Chapter 59 (Patreon)

That night, after the two of them had finally settled down, Roy lay awake with Kushina curled in his arms and explained his theory regarding the Shikai of his Zanpakutō.

“So you want to enter Kaorui’s body, Roy-kun?”

“Her inner world—her consciousness.”

“Isn’t that practically the same thing? I’ll speak to her in the morning.”

Kushina then changed the subject.

“Roy-kun, what do you think of Kaorui?”

“She seems fine. Why do you ask?”

“If—and I truly mean if—Kaorui learns about your existence and doesn’t object, would you be willing to care for her the same way you care for me?”

Alarm bells immediately rang in Roy’s mind.

Putting aside the fact that he had never considered such a thing, even if he had, there was no possible way he could admit to wanting another woman while holding Kushina in his arms.

“Kushina, have you misunderstood something? I only want to test a theory. There’s nothing else behind it—”

Before he could finish, Kushina raised a hand and pressed her fingers against his lips.

“Roy-kun, I’m serious.”

She paused briefly before explaining.

“For one thing, aside from Naruto and Karin, Kaorui may be the last member of my clan left in this world. After everything she has suffered—and after raising Karin all by herself—I want her to have someone who will care for her.”

Kushina looked earnestly into Roy’s eyes.

“Besides, I was already married once, and I have Naruto. You’ve never had a wife before. It isn’t fair to you.”

The relationship between men and women in this world was governed by deeply traditional beliefs. Widows almost never remarried.

For one thing, the mortality rate among shinobi was extremely high. If a man died in battle and his widow immediately remarried while taking his inheritance and children with her, fewer men would be willing to marry in the first place.

If fewer men chose marriage, the number of newborn children would inevitably decline, severely affecting the population.

Neither the hidden villages nor the nations they served would permit such a custom to become widespread.

At the same time, the women of this world had been taught these beliefs from childhood. Those rules had long since become invisible restraints engraved upon their hearts. No matter how difficult their lives became, most would never even consider remarriage.

If Kushina had not lost her parents at such a young age and had instead grown up under the full weight of those rigid teachings, even she might not have accepted Roy so readily.

Despite that, those beliefs had still influenced her to a certain degree. Kushina cared far more than Roy did about the fact that she had not come to him as an untouched bride.

Because of that, a quiet sense of guilt had always lingered beneath her affection for him. There was no way to change the past or make Roy her first. In Kushina’s admittedly peculiar reasoning, what could no longer be made up for in “quality” could at least be compensated for with quantity.

“Kushina, you don’t need to do this.”

“Roy-kun, you wouldn’t want me to spend the rest of my life feeling guilty, would you?”

She had brought out her ultimate weapon, leaving Roy with no idea how to respond.

“Actually…” After a long silence, he spoke gently. “If quantity is the problem, we could always use Shadow Clones.”

Kushina rolled her eyes at him.

“Are you trying to exhaust me to death? I would rather you go and find Kaorui.”

Roy’s real body alone already left her thoroughly exhausted. If two or three of her Shadow Clones added their memories and sensations to hers when they dispersed, Kushina feared she might lose consciousness on the spot.

Besides, Shadow Clones were different from other physical clone techniques. They could withstand very little damage. The slightest rough treatment might cause them to disappear in a puff of smoke before they even made it through a single attempt.

Kushina bit Roy’s shoulder, said nothing more, and closed her eyes. It wasn’t long before she drifted off to sleep.

Roy was left alone with his tangled thoughts.

It was clearly the kind of situation most men would welcome, yet hearing such an offer from Kushina made the entire matter feel strangely unsettling.

What Roy didn’t know was that every time he approached Kaorui during the day—and even during his private moments with Kushina at night—he had remained within the range of Kaorui’s Kagura Shingan.

Kaorui’s strength was only average, so she could not keep her sensory ability active at all times. Instead, she activated it periodically throughout the day and at fixed times each night.

She had never intended to pry into their lives. Yet whenever those familiar times approached, she would activate the Kagura Shingan almost unconsciously.

It had become a habit from the day she learned that Roy was the one who had provided information about her and Karin’s situation in Kusagakure.

During the day, whenever Roy drew near, Kaorui’s heart would pound so violently that it felt as though it might leap from her chest. After inadvertently sensing the “battle” between Roy and Kushina earlier that night, she had tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep.

It wasn’t until Karin and Naruto began crying together in perfect unison that she finally got up in a daze to feed them and change their diapers.

The following morning, Kushina waited until Nonō Yakushi arrived and asked her to watch the two children for a while. She then pulled Kaorui aside.

“Kaorui, there are a few things I need to tell you. Please don’t be frightened when you hear them.”

How could anyone possibly remain calm after an opening like that?

Fortunately, before Kaorui could become too nervous, Kushina continued.

“Besides you, me, Nonō, and Yugito, there is one more person living in this house.”

“You mean Roy-kun, don’t you? I know.”

“You know?”

Kushina and Roy were both stunned.

“I’ve been able to sense him with my Kagura Shingan ever since I first arrived.”

Kushina and Roy looked at each other.

Only then did they realize that the Kagura Shingan was capable of detecting spiritual beings.

It also made Roy understand just how reckless his assumption that only Kushina could perceive him had been. It was fortunate that Kaorui wasn’t an enemy. Otherwise, someone capable of sensing him might have launched an ambush before he even understood how he had been discovered.

“Since you already know about his existence, it should be easier for you to understand what I’m about to explain.”

Kushina continued, “Roy-kun was the one who told me that you and your daughter were in Kusagakure. Because of the information he gave me, I had the opportunity to send Kakashi to bring both of you here.”

Kaorui nodded, though she still didn’t understand why Kushina was suddenly telling her all of this.

She had originally planned to find an opportunity to confess that she could sense Roy and then ask Kushina to tell her more about him.

After all, a life-saving debt was so great that one ought to hang a portrait of their benefactor on the wall and honor it every day.

“Roy-kun’s method of training is very different from that of a shinobi. His abilities…”

Kushina gave Kaorui a general explanation of Roy’s powers before continuing.

“He is trying to develop a new ability, and he needs your help, Kaorui.”

“If I can be of any help to Roy-kun, I’m more than willing! Please allow me to help him!”

Kaorui agreed immediately, before Kushina could even explain what she needed to do. Her eagerness was impossible to conceal.

Hearing her answer, Kushina glanced back at Roy before finally explaining the method.

“Enter… my consciousness? You mean my inner world? How will he do that?”

Kaorui’s voice remained calm, but her tightly clenched hands betrayed her true feelings.

“You only need to relax. Leave everything else to Roy-kun.”

After Kaorui took several deep breaths, Roy moved closer.

An ordinary Soul Reaper could not possess a living human, even while in the World of the Living. Roy, however, was an exception. He had possessed a living person before he ever became a Soul Reaper.

Soon, Kaorui saw his appearance clearly for the first time.

To her, Roy had been like a beam of light piercing the darkness, illuminating the hopeless future that had once awaited her and her daughter. Now that she was finally standing face-to-face with him, Kaorui instinctively tried to kneel and thank him.

“There’s no need to be so formal.”

Roy hurriedly stopped her, somewhat flustered by her reaction. It took him quite some time to calm her down.

“Please forgive my behavior, Roy-kun.”

Kaorui’s cheeks burned as she lowered her voice to a whisper.

“I’m ready. Please begin.”

When Kaorui placed her hand upon the Zanpakutō, the same thing happened as when Kushina had touched it for the first time.

Both Kaorui and the blade vanished from the inner world.

Roy immediately emerged from her body and reached for the Zanpakutō now embedded in her chest, pulling it free…