UCHIHA DISTRICT
Night had already completely fallen over Konoha when Riser and Merlin crossed one of the silent streets of the Uchiha District. After Jiraiya's funeral, even the village itself seemed heavier, as if part of its atmosphere had been drained away along with the death of one of the Sannin.
Merlin walked beside him, observing the renovated buildings while the cold night wind slowly moved through the empty street.
"That woman kept looking at you throughout the entire funeral." Merlin commented casually. "Especially after she saw me standing beside you."
Riser let out a small amused sound through his nose.
"Well... I kissed her yesterday."
Merlin slightly raised an eyebrow.
"Then you probably broke the girl's heart when she found out I'm your wife."
"Just imagine when she finds out I have two."
The answer came far too casually.
Then Riser activated the Mangekyō Sharingan without even slowing his pace. The space behind him immediately began to distort as Kamui silently opened in the middle of the street.
"Speaking of that..." he commented as the distortion intensified. "Give me a second."
The next instant, Hancock appeared beside him, stepping directly out of the Kamui dimension. Her long black hair swayed gently while she observed the district around her with a certain curiosity.
"So this is Konoha, dear?" Hancock asked while naturally moving closer to him.
"Yes."
She analyzed the village for a few seconds before lightly crossing her arms.
"It's not that impressive." Her tone was sincere, without exaggerated arrogance. "I prefer our home inside your dimension."
"I do too." Merlin agreed without difficulty.
Riser almost laughed at that.
'Honestly... I prefer Kamui too.'
The comparison was inevitable. His dimension already had comfort, security, unlimited space, and absolute privacy. Konoha still felt like an old ninja village compared to what could exist inside it.
'Although in that disaster they call Boruto, they already have cell phones...'
The thought died quickly.
Riser preferred not to think too much about that future.
He turned his attention back to Hancock shortly afterward.
"You can decide what you want to do." His voice remained calm. "Stay here or return to Kamui. I only brought you because I didn't want you to feel left out."
Hancock held his gaze for a few seconds before a small smile appeared on her face.
"With you?" She moved even closer while lightly holding his arm. "It's impossible for me to feel left out."
Merlin watched the two of them in silence for a few moments while the wind slowly passed through the empty streets of the Uchiha District.
In the end, it was almost amusing to watch now that she thought about the whole situation more carefully.
'Two women completely in love.'
A kunoichi from Konoha.
And a pirate empress.
Riser simply chuckled when he noticed her expression.
"Don't even start."
"I didn't say anything." Merlin replied calmly.
"You thought it."
Hancock let out a small laugh beside him while continuing to hold Riser's arm without the slightest embarrassment. Honestly, she no longer even tried to hide how much she enjoyed his attention.
KONOHA
Ino walked beside Sakura through the village streets while kicking small stones along the way, clearly irritated about something ever since they had left the funeral.
"Idiot..." she muttered quietly. "Conceited... arrogant..."
Sakura shot her a strange look while continuing to walk.
"You've been insulting someone for a while now." She lightly crossed her arms. "What happened?"
"Nothing."
"Ino."
The answer came far too quickly, practically confirming that something was wrong. Sakura had known her for years, long enough to recognize when she was hiding something.
"Was it Riser?" Sakura suddenly asked.
Ino froze for a second before turning her face away irritably.
That was enough.
Sakura's eyes widened slightly as she began putting the pieces together.
"Wait..." She automatically lowered her voice. "What exactly happened between you two?"
Ino slowly exhaled before finally answering.
"He kissed me."
Sakura almost missed a step.
"He WHAT?!"
"Ino!" The blonde immediately grabbed her arm after noticing a few people looking over. "Keep your voice down!"
"How am I supposed to keep my voice down after that?!" Sakura still looked far too shocked to control her reaction. "When did that happen?!"
"Yesterday."
Now Sakura was genuinely speechless for a few seconds while trying to reorganize her thoughts. The strangest part was realizing that part of the situation made sense far too quickly.
Riser was handsome, confident, and strong, so part of the situation made sense almost immediately inside Sakura's mind.
Ino had clearly become interested in him, but there was still something else drawing her attention in that conversation.
"But..." Sakura spoke more slowly now. "Didn't you like Sasuke?"
Ino slightly slowed her pace upon hearing that. Part of her still remembered their academy days, the childish fights with Sakura, and the obsession almost half the girls had with the village's last Uchiha.
But that all felt distant now.
Sasuke had abandoned Konoha years ago, become a missing-nin, and never looked back. Meanwhile, she had continued living, maturing, and realizing that many of those old feelings seemed more like teenage attachment than genuine love.
"I did like him." Ino answered more calmly now. "When we were kids... and later as teenagers."
She slowly exhaled before continuing.
"But I grew up, Sakura."
Her tone came out firm this time.
"Sasuke became a village traitor and disappeared. I just let go of those childish thoughts."
Sakura remained silent while listening. The problem was that, unlike Ino, she had never managed to truly leave Sasuke behind. Even after his departure, the distance, and everything he had done, her feelings had only grown stronger over time.
'I can't just forget him...'
The idea of giving up still felt wrong to her.
"I'm not giving up on Sasuke." Sakura replied after a few seconds. "Not after everything."
Ino had expected that.
Sakura had always been more intense when it came to him, stubborn to a level that could sometimes become irritating. In the end, she simply shrugged before continuing to walk.
"Your choice." A small smile appeared shortly afterward. "I've already got another Uchiha on my mind."
Sakura heard that while organizing her own thoughts.
'So now any Uchiha will do for her...'
But she kept the thought to herself.
Because honestly, after meeting Riser, even she understood part of the reason Ino was acting like this.
In the end, Sakura simply sighed before saying:
"Well... good luck then."
Ino's smile immediately grew wider.
"Thanks."
YAMANAKA FLOWER SHOP
Ino's smile widened after parting ways with Sakura, and for the first time that night her mind felt a little less chaotic. There was still confusion, irritation, and embarrassment mixed together somewhere inside, but at least now she felt like she had regained part of her control.
Or at least she thought so.
As soon as she approached the entrance of the flower shop, a presence appeared beside her without warning.
"Ino."
She immediately jumped in surprise.
"WHAT THE—?!"
Her body spun almost on instinct while her hand was already moving toward the kunai pouch attached to her waist. The shock vanished quickly when she recognized Riser standing near the wall of the shop, completely calm as if appearing like that were normal.
Ino took a deep irritated breath.
"Do you have a problem?" She placed a hand on her chest. "I almost attacked you."
"But you didn't." Riser answered without difficulty. "So everything's fine."
That only irritated her more.
The worst part was that she truly hadn't sensed him approaching.
No chakra.
No footsteps.
Nothing.
'What kind of ridiculous ability is that...?'
Riser completely ignored her expression before asking:
"Are you feeling better?"
The question caught Ino off guard for a moment. The irritation was still there, but now mixed with the absurd fact that he had appeared just to ask that.
She crossed her arms, trying to recover some of her composure.
"Don't change the subject." Her tone came out firmer now. "You kissed me even though you're already committed."
Riser remained calm.
"Yes."
The direct answer destroyed half of her mental preparation.
"...You admitted that way too quickly."
"Because it's true." He replied simply. "I have two wives."
Ino blinked several times, unable to hide her surprise.
"Two?"
"Yes."
She remained silent for a few seconds while organizing the information in her head. Honestly, it was strange by normal civilian standards, but not exactly absurd within the reality of the great clans.
Especially for the last Uchiha.
'...Thinking about it that way, it actually makes sense.'
The problem was something else.
If he had two wives...
Then that meant there was still room for her.
And realizing that this was the part that truly mattered to her made everything even more irritating.
Ino quickly looked away before he noticed too much.
"So you plan to go around kissing every girl in the village?"
Riser ended up chuckling softly.
"Not every girl."
The answer came far too calmly.
"But I do intend to have a harem."
Ino froze again.
That should have sounded absurd.
Arrogant.
Ridiculous, even.
But coming from him... it simply sounded honest.
'The worst part is that this idiot could probably pull it off.'
She ran a hand through her hair while trying to maintain a firm posture.
"And you say that as if it's completely normal."
"It is for me."
Riser replied without hesitation.
"But relax. I'm not forcing you into anything."
His gaze met hers shortly afterward.
"If you want to stay just friends, that's fine."
That affected her more than it should have.
Because part of his absurd confidence came from the fact that he didn't seem desperate for any answer. Riser simply said what he wanted and left the decision in her hands.
"And what if I want more?" Ino asked before thinking it through.
The silence lasted only a second.
"Then you can become my woman."
The direct answer struck her far harder than the kiss.
Ino immediately felt her face heat up, but she refused to show weakness in front of him again. So she crossed her arms once more while slightly lifting her chin.
"I'll think about it."
She tried to sound proud.
She really did.
The problem was that Riser started laughing shortly afterward.
"What are you laughing at?!"
"Your attempt to look calm."
That completely destroyed her pose.
"Idiot."
Riser was still holding back part of his laughter while beginning to walk away from the flower shop entrance.
"Good night, Ino."
She huffed irritably before answering:
"Good night."
Riser disappeared shortly afterward, fast enough to leave behind only a slight distortion in the air where he had been standing.
Ino remained standing there for several seconds, staring at the empty space while trying to reorganize her thoughts once again.
The problem was simple.
Now she was genuinely considering it.
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