Naruto groaned as he sat down on one of the houses in the Hyuuga residence. Many were already asleep, but Naruto decided to rest a little on the roof while placing a bottle of sake and a small glass. The blond was feeling a little stressed. Ever since he had managed to gain Hiashi's approval to have a relationship with Hinata, things had escalated very quickly.
The thing was, a few days after their small battle, Hiashi had practically forced Naruto and Hinata to get engaged. Now, Naruto didn't really have a problem with that; despite their short time as a couple, he loved Hinata. Therefore, his only problem was that it might have been too hasty. But could he refuse? The answer was no. Naruto might be the strongest in Konoha, but that didn't mean he would just go around pressuring others. He also didn't want to do such a thing to people close to him.
So, Naruto accepted, thinking it would be just that, a promise of marriage for the future. But the thing was: Hiashi didn't do small things, at least not when it came to his daughters. The engagement had actually turned into a meeting, then into a full-blown party. And Naruto had to help with everything.
Naruto took out his smartphone while expanding his Observation Haki to see if anyone was nearby. He sweated a little when he didn't even see any guards.
"Who would have thought the Hyuuga clan was good at parties..." Naruto muttered as he made a video call, curiously noting that he wasn't sending the request just to Harry and Rias, but to someone else as well. He smiled when he saw them and looked curiously at the new addition.
"Wait, you're the new one!" Naruto said in surprise before scratching the back of his head. "Sorry, I've barely had time to check some messages. My name is Uzumaki Naruto, by the way. Last name first."
"I'm Jon Snow..." Jon nodded with a small smile. To him, Naruto looked like a cheerful boy, but his face showed obvious fatigue.
"How was it?" Rias covered her mouth, trying not to laugh.
"Ah! Rias nee-chan, you didn't even help me, you're so cruel!"
"Hahaha! Take this opportunity as a mild demonstration of what will happen when you get married!"
Naruto immediately paled and asked, "Mild?"
"Oh, Naruto. You can't even begin to understand the suffering you'll go through..." Harry smiled tightly, showing his teeth.
"Is a wedding that difficult?" Jon asked curiously. He had never attended one before, and didn't know about the arrangements.
Harry rubbed his chin as he spoke thoughtfully, "Well, usually you have to choose flowers, what the bride and groom will wear, the day, how long it will last, and the after-party. Plus, the food is important. Every detail, no matter how small, would be taken into account."
Naruto's cheeks puffed out as his face turned ashen, as if he were about to throw up.
"And I was fighting over the damn kimono! That old woman wouldn't leave me alone!" Naruto complained, remembering the old woman who had to dress him in a kimono. "In fact, they wouldn't even let me wear anything orange, so unfair."
Rias and Harry sweatdropped as they remembered their brother's fondness for orange.
"By the way, how's Hinata?" Rias decided to ask about the girl.
Naruto smiled, and it seemed like everything around him was glowing.
"She would get nervous and blush a lot, especially after her father's decision. But even with how fast this has moved, I think she's happy. I think that's the most important thing."
"That's good."
"By the way!" Rias raised her hands with a smile and looked at Jon. "We're all in relationships except you, Jon. What are you planning to do?"
"I'm still only thirteen. Besides, I don't think such a thing is possible, and I have no intention of looking for a woman... I think you already know about my condition."
Rias frowned and muttered, slightly annoyed.
"Bah! You just have to get that King to legitimize you!"
"And how, tell me, do you think he could go that far?" Jon raised an eyebrow with some interest. "I already mentioned that what I'm hearing about the King isn't the best. A crazy and cruel King died only for a drunk who spends all day with women to take the throne. Honestly, I don't know which is worse."
"You could take... the throne..." Rias's eyes shone, as did Harry's. Naruto just listened with curiosity.
"You're crazy, no offense. Let's not even talk about how that would be treason and endanger House Stark. Taking the throne is foolish. The Lannisters practically have the most power in the capital. The place is crawling with spies, and let's not even talk about the missing coins. If the King really is such a spendthrift, I don't even want to imagine the state of the royal treasury," Jon blew out a breath as he finished speaking, shaking his head.
"Oh... you shouldn't have said that," Naruto bit his fingers as he looked at Rias's expression. The Gremory girl's eyes shone brightly as a devious smile formed on her face.
"Heh... Heh... Heh..." Rias laughed softly, and Jon could practically see the plans forming in the redhead's head. Swallowing hard, Jon felt he should end the call, but Harry started laughing loudly. The sound of her laughter was so full of amusement that it infected Naruto, while Rias just stared at Jon as if he were the funniest thing in the world.
"I... I have a lot of things to do. I'll take my leave..." Jon gulped, trying to extricate himself from the situation he'd gotten himself into.
"You'll do no such thing, Jon Snow!" Rias exclaimed and licked her lips. "You'll listen to every word I say, and then you can return to your responsibilities. Just listen. You'll thank me in the future."
Jon swallowed hard once again. He cursed himself for pushing Rias's buttons. He already knew she could go a little crazy when it came to schemes and scheming. Oh, poor soul who tries to make an enemy of her.
Harry suddenly took out some tea from one of his magically created storage spaces and leisurely prepared some water, watching with a smile as he listened carefully. Naruto simply stretched out on the roof, placing a moon behind his head and staring at the moon, occasionally glancing at the new member's expressions. As for Jon, he could only curse the two who were slacking off on his suffering. The worst part was that everything Rias said was an idea that could work if implemented perfectly. The young man from the House of Stark couldn't help but think that if Rias lived in his world, she would have already taken the throne with pure intellect and cunning.
Jon just wanted the conversation to end.
"Harry, please control your wife! Ah!" Jon yelled, unable to hold it in any longer, causing Naruto to spit a little and start laughing.
"All right, I think that's enough," Harry said with a smile, causing Rias to pout, but she knew she'd been a bit hasty. Jon sighed before immediately taking his leave, not wanting to say any more. At that moment, everyone else did the same.
Jon leaned back in his chair, letting his bottom slide a little and slowly fall. Sadly, fate seemed to be giving him no rest. His door rang, signaling permission to enter.
"Come in!"
The door opened, and a guard looked at Jon.
"Lord Snow, Demian wants to see you, sir."
Jon sighed, remembering the man in his 60s. Demian was his name, and he seemed to have been organizing some things before he arrived. You could say he was like the mayor of the town before he arrived.
"Send him in, Yared," the guard nodded.
A few seconds later, a man entered who wasn't too tall, with wrinkles and hair tinged with gray. He took off his hat and placed it on his chest before bowing respectfully to Jon.
"Lord Snow..."
"Demian, did something happen?"
"Nothing too important, my lord. But I wanted to know what you plan to do about the bitter crops. We usually get rid of them, but I thought you needed to know."
"Bitter crops... Demian, what crops are you talking about?" Jon frowned. He hadn't heard of such a thing as bitter crops, so he was surprised and a little worried, thinking they might be plants that grow around and could be harmful.
"Ah... I'm sorry, Lord Snow. But, with all that's been going on, I haven't had time to report," Demian replied, a little nervously. While the person in front of him was younger than him, he was still the Lord Warden of these lands.
"Actually, bitter crops are plants that grow around these places. They're not really harmful, but the fruits they produce are so bitter that we can't use them. In the end, we have to cut them down and burn them."
Jon frowned slightly.
"Hasn't there been any thought of using that land for other crops?"
Demian shook his head and replied, "No, sir. The crops are further west, where we have some animals. At first, we left them because we thought the animals might be able to feed, but it turned out they didn't like them after a while."
Demian shrugged slightly and continued, "Since it's not a piece of land where we actually grow crops, we just left it."
"Fine... I'll go see," Jon nodded and stood up. Demian nodded and led the way. At that moment, Jon hadn't expected to find treasure where it might well be impossible.
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