She didn’t know how much time had passed.
In a hazy, drowsy state, Kicho felt her throat was a bit dry, and her heart was filled with intense embarrassment.
‘Ah, the me of last night, what a shameless woman I was…’ A wonderful and intoxicating night had passed, and it wasn’t until the sun was high in the sky the next day that she groggily opened her eyes and woke up.
Then, scenes from last night that made her blush and her heart race uncontrollably flooded her mind.
Even though he was a man she had never met before this, her body had surrendered to him first.
It was something completely different from the heated battles against enemies on the battlefield.
To be honest, she felt somewhat bewildered by this sensation, yet she couldn’t help but want to savor that sweetness and thrill that left her unable to stop.
In the end, her mind went blank, and she completely lost the ability to resist.
Afterward, she must have worn a very shameless expression.
So, this is how pleasurable it can be between a man and a woman.
This felt even more stimulating than when she used to slit an enemy’s throat in the past, watching them wail in pain as blood gushed out like a fountain.
“Lady Kicho, you’re awake.
Would you like to eat something?
The General had this specially prepared for you.” Hyuga Aoi and Hyuga Rinko walked in carrying a steaming, freshly made lunch.
“Alright, I happen to be a little hungry.” She had practically’sung’ all night long.
Although she had initiated it at the beginning, the rhythm that followed was completely controlled by him.
Her body was not only exhausted now, but her stomach was also growling with hunger.
“Um, Lady Kicho, would you like to…
your clothes…” The two Branch Family girls suddenly blushed, pointing at the kimono on Kicho’s body.
Their voices trailed off, and they dared not look directly at her.
It turned out that the sash and outer robe of Kicho’s kimono had long since been pulled off and tossed aside, hanging crookedly on the screen hanger nearby, discarded carelessly.
It told the tale of the intensity and wildness of last night’s battle.
Consequently, she was left wearing only a thin, white undergarment, which draped loosely over her body without any restraint, barely covering her full, lush breasts.
It felt like it might slip off at the slightest carelessness.
Furthermore, her snow-white, tender skin, which had a faint, unnatural pink glow, was partially visible beneath the white undergarment, threatening to reveal everything at any moment.
In the eyes of Aoi and Rinko, this posture was simply too indecent.
For the two still-pure Branch Family girls, it was a bit too stimulating.
However, Kicho glanced at her state, then nonchalantly began to eat to fill her stomach.
She didn’t care at all about her current image, or rather, she couldn’t be bothered to fix it.
“This…” Aoi and Rinko wanted to say something but hesitated.
They wanted to help Kicho dress properly, but they didn’t dare to approach her casually for fear of disturbing her mood.
In the end, they could only wait on the side, restless and uneasy, exchanging glances with each other.
After finishing the meal, Kicho wiped the corners of her mouth with a napkin.
A faint smile subconsciously appeared on her lips, her satisfaction with the food evident on her face.
These ingredients were not only rare and expensive but also meticulously prepared by a master chef; every dish made her feel genuinely delighted.
So, food could be made this exquisite and delicious.
She really hoped she could eat such delicacies every day from now on.
‘Am I becoming a bit too decadent?’ As soon as this gluttonous, guilty thought crossed her mind, Kicho couldn’t help but want to criticize herself for being so unmotivated.
And what was with this feeling of suddenly losing the constraints of her Family and father?
It felt incredibly liberating.
◎ Everything in the General’s Mansion was incredibly novel to Kicho, the mistress who had come from afar.
Tall and magnificent buildings were everywhere here.
If one could stand on top of them and look out, one could probably see very far into the distance.
Such buildings did not exist in the Hyuga Clan territory.
Ninja clan strongholds required sufficient concealment; overly ostentatious architecture was practically telling enemies that this place could serve as a primary target for attack.
In the fiercely competitive Land of Fire, such things happened from time to time.
Some Ninja clans, for the sake of concealment, even moved into caves and underground dwellings, emphasizing that as long as you were willing to suffer, there was no end to the hardship.
Besides, if they had that kind of spare money, they would rather buy more Ninja tools and military rations.
However, when all is said and done, as a residence, this place seemed overly vast.
It was as if the main military institutions of an entire nation had been laid out here.
Arriving at the Tenshukaku, this was the dividing point between the inner court and the outer court of the General’s Mansion.
The inner court was the living area for the General of the Land of Night and his Family.
It featured man-made landscapes and hot springs, planted with many rare species of trees, as well as many novel creations that Kicho had never seen before and whose functions she did not know.
There seemed to be a large, hollowed-out space underground, which was likely where something very important was kept.
The inner court was small only in relation to the outer court.
Based on Kicho’s visual estimation, the inner court could easily accommodate thousands of people without feeling crowded.
The inner court also had specialized sensory and shielding barriers to provide 24-hour protection and concealment for the area.
From the outside, even using the Byakugan, one could not see inside; one could only see a kind of iridescent Chakra wall that obscured the view.
It was a place of complete secrecy.
Kicho was not surprised by this; if there were no such level of defense, then concealment would be out of the question.
Moreover, she had long been aware that the Byakugan was not omnipotent.
The Ninja World was vast, and there were too many bizarre abilities; who knew when some monsters or demons might suddenly pop out from some obscure corner and pull off a huge stunt in the Ninja World.
“Lady Kicho, the layout here is too large.
It feels like it will take quite some time to memorize all the routes here.” Following behind Kicho, Aoi and Rinko were also troubled by the layout of the General’s Mansion, which was even more complex than that of the Hyuga Clan.
Even though they had obtained the layout map from Yayoi, they still needed time to fully familiarize themselves with the environment here.
Fortunately, the two of them had familiarized themselves with the structure of the Tenshukaku earlier that morning; otherwise, bringing Kicho here would likely result in them getting lost, unless they used the Byakugan to check.
However, they were newcomers and didn’t know if there were any special taboos here.
Using the Byakugan casually might trigger some mechanism or reveal secrets they shouldn’t see, which would be quite troublesome.
“My husband, I am coming in.” As if wanting to give the person inside a sudden surprise, Kicho didn’t knock.
She just raised her voice intentionally from the outside, pushed the door open, and walked in.
“That is too rude, Lady Kicho!” Watching Kicho barge in directly, Aoi and Rinko were caught off guard.
In the end, they could only helplessly hurry to follow Kicho’s steps.
“Apologies, General, we were unable to stop Lady Kicho.” As soon as Aoi and Rinko entered, they quickly bowed and apologized to Yayoi, who was sitting by the desk.
“It’s fine, I don’t mind such trivial matters.
Is your body alright now, Kicho?” Yayoi asked, concerned about his young bride’s physical condition.
“Oh my, my husband has already started calling me by my name so naturally.” Kicho approached, covering her mouth with a light chuckle, her lively eyes and charming smile on her face.
She was wearing a wide-sleeved kimono appropriate for her status, made of soft, delicate light blue fabric embroidered with magnificent and exquisite patterns.
On her feet, she wore white tabi socks and black low-heeled geta, stepping almost silently on the clean floor, appearing and disappearing beneath the hem of her kimono.
Her jet-black long hair, styled in a princess cut, was now adorned with an accessory resembling a golden crown.
Although it was her first time dressed so grandly, she wore it with ease, and her movements and expressions were completely natural.
“Because you are already my wife, calling each other by our names is a very normal thing, right?” Yayoi showed no awkwardness, responding to his newlywed bride with a calm attitude.
If possible, he still hoped to enter the depths of his wife’s heart.
Otherwise, facing a wife with whom he had no rapport for the next few decades would be a quite painful affair.
“Ah, that’s true.
Hearing my husband think that way, I suddenly feel honored.” Taking light steps to Yayoi’s side, Kicho’s slender fingers gently poked Yayoi’s face, as if she found it very interesting.
Yayoi did not stop her; there was something inexplicably cute about her using such childish actions to intentionally close the distance between them.
Soon, Kicho turned her gaze toward Irori on the other side.
She was a beautiful young girl wearing a blue kimono, whose appearance and temperament were not inferior to her own.
“My husband, have you already grown tired of my body so quickly and sought new love?
Well, I am a newcomer after all, and I don’t know how to serve you, unlike this older sister here, who must be very good at doting on you.” “…” This sudden affected, whiny, and tearful voice made Yayoi shiver violently.
This voice is so ‘tea’…
He had no choice but to sigh helplessly.
“It’s not what you think.
This is Irori, she is…” Before Yayoi could answer, Irori on the side smiled gently, voluntarily bowed, and respectfully performed a salute to Kicho: “Hello, Mother.
I am Irori, Father’s daughter.” “Ah?” The smile on Kicho’s face instantly froze, her pupils slightly dilated, as if she had heard something unbelievable.
As the ruler of a nation, having multiple women around him wasn’t actually strange; she had already mentally prepared herself for this long ago.
Therefore, upon first seeing Irori, she didn’t pay too much attention, only wanting to use it as an opportunity to tease him.
However…
“…Um, did I hear that right?
You said…
daughter?
Not a younger sister…
or a lover or something?” This young girl looked to be about the same age as her, yet she was actually his daughter…
If she remembered correctly, her husband was only twenty-seven years old.
This…
wasn’t that a bit too twisted?
In an instant, Kicho felt that her worldview needed a reboot.
“Don’t let your imagination run wild.
Because Irori is a Puppet lifeform I created, that is why she calls me Father.” Yayoi interrupted the brainstorming session in Kicho’s mind, clarifying Irori’s identity and origin.
“A Puppet?” Kicho was stunned; this was even more surprising to her than hearing that Irori was Yayoi’s daughter.
She knew that Yayoi was a top-tier Puppeteer of the current era, and having fought against such Ninjas before, she knew some inside information about the Puppets they used.
But now he was saying that this beautiful girl, who looked just like a real person, could talk, think, and might even be able to have heart-to-hearts in bed, was actually a Puppet?
To verify this fact, the veins around her eyes bulged ferociously.
“Byakugan!” A powerful insight instantly penetrated Irori’s body, allowing Kicho to clearly see her internal structure.
Blue circuits, crisscrossing like circuit boards, permeated every part of Irori’s body like human Meridians.
Then she also saw a heart-like core, where a massive amount of Chakra, so large it was terrifying, was gathered and compressed, constantly providing energy for Irori’s activities in a continuous stream.
Her translucent body was not made of flesh and blood like a human’s.
Except for that ‘heart’, which was crafted from a special Chakra crystal, most of Irori’s body was essentially closer to materialized, high-density Chakra.
A Tailed Beast?
No, she had a core other than Chakra.
A human?
That wasn’t right either; she completely lacked the flesh and blood body a human should have.
If one had to describe it, she was a kind of artificially created’semi-Tailed Beast’ creature.
After a long while, Kicho deactivated her Byakugan, but the shock in her heart did not dissipate for a long time.
This husband of hers was…
even more mysterious than she had imagined.
An artificial Puppet lifeform couldn’t help but remind her of the legendary Yin-Yang Release, creating life out of nothing.
“Um, your name is Irori, right?
You really are…” “Yes, I am a Puppet lifeform personally crafted by Father.
I hope we can get along well in the future and together become Father’s arms, Mother.” Irori smiled slightly; she did not act superior or feel inferior because of her uniqueness.
That she was able to be born into this world was an undoubted miracle.
Having received personal confirmation from Irori, and combining it with everything she had observed with the Byakugan, Kicho, however unbelievable it was, had to accept this fact.
But hearing Irori call her ‘Mother’ again, Kicho suddenly felt it was strange.
She was currently a young girl in the prime of her life, had only gotten married yesterday, and had never been pregnant; that was correct, right…?
“Come to think of it, Irori, how old are you this year?” Kicho suddenly thought of something important, stared at Irori, and asked her age.
“Although being able to act autonomously is a recent event, the earliest life embryo and memory device were completed in the year Father was nine.” Irori carefully recalled the time of her initial birth.
Every step and important time node of Yayoi creating her was firmly remembered in her heart.
“…” The smile on Kicho’s face could no longer be maintained.
Ah, calculating it this way, wasn’t this daughter the same age as her?
And creating a daughter at nine years old sounded so twisted.
Her husband really had so many tricks up his sleeve.
◎ On the afternoon of the second day after the wedding, Hyuga Shuzen bid farewell and left after discussing some matters with Yayoi.
The current situation in the Land of Fire was extremely tense; after the alliance between the Senju Clan and the Uchiha Clan, apart from Yayoi, no one knew what kind of situation the future would hold.
At such a critical moment, a powerful Elder like Hyuga Shuzen naturally could not leave his Family for too long.
“The biggest recent event is probably just the alliance between the Senju Clan and the Uchiha Clan.” On the top floor of the Tenshukaku, only Yayoi and Irori remained.
As an artificial lifeform, Irori was not only Yayoi’s secretary but also served as an important bodyguard and life assistant; when necessary, she would also handle public affairs here on his behalf.
After all, Yayoi’s high-intensity work was too frequent, and his body would not be able to take it; Irori needed to ensure his schedule remained regular.
Yayoi was now considering the future trend of the Land of Fire.
Although the matters in the Land of Fire were unrelated to the Land of Night, this event was clearly different.
According to the intelligence he received, the Senju Clan and the Uchiha Clan were meeting recently.
This intelligence source was relatively reliable, and coupled with the fact that the two clans had no intention of hiding it, but rather were displaying it openly, it was expected that the earliest prototype of the Konoha Ninja Village would appear in the near future.
First the Senju and Uchiha, then one Ninja Clan after another in the Land of Fire would be absorbed.
Afterward, it would attract a large number of immigrants, becoming the massive Village in his memory.
No, rather than calling it a Village, the land area of Konoha Village was actually comparable to the scale of a metropolis, and its population would also reach city levels; calling it a Village was completely a modest statement.
“While attention is focused over there, I need to get things on track here as soon as possible.
Irori, the funds in the national treasury should still be quite sufficient, right?” “Yes, there is no shortage in terms of funds; after large annual expenditures, we can still save quite a bit of money.
However, according to news from the Intelligence Department, quite a few outsiders have been flowing into the country recently, which might trigger security issues.” Irori held several data files and reported in an orderly manner.
“Oh, are they foreign Ninja Clans?” Ninja Clans varied in size, and it was not rare for weak Ninja Clans to be displaced and live precarious lives.
“Some are, and some are bandits disrupting public order.
However, the Ninja Clans that have flowed in are all families that Father has not marked for special attention.” The bandit problem was not worth paying attention to; just give a coordinate, then dispatch a Ninja or Samurai unit to suppress them directly.
“Then they are small Ninja Clans not worth focusing on.
However, let’s still send someone to make contact; if they can be absorbed, that would also be a good thing.” Yayoi tapped his fingers on the table and quickly made a decision.
“Mr.
Kakuzu is currently busy with the reorganization of the Executive Department and seems to have no time.” “Then let Kurobei go and make contact; the work of soliciting the Aburame Clan before was also completed by him.” Yayoi actually had many confidants he could use, but finding reliable ones with ability was actually rare.
Kakuzu and Kurobei, these two, often held multiple positions; wherever there was a vacancy, they would fill the gap.
This was also unavoidable; the Land of Night was not a Ninja Clan, its land was vast, and the corresponding workload could not be compared to a purely militarized Ninja Clan.
Often, even he, the General, had to guest-star as a Medical Ninja and carry out medical work.
Every month, he also had to set aside three days to hold public classes on Medical Ninjutsu, striving to train more Medical Ninjutsu talents to alleviate medical pressure.
“In this way, there will be no problems.
I believe Mr.
Kurobei can solve it quickly.
Then, please return to your room to rest as soon as possible, Father; it is already almost nine o’clock in the evening.” Irori put down the files in her hand, took a deep breath, and solemnly took away the official documents in front of Yayoi.
“I’ve said it already, this level of work…” “Father, thinking about working late on the second day of your new marriage is really too unseemly.” Irori pressed down the hand with which Yayoi wanted to pick up the documents again.
“Right now, compared to work, going back to accompany Mother is the number one priority, right?
Moreover, don’t you think it’s too pitiful to leave Mother all alone in an empty room?” Irori’s voice was always so gentle and sweet, but this softly smiling face made Yayoi feel somewhat terrified at this moment.
Yayoi had no choice but to give up helplessly.
“I understand; I’ll leave this to you.” “Very well, Father; just leave it to me to clean up here.”