NOVEL NEXT Chapter 49: The Divorce
The air inside the Uchiha Clan's meeting hall was thick with tension. Flickering candlelight cast elongated shadows across the stern faces of the gathered elders, their whispers blending into a single, uneasy hum. At the head of the table sat Fugaku Uchiha, his hands folded, his expression unreadable as the conversation veered into familiar, dangerous territory.
"The village is growing wary of us."
"Danzo's ANBU watch our every move."
"The Hokage is trying to pacify us, but we all know what happens when a clan is pushed too far."
Fugaku listened, unmoving, but inside, he felt the weight of the growing divide. He had seen it coming for years.
But so had Mikoto.
As if summoned by the thought, the doors of the meeting hall slid open with an eerie calm, and the assembled elders turned to see Mikoto Uchiha stride in.
She didn't bow. She didn't ask for permission to speak.
She simply walked to the center of the room and met Fugaku's gaze.
"Enough with the whispering." Her voice was firm, smooth, but it carried the weight of finality.
The elders stiffened, exchanging nervous glances.
Ryoga Uchiha, leader of the Hawk Faction, sneered. "This is a gathering of the clan's leadership, Mikoto. It is not a place for—"
"For what?" Mikoto cut in smoothly. "A woman? A wife? A mother? A warrior stronger than every one of you sitting at this table?"
The temperature in the room dropped.
Even Fugaku raised an eyebrow slightly.
Ryoga's lips curled, but he said nothing.
Mikoto turned her gaze back to Fugaku. "This clan has no future."
A murmur swept through the elders.
"What nonsense is this?" one of them spat.
"We are stronger than we've ever been," another growled.
Mikoto's Sharingan flickered to life, and for just a second, the shadows behind her seemed to twist, as if glimpses of a thousand possible futures burned behind her eyes.
"No," she said, "We are on the edge of destruction, and you are all too blind to see it."
The room fell silent.
Fugaku exhaled through his nose. "And what do you plan to do about it?"
Mikoto tilted her head, smiling slightly. "I have already acted. I have gathered my own base of power. And from today forward, I am moving out of this house."
That got a reaction.
"What?!"
"Mikoto, you can't be serious—"
"You're leaving your own family?"
"Where do you intend to go?!"
Mikoto's smirk deepened. "My faction will now reside in the southern compound. We've claimed it."
Ryoga shot to his feet. "You mean the section we reserved for new Uchiha families? You took that entire estate for—what, some rogue kunoichi?"
Mikoto shrugged. "You were taking too long to fill it."
Fugaku's frown deepened. "Mikoto. This is foolish."
"No, what's foolish is sitting back and watching this clan spiral toward its own doom." She folded her arms, her eyes narrowing. "You can do what you like. But I will not sit here and wait to die."
With that, she turned and left, the air heavy with the weight of her words.
The Uchiha Elders' Growing Panic
Outside the meeting hall, the tension in the clan boiled over.
"She just took half the strongest kunoichi with her!"
"And several of the widows—"
"Some of the unmarried daughters are pledging to her as well!"
"Fugaku, we cannot allow this!"
Fugaku pinched the bridge of his nose. He had spent his entire career managing the clan's political structure—and somehow, in one move, his wife had thrown a firecracker into the powder keg.
"Do something!" an elder hissed.
Fugaku sighed. "What would you have me do? She made her choice."
The elders were horrified.
"This has never happened before!"
"A group of women forming their own independent faction—"
"Who is even leading them?!"
Fugaku stared into the distance.
"Mikoto."
Silence.
"We're doomed."
Mikoto sat in the dimly lit warmth of The Crusty Kunai, watching the pizza in front of her as if expecting it to offer her guidance.
Across from her, Raven Kamizuki smirked, casually leaning back in her chair.
"So." Raven propped her chin on her fist. "You started your own faction, huh?"
Mikoto huffed, crossing her arms. "They followed me on their own."
Yuumi, perched on the counter nearby, grinned. "Mikoto, honey, they would follow you into a volcano if you asked."
Mikoto did not like the warmth in her chest at those words.
Raven chuckled. "Well, well, well. Welcome to the Free Love Revolution."
Mikoto choked on her drink.
"I—it's not like that!"
"Oh? Isn't it?" Raven's smirk widened. "Strong women banding together, rejecting male authority, forming their own separate power structure… sounds pretty familiar to me."
Mikoto glared at her.
Raven, unfazed, grabbed a slice of pizza. "But let's talk about what matters. You know trouble is coming, right?"
Mikoto sighed, rubbing her temples. "I know. The clan is splintering. Fugaku is indecisive, the elders are paranoid, and Konoha's leadership is watching everything we do."
"And you're stuck in the middle," Raven mused, chewing thoughtfully. "You're doing the smart thing. But you should be ready to run when the time comes."
Mikoto's eyes flickered. "You think it will come to that?"
"You can't put all your crusts in one basket."
Mikoto stared at her. "...What."
Raven waved a hand. "What I mean is, don't wait until it's too late. Have your escape plan ready. When the dough rises too much, sometimes you have to let it collapse."
Yuumi snorted. "Translation: When the massacre happens, bail before you get caught in the mess."
Mikoto was quiet.
She already knew what she had to do.
Raven set her slice down, looking at Mikoto with something almost like approval. "You may just be surprised by how many like-minded individuals you meet in the future."
Mikoto narrowed her eyes. "What are you implying?"
"Just that your little movement isn't as small as you think," Raven said mysteriously.
Mikoto didn't respond.
Because she knew.
She had seen the future flicker in her Sharingan.
And in that future, she was far away from this place.
And she was not alone.
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