Shizune was bent over, mopping the floor, her pencil skirt stretched taut, emphasizing her full hips.
Her shapely legs, encased in black stockings, stood perfectly straight, with a hint of skin visible underneath.
Hearing Shinho's question, a look of surprise flickered across Shizune's delicate face.
"I already discussed this with Sensei."
Shinho grinned, saying, "Once I marry Sensei, it'll be your turn."
"..."
Shizune froze for a few seconds, finally processing the incredibly loaded statement. Had Tsunade-sama actually agreed?
I'm next in line to marry him?
Shizune felt dumbfounded. Marriage was supposed to be sacred, but the way it sounded coming from him… it was just shameless.
"Arrange it as you see fit," Shizune said, pursing her lips slightly.
Tsunade had already agreed, so she naturally wouldn't refuse.
Marriage, huh?
Shizune's heart pounded faster.
Only now did the reality sink in, and a torrent of emotions washed over her.
"Thank you, Shizune-nee," Shinho said sincerely.
"It's… it's nothing," Shizune's face flushed slightly, and ultimately, all her emotions coalesced into anticipation.
How adorable, Shinho thought, his desire flaring. He walked straight up to her and said, "We can save one cleaning session."
"Huh?" Shizune tilted her head, looking at him, completely bewildered.
He wasn't speaking in the omost coherent of ways at the moment.
Shinho didn't stand on ceremony. He swept her into his arms.
As her beautiful legs in black stockings dangled in the air, Shizune finally understood.
Just like Tsunade, she was kneeling on the sofa, her back exposed.
Night fell.
The moon climbed to its zenith.
After reaching its highest point, it slowly descended, and finally, the bright sunlight poured onto the earth.
A new day dawned.
Shinho hummed a tune as he headed towards the Hokage's office.
In the hallway, he encountered Samui, Mabui, and Yugito.
Seeing Shinho, each of them reacted differently.
Samui's lips quirked up slightly, a faint smile gracing her face.
Mabui remembered her previous punishment, and instinctively averted her gaze, feeling somewhat…guilty.
Yugito Nii merely scoffed.
"Hokage-sama," Samui and Mabui bowed slightly in greeting.
Yugito followed suit reluctantly.
She was unwilling.
"Hm," Shinho replied. He was in a good mood and didn't feel like arguing with her.
Besides, he had something more important to plan: to announce his marriage.
Shinho didn't care about the reactions of the shinobi world, but he did care about what Hinata and the others thought.
After careful consideration, he figured that Ino would likely be the hardest to deal with.
Hinata had already tacitly accepted things during the Fireworks Festival because of Samui.
Samui and Konan were essentially on the losing side of the war and wouldn't raise any objections.
Only Ino was still completely unaware.
Shinho sighed.
If he had some confidence with Hinata and Tsunade, then Ino was a complete unknown.
But regardless, he had to try.
Maybe he'd get lucky.
Shinho silently chanted some luck enhancing suthra from his hometown.
"Hokage-sama," Konan greeted him proactively.
It was her turn to organize documents today.
"Good morning," Shinho said with a smile.
Konan nodded curtly, her face impassive.
She turned and continued sorting the files.
Shinho's gaze naturally drifted to her figure in the pencil skirt and her beautiful legs in black stockings.
He recalled Tsunade and Shizune from yesterday.
Shinho shook his head, banishing the wayward thoughts.
He sat in the Hokage's chair, gently tapping the desk.
"Hokage-sama, is something troubling you?" Konan asked, somewhat surprised. With Shinho's strength, what could he possibly be unable to accomplish?
"There is something," Shinho paused, then didn't continue.
Suddenly, an idea struck him.
Often, doing things properly required following tradition. Even emperors followed tradition with marriage.
Usually, an emperor married to ensure the stability of the kingdom. After all, having offspring meant ensuring the continuation of the dynasty.
Besides that, there were things like political marriages.
In the shinobi world, the Daimyo were in a similar situation.
Shinho decided to bring it up at the next Court meeting .
First, he'd establish the tradition of the Daimyo having multiple wives and concubines since ancient times, then suggest that he should get married as well, without specifying who the bride would be.
This would give the outside world time to react.
At the same time, he would have time to talk to Ino and the others.
Once everything was settled, he would send out wedding invitations to inform the shinobi world.
"I think I've figured out a solution," Shinho said, feeling instantly lighter, "It must be Konan-nee bringing me good luck."
"I didn't do anything," Konan said, suppressing the ripple in her heart.
"Are there anything important today?" Shinho changed the subject.
"Sasuke Uchiha," Konan handed him a file.
Shinho opened it and scanned through it.
The contents were simple.
Black Zetsu had contacted Sasuke again, asking if he had any way to collect the nine tailed beasts.
Shinho chuckled softly.
Black Zetsu was certainly eager.
Sasuke hadn't even awakened his Rinnegan, and he was already eyeing the tailed beasts.
Shinho stroked his chin.
Sasuke already met the requirements, but he lacked chakra capacity needed.
He suddenly thought of the Gelel Stone.
Would having Sasuke absorb it be useful?
With that thought in mind, Shinho picked up his pen and drafted a reply. It mainly focused on two points.
First, telling Black Zetsu to wait until the Rinnegan is awakened before attempting to collect the nine tailed beasts.
Second, having him try the Gelel Stone.
If that really doesn't work, then he can just wait for the Sage of Six Paths to deliver Sasuke's cheat code.
"Deliver this to Sasuke," Shinho said, putting down his pen and returning the file to Konan.
"Yes," Konan said. After organizing the files, she left with them, leaving only the important documents behind.
Shinho casually picked them up and began his day's work.
At noon, a knock came on the door.
It was Ino.
She had brought him lunch again.
After the two of them finished eating, it was time for their usual training session.
Shinho didn't rush to bring up the topic of marriage with her.
He would wait until after the Court meeting .
In the afternoon, after finishing the paperwork, Shinho melted into the warm embrace of Samui.
The Hokage's secretary was proving to be just as competent the second time around, perfectly embodying the Will of Fire.
...
Mount Myoboku.
The Great Toad Sage suddenly opened his eyes.
He sensed a familiar yet powerful chakra.
It was his old friend, the Sage of Six Paths, or rather, Hagoromo Otsutsuki.
Although his physical body had died, his chakra remained in the Pure Land.
In a sense, it was a form of eternal life.
"Long time no see, Gamamaru," The Sage of Six Paths said as he entered.
His attitude was quite friendly.
Because the Great Toad Sage had used the Sage's tag to revive his younger brother, Hamura Otsutsuki, a thousand years ago.
"Indeed," The Great Toad Sage said slowly, "You are still as young."
"Because the soul does not age," The Sage of Six Paths shook his head and asked, "Why did you call me here?"
"It's about your mother, Kaguya Otsutsuki," The Great Toad Sage said in a deep voice.
"What do you mean?" The Sage of Six Paths asked, puzzled.
Although he was in the Pure Land, he had been keeping an eye on Kaguya Otsutsuki.
He could confirm that there had been no problems with her seal so far.
"It's a prophecy of mine," The Great Toad Sage took a deep breath and said, "She will break free."
"That's impossible," The Sage of Six Paths frowned and said, "To break free, she would need someone to help her from the outside, but who in the current shinobi world could help her?"
"Shinho Aburame!" The Great Toad Sage said, enunciating each syllable clearly.
"Are you sure?" The Sage of Six Paths' gaze narrowed slightly, "He is already the supreme power in the shinobi world. Why would he cause himself trouble?"
Once Kaguya Otsutsuki broke free, she would inevitably conquer the shinobi world again.
From that perspective, she and Shinho were natural enemies.
He couldn't understand why he would help her.
"I'm not sure if it's him, but he is the most likely," The Great Toad Sage looked at him and said with certainty, "Because my prophecies never fail."
The Sage of Six Paths fell silent.
In his memory, the Great Toad Sage's prophecies had always been validated.
Moreover, since it concerned Kaguya Otsutsuki, he preferred to believe it just in case.
If she really broke free, the end of the shinobi world would come.
"The most urgent thing now is to determine Shinho's intentions," The Sage of Six Paths said after a moment's thought.
"According to the information Mount Myoboku has gathered, Shinho wants Sasuke to awaken the Rinnegan and become the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki."
The Great Toad Sage paused and said, "Sasuke is the reincarnation of Indra's chakra."
"I know," The Sage of Six Paths nodded.
Indra and Ashura were both his sons, so he naturally paid attention to them.
"Sasuke is not the kind of person who would release Kaguya," The Sage of Six Paths had observed him.
His personality was actually very simple, thinking only of fighting and getting stronger all day long.
Originally, according to the bond between Indra and Ashura, he would have clung to Naruto.
But now there was a more powerful Shinho, which shifted Sasuke's focus.
"But Shinho can influence him," The Great Toad Sage said with a grave expression.
"Asking directly will likely not get us an answer, so let's use a plan within a plan," The Sage of Six Paths pondered, "I will go find Sasuke and help him awaken his eyes."
As the Sage of Six Paths, he treated all the ninjas in the ninja world equally.
He would not attack Shinho until he was certain.
"..."
The Great Toad Sage was slightly shocked.
As expected of the Sage of Six Paths, he was so confident.
His plan was simple.
If Sasuke truly intended to rescue Kaguya Otsutsuki after awakening his eyes, then he would stop him.
If he didn't, then there was nothing to worry about.
Anyway, they were all his sons. Helping him awaken to their potential was not a big deal.
"Shinho Aburame is very powerful," The Great Toad Sage suddenly remembered something and said, "Especially his transformation technique. Even the White Snake Sage is no match for it."
"It's fine," A smile appeared on the Sage of Six Paths' face, "His strength is still far behind me."
He had seen Shinho's Six-Armed Heavenly Zombie King twice, so he had a good idea of its capabilities.
It was powerful, but it hadn't reached the level comparable to his yet.
"That's good," The Great Toad Sage breathed a sigh of relief when he heard this.
With the Sage of Six Paths around, Mount Myoboku could continue be worry-free.
join my patreon for the completed story: patreon.com/HyppoTL