Shinho let out a long sigh of relief. The hardest part, persuading Ino, was basically done, which meant his bright future was now beckoning him.
The only real challenge left was announcing who the Queen will be.
His plan was to send out wedding invitations, informing some people first and then letting the news spread to everyone. That way, it would minimize the impact of the whole "teacher-student" marriage situation.
If it were just about him alone, Shinho wouldn't worry so much. But since this also involved Tsunade, a bit more hassle was worth it.
"Mabui," Shinho called through the Territory Immortal Gu.
"Yes, Lord Hokage?"
Before long, Mabui opened the door and stepped inside.
"Please check on the matter of wedding invitations," Shinho instructed. He preferred to leave such tasks to a professional rather than meddle himself.
"Understood," she answered with a nod.
"That'll be all," he said, arching an eyebrow slightly. He could sense Hinata was just outside.
Mabui bowed and turned to leave. As she opened the door, she locked eyes with Hinata for a moment.
She's here now? Mabui wondered. Could she be the one Shinho's marrying?
For some reason, Mabui felt a twinge of envy.
"Lady Hinata," she greeted politely. In theory, her position as Hokage's secretary was quite high, but in reality, it was all about one's personal relationship with Shinho.
Hinata froze, unable to respond before Mabui walked away.
"Hinata," Shinho's voice called. "What are you doing out there?"
Hinata snapped out of her thoughts, shut the door, and trotted to Shinho's side. She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but her cheeks suddenly reddened.
"How can your expression change so fast?" Shinho asked, amused.
"I…"
His gentle teasing made Hinata even more flustered. The blush on her face deepened, and her hands instinctively twisted the hem of her clothing.
"Seems all that training was wasted on you, you're still so shy," Shinho quipped. He reached out and gently tilted her chin up.
"I—I'm sorry…"
Hinata's breathing became unsteady, and she looked a bit guilty.
"You're adorably clueless," Shinho said with a laugh.
"Eh?"
Hinata could only stare blankly, not quite sure how to react.
"So, what brings you here?" he asked, lightly brushing her cheek with his fingers.
"I…I came…about the wedding," Hinata stammered.
"Knew it," Shinho chuckled. "Are you in such a hurry to marry me?"
"No… I… That's…"
Hinata's eyes widened, her face practically on fire.
"I am going to marry you," Shinho said, not hiding anything, "but… you're not the official Queen."
"Um!"
Hinata's body tensed, and she couldn't hide the disappointment that flickered across her face.
"I'm sorry," he said sincerely.
"It's… it's okay…" Hinata replied hastily. "I'm fine with it."
Shinho opened his mouth but didn't know what else to say. Her gentle acceptance filled him with gratitude but the guilt that gnawed at his heart was still there.
"Shinho…" Hinata suddenly grasped his wrist. "I—what I said is true."
"I know," he said with a half-smile.
Was she really trying to comfort him now?
"How about next year?" Shinho suggested after a moment's thought. That'll give me time to prepare the wedding with Tsunade. It's already June, and things are going to be hectic.
Hearing an actual timeframe made Hinata's head spin, but more than anything, she felt immense excitement and anticipation.
She had waited for so many years to marry the one she loved, and now it was finally going to happen.
"So… shall we do some new training?" Shinho asked, watching her flushed face.
"Yes…"
Hinata's heart pounded even faster, and she answered quietly.
Shinho reached out and gently pinched the zipper at the collar of her outfit.
"…?"
Realizing what was about to happen, Hinata's pupils contracted slightly. As the zipper came down, her clothes parted and fell to her sides.
Shinho's own eyes twitched, like he'd been hit by a burst of bright light. Everything was so fair it practically glowed from the light.
"Shi—Shin… Shinho…"
Hinata felt a chill across her chest with no clothing in the way, leaving her feeling awkward, at the same time, helpless to do anything against.
"It's new training, after all," Shinho murmured, feeling a bit like some suspicious older man.
Hinata tried her best to keep her mind clear, though the warmth of his breath, and the wet sensation against her skin made her tremble.
She reflexively wrapped her arms around his head, preventing herself from passing out.
"Nice," Shinho praised softly.
Hinata bit her lip, practically steaming with embarrassment.
Their "training" had gone further than anything they'd done before. A perfect example of taking it one step closer. Under Shinho's guidance, Hinata's entire being quivered.
Eventually, she lost her strength and collapsed forward.
"Hinata?"
He lifted his head and caught her in his arms, smiling wryly. How's it going to be once we're actually married? he wondered. Well, there's still time to slowly train her.
Seeing Hinata's body glistening faintly, Shinho gently zipped up her clothes and picked her up. Carrying her to a room on the second floor, he placed her on the bed.
"Who should I look for now?" he mumbled under his breath, glancing down at himself.
Training with Hinata always left him…well, in need of cooling off.
But thankfully, he had more than one 'firefighter' to extinguish his fire around.
Shinho suddenly thought of Ichikishima-Hime. Something different, once in a while wouldn't hurt.
Returning to the office, he summoned Ichikishima-Hime.
"Shh," he whispered, placing a finger to her lips. "You can move around freely, but don't bother me while I work."
Then, he lifted her onto his lap.
"Mmph…"
Ichikishima-Hime immediately clamped a hand over her own mouth to keep from making any noise. She pressed her long legs together, her body tense and trembling.
Shinho stroked her head. If it were any ordinary person going at it this intensely, they'd likely have fainted long ago, but she was the Snake Princess, and her body was soft and flexible.
Wide-eyed, Ichikishima-Hime looked up at him, her gaze shimmering.
"Go play by yourself," Shinho said, patting the maid outfit Ichikishima-Hime was wearing.
Following his order, she stopped paying attention to him.
Twisting her waist, she began performing a sort of dance that served to enhance shinho's and herselves sensitivity. It was something she had developed herself after numerous trials and errors.
Shinho casually picked up the documents on his desk. He felt his self-control growing stronger and stronger these days, like a scholar who could remain unmoved in any situation.
Time passed quickly.
Before long, Ichikishima-Hime was exhausted from her performance, tilting her head back with her abs taut and her hips outlined in a smooth curve.
Beads of sweat dotted her fair skin, and her round, firm backside glistened with moisture as it ribbed agains Shinho's thighs. She failed to keep her voice down.
"Sasuke's coming. Keep your mouth shut," Shinho said, closing his eyes for a second. That was close, with how he almost list his gentlemanly demanor.
Ichikishima-Hime immediately crouched down, clamping her mouth shut on the appentage, though her serpentine tongue flicked around restlessly.
Shinho glanced at the swaying Snake Princess and waved his hand. A surge of immortal essence enveloped her, hiding her presence completely.
Even though Sasuke had awakened the Rinnegan, without full Six Paths power, he was on roughly the same level as Nagato. Compared to Shinho, he still had a long way to go, so there was no way he would notice Ichikishima-Hime presence at all.
"Shinho."
Sasuke knocked on the door and walked right in. "I just met the Sage of Six Paths."
"I figured as much, seeing your Rinnegan," Shinho replied casually.
Through the Territory Immortal Gu, Shinho not only sensed the Sage of Six Paths appear but also eavesdropped on their conversation.
Immortal Gu were manifestations of the power of rules and the fragments of the great dao. Even someone as powerful as the Sage of Six Paths wouldn't detect the Territory Immortal Gu.
"So you knew about him all along?" Sasuke paused, then asked.
"I had some idea," Shinho admitted. "I got the intel from Madara."
"That explains it."
Sasuke nodded, accepting the explanation without suspicion.
After all, Shinho had never harmed him or the Uchiha. On the contrary, he'd helped them multiple times.
"For now, get used to your Rinnegan. If there's anything you don't understand, ask Nagato," Shinho said, his mouth twitching slightly at the sensation beneath the table
Ichikishima-Hime's "snake tongue" technique remained quite formidable even for a Six-Turn Gu Immortal.
"Alright." Sasuke nodded.
"In a while, I plan to gather all nine Tailed Beasts so you can become the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki," Shinho continued calmly. "But it'll only be temporary, to accomplish two things."
The first was to let Danzo experience the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
Unlike the original story's widespread version, Shinho didn't intend to trap everybody else, only Danzo. After that, Danzo's usefulness would be over.
The second was to attempt resurrecting Kaguya. Fo that, three conditions had to be met:
The forst one was Ten-Tails Chakra, meaning the power of all nine Tailed Beasts plus whatever chakra was retrieved by the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
Second was absorbing the God Tree and awakening the Rinne Sharingan.
The third being Black Zetsu calling forth Kaguya.
In the original storyline, Black Zetsu took Madara's life so Kaguya could revive by possessing him, mainly because Madara was already the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki.
He had absorbed the God Tree and the rinne sharingan, fulfilling the necessary conditions. In other words, once these conditions were met, there was no need to sacrifice Sasuke.
The real complication was the Infinite Tsukuyomi. Shinho didn't plan to cast it over the entire ninja world just to harvest chakra.
Instead, he intended to use his Six-Turn Gu Immortal's Infinite Immortal Essence. Since the system had modified his immortal essence to function as a high-level form of chakra, it might work. It was only a hypothesis; he'd have to test it.
Worst case, he'd just find someone else to host the Ten-Tails, then let Kaguya possess that person.
Shinho stroked his chin.
Black Zetsu's role was also crucial in this, otherwise, who would awaken Kaguya? Fortunately, Sasuke was already cooperating with Black Zetsu.
Even if it realized some part of this was a setup, Black Zetsu wouldn't refuse. After all, it believed Kaguya to be invincible. Once she returned, any plots against her would be meaningless.
"Got it. Just let me know when," Sasuke said, still calm.
He wasn't particularly enthusiastic. After all, the Tailed Beasts weren't his own power, and the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki form was similarly external.
Thinking it through, he concluded he'd rather not bother with it.
Shinho sized him up for a moment.
Judging by Sasuke's expression, he was being sincere, not just brushing him off.
As expected from an Uchiha, Shinho mused. He'd thought he'd have to do more convincing; surprisingly, Sasuke agreed so easily.
Technically, Shinho had misled him into it, but to be fair, making Sasuke the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki was indeed kind of a waste, it was better to funnel that chakra into the nine great cities.
"Anything else?" Shinho asked.
"Have a spar with me," Sasuke said, eyes lighting up.
He looked full of fighting spirit.
"You're not my match right now," Shinho declined with a shake of his head. "Not unless you master the Rinnegan better than Nagato has."
Sasuke frowned. Though it stung a bit, he knew it was true. Nagato couldn't defeat Shinho, so there was little chance Sasuke could.
"I understand. I'll come challenge you again later," Sasuke said decisively, turning to leave. He fought only to win, not to lose.
A guaranteed loss wasn't worth his time. Maybe he'd try going up against Naruto.
Rinnegan was a natural counter to the Nine-Tails, though Naruto's Eight Gates and Sage Mode could be troublesome.
Shinho exhaled.
It wasn't that he feared a spar with Sasuke, but he had other matters to deal with at the moment.
Besides, he was simply telling the truth: Sasuke wasn't on his level yet. There was no need to beat him down for no reason, everyone was an adult now.
Glancing down, he brushed aside the fringe of Ichikishima-Hime's hair, revealing her flushed, puffed cheeks.
Lower still, her neck showed faint marks, and her skin rose and fell slightly with each breath.
"You've really worked hard," Shinho said approvingly.
Hearing the praise, Ichikishima-Hime beamed with delight, unable to keep from smiling. Right then came a knock on the door.
"Come in," Shinho called, withdrawing his hand and looking to the doorway.
"Lord Hokage," Mabui said as she entered.
She was holding several bright red invitations. "About these…" She stepped up to Shinho's desk and then noticed Ichikishima-Hime.
Her eyes went wide. Wouldn't that cause…well, suffocation?
"These are seven different styles for the wedding invitations," Mabui explained, regaining her composure though her cheeks were faintly flushed. "If you have any special requests, we can custom-make them."
Shinho took them and flipped through. All of them looked quite good, though which design to choose would likely be up to the lady of the house.
"I'll give you an answer tomorrow," he said, putting the invitations away.
"Yes," Mabui replied, lowering her head. But the soft coughs and hushed sounds she was hearing made her mind spin.
"Want to give it a try?" Shinho asked with a smile.
"N-no…there's no need," Mabui blurted, flustered.
"Well then, I'll let you off for today," Shinho said. "But you should learn from Samui."
Samui? Mabui's eyes went wide. So Samui's willing to go that far?
"If you make me happy," Shinho continued, "I'll give you an official position as well."
Mabui froze for a moment. She actually felt tempted, but quickly shoved that stray thought out of her head.
She realized she was being subtly drawn in by Shinho.
"You may go," he said, waving her off. Then he pressed his hand gently on Ichikishima-Hime's head again.
Mabui's body tensed, and she turned around, hurrying out of the office.
join my patreon for the completed story: patreon.com/HyppoTL