The reason Senju Wakama brought this up with Uchiha Yuki was to prepare her mentally in advance.
Senju Wakama didn't know when things would blow up.
Nor did he know what the consequences would be when they did.
All in all...
He would just leave it at that for now.
"I know. Tamayo Nara, Aburame Aoi, and Hyuga Miyu." Uchiha Yuki was not the same girl she was a few years ago.
Back then, before she had been tormented by Senju Wakama, she had been naive and ignorant, often falling into self-doubt. It was precisely because of these intense emotional fluctuations that she had awakened her Three-Tomoe Sharingan at such a young age.
There had clearly been no life-threatening danger in being with Senju Wakama.
But the emotional turmoil had been unprecedented.
That feeling of insecurity, the painful illusion of having something only to lose it again, was agonizing.
As time went on, Uchiha Yuki suddenly had an epiphany.
Even if Senju Wakama were to suddenly leave her now, Uchiha Yuki might feel sad, but she wouldn't try to force him to stay.
Because in just a few short years, Uchiha Yuki had experienced a happiness that others might never have in their entire lifetime. There was no need to ask for too much more.
Despite always being on edge, Senju Wakama had truly treated her well.
She never had to worry about food or clothing and was treated with tenderness. So what if it used up all the good fortune for the rest of her life? She had started with nothing anyway, so everything she had now was a gain.
Uchiha Yuki's composure completely threw Senju Wakama off. For a moment, he had no idea what to say.
Reading his expression, Uchiha Yuki smiled and said, "You said you would marry me, didn't you? As for the other people and other matters, I trust you'll handle them well."
The implication was that as long as it didn't bother her, she could pretend those other people didn't exist.
Hearing this, Senju Wakama felt an inexplicable twinge of guilt.
Uchiha Yuki's meaning was obvious. As long as she had her position secured, the other people were none of her concern.
Senju Wakama gave Uchiha Yuki a huge hug and said, "Thank you, Yuki."
In the days that followed, Senju Wakama's routine didn't change.
When the new winter arrived.
The Senju clan compound was as warm as spring thanks to its year-round artificial hot springs.
Many nobles paid to come here to escape the bitter cold.
After winter's arrival.
The Senju and Uchiha clans would enter a period of truce, where both sides returned to their own compounds and didn't interfere with each other.
But this was also an unusual time, and Uchiha Yuki was basically unable to leave her home easily, so Senju Wakama cancelled their seven-day rendezvous.
As the end of the year approached, Hyuga Miyu once again came to the Senju clan with Hyuga Haku.
And Hyuga Miyu found Senju Wakama again.
Senju Wakama was already used to this routine: clones for work, real body for chasing girls.
He walked with Hyuga Miyu along the hot spring street in winter.
"The Senju clan is truly amazing. It's a world of ice and snow outside, yet it's as warm as spring here," Hyuga Miyu remarked. "I don't want to leave at all."
The Senju clan's architecture was not only vastly different in appearance from traditional ninja world buildings, but also in function.
Besides the physically and mentally soothing artificial hot springs, the Senju clan also had underfloor heating.
It was incredibly warm in the winter, making people reluctant to leave.
"Then don't leave," Senju Wakama said casually.
At these words, Hyuga Miyu fell silent for a long while before asking, "On what grounds... would I not leave?"
"You know the answer in your heart," Senju Wakama didn't respond directly.
Hyuga Miyu fell silent again.
Senju Wakama said no more. He just silently went to the grand temple fair to get her a bowl of steaming hot soup—today's special, lamb offal soup.
It had plenty of pepper powder, and in this cold weather, one sip of such a soup could warm the body right up.
Hyuga Miyu did not refuse Senju Wakama's kindness. She accepted the soup he offered and began to drink it carefully.
They didn't stroll around for too long.
Hyuga Miyu said she wanted to go back and rest, and hoped Senju Wakama would escort her personally.
Even though they were within the Senju clan's territory and it was very safe, Hyuga Miyu still took the initiative to ask Senju Wakama to escort her.
And so, he escorted her to her lodgings.
The separate Hot Spring Villas belonging to Senju Wakama and his brothers had now become long-term residences for guests from major ninja clans.
A private villa was very convenient for certain things.
Senju Wakama escorted Hyuga Miyu.
He entered the door around noon and only came out when the sky had grown dim.
Moreover, when Senju Wakama left, Hyuga Miyu did not see him off.
After leaving Hyuga Miyu's lodgings, Senju Wakama headed straight for Tsukuyo's place.
These days, whenever Senju Wakama had the chance, he would go all out to the point of exhaustion, then immediately seek out Tsukuyo for healing.
As time passed, some of the ninja clans that the Senju clan hadn't actively contacted for cooperation grew restless. With Tsukuyo at the helm, the Senju clan now looked down on them. To get closer to the Senju clan again, they had to find another way.
Mid-Frost Moon.
Deep in winter.
A gentle snow was falling outside.
The days grew extremely short, and the world was shrouded in a silvery-white darkness.
Even though most of the Senju clan's buildings had underfloor heating and the artificial hot springs made the area warm, it couldn't stop the snowflakes from falling.
The cold wind was blocked by a forest of giant hogweed, leaving only snowflakes to fall ceaselessly from the sky.
Before hitting the ground, the snowflakes would turn into mist, drifting and hovering in the vicinity.
The accumulated snow made all the buildings blend into a single whole.
Through the wide-open gates, one could see the villa amidst the quiet, snowy wind.
The courtyard was tinged with white.
The surrounding man-made luminous pearls illuminated the dim inner chamber.
Inside the chamber, several figures were gathered around a table. A pot was set up in the middle, its contents bubbling and boiling.
"...The weather is so cold. It even hailed this morning, and at noon it was a mix of rain and snow. Even though it's daytime, the sky is terrifyingly dark."
Tamayo Nara held a bowl and chopsticks, plucking food from the hot pot and eating it in small bites.
Aburame Aoi sat beside her, also holding a bowl and chopsticks, making "hiss-hah, hiss-hah" sounds as she earnestly focused on her meal. Her eyes were fixed on the ingredients tumbling in the hot pot, completely ignoring Tamayo Nara.
Across from the two of them sat Uchiha Yuki and Hyuga Miyu.
Uchiha Yuki had been with Senju Wakama the longest, and she had completely taken on the appearance of a "Senju clan" member.
Hyuga Miyu, on the other hand, was a bit reserved.
The four women sat around the table eating, while at the head seat sat a leisurely-looking Senju Wakama.
This meal today was to introduce the four of them to each other. Rather than having them scheme against one another after finding out, it was better to be clear from the start that this was the kind of person he was.
Among those present, aside from Uchiha Yuki, the other three were somewhat afraid of Senju Wakama.
This was because, from the very beginning, in order to make them behave in the future, Senju Wakama had been overdoing it, to the point where he needed to find Tsukuyo for healing every time.
But the effect was also remarkable. The three of them didn't care about having a few more "sisters," because they truly couldn't handle him on their own.
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