More than a hundred meters away, Retsu cursed under his breath.
“That Uchiha bastard was a real pain to deal with.” “If I hadn’t gotten lucky, I’d be the one lying dead right now.” Only now did he truly understand why people always said that if you ever found yourself fighting an Uchiha one-on-one…
Don’t hesitate.
Run.
Your chances of winning were incredibly slim.
One of his legs had nearly been chopped off.
“The man’s already dead.
Why are you still whining about it?” Kai rolled his eyes before glancing at the three remaining Uchiha in the distance, a cruel grin spreading across his face.
“Those useless idiots couldn’t even kill a single one of them.” “Looks like I’ll have to do it myself.” There just happened to be a pretty little Uchiha girl among them.
It had been a long time since he’d had any fun.
The heavens are really smiling on me today.
“Fine.” “Let’s finish this quickly.” Retsu glanced at his injured leg with irritation.
Looks like I’ll have to recover for quite a while after this.
At that moment…
The two of them saw the girl in the distance pull out a strange-looking object.
Bang!
Something trailing flames shot straight toward them.
Retsu and Kai instinctively sensed danger.
Without hesitation, both of them leaped sideways.
Unfortunately…
Before they could get very far— BOOM!!!
A deafening explosion erupted.
The terrifying blast swallowed both men before they could escape, tearing them apart in an instant.
At the center of the explosion…
Even the ground had been vitrified into glass.
The heat was unimaginably intense.
Uchiha Mikoto and the other two stood frozen in place.
Even the shockwave slamming into their faces failed to bring them back to their senses.
“M-Mikoto…” “W-Where did you get…
that thing?” “Y-Yeah…” “That power…” “It’s comparable to an A-Rank…” “No…” “Probably even an S-Rank ninjutsu!” Just what kind of weapon was this?
“…” Mikoto hesitated before looking down at the rocket launcher still in her hands.
“A friend gave it to me.” “I never imagined…” “…it would be this powerful.” To be honest…
She had thought Akira had exaggerated its destructive power.
She never expected it to be this terrifying.
If Akira possessed large quantities of weapons like this…
Wouldn’t he become practically unstoppable?
Thinking of that…
Mikoto suddenly couldn’t wait to return to Konoha.
“Let’s go.” “We’re heading back immediately.” “The explosion was too loud.” “Sand ninja will probably investigate this area very soon.” After sealing the corpses of the rogue ninjas into a storage scroll…
The three of them immediately departed.
…
“I see…” Uchiha Fugaku sighed softly after hearing the report.
“Don’t worry.” “Yamagaku’s family will receive the proper compensation.” “You may leave.” “Yes.” Mikoto and the others bowed before quietly leaving.
Watching Mikoto’s departing figure…
Fugaku’s expression became complicated.
Originally…
This could have been a fine marriage.
Instead…
Akira had appeared halfway through.
Forget it.
Since we can’t compete with him…
There’s no point forcing the issue.
After all…
There were still plenty of outstanding girls in the Uchiha Clan.
…
Meanwhile…
After learning that Akira had opened a weapon shop…
Mikoto headed there immediately.
Akira was currently tinkering with a high-explosive grenade.
Noticing her arrival…
He set everything aside.
“You’re here.” “How did the mission go?” As he spoke…
He casually poured her a cup of water.
“Don’t even mention it.” Sitting down, Mikoto let out a weary sigh.
“If it weren’t for the thing you gave me…” “I probably wouldn’t have made it back.” She simply wasn’t strong enough to face two Jonin.
Even with the Sharingan…
It wouldn’t have changed the outcome.
“…Someone died?” “Yeah.” “Our squad leader.” “The Jonin.” Akira fell silent for a moment.
“…My condolences.” “As long as you’re safe…” “That’s enough.” He gently patted the back of her hand.
“Let’s not talk about unhappy things.” “What do you think of the shop?” “Do you like it?” Mikoto carefully examined the interior before nodding with satisfaction.
“It’s nice.” “The layout is well done.” “How long did you rent it for?” “I bought it.” “…Bought it?” She stared at Akira in shock.
“Your bargaining skills have become that amazing?” “You didn’t intimidate the previous owner with your strength, did you?” She looked him up and down suspiciously.
Akira rolled his eyes.
“What kind of person do you think I am?” He then explained how Jiraiya and Tsunade had helped him.
“…The Three Legendary Sannin…” Mikoto nodded thoughtfully.
“You made the right choice.” “At least now…” “Anyone thinking of targeting us will have to consider the consequences first.” If this had happened in the past…
She might have objected.
But now…
After witnessing the power of that weapon…
She felt Akira had shown remarkable foresight.
Akira looked at her in surprise.
If he remembered correctly…
The Uchiha and Senju Clans had always been rivals.
“No need to look at me like that.” Mikoto said calmly, “The feud between the Uchiha and Senju…” “Belongs to the previous generation.” “It has nothing to do with us.” “We’re all Konoha shinobi.” “Aren’t we?” To be honest…
She genuinely didn’t care.
“Well said!” An elderly voice suddenly came from outside.
Akira turned around…
Only to discover that the Third Hokage had arrived.
“What brings you here, Lord Third?” Akira immediately walked over with a smile.
“Please, come in.” “I’ll pour you some tea.” Without needing to be told…
Mikoto quickly stood up and pulled out a chair for the Hokage.
The Third Hokage found the gesture quite pleasing.
His opinion of Mikoto improved even further.
“I didn’t come for anything important.” He smiled warmly.
“I was simply passing by to see how your shop was doing.” “And since Mikoto happens to be here…” “Why don’t you tell me about that weapon?” Akira sneered inwardly.
Happened to be here?
More like you’ve had someone watching the place.
The moment Mikoto returned, someone reported it to you.
Then you came over to investigate.
As if I don’t know how you operate.
However…
His expression remained perfectly calm.
“Mikoto.” “Go ahead and explain it to Lord Third.” Mikoto glanced at Akira in surprise.
She had no idea when he had become so close to the Third Hokage.
Still…
Trusting him completely…
She nodded.
“Alright.” Then…
She began recounting everything that had happened during the mission.