With the departure of the major ninja clans, Natsume's wedding ceremony had officially come to an end.
He returned to the Hokage's office once more.
Hinata Hyuga had already woken up.
She was unaccustomed to being served by Samui and Mabo, so when she saw Natsume, she let out a breath of relief.
"Natsume-nii."
Hinata stood up and quickly walked over, stopping directly in front of him and asking, "Did everything get settled?"
"Mm."
Natsume looked down at her.
Hinata must have just finished a bath; her face bore a slight flush, and droplets still clung to her forehead.
She looked like a perfectly ripe apple, exuding a new charm of maturity and allure.
"Are you feeling okay?"
Natsume reached out, tucking strands of her hair behind her ear.
Hinata shook her head slightly, though her cheeks flushed even more deeply.
It was mostly because there were outsiders present.
Samui and Mabo exchanged glances, each silently expressing their approval.
"All the guests have gone home," Natsume said with a smile. "From now on, you're going to be the Hokage's wife—you need to carry yourself accordingly."
"I will."
Hinata lifted her head and gave a determined nod.
Though the blush remained on her face, her attitude was clearly resolute.
"So cute."
Natsume murmured as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her into an embrace, softly pressing against her before leaning down.
Hinata couldn't help but widen her eyes, dazedly reciprocating in a haze—but this time, she didn't faint.
Just thinking about Samui and Mabo watching nearby made her face turn so red it seemed like steam might rise from it at any second, ready to drip tears of embarrassment at the next moment.
After a long while, they finally separated.
Too shy to meet his eyes, Hinata tightly hugged him instead.
Natsume, on the other hand, found the situation quite enjoyable.
Now that she had grown up, her figure wasn't inferior to Tsunade's at all.
She felt just like the most perfect human cushion—extremely comfortable.
"You two can go now," Natsume waved dismissively.
"Yes."
Samui and Mabo both bowed lightly and exited the Hokage's office.
A short while later, Hinata finally raised her head.
Yet her expression still appeared somewhat dazed.
Natsume felt as though she were drunk, which made her seem particularly adorable.
"Are you hungry?"
He couldn't resist pinching her cheek gently.
Warm and soft—
with a perfect texture.
"Mm."
Hinata nodded slightly.
By now, it was already noon.
"Well then, let's go home for lunch."
The "home" Natsume mentioned specifically referred to the Old Hokage Residence.
Although Hinata was the heir to the Hyuga clan, she had married now and couldn't keep living at her parents' house. After all, Natsume wasn't the kind of husband who moved into his wife's family home.
Activating the Flying Thunder God Technique, Natsume and Hinata instantly teleported straight into the living room.
Only Tsunade was at home.
Shizune was busy working, while Senka had school.
"Sister."
Natsume greeted casually.
Hinata paused slightly upon hearing the term "Sister."
Because this relationship sounded rather strange.
But as a traditional, devoted wife, she didn't dwell on it and followed suit by also calling her "Sister."
"Come and sit down," Tsunade gestured closer, in a rather amiable tone.
Natsume could tell she wasn't truly happy.
Although she said there was no need to hold a wedding, what woman wouldn't want to marry the man she deeply loved?
However, he had come up with a solution.
They could hold the wedding directly, but Tsunade was concerned about rumors and gossip.
But if it took place within the game, that would be different.
"I'll go prepare lunch."
Natsume believed Tsunade wouldn't give Hinata Hyuga a hard time.
After all, she wasn't that kind of petty woman.
He turned and made his way straight to the kitchen.
Because of Hinata's large appetite, he cooked several times more than usual.
Lunch was ready.
Natsume noticed that the relationship between Tsunade and Hinata had become quite good.
Though mostly it was Tsunade who did all the talking.
He listened for a moment before dark lines formed across his forehead.
It was all stories from his childhood.
Hinata, on the other hand, listened with genuine interest.
"Come eat."
Natsume intervened just in time.
"Why did you cook so much?"
Tsunade couldn't help asking when she saw the full table of dishes.
At this, Hinata's face flushed slightly.
"You'll see soon enough."
Natsume smiled without giving further explanation.
Tsunade shot him a glare.
Then she pulled Hinata down to sit beside her.
The three clapped their hands and shouted in unison, "Let's eat!"
Tsunade's question didn't take long to get answered.
She stared at Hinata in disbelief.
Even though she looked like an ordinary young maiden, her appetite was shockingly huge.
No one could tell where all that food went.
Luckily Natsume could afford it.
Otherwise, an average family might have gone bankrupt.
After lunch, Natsume returned to the Hokage Building.
Since the Heavenly Network had taken off, he'd set up a dedicated online department responsible for management and planning.
They would compile their ideas into reports and submit them to Natsume.
If they were truly good concepts, he would pass them to Kaguya Ōtsutsuki for updates.
The representative of the online department was Shikamaru Nara.
Mainly because he was smart.
And also lazy.
In the original story, he only changed after the death of Asuma Sarutobi.
But now, that hadn't happened.
Should we kill off Asuma Sarutobi just for fun?
No need.
His laziness actually made him well-suited for the online department.
There weren't usually that many tasks anyway.
"Hokage-sama."
Shikamaru Nara rose immediately to greet him.
"There's something you need to plan for."
This mini-chapter isn't over yet—more excitement ahead!
Natsume didn't waste any extra words.
He directly gave instructions, saying, "With so many games on the Heavenly Network, I want to launch a crossover event."
"Crossover?"
Shikamaru quickly understood the term.
Thinking carefully, he asked, "Any specific requirements for the content?"
"Take characters from all the games, include players as well, and have them attack two new characters."
Natsume thought for a moment before explaining, "Ensure widespread awareness of this event. How about this—the two new characters should be a married couple, start the event with a grand wedding that players can attend."
"No problem."
Shikamaru gave a slight nod.
Even if there were issues, he still had to go along with it.
"The two new characters' final fate will be faking their deaths to escape."
Natsume added, "We might reuse them someday."
"Understood."
Shikamaru Nara gave another slight nod.
"That's all. The specific procedures are left to you."
Natsume patted his shoulder and said, "Don't rush. Try your best."
After leaving the office, he exhaled deeply.
No matter what, it was at least a proper explanation for Tsunade.
Suddenly, Natsume thought of Mikoto Uchiha.
But she was different from Tsunade—she definitely wouldn't agree to getting married.
He decided not to bring it up; no need to make things awkward.
When he got home, he found that Tsunade and Hinata Hyuga had finished their conversation. Both women sat on the sofa, their bracelets emitting a soft glow.
Natsume realized they were playing a game, so he logged into the Heavenly Network too.
They were playing *Naruto Ninja*.
That's right—it was the famous "forehead village" from his past life.
The battle mode resembled that of the classic King of Fighters.
But without gacha mechanics.
Characters were modeled after real people.
Each player could only control their own character.
Their strength depended on their real-world power.
The benefit was that no one actually died.
You could spar freely without holding anything back.
Unsurprisingly, the battle between Hinata and Tsunade was quite entertaining.
It was like watching the ocean—waves crashing one after another without end.
A few minutes later, Tsunade suddenly stepped back and stopped fighting. "Natsume, you should play too."
Natsume blinked in shock, totally caught off guard when she dragged him in.
So… should he let them win or not?
"You ask Shikamaru to change the mode."
Tsunade smirked slightly. "Me and Hinata against you."
Natsume blinked again, stunned.
How did things end up like this all of a sudden?
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