Chapter 25: The Yamanaka Clan Requires a Matrilocal Marriage
After their playful laughter, Akiyama Makoto invited Ino to stay for dinner. This time, Ino did not refuse.
Soon, the fragrant aroma of cooking wafted from the kitchen. Ino, who was lying on the tatami mat reading Makoto's novel, couldn't help but twitch her nose. When the food was served, she took one bite of the grilled fish and her eyes lit up.
"Are you serious? You're this good at cooking, too?"
As the young lady of the Yamanaka clan, Ino had naturally eaten her fair share of gourmet delicacies. However, Makoto's fish-grilling technique incorporated a great deal of knowledge from his past life, refined over three simulated lifetimes. It naturally had a home-cooked flavor that couldn't be replicated in a restaurant.
"Is it good? Then come visit more often in the future. I know how to make lots of other delicious food."
Ino swallowed her bite of fish and looked at Makoto with surprise. She suddenly burst out laughing. "You don't have a crush on me, do you?"
"Well, I guess it can't be helped. Who can blame you, when I'm destined to be the future flower of the ninja world?" Ino finished with a wink, as if she were joking.
To her surprise, Makoto nodded seriously and said, "That's right."
"Eh?!"
Ino grew flustered. Just as she was about to say something, Makoto continued, "You will definitely be a universally acknowledged beauty in the future. But as for 'liking' someone... we're still a bit young for that."
This sudden twist left Ino completely speechless. All she could do was humph a few times and lower her head to devour her food. But only she knew that, at least for the instant he had said "That's right," her cheeks had grown warm. No matter how cheerful and lively she acted, she was still just a little girl who hadn't even graduated from the Ninja Academy.
The two chatted as they ate, quickly clearing the table of everything.
Ino clutched her stomach. While feeling blissful from being full, she also said with a worried expression, "I'm not going to get fat, am I?"
"You won't," Makoto said comfortingly out of habit as he cleared the dishes.
When he came back to pour some tea, Ino said, "You're surprisingly good at comforting people... Did you learn that from a book, too?"
"If I didn't have some experience with talking to people, I would have starved to death by now. After all, my stipend was cut off almost a year ago."
Hearing this, Ino's mood dampened a little. Makoto just smiled and said, "It's alright. I'm used to it."
"But like I said just now, you're welcome to come visit often. Otherwise, I'll get lonely by myself," he emphasized again.
He was doing this because, in the simulation, Ino had only been close to him for a short period. Makoto was not satisfied with that; he wanted to at least become good friends with her. The Ino-Shika-Chō clans had always been rock-solid pillars of Konoha. If he had their friendship, even Danzō would have to think twice before trying to cause him trouble in the future.
Ino nodded subconsciously. "Okay, then I'll come visit more often from now on."
She then glanced at the clock, felt that enough time had passed, and said, "Oh, right. I can't just eat your food for free. How about I teach you how to control your chakra?"
Makoto looked surprised. "Is that allowed?"
"Of course! It's just chakra control. They teach it at the Academy, and lots of rogue ninja know it too. It's not a secret."
"Your chakra reserves aren't low, so you should learn to control it. Otherwise, you might develop symptoms of chakra reversal, which can be fatal in severe cases."
Makoto's expression turned grave. He then decided to tell Ino about his nighttime "episodes."
Ino was surprised by his frankness, then said briskly, "See? So let's hurry up and learn. Sit cross-legged."
Watching Makoto begin to refine his chakra according to her instructions, Ino let out a long sigh behind his back. As long as he learned all of this, her mission would be complete. So far, everything was going smoothly. And... looking at his back, Ino felt that this Akiyama Makoto was more than just handsome.
Although he had no real strength, his talent and temperament were both first-class. Perhaps...
Ino pursed her lips, a faint blush appearing on her cheeks.
Although she was always competing with Sakura for Sasuke, only she knew that there was basically no possibility between her and him. It wasn't for any other reason than the fact that as the heiress of the Yamanaka clan, she could only marry a man who would marry into her family. Their first child, at the very least, would have to take the Yamanaka surname.
Would Sasuke ever agree to such a condition? Ino was confident in her own charm, but not so much that she thought she could solve everything with it.
Akiyama Makoto, on the other hand, was different. He was an orphan, and he had shown a clear attachment to having relationships...
"Ahem!"
Just as Ino was lost in her fantasies, Makoto suddenly started coughing.
Startled, Ino quickly knelt down and placed her hand on his wrist. "What's wrong?"
"I seem to be having a lot of trouble controlling my chakra... Is my talent too poor?"
Makoto's face was pale, just like someone suffering from chakra reversal. Of course, this was all an act he was directing himself. He had accumulated a considerable amount of medical ninjutsu experience from his third simulation. Although he couldn't use the Mystical Palm Technique yet, tricking Ino was a piece of cake.
"Does it hurt a lot? Should I take you to the Konoha Hospital?" Ino could feel that his pulse was erratic.
But Makoto shook his head. "It's fine. Let me rest for a bit, and I'll try again."
"You don't have to be in such a hurry, you know. I can come and teach you every day from now on," Ino said tentatively.
Makoto nodded and then began to close his eyes to rest.
Ino let out a sigh of relief, then began to look around with a slightly excited glint in her eyes. She could come here every day? Although it was a bit embarrassing, staying at Makoto's house was much more interesting than staying at her own. At least here, her mother and grandmother wouldn't be nagging her to learn ikebana, tea ceremony, and all the other things a proper lady had to learn. She even wanted to buy a television and install it here. She had heard a drama called The Kunoichi Scrolls was a huge hit recently...
Ino was already planning to turn Makoto's house into her own secret base when she suddenly heard him speak.
"Ino, this might be a bit forward, but can I ask you something?"
"Hm? Just say it. Why be so polite?"
Only then did Makoto turn around. "Is it possible for you to put your chakra deep inside my body, to guide the flow of my own chakra?"
"I heard there's a ninjutsu called the Mystical Palm Technique that can do something like that."
After he spoke, he looked at her with an expectant expression. Ino, however, just stared back at him, completely flabbergasted.
Seeing that he wasn't joking, she burst out laughing.
She laughed for a good while before wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes. "Let's not talk about the Mystical Palm Technique for now. Since you know of the Yamanaka clan, you should know what kind of jutsu we're good at, right?"
She lightly tapped her own forehead with one hand, and with the other, pointed a finger at Makoto's chest, right where his heart was beating.
"We can kill without leaving a trace... Are you sure you still want me to put my chakra deep inside your body?"
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