121 In-Law

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3rd POV

Izanami came into view with a slightly protruded belly as she approached the area the family house was built.

Shun sat calmly in front of the house with Hinami and Ria ahead of him standing in wait as they too felt Izanami coming back.

Surprisingly he was as calm as he possibly could. Not because he was really calm, No, far from that, he was in a state where a single burst of emotion would lead to a devastating result so he had to keep calm.

Izanami appeared all carefree and all but Shun could feel the glances she was sending him. She knew she was done for.

Firstly, Shun didn't even fawn over her as he would usually do, instead, he sat upright in his recliner while staring at her with a very calm look on his face.

Hinami noticed this but wasn't bothered by Shun's reaction, instead, she asked who the father was. When she became angry was when she didn't notice anyone with Izanami but Izanami assured her that she'll explain everything.

After the festive mood died down, she finally approached Shun in trepidation.

"Father, I'm back," She greeted.

Shun kept silent for some time before saying "Where is he?"

Izanami shook as the trepidation in her eyes increased. "Father, he's a good man and I love him, please,"

Shun didn't say anything for some time before he opened his mouth and said. "You don't even call me papa anymore. Father, huh? I wonder what Nagi is up to?" A look of disappointment every clear from his tone.

Izanami was startled and looked down in shame.

"Shun dear, I hope you aren't bullying my daughter?" Hinami asked from the side making Izanami brighten up with hope.

If anyone could subdue Shun it would be Hinami, or so she thought.

Shun however didn't back down as usual and looked Hinami deep in the eyes making her feel how serious this was.

Even still, she didn't let down and looked back at him. This staring contest went on for a long time before Ria stepped in between them and said.

"Why don't we both take a step back and talk this out? We wouldn't want this to destroy our happiness so far, would we?"

Shun looked at Ria and smiled softly making the tense atmosphere lessen a little bit.

"You're right. Let's all take a step back. But before then, where is he?" Shun asked.

Izanami looked at Ria for assurance to which she nodded making her release a breath she didn't know she was even holding.

Using her finger to draw a vertical line, a slight distortion in space appeared and from the line, a portal opened up after which a young man stepped out only to be met with four pairs of eyes looking at him with various intent behind them.

One, which he was familiar with looking at him with deep concern, one with pity, one gave him the feeling of his entire being put through a trial, as for the last one, all he could feel was a deep and eerie calm.

Instantly he knew who this gaze belonged to and mustered all his courage to look back, staring straight into the eye.

Izanami had told him all he needed to know about her family and from what he has heard till now, he knew that this was an obstacle he needed to pass on his own.

Judging from the pity he felt earlier, he could ascertain that it won't be easy.

In the past two years since he met Izanami, she had taught him all he needed to know about chakra and one of the most important things she stressed was the ability to sense the chakra of others.

He was rather skilled in this and had been able to detect the amount of chakra anybody they'd met throughout their journey till now, but these three in front of him have him an inexplicable feeling.

He felt that the more he tried to see the more his mind would be destroyed, especially the man in front of him. His chakra levels made even him want to squirm and throw up his entire intestine but he held it and maintained eye contact with him.

What seemed like hours passed as they maintained the eye contact before Shun finally said, "How do you want to die?"

'Huh?' was the only thing that passed through his brain before everything went black.

Opening his eyes once more, he found himself floating atop a vast sea that had no end a feeling of heaviness acting on him.

'This must be what Nami talked about. The mindscape. But how is it this big?' he thought as he resisted the heavy feeling.

Suddenly in front of him, Shun appeared again and said. "Don't die," and disappeared again.

"What the hell? First, he asked how do I want to die and now he's telling me not to die? What does he take me for?" He muttered to himself.

"A dead person if you don't manage to survive," a loud voice answered.

He was startled in shock and looked around frantically and said, "Oi, if you want to kill me just get on with it but know that your daughter would hate you for killing the father of her child." He threatened.

After saying this, the entire space went still. The sea became calm without movement and even what seemed to be the air in the space stilled.

"Did you just threaten me?" He heard the voice again,

"Nah, I'm just stating the facts. Actually, I don't see the reason behind all this. I get she's of noble birth but what of it? Are you looking down on me for not being the same?" He asked, his voice sounding calmer despite the heaviness in the air increasing.

"Noble birth? What's that? I don't know anything about noble birth, but what I know is that you've sullied my daughter. How do you think I should deal with you?" The voice asked again.

"Sullied? Please, this relationship was started based on mutual affection..." He replied.

"Mutual affection you say? Hmm, last I checked when mutual affection runs between a man and a woman, the man is meant to visit the woman's family to Ask for her hand in marriage. Now tell me, was the procedure followed?" The voice asked once again.

"Humph, that's why I asked whether it's because she's of noble birth. Where I come from, when feelings run mutually, and both parties are open to it, they can be wedded." He said.

"Oh. Oh. I see. Where you come from, huh? Did you ask where she came from? I brought her up for 15 years and you used what, a night to sully her without even getting my permission?" The voice asked again, this time anger could be heard from it and even the space seemed to respond to it.

The young man remained silent as he knew that from a point of view, what he did was wrong and arguing would only worsen the status quo.

Taking a deep breath, he took a 90-degree bow and said. "I'm sorry for that, but I maintain my earlier statement that we did this on the mutual feeling of love. I hope you'll make the right decision."

"Humph, you're even telling me what the right decision is no, huh? Good, survive for one hour and I'll think about it." The voice said and disappeared.

Meanwhile outside Shun's sea of consciousness, barely a second has passed since Shun asked the question, 'How do you want to die?'

Ria was currently stifling her laughter with Hinami looking at Shun in askance. Izanami however had a look of borrow etched on her face.

Shun took in all this as he was in his thought acceleration state and sighed.

Truly, he wasn't angry, he just had a feeling of loss seeing Izanami seemingly pregnant. To him, it felt like he hadn't spent enough time with her and she was already gone.

He couldn't find it in himself to be angry neither could he find it in himself to be angry. He didn't even know what he felt.

The calogram he put to follow Hinami had only the purpose of mapping out the area she goes, if not, he would have stepped in at the moment he noticed anything weird happening

Sighing once more, time returned to normal only for the young man to suddenly fall on his knees taking in deep breaths with eyes bloodshot.

"He's good," Shun commented eliciting confusion from everyone except Hinami.

She had felt the little bit of chakra that Shun used to draw the young man's consciousness into his as he asked that question. Ria however was only confused for a few seconds before understanding dawned on her and she giggled.

Izanami who looked to have a look of horror previously didn't even hear what Shun said as she rushed to support the young man.

The young man looked at her and smiled gently despite the pain racking in his head and then looked at Shun with a steely gaze as if trying to prove something.

"What's with that look?" Shun asked in a lazy tone as he looked at him.

"What's your answer now?" He asked.

"Hmm? Oh, that? Nothing. I said I'll think about it. But if you really want me to think about it, you'd have to pass a trial of mine. Are you willing?" Shun asked.

The young man looked at Shun before looking at Izanami and then nodded resolutely, "Bring it on."

Shun smiled slightly and then threw him a polygonal-shaped wooden token and said, "Pour in your chakra inside, clear the beginning stages in a year's time and I'll approve of this relationship. I'd advise you to be fast as you may miss your child's birth."

Shun said and directly disappeared. "As for your name, I'll only hear it when you've cleared it." Shun's voice reverberated in the air.

Hinami and Ria had smiles on their faces as they looked at the interaction between the two.

Walking up to the young man, Ria said, "Shun really does hate you doesn't he? What did you both talk about in there?"

"In there?" The young man asked in confusion.

Pointing to her head she nodded. "Yeah, in there."

"Oh. We just talked about our views on this" he replied.

"Oh... And you refuted him didn't you?" She asked with a smile.

"Of course, I had to make my stance clear." He said with conviction.

"Oh well, that's your problem. You should do well to settle your matters with little Nami and head into the training ground. You'd also do well to clear it as fast as possible. You would want to miss your child's birth now, would you?" Ria asked.

"Oh, and also, it looks like little Nami is already 3-4 months in. You have less than half a year to clear the training ground. Good luck with that," saying this, she too disappeared.

Hinami stayed behind and chatted with them, asking about Izanami's adventures, experiences and discoveries. She also asked how they both met and many more.

This conversation lasted till evening and they all retreated to the various room.

The young man found that a certain pressure acts on him should he attempt to near Izanami's lodging and with reluctance he had to find a place to sleep.

The next day, the young man steeled up himself and after a sad farewell, he poured chakra into the token and disappeared.

....

In the dimension, Shun was sitting under a pavilion with his eyes closed while Fenrir was lying lazily on the ground, napping. Suddenly they both opened their eyes and looked in a certain direction before smiling at themselves.

The smile was anything but peaceful. If someone who knew Shun should see this smile, they would know that something bad was about to happen to an unfortunate soul.

"The man who tainted your little sister is here Fenrir, what do you say we should do about this?" Shun asked in a concerned voice.

Fenrir looked to be deep in thought before saying, "We can't have a weak person marrying into our family now, how about we exchange the first level for the second level and have him clear that? This way, we would be helping our in-law. What do you think father?"

"Astute observation, Fenrir. Umu~. We'll do it as you've said now. Change the placings." Shun said solemnly.

"As you wish father," Fenrir said swiping his paw in the air causing a shift that was barely noticeable to anyone then smiled and said. "It is done, father,"

"Hmm. Now we can only wish he survives."