Chapter 62: Massaging the Girls
Akiyama Makoto was so familiar with the girls that he subconsciously treated them as children. But in reality, they were ninja about to graduate, having received professional instruction at the Academy, which certainly included willpower training. The pain of being soaked in cold water in winter was truly not enough to defeat them.
Sakura was the first to endure the stimulus of the icy water and biting wind, walking onto the shore from atop the waves.
She was followed by Hinata, and finally, Ino.
As she shivered from the cold, Ino glanced at Hinata with a bit of unwillingness. She had originally thought that Hinata, the young lady of a great clan, wasn't very strong; otherwise, she wouldn't have been given up on by the Hyūga. But it turned out she was the last one. This left the normally competitive Ino with a bad taste in her mouth.
But for now, they had to solve the problem of how to get home soaking wet.
Just then, another Akiyama Makoto walked over from a short distance away and vanished in a puff of smoke.
To the three girls' astonishment, Makoto picked up a scroll from the ground. It contained the clothes and picnic supplies he had just sent his Shadow Clone to buy. He only wanted to train the three girls; he had no intention of letting them all get sick.
He then handed the clothes to them and used Earth Style: Earth Core Wall to create a simple four-walled space, giving them a place to change.
"Wow, thank you! You're so thoughtful!"
Now Ino was speechless. She rushed forward excitedly and gave him a hug before taking her clothes and going to change.
Sakura, of course, couldn't be left behind. She also gave him a hug and then said to the remaining Hinata, "Hinata, hurry up, or it'll get dark."
Hinata's face was pale, and she was at a complete loss. The current situation was a bit too much for her. Not only did she have to change clothes in the wild, but she had to do it with others? Luckily, Makoto was blindfolded. Otherwise, she wouldn't have known how to face him.
"Hm?"
Noticing Hinata hadn't moved, Makoto said, "Don't tell me you're going to give me a hug too?"
"N-No, that's not necessary!" Hinata waved her hands frantically. "I just saw that you're soaked too. Don't you have a change of clothes?"
"I don't need one."
Makoto shook his head. The reason Ino and Sakura had hugged him just now wasn't just out of excitement. They had used it as a way to squeeze the water from their clothes onto him, to let him experience what it felt like to be soaked in this season.
"But..."
Before Hinata could say more, he suddenly raised an eyebrow. "Hinata, while caring for others is a virtue, it should be done when they need it."
"Otherwise, useless concern will only be annoying, and concern itself doesn't solve any problems."
Although he knew that Hinata was the "good wife and wise mother" type, and that her greatest dream in life was probably to be a wife and mother rather than a ninja fighting and bleeding, she still had to first strengthen herself enough to survive the Fourth Great Ninja War before she had a chance to reach that step.
"Okay!" This time, Hinata didn't dare say any more. She took the clothes and also entered the earthen enclosure to change.
Soon after, the sound of girls' laughter and exclamations came from within. It seemed Sakura and Ino had shrieked in surprise after discovering Hinata's secret.
Makoto didn't listen in, much less use his sensory ability to look. Compared to the girls now, he was still more interested in their grown-up versions from the simulations.
A few minutes later, the girls jumped out from behind the wall, all changed into cotton clothes and hats appropriate for the season. Even their hair was dry, and the color had returned to their faces.
And when they saw that he had already started a bonfire and was grilling various foods, they felt a sense of salvation.
"We're saved!"
"Hooray!"
"Let me help!" Hinata immediately came over to take over the work.
This time, Makoto didn't stop her. Instead, he held out a hand to Ino.
Ino was puzzled but obediently placed her hand in his.
The next second, a faint blue chakra lit up in his palm and then flowed into her body. Ino was still a bit nervous at first, but as a massive wave of warmth spread through her, she immediately cried out in excitement. It felt as if she were soaking in a hot spring.
Her cry made Sakura look over with a puzzled expression, while Hinata blushed.
"Ino-pig, what are you yelling about? Got a stomachache?"
Ino made a face at Sakura and then pointed at Makoto. "Makoto's amazing! He made me feel so good!"
Makoto flicked her forehead with his other hand. "Don't say things that could be misunderstood. It's just a simple application of medical ninjutsu."
In his simulations, he had already been researching the topic of converting chakra into life force. Therefore, it was now a simple matter for him to convert his chakra into revitalizing Yang Release chakra. Moreover, his own Yang Release talent had already reached the Intermediate level.
"Intermediate" might not sound very high, but one had to know that most people couldn't even be detected as having any Yang Release talent at all. Even the Akimichi clan, famous for their Yang Release body-transformation secret techniques, probably had talent at this level at most. Any higher, and they would be on par with Tsunade and Hashirama.
Ino enjoyed his five-minute chakra massage, then sat down by the bonfire in a daze, a look of blissful satisfaction on her face.
"My turn, my turn!" Sakura rushed over. She didn't care what he had done to Ino; just seeing that expression, she had to experience it for herself.
Five minutes later, Sakura and Ino were sitting shoulder to shoulder, both in a similar daze.
Makoto then looked at Hinata.
She quickly waved her hands. "I-I don't need it!"
"If you get sick because of my training today, then it's my responsibility."
"How about this? I can treat you through a handkerchief." He seemed to think she was just being shy.
Hinata looked at the seemingly drunk Sakura and Ino. Was this really a matter of being shy?
Seeing him approach step by step, she wanted to flee in a panic, but ultimately fell into his grasp.
Five minutes later, Hinata was steaming, her face red to the roots of her ears. She buried her face in her arms, looking as if she could never show her face in public again. Her reaction was even worse than Sakura's and Ino's; for some reason, she had fainted directly. When Makoto woke her up, she thought it was the next morning, and there was still a bit of drool at the corner of her mouth.
Makoto put away his handkerchief, also looking at her with some surprise. He hadn't expected her to have such a low resistance to Yang Release chakra. Did she not have any Yang Release talent at all? Yang Release governed the power of life. Ordinary ninja more or less had some talent for it; otherwise, even surviving would be a problem. And Hinata seemed to be particularly weak in this area... could this be the reason her talent couldn't fully manifest?
"Hey, this one fainted."
Just then, Sasuke appeared before him, carrying a sleeping Naruto on his back.
Makoto looked at them in surprise. "You two became friends that quickly?"
"Hmph. I'm just bringing this idiot who knocked himself out to see a doctor. If he dies, wouldn't I be held responsible?"
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