingan could control it—difficult, perhaps, but not impossible.
If his eyes evolved into the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, he wouldn't even need to control it directly. His Susanoo alone would be enough to subdue the Nine Tails and leave it helpless.
So, why would he be interested in that beast?
Hearing that Kanzou wasn't truly interested in the Nine-Tails, Mikoto felt a slight sense of relief, 'At least Kushina wouldn't die.'
But that relief was short-lived, as she also understood that her earlier suspicions had been right.
"Then… the reason Kan-sama is interested in Kushina-chan?" she asked softly, despite already knowing the answer.
"Yes… Just as you thought," Kanzou replied, gently caressing her head. "My intentions towards her… they are somewhat similar as were towards you."
The reason Kanzou had his eyes on Kushina was mainly because acting like a scoundrel and predator helped him earn a significant amount of evil points.
Kanzou didn't fully understand the system's reward mechanics, nor did he bother arguing with this Predator system masking itself as the Villain System. What he did know was that playing the villain, especially in morally depraved ways, clearly racked up the most evil points.
Inflicting psychological pain, torture, trauma, and guilt on a victim is, in a sense, more evil than simple murder—because the person continues to suffer.
So, it does make a certain amount of sense.
Kanzou himself doesn't mind doing such things—in fact, he even takes a certain pleasure in them, owing to his twisted nature and his own warped sense of morality.
If he didn't enjoy that, why would Mikoto be sitting on his lap like an obedient swan?
Besides, Kushina's looks were on par with Mikoto's.
And considering her feisty personality, 'It would be fun to play with her…'
How could a gooner like him not be tempted?
He was no longer the same Kanzou who once focused solely on strength and treating the pleasure of flesh as an afterthought or coping mechanism.
Back then, before his cheat ability had awakened, Kanzou had no choice but to train relentlessly—just to survive the looming Second Ninja War.
Without that desperation to grow stronger, he'd likely be dead already.
But now, having reached the peak of Kage-level strength, Kanzou could afford to loosen up.
With that power came the luxury to pursue other aspects of life.
Mikoto, who understood Kanzou's nature all too well—having been his victim herself—sighed.
The only joy in what was coming was, 'At least she won't die…'
But she couldn't deny that, in this situation, death might have been the kinder fate for her.
To be dead rather than mentally shattered might have been preferable.
Yet, she knew that such a thought was hypocritical because she herself had chosen the path of a broken mind over that of a lifeless body.
'Forget it… Kushina-chan's fate is already sealed. And as Kan-sama said, rather than trying to escape that reality, it's better to accept it… embrace it… and with that, there's no point in dwelling on it.'
With that, Mikoto decided to push thoughts of Kushina aside for now.
Instead, she brought up another matter, recalling Kanzou's earlier mention of a traitor within the clan, "Are there really traitors in the clan? Who are they?" she asked.
"The traitor is Uchiha Araki."
"It was him?"
Mikoto was slightly surprised. Araki had always seemed honest and unassuming—she hadn't expected him to be a traitor.
"You, of all people, should understand—from your own experience—that just because someone seems a certain way on the outside doesn't mean they're the same on the inside," said Kanzou with a smirk
"Right…" Mikoto mumbled, glancing at her husband.
After all, Kanzou himself was the greatest example of that in her life.
He might appear admirable on the outside, but deep down, he was a complete scumbag.
'Bad Mikoto… you shouldn't be thinking like that about Kan-sama… Whatever Kan-sama does is right… Whatever he does, it's always for the good…'
Letting out a soft sigh, she asked, "Has he been dealt with?"
"Not yet. I've given him a task. He should be carrying it out right now," Kanzou replied with a sneer. He wondered if Sarutobi Hiruzen would lose control once he lost his son.
"But he's already been branded a traitor. Will he really follow your orders?" Mikoto questioned, unconvinced.
She felt that killing him then and there would have been the better choice.
"His life is in my hands—and so are the lives of his family members. They're still within the Uchiha compound. Do you think he'd dare disobey?"
"I see…" nodded Mikoto, understanding that there was no escape for Araki.
As for what task Kanzou had given him, she didn't press further on that.
She wasn't interested.
"Sarutobi Hiruzen… you're afraid that I am targeting the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki?" Kanzou murmured with a dark smile. "You should be—I fully intend to."
There was absolutely no way for anyone Kanzou set his sights on to escape him.
Not this time—and certainly not in the future.
Even now, he hadn't truly made a move.
If he did take the initiative and apply a bit of force, dealing with Uzumaki Kushina wouldn't be difficult at all.
As for the consequences of targeting Kushina? Kanzou wasn't the least bit afraid.
Never underestimate his audacity.
He had the nerve to insult Sarutobi Hiruzen right to his face.
He had the nerve to publicly defame Uchiha Fugaku and have him exiled from the Uchiha Clan using the testimony of his own fiancée.
There was nothing he wouldn't dare to do.
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Drop power Powerstonessssssssss!
[Read up to Chapter - 94 on P atreon at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]