Irori: I Was Here First!

Kicho had no idea how much time had passed. In her groggy state, she felt her throat was a little dry, and she was unbearably embarrassed.

Ah, last night, I was such a shameless woman...

After that wonderful, delirious night, she did not hazily open her eyes until the sun was high in the sky the next day.

Then, scenes from the previous night that made her blush and her heart race uncontrollably surfaced in her mind.

He was clearly a man she had never even met before, yet her body had surrendered before she herself did.

It was completely different from the hot-blooded slaughter of fighting enemies on the battlefield.

To be honest, she was somewhat bewildered by that sensation, yet she could not help savoring the sweetness and excitement that left her wanting more.

In the end, her mind had gone blank, and she had completely lost the ability to resist.

After that, she must have worn a terribly shameless expression.

So men and women could actually be this happy together.

It was even more thrilling than cutting open an enemy's throat, watching them howl in agony as blood gushed forth like a fountain.

"Lady Kicho, you're awake. Would you like something to eat? Lord General had this specially prepared for you."

Hyuga Aoi and Hyuga Rinko entered carrying a steaming lunch that had just been made.

"Sure. I'm actually a little hungry."

She had practically been "singing" all night. Although she had taken the initiative to invite him at first, the pace afterward had been entirely under his control.

Not only was her body exhausted now, but her stomach was growling with hunger as well.

"Um, Lady Kicho, your clothes, should we..."

The two branch-family girls suddenly blushed. Pointing at Kicho's kimono, their voices grew quieter and quieter, and they did not dare look directly at her.

The sash and outer robe of Kicho's kimono had long since been torn open and tossed aside, hanging crookedly from the folding-screen clothes rack nearby as though they had simply been thrown there.

They told of the fierce, unrestrained battle from the night before.

All she had left on was a thin white underrobe, hanging loosely around her unrestrained body and barely concealing her full, voluptuous breasts. It felt as though the entire garment might slip off with the slightest carelessness.

Her snowy, tender skin, flushed with an unnatural pink glow, was faintly visible beneath the white underrobe as well, as if her springtime splendor might spill into view at any moment.

In Aoi and Rinko's eyes, such a state of dress was far too indecent.

For two still-innocent branch-family girls, it was a little too stimulating.

However, Kicho merely glanced at her condition before nonchalantly beginning to eat and fill her stomach.

She did not care about her appearance at all right now. Or rather, she could not be bothered to deal with it.

"This..."

Aoi and Rinko hesitated to speak.

They wanted to help Kicho put her clothes back on, but they did not dare step forward casually and disturb her mood.

In the end, they could only remain restlessly at the side, communicating with one another through glances.

After finishing her meal, Kicho wiped the corner of her mouth with a napkin. A faint smile unconsciously appeared on her lips, and her satisfaction with the food was unmistakable.

Not only were these ingredients difficult to obtain and expensive, but they had been carefully prepared by a master chef. Every dish filled her with heartfelt delight.

So food could be made this exquisite, this delicious.

She truly hoped she could eat such delicacies every day from now on.

Am I becoming a little too decadent?

As soon as that greedy, sinful thought appeared, Kicho could not help criticizing herself for being so unmotivated.

And why did suddenly being free of her family's and father's restraints feel so incredibly good?

Everything in the General's Residence was incomparably novel to Kicho, the lady of the house who had come from afar.

Tall, magnificent buildings could be found everywhere here.

If one stood atop them and looked into the distance, one could probably see very far indeed.

No such buildings existed within the Hyuga Clan's territory.

A ninja clan's stronghold needed sufficient concealment. Buildings that were too ostentatious were practically telling enemies that this was a priority target.

In the fiercely competitive Land of Fire, such things happened often.

Some ninja clans even moved into caves and underground dwellings for concealment, truly embodying the idea that as long as you could endure hardship, there would always be more hardship to endure.

Besides, if they had that kind of spare money, they might as well buy more ninja tools and soldier pills.

Still, as a residence, this place was simply too enormous.

It was as though an entire country's main military institutions had all been spread out here.

They arrived at the Tenshu Tower, the dividing point between the Inner Court and Outer Court of the General's Residence.

The Inner Court was the living area of the Land of Night's general and his family. It had artificially crafted mountain-and-water scenery and hot springs, many rare species of trees, and countless strange creations Kicho had never seen before, though she had no idea what they were for.

There also seemed to be a vast hollowed-out underground space beneath it, likely used to store something extremely important.

The Inner Court was small only in comparison to the Outer Court.

By Kicho's estimate, the Inner Court could comfortably house more than a thousand people without crowding them.

The Inner Court also had specialized sensory and concealment barriers, providing round-the-clock protection and secrecy.

Even the Byakugan could not see inside from the outside. All it could see was an iridescent chakra wall obscuring its vision.

It was a place of absolute secrecy.

Kicho was not surprised by this. Without defenses of this level, there would be no point in discussing concealment.

Besides, she had long known that the Byakugan was not omnipotent.

The Ninja World was vast, with far too many bizarre abilities. Who knew when some demons and monsters might crawl out of some obscure corner and cause a huge upheaval in the Ninja World.

"Lady Kicho, this place is laid out on such a massive scale. It feels like it will take quite some time to memorize all the routes."

Following behind Kicho, Aoi and Rinko were also troubled by the General's Residence's layout, which was even more complicated than that of the Hyuga Clan.

Even though they had obtained a layout map from Yayoi, it would still take time to become thoroughly familiar with the environment.

Fortunately, the two of them had familiarized themselves with the Tenshu Tower's structure in advance that morning. Otherwise, they would most likely have gotten lost bringing Kicho here, unless they used the Byakugan to look around.

However, they had only just arrived and did not know whether there were any special taboos here. It would not be good if casually using the Byakugan triggered some mechanism or revealed secrets they should not see.

"My husband, I'm coming in."

As though she wanted to suddenly surprise the person inside, Kicho did not knock. She merely raised her voice deliberately outside before pushing open the door and entering.

"That's far too rude, Lady Kicho!"

Aoi and Rinko were both caught off guard when they saw Kicho barge in directly.

In the end, they could only helplessly hurry after her.

"My apologies, Lord General. We were unable to stop Lady Kicho."

The moment Aoi and Rinko entered, they quickly bent at the waist and apologized to Yayoi, who was seated beside the desk.

"It's fine. I don't mind such trivial matters. Is your body all right now, Kicho?"

Yayoi showed concern for his petite new wife's condition.

"My, my husband is already calling me by name so naturally."

Kicho covered her mouth and chuckled as she approached, her lively eyes and charming smile full of allure.

She wore a wide-sleeved kimono appropriate to her status, with magnificent, exquisite patterns embroidered onto the soft, delicate pale-blue fabric.

White tabi socks and black low-heeled wooden sandals covered her feet, making almost no sound against the spotless floor as they appeared and disappeared beneath the hem of her kimono.

Her glossy black hair had been arranged in a princess-cut style, and she now wore an ornament resembling a golden crown.

Although this was her first time dressing so formally, she carried it with ease, without the slightest stiffness in her movements or expression.

"Because you're already my wife. It's perfectly normal for us to call each other by name, isn't it?"

Yayoi showed no awkwardness at all, responding to his newlywed wife with calm frankness.

If possible, he still hoped to enter his wife's heart.

Otherwise, spending the next several decades with a wife with whom he had no mutual understanding would be quite painful.

"Ah, that's true. I suddenly feel so honored that you think that way, my husband."

Stepping lightly to Yayoi's side, Kicho gently poked his face with her slender finger, seeming to find it amusing.

Yayoi did not stop her. There was an inexplicable charm to her using such childish behavior to deliberately close the distance between them.

Soon, Kicho turned her gaze toward Irori on the other side.

Dressed in a blue kimono, she was a beautiful girl whose looks and temperament did not lose to Kicho's own.

"My husband, have you already grown tired of my body and found a new lover? Well, I suppose it makes sense. I was the one who came later, after all, and I don't know how to serve you. Unlike this older sister, who must be very good at caring for you."

"..."

That suddenly affected voice, full of grievance and whimpering tears, made Yayoi shudder violently.

That voice was so fake-sweet...

He could only sigh helplessly.

"It's not what you think, Kicho. This is Irori. She is..."

Before Yayoi could answer, Irori smiled gently and took the initiative to bow respectfully to Kicho.

"Greetings, Lady Kicho. I am Irori, Lord Yayoi's servant. Also, I am not human, but a Puppet Lifeform."

"Ah?"

Kicho's expression froze, as though she had heard something unbelievable.

It was not strange for the ruler of a country to have several women around him. She had already prepared herself mentally for that possibility long ago.

Therefore, when she first saw Irori, she had not cared too much. She had merely wanted to use the opportunity to tease him.

But...

"...Um, did I hear that correctly? You said you're... a puppet?"

In an instant, Kicho felt as though her worldview needed to be rewritten.

"That's right. Irori is a Puppet Lifeform I created."

Yayoi interrupted the storm of thoughts in Kicho's mind and clarified Irori's identity and origin.

"She really is a puppet?"

Kicho was stunned, still unable to believe Yayoi's words.

She knew Yayoi was one of the foremost puppet masters of the age. She had also fought puppet-master ninja before and knew some of the details about the puppets they used.

But now he was saying that this beautiful girl, who looked like a real person, could speak, could think, and perhaps could even share intimate talks in bed, was actually a puppet?

To verify this fact, the veins around her eyes bulged grotesquely.

"Byakugan!"

Her powerful sight instantly penetrated Irori's body, allowing Kicho to clearly see inside her.

Blue lines like circuit boards crisscrossed her body like human meridians, spreading through every part of Irori.

Then she saw a core resembling a heart. A vast amount of chakra so immense it was terrifying gathered and compressed there, continuously providing Irori with energy to move without end.

Her crystal-clear body was not made of the flesh and blood a human should possess either.

Aside from that "heart," which had been crafted from a special Chakra Crystal, most of Irori's body was essentially closer to materialized high-density chakra.

A Tailed Beast? No, she possessed a core beyond chakra.

A human? That was not right either. She did not possess a human body of flesh and blood at all.

If she had to describe it, Irori was an artificially created "half-Tailed Beast" lifeform.

After a long while, Kicho deactivated her Byakugan, but the shock in her heart lingered.

This husband of hers was even more mysterious than she had imagined...

An artificial Puppet Lifeform inevitably made her think of the legendary Yin-Yang Release, which could create life from nothingness.

"Um, your name is Irori, right? Are you really..."

"Yes. I am a Puppet Lifeform personally created by Lord Yayoi. I hope we can get along amicably in the future and become Lord Yayoi's right-hand women together, Lady Kicho."

Irori smiled faintly. She neither elevated herself nor felt inferior because of her unusual nature.

Her very birth into this world was an unquestionable miracle.

Having received Irori's personal confirmation and combined it with everything she had seen through the Byakugan, Kicho had no choice but to accept the truth, no matter how unbelievable it seemed.

"Come to think of it, Irori, how old are you?"

Kicho suddenly thought of something. She stared at Irori and asked her age.

"Although I only became capable of independent movement recently, my earliest life and memory apparatus was born through chakra when Lord Yayoi was nine years old."

Irori carefully recalled the time of her earliest birth.

She had firmly recorded every step and important milestone in Yayoi's creation of her.

"..."

Kicho's expression grew even stranger.

Creating a beautiful girl puppet doll at the age of nine sounded incredibly perverted.

Her husband really had so many tricks.

On the afternoon of the second day after the wedding, Hyuga Hideto discussed several matters with Yayoi before taking his leave.

The situation in the Land of Fire was extremely tense now. After the Senju Clan and Uchiha Clan formed an alliance, no one except Yayoi knew what direction the future would take.

At such a critical time, a powerful elder like Hideto naturally could not remain away from the clan for too long.

"Recently, the biggest matter has probably been the alliance between the Senju Clan and the Uchiha Clan."

Only Yayoi and Irori remained on the highest floor of the Tenshu Tower.

As an artificial lifeform, Irori was not only Yayoi's secretary, but also served as an important guard and living assistant. When necessary, she would handle official affairs here in Yayoi's place.

Yayoi's work was too intense and frequent. His body would not be able to withstand it otherwise, so Irori needed to ensure that his schedule remained regular.

Yayoi was currently considering the future course of events in the Land of Fire.

The affairs of the Land of Fire had nothing to do with the Land of Night, but this situation was clearly different.

According to the intelligence he had received, the Senju Clan and Uchiha Clan had recently gathered together.

This intelligence source was fairly reliable. Furthermore, the two clans had no intention of concealing it and had instead displayed it openly. Therefore, barring surprises, Hidden Leaf Village's earliest village prototype would appear soon.

First would come the Senju and Uchiha, then one ninja clan after another from the Land of Fire would be absorbed into it.

Afterward, it would attract a large number of outsiders and become the vast village he remembered.

No, rather than a village, Konoha covered an area comparable to a major metropolis, and its population had likewise reached city-level proportions. Calling it a village was simply modesty.

"While everyone's attention is focused over there, I need to get things on track here as soon as possible too. Irori, the treasury should still have ample funds, right?"

"Yes, there is no shortage of funds. Even after the large expenditures each year, quite a bit remains. However, according to information from the Intelligence Division, quite a few outsiders have recently entered the country. It may cause public security problems."

Irori held several documents and delivered her report in an orderly manner.

"Oh, are they outside ninja clans?"

Ninja clans came in all sizes. It was not unusual for weaker clans to drift from place to place, uncertain whether they would survive another day.

"Some of them are, while others are bandits disrupting public order. However, the ninja clans entering the country are all families Lord Yayoi did not mark as priorities."

The bandit problem was not worth worrying about. They only needed to provide coordinates and dispatch ninja or samurai units to suppress them directly.

"Then they are small ninja clans unworthy of special attention. Still, send someone to make contact. It would be a good thing if we can absorb them."

Yayoi tapped his fingers against the desk and quickly made his decision.

"Mr. Kakuzu is currently busy reorganizing the Execution Division, so he apparently has no time."

"Then have Kurobei make contact. He was also the one who handled the recruitment of the Aburame Clan before."

Yayoi actually had many trusted subordinates he could call upon, but there were only a few whose abilities were truly dependable.

Kakuzu and Kurobei often held several positions at once. Wherever there was a vacancy, they filled it.

There was no helping it. The Land of Night was not a ninja clan. Its vast territory came with a workload that could not compare to that of a purely militarized ninja clan.

Many times, even he, the general, had to fill in 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 cultivate more medical ninjutsu personnel and ease the strain on medical services.

"With that, there should be no more problems. I believe Mr. Kurobei can resolve it quickly. Then please return to your room and rest as soon as possible, Lord Yayoi. It is already almost nine in the evening."

Irori set down the documents in her hands, took a deep breath, and solemnly removed the official papers before Yayoi.

"I told you, this much work..."

"Lord Yayoi, thinking of staying up late to work on the second day of your marriage is simply unacceptable."

Irori pressed down the hand Yayoi had intended to use to pick up the documents again.

"Right now, accompanying Lady Kicho should take priority over work, shouldn't it? And don't you think it is too pitiful to leave Lady Kicho alone in an empty room?"

Irori's voice was always so gentle and sweet, but her softly smiling face at this particular moment made Yayoi feel somewhat frightened instead.

Yayoi could only give up helplessly.

"I understand. I'll leave things here to you."

"Yes, Lord Yayoi. Leave this place to me to tidy up."