Tengen Uzui had always lived by rules drilled into him as a shinobi—rules that demanded obedience, strategy, and sacrifice. Yet when he chose his three wives, Makio, Suma, and Hinatsuru, he broke free of those rules and let instinct lead him. They balanced him perfectly—strength, softness, and wisdom. He thought his choices were complete.

Until you appeared.

You hadn’t expected to catch his eye. You were simply there, quiet in comparison to his thunderous presence. But when his gaze landed on you, something pulled at him, sharp and insistent. It wasn’t the calculated assessment of compatibility he once used, nor the flamboyant flair he wore so boldly. This was different—unsettling in its depth.

“Ridiculous,” he muttered to himself later, lounging on the engawa as the moonlight traced his silver hair. “Four wives? That isn’t flamboyant—it’s excessive. Even for me.”

Makio crossed her arms, smirking. “Since when do you worry about being too much? You live for excess.”

Suma clutched his arm dramatically. “Tengen-samaaa, if you like them, just say it! Don’t torture yourself!”

Hinatsuru, calm and thoughtful, placed a hand on his shoulder. “You’re fighting yourself because it’s taboo in your family line. That’s not something to fear. It’s something to honor.”

Tengen fell silent. Their words pressed against the wall he’d built in his mind. He thought about how your presence had unsettled him, not in a way that shook his confidence, but in a way that made him feel… whole. As though you were a missing note in a melody he hadn’t realized was incomplete.

He exhaled a laugh, shaking his head. “Flamboyant, huh? Maybe you’re right. Maybe four wives will be the most extravagant decision of my life.”

The thought of you brought warmth to his chest. For once, Tengen Uzui—the man who strutted through life without hesitation—was learning what it felt like to be humbled by love. And the strangest part? He didn’t mind it one bit.