5 Days Later/
Inside a simple room, there's a low cozy bed on a tatami mat. The walls are mostly plain, nothing fancy, nothing personal. A desk sits in the corner with some random stuff on it. A wardrobe against the wall, filled with the same type of clothes lined up. Efficient and boring.
I sit there in just my underwear, leaning against the wall, staring at a single strand of hair that was now in my hand.
Blood pinkish red.
Not the normal white hair color.
I pull up my status for a moment.
________________
Status:
Name: Hatake Garou
Race: Human 38% / Monster 62%
Assimilated: 17%
________________
Seventeen percent Assimilated.
Almost two-thirds monster now. It won't take years at this rate, it'll take months, maybe. Soon I'll be a full-fledged monster, a new race completely unknown to this world.
That fight with Kanna might have been nothing, but it still triggered something in my body, no matter how little.
I look up at my reflection in the mirror across the room. Stare hard at this face that still looks human.
Then I transform.
*KRKKRKK.*
The transformation hits like a wave. My hands twist into claws, fingers elongating into deadly weapons. Teeth sharpen into fangs that could tear through steel. Black armor erupts from my skin, covering me in natural protection while glowing red veins pulse along the surface like rivers of magma. My hair gets coated in the same armor, turning into something between helmet and mane.
Holes open along my back, glowing with that same ominous crimson light.
[Picture]
My height shoots up more than it already is. Everything becomes clearer, sharper, like I've been walking around with my eyesight blurry my whole life and only now put on glasses.
Perception spikes to levels that don't make sense. I can hear people talking several streets away. My sense of smell amplifies until I can probably track a specific person across a kilometre.
Colors I've never seen before appear in the air, swirling around like visible chakra or something else entirely.
Natural energy? Probably.
A fly buzzes above me in slow motion.
I watch it for a few seconds, mesmerized by how clear everything is, how alive I feel in this form. The euphoria threatens to swallow me whole.
Then I grab hold of myself and focus.
I walk to the mirror. The thing staring back at me is exactly what I have seen in those OPM manga Miller read.
"Kinda sick if you ask me." My voice comes out deep and hoarse, nothing like my normal tone.
I let the transformation fade.
The strain is real, can't stay like this too long yet. My body shifts back to human, the power retreating somewhere deep inside.
Even without my Essence percentage going up, I can train to last longer in that form. My race is changing slowly, giving me more tolerance naturally. But I won't be as strong as myself like in the OPM world without putting in the work.
The Essence hasn't gotten to the point where I fought in my Monster form continuously, aka the memories of me doing it. All my forms that have been unlocked till now are due to my Race changing.
Me in the OPM world broke limits countless times in just weeks by fighting nonstop. I need to do something similar to speed up my Assimilation. Maybe even surpass myself someday. But that SEAL on my body is holding even what I have unlocked back for some reason I can't simply put my mind around it.
Was it just for a sadistic glee coming from a higher being? Or is there some grand reason for stunning my progresses and strength am I missing?
.
I put on my usual clothes, black sleeved shirt, comfortable pants, and head through the hall toward the front door. Slip on my tai chi slippers, take a breath, and slide the door open.
"I'm going out for a bit!" I call toward the kitchen.
"Have a good time, cupcake!"
I close the door and walk through our compound. It has become more and more quiet. The Hatake clan is slowly dwindling, clansmen dying of old age. Empty houses line the path, houses where old grandmas used to give me cookies whenever I stepped outside now all silent.
I pause at one of them. Remember the wrinkled hands holding out treats. The warm smiles and grabbing my cheeks.
Sighhhhh.
I keep walking.
----------
The food district is alive with noise and smell. Stalls line both sides of the street, owners shouting over each other trying to attract customers.
"We have delicious Dangos! Come get one!"
"Takoyaki! Fresh Takoyaki right here!"
"Grilled Yakitori! Best in the village!"
"Senbei! Senbei! Come buy some SENBEI! Just come here and buy it Damnnn!!!"
Every kind of food you can imagine.
My stomach growls.
People glance at me as I walk past. My build stands out, but I'm already used to the attention. I ignore them and head straight for a takoyaki stall run by a middle-aged guy who looks like he's been doing this for decades.
"Can I get around a hundred takoyaki balls?"
He eyes me suspiciously. A hundred is a lot for one person, and I don't exactly look like a kid even though I am one, age wise. Before he can ask questions, I pull out 400 ryo, about forty bucks, and put it on the counter.
His eyes light up and his suspicion disappears fast.
"Right away, sir!" He gets to work immediately.
I wait with my arms crossed, tapping my foot, and looking around at the chaos of the food district.
"Garou? Is that you?!"
I turn to my right.
Tsunade stands there in her usual green sleeveless kimono that stops mid-thigh, ninja sandals on her feet. Her head barely reaches my chest, the height difference is kind of funny.
She walks closer and looks up at me. "Oh, it really is you! You sure stick out in a crowd with being that big and that hairstyle." She scratches her cheek awkwardly.
'Thanks?' You heard her, big.
"Didn't expect to see you here, Tsunade. How've you been?" I said calmly.
"I'm fine, thanks!" She puts her hands behind her back. "I was with Jiraiya and Orochimaru, then I found you and came over. So what are you doing here? I haven't seen you in the academy after that day."
"Ordered some takoyaki. Also, the Hokage thought it will be a good idea to give me some days off, school is tiring as you know." I replied with a shrug.
She glances at the middle-aged guy boxing up my food. "The whole school is talking about what you did to Kanna that day. Anyways, you like takoyaki?"
"I'm not picky. Every food's got its own thing going on. As long as it's edible, I'll eat it."
The stall owner calls me over and hands me a box filled to the brim with golden takoyaki balls. "Here you go, young man! Please come back!"
I nod, take the box, and start walking across the street.
"So what are you gonna do now?" Tsunade appears beside me.
"Find somewhere to eat, I guess." I look around at the crowded stalls. "Somewhere quiet maybe."
"Ooh! If you're looking for a good place, I know somewhere you'd like for sure!" She jumps in front of me, all excited, pointing somewhere in the distance.
I look at her for a moment.
"Sure. Lead the way."
Her face lights up. "Then follow me!"
We start navigating through the streets. The silence stretches out between us, not awkward for me, but definitely awkward for her if the way she keeps glancing at me is any indication.
"Sooo..." She breaks first. "What do you do in your free time?"
"Train."
"That's it?" She raises an eyebrow.
I put my free hand on my chin. "Hmm... well, there's not much to do in this day and age. Does looking at clouds and trees count?"
"That's booooring." She makes a face.
I shrug.
She keeps walking, and I realize I should probably ask something back. Keep the conversation going so she doesn't feel like she's talking to a wall.
"What about you?"
She practically glows at the question. "I do so many things! Training, studying with my grandma, exploring the village with my friends, playing games, gambl–" She cuts herself off and slaps both hands over her mouth.
I raise an eyebrow with amusement. "Gamble? So you gamble, huh..."
A memory flickers, old man Arata-san, the first real friend in this world, maybe it was Miller who interacted with him but the feelings are still there. He is in pure lands now, he liked gambling too.
He probably misses us.
I looked at the sky as I sadly reminisced, then I saw a cloud in the shape of Arata-san with his middle fingers raised proudly.
"He..he" She laughed nervously, "Well, it's just a hobby! Nothing serious."
Yeahhhhhh, sure. Tell yourself that.
"Come to think of it, even as a little kid, at that birthday party, you were clinging to your grandad for money and stuff." She gets embarrassed at that, her face flushes red.
"I was asking grandpa for money to buy sweets, nothing more!" She slams her leg on the ground.
"Yeah yeah, right."
"You don't believe me?"
"Do you believe yourself?"
"..."
"Here you go."
After a while, a small park comes into view. Trees, flowers, and the usual nature stuff. Some kids play in one corner while adults sit on benches watching them.
It's peaceful.
"Here we are!" Tsunade spreads her arms "It's pretty empty most of the time, but I like the quiet. I come here to relax sometimes."
I nod, taking it in. It was a nice spot.
She turns to leave. "Well, I should go. Don't wanna bother you. Jiraiya and Orochimaru must be around. Have a good day, Garou!"
She starts walking away.
"Hey."
She stops.
"I bought a lot of takoyaki." I hold up the box. "More than I can probably finish. Come sit with me for a bit, if you don't mind." A white lie, I could finish these in one gulp.
Operation Epic Secure Future Wife is on... as Miller says.
She looks at me, then at the box, then back at me. Something flickers in her eyes, surprise? Hope? She shuffles her feet, hands behind her back.
'Swear she has a crush on me but I can't prove it.' My charms must be insane.
"Won't I be a bother?" Her voice is quiet and shy.
"No."
Pheromones? Must be that.
Heard those who don't masturbate and have high testosterone, women unconsciously get attracted to them.
I turn and start looking for a good spot to sit. Behind me, I hear her footsteps following.
I find a nice place under a tree with a good view of the park, then it down comfortably, and she sits beside me, a respectful distance away but not too far. I put the box between us and open it.
The smell hits immediately. Earm and savory. Golden takoyaki balls sit inside, crispy on the outside, probably soft and molten on the inside.
"That many?!" Tsunade's eyes go wide.
"High metabolism."
She nods absently, but I catch her staring at my arms. At the muscles specifically.
So muscles is her type, another plus for my babies.
Almost sure Tsunade is in the bag.
She's so easy, another plus for that. No, maybe I am just that awesome?
Maybe I should have paid more attention to women back in the OPM world instead of whatever I was doing.
I grab two toothpicks from inside the box and offer her one. She takes it shyly, like I'm handing her something precious instead of a pointy stick.
We each pick up a takoyaki, it was hot and fresh hot.
"Itadakimasu."
I pop it in my mouth and close my eyes as the flavors explode. Savory octopus, tangy sauce, creamy mayo, green onions adding freshness... perfect balance.
I take a moment to appreciate it, then open my eyes and grab another.
"It's delicious!" Tsunade says with a hand on her cheek, clearly enjoying it.
"Yeah." I grab another. "It's good."
Meanwhile, close to where they are....
.
.
.
.
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General POV/
Orochimaru presses himself flat against a tree trunk, peering around it with the intensity of someone hell bent on decoding the redacted epstein files.
Jiraiya crouches beside him, equally hidden, though his reasons are considerably less academic, but more cultural.
"Blush frequency," Orochimaru murmurs, almost to himself.
He pulls a small notebook from his sleeve. Jiraiya's head turns towards him.
"Wait, you brought a notebook?"
"Always do, for science." Orochimaru replied.
"Maybe I should too?" Jiraiya murmured to himself and put a hand inside his clothes and took out a dirty small notebook.
Orochimaru's pen scratches against the paper "Subject: Senju Tsunade. Scenario: Courtship ritual with a peak male specimen. Title: None yet."
And Jiraiya followed Orochimaru's example and started to write with an ugly handwriting "Subject: Reproduction. Scenario: in the process to be fucked. Title: The Beauty and the Beast."
Orochimaru glanced at Jiraiya for a second before making a disgusted face and went back to do his own thing.
He watched Tsunade tuck her hair behind her ear for the third time in ten minutes.
"Hair touch frequency... Normally, her hair is pulled back for combat efficiency. But currently, Three hair-tucks, one ponytail flip, and two instances of twirling end strand. Conclusion, I still don't get it." Orochimaru noted.
Jiraiya then starts to write "The girl is in heat!"
Then the giant says something and Tsunade laughs. That same small tinkling laugh that doesn't belong to her body at all, or maybe not familiar with her body as if she is doing it for the first time?
Orochimaru's pen pauses.
"Laughter analysis... previously believed impossible for the female subject. Compared to standard laughs: one is mocking, one is dismissive, one to show arrogance, and another to show dominance. This one is new and needs further study."
And Jiraiya writes "Fake ass laugh."
The giant says something else and Tsunade's blush intensifies. She does a little shoulder thing and a small shrug combined with a tilt... so weird.
Almost... coy.
Orochimaru's brush scratches a line across the page.
"She's... she's doing a movement I've never seen. That shoulder thing. What was that?! Catalog: Unknown gesture! Purpose: Unclear! Effect: giant man appears unfazed. Threat level: Minimal to him but existential crisis level for observers." Orochimaru noted frantically.
And Jiraiya writes "Might as well just fuck already damn!"
.
"Hey Orochi," Jiraiya calls.
"Hmm?"
"I think I have reached the conclusion of my analysis." Jiraiya said with narrowed eyes.
"Hmm, go on."
"Tsunade is acting like a normal girl." Jiraiya said as a matter of factly.
"..."
"Isn't that concerning?"
"..."
"After this, should we inform that wall of muscle to be careful?" Jiraiya suggested.
"No need to disturb the subjects. This is nature, and we don't disturb what's naturally normal." Orochimaru said and Jiraiya just deadpanned.
"Dude, you ain't a good bro. We should tell that dude what kind of beast Tsunade is." Jiraiya said with a shake of his head.
"..."
"..."
There was a little pause between them before Orochimaru turned to look at Jiraiya "Jiraiya, don't you feel bad?" Orochimaru said with an analytical eye.
"Feel bad about what?" Jiraiya asked, confused.
"Well, my data says you have a certain liking to Tsunade, so I thought you may feel down." Orochimaru said as he turned back to look at Garou and Tsunade, a hair's breadth away from touching hands... perverts.
"You have misunderstood." Jiraiya said with an enigmatic smile.
"Enlighten me." Orochimaru replied without looking at Jiraiya.
"My life's philosophy is... if it's female enough then that's my goa– Wwwwait!! That came out wrong! Okay, where there is a hole there is a goa– WAIT! Not this one either! Okay here it's–"
Orochimaru already ignored Jiraiya who wanted to look sophisticated for once but fail miserably.
He doesn't want the answer to his question anymore. His accumulated data may have underestimated the stupidity of Jiraiya once more. He needs to update it later on.
-----------
Garou POV/
We eat in comfortable silence for a while. The park noises fade into background static ad birds chirp and kids laugh somewhere distant and the sun filters through leaves above us.
I already knew that Orochimaru and Jiraiya are stalking us because of my sharp hearing, but do I care? No.
"Are you angry?" Tsunade asked.
I raise an eyebrow "We've been sitting here together for like an hour. Do I look angry?"
She scratches the back of her neck, embarrassed. "Hehe... well, you have that scary face all the time, so I thought maybe you didn't like my company."
"What kind of person do I look like in your head?" I cross my arms, genuinely curious now.
She counts on her fingers. "Well... scary, angry... maybe a pervert." She narrows her eyes at the last one.
I deadpan and point at my face. "That's just my natural face. Also, I am not a pervert, just don't like telling lies. If I like you, I tell you, that's all."
"Tehee~" She does that cute giggle thing before stopping and starts processing what I said.
'Does that mean he likes ME?!!!!' Tsunade thought as her face starts to get redder than a tomato.
This girl.
I shake my head and feel my lips twitch upward, just a little, barely noticeable.
The End.