Midnight Spoils, Mikoto Moves into the Senju Clan Grounds

The lingering sunset stained the streets of the Hidden Leaf blood-red. The weathered, heavy wooden gates of the Senju Clan Grounds slowly opened.

Tsunade supported Sosuke as he stepped over the threshold, and only then did his berserk chakra gradually recede into his body.

Deep in the courtyard, a gentle figure knelt quietly beneath the eaves. Hearing the movement, Uchiha Mikoto abruptly looked up, her autumn-water eyes filled with anxiety. Only when she saw Sosuke enter unharmed did her tense shoulders finally relax.

Tsunade coldly swept her gaze over Mikoto, lingering gunpowder still evident in her voice. "Did ANBU come looking for trouble?"

"Yes, Lady Tsunade. Two groups came to test us, but they did not dare force their way in," Mikoto replied deferentially.

Tsunade gave a cold snort and helped Sosuke sit beneath the eaves. "The old man and Danzo suffered a major loss today. They will not let this go. I need to personally keep watch over the medical unit, in case those rats from Root tamper with the wounded soldiers' medicine."

She turned and stared straight into Mikoto's eyes, her tone intensely oppressive. "Since you declared in front of Fugaku that you would stay here, then behave yourself. Take good care of him. If even a single hair on his head is harmed, you will answer to me."

Mikoto bowed deeply. "Please rest assured. Even if it costs me my life, Mikoto will protect him."

Night fell, and several dim paper lanterns were lit in the inner courtyard of the Senju Clan Grounds.

Sosuke leaned against the tatami, the frailty and fear he had displayed during the day now completely gone. He casually pulled apart his bloodstained collar, exposing his sturdy chest. The wound on his neck, cut open by a kunai, had long since formed a thin scab beneath the powerful recovery of his initial-stage Sage Body.

The sliding door was gently pushed open. Mikoto entered carrying a basin of steaming water, then closed the door tightly behind her.

Only flickering candlelight remained in the room.

Mikoto wrung out a warm cloth and knelt beside Sosuke, gently wiping the blood from his neck. They were close enough that Sosuke could smell the faint scent of jasmine on her, mingled with the warm fragrance unique to a young woman, drifting straight into his nose.

"At the Hokage Building today, Fugaku looked like he wanted to swallow you alive." Sosuke tilted his head slightly, his gaze falling upon Mikoto's fair, slender neck. His tone carried a touch of teasing. "Do you regret it? If you walk out that door now, you can still be the Uchiha clan's exalted jewel."

Mikoto's wiping hand paused slightly.

She raised her head and met Sosuke's unfathomably dark eyes. There was no hesitation and no evasion.

"A jewel? I was nothing more than a bargaining chip the clan used to exchange for power." A bitter smile touched Mikoto's lips before her gaze became incomparably firm. "From the moment Fugaku drew his blade against you, Uchiha Mikoto died. The one sitting here now is only Senju Sosuke's woman."

She spoke those words with absolute resolve.

A satisfied curve formed on Sosuke's lips. He suddenly lifted his hand and seized Mikoto's slender wrist. With a slight tug, Mikoto cried out in surprise and lost her balance, falling directly into his broad embrace.

A few drops of water sloshed from the basin and fell onto the tatami.

"Since you are my woman, you should not wear such a wronged expression." Sosuke lowered his head, his warm breath brushing Mikoto's ear and making her whole body tremble.

He reached for a horn comb on the low table, held Mikoto by the shoulders, and had her sit with her back to him in his embrace.

"I'll comb your hair." Sosuke's voice was low and husky, carrying an overbearing command that could not be refused.

Mikoto obediently leaned against his chest. Feeling the powerful beat of his heart, her cheeks flushed crimson.

Holding the wooden comb, Sosuke slowly combed downward through her soft black hair from the crown of her head. The comb passed over her scalp, stirring an almost imperceptible numbness. His movements were slow, as though he were handling a priceless treasure, yet also as though he were conducting an aggressively possessive inspection of his territory.

"The freedom the Uchiha clan cannot give you, I will."

The comb slid down to the ends of her hair.

"The dignity Fugaku cannot protect, I will."

Sosuke's left hand slowly traveled up along Mikoto's waist before stopping at her chin. He gently pinched it, forcing her to turn and look at him.

"But the price is that from this day forward, your body and soul, your loyalty, everything you have, can belong only to me."

Under the candlelight, a faint, cold green glow flickered in Sosuke's eyes. It was the vitality of Wood Release, but also the extreme possessiveness of an ambitious tyrant.

Mikoto looked at the man before her. During the day, he had disguised himself before the higher-ups as a lamb ready to be slaughtered. At night, he transformed into an abyss capable of devouring everything. This extreme contrast did not frighten her. Instead, it awakened the most primal desire to submit buried deep within her heart.

She knew she would never escape this net for the rest of her life. And she did not want to escape at all.

"Mikoto... will leave everything to her husband."

That single word, "husband," completely ignited the long-suppressed fire in the room.

Sosuke tossed aside the wooden comb. He suddenly wrapped both arms around Mikoto's slender waist, rolled over, and heavily pressed her onto the soft bedding.

The red candle flame jumped violently once before being extinguished by a faint breeze swirling through the room.

In the darkness, the soft sound of fabric tearing was especially clear. Mikoto let out a muffled cry, her hands instinctively gripping Sosuke's broad back.

The blood and vitality of his initial-stage Sage Body erupted completely at that moment. The divine chakra that had accumulated within Sosuke from overusing Wood Release finally found an outlet.

Pure Yang Release life force and the Uchiha clan's Yin Release chakra within Mikoto resonated in a wondrous way through their most primal union.

There was no pain, only the ultimate bliss of a soul being completely filled.

Mikoto felt a vast yet gentle force pour through the place where they were joined and spread into every part of her body. That force dominantly washed through her chakra pathways, gradually transforming her somewhat frail constitution. Like a lone boat drifting with the waves through a violent storm, she could only cling desperately to Sosuke, her sole piece of driftwood, rising and falling in the sea of desire.

The night wind passed through the treetops in the courtyard, making a soft rustling sound.

Outside the Senju Clan Grounds, several ANBU ninja assigned to surveillance crouched in the tree canopy, exchanging bewildered looks. They could only sense wave after wave of intense chakra fluctuations from the main house, yet none of them dared approach to investigate. The scene at the Hokage Building that day was still fresh in their minds. No one wanted to provoke trouble at a time like this.

After an unknown amount of time, the darkness of night gradually faded, and a pale white glow appeared in the east.

The shishi-odoshi in the corner of the courtyard filled with spring water. Its bamboo tube tilted and struck the bluestone slab with a crisp snap.

Sunlight filtered through the window lattice, scattering mottled patches across the rumpled tatami.

Sosuke slowly opened his eyes. Before him was Mikoto's smooth, jade-like back. Curled up in his arms like a lazy cat, she breathed evenly and deeply. A trace of tears still clung to the corners of her eyes, yet her brows carried the seductive satisfaction of someone thoroughly cherished.

The madness of the previous night had not only completely claimed this jewel of the Uchiha clan, but had also greatly eased the restless divine corruption within Sosuke. Through the union of yin and yang, his chakra pathways had become wider and tougher.

Sosuke lifted his hand, his fingertips gently brushing aside the loose strands of hair on Mikoto's cheek.

At that very instant.

The blood in his body suddenly began to boil without warning!

It was not the agony of chakra deviation, but an extreme swelling sensation as though his very level of life was about to undergo a mad leap forward! The natural energy around him seemed drawn by something terrifying, wildly gathering toward his body.

Sosuke abruptly sat up, the black of his pupils instantly swallowed by a brilliant emerald green.

Deep within his mind, that cold, mechanical notification he had waited for all night finally exploded like thunder from the highest heavens.