21. Shy Mikoto, Uchiha Mikasa Intimidates The Entire Clan

Check out advanced chapters on P@treon: p@treon.com/CosmicKaminari

----------

"This technique is truly remarkable. I feel like during practice, my body's ability to digest and absorb has improved significantly!"

Mikoto exclaimed after successfully completing the health-preserving technique. She noticed that her physique, vitality, and chakra reserves had also increased slightly.

'If this continues,' she thought, 'how strong will I become in the future? How quickly can I grow?'

All of this was thanks to Sora.

Thinking of him, Mikoto looked at Sora with shining eyes and said gratefully, "Thank you, Sora!"

"Don't mention it!"

Sora smiled, casually waving his hand. "It's not just me. You've also reached the required level of favorability toward me. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to contract you."

Hearing Sora mention favorability, Mikoto glanced at his increasingly handsome face and couldn't help but blush slightly. Feeling flustered, she turned her head and replied hastily, "Don't misunderstand! The favorability is just... we're relatives, aren't we?"

"Oh?"

Sora smirked mischievously. "What did I misunderstand? Misunderstood that you like me?"

"Sora!!!"

Mikoto immediately stomped her feet, glaring at him with her flushed face. Furious and embarrassed, she stormed out of the practice room and rushed outside Kureha's house.

As she stepped out, her irritation faded as the snowy scenery captivated her.

Sora followed at a more relaxed pace. Noticing Mikoto rubbing her hands together for warmth while admiring the snow, he pulled out a thick cloak from the space-time gate and draped it over her shoulders.

Under Mikoto's shy, sideways glance, he looked out at the snowy landscape and said, "Beautiful, isn't it? You don't see snow like this in Konoha's winters, do you?"

"Yeah," Mikoto nodded slightly, calming herself. "Konoha is much warmer. Even in winter, there's only a thin layer of snow, and it doesn't last long."

She hesitated before continuing, "Besides, it's summer in Konoha right now. This place is in the middle of winter. Are the seasons here and in our world on completely different cycles?"

"Not exactly."

Sora shook his head. "It's more unique than that. We're on Drum Island, also known as Winter Island. The climate here is winter year-round—no spring, summer, or autumn."

"Huh?"

Mikoto blinked in surprise. "A place that's always winter? That sounds so cold and monotonous. Are other places in this... pirate world like this?"

Everything she had experienced today felt surreal. She had only come to visit her aunt for a meal, and now she was in another world full of incredible phenomena.

Not only had her distant cousin improved significantly, but this new realm explained why Sora and her aunt had been so busy lately.

It was unbelievable that Sora had awakened such a unique ability.

"Looks like you haven't fully absorbed all the information I passed on to you," Sora commented, shaking his head. "There's still a lot more you haven't grasped."

"Really?" Mikoto tilted her head. "Let me check again."

She quickly reviewed the information Sora had previously shared. After a while, she stuck out her tongue playfully and said, "Sorry, you're right! There's so much information that I couldn't go through it all at once. I'll take more time to absorb it later."

Her eyes lit up as she added, "I didn't realize this world has not just Winter Island, but also Spring Island, Summer Island, Autumn Island, and even places like Raijin Island. And then there's the Calm Belt, the Red Line, Sky Island... so many incredible climates and landscapes! It's far more fascinating than the Ninja World!"

"This world is enormous. Compared to it, the Ninja World feels so small."

Maybe four or five Alabastas would be the same size as the entire Ninja World.

The Pirate World, excluding its vast seas, had a landmass that spanned hundreds of times the size of Alabasta, if not more.

Not to mention the sheer expanse of its oceans.

"More or less," Sora nodded. "But the Ninja World wasn't always this small. In the past, it was much larger, especially in places where life flourished. The difference is largely due to the influence of the God Tree."

"God Tree?" Mikoto asked, tilting her head with a puzzled expression.

"Never mind," Sora said, shaking his head. "You don't need to know about that for now. When the time comes, I'll explain."

Understanding the boundary in his tone, Mikoto didn't press further. Still, she made a mental note, hoping one day to uncover the truth from him.

"Alright," she said softly.

"Let's go back inside. It's freezing out here, and you don't want to catch a cold," Sora added, motioning for her to follow.

After a final glance at the snowy scene, Mikoto followed him back into the practice room. Once there, Sora instructed her to resume practicing the health-preserving exercises, which he had tailored for her.

He, too, began his routine practice, dedicating time after every meal to maximize the exercises' effects.

For the foreseeable future, Mikoto adopted a new schedule. As per Sora's guidance, she began using Shadow Clones to attend her studies while dedicating her main body to training alongside him in the Pirate World.

Her strength and physical capabilities improved rapidly, almost visibly. This newfound growth brought her immense satisfaction, and each day she felt stronger than the last.

As her abilities grew, so did her affection and gratitude toward Sora. Her favorability score quickly surpassed 90, steadily edging closer to a perfect 100.

In the Ninja World, Konoha

After concluding discussions on the Uchiha reform plan with Sora, Uchiha Mikasa convened a clan meeting.

During the meeting, Mikasa laid out the reforms they had agreed upon. For now, she presented the changes as her own initiative, knowing that if they were attributed to Sora, his youth would invite skepticism from the clan.

'People wouldn't take it seriously if Sora proposed this,' Mikasa thought. 'At this age, they'd never accept it, even if his ideas are sound.'

Standing at the front, Mikasa addressed the assembled Uchiha.

"These reforms have been decided," she began firmly. "But before we finalize them, I want to hear your thoughts. Speak now, because if you stay silent and later try to obstruct me, don't blame me for turning against you!"

As she finished, Mikasa's restrained aura exploded outward.

The atmosphere became suffocating as he activated the Mangekyō Sharingan in his left eye.

"Ong!!!"

The immense pressure of her chakra and the overwhelming power of her Mangekyō bore down on everyone in the room.

The older generation of the clan struggled under the weight of his presence, their heads bowing involuntarily. Many found it difficult even to breathe.

Their Sharingan eyes flickered and, for most, deactivated under the strain.

"Hiss!"

The elders, especially the senior members, inhaled sharply. They stared at Mikasa with a mixture of disbelief and fear.

"Lord Mikasa, is your body... has it fully recovered? Has your pupil power also returned to its peak?"

The Third Elder voiced the question tremblingly, his expression betraying his astonishment.

The others exchanged uneasy glances, their minds reeling with a single thought: Impossible!

Everyone knew that the Mangekyō Sharingan came at a terrible cost. Each use diminished the upper limit of its pupil power, resulting in permanent damage to the eyes.

It was a well-established fact that the damage to the eyeballs and optic nerves caused by the Mangekyō Sharingan was irreversible. Over time, the strain would reduce the amount of chakra the eyes could handle, leading inevitably to blindness.