Chapter 163 (Patreon)

“Then how should we handle this?” another elder asked anxiously.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Ōnoki took a deep breath. “Yujiro has shown Iwagakure due respect. We will not repay that courtesy with betrayal.”

His expression hardened as he issued his orders.

“Send word of this to Konoha through a secure channel. After that, we’ll depart for the Land of Iron immediately.”

“Yes, Lord Tsuchikage!”

---

In Kirigakure, the village’s two remaining elders stared down at the secret invitation sent by Sunagakure.

Since the death of Yagura, the Fourth Mizukage, only the two of them remained to oversee the village. There had once been more than a dozen elders on the council, but all the others had died long ago.

Elder Genji studied the document with a bitter smile. He truly did not know how Sunagakure expected Kirigakure to respond.

What were they supposed to do?

Join forces with Sunagakure and attempt to destroy Konoha?

That was nothing more than a foolish dream. They had witnessed Yujiro’s terrifying power for themselves.

Even if someone lent them all the courage in the world, they still would not dare make an enemy of him.

“Genji-sama, why don’t we send a jōnin to handle this?” the chief elder suggested with a strained smile.

After the deaths of the other council members, only he and Genji remained. With Genji currently serving as acting Mizukage, the other man had naturally been elevated to the position of chief elder.

“Send a jōnin?” Genji glanced at him. “And whom do you suggest we send?”

“Well...”

The chief elder faltered.

Genji was right. Who in Kirigakure could possibly be entrusted with a matter like this?

“Kirigakure is closer to Konoha than any of the other great villages,” Genji said as he rose to his feet. Determination replaced the uncertainty in his clouded eyes. “If we travel at full speed, we can reach it within a day.”

The chief elder hurriedly stood as well.

“Genji-sama, are you suggesting...?”

“We’ll go to Konoha ourselves,” Genji answered. “We’ll inform Yujiro of the invitation and ask how he wants us to proceed.”

“Understood!”

The two elderly men wasted no more time. They immediately began preparing for the journey to Konoha.

And just like that, every secret invitation Sunagakure had sent out had effectively fallen into Konoha’s hands.

All three invited shinobi villages had chosen to side with Konoha. Sunagakure alone continued its futile struggle.

---

Back in Konoha, Yujiro was strolling leisurely through the village.

As far as he was concerned, no one in the shinobi world could threaten him any longer.

After enduring so much and overcoming his inner demon, what was the point of becoming invincible if he never took the time to enjoy his life?

So, for once, Yujiro allowed himself to relax.

He wandered through the streets, taking in everything that had changed throughout Konoha. A crowd of female admirers followed after him, calling out for embraces and even asking him for kisses.

At first, Yujiro found their enthusiasm amusing. However, he had severely underestimated their persistence. They followed him from one street to the next without showing any sign of giving up.

Even when he tried to enter a restroom, they crowded around the entrance and blocked his way.

Yujiro could not help wondering whether he had somehow become a famous entertainer. Why were there so many women obsessed with him?

He truly could not understand it.

After wandering around for a while longer, Yujiro finally returned to his residence.

The moment he stepped through the door, the warm aroma of freshly prepared food greeted him.

“That smells incredible.”

Yujiro drew in a deep breath, his mood immediately brightening.

Having Kurenai waiting at home with a warm meal made him feel absurdly fortunate.

However, once they sat down to eat, Yujiro noticed something different about the way she was looking at him.

In truth, this was not a recent change. Kurenai’s gaze had carried a different warmth for quite some time.

Yujiro simply had not noticed it before. He had been too preoccupied with finding a way to break through to the intermediate stage of the Fourth Limiter.

Now that he had succeeded, his already formidable powers of observation had become sharper still.

There was no mistaking it.

Kurenai’s feelings for him had long since gone beyond the affection of an older sister.

Yujiro fell into thought. This was something he needed to consider carefully.

He had never claimed to be a noble man. Even so, he had no intention of playing with anyone’s feelings. If he accepted a woman, he would take responsibility for her and never let her go. Otherwise, he would not cross that line at all.

To him, it was that simple.

He and Kurenai had lived together since he was very young, and there was no blood relationship between them.

It would have been a lie to say he felt nothing for her.

However, Yujiro had understood something even as a child: without strength, he could not protect anything precious to him. No matter how much something mattered, a stronger person could always take it away.

That was why he had spent nearly his entire childhood training with relentless intensity.

Through all those years, Kurenai had remained by his side. Her encouragement had meant more to him than she probably realized.

And, perhaps just as importantly, her cooking suited his tastes better than anyone else’s.

The instant Yujiro imagined Kurenai growing older and marrying someone else, his stomach twisted unpleasantly.

No.

He refused to allow that future.

“Kurenai-nee, your cooking really is delicious,” Yujiro said after taking another few bites of rice.

“Slow down. There’s plenty left.” Kurenai laughed softly as she watched him eat. “You’ll choke if you keep rushing like that.”

“Then, Kurenai-nee...”

Yujiro placed his bowl and chopsticks down before meeting her gaze.

“I want to eat your cooking for the rest of my life.”

“My cooking... for the rest of your life?”

Disbelief spread across Kurenai’s beautiful face.

Of course, the two of them were not alone at the table. Tsunade and the other girls had been eating with them as well.

Tsunade had been considering how to convince Yujiro to accept the position of Fifth Hokage. The moment she heard his words, however, her eyes lit up.

He finally understood!

“I’m finished.”

Tsunade immediately set down her bowl and chopsticks, then left the room with a knowing smile.

The remaining maids quickly understood and followed her. Even little Hinata, who had no idea what was happening, was gently ushered away by Tsunade.

Before long, only Yujiro and Kurenai remained at the dining table.

“Kurenai-nee, I’ve thought it through.” A gentle smile appeared on Yujiro’s face. “I want to eat your cooking for the rest of my life.”

“You silly little brother...”

Kurenai gently bit her lower lip, her crimson eyes glimmering with emotion.

Her heart was already overflowing with joy.

At last. This hopeless little brother had finally understood how she felt.

“I’m not silly,” Yujiro replied with a quiet laugh. “But if it means staying by your side, I don’t mind being your foolish little brother.”

“Hmph.”

Kurenai let out a soft huff, but she could not hide the happiness filling her heart.

“Kurenai-nee, I’m hungry.”

Yujiro looked down at Kurenai, who only reached his shoulder, and grinned.

“Hungry?” Kurenai blinked in confusion. “Yujiro, didn’t you just eat two large bowls of rice?”

“But I’m still hungry.”

Yujiro reached out and lightly tapped her forehead.

“That isn’t what I meant. You really can be slow sometimes, Kurenai-nee.”

“Still hungry...”

Kurenai froze for a moment.

Then, as realization dawned on her, her face turned bright red.

She understood.