Itachi Uchiha may have been cruel enough to slaughter his own kin, but his actions had preserved the Uchiha name. Aside from the village high-ops, the general public remained ignorant of the planned coup. To the world, the high-ops had painted Itachi as a lone madman, washing their own hands clean of the tragedy.
On the surface, the Uchiha were still loyal members of the Hidden Leaf.
Raizen was no fool; he had no intention of setting himself against the entire village—at least, not yet. He would settle his blood debts with specific individuals, but now that his children were born, their safety was his absolute priority.
One morning, after Raizen saw Sasuke off to the Academy, a calico cat approached him.
"Meow. Xiao Hua greets Lord Raizen," the cat spoke in a human tongue.
Raizen looked down at the ninja cat. "Xiao Hua, what business brings you here?"
"Meow! Lord Raizen, our shops in the capital of the Land of Fire have been plundered by a group of rogue ninja. The losses are heavy. Even the gambling dens were raided, and many of the cats were injured," Xiao Hua said, her eyes welling with tears.
"Rogue ninja? In the capital?" Raizen frowned. During his time in the capital, he had seen no such elements. "The Daimyo forbids rogue ninja from entering the city. Who would dare?"
"Meow! Lord Raizen, our cats overheard that several Fire Country nobles hired them. They heard the Uchiha were wiped out and had no power left to protect their assets. That's why they dared to strike," Xiao Hua explained.
Raizen's brow deepened. "Have the shops in other regions been targeted?"
Xiao Hua shook her head. "Not yet. Only the capital."
"Xiao Hua, how long does it take for you to get from Konoha to the capital?" Raizen asked.
"Two days," the cat replied.
"I'm going to place a formula mark on you. Return to the capital immediately. In two days, I will use that mark to teleport directly to your side." Raizen reached out, placing a Flying Raijin mark on the cat's back.
"Lord Raizen... is this the Fourth Hokage's Flying Raijin mark?" Xiao Hua gasped in shock. Raizen simply nodded.
"As expected of Lord Raizen! To have mastered such a technique..." Xiao Hua's eyes shone with awe. "I shall return to the capital at once!" With a blur of motion, the cat vanished.
Raizen's eyes flashed with a cold, murderous intent. Hmph. Do they think the Uchiha have lost their claws just because the pack is smaller? With his current strength, a group of rogue ninja was nothing more than target practice. It's time to remind those nobles that stealing from me is a death sentence.
"However, if I leave the village, what about the children's safety?" Raizen mused. He thought for a moment and quickly devised a plan.
A short while later, Raizen stood at the gate of a residence, holding a bouquet of fresh flowers.
"Well, if it isn't our esteemed Uchiha Clan Head?" A voice teased. "What brings you to this neck of the woods?"
Raizen turned to see a woman in a signature mesh outfit—Anko Mitarashi.
"Anko?" Raizen blinked in surprise. "What are you doing here?"
Anko laughed, pointing to the house next door. "This is my house. Why wouldn't I be here?"
"Your house is right next to Kurenai's? I never heard her mention that."
"You've been busy with your 'great revival project.' Why would you care about small details like this?" Anko licked her lips playfully. "So, Mr. Handsome, are those flowers for me?"
Raizen shook his head. "These won't do for you. If you want some, I'll bring you a special bunch another day."
"I'll hold you to that," Anko smirked.
"Anko, what are you doing?" Kurenai's voice rang out as she hurried from her house. Hearing her future husband talking to Anko about flowers made her heart skip a beat—not out of joy, but out of a sudden urge to protect her territory. She didn't even wait for a knock before rushing out.
"Little Kurenai, why so frantic? No one is stealing your man," Anko laughed boisterously.
"Raizen-kun, let's go inside. Ignore this hussy," Kurenai said, grabbing Raizen's arm and pulling him toward her door, giving Anko no room to flirt.
"Hahahaha!" Anko roared with laughter at Kurenai's protectiveness. She had only been teasing, after all.
Inside, Raizen handed the bouquet to Kurenai. "For you, darling. Do you like them?"
"I love them," Kurenai whispered, her face flush with shyness. She looked at him expectantly. The children are born. He's here with flowers. Is he finally going to...
"Kurenai, I'm here to discuss the wedding. Unless, of course, you've changed your mind about marrying me?" Raizen said, wrapping his arms around her slender waist from behind.
"Hmph! Who would want to marry a big playboy like you?" she countered, though her heart was singing with joy.
"Oh? You won't marry me? Then I suppose I should give this ring to someone else. Anko seemed quite interested; maybe I'll give it to her instead." Raizen let go of her waist and made a move toward the door.
"No! I'll marry you! I will!" Kurenai dropped her pride instantly, snatching the ring from his hand and sliding it onto her finger. "I've accepted. When do you plan to make it official?"
"In a few days," Raizen said gently, pulling her back into his embrace. "I need to head to the capital to handle some business first. The moment I return, we will hold the ceremony."
"Is something wrong in the capital?" Kurenai asked, a hint of worry in her voice.
"Some bad people stole what belongs to our family. I need to teach them a lesson and take it back."
"The shops?" Kurenai guessed immediately.
Raizen nodded. "Kurenai, I need to be away from Konoha for a few days. While I'm gone, I wanted to ask you..."
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