GSiN: Ch. 199

When the leaping tongues of fire licked the night sky, Ryouma completely broke from his usual style and took the initiative!

Back during the Rōran mission, he had already pieced together from Naruto's few vague remarks what his future relationship with Shiori might be. Of course, it's not like he was some kind of fatalist who believed the future was set in stone. If he truly didn't have the courage to change the future, he wouldn't have become a ninja at all.

He would've just stayed quietly in Konoha, clung to his system, trained for a few decades until achieving godlike power, and then marched straight toward the Ōtsutsuki fully decked out, an easy win. If he were honest with himself, he only wanted to live his second life seriously and properly. That was all. And if you asked whether he truly liked Shiori or not, the answer was definitely yes.

Leaving aside that slightly tsundere personality of hers, everything else about her was exactly his type.

Classic long straight black hair, a beautiful appearance, plus the close relationship between their families. And while she could be aloof, that was only toward others. Toward him, she was kind of nice. Who wouldn't be captivated by that contrast?

He certainly couldn't resist. Under such romantic fireworks, if he didn't say those words he'd just be killing the mood. He knew what he wanted. This was his chance, and he was taking it.

Fireworks continued to burst freely across the night sky, their radiant glow reflecting on Shiori's blushing cheeks. She furrowed her brows ever so slightly, staring at Ryouma's expression as she softly repeated.

"Aotsuki... Shiori?!"

Only when the final firework roared upward and burst like a sky full of stars, did she finally understand the meaning behind his question. She instinctively lifted her right hand to cover her small, surprised gasp, while her left hand fidgeted nervously with the ends of her hair before slowly letting go.

"Id... idiot, why are you saying something like this all of a sudden! Is this another one of your pranks? I won't fall for it again."

"Sorry, I was too vague earlier. Did that make you anxious? Then I'll say it again."

Ryouma was the type of man who acted when he needed to. He wasn't going to get shy in a moment like this.

"Shiori, I like you. I like you with the resolve to marry you."

The sudden, straightforward confession shattered the tangled mess of thoughts swirling in Shiori's mind. A cool evening breeze brushed past, calming her brain just enough for her to regain a hint of composure.

She subconsciously licked her slightly dry lips and spoke softly. "You really mean that?"

Ryouma looked directly into her eyes. "I've never been more serious about anything in my life. I know we're young, and there's still a lot ahead of us, but I wanted you to know how I feel. I want a future with you, Shiori."

He looked at Shiori, and gently placed both hands on her shoulders.

"I'm not asking for an answer right now if you're not ready. But I needed you to know. You're important to me. More than important."

Shiori's eyes widened slightly, and she felt her heart racing.

"I..." She started, then stopped, gathering her thoughts. "You idiot. You can't just spring something like this on me and expect me to have a perfect response ready."

Ryouma smiled slightly. "Fair enough."

"But..." Shiori continued. "I'm not someone who shares what's mine. You need to understand that. If this is what you want, then you're mine. Just mine. Can you accept that?"

"Yes," Ryouma said without hesitation.

Shiori felt relief wash over her, but she wasn't quite ready to make it easy for him.

"Good. But don't forget our agreement. Once I awaken my Complete Body Susanoo, you're going to spar with me."

Ryouma blinked. "What does that have to do with..."

"If you lose," Shiori interrupted, raising her chin stubbornly, "then you have to follow me obediently, and you'll do everything I say for a week. If I lose..." She paused, her cheeks flushing slightly. "Then I'll accept what you said today."

Ryouma couldn't help but smile. Even now, she was being competitive. That was so perfectly Shiori.

"So? Do you accept this challenge?" She stared at him with burning eyes.

"Of course!"

Ryouma answered without hesitation.

---

Beneath the dazzling fireworks, two tailed beasts lay sprawled comfortably on the lawn, their bellies bulging high from the earlier frenzy of eating. A faint smell of gunpowder lingered in the air. Kurama wrinkled its nose, its tail swaying back and forth to fan the air.

"These humans really do love tinkering with flashy, useless things."

Shukaku squinted lazily, lying comfortably to the side. Hearing Kurama's remark, it slowly shifted into a more relaxed position and retorted.

"You just don't get it. This is called a sense of ceremony. In the human world, that's a very important thing."

Kurama snorted lightly. "Is that so? Looks like after all those years under Ryouma's care you actually picked up a thing or two."

"But of course!"

Shukaku lifted its head proudly, looking thoroughly pleased with itself. This topic had suddenly woken it right up. "But don't get jealous. Even though we're both tailed beasts, there is a difference in intelligence between us, hahaha!"

Kurama turned its head away disdainfully. It knew nothing good ever came out of that dumb tanuki's mouth. Still, considering it had had a fairly pleasant day, it didn't bother arguing.

Shukaku began idly counting the number of firework rounds, estimating that it was almost over.

With that in mind, it slowly stood up, stretched its body, shook off the bits of grass clinging to it, and prepared to head toward where Ryouma was. However, just as Shukaku took its first step, Kurama suddenly extended a tail, blocking its path.

"What are you doing?" Shukaku frowned, glancing sideways at Kurama.

"I advise you not to bother Ryouma right now," Kurama said unhurriedly. "He seems to be talking about something important with that Uchiha girl."

As for what the important matter was, it had no idea. It only sensed that Ryouma's emotions were unusually stirred. Considering how calm Ryouma had been even when beating it back then, it was unlikely to be anything trivial.

"With Shiori? That battle maniac? What could she have to talk about that's important? Don't tell me she's planning to challenge him to a spar?"

Shukaku grumbled, then plopped back down.

Well, in that case, it might as well lie down a little longer. Despite the lousy weather in Kumo, always thunder and lightning, the festival was pretty good, and the food had been perfectly suited to its exquisite taste. And remembering the expression of that grill master when it swallowed an entire slab of grilled meat in three bites, bones and all, made it want to laugh.

---

As the fireworks slowly faded, and the starlit night sky spread overhead, Kumo's annual festival finally reached its end. The embers of the bonfires drifted through the wind, carrying a smoky scent of burning charcoal.

Across the activity grounds, many figures wandered in pairs.

More than just Ryouma and Shiori had confessed to each other tonight. Practically the whole venue was steeped in the sugary sweetness of teenage romance.

Yugito sat on an open patch of ground, staring blankly at the men and women dancing around the fire.

"Sigh... boring."

♪What's boring?
The festival is boring.
But Killer B's rap is roaring,
Oh yeah!♪

Yugito turned around to find B standing behind her, though she wasn't sure when he had shown up. He seemed to have discovered new inspiration and was scribbling excitedly in his ever-present notebook.

She asked casually, "The festival is already over. Is the Raikage's duel still not finished?"

♪Yo yo listen up,
Killer B just wrapped up,
My stage was wild, the crowd was fired,
Oh so inspired,
So A's duel?
I dunno what's required.♪

His nonsensical reply, especially the freestyle tacked on afterward, instantly ignited Yugito's already irritated mood. She whipped around and drove an angry elbow straight into B's side. B, struck by pain, lost control and pitched forward, landing flat on the ground. But even then, his pen didn't stop moving. He had just thought of a perfect rhyme, and he couldn't let it go to waste.

On the other side, Ryouma and Shiori, already finished with their own business, weren't interested in dancing at all, so they didn't stay in the middle of the grounds. But just as the two stepped out, they saw B sprawled at Yugito's feet.

His posture could only be described as utterly undignified.

Ryouma immediately reached out and covered Shiori's eyes.

"Don't look. It's not appropriate."

Muttering this, he hurriedly pulled her away, heading straight back to the inn Kumo had prepared for them.

---

On the main peak far from the festival grounds, the fierce battle between Obito and A was still raging on. No one knew what round it was. Obito once again activated Susanoo. The massive chakra giant forced A back with overwhelming pressure. Now that the cooldown for phasing had reset, a fiery excitement burned in Obito's eyes. Because he had noticed, A had finally started to sweat.

"You're running low on chakra, aren't you? I advise you to surrender now." Obito smirked.

"Tch."

A snorted dismissively, though he knew his situation was indeed far from good. According to his original plan, as long as he tricked Obito onto the dueling stage, the victory should've been guaranteed. But who would've thought that Obito would resort to popping stimulants, forcing his way through the entire fight right up to this point?

Still, as long as the match wasn't decided, there was a chance to win.

Boom! Boom!

Loud explosions sounded from the plaza.

Obito instinctively lifted his head. A massive firework blossomed over Kumo, lighting the entire night sky with brilliant color.

A also paused his assault, turning toward the fireworks and murmuring, "Time passed that quickly? We're already at the finale, huh..."

Obito's eyes burned as he shouted angrily at A.

"It's all your fault! You just had to pick a fight with me at this exact time, and now Ryouma has to wander around the festival dealing with his own stuff!"

"If you want to go that badly, why don't you just surrender? You might still catch the last bit of it."

A fired back without backing down. He himself, as the Raikage, hadn't even bothered to give the opening speech. Did he complain?

Well, he hadn't wanted to give that speech anyway. In any case, another line was added to the ledger between them.

With A's hatred meter now maxed out, if they went for round two, Obito wouldn't even need an excuse. He'd come looking for A on his own.

"Lariat!"

"Susanoo!"