Kumogakure.
"Let me see if I've understood this correctly," the Raikage said, rubbing his head while alternating his gaze between Chad and Terumi, as if he couldn't process the information—or, in any case, find logic in how they had arrived at the current situation. "So, in order to accelerate the integration of foreign ninja and reduce problems… as a former Mizukage, you're going to marry Chad?"
He felt like he needed to sit down.
Mabui stared at her brother with wide eyes and parted lips, her expression practically saying: what the hell did you do this time, brother?
"A Kage must know when to sacrifice themselves for their people," Terumi said. "And that time has come."
The Raikage and everyone present would have taken that statement more solemnly if Terumi weren't practically glued to Chad's arm with a huge smile.
Wow, what a sacrifice you're making.
"Kiyui and Hibui…"
"I will personally speak with my new sisters," Terumi interrupted, refusing to give up ground. "I hope Kumo feels the sincerity of my people and doesn't make things difficult for us."
"Of course," the Raikage snorted, crossing his arms. "As long as they behave and go through an adjustment period, the village will welcome them with open arms." He added, "Especially since you already dealt with the extremists."
Although those words were spoken, everyone knew it was impossible.
Even over the years, there would always be caution toward these former enemies. The only ones who would truly become comrades would be the next generations born and raised in the village.
Mabui could tell Terumi was very interested in pushing that plan forward…
"In any case, we need to have a long discussion to iron out the details," the Raikage said, having to ask the former Mizukage to stay. It was an annoying but necessary matter that had to be handled as soon as possible.
When Chad left the Raikage's office with one less burden on his arm, his first stop was heading home to his wives, but on the way he took a detour to check that there were no new problems at the orphanage.
However, upon entering his house, he found someone he did not expect.
"Yugao?"
"Hey," the relaxed kunoichi greeted him. "Looks like you made it back in one piece."
"Naturally." Chad looked around.
"Your wives went to the market," Yugao said in response to Chad's silent question. "They wanted to prepare a banquet for everyone before your arrival, but you came back half a day earlier than expected. Mabui seems busy with the whole matter of assigning the Kiri ninja. Guren and Isaribi are still on their way to the village, though from what I heard at the izakaya, it seems they did well. Even Yugito has earned some praise, though maybe not as brutally as your use of Killer B."
"Well then, I'll be the one to surprise them," Chad replied as he sat down in front of Yugao. He could also help prepare the food. It was amazing how many things one could do when arms sprouted all over the countertop. "So, what made you come looking for me on your day off?"
"They say Hibui and Kiyui will soon have a new sister… the former Mizukage?"
"…How the hell do you know that?" Chad was genuinely perplexed. "I just came back from the Raikage's office!"
Although the "political marriage" matter was already known among the Kumo ninja who escorted everyone back, they had only just returned!
"The newcomers are dramatic. I've seen old men crying over the 'tragic' fate awaiting their Mizukage while picking up the keys to their new apartments," Yugao mocked.
Chad facepalmed. Of course those guys wouldn't stay quiet. They had to turn it into a soap-opera-level drama, didn't they?
Bah, it didn't really affect him.
"Where are you going with this?"
"I want to collect what you owe me," Yugao said seriously.
Chad looked at her steadily.
"I thought you weren't going to settle that for a few years—you yourself said—"
"I know what I said!" Yugao interrupted, waving her hand impatiently. "But apparently, the longer I wait, the more complicated it gets for me to collect everything, so I changed my mind." They both knew what she meant. "Are you backing out?" she asked tensely.
"No, I'm not," Chad said, pinching the bridge of his nose and taking a deep breath. "It just needs to be clarified. You're fully aware this has to be discussed with the others. What you're asking hasn't been done in decades. It's practically an extinct tradition from the Warring States period, when ninja villages didn't even exist yet."
Chad also didn't understand why she wanted that specific favor. There were far less complicated ways to achieve the same result.
Yugao looked at him for a long moment and nodded.
"But I want the official ceremony done before the wedding with the Mizukage," Yugao emphasized.
So that's why she changed her mind?
"No problem," Chad said. He had the means to officiate the ceremony at any time. "But are you sure you don't want to think about it? Becoming a sensokume is a lifelong vow."
A sensokume, also known in the past as a war concubine, was a very particular position within a clan or family.
On the surface, it didn't differ much from a devoted wife.
She had intimate relations with the patriarch, was recognized as a partner, appeared at events, and could bear children without fear of rejection. Her status was slightly below wives but above concubines.
At this point, one might wonder what the real difference was, since Yugao could simply say she wanted to marry Chad.
But a sensokume had a unique trait.
In addition to all of the above, she also functioned as a loyal bodyguard with near-fanatical devotion, and her highest priority—contrary to what her name might suggest—was not protecting the head of the family.
A sensokume's purpose in life was, by all means possible, to secure the family line. In other words, her absolute priority was to protect and care for the children, whether her own or those of other wives.
In an era where clans and noble families rose and fell so easily, the sensokume existed to preserve the lineage at any cost.
In a life-or-death situation where she had to choose between the patriarch and the children, she would always choose the children.
That was her role.
Even if only a single heir survived the fall of the family, as long as there was a sensokume, she would protect them and even use her own body if necessary to ensure the lineage endured.
But as expected, such a unique role, while extremely effective during that chaotic period, gradually fell into obscurity over time.
The reason was simple: wives and concubines alike felt intimidated by the sensokume. They were horrified at the idea of their children seeing a "second mother," feeling their positions were threatened.
Because while they were often civilians or ordinary women, sensokume were always elite kunoichi.
Many families abandoned the practice due to constant pressure from insecure women and their imagined ten-thousand-word internal dramas, which—unsurprisingly—led to the disappearance of their lineages.
Even modern daimyos didn't use sensokume, believing their noble status made their lineage untouchable. Instead, they simply hired a few ninja for protection and lived their lives.
Chad seriously wondered whether Yugao's desire to become his sensokume was influenced by her time in ANBU and what she had seen firsthand regarding the cruel treatment of children in Konoha, especially orphans like Naruto.
What was even more curious was that Yugao hadn't originally intended to settle her debt this way.
The two of them had casually agreed that if, in a few years, she wanted to become a mother and hadn't found a partner, he would handle it personally and act as a "donor" so she could experience motherhood.
"I still think all of this is unnecessarily complicated, but it's what she wants," Chad thought, still not understanding what was going through Yugao's mind. "I'm fairly sure that if she just joined the family normally, she would still act the same way…"