By late morning, Samui and Yugito were all smiles as they helped Yuzuru get dressed.
Back when they were still in Kumogakure, the two of them had already admired him greatly.
After becoming his bodyguards, that admiration had only deepened with time.
And once Yuzuru displayed his overwhelming might and even subdued the legendary Ōnoki, they could no longer suppress the feelings in their hearts.
So the moment they learned he had returned to the village, the two of them came to find him without hesitation.
Now that they had finally gotten what they wanted, both Samui and Yugito were in excellent spirits.
"Why does it feel like I'm the one who got taken advantage of...?" (T/N: got a problem? Bruh!)
Yuzuru couldn't help but shake his head with a laugh.
It wasn't like he disliked the feeling.
Still, it lacked a bit of that satisfying sense of conquest.
When a man's charm is too overwhelming, that can be a burden too.
"Yuzuru, is there anything you'd like to eat? We can go prepare it for you."
Samui's voice pulled him back to reality, and he answered slowly, "No need to go to that much trouble. I'm not hungry right now."
"You two can go speak with Mikoto later, then move into the courtyard."
At those words, Samui and Yugito lit up immediately.
"Thank you, Yuzuru."
He waved a hand. "And stop calling me 'Lord' from now on. Remember to change that too."
"Mhm."
"Alright. I still need to go talk to Fugaku about something. You two go pack your things first."
"Okay!"
The two of them nodded obediently, then returned to their residence.
It was already close to noon, and Anko Mitarashi and Yugao Uzuki were in the middle of lunch.
The moment Anko saw Samui and Yugito walk in, she lifted her eyelids and gave them a glance before snorting lightly.
"Where did you two go? Why do you both look so... lovestruck and flushed?"
"What do you mean?" Yugito asked.
"You're radiating heat! You look horny, that's up with what!"
Women often spoke much more boldly among themselves, and after following Yuzuru for so long, the four of them had picked up quite a few things by osmosis. So the moment Anko opened her mouth, she dropped a bomb.
But what she hadn't expected was that Yugito and Samui didn't argue back like usual.
Instead, they lowered their heads with faintly bashful expressions.
The moment she saw that, a bad feeling rose in Anko's chest.
"Hey! What's with you two?"
Yugito answered softly, "We're Yuzuru's women now."
"What?!"
Anko and Yugao cried out at the same time.
Yugao stared at them. "You two didn't come back last night... so was it...?"
Yugito nodded.
"Yeah. Exactly what you're thinking. Though honestly, you should probably think even bigger."
Hearing that, Anko ground her teeth.
"When did Yuzuru get back? Why didn't we get any news?"
Samui let out a coquettish laugh, her body trembling with delight.
"Maybe you should ask yourselves that. As Yuzuru's bodyguards, have you really been keeping all your attention on him?"
"Damn it! Shameless!"
At Anko's curse, Samui just snorted.
"I think you're just jealous."
"We all live together every day. Who here doesn't know what the others are thinking? Don't tell me you two never wanted something to happen with Yuzuru."
"The only difference is that we're not pretending to be reserved like you are."
"Anko, remember this well. Even if Yuzuru takes the two of you in someday, you'll still have to call me and Yugito 'big sister.'"
After saying that, Samui grabbed Yugito and headed into the room.
There were no missions today.
They planned to get some proper rest.
Watching the two of them walk off looking smug and satisfied, Anko was so furious she nearly bit through her teeth.
Yugao tried to soothe her.
"Anko, Samui and Yugito have always been like this. Why are you getting so worked up over them?"
Anko puffed up angrily.
"What do you mean? I was first..."
"Back then, Yuzuru even snatched and ate the dango I'd already gotten my saliva on, and now those two actually beat me to it."
"Yugao, we need to find the right chance to win Yuzuru over too. Otherwise, we're going to be stuck taking attitude from those two forever."
Yugao lowered her head and said nothing more.
Anko was bolder than she was.
This kind of thing was better left to her.
She...
liked being passive.
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After leaving the Hokage Building, Yuzuru headed straight home.
The moment he entered, he saw Hanare crouching in the courtyard, playing with Uchiha Tsuki.
Yuzuru blinked in surprise.
"Hanare? When did you get back?"
The moment she heard his voice, Hanare stood up with a look of delight.
She ran over, hugged his arm, and said softly, "Everything in the Land of Keys has already been taken care of. The people you sent over have all been assigned to their respective positions too."
"I don't like managing all that messy stuff, so I just came back."
Yuzuru nodded.
"In that case, just stay in Konoha from now on."
"Is there anything you like doing?"
Whether it was Tsunade or Kushina, all of his women had hobbies or interests of their own.
Otherwise, if too much time passed, their minds would gradually grow empty.
Since Hanare planned to settle down in Konoha, it would be better to find her something to do sooner rather than later.
After hearing his question, Hanare touched her chin and thought for a moment before answering slowly,
"I wouldn't go so far as to call it a dream, but I've always liked singing and dancing since I was little. Before I met you, I used to think it wouldn't be bad to become a traveling songstress and wander from place to place."
"But now that I'm your woman, going out and showing my face like that doesn't feel very appropriate..."
Yuzuru waved his hand dismissively.
"What's inappropriate about it? I'm not the kind of man who marries a wife just to hide her at home."
"If you like singing and dancing, then I'll open an entertainment company for you. In the future, we'll make you a superstar!"
"Besides, as long as you don't say anything, who would know you're my wife other than a few close people?"
"Yuzuru, you're so good to me."
Hanare's face filled with gratitude as she rose onto her toes and kissed him lightly.
Although the daimyō had already been overthrown, the traditional customs of the ninja world were not something that could be changed overnight.
Even among shinobi, many women would still choose to stay home and care for their husbands and children after marriage if there wasn't too much financial pressure.
And in families with even a bit of status or strength, many men would see letting their women go out to work as something shameful.
So Yuzuru's willingness to support her interests truly caught Hanare off guard and filled her with joy.
People said that even a brief separation could make reunion feel like a second honeymoon.
Seeing Hanare's sweet and lively expression, Yuzuru couldn't help but feel his blood heat up.
He swept her into his arms and carried her toward the room.
"Your husband has even better treasures to show you. Come take a good look."