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Chapter 41: This Family Is Getting More and More Lively!
Terumī Mei erupted with terrifying chakra, causing the surrounding water surfaces to churn violently and massive columns of water to shoot skyward.
A violent storm instantly formed at her location, nearly blowing all her clothes off.
After giving her a small but unmistakable show of force, Oborotsuki casually tossed out one last remark:
"Let's just pretend none of that happened."
"By the way—what's your name?"
Terumī Mei was soaked through, her face deathly pale.
She didn't dare turn around to face Oborotsuki, afraid of exposing herself:
"You bastard… only now thinking to ask my name?"
"I'm Terumī Mei."
After saying this, Terumī Mei waited a moment, expecting Oborotsuki to say something more.
But she heard nothing.
Confused, she slowly turned around.
Amid the torrential downpour, she watched Oborotsuki's back as he shouldered his Decapitation Greatsword and walked away. For a moment, she was lost in thought.
This man's chakra was outrageously powerful.
Yet despite having the strength to completely overpower her, he hadn't taken advantage…
So did he really want to take her as his concubine?
Or had he been playing along with her joke from the beginning?
At that moment, Terumī Mei felt completely unsure.
"But if I really anger him… no number of people would be enough to stop him, right?"
Soon regaining her composure, Terumī Mei thought with deep wariness.
"In short, for now I'll observe him secretly and see what this guy is really up to…"
Terumī Mei made up her mind: she would not report today's events to the higher-ups for the time being.
Instead, she planned to sneak around and watch from the shadows.
She wanted to find out whether Oborotsuki—who lived here yet refused to join Kirigakure—had some other hidden purpose.
Oborotsuki felt a tiny pang of regret.
He could have taken Terumī Mei right then and there while her attention was distracted by Konan.
But Konan was here.
And from the looks of it, Konan didn't seem very accepting of him "playing around" with other women.
Having only recently left Akatsuki, Konan still hadn't truly felt safe. Not wanting to see her sad or disappointed, Oborotsuki could only temporarily let Terumī Mei go.
However, during their brief clash, he had already left a permanent Flying Thunder God seal on her body.
From now on, no matter where Terumī Mei went, Oborotsuki could reach her side with a single thought.
There would be plenty of opportunities later.
Returning to Konan's side, Oborotsuki flashed her a wicked, teasing grin.
"You just let her go like that?"
"If Kirigakure finds out…"
Before Konan could finish, Oborotsuki suddenly pulled her into his arms and silenced her with a kiss.
…
At dusk, Oborotsuki and Konan returned to the Hōzuki clan residence.
As they entered the courtyard from the main gate, they saw Kushina, Mayumi, and Yūhi Kurenai sitting together chatting.
The moment the three women saw Oborotsuki return with a beautiful stranger, they all froze.
Konan immediately noticed them. Her gaze first landed on little Naruto in Kushina's arms, then quickly shifted to Mayumi's obviously very pregnant belly.
Finally, her eyes swept over Yūhi Kurenai before she looked up at Oborotsuki in confusion.
"Oborotsuki, you're back? And this is…?"
Mayumi was the first to recover. She stood up with a warm smile and greeted them.
The other two women quickly regained their composure and curiously studied Konan.
"Let me introduce her—this is Konan. She used to be my partner when I was out on missions…"
Oborotsuki introduced both sides very naturally.
He had been a little worried about how Konan might react.
Fortunately, unlike her earlier hostility toward Terumī Mei, Konan remained calm and politely greeted Mayumi, Kushina, and Yūhi Kurenai.
The three women at home had long known what kind of man Oborotsuki was—he was determined to revive the Hōzuki clan.
Yūhi Kurenai and Mayumi had absolutely no objections to Oborotsuki's choices. Not only were they deeply attached to him, they even felt that more "sisters" in the house would make things livelier.
As for Kushina, she still carried strong feelings and memories of Minato in her heart.
Although she had developed a tiny bit of goodwill toward Oborotsuki during this time together,
She hadn't reached that stage yet, so she said nothing.
In this way, everyone tacitly and very harmoniously accepted the arrival of a new member in the household.
"This family is really getting more and more lively."
"Kurenai, could you help Konan prepare a room?"
Mayumi glanced at Konan's slightly swollen belly, gave a knowing smile, and turned to Yūhi Kurenai.
"Sure. Konan, come with me—I'll show you to your room."
Yūhi Kurenai immediately stepped forward enthusiastically, took Konan's hand, and led her toward the inner courtyard.
As a core member of the Hōzuki main family, Oborotsuki's parents had both been high-ranking members of the clan. The house was enormous, with plenty of rooms.
Even if another hundred people moved in, there would still be more than enough space.
Konan glanced back at Oborotsuki. He waved at her with a smile:
"Come out for dinner later!"
With that, Oborotsuki first walked over to Mayumi and gently touched her belly:
"I think little Karin will be born in about two more weeks. During this time, absolutely no strenuous activity."
"No heavy lifting either."
He half-squatted and pressed his ear to her belly, listening to the fetal movements.
Nearby, Kushina silently watched him showing such gentle affection—like a loving father.
Unconsciously, she looked down at little Naruto in her arms, who was still waiting to be fed.
At this moment, the words Mayumi and Yūhi Kurenai had said to her earlier resurfaced in her mind.
Naruto was still too young to understand.
But he would grow up eventually.
A child's growth… really did seem to need a father…
Lost in thought, Kushina looked up again—only to see Oborotsuki standing up with a smile and walking toward her.
"Has the little guy eaten yet?"
He gently stroked Naruto's soft, chubby cheeks and smiled.
"He just ate."
Kushina nodded.
She avoided looking directly into Oborotsuki's bright eyes, afraid of responding to the heat she saw there.
She was eating his food, living under his roof, and receiving his protection. She felt deeply indebted.
What she feared most was Oborotsuki making those kinds of demands.
Because Kushina still had absolutely no mental preparation for that.
"The baby's eaten, but the adults haven't, right?"
"Wait here—I'll go make dinner."
"Today I'll show you all what I can do!"
Oborotsuki said nothing about helping "continue the bloodline."
Instead, he spoke very naturally and openly, rolled up his sleeves, and headed straight to the kitchen.
Watching that tall, upright figure walk toward the kitchen, Kushina's gaze darkened slightly. She felt even more guilty.
"Our Oborotsuki is powerful, considerate, and even knows how to cook—he's practically the perfect man."
"And most importantly… he's never looked down on any of us, Kushina."
Mayumi walked over at that moment, gently patted Kushina's shoulder, and reminded her softly.
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