Chapter 137: The Fate of a Ninja — Neither You Nor I Are Wrong!
Hearing Itachi personally admit what he had done, Mikoto's entire body shuddered violently. Her eyes—momentarily clear—were once again clouded by tears.
Even though she already knew the truth, hearing her own son confess it in person still felt utterly absurd and impossible to accept.
Her voice trembling, she looked at Itachi—whose face was equally filled with regret and pain:
"Where is Fugaku?"
"Your father… where is he now?"
Without waiting for Itachi's response, Mikoto turned her head and looked around.
Konoha's forces had already cleared away and transported every corpse from the battlefield back to the village.
The bodies of the Uchiha clansmen held extremely valuable information.
It wasn't just ordinary intelligence.
The Sharingan of the Uchiha clan was just as precious as any secret.
Konoha would never let such a priceless resource go to waste—especially Fugaku's Mangekyō Sharingan, as the clan head.
Mikoto scanned the area several times, searching desperately, but found no trace of Fugaku's body. Her emotions finally collapsed completely.
She dropped to the ground, clutching little Sasuke tightly and burying her face as she sobbed uncontrollably.
"Mom…"
"I'm sorry."
Watching his heartbroken mother, Itachi felt even worse inside.
He stepped forward, trying to comfort her—but Mikoto instinctively pushed his hand away:
"Don't come near me, Itachi…"
"I need some time to calm down!!"
Mikoto was barely holding back her anger, desperately trying to keep her voice from sounding too harsh.
But the fury was written clearly across her face. That unfamiliar look on his mother stunned Itachi—he froze in place as though struck by lightning.
BOOM—
The already overcast sky suddenly exploded with lightning.
Torrential rain poured down instantly, drenching the entire world.
In the downpour, Mikoto shielded little Sasuke and cried until her voice grew hoarse, feeling as though endless cold had wrapped around her completely.
At this moment, the world felt vast and empty—there seemed to be no place left for her.
The overwhelming loneliness and desolation were destined to haunt her for the rest of her life.
Mikoto was in deep pain, and Itachi was suffering just as much.
His pain came from the realization that his mother—exactly as he had feared—could not understand his choice.
Itachi stood motionless in the storm, letting the wind and rain lash against him. He said nothing.
He simply watched as his mother cried and raged against the tempest, his heart twisting like a knife.
Gradually, the chilling sensation that had come with awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan returned—this time even more intensely.
The cold indifference and emotional detachment that came with such immense power frightened him… yet he couldn't help sinking deeper into it.
Mother and son were each lost in their own world of grief.
And Shisui—one of the central figures in this tragedy—didn't know what to say.
He felt exactly the same as Itachi.
If given the chance to choose again, he believed he and Itachi would still make the same decisions.
Konoha could live without the Uchiha—but it could not survive without peace and stability.
For the village's sake, they were willing to become enemies of anyone.
Even if that enemy was themselves.
From a distance, Oborotsuki silently watched everything unfold, not stepping in to interfere with anyone.
He believed this heavy rain could wash away the filth clouding Mikoto's eyes and force her to make her own choice.
After crying and raging in the storm for a while, Mikoto slowly stood up.
Her frail body, clutching little Sasuke, staggered back the way they had come.
"Mom!"
Itachi watched his mother—now seeming so fragile she might collapse at any moment—and finally couldn't hold back. He shouted after her.
But his voice was quickly swallowed by the storm and thunder. His mother didn't seem to hear him at all.
Mikoto simply kept walking, holding little Sasuke, growing smaller and smaller until she disappeared into the rain.
"I'm sorry, Itachi."
Shisui walked over and apologized.
"Why are you apologizing… Brother Shisui…"
"I'm sorry… this pain was supposed to be mine alone. I never wanted to drag you into it…"
Shisui felt deeply guilty.
His original plan had been to sacrifice himself—standing alone against the entire Uchiha clan.
If only his Kotoamatsukami had worked, things wouldn't have reached this point.
"If I had made up my mind sooner… if I had used Kotoamatsukami earlier… maybe Lord Fugaku wouldn't have noticed my intentions…"
"I missed the perfect chance to save the Uchiha clan, Itachi. I'm so sorry."
Shisui explained further.
Itachi remained silent. After a long pause, he turned to look at Shisui.
"Brother Shisui… first we are ninja, then we are villagers of Konoha and members of the Uchiha clan."
"A ninja's path often involves choices beyond our control."
"That is the fate of a ninja."
"Anyone who cannot understand this is not worthy of being called a ninja."
"So you are not wrong… and neither am I. There is no need for guilt."
Itachi calmly shared his understanding of what it meant to be a ninja.
Shisui looked at him in surprise.
But he said nothing more—just nodded silently.
…
Outside, the storm showed no sign of stopping.
Inside the house, the lamplight flickered weakly. The room was deathly quiet.
Mikoto sat motionless on the tatami like a statue, staring at the empty room. Her heart felt just as hollow.
Her dazed, lifeless state gave Oborotsuki a headache.
Regardless of how deep Mikoto's feelings for Fugaku had been,
The psychological impact of what happened was simply too immense.
The near-total annihilation of the Uchiha clan was painful enough.
But the fact that her husband had been personally killed by her beloved eldest son pushed Mikoto to the brink of complete mental collapse.
If he couldn't help her untie this knot in her heart, Oborotsuki worried that even if he "obtained" Mikoto, he might never complete the sacred mission assigned by the system.
Without the rewards, what was the point of everything he had done?
With that thought, Oborotsuki slowly stood up and walked toward the kitchen. He began rummaging through cabinets.
The noise caught Mikoto's attention. A faint spark returned to her eyes as she looked toward the kitchen in confusion.
Soon, Oborotsuki came back carrying a steaming bowl of noodles.
"You haven't eaten anything all day. Even if you don't care about yourself, you should think about little Sasuke."
"Eat this bowl of noodles. Then I'll take you to get revenge."
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