Shinju spotted a flaw.
"Your village rule is kind of strange… If a challenger beats your village chief, that proves he's stronger than her. So how exactly is your chief supposed to bring him back?"
The attendant hadn't expected Shinju to ask that. After thinking a moment, she replied,
"Aside from Jiraiya-sama back then, it's usually men throwing themselves at our Nadeshiko Village. I've never really considered that problem… but I'd imagine very few men would turn down something so wonderful…"
Shinju and Naruto both fell silent.
"Winning means you have to get married—how can that possibly be considered wonderful? (||๐_๐)"
Shizuka, off to the side, grew annoyed.
"Quit stalling! Are you fighting or not? Don't look down on women! You talk like victory is guaranteed for you! (ꐦ°᷄д°᷅)"
Naruto hurriedly made up an excuse to exclude himself.
"See, both the redhead here and I are Jiraiya-sama's students… but I already have a girlfriend. He's still single. So this fated duel is all his… (•̀⌄•́)"
After saying that, Naruto exaggeratedly winked at Shinju. ( •̀∀•́ )
As if to say: Look, got your back! I saved the good stuff for you first! (σ≧︎▽︎≦︎)σ
Shinju: "…"
Winning means marriage. This was more painful than fighting Kaguya.
Getting thrown into the cage of marriage at such a young age—who could endure that… T_T
"If I win but refuse to marry, what happens?" Shinju suddenly asked.
Shizuka instantly bristled. "Stop bragging and fight first! ꐦ≖ ≖"
Shinju spread his hands again. "Then what if I just surrender on purpose?"
The attendant answered, "You wouldn't. Shinobi of Konohagakure take contracts very seriously. You wouldn't disgrace your village, right?"
Shinju: "…"
Wow. A master of moral blackmail.
...
Outside the small town.
In the dense forest beside a river, an open clearing awaited.
Shinju's battle with Nadeshiko began there.
Shinju had no desire to become the chief of that all-female village, so he planned to imitate what Jiraiya-sama did back then—fight Shizuka to a draw, wait until she exhausted her stamina, then fake his own collapse afterward…
At the edge of the battlefield, after watching Shinju and Shizuka exchange blows for over half an hour, the female attendant turned to Naruto.
"As expected of Jiraiya-sama's student. To last this long against Shizuka… maybe your friend really can defeat her and help her break free of her inner knot."
Naruto blinked. "Inner knot? What inner knot?"
The attendant continued, "It's tied to an old story… Shizuka-sama once had someone she loved freely. But the village elders strongly opposed it. In the end, they even plotted to kill that young man…"
"Since then, Shizuka-sama locked her heart away and devoted herself to training. She defeated challenger after challenger—her silent rebellion against the outdated village rules…"
Naruto sighed. "I see… But if everyone knows the rule is unreasonable, why hasn't it changed after all these years?"
The attendant sighed. "Rules that old exist for a reason. Changing them isn't easy…"
...
Meanwhile, in a shrub near the battlefield—
The man with glasses Shizuka defeated earlier lay hidden there, watching every movement.
"That scrawny redhead is surprisingly tough… To last this long against Shizuka… I can't let him win. If he does, all the plans I've plotted for years go to waste…"
"The one who defeats Shizuka and takes control of Nadeshiko Village can only be me! ୧⍢⃝୨"
...
Time skipped ahead three days…
Shizuka and Shinju had been fighting continuously.
Naruto and the attendant were exhausted just watching them and had fallen asleep on the grass nearby.
After three days of battle, Shizuka acknowledged Shinju's strength and, panting, said,
"You really are incredible…"
Shinju pretended to be equally worn out. "You're not bad either…"
"Since neither of us has won after this long… let's call it a draw. We'll pass the marriage agreement down to the next generation. (ﾉ∇︎〃 )"
Shizuka: "…"
She didn't get the chance to reply.
The earth split open beneath them!
RUMBLE—!
From the cracked ground, a giant puppet—tens of meters tall—burst out!
Each of its hands grabbed one fighter—one clutching Shinju, the other Shizuka!
"Damn it, not again…" Shizuka gritted her teeth bitterly.
And then, from exhaustion, she fainted…
In the bushes, the glasses man burst out, puppet threads trailing from his fingers. His face lit with triumph.
"It worked! Finally!! ୧⍢⃝୨"
"I waited three whole days for you both to be completely drained! Now let's see how you resist anything! （＾ワ＾）"
But as soon as he finished—
BOOM—BOOM—BOOM!!
The puppet exploded apart!
The glasses man: ◝₍ᴑ̑ДO͝₎◞
"How?! After three days of intense fighting, you shouldn't even be able to speak! (≖╻≖;)"
Shinju, having just cut the giant puppet apart with his chakra blade, curled his lip.
"Please. Three days is nothing. My battle endurance is way beyond your imagination. (❁´︶`❁)"
"You just attempted to assassinate the Sixth Hokage of Konohagakure. Enjoy the prison back home!"
"If someone pays bail, great. If not, I'll keep you locked up forever. (ꐦ ಠ 皿 ಠ) "
Then Shinju summoned an Aoki-no-Mikoto clone and stuffed the glasses man into Konoha's prison.
On the ground, Shizuka—who had "fainted"—opened her eyes.
"Thank you… (´つヮ⊂︎)"
Shinju: ◝₍ᴑ̑ДO͝₎◞
"You weren't unconscious?"
He had acted only because he thought she fainted. Now she knew how strong he truly was. Three days of pretense, wasted!
Shizuka's cheeks reddened slightly.
"I really did faint… but then I sensed a strong chakra surge midway and woke up…"
"I didn't expect you to be the legendary Sixth Hokage of Konohagakure… Are you truly Jiraiya-sama's student?"
Shinju nodded. "Of course. Otherwise I wouldn't have bothered acting with you for three whole days."
Shizuka nodded, understanding his intention.
"We won't trouble you further…"
Shinju grinned. "You'll meet someone better in the future. (•̀⌄•́)"
"And by the way—your village's old rules should really be changed… Aren't you the chief now?"
At that, Shizuka's expression darkened.
"The village chief's authority is limited. The real power still lies with those stubborn elders."
Shinju asked, "Need help? ^_^"
"It'll only cost a small fee~"
Shizuka froze, eyes flickering.
She'd heard many sweet words from men, but none made her feel as at ease as Shinju's.
After thinking for a long while, she shook her head.
"I'll grow stronger—strong enough to change the rules myself! ୧⍢⃝୨"
"By the way… that glasses guy—are you really going to lock him up for life?"
Shinju replied, "I was just scaring him. Feeding a prisoner forever costs money. Total loss. ┐(´-｀)┌"
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