Chapter 20: Uzuki Yūgao's Answer
[Congratulations, the simulation was a success!]
[Calculating Akiyama Kaito's bloodline talent. Please wait a moment.]
Akiyama Makoto looked at the characters before him, feeling as if he had passed through the shade of willows and shade of flowers to find another village. He had thought this simulation was going to be a complete failure, but after Yūgao's flash of inspiration, he had risked his life to accompany the lady, and unexpectedly carved out a new world for himself in the Sand Village.
From this, Makoto could only conclude that his current strength and skills were sufficient for him to live a respectable life in the ninja world, provided he didn't get entangled in political struggles or the battles of god-tier shinobi.
Soon, the results of Akiyama Kaito's talent simulation appeared.
[Congratulations, the simulation was a success! Akiyama Kaito has inherited yours and Uzuki Yūgao's talents. He possesses a minor talent in Chakra Sensory abilities and has the aptitude of a Jōnin.]
[His detailed stats are as follows.]
[Ninjutsu: 7, Taijutsu: 8, Genjutsu: 5, Intelligence: 7, Strength: 6, Speed: 8, Stamina: 6, Hand Seals: 6. Special Talent: Elementary Chakra Sensory Talent.]
[Store this simulation result and receive the bloodline talent template as a reward?]
Makoto stared at the results in astonishment. He knew his stats would increase after this successful simulation, but he hadn't expected every single stat to grow! His eight ninja stats now totaled 53 points. If he remembered correctly, Neji's total at the time of his death was 54 points. Neji was undoubtedly a genius of Konoha, a young Jōnin at the age of 15. This meant Makoto's own talent had reached a level where becoming a Jōnin was a certainty. If not for his Genjutsu talent holding him back, becoming an Elite Jōnin would only be a matter of time.
And that wasn't even the most crucial part. Uzuki Yūgao had also provided him with a Chakra Sensory talent! No wonder she could see through Gekkō Hayate's Transparent Escape Technique with her senses alone; she had this underlying talent. As for Makoto's original hope of learning the Mystical Palm Technique, it seemed that would no longer be a problem. With his Stamina and Hand Seals both at 6, even if he couldn't reach the level of Sakura or Shizune, it would be more than enough to diagnose and treat ordinary people.
At this point, Makoto had no complaints about this simulation. He even felt that Uzuki Yūgao, for whom he had previously felt nothing, now seemed beautiful and alluring. As expected of one of Konoha's most stunning female ninja.
Makoto stored the simulation result without hesitation. He had already more or less digested the knowledge and information from the simulation with Tenten. Even the parts he hadn't fully digested could be experienced again within the details of this new simulation result. He was very curious about which ninjutsu he had acquired.
But before that, he had to endure the pain of the bloodline talent infusion.
[Ding! Issuing the bloodline talent... Estimated duration: ten minutes.]
This time, Makoto didn't deliberately endure it in silence. Instead, he lay on his bed and let out sounds of pain. He knew Yūgao would definitely come to help him. Before Ino taught him chakra control, this kind of thing would likely happen more than once.
Sure enough, a graceful figure appeared silently by his side.
She didn't act immediately. Only after confirming that Makoto seemed to have lost consciousness from the pain did she place her hand on his chest and begin to treat him. Having gone through this once before, Yūgao's treatment seemed to go much more smoothly this time. In reality, this was because Makoto no longer needed to absorb her pheromones, so he wasn't intentionally disrupting his own chakra.
The current Yūgao was actually contending with the strengthening of Makoto's bloodline—or rather, contending with the system itself. Naturally, she was no match for the system, but she only needed to persist for ten minutes for it to be over.
Everything was proceeding according to Makoto's plan. What he didn't know, however, was that the evolution of his bloodline itself was also driving the evolution of his chakra. And chakra was not just an energy source for casting ninjutsu; it was also a bridge for connecting and communicating with people.
Thus, deep within Uzuki Yūgao's mind, hazy illusions began to surface. They were like tiny ripples in a stream of chakra, so small that Yūgao herself didn't notice them, yet they were being deeply imprinted into her very being.
Ten minutes passed quickly. After confirming Makoto's condition had stabilized, Yūgao vanished without a sound.
Makoto thanked her silently in his heart, then eagerly immersed himself in the simulation details to review them. There were two things he was most concerned about: what new inventions he had made and what chakra natures he had mastered by the end of the simulation.
But before that, he was more curious about that fateful night. How had Yūgao made the decision to betray Konoha and save him?
Makoto flipped through the memory album, finally locking onto one scene and sinking his mind into it.
A cool breeze brushed across his face. Makoto opened his eyes.
He was inside a prison cart. Not only was he bound by chains, but his skin was also inscribed with sealing formulas that cut off the flow of his chakra. It seemed he was being treated as a high-security prisoner, or rather, a bargaining chip for the reconciliation between Konoha and the Sand.
Makoto didn't sigh or complain. Instead, he felt the difference between this body and his own while he waited for Yūgao's arrival.
After midnight, Yūgao and another Anbu operative arrived to change shifts. The two were long-time teammates, so the handover went smoothly.
Just as Makoto was wondering what Yūgao would do, the other Anbu beside her crumpled softly to the ground. It seemed he had unknowingly ingested some kind of drug.
Yūgao immediately leaped onto the prison cart, crushed her mask, and revealed her pale but still beautiful face. She offered a smile of long-awaited reunion, which served as a better explanation than any words.
As an Anbu member, Yūgao naturally knew how to release the series of restraints on Makoto. Soon, he had regained his ability to move.
"Come with me. We'll go somewhere no one knows us and start a new life."
Yūgao looked toward the Land of Rain. That was the home of Hanzō of the Salamander, the one small nation that none of the Five Great Nations dared to provoke lightly. It was almost the only place she and Makoto could go.
But Makoto knew there was no "demigod" Hanzō there anymore, only the false god, Deva Path Pain.
Nevertheless, Makoto obediently followed Yūgao. He leaped with her onto the treetops, their figures rising and falling as they sped through the night. As if warmed by the palm of his hand, Yūgao's face grew rosy, and her previously frantic gaze gradually calmed down.
This finally allowed Makoto to ask the question in his heart. "Yūgao-neechan, why did you come to save me?"
Yūgao's smile was like a red iris flower as she answered, "I told you. I promised to be your girlfriend."
But Makoto shook his head. "That's not enough. That's not the answer I want."
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