313. Kurenai's Birthday

Hanekawa opened his eyes from his sleep.

He yawned and noticed the raised blanket.

The blanket was uneven, with clear outlines.

Hanekawa recognized it immediately—he was too familiar with Samui, especially her full hips.

He squinted and looked out the window.

Though it was still morning, the June sunlight was already bright.

Over the past month, Hanekawa had lived quite leisurely.

Whether in Konoha or the shinobi world, everything was progressing along its set path.

The only thing he had to do was wait—and then reap the rewards.

Hanekawa exhaled, feeling warmth spread through his body.

Waking up to Samui’s morning greeting in this kind of weather was a rare pleasure.

Hanekawa turned his head and looked at Kaguya Ōtsutsuki.

She was sleeping peacefully.

Her fair skin rose and fell gently with her breathing, just like her emotions—never fluctuating much.

But paired with her beautiful face, it gave Hanekawa an indescribable sense of beauty.

Kaguya Ōtsutsuki had never slept before, but now she was gradually forming the habit.

The reason was Hanekawa.

He usually slept, only staying up all night when he was particularly excited.

As Hanekawa observed Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, her eyelashes fluttered slightly before she opened her eyes.

"Good morning," Hanekawa greeted with a smile.

"Mmm."

Kaguya Ōtsutsuki responded softly, but soon noticed something unusual.

Why was there a cat sneaking in to eat a cat treat while she was asleep?

She glanced at Hanekawa before sliding entirely under the blanket.

"...?!"

Hanekawa was stunned at first, then amazed.

He closed his eyes.

At this point, the only thing left to do was go back to sleep.

Hanekawa felt like he was having a nightmare.

He encountered two snakes that coiled around his head, suffocating him.

Instinctively, he opened his eyes.

What greeted him were two full moons.

The once-bright sunlight had dimmed considerably.

Had it turned to night already?

Hanekawa’s gaze settled on the two crimson stars above.

Soon, he felt a heaviness—his head and feet both weighed down.

Fortunately, it didn’t last long.

Hanekawa jolted fully awake.

His breathing quickened for a few seconds before returning to normal.

"Samui."

Hanekawa reached out and patted her snow-white back.

Samui snapped out of her daze, releasing his head and barely managing to sit up.

Hanekawa glanced at her.

From his angle, he could see her long, beautiful legs and the plump, bouncy curve of her hips.

Age-wise, Samui was actually about the same as Yuuhi Kurenai.

But after his help, she had matured exceptionally well.

Hanekawa thought of a ripe peach—fragrant, soft, and juicy.

"Kaguya."

Hanekawa snapped out of his thoughts and looked at the one who truly lacked restraint—Kaguya Ōtsutsuki.

She was still occupying his other core processor.

Kaguya Ōtsutsuki met his gaze.

After a moment, she stood up, her fair feet stepping on the bed.

Hanekawa admired her fully exposed legs.

The June sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating the perfect curves of her legs.

Her soft thighs glistened under the light.

Hanekawa felt the visual impact was at its peak.

Especially since this beauty was half his doing.

Satisfied with the sight, Hanekawa got out of bed and changed clothes.

Right now, he was at Samui’s home in Kumogakure.

From yesterday afternoon until this morning, he hadn’t left.

The culprit was undoubtedly Kaguya Ōtsutsuki.

She always pinpointed his desires with precision, dragging him down into the mortal world.

The noble Rabbit Goddess had turned into a succubus from the abyss.

Hanekawa recalled a saying from his past life—time loses meaning in the depths.

As he pondered, his eyes remained busy.

Kaguya Ōtsutsuki and Samui—two stunning women, their bodies flawless to the extreme.

Now, they stood before him, displaying themselves without reservation.

Only when clothes covered their fair skin did the morning finally come to an end.

After breakfast, Hanekawa headed to the Raikage’s office.

"Lord Raikage."

Mabui stood up and bowed.

Her eyes flicked toward Samui, noticing the rosy glow on her face, and inwardly sighed—just as I thought

Normally, Samui would arrive at the Raikage’s office promptly at 8 AM.

But today, she was a full two hours late—and came with Hanekawa.

Given Mabui’s sharp mind, she could easily guess the reason for their delay.

Samui pressed her lips together.

She had been too absorbed earlier and had completely forgotten about Mabui.

Now, seeing her, she felt both embarrassed and awkward.

Hanekawa, however, didn’t mind at all.

In his eyes, Kumogakure was already his property—Mabui included.

"Any business today?"

Hanekawa sat at the Raikage’s desk and asked.

With Mabui and Samui here, he couldn’t be bothered to go through the documents himself.

"We’ve discovered a new mineral vein recently."

Mabui unfolded a map of the Land of Lightning.

"Contact Hyūga Hizashi for this."

Hanekawa glanced at it and replied.

"Understood."

Mabui nodded.

Half a month ago, Kumogakure had entered a partnership with Konoha—or rather, with Hyūga Hizashi’s Mining Division.

On the surface, it was a 50-50 split in mining profits, but in reality, all gains went to Konoha.

Mabui sighed inwardly.

Kumogakure wasn’t actually losing out.

After all, they had never been involved in mining before.

But Konoha was earning massive amounts of money from it.

If this continued, Kumogakure would be left far behind.

Hanekawa had both selfish and selfless motives.

In his view, the shinobi world would eventually unify.

It didn’t matter who the mining profits went to in the long run.

Of course, for now, they belonged to Konoha.

"I’ll return tomorrow."

Hanekawa stood up.

As one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, Kumogakure had many affairs, but he only concerned himself with the most important ones.

The rest were left to Mabui and Samui.

With a flicker of the Flying Thunder God Technique, Hanekawa appeared before the Hokage’s desk in the next instant.

Looking down, he spotted a small note on the table.

"Hanekawa, come find me in my office when you return. I have something to discuss."

Though unsigned, Hanekawa recognized Yuuhi Kurenai’s handwriting immediately.

Besides, no one else would dare order him around like this.

Others would simply wait in the Hokage’s office.

Hanekawa couldn’t help but smile.

He pocketed the note and headed to the adjacent office.

Knocking on the door, he waited.

"Come in."

Yuuhi Kurenai’s voice rang out.

"Little secretary, what’s the matter?"

Hanekawa pushed the door open and teased as he entered.

Yuuhi Kurenai was startled at first, then her face lit up with delight.

But she quickly schooled her expression.

"Where have you been all this time?"

She planted her hands on her hips and demanded.

Hanekawa walked up to her, wrapping his arms around her soft body.

"You still haven’t answered my question!"

Yuuhi Kurenai huffed.

"I was in Kumogakure."

Hanekawa gave her backside a light smack. "Since when does my little secretary interrogate the Hokage?"

Yuuhi Kurenai shivered, feeling the lingering tingle where his hand had struck—and the way it lingered, kneading and groping shamelessly.

"You’re the worst!"

She pushed him away, her face flushed. "I really do have something to discuss!"

"Go ahead."

Hanekawa blinked.

Thanks to his antics, Yuuhi Kurenai had already forgotten her earlier question.

"Wait a second."

She bent down and pulled a scroll from her desk drawer.

Hanekawa took it casually.

A quick glance told him it was an ANBU scroll—typically used for highly classified intelligence.

"Sit in my chair and read it properly."

Yuuhi Kurenai stood up, offering her seat.

Hanekawa sat down, his eyes immediately drawn to her long, fair legs.




“You’re supposed to read the scroll, not stare at my legs.”

Yuuhi Kurenai noticed his gaze and gave him an annoyed kick—though “kick” wasn’t quite accurate. It was more like she brushed her thigh against him.

“Let’s read it together.”

Hanekawa pulled her into his lap.

Caught off guard, Yuuhi Kurenai landed squarely on his thighs.

“Open the scroll.”

Hanekawa wrapped an arm around her slender waist.

Yuuhi Kurenai shot him a glare but complied.

Hanekawa’s eyebrows rose slightly as he read.

The scroll reported that ANBU had discovered Sunagakure and Iwagakure were mass-purchasing chakra tools.

It even thoughtfully included an explanation of the Thousand Sunny Company and the significance of chakra tools.

Hanekawa was mildly surprised.

He had previously instructed Konan to operate discreetly, yet ANBU had still caught wind of it.

But by the end of the scroll, he realized he’d misjudged Konan.

This matter had been handled personally by Tsukihime.

Hanekawa suspected that if not for awaiting his orders, Tsukihime might have simply wiped them all out—she certainly had the power to do so.

“What do you think?” Hanekawa chuckled.

“We can’t let Sunagakure and Iwagakure monopolize this,” Yuuhi Kurenai said seriously. “Konoha should also procure these tools, and we need to investigate the company’s motives.”

“Good thinking.”

Hanekawa praised her while his right hand naturally settled on her thigh, kneading the soft flesh.

“Should I make arrangements now?”

Yuuhi Kurenai’s legs tensed slightly, but she didn’t pull away, allowing his touch.

“No.”

Hanekawa shook his head. “We don’t need to do anything.”

“Huh?”

Yuuhi Kurenai blinked in confusion. “Why not?”

“Konoha needs a pretext to deal with them,” Hanekawa mused, savoring the warmth of her thigh. “This is the perfect opportunity.”

“What exactly are you planning?”

Yuuhi Kurenai studied him thoughtfully.

“The shinobi world only needs one village.”

Hanekawa smiled.

Yuuhi Kurenai’s eyes widened.

Unify the shinobi world?

She hadn’t expected Hanekawa to harbor such an ambitious goal.

Throughout history, the shinobi world had never been united.

Hashirama Senju had defeated every village but stopped short of unification, opting instead to redistribute the tailed beasts for temporary peace.

“Why the sudden silence?”

Hanekawa reached up and pinched her cheek.

“What should I do?”

Yuuhi Kurenai grabbed his wrist, her expression eager.

Her reasoning was simple:

Once the shinobi world was unified, she could become the secretary of the Five Great Villages

The mere thought sent a thrill through her—shifting her initial shock into excitement.

“Go shopping.”

Hanekawa grinned.

“…?”

Yuuhi Kurenai looked down at him, baffled.

How had the conversation suddenly jumped to shopping?

What did that have to do with anything?

Hanekawa’s hand slid to the back of her head.

With a gentle tug, their lips met.

Yuuhi Kurenai froze for a second before looping her arms around his neck, leaning in to deepen the kiss.

When they finally parted, she was breathless, her ruby eyes glazed with lingering warmth.

“You—why’d you kiss me all of a sudden?”

“Do I need a reason?”

Hanekawa smirked.

Yuuhi Kurenai bit her lip, unsure how to respond, and simply nodded.

“Adorable.”

Hanekawa pinched her flushed cheek.

“But why go shopping?”

Yuuhi Kurenai pressed.

“Tomorrow’s your birthday.”

Hanekawa paused. “Technically, midnight tonight.”

“We’re still on duty.”

Yuuhi Kurenai glanced outside.

Not just on duty—they’d only been working for two hours.

“I’m the Hokage.”

Hanekawa shrugged. “I decide when we clock out.”

Yuuhi Kurenai burst out laughing.

“Leaving now?”

Hanekawa’s gaze drifted toward the pale curve of her collarbone.

“If it’s the Hokage’s order, I have no choice but to obey.”

Yuuhi Kurenai hopped off his lap, landing gracefully, then extended a hand.

Hanekawa stood and took it.

“Let’s take the window.”

After two steps toward the door, Yuuhi Kurenai suddenly stopped.

“What? Afraid people will find out about us?”

Hanekawa raised an eyebrow.

“Of course not!”

Yuuhi Kurenai huffed. “I just don’t want anyone seeing us skip work—bad influence.”

As for her relationship with Hanekawa, most people already knew (or at least suspected).

They *were* teammates, after all, and rarely seen apart.

“Fair enough.”

Hanekawa nodded. “Want me to use Flying Thunder God?”

“No!”

Yuuhi Kurenai pouted. “What’s the point of shopping if we teleport?”

Without waiting for an answer, she tugged him toward the window—and leaped out.

Wind rushed past as Yuuhi Kurenai grinned, exhilarated by the thrill.

“Let’s go!”


After landing, Yuhi Kurenai excitedly ran toward the commercial district of Konoha Village.

Hanekawa was dragged along and had no choice but to quicken his pace and follow her.

In less than a few minutes, the two arrived in the commercial area and were immediately surrounded.

Pedestrians nearby recognized Hanekawa and quickly gathered to greet him.

Seeing this, Hanekawa responded to them one by one.

Kurenai's lips curled into a slight smile.

As expected of the man I admire — wherever he goes, he's so popular.

But after a while, she found it troublesome.

Because there were just too many people.

She felt that if this continued, their shopping time would be severely cut short.

"I have a way."

Hanekawa activated his Rinnegan.

Invisible chakra rippled outward like waves.

“Huh? Did the Hokage already leave?”

“That’s too bad!”

“I wanted to get his autograph. I love his novels!”

Before long, the crowd dispersed.

“You really are amazing.”

Kurenai glanced at his Rinnegan and said.

“I just altered how they perceive us,” Hanekawa replied casually. “It’s a simple genjutsu technique. You could do it too.”

“I could, but it wouldn’t be that easy,” Kurenai said thoughtfully.

“Alright, today is about shopping,” Hanekawa leaned in and kissed her.

“Wha—so many people around, what… what are you doing?!”

Kurenai jumped, her face instantly turning red, instinctively looking around.

“Relax, they can’t see,” Hanekawa smiled. “Try it if you don’t believe me.”

“You bad guy!”

Kurenai gave him a glare and said, “Shopping!”

“Where do you want to go?” Hanekawa looked around and asked.

“The bookstore!” Kurenai thought for a moment, then her eyes lit up.

“What for?”

“To buy your novel,” Kurenai said with a strange look. “Didn’t you release a new one yesterday?”

Hanekawa was slightly stunned.

He had forgotten all about it until she mentioned it.

Previously, in order to openly use the money he earned from the Thunderfire Sword, he published the novel and manga version of Demon Slayer.

Thanks to the fame he gained during the Third Great Ninja War and the marketing efforts, it sold quite well.

About a month ago, Hanekawa had a chance encounter with Tsuchihashi from the Konoha Knowledge Bookstore and discussed a new book.

After some thought, Hanekawa handed over the outline for Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World.

Like before, Tsuchibashi would find someone to fill in the content.

Hanekawa left it all to him and didn’t follow up on the details.

So he wasn’t aware of the exact publication date.

“There was something like that,” Hanekawa explained calmly. “I’ve just been too busy lately and forgot.”

As he said that, curiosity started to rise in his heart.

In his previous life, he really liked that light novel — or rather, its anime adaptation.

What stuck with him most were the twin maids, Ram and Rem.

Since he only gave Tsuchibashi an outline, he had no idea how the final novel turned out or whether it matched the original.

“Let’s go check it out!”

Kurenai didn’t think much of it and said.

“Alright.”

Hanekawa followed her into the nearest bookstore.

As the Hokage, his books were now available not just at the Konoha Knowledge Bookstore, but in every store.

The bookstore offered sample reads.

Hanekawa casually picked up a copy and started reading.

How should he put it?

Compared to the Re:Zero from his past life, the novel had diverged in quite a few ways.

But the main plot and outline were consistent.

All in all, it wasn’t bad — it might even become popular.

After all, in the ninja world, isekai novels were quite rare.

And with Tsuchibashi marketing it under his name, there was definitely a celebrity effect.

“This ability to return after death is terrifying,” Kurenai suddenly commented in awe.

“Do you want it?”

Hanekawa put the book down and asked.

“I do…” Kurenai looked conflicted. “But I don’t want it to activate.”

“Understandable.”

Hanekawa nodded. “After all, it only activates after death.”

“That’s not why,” Kurenai said seriously. “It’s because this world is already beautiful enough. I wouldn’t want it to restart.”

“It won’t restart.”

Hanekawa patted her head.

“I know,” Kurenai smiled. “Because such a jutsu doesn’t exist in the ninja world.”

“True enough.”

Hanekawa smiled back. “Let’s buy the book and read it after we’re done shopping.”

They bought the book and continued shopping.

They shopped from morning until afternoon, buying all sorts of random things.

Eventually, they arrived at a clothing store.

“Buying more clothes?”

Kurenai shook her head. “I already have too many. No need. Let’s go back and eat.”

“You have a lot of clothes, but not enough… special ones.”

Hanekawa said seriously.

“I think all my clothes are special,” Kurenai replied, confused.

“This kind of special,” Hanekawa said, pointing at a set of lingerie.

Kurenai looked over instinctively, and her face immediately turned red.

“No, no way!” she refused hastily.

“Come on, since we’re already here, just try it on.”

Hanekawa coughed. “You’ll definitely look amazing in it.”

“I-I’m not going to give in to your perverted demands!”

Kurenai turned away, muttering.

“Do you know slandering the Hokage is a crime?”

Hanekawa frowned and asked.

“I didn’t slander,” Kurenai blinked, then huffed. “I’m stating facts.”

“I’ll take all those outfits,” Hanekawa said to the shopkeeper without hesitation.

“I won’t wear them even if you buy them!” Kurenai protested.

“Really?” Hanekawa narrowed his eyes. “Wasting is a sin, you know.”

Kurenai felt paralyzed under his intense gaze, her face burning again.

The clothes were indeed beautiful — but way too revealing, clearly meant for intimate occasions between husband and wife.

Husband and wife?

The thought alone turned her blush even deeper.

“You’re really cute,” Hanekawa leaned in, bit her ear gently, and whispered, “Can you wear them for me tonight?”

Kurenai stood frozen in place, her face completely red.

Her mind went blank and she muttered, “I… no… I…”

After a few seconds of stammering, she fled.

“Sir, the clothes are packed. Would you still like to purchase them?” the shopkeeper asked.

“All of them,” Hanekawa replied after a glance.

He had more than enough money now — stockings, swimsuits, qipaos, nightwear — he bought them all.

Even if Kurenai didn’t wear them, he could give them to Tsunade, Kaguya, or Samui.

“Of course!” the shopkeeper beamed with joy.

Hanekawa ended up buying about a tenth of the store’s stock — definitely a VIP customer.

The shopkeeper quickly gathered everything he requested.

Hanekawa took the clothes and returned home.

Sure enough, Kurenai had arrived ahead of him.

“I’m not wearing them!” Kurenai declared firmly.

“Really?”

Hanekawa stepped forward and kissed her again.

At the same time, he reached out his hands.

Kurenai’s eyes widened.

She felt a tingling sensation spread through her whole body — especially her hips, legs, and waist.

In less than a moment, she was drenched in sweat and had no choice but to give in to his request.