Am I a phoenix or something ?

"Yes," Mikoto replied, her voice tight with worry.

"Then the clan head must have been held up by something," Seiki reassured her with a smile.

Though Seiki's words were comforting, anxiety still gripped Mikoto's heart. Was Fugaku truly just busy?

As soon as Seiki left, she sprinted to the training ground, but there was no trace of Fugaku. Her heart sank as she asked around. A bystander informed her that Fugaku had headed towards Hokage Rock.

Utilizing her shinobi skills, she swiftly ascended Hokage Rock and scanned the area. Following the trail, she eventually arrived at an empty ground.

However, the sight that met her gaze caused her heart to plummet. "How could this happen?"

Evidence of a fire jutsu lingered in the area, and amidst the charred remains, she spotted fragments of clothing. Recognizing them as Fugaku's attire from earlier, her worst fears seemed to be confirmed.

Everything else lay reduced to ashes, with only a barely intact skeleton remaining.

"Fugaku… What happened here...?" Mikoto's eyes widened in horror, and her body felt numb as she took in the scene before her. Her legs gave out, and she collapsed to the ground.

A newlywed of less than three days, Mikoto now faced the unimaginable pain of her husband's death. She struggled to comprehend the depth of her grief, even as a trained ninja.

"Damn it…"

"Huh? Mikoto… Is that you, Mikoto?"

As she heard him, Mikoto froze, her heart pounding with dread. She scanned the area, but there was no sign of Fugaku. A terrible thought crossed her mind, and tears began to stream down her face.

"Fugaku, are you already dead? Is it your spirit that's speaking to me?"

"What? I'm not dead; I'm over here... Hey~~"

now, she heard clearly, and Mikoto leaped with relief. She turned towards the direction  and spotted a him hiding behind a tree, poking his head out and waving at her. Overjoyed, Mikoto got up and ran towards him.

"Heeeey!" Mikoto exclaimed as she reached the tree, but to her surprise, she did see him in front of her.  She turned around with a flushed expresion. That was because he in front of her was actually naked.

Fugaku grinned and said, "Hey, I was going to sneak back home under the cover of darkness, but now that you're here, go and get  me some clothes quick."

Mikoto, hurried home. Of course, she wanted to know why her husband was in such a state, but she couldn't help but feel he should at least put on some clothes.

Fugaku was at a loss for words.

He knew that his body had been engulfed by flames. How did he survive and heal? Was he like a phoenix that could rise from the ashes?

Fugaku, meanwhile, was at a loss for words. He remembered being engulfed by flames. How had he survived and healed? Was he akin to a phoenix, rising from the ashes?

After few minutes later, Fugaku finally dressed, sighing in relief. "Okay, you can turn around now," he called out, understanding the mutual shyness between the newlyweds.

As Mikoto slowly turned her head, her face flushed with embarrassment, she gasped, "You... You're not Fugaku! Who are you?"

Panic gripped her heart, and she instinctively reached for her kunai, her gaze ice-cold.

"Huh? What's the matter? Did I somehow change my appearance?" Fugaku was puzzled by Mikoto's reaction as he touched his face.

He couldn't comprehend what was happening. He recalled waking up naked beside a patch of ashes and a burned skeleton, hastily hiding himself away without cleaning up the mess.

He didn't want anyone to know that the Uchiha clan head was wandering around unclothed; it wouldn't bode well for the Uchiha reputation.

However, as he hid, he had picked up a pendant from the ground, the only intact item amidst the ashes. He suspected it was related to the strange events.

As he reflected, he also recalled the discomfort he had felt before passing out. It was as if his internal organs were undergoing a transformation, akin to a snake shedding its skin but far more extreme, almost like a rebirth.

The process had been torturous, yet the flames eventually consumed everything. The lime-green glow he had witnessed puzzled him. Was it akin to Tsunade's medical jutsu? Could such jutsu reshape flesh and organs? He wasn't sure.

While Fugaku was lost in thought, Mikoto scrutinized him. Despite the darkness, she noticed something different about him. He seemed younger, more handsome. Yet, upon closer inspection, he bore an uncanny resemblance to Fugaku.

"Why... why aren't you wearing anything?" she finally asked, her voice tinged with confusion.

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