Two Concubines, Forehead Protectors, and Ninja Ranks

Night fell.

In the Inner Court of the General's Residence, inside the master bedroom.

The candlelight on the stand flickered dimly, about as bright as dusk before nightfall. Only the area around the bedding could barely be called well-lit.

Yet kneeling on the brighter bedding and waiting for him were not Kicho, his flower-like beautiful wife, but two beautiful young girls only slightly less stunning than her.

The girl on the left had long black hair tied into cute twin tails with blue ribbons.

The girl on the right wore neat, smooth shoulder-length hair.

These two lovely young beauties brimming with youthful charm were the attendants Kicho had brought with her as part of her dowry—Hyuga Aoi and Hyuga Rinko.

The two of them were kneeling tensely and uneasily atop the soft, comfortable white bedding.

Instead of their usual kimono-style maid uniforms, they wore kimono garments with hems cut so short that they barely covered their thighs.

Their arms seemed to have no wide sleeves at all, or perhaps the sleeves were as translucent as gauze, clearly revealing their snow-white, delicate arms.

Other than that, the only thing they wore was the pair of snow-white tabi socks on their feet.

The difference was that Aoi wore a blue kimono, while Rinko wore a pink one.

They looked so pure and innocent, yet they had put on these kimono garments that resembled ultra-short skirts...

Their petite bodies trembled faintly as they knelt there. Pure-hearted girls like them were probably so embarrassed that their brains were about to melt.

As for the one responsible for this scene... Yayoi turned his head slightly.

Soft, fragrant arms reached around from behind and gently wrapped around his neck. Kicho laughed softly by his ear and whispered in a sweet voice:

"What do you think, dear husband? Aren't Aoi and Rinko adorable like this?"

"They are."

Yayoi rubbed his chin and gave the answer in his heart with a smile, almost without thinking.

When it came to facing his own desires, he was not someone who bothered to hide them.

Whether it was Kicho, Aoi, or Rinko, they were all rare beauties. Claiming that he did not like or appreciate them would have been terribly dishonest.

Upon hearing that appraisal, the two pure-hearted girls from the branch family did not know whether what surged in their hearts was shame or something else.

They lowered their heads even further.

"Gen... dear husband, please be gentle..."

The two girls spoke with trembling voices, unable to hide their embarrassment and anticipation.

Clearly, they had already prepared themselves to become the General's concubines.

Or rather, from the moment they had entered the General's Residence half a year ago, they had been waiting for this day.

"Go on, dear husband. Show them the spirit of a serious campaign, and make them completely yours, body and heart."

Kicho's encouraging laughter came from behind him.

Yayoi stopped holding back. His dry throat bobbed slightly.

He stepped forward, approaching the two shy girls waiting to bloom.

The weather in March was still chilly, but the room was warm.

In the past, Yayoi had felt that he carried a heavy burden on his shoulders.

But now, Yayoi felt that the burden on his broad shoulders was not only heavy—it also carried the futures of two young girls and the weighty responsibility of being the General.

Sigh, it was tough, but who told me to become the General?

◎

I felt like I was going to die of embarrassment last night... but...

With her head buried in the warm, comfortable bedding, Aoi felt somewhat tired and sore after waking up. More than that, though, she felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction.

That satisfaction from the depths of her heart soon washed away the fatigue in her body.

Unconsciously, she thought again of the wonderful pleasure from last night, as though she had ascended into immortality, making her heart pound wildly.

By the end, she did not even know how long it had lasted. She had drifted off into sweet sleep in a daze.

She could somewhat understand why Kicho had been so enthusiastic about "singing" every night.

Sneaking her head out from beneath the covers, Aoi immediately met another pair of pure white eyes that held a trace of shyness.

Rinko beside her had also awakened.

The moment their pure white, bashful gazes met, they immediately looked away guiltily.

After all, they had both witnessed each other's dazed and embarrassing appearances last night.

Now, suddenly facing one another eye to eye, felt like completely exposing their most shameful moments for the other to see.

Even though they had already seen them, it still felt humiliating.

"Rinko..."

"Mm?"

Rinko's muffled voice sounded from beneath the warm bedding.

"You're awake?"

Aoi felt that she had asked a stupid question. Had her brain broken?

She regretted it a little as soon as she said it and shifted her wandering gaze away.

"...I'm awake. Are you 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 considered her physical condition fairly good.

Not to mention that the Hyuga Clan trained in taijutsu from childhood. Their foundations were there.

The same was true for Rinko. Other than feeling a little tired, she had no other adverse reactions.

"As expected..."

"What?"

Hearing Aoi muttering to herself, Rinko raised her head slightly.

"Gen... dear husband's physique is really strong. When he got up this morning, I glanced at him through my haze, and he did not look tired in the slightest."

Aoi spoke quietly to Rinko, as if cautiously discussing some secret.

Rinko blushed faintly.

"Why are you talking about that? It's so embarrassing."

"It's fine. We're real adults now, and we'll be working together often in the future, right?"

After adjusting her emotions, Aoi immediately calmed the turmoil in her heart.

Even her embarrassment faded considerably.

"Adults and all that..."

"It's the truth. All right, let's get up quickly. It's almost nine."

Aoi climbed out of the bedding, walked over to the side, and picked up a brand-new set of normal clothes to put on.

Rinko got up and dressed afterward as well, but judging from her flushed face, she was probably still embarrassed.

After getting dressed, the two of them cleaned up the mess in the room.

Since last night's battle had been a little intense, it took them more time than usual to tidy everything up.

When they left the bedroom, they did not see Kicho in the courtyard. She was probably over at the training ground.

Over the past two or three months, Kicho had long since shed the despondence and laziness she had displayed when she first arrived. She trained her Byakugan and Gentle Fist almost every day.

Sometimes, after Yayoi finished handling official business—or dumped it onto Irori—he would come to the Inner Court training ground and train alongside Kicho.

By comparison, Aoi and Rinko did not have a particularly strong desire to become stronger.

Perhaps life in the General's Residence had been too comfortable, causing them to forget the cruel, dog-eat-dog environment outside.

Even so, Aoi and Rinko still hoped that they could do their part.

They might not be able to help Yayoi and Kicho with strength, but they could make up for it in other ways.

Although their personalities differed, neither of them was the type of girl who simply enjoyed the fruits of others' labor. Nor did they like being idle all the time; it felt as though they were wasting their lives.

Deep down, they were still diligent women who fit traditional mainstream expectations and hoped to find something to do.

◎

Early April, Year One of Konoha. (This book would use the Konoha calendar from now on. Every country had its own calendar, but the Konoha calendar was mainly used because it made it easier to establish the timeline.)

Nightview City, Inner Court of the General's Residence.

Today, Yayoi was not handling official business in the Tenshu Tower as usual.

After getting up in the morning, he left the Inner Court and went to the Outer Court of the General's Residence, apparently to handle some matters.

It was nearly eleven when he returned to the Inner Court. He carried several items in his hands, along with three stamped sheets of paper.

"Dear husband, may I ask what these are?"

A gentle breeze drifted through the corridor outside the bedroom.

April still held a trace of chill, but the weather was gradually warming.

Yayoi called Kicho, Aoi, and Rinko over. Looking at the three girls' beautiful faces, each with their own charm, his already good mood became even better.

"These are ninja forehead protectors, as well as your ninja registration papers."

Yayoi handed the three forehead protectors and three documents to their respective owners.

The three accepted their forehead protectors and registration papers, curiously turning them over in their hands as if they found them quite interesting.

Only after Yayoi explained did they understand that forehead protectors were identifying symbols similar to ninja clan crests, important markers used to distinguish the ninja of each country.

Ninja registration papers, meanwhile, were used to record a ninja's information. They also recorded each ninja's rank, after which missions would be assigned according to that ninja's rank.

"This system has already been formally implemented in the Hidden Leaf Village. Next, I intend to implement it in the Land of Night as well, so that the country's ninja and samurai can be managed more precisely."

Yayoi took out his own ninja forehead protector.

Its cloth strap was black, while its steel plate was silver-gray. A simplified pattern of a red spider lily had been engraved upon it with exceptional craftsmanship.

Naturally, there were corresponding forehead protectors for samurai as well.

The symbol on a samurai forehead protector was the same as that on a ninja forehead protector. Only the strap was white.

After all, the Land of Night was a country with both ninja and samurai. Its forehead protectors also needed to be localized in order to distinguish ninja from samurai.

There were also samurai ranks corresponding to Jonin, Chunin, and Genin, though the samurai ranking system was relatively more complicated than the ninja one.

The reason was that, in this era, samurai were no longer the mainstream. They were already gradually showing signs of being eliminated by ninja.

Things were only slightly better here in the Land of Night. In many countries of the Ninja World, samurai had become almost legendary figures, gradually vanishing into history and losing their influence as competitors on the same stage as ninja.

"So that means I'm a Jonin?"

Kicho quickly understood what Yayoi meant. At the same time, she saw the title "Jonin" listed on her ninja registration paper.

Then she looked at the ninja serial number field: Ninja Number S-000003.

"Does this number mean that I am the third ninja registered in the Land of Night?"

Kicho tilted her head, slightly puzzled.

There was nothing wrong with Kicho's interpretation of the number. The first and second ninja of the Land of Night were naturally Yayoi, the General himself, and Irori, someone close to him.

However, although she was the General's wife, she had only joined the Land of Night recently. Compared to her, she believed Kakuzu, one of Yayoi's trusted subordinates, was more qualified to receive the third ninja number.

"Then I'm the fourth, and Rinko is the fifth?"

Aoi also glanced at her ninja number. Hers was S-000004, while Rinko's was S-000005.

"Dear husband, even though we are all your women, there's no need to use privilege in a place like this, is there?"

Kicho teased Yayoi.

In terms of who came first, neither she nor Aoi and Rinko should have received such early numbers. Since this had actually happened, it was obvious that Yayoi had shown favoritism and arranged it behind the scenes.

"Well..." Yayoi paused before continuing, "The numbers beginning with S are only for family members centered around me. They were never meant for outsiders. Numbers beginning with other letters are for the ninja and samurai below."

"Oh, so that's how it is?"

After Yayoi explained, Kicho finally understood.

She also understood why Yayoi had made such a distinction. Unlike the leadership election system of ninja villages, the Land of Night was a monarchy.

The General was both the leader of the nation's political power and the representative of its strongest military force.

As a result, the position of "General" naturally carried a strong sense of hierarchy and had to be distinguished from everyone else.

As Yayoi's primary wife and concubines, regardless of their strength, Kicho and the other two were naturally the people closest to the General himself in status. They likewise needed to be set apart from others.

Compared with Kicho's relaxed expression, Aoi and Rinko suddenly felt pressure settle upon them.

That was right. They were already Yayoi's women, no longer maids here.

In other words, as Yayoi's concubines, they had the responsibility and obligation to develop the Land of Night together with him, their husband.

But... could the two of them really do that?

Whether in strength or intelligence, neither of them was particularly outstanding. Their hearts were also full of self-doubt.

"Dear husband, isn't this Chunin rating for Rinko and me a little too high?"

Aoi pointed at the certification document, which showed that both she and Rinko were Chunin of the Land of Night.

This was the backbone rank second only to Jonin. Were they truly qualified to hold such positions?

"Hehe, it seems that Aoi and Rinko, neither of you knows anything at all."

Kicho laughed at that moment.

Aoi and Rinko looked at her in confusion, unable to understand what Kicho meant. Had they misunderstood something?

Yayoi shook his head helplessly and stepped forward to rub Rinko's head. She shyly lowered her head until only the tips of her toes could barely be seen.

"Don't belittle yourselves. In terms of ninja ability, there is no problem with you two serving as Chunin. Or rather, most of the ninja in the Land of Night are actually very weak. Seventy percent of them can only be rated as Genin. If the two of you get serious, you can defeat any one of that seventy percent."

"Huh?"

Upon hearing Yayoi's explanation, Aoi and Rinko's eyes widened in disbelief.

Were the ninja of the Land of Night... really that weak?

As far as they knew, their dear husband was powerful enough to capture Tailed Beasts.

When he was younger, he had even destroyed the governments of two countries and built his own nation upon their ruins.

And Sister Irori, who stayed at their dear husband's side, could freeze an entire sea in an instant with her Ice Release ninjutsu.

Such strength might not be enough to intimidate great nations, but to small countries, it was an insurmountable chasm.

"Although ninja villages have begun to emerge, the era of ninja clans... has not completely passed. The ninja under dear husband's command include the very strong and the exceptionally weak. That is the flaw of having no systematic teaching method. After the Chakra Refinement Technique spread, most ninja in the Land of Night have relied on their individual talent to grow."

As Kicho spoke with a smile, she struck directly at the Land of Night's greatest weakness.

That was right. Although Yayoi had generously shared chakra refinement techniques with those under him, there was ultimately no systematic method of instruction, and materials on various ninjutsu were severely lacking.

This meant that anyone who wanted to become a truly powerful ninja could only rely on talent.

Take Kakuzu, for example. With the same chakra refinement, ordinary people needed several days or even longer, while he could finish in half a day or less. He could draw inferences from one example and cultivate independently in many areas.

Then there was Kurobei. Though he could not use ninjutsu, he had honed his swordsmanship to the extreme through powerful chakra control and projection techniques, likewise relying on swordsmanship talent and tangible chakra control far beyond ordinary people.

Even Yayoi was a genius like that.

After all, the wandering ninja who had taken him in had only been Chunin-level. Once he mastered the basics of chakra refinement, he could rapidly grow stronger with that first bucket of gold.

As for those with ordinary talent... it was not that Yayoi did not want to make them stronger. It was simply impossible at present.

Without systematic teaching materials or methods, lacking top-tier instructors, and due to various other objective and subjective reasons, nearly seventy percent of the Land of Night's ninja forces were cannon fodder meant to fill the line.

Chunin in the middle ranks were equally scarce. Like Jonin, the Chunin who formed the backbone of the Land of Night still came in considerable numbers from ninja clans.

"Is... is that so?"

Aoi and Rinko looked at each other. So the two of us were actually this strong?

They could actually surpass seventy percent of the Land of Night's ninja?

"That's right. The two of you have awakened the Byakugan, and your Gentle Fist fundamentals are fairly solid. To ordinary Genin, you are already combatants beyond standard specifications."

Yayoi smiled with a sigh. This was the strength of a Kekkei Genkai.

Whether in terms of upper or lower limits, unless one was a genius, it was difficult to compare.

The reason Kekkei Genkai were so powerful in the ninja world was that once they formed a scale, so long as no major mistakes occurred, that clan's future was destined to remain prosperous and powerful year after year.

Within the Hyuga Clan, Aoi and Rinko were insignificant cannon fodder used to fill the line. But once they left the Hyuga Clan and came to the Land of Night, with the Kekkei Genkai known as the Byakugan, they became esteemed Chunin!

"So, Aoi, Rinko, the two of you can be a little more confident here."

Yayoi could tell that compared to issues with their abilities, what these two girls needed more right now was sufficient confidence.

As long as one's abilities were not too far off the mark, there would always be a suitable place for them.

But once a person lost confidence, no matter how strong they appeared on the outside, they were only a paper tiger that would collapse at the slightest poke.

"Ah, yes, my lord husband."

As Aoi and Rinko listened to Yayoi's gentle encouragement, they froze for a moment. Their fair faces heated up, while determination slowly appeared in their eyes.

Before meeting Yayoi, when they had still been in the clan, they had been restrained by rigid clan rules and limited by their talent. Neither their parents nor the other elders of the clan had ever spoken such heartwarming words to affirm their character and abilities.

They somewhat understood why Kicho so often stuck to Yayoi like glue.

"Not just that. In bed, you should also be as confident and uninhibited as I am."

Out of nowhere, Kicho let out a teasing laugh from beside them.

"Uwaaaah! Lady Kicho, what are you suddenly saying?! Stop making such lewd jokes all the time!"

Aoi and Rinko instantly flushed red and cried out in panic. They hurried forward to cover Kicho's mouth, stopping her from saying any more embarrassing lewd jokes.

Damn it, give them back the dignified and beautiful Lady Kicho she had been in the clan!

Ever since coming to the Land of Night, this young lady Kicho had completely let herself go.

In the end, Aoi and Rinko even put on stern faces and relentlessly lectured Kicho, their "Clan Head."

Things like, "Girls should manage the household diligently and frugally," "As the general's wife, you should be dignified and elegant," and "Ninja who indulge in pleasure will fall into depravity; you must learn to grow through hardship"—a whole series of baffling remarks.

The courtyard was immediately filled with cheerful laughter.