[176] : Mikoto Would Make a Perfect Wife

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Now, floating within him was a single potent mass of Ten-Tails chakra—far purer and stronger than any Tailed Beast energy. Next, he had to fuse it completely with his own.

The final step would take about a week to complete—merging it thoroughly with his own reserves. A bit time-consuming, but well worth it, as his Chakra quality would skyrocket.

Once that was accomplished, he'd have the full might of Ten-Tails–grade chakra in his bloodstream, vastly boosting his strength.

Satisfied for the day, he realized the sky was already darkening, so he headed back to the settlement.

....

Inside the house, he found only Tsunade and Mikoto.

"Where are Kushina and Konan?" he asked, noticing their absence.

"Still brainstorming," Tsunade answered, half amused. "No idea how they plan on recruiting villagers, though. They're the only two around."

Mikoto laughed lightly.

"I can't imagine how they'll form a functioning Hidden Village, but at least they're enthusiastic."

"Let them dream. If they hit a wall, maybe they'll give up. By the way, what about you, Tsunade? You used to summon slug creatures, right—are you still interested in that?" Shin shrugged.

Tsunade nodded, producing a Summoning Scroll from her pouch.

"I have a Summoning Contract—Slug Summons from Shikkotsu Forest," she said. "Care to sign it? Might as well give you the chance."

He glanced at it and grimaced.

"No thanks. I'm not into slugs…or toads, or snakes for that matter."

Tsunade rolled her eyes and put it away. Meanwhile, Mikoto tapped Shin's shoulder, voice quiet and polite.

"Shin, I have a request."

Shin turned, and for a second, he simply admired Mikoto's gentle demeanor.

"Mikoto, let me just say—" he mused aloud, "you really do have that Yamato Nadeshiko vibe—like a 'perfect wife material',"

Mikoto flushed instantly, heart beating fast. Was he hinting at—proposing?

"What about me?" Tsunade cut in, sounding irked.

Shin gave her a pointed look.

"You? You have your merits, but that delicate housewife aura is definitely not one of them."

"...."

Tsunade's brow twitched. Before she could retort, Shin noticed Mikoto's cheeks had gone pink.

Mikoto, trying to steady her nerves, quickly changed the subject.

"Could you fetch Kushina and Konan for dinner? The food will go cold otherwise."

"Sure," Shin glanced at Tsunade's clenched fists and decided to vanish in a swirl of space-time ninjutsu.

"Tch, he escaped," Tsunade growled.

Mikoto chuckled softly, then returned to the kitchen to prepare the meal.

....

....

Shin located Kushina and Konan just in time to hear Kushina passionately painting grand future plans:

"Konan, if we work hard enough, we'll become the Greatest Shinobi Village in the entire world!"

Konan offered a polite nod at each of Kushina's big claims. Spotting Shin, she rushed over, relief evident on her face.

"Kushina, done daydreaming yet?" Shin asked, stepping forward. "You must be hungry. Time to eat."

Kushina spun around, eyes shining.

"Yes, let's go. But hey, Shin, how about helping us plan too?"

"No thanks. Isn't it supposed to be an All-female village? I'm a guy. I'd kind of ruin the concept."

"We could make an exception," she pressed.

"Here's the honest truth: I'm just not interested. Sorry." Shin sighed.

Kushina glowered.

"Fine. One day, you'll come begging to join, and I'll slam the door in your face."

But Shin merely laughed, suspecting that day would never come.

"Sure, sure. Let's talk about that after we fill our stomachs, yeah?"

....

He grabbed both of them by the wrist, then warped back to the house using [Yomotsu Hirasaka].

Upon arrival, Tsunade's stare bored into Shin with dangerous intensity.

"Oh? Did you make her mad again?" Kushina asked him mischievously.

Tsunade promptly gave the answer:

"Kushina, Shin was gushing about how Mikoto is a perfect wife material," she announced, eyes gleaming with vengeance. "Thought you might want to know."

"...." Kushina's smile vanished. Her gaze snapped to Shin, ice in her voice.

"Is that so, Shin? you like Mikoto more than me?"

Tsunade folded her arms, clearly enjoying the show.

"Speak up," she taunted.

Shin shrugged casually.

"I did say Mikoto is basically the ideal. She's gentle, considerate, basically any guy's dream wife."

"What about me, then?" Kushina demanded, bristling at the perceived slight. "Are you telling me you like Mikoto more than me? Because I recall a certain promise you made in childhood—that I'd be your one and only!!"

"Huh?" Shin blinked. "I don't remember that at all. When did I supposedly say this?"

"Oh, you definitely did. In your sleep, you said it. Or are you too scared to admit it now?" she retorted, voice dripping with righteous indignation.

Shin rolled his eyes, deciding not to get sucked into that particular argument. He picked up a seaweed rice ball and took a bite.

"Whatever. Let's just eat—food's getting cold."

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