Chapter 76: Infusion of Bloodline Power
"Are you sure you want it?"
"Is it something dangerous?"
Akiyama Makoto pondered for a moment, then decided to speak more cautiously. "Once you accept some things, you can never let them go. From then on, we will have an unbreakable bond."
Tenten blinked, and a feverish blush appeared on her face.
She quickly took two steps back, bumping into the wall. Heedless of the pain, she stammered, "Y-You're not thinking of... N-No way! It's still too soon!"
"Hm? Why are you so nervous?" Makoto asked, his face a mask of confusion, though in reality, he knew exactly what she was thinking.
"Of course I'm nervous! Shouldn't a girl be nervous when she encounters this kind of thing?"
"Does 'this kind of thing' differentiate between men and women?"
"Would you do 'this kind of thing' to a man?"
He shook his head. "Definitely not."
Now Tenten was even more certain of what he was about to give her. She covered her face, wanting to run away, but her feet remained rooted to the spot.
"Anyway, no means no... If you push me any further, I'll have to beat you up and escape!"
Makoto sighed. "Alright. I just thought you wouldn't refuse a chance to increase your strength."
He turned and shook his head. Tenten froze. Increase her strength? So it was about increasing her strength! And she had thought... At this thought, she immediately realized something was wrong.
"Wait, be clearer. What exactly are you giving me?"
Tenten came closer again, grabbing his wrist. Although she was nervous, she wasn't truly afraid of him. Not only was she confident in her own strength, but she also trusted his character.
Only then did he give her a simple answer. "I'm sure you've noticed that my strength has been improving very quickly."
"I've realized that I have an ability to mirror a portion of my talent to a girl. So, you were the first one I thought of."
"If you're unwilling to accept and try, I might just go find Ino..."
Before he could finish, Tenten covered his mouth. She didn't want to hear another girl's name right now. It was just an experiment, wasn't it? He trusted her so much. She would go all out!
"It's not that I'm unwilling, it's just... this process, it won't involve any strange rituals or physical contact, will it? In that case, I might... need to prepare myself."
Tenten bit her lip, swallowing the words "I can't accept it."
"Don't worry. Just give me your hand."
He pushed her hand away from his mouth. His lips still held the faint scent of soap from her bath.
"What's the big deal! You should have just said so! You made me so nervous!" Tenten let out a long breath and generously held out her hand.
He took her hand. "Then what were you thinking of? Why were you so nervous?"
Her breath caught. She squeezed his hand back. "Don't ask so many questions! Just do your thing! A girl has her secrets!"
Makoto smiled faintly and stopped teasing her. He seriously activated the system function he had never used before. He had expected some kind of magical display, but instead, a dialog box appeared before his eyes.
[You are about to transfer the bloodline of Akiyama Tenshi to its mother, Tenten. Confirm operation?]
He confirmed it in his mind.
[Ding! As this is the first time completing this operation, the relevant reminders are as follows.]
[1. The talent of the object gifted with the bloodline will be directly overwritten by the new talent. Multiple gifts will cause the latter to replace the former; fusion, stacking, and evolution of different results cannot be achieved.]
[2. Based on your Affection Level with the kunoichi, the simulation result will receive a number of random enhancement chances equal to the level number. The enhancement effect will either raise one of the eight ninja stats to be equal to your own, or increase the level of one of her talents by one.]
[3. The gifted bloodline can be forcibly revoked. This operation does not require the kunoichi's consent. Abilities learned based on the new talent will not disappear directly, but their strength will vary depending on the actual situation.]
Makoto was taken aback, momentarily unable to process all the prompts. He had never seen the system display so much information at once in a simulation. But then he realized it was just clarifying its working principles to prevent any misunderstanding on his part—a responsible thing to do.
In short, the system was expressing three things.
The system serves him exclusively. He can use it to enhance a kunoichi's talent, but if she wants to improve her strength based on that new talent, that is outside the scope of the system's responsibility.
Affection level can improve a kunoichi's talent values. The system had mentioned this when it first bound to him. He hadn't had time to study the specific principles yet.
The last and coldest point: what he gives, he can take back at any time.
At first, he didn't see the use of the third rule, but he soon realized that the people he gifted talents to in the future might not necessarily be his friends; they could also be mere subordinates. With subordinates, he naturally didn't need to be sentimental. If he wasn't satisfied with their performance, he could just strip them of their power.
While he was thinking, Tenten was secretly watching him. Seeing his dazed expression, she immediately felt she had been tricked.
"Don't tell me... you're just using this as an excuse to hold my hand?"
Thinking she had discovered his trick, a smug smile appeared on her lips. She was happy, but at the same time, she planned to teach him a little lesson. She couldn't let him get so pushy, or what if her heart softened and she couldn't hold back?
Just as she was about to do something, a golden light flashed in his eyes.
A strange power surged from his palm into hers, and then into every corner of her body, making her tremble for an instant.
"What... what did you do to me?" she asked, bewildered.
Makoto, however, was looking at a new prompt that had popped up, a shocked expression on his face.
[Ding! Your Affection Level with the kunoichi Tenten is 2: You have mutual affection. You have obtained 2 random enhancement chances. The maximum number of random enhancement chances is 5.]
[Random enhancement in progress... Enhancement complete. Tenten's 'Strength' stat has been enhanced from 3 to 7. Tenten's Intermediate Space-Time Ninjutsu Talent has been upgraded to Advanced.]
[Infusion of bloodline power beginning. Duration: ten minutes.]
As the text prompt appeared, Tenten, who had still been standing, suddenly turned red and hot as if with a fever, and collapsed softly into his arms.
He quickly caught her, letting her lean against his shoulder, and carefully observed her condition. Although he himself was used to all of this, this was Tenten's first time. He didn't know if she could withstand this bloodline power of his.
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