"You'd better lower the difficulty, don't you dare make it harder!"
Zangetsu stared at the system interface, feeling both nervous and expectant. He could only hope that this idiotic system would finally do something useful.
Upgrade! Give me a massive upgrade! Optimize! Heavily optimize! It's best if you lower the difficulty to 'extremely easy'—the kind where a woman falls in love with me at first sight and refuses to marry anyone else.
"Ding! System upgrade complete. Wishing the host a wonderful love life soon."
Seeing the new text appear, Zangetsu eagerly opened the system and looked at the romance target display.
Tsunade, Uchiha Mikoto, Uzumaki Kushina, Shizune, Kurenai Yuhi…
It hadn't changed. It was still the same five of them.
BUT!!!
Zangetsu's eyes fell on a sixth card. It was an unknown card, a black screen with a golden question mark on it.
"After the host increases the romance progress of any character to over 60%, the system will select a new, qualified female as a new romance target from among the women the host encounters."
That's it??????
Zangetsu stared at the question mark, feeling completely bewildered. This was the big upgrade? He was about to curse, but he held back.
Because he noticed a new line of text had appeared in the top-left corner of the page.
"Love is a total investment of body and soul, a mutual destination for both. A certain degree of physical contact between both parties can increase romance progress."
Zangetsu's heart trembled. He quickly checked the detailed explanation for this new rule.
After reading it, his eyes lit up, and he gasped.
The new rules detailed the exact amount of progress that could be gained from various intimate actions, from holding hands to a "complete union of water and milk."
The lowest tier was holding hands, which could instantly raise the progress to 21% (Acquaintance).
The highest tier was a "complete union," which could instantly raise the progress to 51% (Favorable Impression).
In other words… even if Zangetsu and his chosen target had no emotional connection whatsoever, as long as they engaged in a "deep exchange" and got to "know each other's foundations," the progress could jump straight to 51%.
This was simply…
Zangetsu was tempted.
Even the warning, written in bold red font—"If the host forces physical contact on a target against her will, the romance progress will drop sharply after the contact ends, potentially to as low as -100% (Mortal Enemies)"—could not stop his racing heart.
Because even if the progress dropped to -100%, it wouldn't affect the rewards he would have already received for crossing the 21% and 41% thresholds during the physical contact.
Therefore…
Zangetsu was wildly tempted.
He had a bold idea.
The reason he had one bold idea and not five was because of the activation reward he had received a few days ago.
Zangetsu opened his system inventory. There was only one item inside.
It was a bracelet with a cheesy name: Love Without Regrets.
Special Item: Love Without Regrets
A dedicated item for romance targets. Once worn by a target, their romance progress can only increase, never decrease. The item cannot be removed or damaged once bound. It can only be unbound by the host after the target's progress reaches the 'Married Couple' tier.
"Finally, the hero has a chance to shine." A smile crept onto Zangetsu's lips.
It seemed his choice of target could now change. Now, Uchiha Mikoto and Uzumaki Kushina could also be considered targets.
The thought of them made Zangetsu's heart race. It wasn't because he had a fetish for married women or enjoyed NTR. It was because of their surnames: Uchiha and Uzumaki.
What did those names mean? The Sharingan and the Uzumaki constitution! And what did those mean? The Sage's Eyes and the Sage's Body!
In this world where bloodlines determined almost everything, having a powerful bloodline was incredibly important.
Zangetsu swallowed hard. But he was still rational. Mikoto and Kushina were most likely in Konoha, not on the battlefield. He still had no chance to get to them.
It has to be Tsunade!
Tsunade had the Senju bloodline, a direct descendant of Asura. Although the Senju constitution wasn't as good as the Uzumaki's, it was still excellent. Plus, Tsunade had hemophobia. As long as he found her, she would have no power to resist…
Jiejiejiejiejie… (A classic villain laugh)
Ah, Tsunade, don't blame me for being evil. It's the system that has villains in it! I was forced into this!
Zangetsu felt a wave of guilt, sorrow, desire, and his thoughts turned yellow.
"It seems I need to leave this war as soon as possible. I'll find an opportunity to get myself killed, a glorious death in battle, with no body left to find. A perfect escape!"
His eyes refocused, staring at the ceiling of the tent as if he could see through it to the starry sky beyond.
My future is about to take off.
…
Konoha Village.
In the Uchiha clan compound, another person was staring blankly at the starry sky.
She looked to be in her early twenties, with long, smooth black hair. Her fair skin seemed to glow under the moonlight. She had delicate features and a beautiful face.
"I wonder how Fugaku is doing. And Itachi… he's only four years old, and he's already on the battlefield." Uchiha Mikoto murmured to herself, her voice full of worry.
She was not on the battlefield. Even with Konoha fighting the Stone and the Cloud simultaneously, it wasn't time for wives and mothers like her to be sent to war. Not to mention, she was the wife of the Uchiha clan's leader. So, even though Mikoto was a Special Jonin with a three-tomoe Sharingan (author's setting), she had not been sent to the front lines.
But soon, she would have to join the war.
The news that the Hidden Mist had broken the treaty and attacked the border had already reached the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen.
And the number of Konoha shinobi on the defensive line against the Land of Water was far too small. Even with Koharu and Homura there, they couldn't possibly hold back the Mist army.
They needed reinforcements.
But at this moment, where could Konoha find more troops to deploy? The only ones available were the female ninja who had already married and retired to raise families, and the young ninja who had only graduated from the Academy a few years ago—the very future of Konoha.
The next afternoon, Uchiha Mikoto led a unit of several dozen female Uchiha ninja and departed with the reinforcement troops.
Traveling with them was the thirteen-year-old Kurenai Yuhi, who had just been promoted to Chunin. Also in the group were Might Guy, Ebisu, and Genma Shiranui.
-------
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