Married for Life

"If we could sign a Summoning Contract with a Tailed Beast, that would give you another trump card, wouldn't it, my lord husband?"

Back at the Inner Court's main residence, the solemn look on Yayoi's face had yet to fade.

Though Yayoi did not say it outright, Kicho could see the temptation in his heart.

That was a Tailed Beast. Its very existence was a walking natural disaster.

If they could subdue such a being, it would greatly strengthen the nation's military power.

At the very least, as long as Yayoi was alive, the contract would remain in effect.

Barring an accident, Yayoi's natural lifespan should have been exceptionally long.

Kicho could tell as much from his usual habits of caring for his body. Few ninja paid attention to maintaining their health.

As his wife, she had also consciously begun taking better care of herself in daily life.

"That's only its side of the story. Before we have proper means to restrain it, letting it out carries greater risks than benefits."

If it went back on its word after getting out, it would be a disaster for the Land of Night.

If it suddenly fired a few Tailed-Beast Bombs in Nightview City, the entire city would be sent straight to the heavens.

Thus, while Yayoi was tempted by the contract proposed by the Seven-Tails, considering reality, he did not believe the Seven-Tails would obediently listen after being released.

To truly wield the power of a Tailed Beast, powerful Sealing Jutsu was indispensable.

The Uzumaki Clan's Sealing Jutsu is essential. I hope everything goes smoothly on Kakuzu's end...

Yayoi thought of Kakuzu, who had already departed for the Land of Whirlpool, hoping he would return with news that would please him.

"By the way, Kicho, don't work so hard lately. Put your training on hold as well." Yayoi paused, his gentle gaze sweeping over Kicho's lower abdomen. "It's been a month already, hasn't it?"

He took Kicho's fair, soft little hand and had her sit beside him.

Through the comfortable fabric of her purple-and-white kimono, his palm caressed her lower abdomen with soft, gentle movements.

"So you found out, my lord husband. I had originally planned to give you a surprise."

Kicho sat down and leaned against Yayoi. Lowering her head to glance at the lower abdomen Yayoi was gently touching, her eyes shone with maternal warmth and a hint of shyness.

"This news alone is already enough of a surprise. Besides, don't forget that I used to be a medical ninja. How could I, as your husband, fail to notice the changes in your body lately?"

Yayoi withdrew his hand and spoke as though it were only natural.

"So, is that why you've been doting on Aoi and Rinko lately instead of being intimate with me?"

Kicho laughed teasingly, but there was a trace of melancholy in her expression.

"What is it? Are you unhappy?"

Yayoi noticed that Kicho was in low spirits.

"It's not that I'm unhappy. Being able to bear your child is the happiest thing for me, my lord husband. It's just that, thinking about how I won't be able to share a bed with you until the child is born, I can't help feeling lonely."

"For the child's sake, there's no helping it."

Although ninja constitutions differed from those of ordinary people, Yayoi felt temporary restraint was necessary to ensure the child could be born safely.

"So..."

"So?"

"So next year, my lord husband, you'll have to make it up to me properly."

"..."

Feeling Kicho press herself against him, her burning, intense affection nearly overwhelmed him.

At that moment, Yayoi felt that his delicate young wife was practically a female demon reincarnated, one who specialized in draining men dry.

He had been the one taking the lead at first, but now she was gradually taking control of the rhythm. Moreover, she had mastered many techniques without being taught, truly surpassing her teacher.

She was simply too good at this.

"By the way, my lord husband, do you hope it's a boy or a girl?"

Kicho stroked her lower abdomen and asked Yayoi what he thought.

"Though a girl would be nice too, for the sake of stabilizing people's hearts, it would be better if the first child were a boy." Yayoi spoke from a practical standpoint, then changed the subject. "Kicho, do you hope for a boy or a girl?"

"Either is fine, as long as my lord husband likes it."

"Kicho... you should cultivate some hobbies of your own too."

Yayoi's lips moved twice before he finally could not help saying it.

Although he enjoyed Kicho constantly clinging to him—he was a normal man, so naturally he wanted to be the only one in his woman's eyes—

he still hoped that when Kicho had free time, she would have some personal space of her own, such as developing a few little hobbies.

"My hobby is figuring out how to make my lord husband happy. Hmm... for a lifetime, that is."

Yayoi: "..."

This kind of affection... was a little too heavy.

Several days later, at the Tenshu Tower.

"Um, Irori, is it alright if we put these here?"

The one calling out to Irori was a Byakugan girl with shoulder-length hair—none other than Hyuga Rinko.

Accompanying her in carrying the documents was Hyuga Aoi, the twin-tailed Byakugan girl.

Though they were not blood sisters, because they had married into the household together as concubines and had spent more than half a year together, their relationship had naturally warmed quickly. They were no different from real sisters.

Both wore blue-and-white kimono-style maid uniforms as they assisted Irori with her work.

"Yes, just put them here. Thank you for your hard work, ladies."

The one currently stationed at the Tenshu Tower and handling official affairs was Irori, the Land of Night's nominally unofficial acting shogun.

As Yayoi's deputy, even his shadow, whenever Yayoi was absent, she would act as the Land of Night's highest authority and handle all matters.

"It's nothing. We're only moving documents."

The powerful physiques ninja possessed, far beyond ordinary people, allowed even ordinary Chunin like Aoi and Rinko to easily handle plenty of exhausting manual labor.

Even if they were sent to a construction site to carry bricks, they could effortlessly lift dozens of stone bricks with one hand.

For them, carrying documents like this did not even count as hard labor. It was easier than housework.

Compared to that, Rinko and Aoi felt terribly embarrassed inside.

Being called ladies of the household and such, no matter how many times they heard it, still felt a little strange.

"Next, these documents only need to be stamped."

Irori took out two seals and had Aoi and Rinko stamp a portion of the less important documents.

Though it was only a portion, the accumulated stack was still astonishingly tall.

Fortunately, there was nothing technical about it. They only needed to repeat the same motions mechanically. The only downside was that it could get irritating, making it suitable for people with plenty of patience.

"Leave it to us."

Aoi and Rinko solemnly accepted the seals, gathered the documents Irori had pushed toward them, and went to sit at another desk.

Every time they turned over a document, they had to stamp it once.

Sometimes, they would inadvertently glimpse the contents. They concerned national projects, natural disaster prevention, and similar matters, many of which were related to the people's livelihood.

From two in the afternoon until dusk, when the sun had set, the two finally finished stamping all the documents.

"I'm exhausted..."

Returning to the main residence of the Inner Court, Aoi and Rinko walked across the cool corridor floor in white tabi socks. Their steps drifted, and their eyes had begun to glaze over.

Their bodies were not tired, but that mechanical repetition had nearly made their palms cramp.

The mental exhaustion was far worse than the physical strain.

"Who knew merely stamping seals could be so exhausting..."

Aoi could not help complaining.

Before this, she had thought the job would be easy.

"Exactly. It's hard to imagine my lord husband sitting in that kind of place for more than half the day so often. My patience has nearly been worn away."

Rinko nodded in deep agreement.

If it had been heavy, non-repetitive physical work, they would not have been so tired. But stamping seals for hours on end... now their minds were filled with images of seals.

This kind of endlessly repetitive work made them feel as though their brains were turning foolish.

"You're back. How was the work at the Tenshu Tower?"

Yayoi, who had just come out of his room, saw Aoi and Rinko returning from the Tenshu Tower and smiled as he asked about their work.

"It was mentally exhausting."

"We sat there like fools for half the day."

The complaints came from Aoi and Rinko respectively.

Since Kicho had only recently become pregnant, Yayoi had been staying by her side lately to care for her and prevent her emotions from fluctuating too much.

To make Irori's work easier, Yayoi had asked Aoi and Rinko to try doing some miscellaneous work at the Tenshu Tower.

The two happened to be eager to work, so it was a perfect match.

"Then, do you want to quit tomorrow?"

Yayoi rubbed both their little heads.

"No."

The two answered in unison.

"Even if it's tiring, it's still important work. If we stay idle all day with nothing to do, we'll turn into lewd women like Lady Kicho."

"Yeah, I don't want to become like Lady Kicho."

Clearly, in their hearts, Kicho had become a thoroughly negative example.

In their eyes, the reason Kicho's nightlife was so colorful was because she had too little work during the day.

As long as they had enough work in the daytime, how could they have time at night for all that messy nonsense?

"..."

Yayoi's mouth twitched.

He very much wanted to explain that Kicho had still been very diligent with her training these past few months.

Before getting pregnant, she had maintained more than ten hours of training almost every day.

Her Gentle Fist and Byakugan abilities had also improved further.

At the very least, Kakuzu before obtaining Earth Grudge Fear was most likely no longer Kicho's match.

As for being full of energy... wasn't that a good thing for a ninja?

As a genius girl of the Hyuga Clan who had developed her own Variant Gentle Fist style, having a weak constitution would have been the real problem, wouldn't it?

"Fine. Since you want to keep working, I'll explain it to Irori afterward."

Yayoi could not bring himself to dampen their enthusiasm for work.

"Then we'll trouble you, my lord husband. We'll go soak in the rear courtyard bath first. We'll eat dinner later."

"Go ahead, but don't soak for too long."

Watching Aoi and Rinko leave, Yayoi smiled and shook his head. He turned toward the other end of the corridor and disappeared around the corner.