The domineering Uchiha drove the Third Hokage mad!

Chapter 561 Wanting to hold Mikoto... in my arms

Mikoto Uchiha's legs buckled, and she knelt down on the cold bluestone slab with a "thud".

Tears streamed down her face, and her shoulders trembled violently.

"Lord Mitsumine, please, please spare Fugaku!"

Mikoto choked back tears, her voice filled with endless pleading. She spoke almost incoherently, her words dripping with despair.

"Itachi is still young, he's only 5 years old. He doesn't understand what conspiracy is, he doesn't understand what hatred is. He can't be without his father!"

"If you spare Fugaku, the three of us will leave the Land of Fire immediately and never return. We'll find a place where no one knows us and live a quiet life. Please, please!"

She cried as she kowtowed repeatedly, her forehead striking the cold, hard stone slab with a soft "thump-thump," each sound sending a shiver down one's spine.

Before long, a red swelling appeared on his forehead, and even a thin trickle of blood seeped out, staining the bluestone slab a light red, which was shocking to see.

She has always been gentle, resilient, and proud. As a woman of the Uchiha clan, she received a good education from a young age and has a touch of pride in her bones. She has never been so humble before.

But at this moment, for her young son Itachi and for her seriously injured and dying husband, she put aside all her pride and dignity, and humbly begged, even if it meant breaking her forehead or suffering all kinds of humiliation, she was willing to do anything as long as Fugaku could live.

Her heart was filled with despair and pleading, hoping that Sanfeng would take pity on her and grant her request.

Uchiha Mitsunori looked at her humble and pleading appearance, and noticed the redness and bloodshot veins on her forehead. His eyes flickered slightly.

He was always cold and decisive, rarely showing any emotional fluctuations, but at this moment, seeing Mikoto's humble and desperate appearance, he felt a pang of heartache.

He slowly bent down and gently lifted Mikoto's face: "Mikoto, get up. You don't need to hurt yourself like this. It's not worth it."

Mikoto Uchiha's despair seemed to dissipate slightly, and she looked at him with teary eyes, her gaze full of expectation and pleading.

"Lord Mimine, please, spare his life, let him stay with Itachi a little longer, please."

After pondering for a long time, Uchiha Mitsunori finally softened: "Fugaku is critically injured and beyond saving. Even if I let him go, he won't live much longer. However, I can arrange for you and Itachi to go to the dungeon to see him one last time, say goodbye properly, and fulfill your wishes."

Upon hearing this, Uchiha Mikoto's eyes were filled with endless despair and sorrow, and she could barely stand.

Her heart felt as if it were being cut by a knife, the pain so intense she could hardly breathe.

Uchiha Mitsunori didn't speak, but just looked at her quietly, gently patting her back, silently comforting her, with a hint of complicated emotions.

After a moment, Mikoto gradually stopped crying. Her swollen eyes were filled with exhaustion and sadness, and even her gaze became empty.

She gently wiped away her tears with her sleeve, slowly stood up, her legs numb from kneeling on the stone slabs for so long, and she staggered as she stood up. She barely managed to steady herself and bowed deeply to the three peaks, her body slightly bent.

"Thank you, Lord Sanfeng, for giving my son and me this last chance to see him."

Uchiha Mitsunori nodded, looking at her tired and haggard appearance, and at her empty eyes, his heartache grew stronger, and he didn't say anything more.

He then turned around and called out towards the courtyard, "Someone come here."

Soon, an Uchiha clansman strode in, bowed, and asked, "Lord Sanmine, what are your orders?"

Uchiha Mitsunori spoke calmly, his expression serene: "Go to her house and pick up Itachi, then accompany them to the dungeon to see Fugaku one last time."

The tribesman bowed and replied respectfully, "Your subordinate obeys!"

Mikoto Uchiha straightened her kimono, wiped away the remaining tears on her face, and suppressed the sadness and despair in her heart, trying her best to calm herself down... She didn't want Itachi to see her in such a disheveled and desperate state, and she didn't want the young Itachi to suffer any more harm.

She bowed slightly to Sanfeng and thanked him again. Then she followed the clansman and slowly walked out of Sanfeng's courtyard, heading towards her home.

Deep inside the dungeon, Fugaku Uchiha lay quietly on the bed, his chest rising and falling more and more slowly, as if it would stop at any moment.

When Mikoto led the young weasel into the prison cell with the clansman.

He seemed to sense the presence of his wife and children, and his tightly closed eyes opened with difficulty, barely managing to slit them open. In the instant he saw the blurry outlines of Mikoto and Itachi, a faint light flashed—a light of relief mixed with a hint of struggle.

He struggled to move his fingers, wanting to touch Mikoto and Itachi's faces, but he was too weak to move and could only manage a faint breath.

Mikoto Uchiha led Itachi to the bedside quickly, suppressing her grief and forcing a gentle smile as she gently held Fugaku's cold hand.

"Fugaku, I brought Itachi to see you."

The young Itachi looked at his father lying on the bed, barely breathing, and his little lips moved slightly.

"Father..."

Upon hearing his son's innocent voice, Fugaku Uchiha felt a deep reluctance flash in his eyes, and tears welled up and slid down his cheeks.

He forced himself to stay focused, his lips twitching slightly as he struggled to utter a sound: "Itachi... Mikoto... I'm... sorry... for... doing so many wrong things in this life... dragging you all down... making you... suffer... I'm sorry... the clan... hasn't made things difficult for you, has it?"

Mikoto Uchiha shook her head vigorously, tears finally streaming down her face and dripping onto Fugaku's cold hand.

"No, Lord Sanmine didn't make things difficult for us, so don't worry, really don't worry. I will take good care of Itachi, I will make sure he grows up healthy and happy, I will teach him how to be a good person, I will teach him ninjutsu, and I will not let him suffer any injustice. Don't worry, I will definitely do it."

She didn't want Fugaku to leave with lingering worries; even though her heart was filled with sadness and grievance, she only wanted him to leave in peace.

Upon hearing this, Fugaku Uchiha smiled with relief, but then a deep regret flashed across his face.

He had so much more to say, and he wanted to tell Itachi to grow up well, to train hard, and to protect his mother.

But his breath grew weaker and weaker, his eyes gradually became unfocused, and the hand that was tightly holding Mikoto fell limply to his side.

"My husband...!"

"Father......!"

A heart-wrenching cry instantly echoed through the dungeon, carrying endless sorrow and reverberating throughout.

Mikoto Uchiha tightly gripped Fugaku's cold, stiff hand, leaned over the hospital bed, and burst into tears: "Fugaku, don't go! Wake up! Look at me, look at Itachi! We haven't even said goodbye properly yet, how can you just leave like this..."

The young Itachi was terrified by this sudden turn of events. He clung tightly to Mikoto's leg, repeatedly calling out, "Father, wake up! I don't want you to leave, Father..."

The accompanying clansmen stood aside, silently bowing their heads, but did not approach or disturb the mother and child.

The cries of the mother and son echoed for a long time in the empty dungeon before gradually subsiding.

Mikoto Uchiha slowly raised her head, wiped away the tears on her face, and gently closed Fugaku's eyes.

Not long after, the Uchiha clan officially announced that they would hold a funeral for Uchiha Fugaku, who was "murdered by Hiruzen Sarutobi".

After all, from an external perspective, Fugaku was an important member of the Uchiha clan, who was persecuted to death by the remnants of the Third Hokage's faction, and was a hero of Konoha. Holding a dignified funeral would not only be to maintain the face of the Uchiha clan, but also to appease the clan members and villagers.

After discussion, the clan elders decided to hold a simple yet dignified funeral, neither extravagant nor perfunctory, as a way to give Fugaku and the outside world an explanation.

On the day of the funeral, the originally clear sky suddenly turned gloomy.

Before long, a light drizzle began to fall. The cool raindrops pattered on the tombstones, making a soft "shush" sound, and fell on the leaves, the ground, and the people who came to attend the funeral, enveloping the entire funeral scene in a cold and sorrowful atmosphere.

The rain drizzled down, then grew heavier and heavier, as if even the heavens were grieving for Fugaku's departure and lamenting the fate of the mother and son.

However, very few Uchiha clan members came to attend the funeral. Most of them just stood under a tree not far away, holding umbrellas, with indifferent expressions. Some even talked in hushed tones, their eyes full of disdain.

"Hmph, Fugaku Uchiha betrayed his clan and colluded with foreign enemies; he deserved to die. If it weren't for Lord Mitsumine showing him some respect because he was the former head of the Uchiha clan, there wouldn't even be this funeral."

Uchiha Mikoto was dressed in a pure black kimono with a black headband. She wore no other jewelry, which made her look exceptionally elegant and also exceptionally melancholic.

Holding the young ferret, she stood quietly before Fugaku's tombstone, her face expressionless, as if her soul had been ripped away, leaving only an empty shell.

Her gaze remained fixed on Fugaku's name on the tombstone, motionless, letting the cold rain soak her hair, as if telling of her endless sorrow and reluctance to part.

Itachi Uchiha hugged her neck tightly, his small face streaked with tears. He knew he would never see his father again.

Uchiha Mitsunori stood under a willow tree not far away, holding a black umbrella, his trouser legs soaked by the rain.

His gaze fell upon the haggard Uchiha Mikoto standing before the tombstone, and seeing her cold body and the rain washing over her, he felt a pang of heartache.

Mo Ming wanted to step forward, hold an umbrella over her, and protect her in his arms to soothe her sorrow.

Just then, a cold, mechanical voice suddenly rang in his mind, shattering all his thoughts.

"Ding, main quest triggered: Collect the beautiful Uchiha Mikoto and raise her affection level to 100%. Quest reward: Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan."