Chapter 31: Ten no Kyūshū

Mikoto, who was crying bitterly in Kisaragi's arms, finally passed out, overwhelmed by the emotional shock. She had just used Tsukuyomi after unlocking the Mangekyō Sharingan, and she was exhausted. It was only natural for her to faint.

"Take care of the Great Elder's body. Also, Mikoto has awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan. I don't want this information to spread. Do you understand?" Kisaragi's gaze swept across the room, and the terrifying aura he exuded made everyone lower their heads in fear.

"Understood, Patriarch."

Afterward, Kisaragi carried Mikoto away for the time being.

Once back, Uchiha Shin reported something to Kisaragi. Uchiha Rin had passed along a message earlier, stating that the diehards who still supported Uchiha Fugaku had left.

"Patriarch, should I gather some men to deal with those rebels?"

"Leave them for now. There will be opportunities in the future."

Kisaragi didn't order Uchiha Shin to act. Even if they tried, they wouldn't be able to kill them all. It was likely those defectors had joined Uchiha Fugaku.

If Sarutobi Hiruzen really took in Uchiha Fugaku, he wouldn't allow Kisaragi to deal with the defectors from the Uchiha clan. While Sarutobi Hiruzen disliked the Uchiha, he would need those people to oppose Kisaragi.

So, if Kisaragi sent people to capture the defectors, the Anbu would undoubtedly intervene. There was no point in doing something so meaningless.

Besides, there weren't many defectors. Even counting their families, there were only about 30 people. Compared to the 700-plus members of the Uchiha clan, this was nothing.

That's right. At this time, the Uchiha clan had nearly 800 members. Since almost all of them—men, women, and children—were ninjas, they were feared by Konoha Village.

Of course, that didn't mean Kisaragi would let the defectors go. If he couldn't deal with them openly, he would take a more covert approach, just like how the Senju clan had faded away.

If he couldn't deal with them inside the village, he could wait for them to leave. But even if they didn't leave, Kisaragi would find a way to trouble them. As the head of the Konoha Police Force, it wouldn't be difficult for him to find a reason to deal with them.

"Uchiha Shin, inform the clan that the Great Elder will be buried with the highest honors."

"Understood."

Uchiha Rin knew that the patriarch had a special relationship with Uchiha Mikoto, and that she might become the patriarch's wife in the future. Uchiha Mikoto was certainly worthy of the patriarch, having awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, the Uchiha clan's ultimate power.

After Uchiha Shin left, Kisaragi entered the room where Uchiha Mikoto had just woken up, grief still visible in her eyes.

"You're awake. This is the suicide note your grandfather left for you."

He handed her a letter he had found in the Great Elder's residence but hadn't opened.

"Grandpa left this?" Mikoto immediately opened the note, and after reading it, she began crying again.

"Grandpa, I didn't want to unlock the Mangekyō Sharingan... I just wanted you to live."

In the letter, the Great Elder had detailed his plans and urged Mikoto not to grieve, as his old body was already nearing its end. It was all he could leave her before his death.

"I will ensure the Great Elder has the most beautiful funeral," Kisaragi said softly to Uchiha Mikoto.

"Thank you."

Mikoto looked at Kisaragi with gratitude.

…

For the Great Elder's funeral, only members of the Uchiha clan were present. This was no surprise; given the strained relations between the Uchiha and other families, no one outside the clan would attend. Moreover, the deceased was an elder, not the patriarch.

Still, even with only Uchiha members attending, the funeral was quite large.

After the ceremony, Kisaragi gently patted Mikoto's shoulder. "Let's go. Staying here won't bring the elder back."

Mikoto nodded, then silently followed Kisaragi.

"I... my grandfather's suicide note... He wished for me to marry you. Can you fulfill his last request?" Mikoto asked softly, her voice trembling slightly with apprehension.

Kisaragi turned to look at Uchiha Mikoto.

"Very well. You are indeed worthy of being the wife of the patriarch now."

A beautiful and powerful woman was being offered to him—why refuse? Besides, Uchiha Mikoto was no longer weak. She had reached quasi-Kage-level strength, and with the Mangekyō Sharingan, she could even challenge Kage-level opponents.

Such a kunoichi, with both strength and beauty, was certainly desirable.

"One more thing: don't use the Mangekyō Sharingan recklessly. It has side effects, and overusing it can lead to blindness."

Although Kisaragi knew Mikoto wouldn't abuse her Mangekyō Sharingan, he still wanted to remind her.

"By the way, one of your Mangekyō abilities is Tsukuyomi. What's the other one?"

Susanoo could be used as long as both Mangekyō Sharingan were activated, but Kisaragi was curious about her other ocular power.

"My other technique is called Ten no kyūshū. It can absorb enemy ninjutsu attacks to replenish my chakra, and it can also absorb the ocular power of other Sharingan users to replenish my own."

Mikoto had no secrets about her Mangekyō abilities when it came to Kisaragi. Since he had agreed to marry her, he would soon be her husband, and she had no intention of hiding anything from him. However, had anyone else asked about her powers, she would have remained silent.

Any man would be satisfied with Mikoto's loyalty and openness.

"That's a powerful technique," Kisaragi remarked.

Her ability to negate enemy ninjutsu and restore chakra was already impressive, but the fact that she could absorb the ocular power of other Sharingan users made it even more extraordinary. With such an ability, she wouldn't need to worry about blindness from overusing the Mangekyō Sharingan.

In fact, Kisaragi speculated that with enough absorbed ocular power, her Mangekyō Sharingan might even evolve into the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.

Awakening such a potent technique made it feel like Uchiha Mikoto was destined to play a leading role in this story.

(T/N: Kisaragi is so powerful that even the 4th wall break)