Chat group, become my wings!

Izumi Uchiha furrowed her brows. Her eyes stung slightly, a lingering ache from overuse.

But it was nothing serious. After all, she had already awakened the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan. Using Tsukuyomi, a dojutsu unique to the Mangekyō, might cause some fatigue, but it wouldn't damage her eyes.

The brilliant red glow of the Eternal Mangekyō faded, returning her eyes to their normal dark hue. In contrast, the figure of Zōken Matō collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut. His withered form crumpled to the ground, disintegrating like a sand sculpture scattered by the wind. Countless insects poured from his corpse, losing their cohesion and identity, then died all at once, twitching into lifeless stillness.

"Is he dead?" Kevin Cross asked.

"He should be," Izumi replied calmly. "In the Tsukuyomi realm, I tortured his spirit relentlessly, wearing down his will until there was nothing left. Even if he left some crest worms hidden elsewhere, I doubt he could survive. And even if he did, he'd be no more than a hollow shell an idiot with no mind left."

Her tone brimmed with confidence. Three days and nights of unbroken torment in a distorted mental world any ordinary mind would have collapsed long before. Let alone someone like Zōken, whose soul had already rotted away.

With the most dangerous threat out of the way, the only thing left was to determine how best to handle Sakura Matō.

As they had previously discussed, since Sakura had already been adopted into the Matō family, it wouldn't make sense to send her back to the Tōsaka house. Knowing her biological father, Tokiomi Tōsaka, even if they returned her, he'd likely just ship her off again. If they were lucky, he might send her to relatives in Finland to grow up alongside Crane the Lady of Grace. But if he lost his mind and sent her elsewhere... there was no telling what fate would await her.

Now that Zōken, the twisted patriarch of the Matō family, was gone, the family's considerable assets were hers by right. It made no sense to find her another place to stay when the Matō estate was already the most secure and resource-rich option.

However, Sakura was still just a small child four or five years old at most. She barely understood the world around her. Without someone like Zōken maintaining control, the Matō estate would become a tempting prize. Even Tokiomi might try to sink his teeth into it.

That meant Zōken's death had to remain a secret for the time being. At least until Sakura was strong enough to defend herself, news of his demise couldn't be allowed to leak.

Fortunately, neither Kevin nor Izumi had ever left the Matō estate during their battle. The protective barrier remained untouched. As far as the outside world was concerned, nothing had happened.

Zōken himself had been reclusive for years, rarely leaving the estate and having minimal contact with others. As long as someone occasionally impersonated him to handle external matters, no one would notice anything unusual. With a bit of planning, they could maintain the illusion for three to five years perhaps even longer.

But those concerns could wait.

Right now, the priority was installing Sakura as the true master of the Matō house.

If she were alone, it might have been a challenge. But with Kevin and Izumi supporting her, the transition would be far smoother.

Zōken's two sons were the next variables.

The younger son, Kariya Matō, was already out of the picture. He had run away long ago, unable to bear the family's twisted worm magic or face his monstrous father. According to canon, he wouldn't return for at least another year.

As for the elder son, Noriyuki Matō, the family's nominal head he was no magician. He had received no training and was mostly relegated to handling mundane errands and external affairs. He also lacked ambition, which meant he wouldn't pose any threat to Sakura's claim.

Izumi used her transformation technique to disguise herself as Zōken, then summoned Noriyuki and his son, Shinji Matō.

To be honest, Kevin had strongly considered killing Shinji outright. In the Fate series, Shinji was truly despicable. What annoyed Kevin even more was that this little worm of a man somehow survived through most of the main plotlines unscathed.

He had found that incredibly unsatisfying when he first watched the anime.

So yes killing Shinji had been Kevin's first instinct.

But after seeing Sakura in person, and hearing Izumi emphasize that now wasn't the time to draw attention, Kevin begrudgingly shelved that idea. For now. One day, though, Shinji would pay.

From that point on, things moved quickly. Disguised as Zōken, Izumi summoned Noriyuki, who didn't suspect a thing not because her impersonation was flawless, but because Noriyuki had long since been broken by fear. Anyone wearing Zōken's face could terrify him into submission.

Then came Shinji.

Izumi stared him down, her eyes sharp and oppressive. Her tone brooked no argument as she declared that from this moment forward, Sakura was the heir to the Matō family. Shinji was not to question this decision, nor even think poorly of her.

To make sure the boy understood, Izumi activated her Eternal Mangekyō once more and implanted a powerful genjutsu a hypnotic command deep into Shinji's subconscious.

Unless he somehow broke the illusion and that was extremely unlikely for a talentless brat like him Shinji would see Sakura as someone to be revered. A princess. Untouchable.

The idea that someone like Shinji could resist a genjutsu from another system entirely, one grounded in ninja arts rather than magecraft, was laughable.

Sakura clung to Izumi's leg, peeking out from behind her. Her large eyes were wide and filled with fear, especially when they fell on Shinji. Clearly, she had watched the anime, and everything she had seen made her terrified of him.

"Well then, that's settled," Izumi said flatly. "From now on, I'll be focused on training little Sakura. You can handle the day-to-day family affairs. And since you don't seem to like this place, there's no need for you to come back often."

"Eh? Oh-yes, of course!" Noriyuki stammered. The moment he realized he wouldn't have to return to the estate, a flicker of relief and even gratitude appeared in his eyes as he glanced toward Sakura.

____________________

NEXT CHAPTER : Mission Complete

(The rescue mission ends in success, with Kevin and Izumi earning system rewards. Kevin gives all his points to young Sakura Matou, helping her unlock chakra as her first step to power. Though the team leaves her world, Sakura finds comfort knowing the chat group—and Kevin—are just a message away. A lonely girl in a haunted mansion… now with a path to strength and a silent crush on her "husband." What future awaits the budding kunoichi of the Matou family?)

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