"Why are you wearing that...?"
Hearing Mikoto's words, Hyuga Rinmei glanced at Shishou with some embarrassment.
Being seen in such clothes by someone she knew made Hyuga Rinmei feel quite awkward.
Mikoto Uchiha noticed Rinmei's reaction and instantly understood.
She immediately knew this must be another one of Shishou's quirky habits!
Because she herself was occasionally asked by Shishou to wear strange outfits.
Yugao and Izumi were even more frequently subjected to this.
Often, Shishou would have them cosplay as Athena, Yumeko Jabami, Kaguya Shinomiya, and other peculiar characters.
Seeing Hyuga Rinmei looking at herself, Shishou casually said:
"You two chat."
After saying that, he left the laboratory to find Hyuga Natsu to make him some food.
Hyuga Rinmei was no longer able to escape his grasp, so it didn't matter if she knew his secrets.
Seeing Shishou leave, Hyuga Rinmei secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Then she looked at Mikoto Uchiha and asked:
"Weren't the Uchiha clan already..."
The massacre of the Uchiha clan by the dutiful son Itachi Uchiha was well known throughout Konoha.
Seeing the supposedly dead Mikoto standing in front of her naturally left Hyuga Rinmei both shocked and curious.
"I was saved by Shishou, back then..."
Mikoto Uchiha thought for a moment and then explained the reason she survived.
Seeing Rinmei like this, Mikoto didn't need to guess to know that she had likely become another of Shishou's 'sisters,' so there was no need to hide anything.
Moreover, as the wife of the Uchiha clan head, and Rinmei as the wife of the Hyuga clan head, they often socialized together with other clan wives for tea, so their relationship was quite familiar.
Of course, as the wife of the Fourth Hokage, Kushina also attended these social gatherings among the wives of the clans.
However, at the moment, she just wanted to play dead and minimize her presence.
As the former wife of the Fourth Hokage, she didn't want others to know about her involvement with Shishou.
So the moment Rinmei entered, Kushina, held in Mikoto's hand, went into hiding and stayed silent.
Listening to Mikoto's explanation, Hyuga Rinmei became more and more alarmed.
Because Mikoto's words subtly hinted that Shishou might be from Konoha...
This left Hyuga Rinmei deeply shocked.
Lurigan, user of the Flying Thunder God technique, a Konoha ninja...
Thinking of Shishou's various identities, Rinmei wanted to ask Mikoto who he really was.
However, she feared angering Shishou, leaving her feeling conflicted.
Forget it, I can't return to Konoha anyway. As for Shishou's true identity, I probably don't need to know.
Hyuga Rinmei thought, feeling a bit dejected.
"Let's go, sister. Show me around this place; it's my first time here at Shishou's secret base."
After explaining why she was alive, Mikoto affectionately took Rinmei's hand, indicating closeness.
In Mikoto's view, regardless of their past identities, they were all now Shishou's women, so it was necessary to get along well.
"Sister?"
Hyuga Rinmei looked at Mikoto in surprise, not understanding what she meant.
Although they were familiar before, they weren't close enough to call each other sisters.
"What, we three are all Shishou's women. Isn't it right for you to call me sister?"
Mikoto pinched Rinmei's pretty face, just like Shishou used to pinch hers.
All three of us, Shishou's women...
Hearing Mikoto's words, Rinmei was once again stunned.
Understanding being Shishou's woman was easy, even though Shishou hadn't touched her yet, she knew she couldn't escape his grasp and would eventually be claimed.
But what did "all three of us" mean?
Weren't only she and Mikoto present in this room?
Pondering this, Hyuga Rinmei asked the question that puzzled her:
"All three of us?"
Mikoto Uchiha, seeing Rinmei's confusion, chuckled and raised her seemingly empty right hand.
"Look, Kushina, come out and say hi."
"We were all acquaintances before, and now we're sisters. No need to hide."
From Mikoto's perspective, no woman Shishou wanted could escape his grasp.
So helping Kushina accept reality was the best support for her.
Of course, Mikoto also realized that Shishou probably had a strong preference for married women...
Herself, Kushina, Uzumaki Eri, Priestess Miroku, and Hyuga Rinmei.
Just from what she had seen, there were already five of them...
"You traitor!!"
Kushina's tiny figure appeared in Mikoto's hand, looking displeased.
Mikoto poked Kushina's tiny face, smiling as she said:
"This is something you have to face, don't avoid it."
"Sister knows very well."
Although Mikoto and Kushina were close friends, Mikoto was slightly older, so calling herself the elder sister wasn't a problem.
Kushina?
The wife of the Fourth Hokage, Uzumaki Kushina?
Hyuga Rinmei looked at the tiny Kushina in Mikoto's hand, completely stunned and shocked.
She had personally attended Kushina's funeral.
Yet now, Kushina was right in front of her, making her question whether she was hallucinating.
And from what Mikoto said...
Could it be that Kushina and Shishou also...
Thinking this, Hyuga Rinmei was further shocked.
Now, indeed, the three of them had become sisters...
Mikoto, seeing Rinmei's shocked expression, couldn't help but laugh.
When she first saw Kushina, she was just as surprised as Rinmei.
Uzumaki Kushina, seeing Rinmei's stunned look, pouted.
"I sealed my soul after I died, and was recently revived by Shishou."
"Because of this, well, you understand."
Kushina couldn't bring herself to say she had agreed to be Shishou's woman, so she vaguely brushed it off.
"Revived? Kushina, why are you so small now?"
Hearing Kushina's explanation, Rinmei finally noticed her small size.
Well, mainly the earlier revelations about Kushina had been too shocking to notice anything else.
"I don't know how Shishou revived me."
"Anyway, this is how I am now."
Kushina flew into the air, speaking nonchalantly.
"Let's go, Rinmei."
"Show us around Shishou's secret base."
Mikoto, holding Rinmei, smiled.
"Alright." Rinmei nodded, leading the two of them out to explore the base.
Elsewhere.
Shishou, in the middle of a meal served by Hyuga Natsu, suddenly paused.
[Ding! The Nine Nether Worm has awakened and can continue to be fed to lay eggs.]