Chapter 312: Mabui's Day
Mabui had been to Samui's home many times before.
Being close friends and fellow Kumogakure shinobi, visits were frequent. But this time felt unprecedented.
Anxiety, unease, nervousness, and a strange sense of anticipation churned within her.
"Let me help." Samui followed Shinho into the kitchen.
Mabui, snapping out of her reverie, stared blankly.
The Hokage was cooking himself? The thought propelled her to the kitchen doorway.
Shinho expertly began washing the wok. Beside him, Samui pulled out a hair tie, gathered her cascading blonde hair, and then started washing vegetables.
Mabui watched them, mesmerized.
It was evident that, this was not their first time working together on the kitchen. Standing in the doorway, a sudden feeling of being an outsider washed over her.
"Mabui," Samui glanced back, "Could you wash the bowls and chopsticks and take them to the living room?"
"Oh, oh, okay." Mabui hurried forward, retrieving three sets of bowls and chopsticks from the cupboard.
"Here you go." Samui turned on the tap for her.
"Mm." Mabui, glancing from Samui to Shinho, felt a sense of unreality.
Perhaps this kind of life truly wasn't bad.
Just as Samui had said, Shinho treated them well.
As a shinobi, Mabui was acutely aware of the fate that awaited defeated ninjas.
Their situation – defeated yet serving as the Hokage's secretaries – was practically unheard of.
After washing the dishes, Mabui set the table in the living room.
When she returned to the kitchen, Shinho was already stir-frying. Mabui observed, puzzled.
This cooking style was completely different from anything she'd seen before.
Did the Hokage even know how to cook? Doubt gnawed at her, but the aroma was undeniably enticing.
"Mabui," Samui suddenly handed her a cloth.
Mabui instinctively looked at her.
"His forehead," Samui said, gesturing towards Shinho.
"Lord Hokage," Mabui stepped forward, rising on her tiptoes to wipe the sweat from Shinho's brow.
"Thank you." Shinho handed her the plate of twice-cooked pork.
Mabui hastily took it, inhaling the fragrance and unconsciously swallowing.
"I'll take that." Samui carried the dish to the living room.
"Bring over the plate of tofu," Shinho said, patting Mabui's hip twice.
"Yes, sir." Mabui's heart fluttered.
Soon, the second dish, Mapo Tofu, was ready. Since there were three of them, Shinho cooked two more dishes: green pepper shredded pork and fish-flavored shredded pork.
"Lord Hokage," Mabui spoke after he finished washing his hands, "Let me dry your hands."
Shinho extended his hands. Mabui lowered her head, carefully rubbing them with the towel.
"I feel like you'd make an excellent wife and a mother," Shinho said, looking at her white hair.
Caught off guard, Mabui froze, then a blush crept onto her cheeks.
She had indeed been envisioning herself in that role, but having it pointed out felt embarrassing. Simultaneously, a pang of betrayal towards Kumogakure stabbed at her.
"Alright," Shinho said, glancing at his hands.
As Mabui withdrew the towel, her chin was caught in his grip.
Forced to meet his gaze, panic surged through her, and she quickly averted her eyes.
"Good work. Here's a little reward." Shinho grinned, leaning in to capture her lips.
Mabui's face burned, but she instinctively parted her lips.
The kiss continued until she was breathless, finally gasping for air.
"Let's go," Shinho said, stroking her head before turning to leave.
Mabui stared after him, dazed, taking a few seconds to recover.
She clutched her chest, feeling her heart race. What was this feeling?
Shaking her head, she hurried to the living room.
"Dinner's ready," Shinho announced to Samui and Mabui with a smile. "Make yourselves at home."
"Mm." Samui handed him a pair of chopsticks.
After a brief hesitation, Mabui picked up her chopsticks and took a piece of meat.
She placed it in her mouth, chewing thoughtfully. The taste was more normal than she'd anticipated. Her gaze fell on the vibrant red Mapo Tofu.
Seconds later, she took a bite and her eyes widened. A spicy, numbing sensation shot up her nose.
"Hiss!" Mabui instinctively swallowed.
"How does it taste?" Shinho asked, offering her a glass of juice.
"A little spicy," Mabui admitted after a couple of sips, "but delicious."
"Good." Shinho nodded, noting that Kumogakure shinobi generally seemed to have a higher tolerance for spice than those from Konoha. Samui was the same.
Dinner finished quickly.
"I'll do the dishes," Samui said, rising to clear the table.
"I'll also…" Mabui started, but stopped when she caught Samui's pointed look.
She closed her mouth and sat back down. As one of the most intelligent shinobi in the original storyline, she understood exactly what Samui was doing.
It wasn't the first time; Samui had been subtly assisting her back in the kitchen as well.
Mabui had also noticed a different side to Shinho tonight. Unconsciously, her own attitude had shifted, her resistance fading.
"Let's go to the sofa," Shinho said, watching Samui enter the kitchen before turning his attention back to Mabui.
"Okay." Suppressing a flicker of nervousness, Mabui followed him to the sofa.
Shinho picked up the remote and turned on the television.
Naruto began to play. Of course, this Naruto wasn't that Naruto. While Tsunade's film department primarily focused on producing Senju Hashirama blockbusters, they also dabbled in television.
There weren't many significant societal changes under Shinho's rule, primarily just restrictions on children buying certain… adult reading material like Icha Icha Paradise.
On the television front, there had been a push to create synergy with the Hashirama films, leading to several Konoha-centric anime series.
One of them was called Naruto. It had a simple premise: the story of the Sixth Hokage's teammate Naruto.
Thankfully it was animated, not live-action, sparing everyone potential embarrassment. Of course much to his chagrin he too had an animated work dedicated to his exploits. In fact, this naruto series was a spinoff of derived from the work dedicated to his.
Shinho stroked his chin.
He needed to find time to write more scripts. The current shinobi world was severely lacking in entertainment, especially with the internet far less developed than in his previous life.
The thought of Kaguya Ōtsutsuki suddenly crossed his mind.
Could the Infinite Tsukuyomi's genjutsu world be considered a unique virtual network? The idea had potential. In his past life, when playing games, Shinho often fantasized about transferring his consciousness into a game world, similar to Sword Art Online.
The Infinite Tsukuyomi seemed like a perfect fit. The only issue was the risk of prolonged exposure turning people into White Zetsu, vegetating on trees.
That's where an anti-addiction system would come in handy.
Coupled with Kaguya's control, it shouldn't be a major problem. It would also give the Rabbit Goddess something to do.
Shinho then thought of Danzō Shimura.
There was still one achievement he hadn't unlocked related to him. He could take care of that while setting up the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
Shinho glanced at Mabui.
She sat beside him, seemingly engrossed in the television show, but her rigid posture and hyper-alert state betrayed her true feelings.
She visibly flinched when she noticed his gaze.
"Why so tense? I'm not going to eat you," Shinho chuckled.
"..." Mabui pressed her lips together, speechless.
Just then, Samui walked over. Looking at Shinho, she asked, "The bath is ready, Lord Hokage. Would you like to bathe now?"
"Sure." Shinho put down the remote.
"Mabui," Samui said, turning to Mabui, "Join us."
"O-Okay," Mabui stammered, unable to refuse.
The three of them entered the bathroom.
It wasn't spacious, making it a bit crowded for three people, but manageable.
"Lord Hokage," Samui stepped forward, helping Shinho undress.
Mabui quickly glanced away, then back down.
It wasn't the first time she'd seen him naked. She had witnessed...certain activities... between Shinho and Samui before.
Taking a deep breath, Mabui reached out and unbuttoned her own clothes.
Her naked body was soon revealed, her dark skin a stark contrast to Samui's. Shinho looked from one to the other, appreciating the visual contrast.
"Mabui," Samui directed, "You can wash his back."
In Kumogakure, Mabui, as the Raikage's secretary, was used to giving orders. But now, Samui knew she had to take charge to avoid displeasing Shinho.
"O-Okay." Mabui felt a wave of relief. Being behind him meant not having to face… that.
Mabui moved behind Shinho.
As she reached for a washcloth, Samui snatched it away.
What's going on? Mabui looked at her questioningly.
Samui pointedly gestured to Mabui's chest.
join my patreon for the completed story: patreon.com/HyppoTL