"Let's go, we're heading out."
Takumi loosens the iron chains on Kurotsuchi a bit, binding only her hands and feet so she can walk. This saves a lot of trouble.
But Kurotsuchi seems a bit dissatisfied.
"Hey hey hey, why loosen them?"
Kurotsuchi pouted, "I liked being tied up by you~"
Takumi couldn't help but shudder, rolling his eyes at her. "If you don't want to leave, you can stay here alone."
"I'll go, I'll go!"
Kurotsuchi immediately acted more normal; she didn't want to be left alone in the house.
That wasn't her original intention in coming to find Takumi.
After the two left, Konan, who was stuck to the ceiling, couldn't help but sigh in relief.
God knows how she endured watching that scene before.
Although Takumi resisted strongly, he couldn't stop Kurotsuchi from actively throwing herself at him.
That kind of shy, embarrassing scene was hard for Konan to bear.
After all, she's a relatively traditional woman, her thoughts not as modern as Kurotsuchi's.
Especially Kurotsuchi's recent whining voice; it made her shiver involuntarily from the depths of her soul, and she almost revealed herself.
By now, the sun had already set, and the sky was gradually darkening.
There were few pedestrians on the street.
Seeing Takumi leading Kurotsuchi, they warmly greeted him, their curious gazes scanning Kurotsuchi as if scrutinizing her.
Kurotsuchi felt a bit uncomfortable being stared at. After all, her enthusiasm was only for Takumi; she had no interest in others.
"Let's hurry up and leave."
She quickly pressed against Takumi's back, whispering softly into his ear.
Takumi felt his ear itch and quickly pulled away, "Don't get so close."
However, Takumi's reaction made Kurotsuchi's eyes light up.
She began tirelessly leaning into Takumi's ear.
Sometimes softly calling him "husband", sometimes blowing gently on his neck.
Each time, Takumi nimbly quickened his pace two steps forward to get away from Kurotsuchi.
His reactions made her giggle softly.
Compared to Kurotsuchi's excitement,
Takumi was utterly helpless.
If there weren't still pedestrians on the street, he would have just grabbed Kurotsuchi and ran.
These little gestures were just too annoying.
Extremely vexing.
And he still had to carry out his plan, which made him even more irritated by Kurotsuchi's behavior.
But still, the problem remained: they were on the street, so he couldn't lose his temper.
It would easily ruin the persona he had worked hard to build.
All he could do was speed up.
Fortunately, Kurotsuchi was restricted by the iron chains on her feet.
If Takumi walked too fast, she couldn't keep up.
"Slow down a bit."
Kurotsuchi complained somewhat; she had almost fallen just now.
'Wait, fall?'
Her eyes lit up, and with a very affected "Oops", she fell to the ground.
"What are you trying to do now?"
Takumi turned back helplessly, hands on his hips, looking down at her.
"Carry me~"
Kurotsuchi sat on the ground in a classic pose, looking at Takumi with pitiful eyes.
The slyness in her gaze was hidden deep,
But Takumi could still see it clearly.
"..."
Takumi sighed.
If he delayed further, time would run out.
His plan had to be executed outside the village.
So now, he had to go along with Kurotsuchi's wishes.
"Just this once."
He said impatiently, but it only made Kurotsuchi happier.
Lifting her in a princess carry, Takumi quickened his pace towards the predetermined location.
Soon, he brought Kurotsuchi to a grassy hillside.
"Wow—"
Kurotsuchi marveled at the sky.
As the sky gradually darkened, what illuminated it became the bright moon and the stars twinkling around it.
The scene, like a galaxy painted before their eyes, was truly magnificent.
It wasn't that Kurotsuchi had never seen this before.
During late-night training, or on missions outside,
There would always be a few times she saw the starry night sky.
But this time was different.
Because a special person was accompanying her.
"Did you bring me here on purpose?"
Kurotsuchi looked at Takumi, her eyes sparkling with excitement. She hadn't expected him to prepare such a little surprise.
"You came to Konoha specially this time. Although your intentions weren't pure, as a host, I can't let you go back empty-handed like this."
Takumi lay on the ground, hands behind his head, calmly gazing at the stars.
He stared at the moon, as if trying to see the Otsutsuki Clan's members said to live there.
But sadly, his eyesight couldn't possibly bridge such a vast distance.
"You're so kind."
Kurotsuchi pressed her cheek against Takumi's chest, feeling his strong, steady heartbeat.
Takumi just glanced at her, then let her lie there.
Coming out this time,
The first objective was naturally to properly resolve the Tayuya issue.
The second objective was to find a reason for Kurotsuchi to leave with peace of mind.
After all, she was Onoki's daughter.
A short stay was fine, but if she stayed too long, it could easily arouse suspicion from certain people.
Especially Hiruzen. Takumi had finally built a good impression with him, which might be compromised by suspicion.
Although the possibility was small,
He had to eliminate any chance of putting himself in danger.
Moreover, with Kurotsuchi around, doing many things would become inconvenient.
Last time, he kept Yugito around to make it easier to win her over.
But Kurotsuchi was already "conquered", so continuing to waste time on this wasn't suitable.
And he hadn't had a proper exchange with Kurenai for several days.
His body was itching with desire.
As for why he hadn't fully consummated with Kurotsuchi,
It was due to a certain concern.
If he were to do so now, it would highly likely create a bad impression with Hiruzen.
Although he was confident he could convince Hiruzen, his standing would definitely drop somewhat.
That wouldn't align with his interests in Konoha.
So, for now, he just wanted Kurotsuchi to leave.
Even if they were to be together, it had to be outside Konoha, at least where there was no chance of anyone finding out.
Thinking about all this, Takumi's eyelids gradually grew heavy.
Perhaps it was because he felt no threat from Tayuya's arrival,
Takumi fell asleep without any guard.
Even if Tayuya didn't use Genjutsu, but attacked physically or with Ninjutsu, he had the automatic defense of his Susano'o.
Given Tayuya's strength, there was no way she could damage the Susano'o.
So, Takumi slept very peacefully.