*Creak.*
The lab door swung open.
"What's wrong? Not staying with your little apprentice?" Yuto didn't need to turn around to know it was Kushina who had entered, his voice quiet.
"So boring. She won't wake up." Kushina plopped herself onto his workbench, propping her chin on one hand. "How's it going over here? Did you figure out that 'network' thing yet?"
"Almost." Yuto nodded. "Just need to set up the terminal server."
"You don't have to push yourself so hard, y'know. You've already done plenty." Kushina studied the young man in front of her, her tone serious. "Would it kill you to take a break once in a while?"
"Where's Mikoto?" Yuto didn't pause his work, glancing up briefly.
"Reading those textbooks you wrote." Kushina frowned at his obvious subject change, her gaze drifting aside. "Everyone's trying to keep up with you—even Mikoto's like that now."
Yuto didn't respond, silently reassembling the disassembled parts in front of him.
*Beep.*
A soft chime sounded.
The equipment on the workbench flickered to life, green lights blinking on one by one. The laptop screen flashed before stabilizing into a clear image.
"Hey, it's working! It's really working!" A high-pitched, excited voice crackled through— Karin's red head popping into view on Yuto's screen. "You're amazing, Lord Yuto!"
"You should move aside now, Karin." Rina's voice came from behind her. "This is a technical test. Let Yakushi-sensei take over."
"Oh." Karin's disappointment was palpable, but she at least understood priorities.
Yakushi, glasses glinting, appeared on-screen with a bright smile, waving at Yuto. "Congratulations, Yuto. Your experiment was a success! On behalf of all of the Land of Waves, please accept our deepest gratitude!"
"Just got lucky." Yuto chuckled, then glanced at Kushina, who was peering curiously at the screen.
Thanks to the angle, Yakushi and the others couldn't see her.
"Now you can give orders remotely. This is really convenient," Yakushi mused.
"Is Kabuto back yet?" Yuto asked.
"Yes. He took two vials of that 'Hollow' substance you developed." Yakushi nodded.
"Two?" Yuto's eyebrow twitched. That wasn't the deal.
'Was Kabuto planning to inject one himself to win Orochimaru's trust?'
Yuto had already made it clear—the samples given to either Danzo or Orochimaru were defective, just to extract experimental data from them.
And defective meant problems.
Injecting that into yourself was basically asking for trouble.
But knowing Kabuto, even if Yuto warned him, he probably wouldn't care.
Raised as a spy, Kabuto had long since learned to disregard his own well-being. If it served Yuto's goals, a little danger meant nothing.
Still, he had anticipated this and slipped in a safety net.
"Any word from Akatsuki?" Yuto continued.
"Actually, yes." Yakushi's lips curled. "They delivered Hanzo's remains. How should we handle them?"
"Have Lady Kagero perform the Edo Tensei and explain the situation. See how he reacts." Yuto absentmindedly went to tap the desk—only to smack Kushina's thigh instead.
It didn't feel quite like real flesh, but there was a faint bounce to it.
Meeting the redhead's glare, Yuto offered an awkward smile.
"Understood." Yakushi, oblivious to the exchange, nodded. "It's late, Yuto. You should rest."
"You too, Yakushi-sensei." The screen went dark.
"So, research is done for now, right?" Kushina's dark eyes fixed on him, her tone flat. "No more all-nighters. Go. To. Sleep."
"Yes, Mom." Yuto sighed.
"Oh? So just being 'big sis' isn't enough for your tastes anymore?" Kushina smirked, voice dripping with implication. "That's fine. Mommy can indulge you~"
Yuto's eye twitched. Just as he was about to fire back, a golden prompt materialized:
[Choose:]
[1. Tackle her. Show her who's Daddy!]
[2. Beg her: "Mommy… I want a hug…"]
[3. Burrow into her arms and demand feeding time.]
'Oh, you're playing DIRTY, huh?'
Yuto's glasses nearly cracked from sheer rage. Gritting his teeth, he hung his head and forced out, "…M-Mommy… I want a hug…"
Silence.
The lab plunged into absolute stillness.
Kushina hadn't expected him to actually say it. She stared, mouth slightly agape.
[Congratulations! You've unlocked: Inventory Space.]
The reward notification popped up, but Yuto was too busy wanting to vanish. He stood, ready to bolt—
Only for Kushina to shove him back into his chair with one hand.
"Was that the curse?" she asked.
"…Yeah."
"But do you actually want to?"
Her voice was soft, but the question hit like a truck. "W-What?"
"Don't play dumb. Do you want to?" Kushina wagged a finger, grinning. "You get one chance to be honest."
'This woman is toying with me.'
Yuto's first instinct was to leave.
Such a clumsy trap couldn't possibly ensnare a man of his iron will!
Ridiculous!
A cold smirk curled his lips as he deadpanned, "Yes."
"Heh. Caught you." Kushina laughed, poking his nose. "I knew you were using the curse as an excuse for your kinks!"
*No rebuttal.*
Yuto slumped, defeated.
He'd walked right into that one. No point denying it—he had wanted to.
Bracing for mockery, he was stunned when Kushina pulled him into a hug instead.
Her body had no warmth, no real softness.
Yet his heart hammered anyway, arms instinctively circling her waist.
They stayed like that for a long moment before parting.
But the tension didn't fade—if anything, it thickened.
Their eyes locked, reflections mirrored in each other's gaze. Slowly, inevitably, they leaned in—
*Thud.*
Something hit the floor.
Both turned to see Mikoto in the doorway, a hand over her mouth. At her feet lay a book titled "Magical Girl Uchiha Madara".
"…Did I interrupt something?"