82-85

*Chapter 82: Sasuke is Going to Be a Big Brother*

On the other side, Aizen had already arrived at the rendezvous point with Sasori and the others.

"You’ve finally arrived, huh?" Sasori murmured as he watched Aizen approach like a ghost.

Deidara rushed up, eagerly asking, "Brother Aizen, Brother Aizen, how strong is the new Fifth Mizukage? Is she powerful?"

Aizen stroked his chin and, with a completely serious expression, made something up: "She’s pretty strong. She has a Water Release strong enough to extinguish my Fire Release, can use large-scale attacks, and has a corrosive Lava Release. She also has a Boil Release that can melt gold and iron. Her attack power is quite formidable. She definitely lives up to the title of Kage. Most people would be in trouble if they faced her."

"Hearing Brother Aizen praise her so highly, I guess that woman is really something. Hmm," Deidara nodded to himself, satisfied.

"Alright, stop wasting time. The leader is waiting for us," Sasori said impatiently, clearly uninterested in Deidara's chatter.

"I know, I know... Sasori, you’re always in such a hurry," Deidara grumbled as he reluctantly summoned two clay birds.

Sasori and Deidara shared one bird, while Aizen and Pakura rode on the other. They flew towards the Village Hidden in the Rain, one group leading, the other following.

It was only then that Pakura spoke up, "Thanks for what you did before."

"It’s nothing, I was just doing my job. Besides..." Aizen glanced back at her, a playful smile on his face, "I couldn’t just stand by and watch my future partner get turned into a pincushion."

"That aside, you know it’s only a matter of time before word gets out that you’re still alive. The higher-ups in the Hidden Mist will likely blame you for the deaths of the hundred Mist ninja today, and use it as an excuse to pressure the Hidden Sand."

"That will give the Sand higher-ups a perfect reason to declare you an S-rank rogue ninja for breaking the peace treaty between the two nations. I hope you’re ready for that."

"I’ll settle the score with those bastards eventually," Pakura said, her face turning dark with anger at the mention of the Sand’s leadership.

She swore that she would make them pay in blood.

Outside the Village Hidden in the Rain.

At Akatsuki’s temporary base, Pain had gathered all of the members for a customary welcome ceremony for the newcomers.

Not only Pakura, but Hidan had also been brought back by Kakuzu, Konan, and Itachi.

After both Pakura and Hidan marked a scratch through their headbands to signify severing ties with their old villages, Pain distributed Akatsuki cloaks, nail polish, and the organization's signature rings.

Hidan’s ring was still inscribed with the kanji for "three," while Pakura’s ring was newly made without a code, and it could only be used for communication—it couldn’t connect to the Gedo Statue.

"Just so we’re clear, I won’t give up on my revenge against the Sand higher-ups," Pakura stated firmly.

"Same here. I’m not stopping my religious proselytizing for the Jashin faith," Hidan added.

"Do as you like. As long as you complete the missions assigned by the organization, I won’t interfere with your personal goals," Pain said, glancing around at the group. "Akatsuki is now complete. Konan, Aizen, Pakura, Itachi, Kisame, Sasori, Deidara, Kakuzu, Hidan, and Zetsu.

"We all have our own motives, our own ambitions. That’s what brought us together here. Now, we begin our official mission: capturing all nine Tailed Beasts, from the One-Tail to the Nine-Tails."

"We’ll face powerful opponents, but we must gather all the Tailed Beasts. That’s the only way to achieve Akatsuki’s ultimate dream."

"For that, all eleven of us must not fail."

As Pain finished speaking, he raised his right hand, and the stone doors behind him slowly opened. Bright sunlight spilled out, illuminating the eleven members of Akatsuki.

"Move out."

As the words fell, Akatsuki members began exiting the cave one after another.

Obito sat on the mountain peak above, watching the eleven figures leave the cave. He muttered to himself, "The curtain is finally rising on Akatsuki. No... it’s the Moon’s Eye Plan that’s about to begin."

Walking behind Pain, Aizen, using his sensory abilities, heard everything Obito had said. He couldn’t help but think, "What a dramatic guy."

The members dispersed in pairs, spreading out across the ninja world. Aizen was lucky this time, assigned to Hidan’s homeland, the Land of Hot Water, which was relatively peaceful with no war.

As usual, before heading out on a long trip, Aizen returned home.

He spent the days with Izumi, and the nights with Lady Mikoto.

Just as Aizen was about to leave for the Village Hidden in the Rain, Konan called out to him, "Aizen, wait a moment."

"What is it?" Aizen asked, a bit surprised.

Since the mission in Tanzaku Town, Konan had mostly avoided him, never giving him a kind word.

If it weren’t for Aizen’s confidence in his sensory skills, he might have suspected that Black Zetsu had overheard something about him and Tsunade and reported it to Pain and Konan.

Konan didn’t answer but instead looked towards Pakura.

Aizen sighed and said, "Pakura, go on ahead. Once you get to the Hidden Rain Village, Juzo will arrange a place for you to stay."

Juzo was currently the captain of the Hidden Rain’s Anbu, responsible for security. He handled foreign spies and maintained order in the village so Pain wouldn’t have to deal with every threat personally.

Pakura nodded slightly and, with a swift body flicker, disappeared.

"Mikoto is pregnant."

As soon as Pakura left, Konan finally spoke, her eyes filled with disdain as she looked at Aizen.

Uchiha Mikoto had never left the clock tower, and her chakra had always been sensed by Nagato at the very top level. There were only two men in the tower, and Nagato was easily ruled out—first, because of his physical condition, and second, because he had no interest in women.

The only culprit left was Aizen, who shared a room with Mikoto.

"When? How far along is she? How’s her health?" Aizen fired off three questions in rapid succession. Without waiting for an answer, he vanished, speeding toward the Hidden Rain Village.

"Uh..." Even Konan, known for her calm demeanor, was caught off guard by his reaction. She quickly formed wings made of paper behind her and flew after him, calling out, "Don’t you want to explain yourself?"

"What’s there to explain?" Aizen responded without slowing down, still keeping his facade, "A man who lives between heaven and earth is bound to have multiple wives. Besides, Mikoto hasn’t been married for a long time. It’s only natural that, after spending so much time together, we developed feelings for each other."

"She’s Itachi’s mother! She’s more than twenty years older than you! Her son is your age!" Konan tried to reason with him, appealing to ethics.

"So what? They say if a woman is three years older, she’s worth her weight in gold. Mikoto is just twenty years older, which means seven times that much gold. I couldn’t be happier!" Aizen responded nonchalantly.

As long as he had the power of Pure Gold, age didn’t matter. In a few centuries, a 20-year age gap would seem trivial.

Chapter 83: If You Want, You Can Come to Me!

"What about Izumi?" Konan asked, concerned about her.

Konan had developed a deep bond with Izumi over the past six months, and she didn’t want this sweet, innocent girl to get hurt.

"We’ll marry her when she’s older," Aizen said seriously.

"Should I call you a scumbag or just admit you're a hopeless romantic?"

Konan gave him a look that said she couldn't win against him.

On one hand, she admired Aizen’s willingness to betray Konoha for Uchiha Izumi. On the other, she knew Aizen wasn’t exactly a saint. Though he wouldn’t peep on girls in the bathhouse, he certainly had his perverted tendencies, rivaling her teacher, Jiraiya.

In some ways, Aizen was even worse. Jiraiya might steal a glance, but he'd never cross the line. Aizen, on the other hand, had no such restraint. His relationship with Mikoto proved that.

Based on Konan’s understanding of Mikoto, there was no way she would have gotten involved with a kid like Aizen on her own. It had to be Aizen relentlessly pursuing her.

"Thanks for the compliment," Aizen said proudly, without any shame.

As soon as he returned home, Aizen sensed through his observation abilities that Izumi was crying in her room, while Mikoto sat in another, looking guilty and lost.

Aizen stopped in his tracks and asked Konan, a bit surprised, "Konan, does Izumi already know about this?"

"I'm not sure," Konan said hesitantly. "Mikoto asked me to keep it a secret. If you weren’t Izumi’s GF, I wouldn’t have told you either, unless she found out herself."

Aizen wiped a bead of cold sweat from his forehead, no longer able to maintain his calm demeanor. "Could you go to Mikoto's room and stay with her for a bit? Tell her I’ll explain things to Izumi first. Otherwise, this situation will only escalate. I owe you one."

It was the first time Konan had ever seen Aizen look so embarrassed. Amused, she let out a rare smile. "I never expected someone like you, who would rob and kill Orochimaru without a second thought, to actually be afraid."

"Fine, but don’t forget you owe me something. It doesn’t seem like you’ve made much progress on that promise you gave me."

"No problem," Aizen immediately said, selling out Tobi without hesitation. "I can’t confirm if that masked man is really Uchiha Madara, but I’ve gathered a lot of intel on him."

"His space-time jutsu has two parts. The first allows him to make his body intangible, avoiding enemy attacks by transferring the part of his body being targeted to another dimension. But he can only maintain this for a maximum of five minutes.

"The second lets him teleport nearby objects to the same space-time dimension. Whenever he attacks or teleports, he becomes solid again, which is his biggest weakness.

"Additionally, he knows a forbidden jutsu called Izanagi. By sacrificing one Sharingan, he can turn any attack against him into an illusion, essentially rewriting reality. He can modify his death, making it as if it never happened, while making his attacks real.

"However, I’m still not sure how long this technique lasts. What I do know is that he fears me because I’ve killed him twice back in Konoha."

After relaying all the information, Aizen couldn’t help but feel a bit somber. Knowing about Izanagi probably meant heartbreak was ahead for a couple of people—Kakuzu, who worked tirelessly to fund the Akatsuki, and Tobi, who might soon face more than just a few paper bombs.

But honestly, none of that was Aizen's problem.

"Please continue gathering intel on the masked man. As a reward, the leader and I will guarantee the absolute safety of your wife and child," Konan said, her brow furrowed. She realized the masked man was far more dangerous than she had anticipated. Combining Izanagi with his space-time jutsu made him almost unbeatable.

"No problem," Aizen said, pushing open the door to the living room. The once joyful atmosphere, where Izumi helped him with his clothes and Mikoto served him tea, was now gone.

Izumi’s room was separate from Mikoto’s, with a kitchen and bathroom in between, so Aizen wasn’t worried about disturbing Mikoto.

He knocked carefully on Izumi’s door, but there was no response.

"Izumi, it’s me, Aizen," he said quietly, hesitating. He was scared to face her.

After a while, the door finally opened. When Aizen saw Izumi, he was startled. She usually greeted him with youthful energy and a shy smile, but now she looked exhausted, her eyes swollen from crying. Despite trying to cover it up with makeup, it was clear she had been crying.

"What’s wrong, Izumi?" Aizen asked, panic rising in him. "Tell me what happened."

"I'm fine," Izumi forced a smile, quickly turning her head to hide her tears, but they still streamed down her face. She wasn’t good at hiding her emotions.

Seeing this, Aizen immediately knew what had happened. He asked gently, "You know about me and Mikoto, don’t you?"

Izumi nodded slightly, then pulled Aizen into her room, closing the door behind her. She hugged his waist, crying quietly, afraid Mikoto might overhear.

"The night before last, I went to Konan’s place. While I was taking a bath, I realized I had run out of body wash, so I came back to get some. But when I got to the door, I heard Konan and Mikoto talking inside… Mikoto is pregnant. You’re the only man in the tower! Aizen, how could you go to Mikoto? Don’t you know she’s Itachi’s mother? She has a husband, a child, a family! If you wanted someone, you could’ve come to me…" Izumi sobbed, burying her face in Aizen’s chest.

Her eyes were swollen, her face streaked with tears. It was clear she had been crying over this for days.

"Mikoto isn’t what you think, Izumi," Aizen whispered, guilt welling up in his heart. "She doesn’t have a husband anymore… or a family."

He knew that saying this would only hurt Izumi more, but if he didn’t explain, the situation would only get worse.

*Chapter 84: Keeping Achievements Hidden*

“I don’t care what she’s like. What matters is that she’s a woman. Boohoo. Aizen, you know I like you, so why did you go after someone else? If you wanted someone, you could have come to me… Boohoo…”

As Izumi continued to cry, her sobs slowly became quieter until there was silence. This terrified Aizen. When he looked down, he found that the young girl had fallen asleep in his arms.

Clearly, she hadn’t had much sleep since the night before last, and both her body and spirit were utterly exhausted.

Aizen was caught in a dilemma. Should he let her continue sleeping peacefully in his arms?

No, that wouldn’t be fair to the others.

His wife was pregnant, and this was the time when she needed the most security.

As the child’s father, he had an undeniable responsibility.

Looking at Izumi’s weary face, Aizen felt a deeper sense of guilt.

Carefully, he carried Izumi to the bed, tucked her in, closed the door quietly, and let her sleep peacefully.

Aizen then went to Mikoto’s room.

As ninjas, both Konan and Mikoto had naturally heard Izumi’s crying since Aizen hadn’t intentionally concealed it.

“As for your mission, this time, I can ask the leader to let you send a shadow clone instead,” Konan said after giving Aizen a long look. After leaving those words, she exited the room.

Aizen nodded in gratitude and immediately created a shadow clone, which followed behind Konan.

After closing the door, Aizen sat beside his wife.

“I’m sorry. If it weren’t for me… you and Izumi wouldn’t…” were the first words Mikoto said after seeing Aizen.

She no longer knew how to face Izumi, who had once been her junior.

Aizen smiled and shook his head, gently pulling Mikoto into his arms. “I’m the one at fault. If I hadn’t been tempted by your beauty and taken you, none of this would’ve happened.”

Mikoto’s eyes reddened, and she nestled into Aizen’s embrace, tears streaming down her face.

The room fell into silence again.

After a while, Mikoto bit her lip, as if making a difficult decision. She stood up from Aizen’s embrace and said, “Aizen… maybe we should end our relationship here. I’m so much older than you. After the child is born, I…”

Before she could finish, Aizen placed his hands on her shoulders and firmly said, “Don’t say something so foolish. Neither you nor the child— I will never give up on either of you. As for the age difference…”

At that, Aizen moved his right hand down and pulled a pink string from Mikoto’s collar. Hanging from it was the solid gold ring he had once given her.

Because the material of the ring was so eye-catching, Mikoto had taken it off and, at Aizen’s suggestion, worn it around her neck.

“Do you remember this ring I gave you?” Aizen asked.

Mikoto wiped her tears and slowly nodded.

Aizen smiled. Under Mikoto’s astonished gaze, he took out Kyōka Suigetsu from his system storage and stuck it into the ground, blocking all surrounding perceptions.

“This isn’t an ordinary ring. It’s made of a metal called ‘solid gold’ that can slow aging and grant immortality. Let me put it this way— as long as you wear it, your appearance and bodily functions won’t change for two or three hundred years.”

“Two or three hundred years…” Mikoto exclaimed in shock, disbelief written all over her face.

Aizen gently covered her mouth and made a shushing motion, smiling. “Now do you still think you’re too much older than me?”

Mikoto shook her head, then quickly asked, “What about Izumi?”

Aizen turned his head toward Izumi’s room, sensing her soft and steady breathing.

With a sigh, he said, “Let her rest for now. I’ll explain it to her later.

Originally, I didn’t want to tell her the truth so soon. I wanted her to enjoy a carefree youth for a while longer.

But now it seems that’s no longer possible.”

“You’ve been through a lot, Aizen.”

“I deserve it,” Aizen replied bitterly. “When did you find out you were pregnant?”

“Probably… that day…” Mikoto shyly lowered her head, not resisting.

“Which night?” Ever since finishing the mission at Tazuna Street, Aizen had taken a two-month break— over sixty nights. He couldn’t recall which specific day.

“It was the day Konan came over as a guest, invited by Izumi… You used that genjutsu…” Mikoto’s cheeks flushed deeper, even her neck turning pink as she playfully scolded him.

Aizen suddenly understood. “Ah, so it was that night. That means you’re just about a month pregnant now, right?”

“That should be right,” Mikoto whispered.

“Well then, after you give birth to this child, let’s see if we can go for a second one,” Aizen teased with a grin.

“Get lost!” Mikoto lowered her head and bit Aizen’s shoulder lightly.

“Ow, wife… that hurts!” It didn’t actually hurt, as Mikoto hadn’t used any force, but Aizen still played along and cried out in pain.

Mikoto giggled and finally smiled through her tears, feeling a bit triumphant. “Serves you right…”

Hearing her laugh, Aizen’s mischievous smile returned.

Mikoto’s eyes flickered nervously as she asked, “What are you planning? Don’t do anything reckless. I’m pregnant, you know.”

“Don’t worry, wife. I won’t do anything reckless,” Aizen said with a wicked grin.

It wasn’t until dusk that Aizen finally left the room, satisfied, while Mikoto looked at him with a hint of resentment. He then went to the kitchen to cook a long-awaited meal.

First, he brought a portion to the pregnant Mikoto, then carried a plate to Izumi’s room. Gently waking her, he said, “Izumi, wake up. It’s time to eat.”

Izumi woke with a start, blinking her large eyes before fully opening them. After her nap, she looked a bit better, her face flushed with color. She glanced at Aizen, got up, straightened her clothes, and softly said, “Thank you.”

With that, she walked out of the room.

Watching her retreating figure, Aizen felt like he had been struck.

She had thanked him. Such a polite and distant word.

How long had it been since words like that were exchanged between them?

Could it be that because of Mikoto, an unrepairable rift had formed between them?

Sometimes, one relationship must be sacrificed to mend another. A man must ultimately pay for his debts, but this price…

Izumi— somewhere along the way, her name had become etched into Aizen’s very bones.

Just as Aizen was feeling lost, he heard Izumi’s voice coming from the bathroom, “Put the food on the table in the living room for me, and cover it up. It’s rare for you to cook, so it’d be a shame if it got cold. I’ll take a bath first; I feel so dirty.”

“Alright, I’ll do that right now!” Aizen’s eyes lit up, sensing that there was still hope.

---

*Chapter 85: Izumi Awakens Her Eyes*

Half an hour later.

Aizen looked at Izumi, who was dressed in a bathrobe, her beauty like a lotus emerging from water, as she wolfed down her food. A faint smile appeared on his face.

Sensing Aizen's gaze, Izumi suddenly put down her chopsticks, crossed her arms over her chest in an exaggerated display of pride, glanced at him secretly, and said in a delicate voice, "I'm done eating."

Aizen was surprised. "What's wrong? Is the food not to your liking?"

"I want to become a ninja again and go on missions with you."

Before Izumi could finish her sentence, Aizen decisively refused, "No."

Hearing his firm refusal, she couldn't help but ask, "Why?"

"It's too dangerous outside. If people find out you're from the Uchiha clan, many will want to kill you," Aizen said seriously.

"I can protect myself now," Izumi said, and as she spoke, her Sharingan activated, evolving from three tomoe to a pattern resembling cherry blossoms.

In her eyes, three petals spun around the center of her pupils before finally stopping.

"Is that the Mangekyō Sharingan?" Aizen was surprised. "When did you awaken it?"

"It must have been right before I fell asleep. Before you returned, I was holding on to a shred of hope. But when you confirmed it, my eyes awakened without me even realizing," Izumi said with a hint of sadness.

"Is that even possible?" Aizen muttered, a bit taken aback. No wonder she had slept so deeply; after all, she was a ninja. Even after two days without rest, she wouldn't usually collapse like that.

It seemed the awakening of the Mangekyō had drained the last of her mental energy, causing her to fall asleep.

"So, can I go on missions with you now?" Izumi asked expectantly.

"Still no," Aizen shook his head.

"Why?" she quickly asked again.

Aizen stood up and sat beside Izumi. He took a tissue from the table and gently wiped the oil from her slightly glossy lips, saying seriously:

"Indeed, some Uchiha clan members with exceptional talent can awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan after experiencing intense emotional turmoil."

"And the Mangekyō can indeed bring a huge boost in strength to its user."

"The fact that you awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan before turning thirteen shows you have this potential."

"But having power is one thing, understanding how to control and use it is another."

"Power that you can't control isn't real power. Do you know how to use the Sharingan?"

As he spoke, Aizen looked at her suspiciously.

Whether it was in the original story or now, no one knew Izumi better than him.

Without anyone teaching her and without much personal exploration, it would be strange if she knew how to use the Sharingan.

In the original story, Uchiha Itachi mastered it so well not only because of his extraordinary talent but also because Uchiha Shisui laid a strong foundation for him.

After experiencing the "death of Juzo," Itachi fully mastered the Mangekyō.

As for Sasuke, his situation was even worse.

Although he had Kakashi's guidance early on and trained for three years under Orochimaru, he didn't fully master the Mangekyō until much later.

He endured a lot of hardships, being beaten down numerous times.

First, he was brutally defeated by Killer Bee;

Then he was severely beaten at the Five Kage Summit.

It wasn't until his fight with Danzo that he truly gained full control of the Mangekyō Sharingan.

But by then, his eyes were nearly ruined.

Had it not been for Obito, who gave him another set of Mangekyō eyes, Sasuke might have ended up blind.

As for Obito, the conditions for his Mangekyō awakening were too unique to even mention.

Seeing Aizen's intense gaze, Izumi's face flushed red, even down to her neck, and she shyly looked away, shaking her head slowly.

Seeing this cute reaction, Aizen thought for a moment and then smiled wryly, "How about this? In the coming years, I'll personally train you. When your strength meets my standards, I'll consider taking you on missions. How does that sound?"

"However, one condition: you must keep the existence of your Mangekyō Sharingan a secret. Even Konan can't know until I give permission."

Aizen chose to buy time, partly to ease Izumi's frustration and partly to give her time to gain the strength to protect herself, which would also safeguard his wife and their unborn child.

As for the blindness issue with the Mangekyō, once Izumi had fully mastered it, she could absorb Fugaku's Mangekyō and his bloodline to prevent it.

After all, Aizen didn't need Fugaku's abilities. He only had to wait until the Fourth Great Ninja War to recover Shisui's left eye and both of Obito's Mangekyō eyes.

Hearing this, Izumi extended her pinky finger. "Promise?"

Aizen smiled and hooked her finger with his. Only then did Izumi feel satisfied and deactivate her Sharingan. She asked, "By the way, you mentioned before that Aunt Mikoto no longer had her family. What did you mean by that?"

Aizen sighed. "I originally didn't want to tell you the truth so soon. I wanted you to enjoy your youthful days. But given where things are now, I have no choice."

With that, Aizen explained the truth behind the Uchiha massacre.

"How... could this happen?" Izumi was stunned, covering her mouth with her hands as tears began to flow uncontrollably from her eyes.

She finally recalled how, when she first arrived, Mikoto had been despondent for days. It was only two months ago, after Aizen's return, that Mikoto began to smile more.

"So, was your relationship with Mikoto because of Uncle Fugaku's prophecy and his final wishes?" Izumi's voice trembled.

Unknowingly, the way she addressed Mikoto had changed.

The logic of the world of ninjas was often bizarre.

Even Izumi wasn't immune to this strange way of thinking.

As long as someone had a tragic backstory, no matter how questionable their actions were, they could somehow be forgiven.

"Do you want to hear the truth or a lie?" Aizen glanced at Mikoto's room. Through his heightened senses, he already knew that Mikoto was standing behind the door, holding some dishes.

Because of his conversation with Izumi, Mikoto had hesitated to come out of her room.

"What's the lie? And what's the truth?" Izumi asked, puzzled.

"The lie is: I only love you, and the only reason I agreed to have a child with her was because of Fugaku's final wishes," Aizen said while gently wiping away her tears, pretending to be serious.

Izumi was momentarily stunned. "Then what's the truth?"

Aizen smiled, "The truth is, I really like you. But I also really like her."