Chapter 231: A First-Meeting Gift, Akiyama Makoto Style
Ino was about to leave, but was pulled back by Akiyama Makoto.
He held her in his arms. In their current spiritual state, they could both feel each other's thoughts and feelings. Therefore, when he kissed her cheek, lightly bit her earlobe, and whispered "thank you" into her ear with a voice full of love, her body trembled violently.
His scorching emotions nearly melted her heart. The overwhelming feeling of happiness made her go limp with intoxication.
"Hmph—why did I have to meet you!"
She huffed, as if still dissatisfied, but kissed him back. She then put her hands behind her back, and, step by step, reluctantly retreated, her eyes reflecting his image as she disappeared from Uzuki Yūgao's spiritual space.
He also disconnected his spiritual link with her and opened his eyes, just in time to see her, her face flushed like a peach, looking at him with a faint, knowing smile on her lips.
Just now, while he was still "inside," she had left him a "gift."
He didn't know if Yūgao would be angry when she saw it later.
"Alright, I'm tired. You're going to send me back, right?"
Ino held out her arms, clearly wanting him to carry her.
But he, to her gasp of surprise, simply swept her up in a princess carry, and his main body took her home.
The living room was now empty. He wondered where everyone had gone.
Anko, who had been on duty, jumped down from the stairs and looked at him with a grin. "Main body or shadow clone?"
"Main body. The shadow clone is watching Yūgao. She's still unconscious."
"'Watching'... that doesn't sound good. Don't tell me she's really here on a mission?" Ino jumped out of his arms.
"I'll explain it to you guys later. Makoto-kun probably can't explain it clearly, since it involves spiritual secrets."
"By the way, where are they?"
"In the bath. Pfft, hahaha! If you go now, you should still be able to catch them."
"Catch them?"
"Yeah! Tenten and the others are making fun of Kurenai's True Spirit Seal. That bright, shining 'Shinku' (True Red) character on her stomach... so shameless!"
Ino's eyes immediately lit up. Without looking back, she rushed towards the bathhouse, wanting to join in on the gossip.
He, on the other hand, looked at Anko with a half-smile, which made her feel a little guilty.
"What? What are you looking at me for? Don't tell me you're craving your Big Sister Anko? It's not... impossible, but you should probably deal with your Yūgao first."
But he came to her side and, to her cry of surprise, slid his hand under her clothes and pinched the soft skin of her stomach. "You'd better start thinking about what kind of mark you want to have. Otherwise, I'll just write the character for 'Meat' on you."
Anko's eyes lit up. She can have a True Spirit Seal too?
But she just said, "I'm not fat! I can eat whatever I want and not get fat, you get it?"
"That's because your Cursed Seal of Heaven is constantly absorbing energy. And before I can implant the True Spirit Seal, I'll definitely have to find a way to solve that."
He spoke in a joking tone, but he was explaining the reason why he hadn't given her the seal yet.
She was taken aback for a moment, and then she understood. He was being wary of Orochimaru.
This reason was... completely logical. She even felt that, without resolving the Cursed Seal, forget about him giving her the True Spirit Seal, just being overly intimate with her was already a big risk for him.
At this thought, she suddenly giggled. So he's this considerate of me.
Her eyes were like silk. She wanted to say something more, but he squeezed her waist, making her suck in a sharp breath of pain.
She waved her arms and claws, wanting to retaliate, but he had already used the Flying Thunder God to return to his shadow clone and Yūgao, who was still unconscious.
He sat down beside her and began to think about her current mental state and her remaining memories, to judge what she would be like when she woke up.
In short, having lost her memories of the simulation, she had become a pitiful person who was completely disappointed with the current situation and had latched onto him as her last harbor and life-saving straw. But this feeling had become even more abrupt than it had been in the simulation. It was possible she would regret it immediately after waking up.
But since she had already kissed him, he naturally wouldn't give her the chance to regret it.
He picked up her forehead protector and held it in his hand. He then dispelled the shadow clone and finally used the spiritual fluctuation of the Formless Wave to wake her up.
Yūgao groggily woke up. She had forgotten the events of the simulation, but her disappointment with Konoha, her disgust for Jiraiya, and the fact that she had come to his house uninvited and forcibly kissed him in front of his girlfriend... all of these things she remembered clearly.
Especially when she saw the forehead protector in his hand, she was struck by lightning. Her whole body went stiff. She didn't know why she had done such a thing. Even if she could no longer trust Konoha's high command, it didn't mean she had to betray the village.
And... secretly liking him was one thing, but rushing to his house to do that... was that really her?
She struggled, wanting to say something, but he suddenly lifted her chin and kissed her.
She was instantly petrified. This familiar feeling... she had just experienced it. It wasn't unfamiliar. It even felt... a little sweet.
But what was this baseless sense of panic in her heart? Was this a feeling she was allowed to have? What should she do? Should she refuse?
However, for his sake, she had even cut her forehead protector. She had become a rogue ninja. She no longer had the right to regret, did she?
Her mind was a mess, and his kissing skills, honed by long practice, quickly made her gaze become hazy. Her tense body slowly relaxed, and she leaned against his embrace. When he lifted his head, her eyes were already moist.
Although she was still in a state of helplessness and confusion, this was the first time in her life she had experienced a kiss, and the love transmitted from him... it made her subconsciously sink into it, unable to extricate herself.
He and she, their fingers intertwined, lay on the lawn looking up at the moonlight. The warmth of the summer day stoked the flames in their hearts, making her feel both nervous and uneasy about what was to come.
In the end, she was not Ino and the others. She naturally knew what was supposed to happen next.
But she still felt a strong sense of unease in her heart, telling herself that she couldn't continue. However, the atmosphere had already reached this point. Could she refuse him?
The answer was, naturally, no. She didn't have the courage or the strength to refuse him. She knew this very well.
But at this moment, he suddenly spoke. "Yūgao, I can call you that, right?"
"Ah... yes. Of course, you can, Makoto-kun."
She replied quickly, her voice chaotic and flustered, even using honorifics, which made him chuckle.
The sound of his laughter echoed on the grassy field, and for a moment, the unease in her heart dissipated.
She mustered the courage to look up at him. She saw that the previous doubt and distrust in his bright eyes were gone, replaced by pity and recognition.
She suddenly felt as if she, a small boat, had finally reached the shore.
"I'm sorry I didn't notice your feelings for me before. But it wasn't intentional. We... we've never even formally met."
Excluding the simulation, he could say these words openly.
"But I still have to thank you. If you hadn't saved me that day, I might have already died."
He was exaggerating what she had done that day, but it wasn't entirely flattery. As his second simulation target, she had been an important step on his path forward. She had not only given him a stronger talent, but had also allowed him to become the Sand Village's Kazekage Advisor, which had greatly broadened his horizons and transformed him from a ninja-world-novice to one of the most experienced.
Without her, he would have naturally progressed to this point, but it might have cost him a few more simulation attempts.
"Ah, no. I just... did what I was supposed to do—" she quickly replied.
But he shook his head, lowered his head, and kissed her lightly on the lips again. "In the ninja world, such kindness is rare. What's more, you've treated me more than once."
"Even back then, I already had you in my heart. I wanted to see you, and I even left a tulip for you, but I never succeeded."
"But I didn't expect—"
He took the tulip from her chest and held it up between them.
Through the flower, their eyes met. At this moment, the unease in her heart vanished. Just as Ino had said, even if the memory was lost, the feeling of "like" would not disappear. He had used this tulip to awaken the warm feelings in the bottom of her heart, and it also made her gradually become more confident.
She did like him. She liked him to an indescribable extent.
Although this feeling was absurd to explain with logic... wasn't that how feelings always were?
"Fortunately, we now have a second chance. Although the process was a bit chaotic, we can start over, can't we?"
His words made her pause. Start over?
"I like you, and you like me. That should be enough. But... we're missing too much of the 'process' in between."
"So, starting from today, let's try to get to know each other again. Live together, laugh together, and finally, fall in love with each other again."
"And your forehead protector..."
He took out the slashed protector. "I'll keep this for you for now. Here with me, no one in Konoha can find it. You don't need to mention defecting from the village again."
"Even if we both dislike the Hokage and Danzō, and can't tolerate the corruption of Konoha's high command... Konoha isn't just their village. It's our village, too."
"In the future, we can wait for a suitable opportunity to build our home. Just like how I want to establish the Akiyama Grand Family—for now, I'm inviting you to become a guest who can come and go as you please. Is that okay?"
She sighed in relief in her heart. Now she wouldn't be his wife in such a muddled way, and the problem of her defection was also solved.
But she still felt... empty. As if this wasn't enough. Did she really have to... become his wife right here to be satisfied?
She felt she no longer understood herself.
She nodded, agreeing to his arrangement. In her current confused state, she really couldn't find any flaws in it.
"Then... please take care of me from today on, Makoto-kun."
"Shouldn't it be... 'Nice to meet you'?"
He said, and then gave her a tight hug.
She immediately understood his joke and said shyly, "We've already... reached this point. Wouldn't it be self-deception to say 'nice to meet you'?"
With that, she placed her index finger on his neck, where there was a plum blossom mark. It was clearly one she had left.
She bit her lip. She still couldn't believe she had been so indulgent just now.
"Even if it's self-deception, it's still fun, isn't it? Nice to meet you, Yūgao."
She looked helpless. "Nice to meet... mmph."
Before she could finish, he kissed her, pressing this "first-time" woman down onto the grass.
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