Letting Aika run wild in the forest park, I headed for Fugaku's house - or rather, Mikoto's house now. The clouds overhead were slowly thickening, bringing a bit of coolness to this hot day.
"Katon: Fireball!" As I reached Mikoto's gate, I heard a high-pitched girl's shout.
"Hoh. Looks like my favorite student isn't wasting her time," I muttered, stepping onto the property.
So… she must be out back on the training field. Oh, I can hear the clash of metal - who's she sparring with?
Taking my time, I strolled along the stone path around the house as if I owned the place, slowly making my way toward the noise.
"Not bad, but predictable." Another voice reached my ears, making me smile.
"Ah, so mom's teaching her daughter the grown-up stuff," I smirked at my own joke as I finally rounded the corner.
Just as I thought. Mikoto was sparring with Sasuke. And one thing was a real treat for the eyes: Mikoto's training outfit. Her shorts left most of her pale, shapely thighs exposed, and the blue t-shirt with the clan crest barely covered her belly button. This is why I love summer!
They noticed me before I could get a better look at just how well those shorts hugged Mikoto's ass.
"Akira-sensei?" Sasuke, catching her breath with her hands on her knees, straightened up and looked at me in surprise.
Mikoto must have seen me even earlier, but didn't let on. Didn't want to distract me from checking her out?
"Mikoto, Sasuke-chan. I see you're getting the blood pumping," I said, walking closer.
"Want to join us, Akira?" Mikoto asked with a light smile.
No way! Find someone else for that…
"Oh! I want to see how our teacher fights!" Sasuke said excitedly.
TRAITOR! My own student! Okay… I just need to find a good excuse to say no.
****
Mikoto understood that her clan was slowly going down the drain. Reorganizing the clan's income model, which was based on taking a cut from members' missions, was impossible - there just weren't enough active shinobi. They needed other ways to fill the clan's coffers. For example, like the Nara clan, they could produce something in high demand, or like the Yamanaka, rent out property.
There were plenty of empty houses and plots in the district, but even with the clan on the brink, many were against having outsiders as neighbors. As for manufacturing or even trade… well, Mikoto had to admit, her clan just wasn't up to it yet. Her people lacked the entrepreneurial drive to truly change things.
The clan's budget was draining away fast, like water through your fingers. The question wasn't about growth or recovery anymore - it was about survival. Many families had lost their husbands and sons, the main breadwinners. And food, like money, doesn't just appear out of thin air.
Mikoto knew all the women in the clan were hoping she'd find a way out, and that one day she wouldn't have to announce that everyone needed to go find work in the village. If it came to that, the Uchiha clan's reputation would be finished - or what was left of it. Mikoto herself, like most women in her clan, had never earned money through business. Her shinobi career ended as soon as it began, the moment she got married, and as clan head, there was no way she could go on missions.
So, for the past three weeks, she'd been in a pretty gloomy state. To distract herself, she started training regularly in the evenings. The workouts not only lifted her spirits, but also helped her regain her old flexibility and skills. Plus, Sasuke found a great sparring partner in her, someone who could point out her taijutsu mistakes - which, surprisingly, weren't that many.
She'd also checked in on her other daughter - Itachi's - skills. And honestly, Mikoto was horrified.
She knew her daughter was a genius. Graduated the ninja academy in a year, became a chunin at ten, and three years later was already an ANBU captain. So Mikoto had a rough idea of how talented her daughter was - but only a rough idea. One minute of sparring showed her what "genius" really meant. Every move was perfectly honed.
Even without the Sharingan - which they'd agreed not to use - Itachi was several steps ahead in reaction speed. Her tactics were flawless, guiding her opponent straight into a trap she'd prepared in advance. In every shinobi art, Itachi completely dominated her (tai/nin/gen/buki/etc-jutsu).
What really scared Mikoto was realizing just how much sweat and blood her daughter must have shed to reach that level - but at the same time, she was happy. Now she knew almost no one could threaten her daughter's life. Especially with her awakened Mangekyo Sharingan, which let her cast powerful genjutsu on any opponent and create inextinguishable black flames - Amaterasu.
Compared to that, Mikoto's own Mangekyo Sharingan abilities seemed a bit lackluster. With her left Mangekyo, she could cast an illusion on her own or someone else's wounds, making them "unreal." It was a kind of light version of Izanagi, which rewrites reality at the cost of an eye. She didn't know how much Kaifuku could help heal her own injuries, but she'd tested its effect on others.
Kaifuku easily mended minor wounds, but struggled with deep ones. Her right eye's ability was called Hogo. This second power was much more interesting - pure defense. With Hogo, Mikoto could create a super-strong, semi-transparent shield of any size within her line of sight. This shield could withstand any ninjutsu known to Itachi, as well as physical attacks.
Perfect defense, but the price was chakra drain with every hit and strain on her eye. Thanks to Fugaku, she knew that overusing Mangekyo Sharingan abilities led to worsening eyesight, even total blindness. That made it clear just how powerful Itachi's Mangekyo was - she said that even after using Amaterasu or Tsukuyomi once, she felt a slight heat in her eyes.
Yes, in those very eyes that don't even have heat receptors. So, for her own health, Mikoto made Itachi promise not to use her eye powers more than once a day, unless her life was on the line.
Mikoto regretted only one thing - Itachi's genius didn't extend to finance or management, otherwise she could have made her clan head with a clear conscience.
"And still, things aren't all that bad." Mikoto was embarrassed to admit that the only person who gave her confidence in the clan's future was almost half her age.
Yes, Mikoto remembered Akira's proposal well - he was ready to open several businesses in the district if he was given a few empty houses in exchange for a share of the profits. Did Mikoto believe in Akira's business skills? More yes than no. He'd only been in Konoha for half a year and had already made over forty million ryo.
For comparison, the Uchiha clan's annual budget last year was just over sixty-two million ryo. So, in six months, one man had earned more than the entire Uchiha clan in the same period. And that man was now undressing her with his eyes.
Mikoto felt his presence right away. Akira had nerve to spare, strolling across other people's territory like he owned the place, and it didn't seem to bother him at all.
But… for some reason, Mikoto found that side of him a little attractive. Women have all kinds of tastes in men - some like powerful men, others strong, others handsome, others rich. Was Akira handsome? Only a bad liar would say no. Was he rich? Rich enough to start building his own clan. Was he powerful?
Well, maybe not in terms of official power, but his personality was strong enough to satisfy the wife of what was once the strongest clan in Konoha, right under her husband's nose. Mikoto still remembered that incident, replaying it in her mind whenever her body had certain needs at night. And as for strength…
To be honest, Mikoto always thought she was drawn to her late husband because of his strength, and she thought that's why she felt something for Minato too, but… another episode in her life showed her that wasn't it. When she was sitting on Akira's face, and he didn't even try to get out of it, she realized that if she wanted, he wouldn't be able to resist her at all.
And for some reason, that turned her on even more than her fantasies about a strong, loving man she could surrender herself to. And… Minato was strong, Fugaku too. And where are they now?
"But Akira… I can protect him myself," Mikoto summed up in her mind as soon as their eyes met.
"Want to join us, Akira?" She decided to test his combat skills and at the same time…
*Who am I kidding, I just want to feel that rush of dominating again,* Mikoto smiled to herself, waiting for his answer.
"Oh! I want to see how our teacher fights!" Sasuke said excitedly.
*That's right, I forgot he's your teacher. I think Akira taught her chakra control? Not bad. As for his taijutsu… well, thanks, daughter, now we'll see for ourselves.*
"Great, then - pure tai, first blood or submission," Mikoto decided, not giving Akira a chance to refuse, and immediately lunged at him.
To his credit, Akira didn't freeze up and even took some kind of fighting stance.
*Whoa, maybe I jumped to conclusions - he's about to trip,* Mikoto noticed as Akira's toe caught in the loose, dusty ground.
*Oh, he didn't fall!* she cheered inwardly as Akira used that same leg to launch a vertical kick from below.
*Slow! And he struck too early, there's still a good…* Mikoto didn't finish the thought before she felt a burning in her eyes.
"THAT BASTARD!" Dust in her eyes forced Mikoto to squeeze her eyelids shut and jump back.
She barely had time to wipe her eyes before she noticed movement coming her way. Not instant, but fast enough to force her to make a snap decision.
"Now!" Through half-closed, watery eyes, Mikoto spotted the perfect moment to strike. Knowing Akira hadn't had shinobi training, she adjusted the force just enough that, at worst, he'd get a big bruise. A side kick (yoko-geri) landed right on target, hard enough to make Akira exhale sharply through clenched teeth.
"Oops." But Akira wasn't a pushover. He didn't let go of his prize - Mikoto's leg - and gripped it tight. Still, Mikoto wasn't worried. With a sharp twist of her hips, she yanked her leg free, only to feel herself falling a second later - thanks to Akira's kick to the inside of her other leg, right at the knee. Gravity is a thing, and with all her weight on one leg, she ended up going down, but managed to grab Akira and pull him down with her.
Mikoto was much quicker than Akira, so within seconds, she was on top in this ground fight.
Sitting on his stomach, Mikoto noted with satisfaction how cute Akira looked when he was annoyed.
*Oh, looks like I sat right where he got kicked,* Mikoto realized, but she didn't want to get up just yet. She wanted to hear Akira admit defeat first.
"I have to admit, I'm surprised - you caught me off guard with your tricki—" Mikoto's eyes widened and her head snapped back.
"HE PULLED MY HAIR! WHO FIGHTS LIKE THAT?" Mikoto's head dropped to Akira's legs. Not wasting a second, Akira tried to swing his right leg over Mikoto's neck for a chokehold. Mikoto, no fool, caught on and twisted, trying to change position and get up, but Akira's legs still managed to lock around her head.
"This is…" Mikoto suddenly realized the position they were in. Her head was trapped between Akira's thighs, and her hips were now dangerously close to Akira's face, his warm breath tickling her between the legs.
*Oh, so that's how it is? I can choke you out too!* Mikoto thought, ready to go for it, when she suddenly remembered they weren't alone.
"All right, all for the win, huh?" Mikoto's left hand was free, so her fingers easily found the weakest spot on any man.
"I GIVE UP!" Akira yelled in panic, feeling five slender objects on his two perfectly geometric shapes.
*That's what I thought,* Mikoto smirked to herself, untangling herself from the awkward position.
And Sasuke's face - you had to see it. So many emotions: surprise, shock, embarrassment, curiosity, confusion… In her whole life, she'd never seen such a dirty fight. And it wasn't about the position Mikoto and Akira ended up in - dust thrown in the eyes, hair-pulling. All of it was new to Sasuke. She wasn't officially a shinobi yet, and her idea of fighting was mostly trading blows and ninjutsu. Today, for the first time, she saw a fight that wasn't pretty, but was absolutely real.
"In a real fight, anything goes." Today, she finally understood what that meant.
*Even mom… when she was almost losing, didn't hesitate to use a dirty trick.* From her angle, Sasuke could clearly see why Akira gave up.
*If Akira-sensei could push mom to such a desperate move, that means… he's amazing. I was right to become his student. I'm sure he'll be able to teach me a lot in the future!* Sasuke thought, the only one here who was genuinely happy.
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