Kairen smiled as he waited for the two of them to make their choice, completely unhurried. After all, the result would be the same regardless.
What he liked most was seeing the expressions on weak women's faces.
The Japanese also liked this kind of tone—movie plots often centered on weak women being bullied by strong men.
As time passed, the two girls silently lowered their heads to look at the floor, falling into an indescribable predicament.
Kairen stood up, stretched lazily, and walked out of the carriage with Akamaru.
Only a few dozen shadow clones remained as guards; the rest had already dispersed.
The beast pulling the carriage ahead was the Four-Tails. That was the only value it had.
Kurotsuchi was currently heating oil in a pot, preparing to cook.
Kurotsuchi also understood that she was now a married woman—basic skills like cooking and washing clothes were things she had to master.
But she had always lived the life of a young lady. Mastering it overnight was far from possible.
Kairen stepped forward. Kurotsuchi sensed his presence, turned her head to look at him, and her small nose tilted upward as her temper flared.
"What? Not accompanying your new lover inside? What are you doing here?"
Although they hadn't known each other long, even a fool could guess Kairen's intentions—his perverted nature was practically textbook.
Kairen smiled, shamelessly ignoring Kurotsuchi's mockery, and noticed the dark cuisine in her pot.
"This is…"
Kurotsuchi put down the spatula and said indifferently, "Food!"
Akamaru stretched his head forward, looked inside, and shook it.
Truly, even a dog would shake its head at the sight.
Kairen was ruthless—even for the sake of making Kurotsuchi smile, he scooped himself a bowl of the dark cuisine.
"Of course I have to personally taste my wife's cooking."
Kairen took a small bite.
"Ding!"
"Kurotsuchi has dealt 300 points of damage to you!"
This was the kind of critical hit only a Kage-level expert could inflict on Kairen—yet Kurotsuchi's poison managed it effortlessly.
This just showed that when a young lady cooked, it was practically the same as mixing poison.
Kairen endured the discomfort in his chest and finished it all.
After finishing, he even praised her.
"Not bad. You have talent for cooking. I, Moku Kairen, really chose the right person."
Akamaru was full of confusion. Was it really that delicious?
Even dogs couldn't resist temptation. It licked the bottom of Kairen's bowl.
"Woof (*꒦ິ⌓꒦ີ)"
In an instant, Akamaru's four legs stiffened, its tongue hung out long, and it fainted on the spot.
Kairen and Kurotsuchi stared at each other, wide-eyed. The air was filled with thick embarrassment.
Finally, Kurotsuchi broke the silence.
"Do I really not have any talent for cooking?"
Kairen walked closer and took her hand.
"Everyone has their own talents. You don't need to belittle yourself. With more practice, your cooking will improve."
A faint warmth appeared in Kurotsuchi's heart.
This beast Kairen did have some redeeming qualities—at least he could understand and comfort her.
Kairen glanced at Akamaru and said to a nearby shadow clone, "Since this dog is useless now, let's eat his meat for lunch!"
The shadow clone stepped forward with a knife.
"Understood!"
Akamaru vaguely heard the words "his meat," jumped up in terror, and hurried away from the shadow clone.
After teasing Akamaru for a bit, Kairen took Kurotsuchi's hand and walked around for a stroll.
The Land of Earth had complex terrain, full of hills and mountains, and strangely lacked vegetation.
Seeing it made Kairen want to recite a frontier poem to lament the harshness of the land.
Kurotsuchi asked, "You said everyone has their own unique talent. Then what's your talent?"
Kairen answered concisely:
"Being handsome!"
Kurotsuchi sneered.
"Bullshit! Then tell me, what's my talent?"
Kairen thought about last night's spring breeze, then said:
"Your voice is very loud!"
As expected, the moment he finished speaking, Kurotsuchi chased after him to beat him.
"You damn pervert! Stop right there!"
After their playful scuffle, they found a rock and sat down. Kairen leaned against Kurotsuchi's thigh, quietly gazing at the barren land.
Kurotsuchi gently rubbed his temples, silently looking at her man.
"If I hadn't met you, what do you think my future husband would have been like?"
Kairen thought for a moment. By the time of the Boruto era, the Twelve Konoha rookies all had children, while their seniors were still single.
Kakashi, Guy, Shizune…
Kurotsuchi too. These people had great tacit understanding—they all agreed to remain single.
Kairen replied, "No matter how handsome he is, could he be better than me?"
"Narcissist!"
Kurotsuchi pinched the skin on his temple, then looked at the barren mountains and quietly asked:
"How will you govern the Land of Earth?"
Kairen turned his head and looked at the land.
"Have you heard of Wood Release?"
"Wood Release?!"
Kurotsuchi froze, then recalled Kairen's intelligence report. It did mention that he used Wood Release in Sunagakure, proving he possessed that talent.
Kairen waved his hand.
In an instant, a forest rose from nothing.
Green trees surrounded them, flowers filled the air with fragrance, making Kurotsuchi feel as if she were in the continent's center—Konoha.
"This—"
Kurotsuchi couldn't believe it.
Wood Release, a Kekkei genkai that existed only in legend, had truly appeared. And Kairen used it with ease, as if he were born with it.
"Beautiful, right?" Kairen smiled and gently tapped her nose.
Kurotsuchi stood up and slowly approached the forest he created.
"It's real! Not a genjutsu."
Kairen picked a flower and placed it behind her ear, instantly adding a touch of fragrance to the elegant kunoichi.
"I told you, even if you wanted the stars in the sky, I'd find a way to pluck them for you."
But Kurotsuchi was someone who never followed logic. She looked into his eyes and said:
"Then pluck them for me."
"Huh?!"
Kairen froze. He was truly stumped.
Even the moon could be brought down by him.
But stars weren't marbles—they were celestial bodies light-years away. Reaching them was already a problem, let alone bringing them back.
Kurotsuchi smiled at his stunned expression. In that moment, she was as beautiful as the flower by her ear.
"You fool. You're my man. How could I let you leave Earth?"
Kairen looked into her dark eyes, held her face, and kissed her deeply.
They kissed passionately, exchanging love in the lonely forest.
After a long time, their hormones surged.
"Woof!"
When Akamaru barked to remind Kairen to depart, he helped Kurotsuchi get dressed and carried her back to camp when her legs went numb.
...
After returning to camp, Ōnoki saw Kairen carrying Kurotsuchi from afar.
He naturally realized what they had been doing and cursed:
"You two little brats! So wild. Couldn't you wait until you got home?"
Kurotsuchi's face flushed red. Embarrassed, she hid behind Kairen, too ashamed to face anyone.
Kairen replied:
"With the sky as our blanket and the earth as our bed—this is elegance!"
"Nonsense!" Ōnoki sneered.