Naruto - Minato Namikaze SI - Chapter 180 - Mikoto's Future 02.

[Chapter Size: 1800 Words.]
Third Person POV
Konoha, Year 39.
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Whe

“Maybe we can change that...” Minato spoke suddenly, catching Mikoto off guard with his words as they echoed back to him.

"What do you mean?" Mikoto asked, looking at Minato, a bit surprised by what he had said.

"Before that, let me ask you something..." he said, pausing before continuing. "Do you want this? Do you still want to be part of this team, even if it means going against your father?" he asked seriously, gazing directly into her eyes.

"I..." Mikoto hesitated for a moment, staring back at Minato, unsure of what to say immediately. She felt her heart race nervously, as if it were speeding up. "Yes..." she said almost unconsciously.

"That's all I needed to know," he said, smiling.

"What do you mean by that?" Mikoto asked, intrigued.

"Leave it to me. I'll do whatever it takes. I'll make sure you stay on the team," he replied firmly.

“You don’t understand... Minato... My father already said he made up his mind,” Mikoto said, her voice slightly raised.

"Do you think I'm afraid of the Uchiha clan...? I'll face them all if I have to," Minato declared, leaving Mikoto staring at him in slight shock.

"Minato! You can’t be serious!" she exclaimed, grabbing his arms, fearing he might do something reckless.

“Why not? I'll do it, Mikoto... I won’t let you slip away like this. I'll challenge the entire Uchiha clan if I have to!” he said, maintaining his confident smile.

"You know you can’t...!!" She couldn’t even finish her sentence, trying to make it clear for Minato not to do anything foolish.

“Stop saying I can’t. You act like you don’t trust me,” Minato interrupted, taking her hands in his. “I have a plan,” he said.

"What do you mean by that?" she asked suspiciously, still uncertain about what Minato was planning.

“I know your father doesn’t like how close we’ve become,” he said calmly, as she began to blush.

"I don’t know what you’re talking about..." she murmured, unable to meet Minato’s eyes.

“You do... I have two fiancées,” Minato said, still in a calm tone.

“I... I know that... I don’t want to intrude on your relationships,” Mikoto murmured, visibly uncomfortable.

“Don’t worry about that. In fact, I’m a selfish person, Mikoto...” Minato remarked, and Mikoto looked at him, confused. Then he continued.

“I want to know if, even with me having two fiancées... you still want to share your life with me...” Minato said, looking at her as she froze in place.

“I want to have you with me. It might be selfish since I already have two fiancées, but I don’t want to lose you, Mikoto...” Minato admitted, wanting to keep her in his life as well.

Mikoto didn’t say anything as her body began leaning forward almost unconsciously, and Minato looked a little surprised by her reaction.

"Minato..." she murmured nervously. She had loved Minato for a long time, and now he had confessed to her, saying he wanted her and didn’t want to see her marry someone else, even though he already had two future wives.

“Minato... kiss me...” she whispered, moving closer to his face automatically.

Minato was surprised by this development. He hadn’t expected the Uchiha girl to react this way, but he didn’t resist her movement and leaned in to meet her lips, kissing her for the first time in the next moment.

Although he thought things had escalated in an unexpected way, he didn’t mind and accepted Mikoto’s feelings, feelings he had always known she harbored for him but had never had the chance to discuss until now.

They stayed there, lips locked, kissing for a while, undisturbed by anyone by the river.

After 40 seconds, they slowly pulled apart. Minato looked at her reaction as Mikoto blushed furiously, embarrassed, and pressed her lips together, wondering what he might be thinking of her.

As she replayed the words he had spoken and his declaration — that he wanted her in his life — her heart raced uncontrollably. It was this that had made her lean in and say those embarrassing words, simply wanting to kiss him for the first time.

Internally, she still questioned: Could they really be together? Was it right for Minato to share his heart with other women? Would she be happy? Would her father accept this?

Several questions began to unfold in Mikoto’s mind as she wondered what would happen next. Even so, deep down, she was happy despite everything. All she wanted now was to be with Minato. The consequences didn’t matter, nor what she would have to disobey or sacrifice, even if it meant facing her father’s disrespect and abandoning her clan.

It was a strange thought since, as a ninja, she felt she was failing in that moment. But at the same time, she knew she was in love with Minato. And that spoke louder than anything else.

Minato touched the side of her face gently. Mikoto closed her eyes at the feel of his touch, letting out a soft sigh and placing her hand over his.

"I want to marry you, Mikoto," Minato said calmly.

“...” Mikoto didn’t say anything, merely looking at him with a certain shyness, as if accepting his words.

"I want to fight for you. But I also need to know if you’re willing to live the kind of life I want. Because, as I said before, I’m a selfish person," he said, pausing for a moment before continuing. "Right now, my fiancées are Kushina and Tsunade, and they will be my future wives. I want to build a big family, and I can understand if you don’t want this type of relationship. But I still wish for you to be part of it," he said with a sincere tone.

He looked at her seriously. He wouldn’t give up on the girl who had been by his side for so long. If he had to fight for her, Minato would. But he would also respect her decision if she didn’t want to be by his side under the conditions he had.

Mikoto swallowed hard and replied, more emotional than she had ever been: "I do, Minato. I know the idea of sharing you bothers me a little, but I also know I can’t have your whole heart to myself. Even so, I still want to be with you. I want to marry you and spend the rest of my life by your side. But... will you face the entire clan for me?" She let her heart speak but also felt a twinge of worry about Minato being in danger.

"I will do it. I’ll challenge your father and your whole clan. Trust me," Minato said firmly. "Have you told him yet?" he paused and asked.

Mikoto sighed, visibly weighed down. "I trust you, I’m just a little worried..." she admitted, also concerned for Minato.

"That’s enough. I’ll take care of the rest," he said.

"You know, I have to meet my father first..." she commented cautiously.

"Can you delay it?" Minato asked.

She shook her head. "No, I have to meet him in the coming weeks."

"Then I’ll go with you," Minato declared.

Mikoto froze for a moment, staring at him, before responding, even though she was happy to see how committed Minato was to her.

"No, this time, I’ll go alone," she requested in a low voice.

"Are you sure?" Minato narrowed his eyes, studying her expression.

"Yes, I’ll handle this, Minato. Don’t worry. This is something I need to do on my own," she finally said, and Minato eventually relented, though reluctantly.

"Alright. Then I’ll leave it to you, but I’ll speak with your father personally as soon as I can," he said firmly.

"That’s fine. I will... I want to have the courage to make my own decisions. And I’ve decided that I’m going to tell him that I’m going to marry you," she said as the two remained there, looking at each other. Minato’s hand still rested on her face while Mikoto placed her hand over his, sharing an intimate moment between the two for the first time.

With a faint smile, Minato raised his other hand, placing it on the other side of Mikoto’s face as he drew her close again, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead. "I promise, Mikoto. I’ll give my all and do everything I can for us to be together," he said, as she felt his words touch her heart.

After that, he let go of her face and grabbed the meal he had brought with him. "Now, let’s eat a little. I can’t believe you turned down my food today," he said, smiling as he handed her a lunch box.

"I’d never turn it down, but I wasn’t in the mood for it... sorry," she murmured, looking at him. Minato responded with a small smile.

"Don’t worry about it," he said.

They began eating in silence, enjoying each other’s company and savoring that peaceful moment.

"Do you think the girls will react badly when they find out you’re interested in another woman?" Mikoto commented, almost casually, as she finished her meal. There was a tone of curiosity and even a bit of fear in her voice.

"Well, I already managed to convince Kushina about marrying Tsuna too, and Tsuna has always been open to the idea of having more than two wives," Minato replied, calm and composed.

"And to think I’ll have to share a house with that Senju and see her every day..." Mikoto murmured, breaking into a smile at the joke she had just made.

"Most likely," Minato admitted with a smile, "but that won’t stop us from building a big family," he said with a calm demeanor.

"Speaking of that, how do you plan to make it all work?" she asked, curious and genuinely interested in Minato’s plans.

"I haven’t told you, have I? I bought a piece of land in Konoha, and I plan to build a big house there. It’s a huge property. A home for all of us and our children. The Namikaze clan... What do you think?" he asked, jokingly but with a serious undertone behind the jest.

"Minato, that sounds very predictable coming from you, but it seems like an incredible idea. I didn’t know you had already bought land. I’m excited to see it," she said, smiling brightly, clearly thrilled by the prospect.

A comfortable silence settled between the two right after, as they looked at each other for a moment.

"Well, how about we head back now? I think Hanabi might be wondering what we’re up to. And Duy... well, he’s probably studying his books," Minato said, standing up and extending his hand to her.

Mikoto smiled. "You’re right. We’d better head back." She took his hand as he helped her up.

And together, they began walking back to the camp. Mikoto felt her heart much lighter and happier than when she had first arrived there.

Raccoon Here: What did you think of this development? Did it feel cliché?