"This is..."
Kakuzu hesitated slightly. From its appearance alone, he could tell how dangerous and terrifying the thing before him was.
"This is Earth Grudge Fear. It is a trophy I obtained after destroying a small ninja clan some time ago. Because it had great research value, I kept it here and studied it specifically. I want to hand this thing over to you, Kakuzu."
A strange look flashed through Yayoi's eyes as he spoke meaningfully.
Earth Grudge Fear.
This was something that had appeared in the original story. Or rather, it was a forbidden jutsu.
In the original, Kakuzu relied on this power to remain active from the Warring States era until decades later, still preserving the body of a man in his prime without aging.
If he had not died at the hands of Konoha ninja, Kakuzu might have lived for a very long time.
After all, Earth Grudge Fear could seize the hearts of others and use them as sources of life energy, providing the user with fresh vitality and achieving an effect close to immortality.
Moreover, this thing could also steal hearts and obtain the ninjutsu of others.
It was an extremely mysterious and terrifying forbidden technique.
So Yayoi continued explaining some of Earth Grudge Fear's abilities and characteristics to Kakuzu.
After listening, Kakuzu only felt disbelief.
It was not that he did not want to use it. Rather, he felt that something this powerful being given to him by Yayoi-sama was almost too much.
Was this not too wasteful?
According to Yayoi, if he could master this forbidden jutsu, his strength would immediately multiply several times over. And the traits of agelessness and near-immortality...
That power was far too tempting.
As for the risks of a forbidden jutsu...
If there were no risks, would it still be called forbidden?
Besides, he trusted Yayoi's judgment. Since Yayoi said he could master this jutsu, then he must have that talent.
When it came to trusting Yayoi, Kakuzu trusted him even more than he trusted himself.
"I understand, Yayoi-sama. Please let me... no, please allow me to try this jutsu."
Kakuzu had courage. Even becoming the test subject for a forbidden jutsu did not make him reject it.
As a ninja who had followed Yayoi through a chaotic age and helped carve out a nation, he understood the importance of power very clearly.
Many times, he had blamed himself for his own lack of strength, which prevented him from helping Yayoi more.
Moreover, the effects brought by this forbidden jutsu were simply too powerful and tempting.
"Then let us begin. There is a sealed chamber nearby. Go there to fuse with it."
Yayoi pressed a switch. A door suddenly opened in the nearby wall, revealing a sealed quiet room.
Yayoi then opened the glass container and released the pitch-black tentacle heart inside.
Kakuzu stepped forward and grabbed one of the tentacles.
Like venomous snakes, the other tentacles quickly crawled up Kakuzu's body and began wrapping around him.
A cold aura passed through Kakuzu's entire body, making him frown.
"Then I will go in first, Yayoi-sama."
Holding the heart tentacles, Kakuzu stepped into the sealed chamber and shut the stone door. No sound from inside could be heard outside.
Yayoi did not disturb him. He simply stood where he was, calm and composed as he waited for the result.
Yayoi was very confident that Kakuzu would fully fuse with the forbidden jutsu Earth Grudge Fear.
First, because the Kakuzu in the original story had endured the fusion of the forbidden jutsu and mastered it.
Second, because Earth Grudge Fear had been processed by his chakra and specially activated. While increasing its power and vitality, this had also greatly reduced the life-threatening risks brought by the forbidden jutsu.
Even if the attempt failed, Kakuzu would not be in danger of dying.
One hour...
Two hours...
Three hours...
Four hours...
Six hours passed before the stone door slowly opened.
Kakuzu walked out of the room in a tattered ninja outfit.
His already eerie green eyes seemed even deeper now.
The aura around him also gave Yayoi a sense of danger, no longer as harmless as before.
Several black tentacles wriggled out from his ears. They looked like black blood vessels, their surface carrying a dull, dark sheen.
Then, as if receiving an order, the black blood-vessel-like tentacles withdrew into Kakuzu's ears and disappeared.
Kakuzu did not seem to have suffered any damage. In fact, his body looked even sturdier than before. There were none of the stitched marks he had in the original story.
Yayoi suspected that the Kakuzu in the original had deliberately modified his body into that stitched state to make it easier for Earth Grudge Fear's tentacles to attack and enrich his fighting methods.
"How does it feel?"
Yayoi asked Kakuzu for his impression.
"Very good. It feels as if I have stepped into a new realm... Mm, and there is this."
Kakuzu took out a kunai and swiftly cut open his arm.
There was no blood.
Black-vessel tentacles sprang from the wound and danced wildly.
Then the black vessels withdrew, and the wound healed on its own.
Seeing this, Yayoi smiled in satisfaction.
"As expected. After increasing its activity with my chakra, this forbidden jutsu has gained the ability to grant the user self-healing."
Yayoi was not surprised by this result.
After he processed it with his own chakra, such an outcome was only natural.
Earth Grudge Fear was a living forbidden jutsu.
After its vitality and activity were increased, gaining a new ability similar to self-healing was a perfectly normal development.
And the changes to Earth Grudge Fear did not stop there.
In the original, when Kakuzu wanted to use the ninjutsu of those whose hearts he had stolen, he needed to release the corresponding masks or extensions before using those jutsus.
Now, even without releasing separate bodies, Kakuzu could freely use the stolen ninjutsu as his main body. This could be considered an optimization.
"I was wondering why it felt so similar to Yayoi-sama's self-healing ability. So that is why. This jutsu is extremely valuable. If I fought Orochi now, I would not lose."
Kakuzu was full of confidence and very satisfied with his current state.
A continuous stream of vitality and chakra surged inside him, constantly strengthening his body.
Previously, he had still been quite wary of Aburame Orochi's power. Now, he no longer felt that way.
Yayoi smiled.
He knew Kakuzu had been under great pressure recently.
After all, the Land of Night had gained a fresh force like the Aburame clan. As one of Yayoi's original retainers, Kakuzu's strength had gradually started to fall behind.
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Now that anxiety had disappeared from Kakuzu's eyes, replaced by firm confidence.
And this was still only the basic state. Earth Grudge Fear could still obtain four more hearts and further increase his power.
A complete Kakuzu would have no problem defeating Orochi, the clan head of the Aburame clan.
However, there was still a considerable gap between him and Irori.
Even so, Kakuzu, whose strength had greatly increased, was now one of the rare top-tier ninja in the ninja world.
In the short term, my own strength is unlikely to undergo any qualitative leap. This is good too. Kakuzu, now that he has Earth Grudge Fear, can reduce the burden on me quite a bit.
Yayoi thought this happily.
Aside from improving himself, raising the strength of his subordinates as much as possible was also a way to indirectly strengthen the military power of the Land of Night.
If he had no capable subordinates, the burden of an entire country would press down on him. One could easily imagine how exhausting that would be.
Yayoi did not consider himself the type to suffer for the sake of suffering.
◎
Late December.
The Land of Night, the inner court of the Shogun's Residence.
"Kichō-hime, you have truly become far too improper recently! If you keep falling into this kind of decadence, Shogun-sama will come to dislike you!"
Perhaps because they could no longer endure it, Hyūga Aoi and Hyūga Rinko, acting as her attendants, finally lost their temper. They began sternly scolding Kichō, their mistress, and loudly warning her of the painful consequences if she continued to be so careless.
Shogun-sama might dislike her, or even abandon her.
"Eh? But my husband cherishes me every night. He does not care about such small things at all."
Facing the scolding of her two attendants, Kichō smiled faintly, waved her hand without concern, and continued playing with the various strange items sent by people below to please her.
Like a child, she fiddled with things she had never seen back in the Hyūga clan.
Some were baby items meant to bless her with children soon.
Some were high-end cosmetics made from precious medicinal herbs, meant to help her stay young and beautiful.
There were also all kinds of delicacies and desserts from different countries, bright and gorgeous clothing, and finely crafted handmade or mechanical objects.
In short, whether she had thought of them or not, as long as she gave the slightest hint, someone would naturally provide attentive service for her.
This feeling of being surrounded and respected by others was also a pleasure she had never experienced in the Hyūga clan.
Aoi and Rinko were so angry their faces turned red, and they could not speak.
She still had the nerve to say that.
Every night, she stirred up the shogun, and even late into the night, she would keep "singing." Should she not consider the feelings of the two of them sleeping in the side room?
Heaven knew how many damp undergarments they had to wash every day.
Was that sort of thing really so addictive?
As a side note, although the master bedroom of Yayoi and Kichō had soundproofing against the outside, its interior was connected to the side rooms.
There was some soundproofing between the master bedroom and the side rooms, but it was not especially strong.
So if the two branch family girls resting in the side rooms listened carefully, they could vaguely hear some movement from the master bedroom.
Moreover, Kichō's "singing" every night was so loud that it was difficult not to hear it.
"Even so, Kichō-hime, you should still be more frugal in your clothing, food, and daily expenses. Ninja should be able to endure hardship and work diligently..."
Aoi and Rinko began earnestly lecturing Kichō, telling her to save money and not live extravagantly.
Most importantly, she should not keep buying huge piles of things that she might use once and never touch again.
"It is fine. My husband said these expenses are barely worth mentioning. Besides, if I no longer use something, I can simply gift it to the wives and daughters of subordinate civil officials."
Kichō faced the two attendants' endless lecturing without the slightest intention of reflection.
"..."
Aoi and Rinko were rendered speechless.
That was indeed true. This was not the first time they had reported to Yayoi and asked him to manage Kichō's food, clothing, and expenses.
But every time, Yayoi would say he understood. Then Kichō would start acting spoiled, and he would throw the matter to the back of his mind.
Or perhaps he had never intended to lecture her in the first place.
For all they knew, the couple might simply be enjoying their own private form of affection.
After all, ever since they got married, every night had been the same, rain or shine. A ninja's powerful body was not supposed to be used specifically for that sort of thing.
The two girls were trembling with anger.
Kichō was even worse. She had been married here for three months.
Every day, she ate the best food, used the finest things, and her nightly life was intense beyond words.
If not that, she would go act spoiled and cling to the shogun. Sometimes, even during the day, her hands and feet were not exactly proper.
One time, they had vaguely seen Kichō pressed against a pillar in the corridor of the courtyard, softly "singing."
Her life was becoming more and more like that of a decadent noble girl.
As for ninja training, she had not done it even once.
Her luxurious and idle lifestyle had become so excessive that even they, her attendants, could no longer bear to watch.
As for reporting it to the Hyūga main family, that was impossible.
If the main family intervened, that would mean interfering in the politics of the Land of Night. It would no longer be an internal matter of the shogun's household, and it could trigger an international dispute.
"Kichō-hime, we are not criticizing you. We only hope you can correct your attitude a little. Ever since you married here, you have not trained for even a single day. Your body must be rusting by now. The most important spirit of the Hyūga clan is the ability to endure hardship..."
As they spoke, Aoi and Rinko once again entered the path of earnest lecturing, firmly determined to pull Kichō back onto the proper path.
Ninja were supposed to use hardship to continuously temper and improve themselves.
Pleasure was a ninja's great enemy.
"I know, I know. I will pay a little more attention from now on."
Kichō waved her hand somewhat impatiently, signaling for the two of them to stop lecturing.
As for how much she had actually taken in, only she herself knew.
After all, before she married here, she had already suffered plenty in the Hyūga clan. Now that she had become the shogun's wife, if she still had to suffer, had she not become the shogun's wife for nothing?
Aoi and Rinko could only stop their lecture, hoping Kichō would truly improve in the future.
◎
Inside the softly lit bedroom.
"Aoi and Rinko came to complain to me again."
After returning, Yayoi placed his coat on the screen-like clothes rack, rubbed the little head that Kichō had affectionately brought close, and smiled helplessly as he watched the girl throw herself into his arms like a small animal.
"Those two really love taking things seriously. Why did I never notice that back in the clan?"
Kichō was also troubled by the earnest scolding of her two attendants.
Especially since it was the kind of lecture given for her own good. She could neither hit nor scold them, and could only honestly listen.
Although she had the ability to activate the Caged Bird Seal and use the curse mark to make the two of them shut up, she would never do such a thing.
Aoi and Rinko were advising her because they were loyal and wanted what was best for her. If they had other ill intentions, only then would she teach them a lesson.
"Is it not because you have become too lazy, Kichō?"
"Does my husband dislike me now?"
Hearing the suddenly tearful voice by his ear, Yayoi did not know whether to laugh or sigh.
His wife's ability to play pitiful had truly been learned without a teacher.
"I only mentioned it. That little bit of spending is not enough to make me take it seriously."
That was right. Although Kichō had been spending quite freely recently, far beyond her past level of consumption, in truth, even if her spending rose another level, it would be impossible for her to empty his private treasury even after a hundred years.
Moreover, the Land of Night's economic development was stable and healthy. Kichō's spending could not remotely keep up with the income of his private treasury.
Besides, Kichō's spending was not useless. At the very least, she took out some of the things she bought and bestowed them upon the wives and daughters of civil officials.
For someone in a high position, that in itself was a means of recognition and connection, capable of reassuring those civil officials.
Whether the items were expensive or not was not important. The important thing was who had bestowed them.
As a country where the military dominated everything, the Land of Night was highly bound to Yayoi himself and the army. Therefore, his interests aligned with those of the ninja and samurai.
But for the civil officials who managed domestic affairs, it was a different kind of torment.
They respected Yayoi, and they feared him.
So if someone could act in his place and calm the hearts of those civil officials, that would be a good thing.
In this matter, no one was more suitable than Kichō.
In the eyes of outsiders, Kichō was the shogun's wife. Everything she did represented the will of the shogun himself.
Kichō rewarding the female relatives of civil officials and putting those officials at ease meant that the shogun also valued them and recognized the achievements of the civil administration.
This young wife of his was sharp inside. She had seen through the hidden problem within the Land of Night at a glance and immediately provided her own solution.
"As long as my husband does not blame me, that is enough. Now then, my husband, it is time to rest."
Kichō pulled Yayoi's arm toward the bedding, her body growing warm with anticipation.
Her figure was fuller than many adult women's, like slender branches bearing rich fruit.
A soft, intimate atmosphere spread through the spacious bedroom.
"Speaking of which, did you put away that sword?"
Yayoi looked around and did not see the special chakra blade Kichō had carried with her when she married over.
"That thing is inconvenient to keep carrying around."
"But it can be used for self-defense."
Yayoi still remembered the sight of Kichō on their first night, wearing her wedding clothes while holding that blade.
"Honestly, my husband, must you tease me like this to be satisfied?"
Kichō's face flushed slightly, and her eyes became reproachful.
"It is satisfying. The way you looked that night gave a strong urge to conquer."
"Then... what about now?"
"I should be asking you that, Kichō. Has your heart finally settled? Do you know? Recently, your smiles have become much more real."
Yayoi held Kichō's chin and gently lifted it.
The girl's pure white eyes were filled entirely with his reflection.
"Mm... Then make me yield even more, my husband."
Kichō blushed shyly and slowly closed her eyes.
Perhaps her heart had already taken this person's shape completely.
No, perhaps she had willingly wanted it to become his shape.
Compared with the suffocating place that was the Hyūga clan, this was her true sanctuary.
Tonight was destined to be sleepless, with songs lasting until dawn.