Chapter 96: Big Sister Special-Attack Mode
He had about an hour to rest and gather his thoughts, and then he would have to face Kurenai Yūhi and Anko to begin the second half of his performance.
Recalling yesterday's encounter, Akiyama Makoto also felt a bit helpless. He had originally thought he would be safe in Kurenai's house, but reality had taught him that a handsome boy needs to protect himself even more carefully in the home of an older woman.
In the future, when he was receiving bloodline feedback, he would definitely have to use the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport to a very safe place, surrounded by a multitude of barrier seals... Wait, why did that setup feel so familiar?
Ah, right. That's how the Fourth Hokage and his wife died... He also needed to start considering that Obito fellow. Although he and Obito had no interactions right now, the moment he revealed his strength, he would most likely be targeted by him for intelligence gathering.
So, in the future, when he was receiving bloodline feedback, it was better to leave a Shadow Clone behind to protect him. If it encountered danger, it could just teleport the main body away with the Flying Thunder God. That way, he wouldn't be ambushed again, right?
Makoto took stock of the simulation's gains and losses.
It could be said that apart from being caught off guard by Anko's night raid, the entire thing had been a great success. He had not only confirmed several of his theories related to the system, but he had also obtained a Kage-level talent panel, and his mastery of the Flying Thunder God Technique was now on a countdown.
It was just that he didn't have time to put these gains into practice right now. He would have to wait until noon at the earliest to put a final period on this whole incident.
Well, he might as well keep up the effort... In the blink of an eye, an hour had passed.
Wearing his torn and tattered clothes, Makoto staggered down the stairs. Each step made the stairs creak, as if counting down the seconds to Anko's sentence.
Kurenai quickly turned her head. Anko also craned her neck to peek.
But the next second, with a smack, Kurenai unceremoniously slapped Anko on the back of the head.
Facing the shocked Anko, Kurenai said in a cold voice, "Go to the guest room. Don't come out until I call you."
"Okay..."
Anko scurried away. Only then did Kurenai walk to the stairs, showing an apologetic smile to the ragged Makoto.
"I've always lived alone, so I don't have any men's clothes to replace yours. I forgot to prepare any."
"How about this? I'll get you a new white yukata. Will that be okay?"
Makoto nodded and said politely, "Thank you, Big Sister Kurenai."
The more polite he acted, the more Kurenai's heart ached.
She quickly entered her bedroom and found that the bedding and blankets had been neatly arranged. Even the soiled bedsheets had been folded and placed at the head of the bed.
Seeing this, she bit her lip and secretly decided that she would definitely tie Anko up later and let him beat her to vent his anger.
She grabbed a brand-new yukata and brought it downstairs for him.
Watching him walk towards the bathroom, she asked thoughtfully, "Do you have enough strength to bathe by yourself? Do you need my help?"
He turned his head, a trace of surprise in his eyes.
Kurenai realized she was being a little too eager, but in order to save Anko from total ruin, she persisted. "At least let me stand by the door. If you lose your strength, I can help."
"Okay."
Makoto didn't refuse. He knew she meant well. In his current theoretical state, he was only pretending to be strong. He couldn't act so strong that it was like nothing had happened. He had to accept the help he was offered.
When he entered the bathroom, Kurenai followed and stood with her back against the doorframe. As she listened to the sound of running water from inside, she glared at Anko, who was poking her head out of the guest room door. This scene made Anko wonder: just how angry was Kurenai?
Makoto had come to the bathroom not only to wash off the filth, but also because his disguise was about to fail.
On his chest, where the Yin Seal mark should have been, there was now a patch of scarred-looking skin. He used his fingertip to lift a small edge, then peeled the entire patch of skin off, revealing his Yin Seal underneath.
This patch of skin had been transplanted from his calf, a product temporarily kept alive by medical ninjutsu. It would necrotize before long. As for the wound on his calf, it had naturally already been healed.
Now, he needed to replace it with a new patch of skin to more safely maintain his cover until the end of his performance.
He quickly performed another simple skin graft on himself, healed the new wound, and then slowly and deliberately took a bath.
Finally, he sat down on a stool and looked at his pale, sickly self in the mirror, revealing a shy smile. He could almost see the words "Big Sister Special-Attack Mode" appearing above his head.
He put on the yukata, coughed twice, and said with a ragged breath, "Big Sister Kurenai, can you help me with something?"
"O-Of course! I'm coming in?"
Kurenai, who had been waiting anxiously, immediately opened the door and entered the bathroom upon hearing his call. She had expected to find him collapsed in the bathtub, and had even prepared to get soaked herself.
Instead, what she saw was a fully cleaned and neatly dressed Makoto, who was simply too weak to dry his own hair.
She immediately grabbed a towel, placed it on his head, and began to gently dry his hair, complaining softly, "You called me 'sister,' so that makes us family now."
"Since we're family, we have to help each other. Why did you push yourself to this point before calling me? Don't you trust me?"
"...I trust you, Big Sister Kurenai. I just didn't want to trouble you."
Kurenai took a deep breath. "From now on, don't be so polite with me. If you need anything, just ask."
"This isn't to atone for what that girl did. It's because I think you... you're truly a remarkable child. I want to acknowledge you as my younger brother."
A grateful light shone in Makoto's eyes. He lowered his head, as if suppressing a wave of sour emotions. "You're so good to me, Big Sister Kurenai."
She smiled happily and gave him a hug from behind. "Having an outstanding younger brother like you is my good fortune."
"Alright. Can you walk? Or should I help you out?"
He shook his head, pushing stubbornly at her waist.
Kurenai didn't press the issue. She smiled and walked out of the bathroom. However, the moment she was out the door, her smile vanished. She saw the disobedient Anko, who had quietly come out of the guest room and was approaching the bathroom with an uneasy expression.
Even seeing Kurenai's unhappy face, Anko did not retreat. She insisted on asking, "Is he okay...?"
"He's fine. I've adopted him as my little brother."
"Huh?!"
Anko was completely baffled, feeling as if she had skipped a huge chunk of her life.
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