Chapter 104 (Patreon)

Kaorui had planned to let the other two bathe first while she stayed behind to clean up, but Kushina refused to leave her alone and dragged her along.

More than an hour later, Kaorui finally emerged with lingering warmth still coloring her skin and a satisfied smile on her lips. She gathered the dishes and carried them into the kitchen.

During a brief pause, Kushina leaned against Roy and lazily traced circles across his abdomen with one finger.

“Roy-kun, what exactly happened while you were away? You were gone for half a month, yet you brought Nonō back without making any progress at all. Are you not interested in her? And what about Chiyuki? Do you want me to play matchmaker for you?”

Roy, who had been helping himself to the milk that had accumulated during his half-month absence, raised his head.

“What kind of nonsense are you talking about? Keep that up, and I’ll accuse you of slandering me.”

Kushina chuckled. She pulled his head into her embrace and pressed him against her body.

“Fine, fine. I was wrong. You’re the most virtuous man in the world. Is that better?”

She paused before continuing.

“You helped me find one of my clansmen and brought two Kekkei Genkai back to the village. I should reward you properly. Tell me what you want. No matter what it is, I’ll agree.”

“Anything?”

Roy leaned close to her ear and whispered a few words.

“What? There...?”

Kushina pursed her lips as she remembered how painfully awkward things had been in the beginning.

The entrance and the exit...

If the entrance worked, then surely the exit should not be impossible, right?

Still, what was wrong with this man? He had a perfectly proper path available, yet all he could think about was using the back door.

But what could she do? Whenever Roy asked her for something like this, she could never bring herself to refuse him.

After Kaorui finished cleaning the kitchen, she headed toward the bedroom. Along the way, she heard an “Itai...” that sounded rather different from usual.

She remained puzzled until she pushed open the door.

The following morning, the normally diligent Hokage-sama missed half a day of work. It was not until the afternoon that Kushina finally left the house and returned to the Hokage Building.

Roy did not accompany her. Instead, he remained at home to examine the new changes within himself.

After their relationship had deepened, the distance he could travel away from Kushina had directly doubled. Once he became accustomed to the change, Roy believed that moving freely within a ten-kilometer radius would not be a problem.

His Zanpakutō’s Mirror Space had changed as well.

Through Kushina’s mirror inside the Mirror Space, Roy could now enter the seal where the Nine-Tails resided whenever he wished.

Kaorui’s mirror had also changed. Its frame had turned emerald green, signifying that it had reached the third stage.

When Roy touched its surface, ripples spread across the mirror, but he still could not pass through it. However, after seeing what had happened with Kushina’s mirror, he understood that he was only a small step away.

Their bond merely needed to deepen a little further.

Passing through the mirror was not the only new ability he had obtained. Roy could now release his Zanpakutō through Kushina’s reflection.

In other words, even if he left the village and traveled far away from Kushina in the future, he would still be able to use his Shikai technique, Rengoku.

Finally, there was his Bankai.

Roy had begun to sense the path toward it.

After his Reiatsu reached the level of a captain and one of his Shikai techniques was completely unlocked, a strange intuition appeared within him.

Once he fully unlocked at least three Shikai techniques, he would be able to manifest the basic power of his Bankai.

The problem was that unlocking his Shikai techniques required him to deepen his bonds with the women connected to the Mirror Space. The fastest way to deepen those bonds was for both sides to open their hearts and share the most intimate kind of connection.

“This damned sword... Is it trying to force me into becoming an unfaithful bastard?”

Roy pointed accusingly at the Zanpakutō in his hand, though not even the slightest trace of anger could be seen on his face.

It was a perfect example of how people behaved after crossing a line. Once they had done it, they would search for a convincing excuse to ease the weight on their conscience.

After all, if Roy had truly intended to devote himself to only one woman, he would never have accepted Kaorui in the first place.

Once there was a first time, a second would inevitably become easier.

Even so, Roy was still too embarrassed to approach Nonō directly and suggest that they share such a deeply personal bond.

For one thing, he did not know how Nonō truly felt about him, and he had no intention of forcing her. Furthermore, even if Kushina and Kaorui did not object, he could not afford to appear overly eager.

Human emotions were complicated.

Someone could accept something one moment, only to feel differently about it later.

If Roy acted too aggressively, it could easily change how Kushina and Kaorui saw him. There was no need to rush. He had plenty of time, so he could allow things to develop naturally.

Meanwhile, Kushina followed through with her plans and summoned Uchiha Fugaku to inform him of the results of the Sharingan-awakening training.

Of the eight Uchiha who had participated, five had successfully awakened their Sharingan. Only three had failed.

The moment Fugaku heard the result, he became so excited that he could no longer concentrate on his work. He claimed that he needed to return home to retrieve the payment for the training, but Kushina knew perfectly well what he truly intended to do.

He wanted to find those eight clansmen and confirm with his own eyes whether five of them had truly awakened the Sharingan.

Understanding his thoughts, Kushina approved his request to leave.

Nara Shikaku, who had been standing nearby, was only now hearing that a method existed to help members of the Uchiha Clan awaken the Sharingan.

Kushina did not conceal the agreement she had reached with the Uchiha Clan and calmly explained everything to him.

After listening, Shikaku’s first instinct was to object.

Ever since the time of the Second Hokage, the Uchiha Clan had been regarded with suspicion by the village. If more of them awakened the Sharingan, the damage they could cause would be far greater should they ever turn against Konoha.

However, Shikaku quickly reconsidered.

The Fifth Hokage’s policies were clearly different from those of her predecessors. Kushina truly intended to unite every clan within Konoha. In her eyes, they were all shinobi of the village first and members of their respective clans second.

Under such a system, even if hardliners continued to exist within the Uchiha Clan, the moderate faction would be strong enough to restrain them. There would be no resentment for the hardliners to exploit and no foundation upon which a coup could be built.

Perhaps Kushina’s approach truly was the correct way to handle the village’s relationship with the Uchiha.

Besides, treating every Uchiha with suspicion sounded far too much like Danzō’s way of thinking.

Shikaku had no desire to become like him.

Suppressing the uneasiness in his heart, Shikaku asked, “Hokage-sama, do you have any improved training methods for the Nara Clan’s secret techniques?”

Everyone wanted their clan to grow stronger.

Unlike the Sharingan, the Nara Clan’s techniques did not need to be awakened. As long as a clan member could properly refine chakra, they could learn the basic techniques.

However, learning the Shadow Possession Jutsu was one thing. Mastering the more advanced techniques was far more difficult.

Very few members of the Nara Clan could reach the rank of jōnin through the clan’s secret techniques alone, much less become elite jōnin.

Even those who specialized in support dreamed of possessing decisive offensive power.

Shikaku also wanted to broaden the role his clansmen could play on the battlefield. Unfortunately, while the Nara Clan possessed remarkable intelligence, they had never shown much talent for creating or improving ninjutsu.

The Yamanaka and Akimichi Clans faced similar limitations.

If all three clans developed a few additional techniques, the Ino–Shika–Chō formations they could create would become far more varied and difficult to counter. If they continued relying on the same established patterns, however, their enemies would eventually study those tactics and devise ways to defeat them.

“I do have a few ideas regarding the secret techniques of your three clans, but they aren’t ready yet.”

Kushina looked at him reassuringly.

“Don’t worry. When the time comes, I won’t leave any of you behind. The same applies to every clan in the village that possesses a Kekkei Genkai or secret technique. If Konoha is going to advance, then everyone will advance together. That is how we’ll make the village stronger than ever.”

Meanwhile, Fugaku ran all the way back to the Uchiha compound and immediately ordered someone to summon the eight clansmen who had participated in the training.

Once all eight stood before him, Fugaku wasted no time.

“Show me your Sharingan.”

The eight Uchiha stared at him in stunned silence.

Had the clan head struck his head against a doorframe in his rush to leave that morning?

Why else would he say something so ridiculous?

He already knew they had never awakened the Sharingan. Was he deliberately trying to humiliate them?

If Fugaku had not been strong enough to defeat every one of them, they would have demanded an explanation on the spot.