Night had fallen.
Inside the main bedroom of the inner court of the Shogun's Residence.
The candlelight on the lampstands was dim, its glow close to the last light before dusk. Only the area around the bedding could barely be called bright.
And kneeling there on the bright bedding, waiting for him, was not Kichō, his beautiful wife, but two lovely young women whose beauty was only slightly below hers.
The girl on the left had long black hair tied into lively twin-tails with blue ribbons.
The girl on the right had neat, smooth, shoulder-length hair.
These two beautiful girls, both radiating youthful charm, were none other than the attendants who had accompanied Kichō in marriage: Hyūga Aoi and Hyūga Rinko.
At this moment, the two of them were kneeling nervously on the soft, white bedding.
They were not wearing their usual kimono-style maid outfits, but a type of kimono with a very short hem, barely covering their thighs.
The broad sleeves on their arms were almost absent, or rather, they were transparent like a layer of thin gauze, clearly revealing their fair, delicate arms.
Aside from that, the only other thing the two girls wore was a pair of snow-white tabi socks.
The difference was that Aoi wore a blue kimono, while Rinko wore a pink one.
Their faces were so pure and clean, yet after putting on this miniskirt-like kimono...
Their kneeling bodies were trembling faintly. For girls as innocent as them, their brains were probably on the verge of overheating from embarrassment.
As for the one who had created this scene...
Yayoi tilted his head slightly.
A pair of soft, fragrant arms reached around from behind, gently wrapping around his neck. Beside his ear, Kichō laughed and whispered in a soft, sweet voice:
"What do you think, my husband? Do Aoi and Rinko look cute like this?"
"They do."
Yayoi rubbed his chin. Almost without thinking, he gave the answer from his heart with a smile.
When it came to facing his own desires, he was not the type to hide them much.
Whether it was Kichō, Aoi, or Rinko, all of them were rare beauties. To say he did not like or appreciate them would simply be dishonest.
When the two innocent branch-family girls heard that judgment, they could not tell whether what surged in their hearts was shame or something else.
Their heads lowered even further.
"Sho... my husband, please be gentle with us..."
The two lowered their small heads, their voices trembling, unable to hide their shyness and anticipation.
Clearly, they had already prepared themselves to become the shogun's consorts.
Rather, from the moment they stepped into the Shogun's Residence half a year ago, they had been waiting for this day.
"Go on, my husband. Show them the spirit of a serious campaign. Make them yours, body and heart."
From behind him came Kichō's smiling voice, cheering him on.
Yayoi no longer stood on ceremony. His throat moved slightly, a little dry.
He stepped forward, approaching the two girls who were waiting in shy bloom.
The weather in March was still cold, but the room was warm.
In the past, Yayoi had felt that what rested on his shoulders was a heavy burden.
But now, Yayoi felt that the burden on his broad shoulders was not only heavy, it also carried the future of these two girls, as well as the weighty responsibility of being shogun.
Sigh. Though it was hard work, who told him to be the shogun?
◎
Last night was so embarrassing I thought I would die... but...
Burying her head in the warm, comfortable bedding, Aoi woke up feeling not only tired and sore, but also filled with an indescribable sense of satisfaction.
That satisfaction from deep within her heart quickly diluted the fatigue in her body.
Instinctively, she thought again of the wonderful joy from last night, as though she had shed her mortal shell and ascended into the sky, making her heart pound wildly.
By the end, she no longer knew how long it had lasted. Dazed and sweetly exhausted, she had fallen asleep.
She now understood a little why Kichō was so enthusiastic about "singing" every night.
Aoi quietly poked her head out of the bedding. The first thing she met was another pair of pure white eyes, clean yet filled with shyness.
Rinko, lying beside her, had also woken up.
The instant their shy white gazes met, they immediately looked away like guilty thieves.
After all, last night, both of them had personally witnessed the other's dazed and embarrassing state.
Now that they suddenly faced each other, it felt as if the most shameful part of themselves had been completely exposed again.
Although they had already seen it, it was still mortifying.
"Rinko..."
"Mm?"
From inside the warm bedding came Rinko's muffled voice.
"You're awake?"
Aoi felt she had asked a very stupid question. Had her brain broken?
The moment she said it, she regretted it a little, and her gaze drifted away.
"...I'm awake. Is your body all right?"
Rinko took the initiative to break the silence.
"Other than being a little tired, I'm fine."
Although she was not a powerful ninja, Aoi believed her physical condition was still quite good.
Not to mention, the Hyūga clan trained in taijutsu from childhood. The foundation was there.
Rinko was the same. Other than being a little tired, there were no other bad reactions.
"As expected..."
"What?"
Hearing Aoi mutter to herself, Rinko raised her head slightly.
"Sho... my husband's physique is really strong. When he got up this morning, I saw him vaguely. He didn't look tired at all."
Aoi whispered to Rinko as if carefully discussing some secret.
Rinko blushed slightly.
"Why are you talking about that? It's too embarrassing."
"It's fine. We're truly adults now. We'll probably be working together often from now on."
After adjusting her emotions, Aoi quickly calmed the disorder in her heart.
Even the embarrassment faded by quite a bit.
"Adults, you say..."
"It's true, isn't it? All right, we should get up. It's almost nine."
Aoi crawled out of the bedding, walked aside, and picked up a fresh, proper set of clothes to wear.
Rinko then got up and dressed as well, though judging from her red face, she was probably still embarrassed.
After the two of them dressed, they tidied up the chaos in the room.
Because last night's battle had been a little intense, cleaning up took them more time than usual.
The two walked out of the bedroom. They did not see Kichō in the courtyard, so she was probably at the training ground.
Over the past two or three months, Kichō had long since changed from the decadence and laziness she had shown when she first arrived. Almost every day, she trained her Byakugan and Gentle Fist.
Sometimes, after Yayoi finished handling official business, or after he threw official business to Irori, he would also come to the inner court training ground and train together with Kichō.
By comparison, Aoi and Rinko did not have an especially strong pursuit of becoming stronger.
Perhaps life in the Shogun's Residence was too comfortable, making them forget the cruel environment outside where the weak were prey to the strong.
Even so, Aoi and Rinko still hoped to contribute in some way.
In terms of strength, they might not be able to help Yayoi and Kichō, but they could make up for it in other areas.
Although their personalities were different, neither of them was the kind of girl who enjoyed living off others without doing anything. Nor did they like days spent idling around. That would feel like wasting their lives.
Deep down, they were still hardworking women who fit the traditional mainstream ideal, hoping to find something they could do.
◎
Konoha Year One, early April.
The inner court of the Shogun's Residence, Yomi Castle.
Today, Yayoi did not handle official business in the tenshu pavilion as usual.
After waking up in the morning, he left the inner court and went to the outer court of the Shogun's Residence, apparently to handle some matters.
It was almost eleven when he returned to the inner court. He had a few items in his hands, as well as three stamped sheets of paper.
"My husband, may I ask what these are?"
On the corridor outside the bedroom, a light breeze drifted by.
The weather in April still carried a chill, but it was gradually warming.
Yayoi called Kichō, Aoi, and Rinko over. Looking at the three girls, each beautiful in her own way, Yayoi's already good mood became even better.
"These are ninja forehead protectors, along with your ninja registration documents."
Yayoi handed the three forehead protectors and three documents to the corresponding people.
The three accepted their forehead protectors and registration documents, curiously turning them over in their hands as if they found them interesting.
After Yayoi explained, they finally understood that forehead protectors were identifying markers similar to ninja clan crests. They were important symbols used to distinguish the ninja of each nation.
Ninja registration documents, meanwhile, were used to record a ninja's personal information. They also recorded each ninja's rank, and tasks would be assigned according to each ninja's level.
"This system has already been formally implemented in Konohagakure. Next, I intend to implement a similar system in the Land of Night as well. It will allow more refined management of the nation's ninja and samurai."
Yayoi took out his own ninja forehead protector.
The cord was black, while the metal plate was silver-gray. With excellent craftsmanship, a simplified red spider lily pattern had been engraved into it.
Aside from ninja forehead protectors, there were naturally corresponding forehead protectors for samurai.
The emblem on the samurai forehead protector was the same as that on the ninja forehead protector. The only difference was that the cord was white.
After all, the Land of Night was a nation that possessed both ninja and samurai. The forehead protectors also had to be localized, distinguishing ninja from samurai.
At the same time, there were samurai ranks corresponding to jōnin, chūnin, and genin. However, compared to ninja, the ranking system for samurai was relatively more complicated.
The reason was that in this era, samurai were no longer the mainstream. There were already signs that they were gradually being replaced by ninja.
The Land of Night was somewhat better in this regard. In many countries across the ninja world, samurai had already become almost legendary existences, gradually disappearing into history and losing the influence needed to compete on the same stage as ninja.
"So that means I am a jōnin?"
Kichō quickly understood what Yayoi meant. At the same time, she saw the corresponding title of "jōnin" on her ninja registration document.
Then she saw the ninja ID section.
Ninja ID: S-000003.
"Does this number mean I am the third ninja registered in the Land of Night?"
Kichō tilted her head, a little confused.
Judging from the meaning revealed by the ninja ID, Kichō's understanding was correct. The first and second ninja of the Land of Night were naturally Yayoi, the shogun, and Irori, his closest creation.
However, although she was the shogun's wife, she had only joined the Land of Night a short time ago. By comparison, she felt Kakuzu, one of Yayoi's trusted aides, was more qualified to receive the third ninja ID.
"Then I'm fourth, and Rinko is fifth?"
Aoi looked at her own ninja ID. It was S-000004. Rinko's ninja ID was S-000005.
"My husband, although we are all the women by your side, there is no need to use privilege in a place like this, is there?"
Kichō teased Yayoi.
In terms of who had come first, she, Aoi, and Rinko should not have received numbers this far ahead. Since it had actually happened, it was obvious that Yayoi had been biased and had secretly arranged it.
"About that..." Yayoi paused, then continued, "Numbers beginning with the letter S are numbers only family members centered around me can receive. They were never meant for outsiders. The numbers beginning with other letters are for the ninja and samurai under my command."
"Oh, is that how it is?"
After Yayoi explained, Kichō finally understood.
At the same time, she also understood why Yayoi had made such a distinction. Unlike ninja villages, where the leader was selected, the Land of Night was a monarchy.
The shogun was both the leader of the state's political power and the representative of its strongest military force.
That meant the position of "shogun" naturally carried a strong sense of hierarchy and had to be distinguished from others.
As Yayoi's legal wife and consorts, Kichō and the other two, regardless of their strength, were naturally the people closest to the shogun in terms of status. They also needed to be separated from others.
Compared to Kichō, who looked relaxed, Aoi and Rinko suddenly felt pressure weighing down on them.
That was right. They were already Yayoi's women now. They were not maids here anymore.
In other words, as Yayoi's consorts, they had both the responsibility and obligation to work with Yayoi, their husband, to develop the Land of Night.
But... could the two of them really do it?
In terms of strength and brains, neither of them was an outstanding talent. Their hearts were full of uncertainty.
"My husband, isn't the rank of chūnin a little too high for Rinko and me?"
Aoi pointed at the certification document. It showed that she and Rinko were ranked as chūnin of the Land of Night.
This was the backbone force second only to jōnin. Did they really qualify for such a position?
"Hehe. It seems you and Rinko really know nothing."
Kichō laughed at this moment.
Aoi and Rinko looked at her in confusion. They did not understand what Kichō meant. Had they misunderstood something?
Yayoi shook his head helplessly, then stepped forward and rubbed Rinko's head, making her shyly lower her head until only the tips of her feet could barely be seen.
"Do not belittle yourselves. In terms of ninja ability, Aoi, Rinko, the two of you have no problem serving as chūnin. Rather, most of the ninja in the Land of Night are actually very weak. Seventy percent can only be rated as genin. If the two of you get serious, you can defeat anyone among that seventy percent."
"Huh?"
Hearing Yayoi's explanation, Aoi and Rinko immediately widened their eyes, feeling that it was unbelievable.
Were the ninja of the Land of Night... really that weak?
As far as they knew, their husband was a powerful existence who could capture tailed beasts.
When he was young, he had destroyed the governments of two countries and established his own nation upon the ruins.
And Irori, who stayed by their husband's side, could instantly freeze a stretch of sea with her Ice Style ninjutsu.
Such powerful strength might not be enough to intimidate the great nations, but to small countries, it was an uncrossable chasm.
"Although ninja villages have begun to appear, the era of ninja clans... has not completely passed. The ninja under my husband are strong when they are strong, and extremely weak when they are weak. That is the flaw of not having a systematic teaching method. After spreading chakra refinement techniques, most of the Land of Night's ninja grew by relying on individual talent."
Between casual words and laughter, Kichō pierced straight into the Land of Night's greatest weakness.
That was right. Although Yayoi had not been stingy in spreading chakra refinement methods to those beneath him, there was ultimately no systematic teaching method, and various ninjutsu materials were also very lacking.
That meant that to produce truly powerful ninja, they could only rely on talent.
For example, Kakuzu. With the same chakra refinement, what ordinary people needed several days or even longer to learn, he could complete in half a day or even less. He could even infer many things from one example and completely train on his own.
Another example was Kurobei. Although he could not use ninjutsu, he relied on powerful chakra control and chakra projection skills, polishing his swordsmanship to the extreme. What he relied on was likewise extraordinary talent in swordsmanship and tangible chakra control.
Even Yayoi himself was such a genius.
After all, the wandering ninja who took him in had only been at chūnin level. As long as Yayoi mastered the basic chakra refinement method, he could use that first foundation to rapidly grow stronger.
As for those with ordinary talent... it was not that Yayoi did not want to make them stronger. Rather, at present, he simply could not do it.
Without systematic teaching materials and methods, without top-level instructors, and with all sorts of other objective and subjective reasons, nearly seventy percent of the Land of Night's ninja forces were cannon fodder meant to fill the line.
The middle-ranked chūnin were also very scarce. Like the jōnin, among the chūnin who currently represented the backbone of the Land of Night, those born from ninja clans still made up a considerable proportion.
"Is... is that so?"
Aoi and Rinko looked at each other.
So the two of them were actually that strong?
They could actually surpass seventy percent of the ninja in the Land of Night?
"That's right. The two of you have awakened the Byakugan, and your Gentle Fist fundamentals are solid. To ordinary genin, you are already above the standard combat force."
Yayoi smiled with emotion. This was the strength of a kekkei genkai.
Whether in terms of upper limit or lower limit, unless someone was a genius, it was difficult to compare.
In the world of ninja, the reason kekkei genkai were powerful was because once they formed a scale, as long as there were no major mistakes, that clan's future was destined to remain strong for many years.
In the Hyūga clan, Aoi and Rinko were small fry, cannon fodder meant to fill the line. But after leaving the Hyūga clan and coming to the Land of Night, they, who possessed the Byakugan kekkei genkai, became noble chūnin.
"So, Aoi, Rinko, you two can be a little more confident here."
Yayoi could see that compared to problems with ability, these two girls needed enough confidence right now.
Ability was something that could be arranged around, as long as the gap was not too great. There would always be a suitable position.
But once a person lost confidence, no matter how strong they appeared on the outside, they were a paper tiger that would break with one poke.
"Ah, yes, my husband."
Hearing Yayoi's gentle encouragement, Aoi and Rinko were stunned. Their fair faces could not help heating up, and at the same time, a firm light slowly appeared in their eyes.
Before meeting Yayoi, when they were still in the clan, they had been restricted by rigid clan rules and limited by their talent. Whether it was their parents or the other elders of the clan, no one had ever spoken such warm words to affirm their character and ability.
They understood a little why Kichō often clung to Yayoi so closely.
"Not only that. In bed, you two should also be like me: confident and willing to let go."
Suddenly, from the side, Kichō let out this teasing laugh.
"Waaah! Kichō-hime, what are you suddenly saying!? Please stop always making such dirty jokes!"
Aoi and Rinko's faces instantly turned bright red. They cried out in panic, then rushed forward to cover Kichō's mouth, preventing her from saying anything even more embarrassing.
Damn it, give them back the dignified and beautiful Kichō-hime from the clan!
Ever since coming to the Land of Night, this young Kichō-hime had completely let herself go.
In the end, Aoi and Rinko even put on stern faces and began scolding Kichō, their "head of household," without stopping.
They said things like "Girls must manage the household frugally," "As the shogun's wife, you should be dignified and elegant," and "If ninja indulge in pleasure, they will fall into decadence. You must learn to grow through hardship," along with a series of other hard-to-understand statements.
The courtyard was suddenly filled with a cheerful atmosphere.