"Are you... proposing to me?"
Natsuhane thought he must have heard wrong and asked again.
Uzuki Yugao averted her gaze, her head bowed deeply: "...Yes."
Whether due to shyness or something else, Yugao kept her head down, avoiding eye contact with Natsuhane.
"You accidentally bumped into my heart..."
"..."
"Eww~"
This line almost knocked Natsuhane out!
Goodness gracious!
Natsuhane, who had been a player in the field of love for years, had spoken countless sweet words, but he had never heard anything so cringeworthy.
The key point was that if this had been said by someone from the pleasure quarters, it would have been understandable, but coming from the pure and noble Uzuki Yugao, it was absurd and outlandish!
Something felt off!
A strong-willed woman suddenly becoming so flirtatious?
Natsuhane, despite being mesmerized by beautiful women and never rejecting a proactive embrace, wasn't a fool. A kunoichi with an official partner suddenly changing her demeanor to approach him with such baseless words was suspicious.
Natsuhane didn't immediately accept Yugao's proposal. Instead, he scrutinized her with a peculiar look, staring at her for a long time.
Yugao, feeling increasingly uneasy under his gaze, began to panic.
"Why is Natsuhane reacting this way? This shouldn't be happening. Did he not take the bait?"
Indeed, Yugao approached Natsuhane not out of genuine desire to marry him but to fulfill a mission assigned by the Third Hokage.
This type of mission requiring special sacrifices was something Yugao had never experienced before.
To meet the Third Hokage's expectations, Yugao, who was like a blank slate in this regard, spent over two weeks preparing. She gathered information about Natsuhane's personality and preferences from various friends...
The conclusion was clear: Natsuhane was an incorrigible lecher with no room for negotiation.
Therefore, Yugao spent a few days undercover in a tavern, observing the behaviors and words of those in the pleasure quarters, learning the art of seduction from them. Once she felt ready, she took action, dressing provocatively and wandering the streets, hoping to encounter Natsuhane.
Today, she finally met him.
Seizing the rare opportunity, she approached Natsuhane directly upon seeing him.
Perhaps too nervous, she accidentally bumped into Natsuhane's chest...
Uzuki Yugao's mind went blank, but she quickly recovered, frantically recalling the words she had heard from the women in the pleasure quarters, leading to the earlier scene.
"You accidentally bumped into my heart..."
Yugao rejected the words internally the moment they left her mouth.
She herself felt disgusted by what she had just said.
But she had no choice; completing the mission was paramount.
While she mentally accepted this reality, her body couldn't. Two unwilling tears slid down her cheeks.
She didn't even notice the tears, but Natsuhane did, engraving the image of this beauty's tears into his mind.
"So that's what's going on..."
Natsuhane understood.
Uzuki Yugao's completely out-of-character behavior, her overly provocative attire, and considering her job as a direct subordinate of the Third Hokage's Anbu...
It was highly likely she was sent as a spy...
This must be that so-called blind loyalty...
For the mission, to please the leader, she was willing to sacrifice everything...
Heh...
My dear Hokage, since you want to play this game, I'll see it through to the end...
A spy, is it? I'll marry the spy!
Since she's here, there's no reason not to accept her!
Not only will I accept her, but I will also win her heart. I will make the spy you sent fall deeply in love with me!
...
"Yugao, I accept. From today on, you are my wife!"
With those words, Natsuhane didn't hesitate, pulling Uzuki Yugao into his arms.
Uzuki Yugao was startled, her face losing color. Instinctively, her body resisted, but she quickly snapped back to reality, immediately pretending to be a demure bird snuggling into Natsuhane's embrace.
These details couldn't escape Natsuhane's sharp eyes. Yugao's initial resistance was felt clearly by Natsuhane.
"Heh… I was right, Yugao's feelings aren't genuine."
Once again, Natsuhane confirmed his suspicion.
"Come, let's go home! Tomorrow, along with Kurenai, I will host a grand wedding. I want everyone in Konoha to feel the happiness of our family~"
"A… a wedding?"
"Yes~ since you're marrying me, we must have a wedding."
"But… but…" Uzuki Yugao clearly panicked: "Natsuhane, I… I don't like being too conspicuous. Can I skip the wedding?"
"Huh? What are you talking about? You're the bride, my wife. A wedding is a joyous occasion; how can the bride not participate?"
"But...!"
Yugao wanted to say more, but she held back, swallowing her words.
She hadn't figured out how to express herself.
Uzuki Yugao's original plan was to marry Natsuhane quietly, spend a year gathering information about him, complete the mission, and leave immediately.
No one would know.
Even her love interest, Moonlight Hayate, wouldn't know about this.
But with the current developments, if everyone knew, she would be Natsuhane's woman for life...
"Damn... why is he doing this! Insisting on such a big ceremony?"
"Could it be that Natsuhane not only cares about beauty but also about rituals?"