Gento's fingertips lingered at her waist, neither hurried nor slow.
"And what's wrong with it being your house?"
It took Mikoto quite a while to recover from the violent impact of the Slave Mark.
"Every time you start fooling around, it lasts for hours…"
"What if someone finds out…"
As she spoke, Mikoto struggled to get up.
Abruptly, Gento pulled her back in one motion, causing her entire body to fall into his arms.
"You…!"
Her words were cut off.
With aggressive forcefulness, Gento lowered his head and kissed her lips.
Mikoto's eyes shot wide. Her hands pressed against his chest, wanting to push him away, yet she could not muster any strength.
Those hands first resisted him, then gradually turned into clutching his clothes, and finally hung limply around his neck.
Only after a long while did their lips part.
Mikoto gasped for breath, moisture glimmering at the corners of her eyes.
After regaining her voice, she weakly pushed against him.
"Don't… somewhere else…"
Yet, Gento remained unmoved. His fingers gently lifted her chin.
"Right here!"
Gento's kiss landed behind her ear, his voice muffled.
"And besides…"
His hand caressed her delicate skin.
"Don't you want to try it here?"
Mikoto's entire body trembled. Biting her lip, she could not say a word.
Her reason told her she should push him away, reject him, and throw this man out… despite that, her body refused to obey, soft as a puddle of water.
Gento's hand wandered along her waist, his fingertips brushing over her sensitive side and drawing out a slight shiver.
"Mmh… don't…"
Her refusal sounded soft and weak, more like coquettish pleading.
Gento chuckled softly and lifted her entire body, placing her onto the tatami.
Mikoto lay on her back, her long hair spread out, her collar slightly open.
She covered her eyes with her arm, not daring to look at him, her chest rising and falling violently.
"Y-you… hurry up…"
Her voice was so quiet it was almost inaudible.
Gento leaned down, pulling her arm away as he looked into those watery eyes.
"What's the rush?"
Mikoto shyly turned her face away.
"What if someone comes back…"
She bit her lip, swallowing back the sounds that nearly escaped, yet her fingers clutched his clothes.
Her fingers tightened and loosened, loosened and tightened again, as though enduring something, yet also anticipating something.
"Gento…"
She called his name, her voice so soft it seemed ready to melt away.
Gento laughed softly beside her ear.
"Say it louder…"
Embarrassed and annoyed, Mikoto lightly struck him once, only for him to seize her wrist and pin it above her head.
"Mmh…"
She closed her eyes, her eyelashes trembling lightly, no longer resisting.
...
Night fell, and warm lights illuminated Gento's palace.
Gento was sitting in the study, handling several mission reports.
A gentle knock sounded at the door.
"Come in."
The door opened, revealing Itachi standing at the entrance.
Naruto was beside him.
The moment the little boy entered, he pounced toward Gento.
"Dad! I'm back!"
Gento caught him and rubbed his blond hair.
"How was training today?"
"It was really fun!"
Naruto's eyes sparkled.
"Big Brother Itachi taught Sasuke shuriken, and I practiced along with them for a long time!"
"Big Brother Itachi even said I improved fast!"
Gento smiled and glanced at Itachi.
"Alright, go wash your hands and get ready for dinner."
Gento patted Naruto on the head.
The little boy responded and skipped happily out of the room.
The study became quiet.
Itachi stood before Gento, his expression calm.
"Sit down and talk."
Gento pointed toward the chair opposite him.
Itachi sat down as instructed.
"Tell me."
Gento looked at him.
"What abilities did your Mangekyo awaken?"
Itachi remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking.
"The dojutsu of my left eye is Amaterasu."
"It produces black flames wherever my gaze focuses."
"These flames will not extinguish until the target is burned away. Even Water Release and ordinary chakra barriers cannot put them out."
Gento nodded.
Amaterasu.
He was all too familiar with it.
One of Itachi's signature abilities.
"And your right eye?"
"Tsukuyomi."
"A genjutsu specialized in mental attacks."
"Within Tsukuyomi's world, time, space, and matter are all under my control."
"The target experiences prolonged torment within an instant, and their mind can be shattered in a single moment."
Gento narrowed his eyes slightly.
Tsukuyomi was known as the strongest mental attack.
Even a ninja on Kakashi's level had absolutely no power to resist when facing Tsukuyomi.
"Both of these abilities have appeared before in Uchiha history."
Itachi added.
"I saw records of them in the clan's ancient scrolls."
"Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi are relatively common forms among Mangekyo Sharingan abilities, though their power varies depending on the user."
"What else?"
Gento asked.
"Susanoo."
"My Susanoo is red in color. Right now, I can only activate the first form, which covers only the upper half of the body."
"It can continue evolving further afterward."
He paused briefly.
"My Susanoo's right hand wields the Totsuka Blade, which can seal anything it pierces into a dreamlike genjutsu world."
"My left hand carries the Yata Mirror. It possesses no physical form, but it can alter its own attributes according to the properties of incoming attacks, thereby defending against all physical and ninjutsu attacks."
Gento inwardly sighed in admiration.
The Totsuka Blade.
The Yata Mirror.
These two divine weapons, combined with Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi, made Itachi's Mangekyo nearly a perfect form balanced between offense and defense.
"Very impressive."
Gento spoke sincerely.
"Your Mangekyo is more powerful than most awakeners throughout history."
Itachi lowered his head a bit.
"It is all thanks to the Clan Head's assistance."
Gento waved his hand dismissively.
"It's your own talent."
He stood up, walked over to Itachi, and patted him on the shoulder.
"Familiarize yourself properly with these powers. The Uchiha need your eyes."
Itachi nodded solemnly.
"You may go."
Gento said.
"Spend more time with Sasuke, and help your mother with some of the household work too."
Itachi stood up, bowed deeply to Gento once more, then turned and left.
...
After dinner, Gento did not continue fooling around like he had the previous few days.
To be honest, he really could not take it anymore.
Last night had worn him out.
His waist and back ached so much that even walking made his legs feel weak.
Then during the day, he had spent the entire afternoon fooling around with Mikoto again.
If he had not relied on Tokitsumori to rewind himself several times, he probably would not even have been able to stand steadily.
Leaning back against the chair, he rubbed his sore waist and began seriously considering a problem.
Should he start training taijutsu?
Come to think of it, he had always followed the "ninjutsu-type" route.
The Mangekyo Sharingan, system rewards, all kinds of forbidden jutsu ninja tools… relying on those alone was already enough to crush the vast majority of opponents.
As for taijutsu…
As long as he could run and jump, that was enough. He had never seriously trained it.
But now he realized there was a problem.
No matter how strong his ninjutsu was, it could not sustain continuous battles forever.
This was with fewer than ten women, and he was already starting to struggle.
If he took in a few more in the future…
Tsunade's figure, Mei Terumi's mature charm…
And the younger generation of the Hidden Leaf that was still growing up…
No, he could not keep thinking about this.
Gento took a deep breath and suppressed those lustful thoughts.
He needed to find time to properly train his taijutsu.
As for tonight, he should hide out in Kushina's room for the night.
...
Late at night.
The lights in Kushina's room were still on.
When Gento pushed open the door, she was leaning against the headboard with a childcare book in her hands, reading attentively.
"What are you reading?"
Gento walked over and lay down beside her.
Kushina raised the book so he could see the cover. It showed a smiling pregnant woman alongside several adorable babies.
"A book Grandma Mito left behind. It teaches people how to take care of newborns."
She closed the book, placed it beside the bed, and naturally leaned into Gento's embrace.
Gento wrapped an arm around her shoulders and lowered his head to look at that familiar face.
Kushina's red hair spread across the pillow, making her face appear even fairer.
After becoming pregnant, her features had softened considerably. The fiery intensity in her eyes and brows had faded, replaced by a gentle maternal radiance.
Her figure had also become fuller because of the pregnancy.
Her chest was astonishingly ample.
It seemed that after his child was born, not only would the baby never go hungry, there would probably even be more than enough milk…
Gento's hand gently rested on her lower abdomen, feeling its faint warmth.
"Less than eight months left."
He spoke softly.
Kushina gave a soft "mm" and buried her face against his chest.
"What do you think… will it be a boy or a girl?"
"Either is fine."
Gento lowered his head and kissed the top of her hair.
Kushina smiled.
"If it's a boy, you'll teach him ninjutsu."
"And if it's a girl, I'll teach her cooking."
Gento remembered the meal Kushina had enthusiastically cooked last time and fell silent for a moment.
"Ahem… well… maybe you should teach her sealing jutsu instead."
"After all, the Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques are the best in the world."
Kushina laughed and lightly punched him.
The two fell silent for a while. Neither of them spoke, simply leaning against one another.
After a long while, Kushina softly spoke:
"Gento."
"Mm?"
"I don't mind that you're a womanizer."
Gento froze and lowered his head to look at her.
Kushina did not raise her head. Her face remained buried against his chest, her voice muffled.
"Kurenai, Pakura, Anko…"
"Even other women in the future…"
She raised her head and looked at him seriously.
"Ever since I was little, I was a Jinchuriki. People looked at me like I was a monster."
"Then after Minato died, I raised Naruto alone. I was cursed at, chased away, and had stones thrown at me."
"The Hidden Leaf higher-ups even treated me as a war weapon meant to contain the Tailed Beast."
"I originally thought my life would stay like that forever…"
Her voice became choked with emotion.
"You were the one who rescued Naruto and me from all of that."
"You were the one who gave Naruto and me a home."
"The luckiest thing in my life was meeting you."
Warmth filled Gento's heart, and he pulled her tighter into his embrace.
Kushina buried her face against his chest again.
"So I don't mind that you're a womanizer. I only want you to be sincere with me."
Gento lowered his head and gently kissed her forehead.
"With you, I will always be sincere."
Kushina raised her head. Her eyes were red, yet a smile rested at her lips.
"You promise?"
"I promise!"
She stared at him for a long while before finally satisfiedly leaning back into his embrace.
After a brief silence, Kushina suddenly pushed herself upright and took out something from somewhere.
It was a red sealing scroll.
Intricate patterns were embroidered across the surface of the scroll with golden thread, and at its center was a spiral-shaped clan emblem.
...
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