Seeing Sasuke lying on the bed, clearly in pain, Mikoto couldn't help but burst into tears. She gently reached out to touch his face and immediately felt how scorching hot his forehead was. Panicking, she cried, "How can he be burning up like this? He has a high fever! What should I do?"
Anya tried to comfort her, saying, "Miss Mikoto, don't worry. He's still young. He can withstand it."
Hearing that only made Mikoto angrier. She grabbed Anya by the arm and commanded, "Quickly, heal Sasuke! I know you have the power!"
She had just witnessed Anya's miraculous healing technique restore her own body to its youthful state—it must be easy for her to treat a simple fever.
But Anya shook her head with a bitter smile. "Sorry, Miss Mikoto. I've already used up all my chakra. I can't do anything now."
Mikoto didn't believe her at first, not really. Activating her Sharingan, she examined Anya closely and realized—her chakra reserves were indeed dangerously low, nearly indistinguishable from an ordinary civilian.
Before Mikoto could even ask, Anya pouted and said bitterly, "I didn't expect my words to carry no credibility with you at all."
Sighing deeply, Mikoto replied sorrowfully, "How can I trust you? You're also part of Konoha's higher-ups. You must have known exactly what would happen to our clan. Yet you watched everything unfold without lifting a finger. How could you bear to let Itachi shoulder all this alone?"
"Miss Mikoto," Anya said gently, "The position in Konoha's leadership, the deaths within the clan—those things don't matter to me. All I care about is saving you, pulling you away from Konoha's storm center, and letting you live peacefully somewhere free from worries."
Mikoto knew exactly what Anya meant.
"But what about my two children? Am I just supposed to abandon them?"
"I'll protect them with my life," Anya promised.
"No," Mikoto shook her head firmly. "You don't truly understand them. It's not that I doubt you—it's just that they won't listen to you, nor will they want to grow under your protection. And since Sasuke doesn't even know the truth yet, there's no telling where those two brothers might end up. I fear it'll be far more difficult than I can imagine."
According to what happened in the original story—brothers turning on each other, the older dying, the younger losing his mind. Without Naruto constantly pulling him back, he might have nearly fallen into the abyss.
Today's Mikoto was no longer the same weak woman as before. A woman is born fragile, but motherhood makes her strong. Indeed, during these years in Takigakure, she hadn't been idle—she'd been planning for her two sons' future all along.
If that was the case, Anya asked, "Miss Mikoto, then what are you thinking now?"
"I want to speak with this child myself… Alas…"
Anya quickly replied, "Then I can arrange that."
"Really?" Mikoto's eyes lit up slightly.
Anya nodded confidently. "A conversation between souls. To Sasuke, it will feel like nothing more than a dream."
"Then let's begin!" Mikoto urged eagerly.
Using the Spirit Control Technique, Mikoto's soul entered Sasuke's mind almost immediately, while Anya quietly stood aside, watching the mother and son reunite.
Thankfully Sasuke came along this time, otherwise Miss Mikoto's mental state would have been truly worrisome—especially with the activation of her Mangekyō Sharingan making things even worse.
Although I still don't know exactly what Miss Mikoto's Mangekyō ability is, she clearly used it many times already, which caused her body to become extremely exhausted. Her current condition rivals someone in their seventies.
I wonder how their conversation went. Given Naruto's stubborn personality, even Miss Mikoto would find it hard to convince him that his own brother is actually a good person.
After about fifteen minutes, Miss Mikoto's soul returned to her body. She looked at Sasuke with deep concern and pity. A kid who grew up carefree suddenly lost everything—instantly. Even his own brother became his worst enemy. Such pressure was unimaginable for an ordinary person to bear.
"How did it go?"
Miss Mikoto gave Anya a smile for the first time: "Thank you. Talking to Sasuke in person again was the happiest moment I've had in years."
Anya sighed in relief. "As long as you're happy, that's all that matters."
After smiling, Miss Mikoto's gaze turned calm again. She stared fixedly at Anya without blinking.
Anya felt a chill from her intense stare and forced a bitter smile: "Miss Mikoto, please don't look at me like that. If there's something you want to say, just say it directly. You know I've never said 'no' to you before."
Mikoto reminded him, "Haven't I? What about when I offered to introduce you to some girls from the clan? You turned them down one by one."
Anya played dumb: "Hey, better late than never, right?"
Frustrated, Mikoto tapped him lightly on the forehead.
That familiar vibe finally returned, and the air between them felt just like the old days.
Then Mikoto spoke, "I've got some demands—and no room for negotiation."
"Go ahead, tell me. Whatever I can do, I promise I'll agree."
"First, I want to return to Konoha and meet the Third Hokage."
"Eh… That might be difficult."
The first request was rejected immediately. Mikoto raised her brow threateningly, as if preparing to hit him again.
Anya quickly explained: "Sarutobi Sarutobi is already dead. He was killed by his student Orochimaru. If you really want to meet someone, it would have to be the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade."
"Dead?" Mikoto expressed surprise, then sighed, "Now that he's gone, I guess we'll never know what was truly right or wrong back then. Well then, meeting the new Hokage sounds fine. My second request is that I want to reclaim the Uchiha Clan District and hand that land over to you."
Anya understood the hidden meaning behind Mikoto's words and asked in response: "You mean you want me to restore the Uchiha clan name?"
"Precisely," Mikoto confirmed. "Here comes my third request: reviving the Uchiha Clan. That was Sasuke's obsession, but now that you're here instead, this burden now falls on your shoulders."
Sighing heavily, Anya asked, "Is there a fourth point?"
"Of course. Clear Itachi's name and bring him back to Konoha. As his foster father, you are naturally responsible for this."
Anya already sounded somewhat numb: "Go on."
"I need money—lots and lots of money."
"At least this one's relatively easy," Anya readily agreed. "Just give me a number and that's all. Anything else?"
"You're really going along with all this?" Mikoto asked, narrowing her eyes.
"Agreed." Anya replied flatly. After reconstructing his body, the hidden danger in his bloodline was gone for good. The Zero Organization's layout had already been completed, and the Akatsuki Organization was now under his complete control. Honestly, there was no one left in the Ninja World that Anya feared. He could handle five requests from Mikoto without breaking a sweat—even a hundred would be no problem at all.
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