Chapter 22 022: Right in Front of the Husband?
It was obvious that Uchiha Mikoto was still half-asleep. Seeing Uchiha Taiga walk in, she seemed a bit dazed. She rubbed her eyes before finally sitting up straight.
"Taiga-kun, you're back."
As she spoke, Mikoto covered her mouth and let out another yawn, her face showing visible signs of exhaustion.
Taiga nodded. He walked over to the low table, sat down, and looked at the woman in front of him.
Exhaustion was written all over her face. She seemed to have lost some of her usual radiant beauty, but she was still a gorgeous woman at heart; her mature charm could not be hidden.
"Why are you here at my place now? Shouldn't you be at home taking care of the kids?"
Mikoto shook her head. She took something out of the basket beside her and placed it on the low table—a few plates of side dishes.
"I'll go heat up the food for you."
She was about to stand up, but Taiga stopped her.
"There's no rush."
Mikoto sat back down as told. She looked at Taiga but didn't say another word.
For a moment, a heavy silence fell over the room.
"Are you here to speak on behalf of Uchiha Fugaku?" he asked.
Mikoto pursed her lips, remaining silent.
"Looks like it."
Taiga nodded and continued, "So, you're here to persuade me?"
The village was planning to relocate the entire Uchiha clan from their current compound to a newly designated area. Mikoto was undoubtedly aware of this.
Since she knew about it and still came here, her intentions were self-evident.
"Fugaku has his difficulties."
That was the only explanation Mikoto could offer.
Taiga nodded. "I understand. And then?"
Mikoto lowered her eyes, her hands slightly gripping the fabric on her lap as if the words were hard to say.
"Taiga-kun, can you please consider the clan? The Uchiha are in a truly difficult position right now. We have no other choice."
Taiga simply nodded again, quietly watching her.
After speaking, Mikoto carefully observed him, hoping to read something from his expression.
Unfortunately, Taiga's gaze remained as calm as ever. He didn't show any anger at her words; it was as if he were listening to something completely unrelated to him.
"Things really do change once you get married."
Taiga suddenly made the inexplicable remark.
Hearing this, Mikoto lowered her head, her eyes turning slightly red.
She recalled the first few years she had spent with Taiga.
Back then, even though Taiga was young, he wasn't as unapproachable as he was now. Although he was a bit more aloof than normal children, he had been very close to her, far from his current cold demeanor.
But after she got married and later became the clan head's wife, some things changed.
She didn't know when it started, but the relationship between them had grown distant.
Even though every time Mikoto saw Taiga, he would joke and chat with her just like before—sometimes even making her blush—she knew very well that it was just a facade.
Deep down, something fundamental had shifted.
"Sister Mikoto, I'm very happy you came today. But I'm highly dissatisfied with the words of persuasion you just offered."
Taiga took out some sake, poured himself a cup, and started eating the side dishes on his own.
"The Uchiha's affairs have nothing to do with me. I don't care whether the clan is struggling or not."
"Taiga-kun..."
"Let me finish."
Taiga gently set down his chopsticks, stared at Mikoto, and spoke again.
"When Konoha was founded, the First Hokage was fine; he held no ill will toward the Uchiha. At that time, the Uchiha yearned for peace and stability, which in turn spurred Konoha's development."
"When the Second Hokage took power, having experienced Uchiha Madara's defection—which also led to the First's premature death—he naturally distrusted the Uchiha clan."
"By the time the Third Hokage came into power, he lacked the Second's capabilities. Because his ascension was sudden, he couldn't convince the masses in the short term, so he had to decentralize his power. Unfortunately, the Hokage advisors who took power were all disciples of the Second Hokage. They directly inherited his ideology and remained highly vigilant against the Uchiha."
With every word Taiga spoke, Mikoto's face grew a shade paler.
She found it hard to imagine that Taiga, a child who hadn't even attended the Ninja Academy, could see through these matters so thoroughly.
The more he spoke, the more uneasy she felt.
Taiga continued, "Then came the Nine-Tails' attack. The Nine-Tails, controlled by a Sharingan, caused massive damage to the village, making everyone from top to bottom increasingly dissatisfied with the Uchiha. That is what led to the clan's current awkward predicament."
Mikoto subconsciously asked, "Since you understand all this, Taiga-kun, why..."
"Sister Mikoto, you want to ask why I won't help the clan, right?"
Mikoto was left speechless.
"It's very simple."
Taiga actually smiled.
"Because the Uchiha are a bunch of psychopaths. Every single one of them is a fucking idiot."
Having spent time with Taiga, Mikoto naturally knew what that slang meant. Even with the strange atmosphere at the moment, she couldn't help but blush.
His cursing was just too vulgar.
"Of course, this isn't just a problem with the Uchiha. The Hyuga clan are also a bunch of dumbasses. But the number one dumbass in Konoha has to be Shimura Danzo."
Saying this, he shook his head.
"In an environment like this, given the Uchiha clan's current way of doing things, there is absolutely no future to speak of."
"The village will restrict the Uchiha bit by bit, until they eventually push the clan into an abyss of eternal damnation."
"So instead of trying to persuade me, you'd be better off persuading the clansmen. Tell them to give up the Police Force, abandon their unnecessary pride, and truly integrate with the villagers. From there, they could work their way up and force the village higher-ups to make changes. That might give them a fighting chance."
After finishing his piece, Taiga found it amusing and shook his head again.
"Forget it, pretend I didn't say anything. Just treat it as a joke, Sister Mikoto."
On the other hand, Mikoto's emotions were in turmoil, her heart deeply shaken.
The young man before her truly made her feel a sense of disbelief.
"How... how did you come up with all this?"
Taiga didn't hide anything.
"It's simple. Observe more, think more. Start by analyzing simple, small matters, and then expand from those points to analyze the big picture. My family left behind quite a few records, covering everything from the village's founding to events from over a decade ago."
A strange, inexplicable meaning crept into Mikoto's eyes as she looked at Taiga.
"That is the mindset of a Hokage."
Taiga gave her a speechless look.
It was just a simple situational analysis; there was no need to drag 'Hokage mindset' into it. This was exactly what he disliked about the ninja world.
The atmosphere fell silent once more, leaving only the sound of Taiga eating and drinking in the room.
Mikoto watched him, her delicate brows slightly furrowed as if she were pondering something.
Time ticked by. Taiga had already eaten half of his food when she seemed to make up her mind. She moved softly to Taiga's side, pressing herself against him.
Taiga was slightly surprised but didn't say anything.
Then, using another pair of chopsticks, Mikoto picked up some food, cupped her hand under it, and brought it right to Taiga's mouth.
Now, Taiga was completely caught off guard.
'What does this mean?'
'A honey trap?'
'Is this a test of my self-control?'
'Who could withstand a test like this?'
Without any psychological burden, Taiga opened his mouth and ate the food. He then felt Mikoto lean into his embrace.
"Have you finally figured it out, Sister Mikoto? Realized that there's no future with that guy, Uchiha Fugaku?"
As he spoke, he could smell the faint, elegant fragrance wafting from her body, mixed with a subtle, pleasant scent of milk.
Right at that moment, a slight noise came from outside.
The two of them looked toward the sound, only to see that a figure had appeared in the courtyard at some point, staring at the two of them in the room with an ashen face.
Uchiha Fugaku!
He had vaulted over the wall unnoticed, making very little noise, clearly not wanting to be discovered.
Considering what he had said at the clan meeting and the Uchiha clan's current predicament, his appearance here did not surprise Taiga.
He was obviously here to speak with him in private.
But... Mikoto's body stiffened.
Only then did Taiga remember the compromising position the two of them were currently in.
'This... right in front of the husband?'