The afternoon sun hung low over the rugged frontier of the Demon Country, casting long, golden fingers of light across the encampment. High above the valley, a cool mountain breeze swept through the pine needles, carrying the crisp, sharp scent of damp earth, ozone, and pine resin. Below the rocky ledge, the glacial river churned wildly against dark basalt boulders, its steady, rhythmic roar echoing softly through the canyon.
Following the total obliteration of Mōryō and the sudden volcanic collapse of the subterranean shrine, the scattered joint forces of Konohagakure and Sunagakure had finally converged on the upper ridge. A temporary field hospital and operational headquarters had been erected—a cluster of heavy canvas tents pitched amidst the wild brush.
Inside a central, reinforced executive tent that served as a makeshift joint command office, the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade Senju, sat behind a heavy wooden folding desk. Beside her stood Gaara, the Fifth Kazekage, his arms crossed over his maroon coat, his pale green eyes calm and analytical as he reviewed the field reports.
Before them stood Team Naruto: Naruto Uzumaki, Ino Yamanaka, Hinata Hyūga, and Rock Lee.
Tsunade held the official tactical debrief scroll in her hands, her hazel eyes scanning the detailed lines written by Ino and Hinata. When her eyes crossed the section describing how Naruto had summoned the ancestral Adamantine Sealing Chains to suspend Mōryō's gargantuan body in mid-air, her eyebrows twitched slightly. She didn't voice her astonishment aloud, but she shot a sharp, meaningful glare at her surrogate nephew—a silent promise that they would be having a very long, very detailed conversation regarding his unheralded bloodline awakenings once they returned to the Senju manor.
Setting the scroll down, Tsunade smoothed out her green haori and looked up at the four young shinobi. "So... the three of you are completely uninjured? Aside from the initial strains that Naruto treated on-site?"
"Yes, Lady Tsunade," Ino, Hinata, and Lee responded in unison, bowing their heads respectfully.
However, Naruto remained entirely silent. He stood with his hands resting quietly at his sides, his eyes fixed on the wooden floorboards of the desk.
Tsunade's sharp gaze settled on him. "You're unusually quiet, Naruto. Did something go wrong during the engagement?"
Without a word, Naruto raised his right hand.
POOF.
In a small cloud of white smoke, a long, ornate wooden scabbard materialized in his grip. He gently laid the weapon down on Tsunade's desk. It was the Ninth Cutter—the masterpiece katana forged decades ago by her grandmother, Mito Uzumaki, from rare chakra-conductive steel.
Tsunade leaned forward, her breath catching slightly.
The pristine, jet-black steel of the blade was spiderwebbed with thousands of microscopic, luminous cracks running from the hilt to the tip. The weapon no longer hummed with its signature kinetic resonance; its internal chakra pathways had been completely shattered.
"She couldn't sustain the load," Naruto said quietly, his voice carrying a tinge of genuine sorrow. "When I flooded Mōryō's core with a simultaneous mix of , Nine Tails chakra, and raw Senjutsu... the metal absorbed the feedback to protect my hands. The structure fractured from the inside out."
Tsunade reached out, her fingertips lightly tracing the cracked steel of her grandmother's legacy. She let out a soft, gentle sigh, her eyes softening. "It is a heavy loss, Naruto... but you shouldn't mourn it. Weapons, like all things forged by human hands, are meant to fulfill a purpose. The Ninth Cutter shielded you, bore the weight of an ancient demon's destruction, and fulfilled its ultimate duty. Now, it simply demands its rest—just as everything in this world eventually must."
"Yeah..." Naruto murmured softly. "You're right, Auntie."
With a gentle tap of his finger, Naruto activated the storage seal on his wrist, sealing the cracked katana away into a velvet-lined scroll to be preserved as a family heirloom.
The formal briefing concluded. Gaara stepped forward, nodding politely to Tsunade. "I must take my leave and return to Sunagakure immediately to oversee the border patrols. However..." Gaara paused, his pale eyes shifting deliberately toward Naruto, carrying a subtle, knowing glint. "...Temari will be arriving in Konohagakure within the week to deliver the supplemental diplomatic documents regarding our joint defense treaty."
Naruto's shoulders stiffened slightly as he caught the subtle, unspoken message in the Kazekage's eyes. Gaara was fully aware of the private interactions that had transpired between Naruto and Temari during their previous joint operations in the Sand.
"I understand, Kazekage-sama," Tsunade replied with a formal nod. "We will expect her arrival."
Gaara turned and exited the tent, his sand swirling softly around his sandals as his escort fell into line behind him. Rock Lee, eager to burn off his remaining physical energy, bowed rapidly to Tsunade before darting out of the tent to join the outer perimeter guards.
Now, only Tsunade, Naruto, Ino, Hinata, and Priestess Shion remained inside the command space.
Shion stood near the desk, her pale purple eyes sparkling with absolute, uninhibited admiration as she stared at Naruto. Beside him, Ino and Hinata stood side-by-side, their posture remarkably rigid. A dark, terrifyingly heavy aura began to emanate from both Konoha kunoichi, their eyes narrowed into sharp, lethal slits as they glared daggers at the back of Naruto's neck.
Naruto felt a cold sweat instantly break out along his spine. His heightened Sage sensory network—capable of detecting malice across miles—was practically screaming at him to flee.
"Ah... well!" Naruto chuckled nervously, taking a subtle half-step toward the tent flap. "You girls seem busy chatting up a storm! I think I'll go check on Kakashi-sensei and the others outside—"
"Sit down, Naruto Uzumaki."
The voice came simultaneously from both Ino and Hinata. It was not loud, but it carried a dark, dual-layered resonance that seemed to drop the atmospheric temperature in the tent by twenty degrees. A visible, ominous purple aura flickered around their shoulders.
Naruto Uzumaki was, without question, the most powerful shinobi currently standing on the continent. He possessed the refined authority of perfected Sage Mode, the bottomless reserves of the Nine-Tails, and physical strength capable of shattering mountains.
Yet, in that singular moment, the ancient law of the universe asserted itself: Hell hath no fury like a woman's wrath.
Without a millisecond of hesitation, Naruto dropped his head, pivoted on his heel, and sat bolt upright in a wooden folding chair. His back was as straight as an iron pillar, his hands neatly folded over his knees, and his eyes staring rigidly at the canvas wall as if his life depended on absolute obedience.
Shion, entirely oblivious to the suffocating, murderous intent radiating from Ino and Hinata, stepped boldly up to Tsunade's desk. She pulled an official, silver-bound scroll from her silk robes—stamped with the grand, crimson wax seal of the Demon Country—and set it squarely in front of the Hokage.
"Lady Tsunade!" Shion declared proudly, her cheeks flushed with a radiant pink. "I would like to formally present an official marriage alliance proposal between myself and Uzumaki Naruto!"
Tsunade, who was in the middle of picking up a cup of green tea, froze mid-motion. Her hazel eyes widened in genuine, rare shock.
She looked from the scroll to Shion's blushing, fiercely determined face. There was no mistaking the legal weight of the document—it was a binding, state-level marital petition bearing the sacred seal of the Shrine Priestess. Shion was entirely serious.
Tsunade then slowly turned her eyes toward Ino and Hinata.
The two Konoha kunoichi were gritting their teeth so hard Tsunade could practically hear their molars grinding. Ino's fingers were twitching near her waist pouch, while the veins around Hinata's lavender eyes were subtly pulsing—a terrifying sign that her Byakugan was on the absolute verge of snapping open purely from suppressed romantic rage.
Naruto, still sitting rigidly in his chair, turned his eyes toward Tsunade, silently pleading with his aunt to save him from being torn apart.
Tsunade held back a long, exhausted sigh. Clearing her throat, she adopted a calm, diplomatic posture, leaning her elbows on the desk. "Priestess Shion... this is an extraordinarily heavy proposal. While I recognize the immense service Naruto provided to your nation, you are both remarkably young. Are you truly certain you wish to make a life-binding commitment of this magnitude?"
Shion nodded vigorously, her hands clasped against her chest. "I am absolute in my resolve! I even received my late mother Miroku's spiritual blessing when Mōryō attempted to absorb my core! I know in my heart that Naruto is the man meant to stand beside me!"
"I see..." Tsunade said smoothly, adjusting her tone into that of a seasoned political leader. "However, there is a legal barrier. While Naruto holds the rank of Jonin—which military doctrine classifies as an adult—the formal marriage age established by the Council of Daimyōs and the Five Kages is eighteen for non-civilian alliances. You are not a registered shinobi, Priestess. Proceeding with an immediate marriage would violate international treaties."
Shion paused, tapping her chin thoughtfully before her face lit up with a triumphant smile. "That is not a problem at all, Lady Tsunade! We can simply sign an official Betrothal Agreement today! It will legally establish Naruto and me as official fiancés until we both reach the legal age of eighteen, at which point the marriage will be finalized!"
It was a brilliant, ironclad diplomatic counter.
Ino's patience officially snapped.
"Oh, just shut up already!" Ino shouted, taking a sharp step forward, her hands on her hips as she glared at the priestess.
Hinata stepped up beside Ino, her usual shy, timid demeanor completely obliterated by absolute, unyielding resolve. "Naruto-kun is not going to marry you!" Hinata stated firmly, her voice ringing with absolute certainty. "He is going to marry—"
Hinata paused for a fraction of a second, catching Ino's side-glance, before correcting herself smoothly.
"—He is going to marry us!"
Naruto's jaw practically hit the wooden floorboards. "W-Wait... us?!"
Prior to departing on the Demon Country mission, Ino and Hinata had engaged in a long, emotional, and deeply honest late-night conversation regarding their feelings for Naruto. Recognizing that they both loved him deeply—and understanding that as the sole surviving heir of the Uzumaki clan, Naruto carried a heavy clan-restoration burden—the two kunoichi had reached a quiet, unbreakable pact: they would share his heart together rather than let an outsider claim him.
Now, with Gaara's subtle message confirming Temari's impending arrival, and Shion laying down a formal betrothal scroll, the situation had escalated into an absolute geopolitical deadlock.
Tsunade looked at the three stunning young women standing in her command tent, and then looked at her terrified nephew, who looked as though he would rather face a hundred Tailed Beasts than remain in this room.
'Jiraiya or Kakashi would be throwing a festival right now if three gorgeous women were throwing themselves at them,' Tsunade thought with a dry, internal scoff. 'But this idiot is genuinely terrified.'
Pouring three fresh cups of cold water, Tsunade set them on the edge of the desk. "Naruto," she commanded quietly.
"Y-Yes, Auntie?!" Naruto squeaked out.
"Get out of this tent right now," Tsunade ordered, her hazel eyes narrowing slightly. "This is officially a private, high-level conference between women's. You are dismissed."
That was the only lifeline Naruto needed.
FLASH!
Before the sentence even fully echoed through the tent, Naruto activated the Flying Raijin, vanishing in a streak of golden light. He wasn't about to stick around in a battleground where three fierce, territorial women were about to mark their ground.
With Naruto gone, the heavy atmosphere in the tent settled into a quiet, intense equilibrium.
Tsunade leaned back in her heavy leather chair, lacing her fingers together over her chest as she looked at Shion, Ino, and Hinata.
"Well, Priestess Shion," Tsunade spoke calmly, breaking the silence. "You are actually not the first individual to submit a formal marital alliance petition for my nephew's hand. Yours is technically the second."
Ino and Hinata both gasped, their heads snapping toward Tsunade. "W-What?!" Ino exclaimed. "There's a second one already?!"
"You will see her in a few days when we return to Konoha," Tsunade replied smoothly, keeping Temari's identity sealed for now.
Tsunade stood up from her chair, walking around the desk until she stood directly before the three young women. Her expression was no longer that of a Hokage, but that of the Matriarch of the Senju and Uzumaki lineages.
"Listen to me carefully," Tsunade said, her voice carrying deep, maternal gravity. "As the Clan Head of the Senju and the last living elder of the Uzumaki line, it is my absolute responsibility to ensure that the women who stand beside my nephew are worthy of carrying his heart, supporting his burdens, and building the future of our bloodline."
The three girls instantly stood at absolute attention, their nervous breathing suspended as they realized Tsunade held the ultimate authority over Naruto's marital future.
Tsunade looked at Shion. "I cannot render a final decision on your petition today, Priestess. Unlike Ino and Hinata—whom I have trained personally and known for years—I do not know you beyond surface-level political reports. Approving or rejecting your scroll right now would be profoundly unfair to all parties involved."
Tsunade leaned against the edge of the desk, crossing her arms. "Therefore, Shion... I invite you to travel back to Konohagakure with us. You will reside within the Senju compound for the next few months as an official guest of the Hokage. That will grant me the opportunity to know your true character, and it will give you the time to see if you can truly adapt to the life of the man who carries the weight of this world on his shoulders."
Shion's eyes lit up with intense, joyful hope. She bowed deeply toward Tsunade. "I accept your condition, Lady Tsunade! I promise I will not disappoint you!"
Ino and Hinata exchanged a long, silent look before both bowing deeply to their master as well. "We understand, Lady Tsunade."
Tsunade looked at the three determined young women, a faint, proud smile tugging at the corner of her lips.
"Good," Tsunade said smoothly. "Now... you three might as well start getting used to calling me 'Auntie Tsunade,' considering where this path is heading."
All three girls instantly turned bright crimson, their faces burning hot as they bowed once more and quickly hurried out of the tent to cool their blushing cheeks.
Left alone in the quiet command tent, Tsunade picked up her teacup, taking a slow sip as she looked out the open flap toward the distant snowy peaks where Naruto was likely hiding.
"You really are a hopeless heartbreaker, Naruto," Tsunade chuckled softly to herself, shaking her head. "I'm definitely going to have to put a leash on you before you bring home more women than this village can handle."
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