Fugaku looked at Mikoto and said sternly, "Mikoto, you should know that the Uchiha Clan is finished. As its leader, I have a duty to die with it. But you're different. You're not only an Uchiha, but also Sasuke's mother. I don't want that child to spend the rest of his life in darkness."
In truth, did Fugaku really want to be cuckolded?
But if Mikoto died, then given how things would unfold, Itachi might attack Chiya on the orders of the Konoha High Command. And with Chiya's eye-for-an-eye nature, he wouldn't show any mercy.
Chiya had wiped out the Shimura Clan and the Sarutobi Clan without a trace. Itachi now had a very good chance of dying at Chiya's hands.
If his eldest son died, his younger son would be in grave danger, too.
For the sake of his two sons and the Uchiha Clan's revival, he had no choice but to entrust Mikoto to Chiya.
"Sasuke." At the mention of that name, Mikoto's heart softened once more. She lowered her head and said nothing.
"Please, Chiya." Uchiha Fugaku bowed to Chiya again in a formal prostration.
Mikoto hesitated, then knelt as well, tears in her eyes.
"I understand. Taking her out won't be difficult, but keeping her safe afterward will be a major problem."
"You should know that she's different from Izumi. She knows the truth behind the Uchiha Clan Massacre. If anyone finds out she's still alive, it'll cause a lot of trouble."
"In other words, Aunt Mikoto, for a long time to come, you'll have to announce your death to the world. You won't be able to see Sasuke again—and seeing that Filial Son will be even more impossible."
Chiya gave Mikoto an appreciative look. In the end, he couldn't resist the temptation of the Pure Gold that could grant eternal life to a stunning beauty—wife, no, to a stunning beauty—and agreed to Fugaku's terms.
"Thank you." Uchiha Mikoto shut her eyes in pain, and tears streamed from the corners of them.
"We're running out of time. I'll use a special Sealing Jutsu to send you into another dimension, just like Izumi. Then I'll create an illusion that can fool the Mangekyō Sharingan and make it die at Itachi's hands in your place. Once we reach somewhere safe, I'll bring you back out."
As he spoke, Chiya summoned a Crow and drew the Zanpakuto at his waist. He murmured, "Shatter, Kyoka Suigetsu."
In an instant, Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Mikoto felt their minds go hazy. When they looked back at Chiya, the Crow beside him had somehow turned into Mikoto.
"What a divine technique. Not only does it look exactly like her, even its chakra is nearly identical." Uchiha Fugaku's eyes widened as he stared through his Mangekyō.
"Then let's begin." Chiya walked over to Uchiha Mikoto. "Are you ready?"
Uchiha Mikoto took one last look at Fugaku. He returned her gaze with a relieved smile. "Don't worry, Mikoto. Sasuke will need you in the future."
Mikoto nodded sadly. She knew that after this, they would be separated forever.
Chiya didn't waste time talking. He swiftly pressed the sleep point on Mikoto, rendering her unconscious.
Then he made a few quick Hand Seals for show and placed both palms against Mikoto's chest. To Fugaku's horror, he sent her into the System Inventory.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Itachi had reached Uchiha Izumi's home.
He knew Chiya was a formidable opponent.
For safety's sake, he had deliberately left Uchiha Izumi until the second-to-last.
His parents were first.
He cautiously opened the door. Seeing no traps in the room and "Uchiha Izumi" sleeping peacefully in bed, Uchiha Itachi couldn't help feeling puzzled.
Had something happened to Chiya?
He had assumed Chiya hadn't come to their meeting because he'd discovered something and planned to take Uchiha Izumi away from Konoha.
But Uchiha Izumi was here, and Chiya wasn't. There could only be one explanation.
Perhaps Chiya had discovered something and gone to confront the Konoha High Command.
Either he'd been held up, or Danzo had killed him.
After all, Shisui had met the same fate.
Thinking this, Uchiha Itachi didn't suspect anything. He swung his sword and killed "Uchiha Izumi."
But in the next instant, an intense sense of unreality suddenly rose in his heart.
He stepped forward, gripped "Uchiha Izumi's" face, and examined it closely. Only then did he calm down and use the Body Flicker Technique to leave the room.
"Looks like I was overthinking it. Next comes a battle between Mangekyō users."
Uchiha Itachi murmured to himself and hurried toward his home.
"Your precious son will be here soon. Any last wishes?" Chiya sensed the Filial Son's chakra and, seeing that the system still hadn't announced a reward, asked Fugaku as if it were nothing.
Fugaku nodded, took a scroll of ninjutsu from a hidden compartment in the room, and handed it to Chiya. "The illusion you created fooled my eyes. That means your genjutsu has surpassed the Mangekyō. If Itachi attacks you, I'm afraid he won't escape with his life."
"I hope you'll spare Itachi for Mikoto's sake. I believe he won't dare attack you again after this."
"As payment, I can give you this."
As he spoke, Fugaku took a letter from inside his clothes. The words "divorce papers" were clearly written on it.
"What do you mean by this?" Chiya frowned.
"Do you remember what I said earlier, about you being the hope of the Uchiha Clan's revival?" Fugaku gave a bitter smile and knelt beside the illusion of Mikoto. "At first, I thought you'd saved some of our people. But just now, when I awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, I saw you and Mikoto together."
"In the future, you'll—"
"What will happen?" Chiya asked nervously. Could Fugaku have figured out that he was lusting after his wife?
Uchiha Fugaku gave a bitter smile and shook his head. "No, it's nothing. From this moment on, Mikoto is no longer my wife. I hope you'll treat her well and spare her eldest son. And please look after Sasuke when you can."
With that, Uchiha Fugaku closed his eyes and quietly awaited death.
Hearing Fugaku's unmistakable words, Chiya could hardly fail to understand what he meant.
Besides, he hadn't planned to kill the Filial Son just yet.
In a way, living with the burden of it all, as in the original story, was the greatest punishment for Itachi.
"Fine. I promise." Chiya nodded.
As soon as he spoke, a system notification sounded in his mind:
[ Ding! Congratulations, host. You have obtained 1 kg of Pure Gold from the world of One Piece. It has been automatically stored in the System Inventory. ]
Chiya took out the Pure Gold and examined it. He immediately cut off a small piece, used Lightning Release and Fire Release chakra nature transformations to melt it into a circular ring, and held it in his hand. Izumi is only thirteen, and Hinata is even younger. I'll give this first Pure Gold ring to Kurenai.
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