Adopted by Tsunade [215-216] (Patreon)

Chapter 215: Kurenai Yuhi's Lap Pillow

Any normal human understands a word: "knowing when to stop."

That's because the body and mind won't allow otherwise.

No matter how delightful something is, once it's overdone, it becomes unbearable—potentially causing irreversible harm or even death.

But Kaguya is different.

She is an immortal being who knows no fatigue—always clear-headed and brimming with vitality.

Natsume, still young and hot-blooded, relied on his Sage Body to fight back.

In the end, he perfectly demonstrated what it means for a scoundrel to have their match.

…

Sun high in the sky.

"Kaguya."

Natsume hurriedly stopped Kaguya's next move.

"What is it?"

Kaguya's snowy white eyes focused slightly,

pulling her out of a certain state.

"Humans have limits."

Natsume shook his head helplessly. "If this keeps up, I really won't be able to take it."

Kaguya seemed pensive.

Even after such a long battle, her complexion was unchanged.

If not for the faint rosy sheen on her alabaster skin, Natsume would have thought he had dreamed it all.

Kaguya stood up and got out of bed.

She glanced at Natsume, raised her hand, and let chakra flow like water to cleanse both of their bodies.

A moment later, they were spotless.

"Thanks."

Natsume yawned.

Kaguya had run him ragged—he'd barely slept for nearly a month.

If not for the Sage Body, he would've kicked the bucket long ago.

Natsume felt that for quite some time, he wouldn't have the energy for anything else.

"Tired?"

Kaguya bent down, passing a surge of chakra into his mouth.

Natsume's body jolted.

He didn't even have time to savor the softness before he was stunned speechless.

Not only did all discomfort vanish, he faintly sensed his Sage Body evolving.

"What is this?"

He looked at her fair, cool face and couldn't help but ask.

"Otsutsuki clan chakra."

Kaguya's tone was flat. "I want to convert you into branch family."

Natsume stared, dazed, at her proud curves.

He hadn't expected to actually be the one mooching off a powerful woman someday.

But that wasn't the point.

The point was Kaguya's change in attitude toward him.

He was no longer a servant—she truly regarded him as her own kind.

So now, he really didn't have to live as a mere human anymore.

Natsume came back to himself, stood up, and helped Kaguya put on her clothes.

"I'll come by when I have time."

"Mm."

Kaguya reached out and embraced him.

Their lips met.

Her face was expressionless, but her attack was wild and insistent.

As a once-abstinent person, once the abstinence vanished, she had no more scruples.

And with her strength, she didn't need any to begin with.

Truly doing as she pleased.

Most importantly, she enjoyed the feeling.

Devouring a God Tree fruit only lasts a few seconds, but Natsume, theoretically, is permanent.

The only pity is that it can't increase her power.

But with Skynet, that could be remedied.

…

Natsume cast the Flying Thunder God Technique.

He reappeared in the Hokage building.

He hadn't gone home last night.

According to the plan, he should've been able to return.

He hadn't expected to spent so much time with Kaguya.

Fortunately, as a shinobi, not going home wouldn't arouse much suspicion.

Just assign himself a random mission.

[Because of your actions, Kaguya's fate has changed. You gained 100 Fate Points.]

"That 100 points was really hard-earned."

Natsume couldn't help but complain.

Both mind and body had been battered.

He glanced at the files on the desk, but didn't feel like handling them.

He stood up, lay down on the sofa, and decided to sleep first.

Hm?

He opened his eyes and saw two mountains squeezed together.

"Lord Natsume, why are you sleeping here?"

Kurenai Yuhi half-squatted in front of him, her breath fragrant like orchids.

Natsume inhaled the scent of roses and suddenly felt more alert.

His gaze struggled to move from the deep ravine upward to Kurenai's slightly puzzled face.

"I'm a bit tired, so I wanted to rest a little."

Kurenai didn't doubt him.

After all, as Hokage, he was indeed quite busy.

Even if Natsume didn't show it, that didn't mean he wasn't exhausted.

"Go home and get some rest. I'll handle today's work."

Kurenai said softly.

"It's fine."

Natsume shook his head. "No worries, I'll be okay in a bit."

In truth, after Kaguya's treatment, his body had no issues at all.

But his mind was still a little weary.

After all, for the past month, he had been repeating the same thing.

Kurenai looked closely at his overly handsome face, then, as if compelled by a sudden impulse, said, "I can give you a massage."

"Huh?"

Natsume raised a brow, a bit surprised.

Under his gaze, Kurenai's heart fluttered.

But she wasn't a shy little girl. Since she'd said it, she wouldn't back down halfway.

"I often massage my mother at home; it's great for relieving fatigue."

She kept her tone as steady as possible.

"Then I'll trouble you, Kurenai."

Natsume smiled and nodded.

Since it had come to this, refusing would seem impolite.

"It's no trouble."

Kurenai stood, sat on the sofa, and set his head on her lap.

Natsume immediately felt the soft sensation.

Black-stockinged thighs.

He faced upward, looking at Kurenai.

Though half his view was blocked, he could still see her slightly flushed cheeks.

This was her first time being in such close contact with a man.

Kurenai took a deep breath, a faint smile appearing on her lips.

"I'll begin."

She said this as she reached out and kneaded Natsume's forehead.

It had to be said—she really knew massage.

Completely different from Natsume's opportunistic groping; hers was skillful and rhythmic.

"Kurenai, have you studied this?"

"Mm."

Kurenai looked down at him. "I specifically learned massage at Konoha Hospital."

"You're so filial."

Natsume said with some emotion.

"It's nothing."

Kurenai smiled. "As long as it makes my mother happy."

"You'll definitely be a good mother in the future."

Natsume narrowed his eyes, struggling to catch her expression through the gap.

"Thanks for the compliment."

Noticing his gaze, Kurenai's blush deepened.

She thought to herself—she just didn't know who the father of her future child would be.

With that thought, she subconsciously bit her lip and lightly pressed her black-stockinged legs together.

Natsume closed his eyes and stopped chatting. Before long, he drifted into sleep.

Looking at him like this, Kurenai couldn't help but curl her lips.

Shinobi are usually on guard when they sleep.

If someone can sleep utterly defenseless before you, it's undoubtedly a sign of trust.

A moment later, Kurenai let out a soft, involuntary sound.

Because Natsume accidentally turned onto his side—facing her.

His warm breath exhaled rhythmically.

Kurenai felt her strength leave her body. She slumped on the sofa, ears burning red.

Somewhat flustered, she placed a hand over her lower abdomen, as if that could block an imaginary current of air.

…

When Natsume woke, he saw Kurenai's face bright red.

He paused slightly.

Did I do something?

Probably not.

Having just been tormented by Kaguya, though Kurenai was indeed attractive, she couldn't stir his interest—for now.

"Thanks."

He propped himself up and leaned against the sofa.

"It's n-nothing."

Kurenai covered her abdomen and stood. "I'll head out and fetch a document."

Her round, perky hips wrapped in a skirt swayed as she left Natsume's sight.

Kurenai hurried downstairs and only relaxed once she reached the restroom.

She'd nearly lost her composure.

After tidying up for a while, Kurenai returned to the Hokage's office.

Natsume glanced over and was surprised to see she had changed skirts.

The color was the same, but with his perception, it was easy to tell this wasn't the same one as before.

"Lord Natsume."

Kurenai smiled. "Take a look at this document."

"The Land of Demons?"

Natsume arched a brow and smiled. "That's rare."

Geographically, the Land of Demons is quite far from Konoha.

It's closer to the Lands of Earth and Wind.

Thinking he might not know about it, Kurenai explained, "The Land of Demons is a neutral-leaning country with good relations with the Five Great Nations, so they sent the commission to us."

"You mean it wasn't only to Konoha?"

Natsume was a bit surprised.

It seemed Shion didn't fully trust the vow passed down in the Land of Demons.

Though, thinking about it, that made sense.

The matter was too odd.

And it concerned the life and death of the Land of Demons—Shion wouldn't be so careless as to trust only Konoha.

Perhaps Shimura Danzo was also a factor.

After all, he was in the Land of Demons.

What to say?

The Will of the Pot Shadow is unstoppable.

"Mm."

Kurenai said solemnly, "All five villages received the commission, but Suna and Kiri have explicitly refused; Iwa and Kumo might send people."

Suna couldn't help itself right now, so it naturally wouldn't care about another nation's survival.

Kiri was seeking development; the Land of Demons was too far away, offering them no benefit.

No need to risk it.

Calling it a risk, because this wasn't the first such commission.

About eight years ago, the Land of Demons suffered a demon rampage—

Moryo.

In the original, it was on par with a Tailed Beast.

It caused massive damage to the Land of Demons and affected neighboring countries—

like the Lands of Bears and Wind.

In the end, Shion's mother, Miroku, sacrificed herself to seal Moryo.

"An S-rank commission. It'd be a pity to pass up."

Natsume said casually, "Reply to the Land of Demons that Konoha will send people to help."

"Mm."

Kurenai nodded. She wasn't surprised.

As the youngest Hokage, and with his strength, Natsume naturally wouldn't dawdle.

She had to admit—compared to Hiruzen Sarutobi, she preferred Natsume.

Decisive, reassuring, and handsome.

Ahem.

Kurenai straightened her expression. "Which squad should we assign?"

"I'll go myself."

Natsume smiled. "With Iwa and Kumo possibly involved, an ordinary jonin won't cut it."

Chapter 216: You Are the Child of Prophecy

A knock sounded.

Kurenai blinked. "I'll get it."

She put the file down and walked to the door, fastening her collar on the way.

"Lord Jiraiya?"

She opened the door, surprise on her face.

Before her stood a middle-aged man with a head of white hair, a forehead protector with the kanji for "oil," a red haori, and two red lines of face paint.

"Kurenai?"

Jiraiya gave her a once-over and grinned. "Didn't expect a change of outfit—you look beautiful."

"Thank you for the compliment."

Kurenai found his gaze a bit lecherous, and recalling his reputation made her uncomfortable.

"You're here to see the Hokage, right? I won't intrude—please excuse me."

Kurenai bowed slightly and turned to leave.

Jiraiya's eyes tilted after her until her back vanished, then he looked away.

He turned to see a stone-faced Natsume, paused, then smiled a greeting. "Lord Hokage."

His tone didn't show much concern.

In his view, men are all lustful.

Starting with Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Natsume making Kurenai his secretary was probably the same deal.

Which, to be fair, wasn't entirely wrong.

But seeing Kurenai that way was a different matter.

Natsume sighed inwardly. Humans really do run double standards.

"Lord Jiraiya, what brings you to me?"

"I heard about your glorious exploits while I was away and couldn't resist coming back for a look."

Jiraiya beamed. "Much better than the old man."

He'd left Konoha mainly because of Mt. Myoboku's prophecy—

but also due to Hiruzen's late-life shenanigans.

He truly couldn't stand them anymore.

Compared to that, Natsume seemed heroic and wise.

Jiraiya had been investigating him these past few days—

asking many people and getting mostly glowing reports.

That made him even more confident Natsume was the Child of Prophecy.

"I doubt you returned just to praise me."

Natsume casually picked up a file. "You've met plenty of people these last few days—just not me."

Jiraiya wasn't embarrassed at being called out.

If a Hokage couldn't track his movements in Konoha, that would be pretty pathetic.

Or else he'd been stripped of power.

"I mainly didn't know you well enough."

Jiraiya kept smiling. "I was teammates with Tsunade. If she took you on, you must have exceptional qualities. But hearing is one thing; seeing is another. I hope you'll forgive me."

"So what's your conclusion?"

Natsume didn't look up.

"Lord Hokage, do you know the Great Toad Sage?"

Jiraiya didn't answer directly.

"I do."

Natsume smiled faintly. "I'm contracted with Shikkotsu Forest."

Jiraiya sighed inwardly.

What a pity.

He and Hiruzen had a similar thought—

Tsunade wasn't the best fit to teach Natsume,

since she didn't have much to teach him.

But since she'd gotten there first, nothing he could do.

"The Great Toad Sage once prophesied that I should find a Child of Destiny who can bring peace to the ninja world."

Jiraiya said earnestly, "I believe that might be you."

"Me?"

Natsume shook his head. "I don't think I'm any Child of Prophecy."

"Why?"

Jiraiya was surprised. "You now wield power on par with the God of Shinobi. Don't you want to do something?"

"If you mean bringing peace to the ninja world, that's not something one person can accomplish."

Natsume said offhandedly, "Only when everyone is the child of prophecy will true peace come."

"That's impossible!"

Jiraiya's eyes widened as he reflexively denied it.

Though Natsume's words sounded somewhat reasonable, to him it was an affront to the Great Toad Sage.

He wouldn't accept it.

"The Great Toad Sage's prophecies never miss."

Jiraiya said firmly. "Only the Child of Prophecy can bring peace to the ninja world."

"So what do you want me to do?"

Natsume glanced at him.

"Find the path to peace, of course."

Jiraiya didn't even have to think. "I don't know what it is now, but the Child of Prophecy will."

"Don't you think putting everyone's hopes on one person is a bit… nebulous?"

Natsume's mouth twitched.

"The prophecy says so."

Jiraiya fell silent a moment, then answered.

What a pitiful life.

Natsume couldn't be bothered to argue further. "Lord Jiraiya, did you come just to talk about the Child of Prophecy?"

Sensing Natsume's impatience, Jiraiya gave a wry smile.

This was his first time meeting a ninja so indifferent to prophecy.

Was that the influence of the Slug Sage?

He thought for a moment and decided to postpone the matter of taking a disciple.

Since Natsume didn't believe in Mt. Myoboku, he naturally wouldn't become Jiraiya's student.

"Lord Hokage, do you remember the mysterious Wood Release user during the old man's tenure—the one who took Uchiha Shisui?"

Jiraiya's expression grew serious.

"I remember. But to this day, we haven't found any trace."

Natsume feigned confusion. "Bringing it up now—do you have a lead?"

"Yes."

Jiraiya nodded. "That mysterious Wood Release user belongs to an organization. I've locked onto one member—Kakuzu."

"Kakuzu? I've heard of him. A famous bounty hunter on the black market."

Natsume paused. "You're sure your intel's solid?"

"Mm."

Jiraiya said gravely, "Kakuzu used to work alone, but in recent years he's often acted with a teammate. The two wear the same outfit—without a doubt from the same organization."

"That is surprising."

Natsume rubbed his chin. "For an organization to recruit such powerhouses under the Five Villages' noses, they must have big ambitions."

"I think so too."

Jiraiya's face turned solemn. "For Konoha's safety, we have to root them out."

"Mm."

Natsume agreed. "I'll leave this to you, Lord Jiraiya. Konoha will give you full support."

"Yes!"

Jiraiya answered crisply, then relaxed and chuckled. "I knew you'd agree."

He'd come mainly to get Natsume's approval.

Though his status was high, he wasn't the Hokage.

Outside the village, to mobilize personnel or resources, he needed authorization.

Which could be slow.

Miss a fleeting chance and it'd be a loss.

So giving a heads-up was necessary.

And it let him gauge Natsume's character.

For now, even if he didn't care for prophecy, he clearly cared about Konoha—

which meant he wasn't some villain.

Having said his piece, Jiraiya didn't linger and disappeared.

…

Hokage Secretary's Office.

An ANBU appeared and reported Jiraiya's departure.

Kurenai nodded and went to the Hokage's door.

She reached up and unfastened the top button, emphasizing a snowy arc.

"Natsume."

Kurenai entered. "Did Lord Jiraiya give any instructions?"

"Have ANBU cooperate with his operation."

Natsume waved casually.

He wasn't interested in Jiraiya's life or death.

If Jiraiya was determined to follow the original path of investigating Akatsuki, so be it.

"Understood."

Kurenai replied crisply, then asked, "Anything else?"

"That's all."

Natsume thought for a moment. "Kurenai, you can go."

But Kurenai didn't leave. She stood there, a bit hesitant.

"What is it?"

Not hearing heels click away, Natsume looked up.

"How are you feeling now?"

Kurenai's heartbeat quickened. With a look of concern, she said, "You seemed tired before. If you still are, I can keep massaging you."

"I'm fine now."

Natsume paused, somewhat touched.

"That's good."

Kurenai let out a breath and smiled. "Handling Konoha's affairs is hard work. If you feel tired again, you can come to me."

"I certainly will."

Natsume agreed without hesitation.

How could he refuse such a good thing?

"I'll head back to my office. Call me if you need anything."

Kurenai turned and left in heels.

As she closed the door, she gave Natsume another smile.

With the slanted line of her leaning neckline, it was rather alluring.

"Really nice."

Natsume once again felt that being Hokage wasn't all grunt work.

For now, he had only one Hokage secretary—Kurenai.

When Yamanaka Ino grew up, there'd be two.

Ahem.

That was for later.

Natsume returned to his work handling village affairs.

After finishing most of it, he was at loose ends.

He decided to go check on his student, Uchiha Sasuke.

He cast the Flying Thunder God Technique.

Natsume appeared at the Uchiha compound.

"Natsume-sensei."

Sasuke approached at once when he saw him.

He already knew Natsume's trip to Hozuki Castle had been to help him awaken his eyes, and he felt grateful.

After attaining Enlightenment (Satori), his ocular power was increasing by the moment.

Once it reached a certain limit, he'd be able to awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan—

without an intense emotional trigger; it would come naturally.

"Looks like you've recovered well."

Natsume sized him up.

"Thank you, sensei."

Sasuke hesitated, then bowed slightly.

Rare for him.

First, because Natsume truly treated him well.

Second, because of Mikoto's request.

In his mother's words: though Natsume is only a few years older than you, a teacher for a day is a father for life. Don't be too casual before him—treat him as an elder.