Chapter 43: Finding Sasuke a Stepfather
Fugaku looked at Mikoto and sternly said, "Mikoto, you should know that the Uchiha Clan is finished. As the head of the Uchiha Clan, it is my inescapable duty to die for my people. But you are different. You are not only a member of the Uchiha, but also Sasuke's mother. I don't want that child to live in darkness for the rest of his life."
In reality, how could Fugaku ever want to be cuckolded?
But if Mikoto died, according to the subsequent developments, once Itachi acted against Qianye on the orders of Konoha's higher-ups, then given the latter's vengeful nature, he would absolutely show no mercy.
Qianye was able to silently slaughter the Shimura Clan and the Sarutobi Clan. It is highly likely that Itachi would die at his hands now.
Once the eldest son died, the younger son would also be in peril.
For the sake of his two sons and the revival of the Uchiha Clan, he could only entrust Mikoto to Qianye.
"Sasuke…" Hearing these two words, Mikoto's heart softened once more. She lowered her head and said nothing further.
"Please, Qianye." Uchiha Fugaku bowed to Qianye in a dogeza once again.
Mikoto hesitated, then also knelt down, her eyes brimming with tears.
"I understand. Taking her out is not difficult, but ensuring her safety afterwards will be a big problem."
"You should know that she is different from Izumi; she knows the truth about the Uchiha massacre. If people find out she's alive, it will cause a lot of trouble."
"That means, Aunt Mikoto, for a long time to come, you will need to fake your death to the outside world and won't be able to see Sasuke again, let alone that Filial Son."
Qianye appraised Mikoto with an appreciative gaze, finally unable to resist the temptation of a beautiful woman and wife—no, the pure gold that could grant immortality—and chose to agree to Fugaku's terms.
"Thank you endlessly." Uchiha Mikoto painfully closed her eyes, tears streaming uncontrollably from the corners.
"Time is short. Next, I will use a special sealing Ninjutsu to send you into a different dimension like Izumi, and then create an illusion that can deceive the Mangekyo Sharingan, allowing it to die in Itachi's hands in your place. Once we reach a safe enough location, I will release you."
As he spoke, Qianye summoned a crow, drew the zanpakuto from his waist, and whispered, "Shatter! Mirror Flower Water Moon."
In an instant, Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Mikoto felt their souls waver. When they looked at Qianye again, the crow beside him had transformed into Mikoto at some unknown point.
"This truly is a divine skill. Not only the appearance, but even the Chakra is almost identical." Uchiha Fugaku exclaimed, his Mangekyo wide.
"Then, let's begin." Qianye walked up to Uchiha Mikoto. "Are you ready?"
Uchiha Mikoto took one last look at Fugaku, who returned a relieved smile and said, "Don't worry, Mikoto. Sasuke will need you in the future."
Upon hearing this, Mikoto nodded with a desolate expression. She knew that after this, the two of them would be separated forever.
Qianye didn't waste much more time with them. He suddenly poked Mikoto's pressure point, causing her to lose consciousness.
Then, he symbolically formed hand signs quickly, placed his palms on Mikoto's chest, and in Fugaku's astonished gaze, brought her into the System Warehouse.
On the other side, Uchiha Itachi had already arrived at Uchiha Izumi's residence.
He knew Qianye was a formidable opponent.
Out of caution, he specifically left Uchiha Izumi for second to last.
His parents were first.
He carefully pushed open the door and saw that there were no traps in the room, and 'Uchiha Izumi' was sleeping peacefully on the bed.
Uchiha Itachi couldn't help but feel a little surprised.
Could it be that something had happened to Qianye?
He had originally thought that the reason Qianye hadn't come to the rendezvous was because he had discovered something and intended to take Uchiha Izumi out of Konoha.
Now that Uchiha Izumi was here but Qianye wasn't, there was only one explanation.
He figured Qianye must have discovered something and gone to confront Konoha's higher-ups.
Either he was being held back, or Danzo had killed him.
After all, Shisui was a precedent.
Thinking this, Uchiha Itachi had no doubts and swung his sword, killing 'Uchiha Izumi'.
However, in the next instant, an extremely surreal feeling suddenly arose within him.
He stepped forward, pinched the side of 'Uchiha Izumi's' face to examine it closely, then composed himself and Shunshined out of the room.
"It seems I was overthinking. Next will be a confrontation between Mangekyo users."
Uchiha Itachi murmured to himself, quickening his pace and rushing towards his home.
"Your precious son will be here soon. Do you have any unfulfilled last wishes?" Qianye sensed the Filial Son's Chakra and, seeing that the system had not yet announced the reward, asked Fugaku nonchalantly.
Fugaku nodded, taking out a Ninjutsu scroll from the Uchiha Clan's collection from a hidden compartment in the room and handing it to Qianye. "The illusion you created could deceive my perception, which means your Genjutsu has surpassed the Mangekyo. If Itachi were to attack you, I fear he would not escape death."
"I hope you can spare Itachi for Mikoto's sake. I believe after this, Itachi will never dare to attack you again."
"As compensation, I can give you this."
As he spoke, Fugaku pulled out a letter from his embrace, clearly bearing the words 'Letter of Divorce'.
"What do you mean by this?" Qianye frowned.
"Do you remember when I said you were the hope for the Uchiha Clan's revival?" Fugaku gave a bitter smile, kneeling beside Mikoto's illusion. "Initially, I thought you had saved some of our clansmen. Until just now, when I activated my Mangekyo Sharingan and saw both you and Mikoto."
"In the future, you two will—"
"Will what?" Qianye asked, feeling a bit guilty. Could it be that his desire for his wife's body had been seen through?
Uchiha Fugaku shook his head with a bitter smile. "No, it's nothing. In any case, from this moment on, Mikoto is no longer my wife. I hope you will treat her well, and at the same time, spare her eldest son. As for Sasuke, I trouble you to look after him when you have time."
After speaking, Uchiha Fugaku closed his eyes, quietly awaiting the arrival of death.
Listening to Fugaku's utterly clear words, Qianye had no trouble guessing what he meant.
Moreover, he hadn't planned to kill the Filial Son right now anyway.
To some extent, living with everything on his shoulders, as in the original story, was the greatest punishment for Itachi.
"Alright, I promise you." Qianye nodded.
As the words fell, a system notification sounded in his mind:
"Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining 1kg of pure gold from the Pirate World. It has been automatically stored in the System Warehouse."
Qianye took out the pure gold and examined it, then immediately cut off a small piece. Using Lightning Release and Fire Release Chakra nature transformations, he melted it into a circular ring. Holding it in his hand, he murmured, "Izumi is only thirteen right now, and Hinata is even younger. This first pure gold ring will be for Yuhi."
PS: Second update