"It seems I need to train properly as well. If I fall too far behind, I feel as though I won't be able to stand beside you anymore, my husband. I still hope that one day, I can fight shoulder to shoulder with you."
After listening to Yayoi's earnest words, Kichō's heart filled with the desire to grow stronger.
As a genius of the Hyūga clan, during the half year she had spent in the Land of Night, she had also felt immense pressure.
Recently, she had increased the amount of time she spent training, and her strength was steadily improving. But when she thought of the gap between herself, Yayoi, and Irori, she felt she had to work even harder.
"There is no need to rush. Take it slowly. Your strength is already excellent, Kichō. Besides, I will help you."
Yayoi was not lying.
Kichō was only seventeen this year, yet she had already caught up to Kakuzu before he fused with Earth Grudge Fear. Her strength was roughly close to Hatake Kakashi during the Land of Waves arc, though her chakra reserves should surpass Kakashi's.
Ninja who possessed kekkei genkai were born with powerful chakra.
If she maintained this pace, then in another ten years, Kichō might be able to rival Kakuzu after obtaining Earth Grudge Fear.
A ninja of that level was already among the top ranks of the ninja world.
Most ninja were not as strong as people imagined. They had some skill, certainly, but on the battlefield, they were still only background figures for truly powerful ninja.
"Take this jutsu and train with it, Kichō. With your current strength, you should have reached the minimum requirement to practice it."
Under Kichō's curious gaze, Yayoi took a black ninjutsu scroll from the ninja tool pouch he carried with him.
Kichō accepted it. The moment she touched the material of the ninjutsu scroll, she knew this jutsu was absolutely not ordinary.
Because the material used to make this ninjutsu scroll was special chakra paper.
Without the correct sequence of hand seals, the content shown on the scroll would become a false training method.
If someone rashly trained from it, it would directly damage their chakra pathway system. In severe cases, it could even result in death.
"This is an activation chakra skill I created based on my own active chakra. I named it Chakra Living Body Art. Although I call it a jutsu, it is actually a special chakra refinement method. It allows the user's chakra to become 'alive,' comprehensively increasing the power of taijutsu, genjutsu, and ninjutsu. Resistance to damage and recovery speed from injuries will also improve significantly."
Yayoi explained.
The chakra refined through this method could be considered a degraded version of his own active chakra.
Even so, this was still an important skill capable of becoming the foundation of a ninja clan.
Kichō was not someone who failed to recognize value. After hearing Yayoi's explanation, she instantly understood that this was a precious thing that could stir up a storm of bloodshed if even a whisper of it spread outside.
As a ninja born from a great clan, Kichō knew very well that a skill used to strengthen the basic foundation of a ninja was far more valuable than a completed jutsu.
Chakra refinement methods sounded simple and unimpressive, as if every ninja knew them, but they were actually one of the most fundamental secrets of a ninja and a ninja clan.
Once leaked, they could be taken by enemies and used to counter them.
That was because the chakra refinement method of every ninja clan was different.
Normal chakra refinement created chakra by combining physical energy and spiritual energy.
But there were also special cases. Many ninja clans could create chakra using only physical energy or only spiritual energy, then use it to perform special secret jutsus different from ordinary elemental chakra.
For example, the Aburame clan that had joined the Land of Night created special chakra through a unique refinement method, which they used to control insects.
That was precisely why the ninjutsu scroll Yayoi had given her was so valuable.
This activation chakra skill that Yayoi had created, which outsiders could learn and use, was fundamentally similar to the special chakra refined and used by clans with secret jutsus.
It was a foundation strong enough to support the rise of an entire ninja clan.
"I understand, my husband. I will train this skill properly."
Kichō did not act coy. She only made up her mind that she would work hard to learn this chakra refinement skill as soon as possible and not disappoint Yayoi.
"Speaking of which, I bought a rather special outfit a few days ago. Tonight... would my husband like to see it?"
Kichō blushed shyly, lowering her head and dropping her gaze.
Her delicate, dependent appearance made it seem as if she had already prepared herself to be admired.
Unable to repay him in any other way, she could only let herself work hard tonight... no, enjoy herself to the fullest.
Yayoi had originally wanted to tell Kichō that this active chakra refinement method was only a low-grade template based on his active chakra. Even if someone learned it, it would be impossible to reverse-engineer his fundamental secret from it.
Moreover, at his current level, even if his chakra refinement method were exposed, weaknesses and such were already very difficult to use to determine the outcome of a battle.
The reason exposing a chakra refinement method carried risk was because a ninja clan mostly consisted of weaker members.
The weak needed intelligence warfare.
The strong... only needed a hard left punch, an even harder right punch, and they could crush through everything.
However, when he heard Kichō mention "a rather special outfit," Yayoi's words suddenly stuck in his throat and would not come out.
Forget it. He could explain that tomorrow.
Sigh. Kichō, you truly are making things difficult for your husband.
Tonight, it seemed he could only let his poor body suffer a little first.
◎
"This is... clothing?"
In the inner court of the Shogun's Residence, Hyūga Aoi and Hyūga Rinko were doing laundry, responsible for washing the clothes Irori had sent over.
Hyūga Aoi picked up a white women's ninja outfit from the basket.
Hm?
Why was it so sheer?
And the hem was so short. It felt so light it was almost weightless.
And this fragile material... would it not tear apart with just a little force?
Why would Kichō-hime wear such an unreliable ninja outfit?
"What a strange piece of clothing. And this... I think these are called stockings, right? They're a new popular item that recently came in from another country."
Rinko picked up two long white pieces of fabric. They felt very comfortable to the touch.
The two of them spent some effort washing the clothes that had been sent over, then placed them in the corresponding drying room to dry.
It had been almost half a year since they moved into the Shogun's Residence.
This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
The two branch-family girls had long since grown used to life here.
Rather, compared to the Hyūga clan, their days here could be called carefree.
They did not need to go to the battlefield, nor did they need to do heavy work. Their daily tasks consisted of washing clothes, delivering meals to Kichō and Yayoi at fixed times, keeping the main residence clean, and similar chores. All of it was easy work.
It also did not take much time. Altogether, they only worked three or four hours a day. As ninja, they were very capable with their hands, so they worked much faster than ordinary people. Ordinary housework was not difficult for them.
After setting aside seven hours for sleep, the remaining time was theirs to use freely as long as nothing special happened.
They could leisurely drink afternoon tea in the inner court, sit in a daze, sleep, or train. If they felt bored, they could also go outside to shop and buy things they liked. Their monthly allowance was very generous, an amount they could not have imagined in the past.
Because of that, they developed a habit they had never had in their former clan: saving money.
Back in the clan, it was not that they had no habit of saving. Rather, they simply did not have much money. Most of it had to be handed over and uniformly distributed by the clan head and elders. But as marginal figures, the amount they received each month was naturally pitifully small.
Now, they stored away the money they could not spend. Every day, looking at the increasing amount inside their coin jars made them feel incredibly happy.
Several of their coin jars had already filled up.
"Kichō-hime, lunch is here."
Aoi and Rinko arrived at the main bedroom.
One carried the meal, and the other carried dessert and fruit for after the meal. They placed everything on the dining table.
Then they opened the windows, letting more sunlight shine into the room.
They turned back and glanced at the bedding on the tatami. Mm, as expected, it was a mess.
"Ah, you're here. Could you help me up? I can't get up by myself."
Kichō weakly poked her head out from the bedding. Her beautiful black hime-cut hair was somewhat messy in places, scattered across the bedding and floor like seaweed spread completely open.
"Kichō-hime, are you injured?"
Rinko walked over and asked in confusion.
Aoi followed as well, going to the other side, planning to help Rinko support Kichō up from the bedding.
"It's nothing serious. My husband was simply in high spirits last night, and I accidentally strained my waist."
Kichō's thunderbolt of a statement instantly made Aoi and Rinko's faces turn bright red. Their bodies froze in place.
Strained her waist!?
With the powerful physique of an excellent ninja, what exactly had Kichō-hime and the shogun done last night, and how intense had things become, for her to strain her waist?
Aoi and Rinko imagined the scene for just a moment, and their fair cheeks grew even redder, nearly dripping blood.
Their heads felt dizzy, and their bodies swayed unsteadily, as if they might faint at any moment.
Kichō-hime was far too terrifying, far too indecent!
"Oh my, you two aren't thinking something rude, are you?"
Seeing the two of them blush like pure little white flowers, Kichō immediately knew what kind of improper scenes they had imagined in their minds.
Kichō could only say that this was a grave underestimation of her as a genius girl of the Hyūga clan.
What happened last night was only more shameless than what the two of them imagined.
"No, no."
Aoi and Rinko hurriedly shook their heads, still blushing as they helped Kichō out of bed and dress.
Only then did they realize that when Kichō came out from the bedding, she was wearing nothing except a pair of wrinkled white stockings over her legs.
Too scandalous!
After that, Kichō changed into the kimono she usually wore, and her appearance was carefully tidied. Her beautiful hime-cut black hair was also combed perfectly into place.
Once again, she became the dignified and elegant shogun's wife she appeared to be before outsiders.
"Speaking of which, you two have been at the Shogun's Residence for so many days, but you still haven't served at night, have you?"
As if suddenly remembering something, Kichō tilted her head slightly. The corner of her eye swept toward Aoi and Rinko, who were behind her helping fix her hair and clothes.
"Ah, s-s-s-serve at night!?"
Rinko's body stiffened, and the wooden comb in her hand dropped to the floor in fright.
Aoi's hands, which were arranging Kichō's clothes, also paused.
"Of course. You two accompanied me here as the shogun's future consorts when I married into this household. Since I strained my waist, starting from today, you two can take turns attending him."
Kichō's tone was filled with complete matter-of-factness.
She did not have any thought of monopolizing Yayoi by herself.
As the ruler of a country, how could he have only one woman?
The future of the Oda family did not rest solely on her husband Yayoi's shoulders. As the shogun's wife, she too carried the future of the Oda family on her shoulders.
"B-but..."
Aoi and Rinko stammered, unable to form a proper sentence.
"If the Oda family is to grow, relying on me alone will not be enough. My husband needs more outstanding women to spread the family's branches and leaves. This is not for the sake of satisfying personal desire. It is the responsibility a ruler must bear. If my husband does not have enough children, the country will become uneasy. You two would not want the country to fall into instability because my husband lacks heirs, would you?"
The moment Kichō said this, the match was over.
"So you two should start calling me Kichō-neesama."
Kichō looked at their bright red faces and found it rather amusing.
Aoi and Rinko mumbled helplessly, not daring to raise their heads.
But the fact that neither of them refused meant they had no objection.
◎
The highest office area of the tenshu pavilion was a vast space of several hundred square meters.
Today, only Yayoi was here handling official business. Irori was still outside dealing with the matter of wandering ninja from other countries. Whether suppression or recruitment, both required a certain amount of time.
Occasionally, civil officials came to discuss matters, or to deliver completed documents and files for him to conduct the final review and make decisions.
After all, it was impossible for Yayoi alone to handle all the official duties of a country. Even if he worked himself to death, he would never finish everything.
"Jōnin, chūnin, genin... It seems the ninja rank system has begun to appear."
An intelligence document from Konohagakure in the Land of Fire was delivered into Yayoi's hands. He glanced over the content it revealed. Konoha had decided through a high-level meeting to conduct more detailed rank-based management of ninja.
That was right. In this era, ninja actually had no so-called rank divisions.
Whether a ninja was strong or not, and whether their level was high or low, was something people found out by fighting first.
Weak ninja could also rely on strange and unpredictable ninjutsu to defeat stronger ninja under special circumstances.
And now, this ninja rank system had finally appeared.
Unsurprisingly, this was most likely a system invented by Senju Tobirama.
Although Yayoi had the advantage of foresight, he had not popularized this system before Konoha proposed it.
Because the influence of this system was neither too great nor too small. It was better for it to be proposed by Konoha, the strongest ninja village.
Only Konohagakure possessed the ability and influence to divide the ninja ranks of the entire ninja world.
"Making ranks clear is also a good thing. It allows work to be assigned more precisely."
Yayoi nodded and took out another file.
Recorded on it was one Land of Night ninja or samurai after another. All of them were elites whose strength could be crowned with the title of jōnin.
Originally, there had only been close to twenty people. But after the Aburame clan joined, and after several declining small ninja clans were incorporated, there were also some jōnin-level ninja among them.
At present, the number of ninja who had reached jōnin level was close to fifty. Among them, the Aburame clan alone had more than ten jōnin.
However, only their strength met the standard. Whether their other qualities also met the standard was still unknown.
After all, strictly speaking, jōnin, chūnin, and genin were not strength ranks, but administrative ranks.
It was simply that in most cases, jōnin represented an average ability far superior to chūnin and genin.
Starting from chūnin, whether one possessed a calm mind and the ability to lead a team would also become an important standard in ninja evaluation.
If a ninja could not meet that standard, then no matter how strong they were, they would still be classified as a lower-ranked ninja.
"Besides the ninja rank system, things like forehead protectors will probably step onto the stage next."
Yayoi chuckled. Watching the era step by step move closer to the original story was truly quite entertaining.
After reading this, other intelligence also entered Yayoi's review.
For example, after several dozen days, the ninja villages of the other four great nations had already developed proper outlines.
In order to catch up to Konoha as quickly as possible, they would likely confirm their "Kage" candidates the moment their villages were officially completed, then begin exchanges with Konoha from an equal position.
That day would not be far off. At the latest, next month, the first generation of Kage would begin appearing one after another.
The mobility of the great nation ninja could clearly be seen.
Aside from the actions of the great nations, some small countries and ninja clans were also within Yayoi's attention.
That included the distant relatives of the Senju clan, the Uzumaki clan.
After refusing to join Konohagakure, they used their clan land as the center and established Uzushiogakure southeast of the Land of Fire, while actively building a country.
At their current speed of execution, the Uzumaki clan could complete the outline of a country before the first half of the year ended. But for it to truly get on the right track, it would take at least several years.
A ninja village and a country were ultimately different kinds of organizations.
In a while, he could look into marriage alliances with the Uzumaki, Uchiha, and other clans, collecting more kekkei genkai. When that happened, the Land of Night would become a "little Konoha.”