Mikoto's Assist

"Little brother Chen, Mikoto, how exactly was I resurrected?" Hearing Kushina's hesitant inquiry, Uchiha Chen was just about to speak when he was interrupted by Mikoto.

"Chen, let me explain this. Kushina, come with me for a moment." Without waiting for a response, Mikoto pulled Kushina away, walking until they were far enough from Uchiha Chen to ensure he could not overhear them.

Uchiha Chen stood where he was, scratching his head in bewilderment as he watched Mikoto drag Kushina away. Although he didn't know her intentions, since she clearly didn't want him to hear, he simply decided to wait patiently on the spot.

Once they were at a distance, Mikoto looked at the bored Uchiha Chen pacing in the distance with a gaze full of affection. After confirming he couldn't hear her, she turned back to Kushina, her tone filled with gratitude and guilt toward Uchiha Chen: "Kushina, the reason you were able to be resurrected is entirely thanks to Chen's help!"

Mikoto then began to recount a version of events she had carefully crafted while outside the Kamui dimension—a story that was half-truth, half-fabrication, and heavily embellished.

As Kushina listened, her expression shifted constantly: astonishment, shock, silence, and finally, a look of deep resistance.

In the distance, Uchiha Chen had no idea what they were discussing, and he grew increasingly confused by their animated gestures and emotional outbursts.

After all, in his eyes, the tiny amount of ocular power consumed by using Izanagi was negligible; he couldn't fathom what Mikoto could have said to make Kushina so unusually agitated.

He had completely forgotten how severely he had described the cost of Izanagi to Mikoto and Izumi earlier, an act he had performed specifically to win their favor.

Unable to make sense of it, Uchiha Chen ultimately decided to trust Mikoto, choosing to act as if he hadn't seen a thing and remaining silent.

Meanwhile, Kushina seemed to have heard something unbelievable from Mikoto, and she began to argue with her intensely.

However, after only a few words from Mikoto, Kushina fell silent, though her face still betrayed a deep sense of resistance.

According to Mikoto, several years ago, while Kushina was returning from a classified mission, she had stumbled upon an Uchiha clansman who had been left for dead after being ambushed by a Rock Ninja.

In that critical moment, having just finished her mission, Kushina had not hesitated to reach out and save him using her Adamantine Sealing Chains.

However, after the rescue, Kushina had left quietly without lingering, but her heroic bearing and agile skills had been deeply etched into the heart of that Uchiha orphan, causing him to fall in love with her at first sight.

Later, when he returned to the village and learned that Kushina's heart belonged to another, he had silently buried these feelings deep within his heart, never mentioning them again.

That person was Uchiha Chen.

Of course, the life-saving grace was real, and the person saved was indeed an orphan of the Uchiha clan, but unfortunately, it was not Uchiha Chen himself.

In fact, the child Kushina had actually saved possessed no special talent; his parents had been ordinary Chunin, and his own strength was nothing compared to a Genin—the kind of cannon fodder usually swept away in battle.

Now, even if that person knew the truth, there was no way he could step forward to expose the lie.

After all, he was just a plain, unremarkable orphan whose parents had lived lives of mediocrity.

Due to his lack of talent, he had unfortunately died in the line of duty shortly after being rescued. Mikoto had attributed this event to Uchiha Chen simply to pave the way for her subsequent persuasion.

Next, Kushina learned from Mikoto that just yesterday, after their meeting, Uchiha Chen had displayed a complex range of emotions on his way home.

It was only after persistent questioning that Mikoto finally got Uchiha Chen to reveal the truth.

At the time, Mikoto hadn't understood his true inner thoughts, but after pressing him for a long time, she finally heard him admit that he would never destroy the relationship between Kushina and Minato, because he simply couldn't bring himself to do it.

It was for this reason that he claimed to have let go of his feelings for Kushina.

Hearing this, Mikoto held the silent Kushina tightly while patting her own chest, her ample bosom nearly spilling out.

"I was actually quite relieved at the time, thinking that if Chen could face this unrequited love so gracefully, he would surely move on soon. But who could have imagined!"

At this point, Mikoto's face turned slightly pale, feigning a lingering fear, and she gripped Kushina's hand even tighter, as if recalling the events of the previous night. It wasn't until Kushina squeezed back, as if to pass her strength, that Mikoto snapped out of it.

She continued: "None of us expected that you would be in danger that night, Kushina.

When the Nine-Tails appeared, I was in a state of extreme panic and accidentally called out your name, which Chen happened to overhear.

Kushina, when we were hanging out privately, you once accidentally let slip your identity as a Jinchuriki. Although you laughed it off and brushed it aside, I could see the sadness behind your smile.

So, after saying goodbye and returning to the clan, I specifically looked up the relevant information and realized that the fates of the Tailed Beast and the Jinchuriki are inextricably linked, and that their lives are bound together.

Since then, to avoid making you suspicious, I buried this matter deep in my heart.

But last night, when he asked me what had happened, I couldn't hide it any longer and had to tell him the truth.

I told him that you were a Jinchuriki living with the Nine-Tails, but that the beast had suddenly broken free and gone on a rampage, and that you were likely to... lose your life!"

At this point, Mikoto looked at Kushina, and seeing her only shake her head without responding, she spoke again: "Do you know how he answered me?"

Kushina remained silent, and Mikoto sighed before continuing: "He said with absolute conviction that as long as he was there, he would make sure you survived."

"Do you know what I saw at that moment?" As Kushina shook her head blankly, Mikoto said with a pained expression: "I saw Chen... he actually awakened his Mangekyo Sharingan for your sake."

As she said this, Mikoto's voice choked up, as if the memory was incredibly heartbreaking.

Seeming not to want Kushina to see her expression, Mikoto raised her hand to slowly cover her eyes, as if she couldn't bear to think of that scene again.

However, she peeked through the gaps in her fingers at Kushina, observing her reaction.

When she saw the look of being moved on Kushina's face, Mikoto knew her plan had a successful start.

After all, Mikoto had discussed the power of the Mangekyo Sharingan in detail with Kushina during their chats, and naturally, she had also explained the conditions required to awaken it.

Knowing all this, what woman could refuse a man who had awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan in a fit of rage for her sake?