Failure

When Uchiha Mikoto opened the Space Gate and saw Uchiha Chen, the corners of her mouth curled up into a gentle, warm smile. She spoke softly, "Oh, it's you, Chen! Coming by so late, are you looking for Fugaku?

He's still out patrolling with the Police Force right now; he should be back in a little while." Her voice was soft and melodious, as comforting as a spring breeze against one's face.

Hearing Mikoto's words, Uchiha Chen felt a jolt in his heart. He quickly reined in the nearly imperceptible, eager glint in his eyes, then lowered his head, responding with a humble and respectful tone, "My lady, I am truly sorry to disturb you so late at night.

In truth, I have a matter of the utmost importance that I must report to the clan head in person.

Since the clan head is not here at the moment, I shall take my leave." With that, Uchiha Chen feigned a look of dejection and made as if to turn and depart.

Seeing this, Mikoto watched Uchiha Chen's retreating figure and couldn't help but feel a flicker of doubt. She mused to herself that he might truly have some urgent business to report to the clan head, so she called out to stop him: "If that is the case, then you might as well come inside."

She turned and led Uchiha Chen into the house. Uchiha Chen followed in her footsteps, his gaze fixed firmly on the graceful, swaying figure before him. The desire in his heart grew increasingly intense, and the spear beneath his robes seemed unable to restrain itself, yearning to charge into battle and slaughter the enemy.

However, remembering the purpose of his visit, Uchiha Chen had to forcefully suppress this impulse, telling himself that now was not the time. At the same time, he secretly consoled himself: It's fine, this is only a matter of time...

As she walked, Mikoto felt a scorching gaze fixed intently upon her back. Her heart tightened abruptly, but she immediately comforted herself: Chen is just a child, after all; there shouldn't be any problem, right...

When they reached the tea room where they usually received guests, she pushed the door open gently and ushered Uchiha Chen inside. Her eyes swept over him subtly, observing whether he showed any abnormal behavior.

Seeing that Uchiha Chen remained with his head bowed, his hands hanging naturally at his sides, walking with complete respect and showing no other irregularities, Mikoto felt her heart ease slightly.

Thinking of this, Mikoto couldn't help but find her overly sensitive reaction a moment ago somewhat amusing; perhaps it really was just an illusion?

With that thought, Mikoto took a deep breath, allowed her expression to return to normal, and buried those chaotic, scattered thoughts deep within her heart.

She smiled as she guided Uchiha Chen into the tea room and arranged for him to sit, saying gently, "Fugaku should be back very soon, so please wait a moment." With that, she stepped quickly out of the room, indicating she was going to brew a cup of hot tea.

Before the words had even faded, she had already vanished from sight.

Uchiha Chen watched the beautiful figure fade into the distance, a series of thoughts surging in his heart: His original plan had been to sneak directly into the house and use genjutsu to control Fugaku while he was off-guard, as people tended to let their guard down in their own homes.

However, upon actually setting foot in this place, Uchiha Chen suddenly realized that this idea was somewhat naive.

Because Fugaku was not the only one in the house; if he were unfortunately discovered by Uchiha Mikoto, the entire plan would fall to pieces. One had to remember that before she married Fugaku to manage the household and raise their children, she had been a powerful jonin.

Although time had passed and years of married life might have left her skills slightly rusty, she was still an elite ninja, possessing the Three-Tomoe Sharingan that represented the glory of the Uchiha.

After careful deliberation, Uchiha Chen decided to change his strategy, abandoning the risk of controlling Fugaku and instead locking his target onto Uchiha Mikoto.

Moreover, with the augmentation of the Sage Body, the Kotoamatsukami he used now was even more powerful than that of Shisui in the future, to say nothing of that old dog Danzo.

He only needed to wait for the one-month cooldown period, and Kotoamatsukami could be activated again.

Thinking of this, Uchiha Chen had secretly made up his mind to manipulate Uchiha Mikoto today, and then deal with Fugaku next month.

Reflecting on this, he quickly composed his mind, preparing to use his Mangekyō Sharingan to control her the moment she returned.

After all, although she had once been quite formidable, she was, in the end, just a woman now. Having been married for so many years, her strength had surely declined. As such, subduing her should not be a difficult task.

Just then, Uchiha Chen happened to catch a glimpse of her walking back in carrying a tray with two cups of freshly brewed hot tea.

He watched as she lightly lifted her skirt, her movements as natural and elegant as flowing water, before she knelt and sat down slowly.

Once she was settled, Uchiha Chen asked softly, "My lady, where are the two young masters?"

"They are already asleep." Her voice was as soft as a spring breeze, carrying a trace of imperceptible doting. Hearing him ask about the two of them, a smile full of maternal love immediately bloomed across her beautiful face.

Hearing her answer, Uchiha Chen's heart steadied. Just as he prepared to open his eyes, he heard her ask softly, "Chen, what important matter do you have to see Fugaku about?" As she spoke, she naturally picked up her teacup and took a light sip.

Uchiha Chen's thoughts were interrupted by her sudden question, but he did not detect anything amiss. Thus, he took a deep breath and said slowly, "Although this matter is of great importance, it concerns only me, so there is no harm in informing you, my lady." Then, Uchiha Chen raised his head, locked his gaze onto hers, and requested solemnly, "Please, my lady, look into my eyes."

No sooner had the words left his lips than Uchiha Chen's pupils began to change, three tomoe emerging within his ordinary irises. As Uchiha Chen focused his intent, these tomoe spun rapidly, ultimately transforming into the four-pointed windmill shape identical to that of Shisui. With Uchiha Chen's masterful grasp of genjutsu, combined with these unique Mangekyō Sharingan and the immense power of the Sage Body, he should theoretically have been able to control her with ease.

However, the moment Uchiha Chen's gaze met Uchiha Mikoto's, a sudden change occurred! With a muffled "pop," the person before him suddenly transformed into a puff of smoke. Immediately following, a cold, glinting Senbon took advantage of the swirling mist to strike Uchiha Chen's body with lightning speed. As it turned out, the person who had appeared just moments ago was merely a Shadow Clone of Uchiha Mikoto!

Uchiha Chen felt a wave of sharp pain as the pointed object pierced his lung, causing his body to tremble uncontrollably. Every breath became agonizingly difficult, as if a thousand-pound weight were pressing down on his chest. At that moment, a figure flashed into the room like a ghost through the door that had not been fully closed.

Focusing his eyes, he saw that the intruder was none other than Uchiha Mikoto, clad in her jonin attire and wielding a katana! He had not expected that in such a short time, she would have already changed into a different outfit. It seemed that the look in his eyes when he entered had alerted her, making her aware that something was wrong. Before his thoughts could even finish, a bone-chilling cold crept up his neck—a cold katana was already pressed against his throat!

The blade glinted with a frigid light; a single movement would be enough to easily sever his windpipe. At this moment, Uchiha Chen was like meat on a chopping block, his life hanging by a thread.