A few days later, Uchiha Tsukiko was squatting at the entrance of a hidden rocky cave deep in Konoha's forest. She looked completely relaxed, as if she were only taking a break after a walk, but her hands were moving with practiced ease.
From inside her robe, she pulled out a copied scroll.
Without any hesitation, she tossed it toward a small green snake that had just slithered out from the shadows.
The snake opened its mouth and swallowed the scroll in one smooth motion. Then, to Tsukiko's great satisfaction, it let out a tiny burp that sounded almost human. After rubbing its head against her palm like an obedient pet, it slipped back under the fallen leaves and vanished into the forest.
That single scroll carried information that could easily shake the future of the ninja world.
Tsukiko dusted off her hands and stood up with a pleased smile.
"This secret exchange business is seriously addictive," she muttered to herself. "I wonder what kind of face Lord Orochimaru is making right now. Probably the same one he gets whenever he discovers a new obsession."
She straightened her clothes, which still carried the faint elegant scent of the incense Mikoto used at home, then stretched lazily.
Lately, her life had become so smooth that even she had to admit it felt unfair.
During the day, she was the famous Uchiha genius of Konoha, the darling of the village, and—according to her own shameless words—the Fourth Hokage's most lovable little prodigy. Whenever she had free time, she would stop by the Military Police Force just to raise Fugaku's blood pressure for fun. At the same time, her walks through the streets earned her endless attention from passing villagers and a suspicious number of admiring looks from young Uchiha girls.
At night, life only got better.
Sometimes she would end up curled up beside Kushina while enjoying snacks she had not paid for. Other times she would lie with her head on Mikoto's lap, receiving the kind of gentle hair-stroking and shoulder massage that could make a person forget all worldly concerns.
Still, the thing she secretly enjoyed most was receiving a message from Orochimaru every few days.
The man had become completely absorbed in the strange ideas she had started feeding him. Things like dimensions, gene fragments, unstable energy patterns, soul transfer limits, and spiritual interference had dragged him into a research frenzy. The way he looked at her had changed too. He no longer saw her as just a rare experimental specimen.
Now he saw her as a source.
A partner.
A dangerous little collaborator.
Before Tsukiko could enjoy that thought any longer, a loud voice shattered the peaceful silence of the forest.
"Tsukiko! Where are you hiding again? Come here quickly! A big shot is returning to the village today!"
Kushina's voice rang out like a bell mixed with a battle cry.
Tsukiko's eyes lit up. Without wasting a second, she used the Body Flicker Technique and vanished from the cave entrance.
The next time she appeared, she was already near Konoha's main gate.
And the first thing she saw there was a scene so dramatic that she almost burst out laughing.
A tall man with wild white hair stood proudly on top of a giant toad's head. He wore his familiar red sleeveless coat and carried himself with the exaggerated confidence of someone who thought every entrance needed a fanfare.
Throwing out both arms, he shouted for everyone to hear, "Behold! The great Toad Sage of Mount Myoboku has returned! The legendary Jiraiya has come back to Konoha!"
Minato stood nearby with the helpless smile of someone who had been dealing with this sort of thing for years.
"Jiraiya-sensei," he said carefully, "if you keep shouting like that, the patrol might actually arrest you as a suspicious person."
Jiraiya jumped down from the toad's head and laughed loudly.
"Minato! You're still too serious!"
Then his gaze shifted.
It landed on Tsukiko.
And in an instant, his grin turned far too playful.
"Oh? Is this the little disciple you took in?" Jiraiya said, looking Tsukiko up and down in a way that instantly made Kushina's mood drop several degrees. "She's got good features. When she grows up, she'll definitely be beautiful enough to appear on the cover of one of my novels."
"Ji-rai-ya-sen-sei."
Kushina's voice came out in a tone so cold it could freeze the air.
Her red hair seemed ready to rise on its own.
"What exactly are you saying to my Tsukiko right in front of me?"
Jiraiya jumped back at once. "Whoa! Kushina, you're still terrifying!"
Tsukiko, however, was no longer listening to half of what he was saying.
The moment she saw Jiraiya, a wicked plan had already formed in her mind.
Quietly, she slipped a small, beautifully wrapped box out from her robe.
Inside was one of her remaining "special truth candies."
Originally, she had saved them in case Danzo needed another little lesson in humility.
But right now?
This heroic white-haired sage looked like a much more entertaining target.
Tsukiko instantly switched expressions. Her smile became pure, innocent, and harmless. She trotted forward on her short legs like a well-behaved child eager to welcome an honored guest.
"Grandpa Jiraiya," she said sweetly, "you must have worked so hard on your journey. This is a welcome gift I prepared just for you. It's Konoha's newest refreshing candy. If you eat it, inspiration will flow like a waterfall."
The moment he heard the word inspiration, Jiraiya's eyes sparkled.
"For me?" he said, taking the candy without the slightest suspicion. "This kid has taste. Minato, you really taught her well."
Minato's expression froze.
He remembered Danzo's miserable performance from that earlier meeting. He knew very well that anything Tsukiko handed over with that angelic face could not possibly be normal.
He opened his mouth to stop Jiraiya—
But he was too late.
Crunch.
Jiraiya bit into the candy.
For one brief moment, he looked refreshed.
Then his face twisted.
"The taste is... a little strange," he muttered.
A hot feeling exploded inside him at once. It rushed from his stomach to his chest, then straight to his brain. His whole body stiffened.
Tsukiko stepped back with bright, expectant eyes.
Kushina, already catching on, folded her arms and leaned forward with a dangerous grin.
"Well then, Jiraiya-sensei," she said sweetly, "since you accepted Tsukiko's gift, why don't you tell us the truth? On this trip of yours, how many women's bathhouses did you spy on? And is there any kind of clothing you secretly want to wear but are too embarrassed to admit?"
The candy's effect activated instantly.
Jiraiya's pupils widened.
His mouth wanted to refuse.
But the words that came out were completely honest.
"Because my writing hasn't been going well lately," he blurted out helplessly, "I sneaked into the biggest women's bathhouse in the Hidden Grass Village! The water was too hot, and I nearly got caught because I had a nosebleed! Also... I've always wanted to try wearing a ballet tutu. A tight one. I feel like it would let me understand the flow of the wind better and help me reach a more elegant sage state!"
Silence fell over the gate.
Absolute silence.
Minato covered his face with one hand. His shoulders shook so badly it was obvious he was using every ounce of self-control not to laugh aloud.
Several nearby Anbu turned away, but the trembling of their masks betrayed them completely.
Tsukiko dropped into a squat on the ground and burst into wild laughter.
"A ballet tutu?!" she shouted. "And a sage state?! Grandpa Jiraiya, your aesthetic is much more advanced than I thought!"
Jiraiya clutched his mouth in horror.
"No! That's not what I meant to say! Something's wrong with my body!"
But the truth kept pouring out.
"And I've also always believed," he continued against his will, "that the Third Hokage's hat would look much better with red lace around the edge! That would be true Konoha fashion!"
Kushina collapsed against Tsukiko, laughing so hard tears filled her eyes.
"This candy is incredible!" she wheezed. "Minato! Hurry and drag your teacher away before he reveals anything else!"
Jiraiya, the great Sannin of Konoha, was eventually led away with both hands clamped over his own mouth, leaving behind a brand-new legend that would undoubtedly haunt him for years.
That day, the story of the "Ballet Tutu Sage" was born.
Later, Tsukiko sat on the swing outside Kushina's house, kicking her legs gently as she watched the orange light of sunset spread across the village.
She sighed in deep satisfaction.
"Konoha really is a beautiful place," she said happily. "As long as I've got Lord Orochimaru supplying me with useful things, beautiful women taking care of me, and a few entertaining old men to torment now and then, life is almost perfect."
Time passed.
Summer deepened.
By July, Konoha had become unbearably hot. The village felt like a giant steamer. Cicadas screamed from the treetops all day long, and even the shade offered little relief.
But inside Konoha Hospital, the maternity floor was strangely quiet.
Too quiet.
The silence was so complete that the faint hum of the cooling vents could be heard clearly through the hallway.
Tsukiko was sitting in the corridor outside the delivery room, fanning herself with an Uchiha fan so quickly it looked like a blur. Even so, sweat still gathered on her forehead.
Across from her, Fugaku paced back and forth like a man who no longer remembered how to sit.
After watching him make at least several hundred turns across the hallway, Tsukiko finally gave up.
"Uncle Fugaku," she said dryly, "if you keep walking like that, you're going to wear a trench into the floor. And if the hospital charges us for damage, I'm not paying."
Fugaku stopped for only a moment.
His face was unusually pale, and even his calm clan-leader image had cracks in it now. His hands were clasped behind his back, but he was gripping them so hard his knuckles had gone white.
"You don't understand," he said quietly. "This child... is the future hope of the Uchiha."
"Yes, yes, the hope of the Uchiha," Tsukiko muttered. "At this rate, the hope of the Uchiha is going to come out and find its father unconscious in the hallway."
Nearby, Itachi sat holding a book.
At least, he was pretending to read.
Tsukiko leaned over slightly and smirked.
"Itachi-kun," she said, "your book has been upside down for the last ten minutes."
Itachi froze.
He slowly closed the book, his face calm but a hint of embarrassment slipping through. His eyes, however, remained fixed on the closed delivery room door.
His voice was quiet when he finally spoke.
"Sister Tsukiko... Mother will be alright, won't she?"
Tsukiko reached over and slapped his shoulder with unnecessary confidence.
"Of course she will. That's Aunt Mikoto we're talking about. She can handle your stubborn father every day without losing her mind. Giving birth is nothing. She'll come out just fine, and she'll probably bring you a little brother too."
Outwardly, Tsukiko sounded completely certain.
Inside, though, her thoughts were not so calm.
This was Sasuke's birth.
The future "second pillar" of the ninja world.
And more importantly—
This year was dangerous.
If everything followed the path she remembered, then only a few months remained before the Nine-Tails attack. Even though it was still summer, and that terrible night had not yet arrived, the feeling of an approaching storm had already started pressing against her mind.
If that masked man truly appeared when Naruto was born...
Tsukiko's eyes darkened slightly.
She would not let things unfold the same way if she could help it.
Just then, hurried footsteps came from the end of the hallway.
"How is she? Has Mikoto given birth yet?"
Kushina arrived like a red whirlwind, with Minato following behind carrying bags full of things they had brought for the hospital.
Kushina's belly already showed the faint early sign of pregnancy.
Naruto was there.
Still waiting.
"Not yet," Tsukiko said, getting up at once to support Kushina. "Sister, slow down! You've got a little ancestor in your stomach too. Stop charging around like a wild horse."
Kushina waved her off. "I'm fine!"
Then she marched straight toward Fugaku.
"Clan Leader Fugaku, stop standing there like a guardian statue. You're blocking the hallway. Sit down before you scare the nurses."
Fugaku opened his mouth.
Then closed it.
In front of the Hokage's wife and the Nine-Tails jinchuriki, he simply obeyed and sat in the corner with the quiet dignity of a defeated man.
Minato smiled gently and placed a hand on Tsukiko's head.
"The chief medic is inside. Lady Mikoto will be fine."
"I know," Tsukiko replied softly.
But her gaze drifted to the bright sky outside the corridor window.
No matter who tried to destroy this peace, she had already made up her mind.
If anyone dared touch the people she cared about—
She would make them regret ever stepping into Konoha.
Then—
The red light above the delivery room door switched off.
A loud cry burst into the hallway.
A baby's first cry rang through the hospital like a declaration to the whole world.
"He's born!" Fugaku shouted, jumping to his feet so quickly it was almost undignified.
Even Itachi stood up sharply, his book falling to the floor unnoticed.
A moment later, a nurse stepped out carrying a tightly wrapped little bundle in her arms.
"Congratulations," she said warmly. "It's a healthy baby boy. He's very strong."
For the first time, Fugaku's stern face broke completely.
The joy on it was so obvious that Tsukiko almost stared.
He accepted the baby with the careful terror of a man holding something far more dangerous than any weapon. His whole body stiffened, as though one wrong move might break the world.
Tsukiko and Kushina crowded in at once.
Inside the blanket was a tiny baby with tightly shut eyes, red wrinkled skin, and a face scrunched up from crying.
Tsukiko blinked.
Then she said the first thing that came to mind.
"So ugly."
Her finger still reached out and poked his soft cheek.
"This wrinkly little face is Sasuke? The future second pillar?"
Fugaku ignored her disrespect with unusual generosity.
"Sasuke..." he said softly, his eyes full of light. "Uchiha Sasuke. A good name."
Tsukiko kept her mouth shut. She knew perfectly well Mikoto had probably chosen the name long ago, but there was no reason to ruin Fugaku's fatherly moment.
Then Itachi stepped closer.
His expression had changed completely. All his nervousness had turned into something much gentler.
"Can I hold him?" he asked quietly.
Fugaku handed Sasuke over.
And the moment Itachi took his little brother into his arms—
a small miracle happened.
Sasuke, who had been crying so loudly a moment earlier, slowly calmed down.
His tiny face relaxed.
Then, impossibly, he gave the faintest little smile.
Itachi's eyes widened.
When he touched Sasuke's hand with one finger, the baby gripped it immediately with his tiny palm.
For just a second, the entire hallway felt still.
Tsukiko watched the two brothers and could almost see an invisible thread connecting them.
It was small and fragile now.
But it was there.
Kushina was the first one to recover. "Enough staring at the baby. How is Mikoto?"
"The mother is fine," the nurse replied. "She's only exhausted and resting now. Family can go in quietly."
Tsukiko was the first one through the door.
Inside the room, Mikoto lay asleep on the bed. Her face was pale, and damp strands of hair clung to her forehead, but she still looked peaceful. A faint smile rested at the corner of her lips, as if she already knew everything had gone well.
Tsukiko's steps softened immediately.
She walked to the bedside, adjusted the blanket gently, then crouched down and pressed her cheek against the back of Mikoto's hand.
"Thank you for your hard work, Aunt Mikoto," she whispered. "Thank you for bringing this little troublemaker into the world."
When she looked up, she saw Fugaku entering with a softened expression, Itachi carefully holding Sasuke, and Minato and Kushina smiling quietly from the doorway.
The room was full of peace.
Of warmth.
Of the kind of happiness that made it hard to imagine anything bad touching it.
But Tsukiko knew better.
And because she knew better, her heart grew even firmer.
Sasuke had arrived safely.
Next would come Naruto.
And on the night of Naruto's birth, if the masked man truly dared to appear—
Tsukiko swore she would personally make him understand what it meant to be beaten senseless by someone from his own clan.
----------------------------------------
Extra chapters available on patreon
patreon.com/Samurai492 🔥🔥🔥
__________________________________