Ch 110 : Pave the way

Hyuga Clan's Territory.

When Makoto returned, Ayari had already become much calmer—no longer acting out or making a fuss.

She would respond when spoken to, but beneath this calmness, something was clearly amiss.

That night, they followed their usual routine: dinner, a bath, and then sleep.

When Makoto was taking his bath, Ayano didn't come to the bathroom like before, seemingly having some reservations.

At bedtime, Ayari lay on her side with her back facing him, just like the night before.

Makoto lay down beside her, pondering whether he should say something.

"Makoto."

"...Mm."

Makoto reached out and wrapped his arm around her.

Since she didn't resist, he held her tightly in his embrace, breathing in the fragrance of her hair.

"Do you still love me?" Ayari asked softly.

"I do."

The girl in his arms fell silent.

After a while, she asked, "How do you plan to handle this?"

Makoto replied, "I think this is fine as it is."

Suddenly, Ayari turned around and stared at him intently, her gaze exactly the same as last night.

Facing Ayari like this, Makoto couldn't help but feel a little guilty.

Ayari suddenly calmed down again and said, "Makoto, I used to underestimate you."

With that, she suddenly grabbed Makoto's hand and bit down on it fiercely.

She bit with all her strength, and the pain made Makoto's entire arm tremble.

But this time, he endured it, despite his face contorting in pain.

In the darkness, Ayari lifted her head and watched him struggle to stay silent before she slowly released his hand.

"Does it hurt?" Her voice softened, as if she felt a bit of remorse.

"Yes, it hurts!" Makoto immediately responded.

"Serves you right! Why didn't it hurt you to death?!" Ayari snapped viciously again.

"..."

Her sudden mood swings left Makoto with a complicated feeling he couldn't quite describe.

Without thinking, he pulled Ayari tightly into his arms and kissed her.

To his surprise, Ayari didn't resist his kiss; instead, she responded passionately.

Their kiss was intense and lingering, and Ayari even took the initiative to gently lick the wound on Makoto's lips.

"Does it hurt?" Ayari asked softly again.

"What do you think?" Makoto replied helplessly.

He had been wearing a mask all day today.

Ayari kissed his wounded lips again, then suddenly opened her mouth wide and bit down hard.

"Ah—" Makoto couldn't help but cry out in pain.

He tasted blood; his lip was torn open again.

"Are you crazy?!"

Ayari, however, let out a triumphant and delighted laugh.

Makoto wanted to retaliate, but Ayari quickly blocked him with her hand and gestured towards her belly.

"Behave yourself. I'm pregnant, you know. What if you disturb the baby?"

Her expression was one of smug defiance, making Makoto grit his teeth in frustration.

He leaned down and pinched Ayari's chin.

"Just you wait—once the baby is born, see how I deal with you!"

A mocking smile appeared on Ayari's face.

"I can wait, but can you?"

She propped herself up on one arm, gazing at Makoto with a deep, knowing look.

"It's going to be ten months, you think you can hold out?"

"Hold out? Why should I?" Makoto scoffed and immediately got up from the bed.

Seeing this, Ayari couldn't help but ask, "Where are you going?"

Makoto walked out of the room without looking back. "Next door."

Thud!

A pillow flew out and hit him squarely on the back of his head, but it didn't stop him from leaving the room.

The master bedroom fell into silence.

Ayari sat there, taking a few deep breaths before suddenly throwing herself back onto the bed, pulling the blanket over her head.

........

The spring enrollment for the ninja academy had begun.

Makoto glanced at the list of applicants.

The numbers were still far lower than he had expected.

He then assigned some people to visit households and persuade them—after all, the village's future depended on their children, and they couldn't just refuse to let them become ninjas.

One name on the list caught his attention.

Uchiha Itachi.

Makoto stared at the name for a long time.

The future of the Uchiha clan was bound to be different from the original story now.

The Uchiha, like the Hyuga, had dwindled in numbers significantly.

Even if they wanted to rebel, they no longer had the capacity to do so.

Coincidentally, the village had plans to reorganize the territories of the major clans, mainly due to the severe losses they had suffered in the consecutive wars.

Makoto planned to give the Uchiha some benefits—after all, they had already made so many sacrifices.

At the entrance ceremony, Orochimaru was still nowhere to be seen, leaving Makoto to take the stage instead.

The Fourth Hokage, Orochimaru, had become almost invisible in the village, spending all his time holed up in the research lab.

As a result, the staff of various village departments and even the villagers themselves were far more familiar with Makoto.

Moreover, after the previous battle with the Kumo Ninja, Makoto's reputation had skyrocketed.

He now held considerable prestige in the village, known as a diligent and dedicated assistant to the Hokage.

As soon as Makoto appeared in front of the ninja academy, he heard the children below excitedly calling out, "It's Lord Makoto!"

Scanning the crowd, Makoto easily spotted Uchiha Itachi.

Noticing Makoto's gaze, Itachi shyly smiled back.

Makoto responded with a smile of his own, already deciding in his mind that he needed to find a way to bring this kid under his wing.

He then suddenly remembered that there was another genius within the Uchiha clan.

He had met him before—when the young man came to the Hokage's office to report for duty.

He was around the same age as Kabuto, but his strength far surpassed Kabuto's, who had started his training much later.

Uchiha Shisui.

These three were all top-tier geniuses. If Makoto could gather them all under his command, they would undoubtedly become his most powerful assets in the future—on par with Kakashi.

Right now, Makoto was working on many things, but in essence, everything he did was paving the way for his own future.

In terms of strength, he continued to train his body relentlessly and explore the mysteries of chakra.

Within the village, he diligently carried out his duties as the Hokage's assistant, while also ensuring that members of the Hyuga clan were placed in key positions across various departments.

If he were given ten years, Makoto was confident that he could completely dominate and control Konoha—perhaps even elevate it to new heights.

But whether he would have those ten years depended on Orochimaru's will.

If, at any point, Orochimaru started to see Makoto as a threat, or deemed him no longer useful, then everything he had worked so hard for could come to an abrupt end.

Makoto wasn't strong enough—or rather, Orochimaru was simply too strong.

If conflict were to break out between them, Makoto would undoubtedly be the one to lose.

Even if there was a one-in-a-million chance that he somehow emerged victorious—whether by killing Orochimaru or driving him out of Konoha—the biggest beneficiaries in the end would still be Namikaze Minato and his faction, not Makoto himself.

Right now, Makoto was nothing more than a promising young talent.

If he wanted to step up and take control of everything, he first needed to grow stronger.

Aside from the Hyuga clan, whose lives were firmly in his grasp, there was currently no other faction in the village that stood unwaveringly by his side.

Even within the Hyuga clan, there was a risk of betrayal under Hiashi's leadership.

In the end, people only followed the strong.

Two days later, representatives from Sunagakure arrived.

Leading the delegation was a familiar face—the Sunagakure female Jonin, Pakura of the Scorch Release.

Makoto's letter to Sunagakure from two days ago had produced results, and he knew that this was yet another opportunity for him.

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