Economic circulation was extremely important.
That was why Mu constantly encouraged consumption.
The more often money changed hands between people, the better the Hundred Clans Ninja Vill—Nation would develop.
Once the children had put away their luggage, Mon, Yufeng, and Yucheng took one look at Ryono’s Byakugan, which had not deactivated even once, and very wisely escorted the Uzumaki children elsewhere.
That left only Mu, Hyuga Ryono, and Uzumaki Keiko in the room.
Keiko was the newcomer, so naturally she felt the most uneasy.
Privately, she hoped Mu behaved more like a noble than an ordinary ninja.
Otherwise, she had no chance whatsoever.
Ryono’s thoughts were exactly the opposite.
She wanted Mu to behave like a normal ninja and have only one partner.
She had traveled with him before and personally seen how many women some nobles kept around them.
She had found the entire practice disgusting.
Their positions were completely reversed.
Unfortunately, their target was the same man.
Both women looked at Mu.
Mu felt his scalp go numb.
This was somehow more suffocating than an actual battle.
But avoiding the conversation wasn’t an option.
“Ryono, this is my fault.”
Keiko lowered her head at those words.
She hadn’t had much contact with men back in the Uzumaki clan.
Mu had barged into her life almost by force, and now he was going to leave her behind?
If she were an Uchiha, she might have awakened the Sharingan on the spot.
“But the situation with Keiko is also my responsibility,” Mu continued firmly.
“I can’t abandon her now.”
Ryono looked into his unwavering eyes.
Disappointment filled her face.
But leaving him now was equally impossible for her.
“Uchiha Mu, if you find another woman after this, don’t ever come see me again.”
Mu’s heart tightened.
The disappointment in her expression made him sigh.
As expected, managing a backyard was nowhere near as simple as the stories made it sound.
Keiko, meanwhile, felt guilty rather than triumphant.
Was all of this really worth it?
Did she truly like him enough to cause this much pain?
She began questioning herself.
Even after Ryono effectively accepted her presence, Keiko couldn’t feel particularly happy about it.
In the end, the three separated to cool their heads.
Ryono returned to the room she shared with Mu and collapsed onto the bed.
“Chomei, what do you think I should do?”
A miniature Chomei soon appeared on her shoulder.
After spending so much time together, Chomei had already given Ryono a considerable amount of chakra.
She couldn’t transform completely into the Seven-Tails, but she could use some of Chomei’s abilities.
The little tailed beast thought for a long moment.
“You can’t beat him.”
“That’s not the problem!”
Ryono buried her face in the pillow.
Then she paused.
“Actually, why am I asking you?
You tailed beasts have lived for over a thousand years and none of you even has a partner.
I must be sick in the head.”
“…”
Miniature Chomei disappeared immediately.
He might not have fully understood the insult, but he understood enough to know he’d just been insulted.
Mu appeared inside the room with the Body Flicker Technique.
Even without activating the Byakugan, Ryono knew exactly who had arrived.
“Why aren’t you with the new woman you brought home?”
“You’re the most important one to me.”
“The Nation of a Hundred Clans is what’s most important to you.”
Ryono still had her face buried in the pillow.
“I stayed here with Chomei, keeping my Byakugan active day and night to protect your country.
Then you come back carrying another woman with you.
Yes, I can’t beat you.
But I’m not that cheap.”
Mu removed his shoes, sat on the bed, and forcibly pulled Ryono over until her head rested on his lap.
She resisted, but not very strongly.
“What are you doing?
This isn’t going to make me forgive you.”
“I know.
I’m not asking you to forgive me.” Mu gently wiped the tears from her face.
“But getting angry and crying isn’t good for your skin.
You’ll age faster.”
Ryono actually laughed from sheer anger.
Then her Byakugan activated.
And she beat the hell out of him.
Mu had no idea how long it lasted.
“You’re not allowed to heal yourself,” Ryono warned afterward, raising a small fist.
“Otherwise…”
Mu’s eyes lit up despite the pain.
“Feeling better?”
Being beaten hurt, obviously.
But it was far better than having her keep everything bottled up inside.
Mu swore to himself that from now on, he would focus on national development and stay the hell away from this kind of trouble.
At the end of the day, he had only been an ordinary wage slave in his previous life.
Transmigrating into another world hadn’t magically maxed out his emotional intelligence.
All he could do was use clumsy methods like this.
At least the situation finally made him understand why nobles could openly have multiple partners while ninja overwhelmingly preferred monogamy.
Noblewomen often didn’t have much of a choice.
Without the protection of their families or husbands, many of them couldn’t even guarantee a stable life.
Kunoichi were different.
They could support themselves.
As long as they didn’t get caught up in a ninja conflict, they were perfectly capable of living independently.
That was why two completely different relationship standards could coexist in the same world.
Mu simply hadn’t recognized that distinction before.
When he was in the Uzumaki clan, he had mistakenly assumed Ryono might accept the same arrangement nobles did.
For the next half month, Mu went about his work while covered in injuries.
His shadow clones were fortunately unharmed, which helped him preserve at least some dignity in front of his students.
The twenty Uzumaki clan members gradually integrated into life here as well.
Whenever they had free time, they went shopping together and explored the city.
Mu had deliberately encouraged that too.
The happier and more comfortable they became here, the faster Ryono’s anger would fade.
Mu spent much of that period working together with Keiko.
And yes, actually working.
Together, the two of them established a massive barrier around the surrounding region.
If an unfamiliar chakra signature forcefully entered without warning, the barrier team would immediately be alerted.
After several days of working beside Mu, Keiko saw another side of him.
The image she had of him became fuller and more complete.
And unfortunately for everyone involved, she found herself even more attracted to him.
When Mu became serious while planning and building the country, he radiated a kind of confidence that drew her in deeply.
“Keiko, I’d like you to take responsibility for the barrier system from now on,” Mu said.
“All right.
That’s no problem, but I…”
“I’ll talk to that old man Ashina.” Mu held out his hand.
“I’ll have you formally join my country.
It needs you.”
Keiko thought for a moment, then placed her hand in his.
“I look forward to working with you.”
Why should she be the one to retreat?
If anyone needed to worry about the situation, it was Hyuga Ryono, not her.
Keiko had known Mu’s circumstances from the beginning.
She had always understood exactly where she stood.
Ryono, meanwhile, watched Mu continue working for several days in the battered state she’d left him in.
In truth, she had already completely forgiven him.
At the very least, he was willing to accommodate her anger.
She might be a ninja, but how many ordinary wives in the shinobi clans would dare beat their husbands like that and expect them to accept it?
Almost none.
Only Uchiha Mu had actually done so.
He might be a scumbag, but returning to their previous relationship would require one of them to swallow their pride first.
Naturally, that job fell to Mu.
The moment he noticed Ryono was in a better mood, he immediately stuck to her side again.
Ryono was secretly delighted, but her mouth remained stubborn.
“Not working with her today?”
“Keiko is genuinely capable.
I’m thinking of making her my secretary.”
Mu pulled Ryono down to sit beside him on the bed.
“Secretary?”
Ryono frowned.
She didn’t know what the word meant yet, but somehow it didn’t sound good.
Mu quickly explained the position.
Seeing that she wasn’t becoming angry again, he finally relaxed.
Keiko really was talented.
She could understand statistics and administrative documents, and more importantly, she could identify flaws in Mu’s plans and point out where they needed correction.
Mu was building this country by combining ideas from his previous world with the realities of the shinobi world.
Sometimes the two simply didn’t fit together properly, and because he was the one who had designed the system, he often couldn’t see the mismatch himself.
He needed someone else to point it out.
Keiko had never directly ruled the Uzumaki clan, but she had assisted with clan affairs and had administrative experience of her own.
Managing something on this scale still made her nervous, but Mu was willing to delegate authority and let her grow into the role.
“Fine.
A secretary is fine,” Ryono finally said.
If Mu had someone capable helping him, his workload would become lighter.
And if his workload became lighter…
They would have more time together.