Chapter 104: A New Simulation, Target Moegi
On Akiyama Makoto's end, he had just carried Moegi back to her grandmother's room when he heard the faint sound of an argument from the street.
He didn't activate his sensory ability, because Kurenai's was stronger than his. But just from the snippets of conversation he overheard, he could guess that Sarutobi Asuma had returned from his mission.
He naturally had no ill will towards Asuma. In fact, in his simulations, he had sacrificed his own life force to save him more than once. And in the current reality, he couldn't be held responsible for the conflict between Asuma and Kurenai.
The true culprit was Anko Mitarashi!
So, every injustice has its perpetrator, every debt its debtor. If Asuma really came looking for revenge, he would just sell Anko out. As for how many rounds Anko could last against Asuma, that would depend on her own luck.
The above was just a joke.
Since he was already on the path of increasing Kurenai's affection, he was naturally not afraid of a conflict with Asuma. But he felt that the two of them probably wouldn't end up fighting. After all, he was still a hundred and eight thousand miles away from truly moving Kurenai's heart. He was just her "little brother" for now, not her "lover boy."
As for Anko, he sensed her crouching in the bushes, staring blankly at his window. Her appearance made him feel she was a bit simple to the point of being cute. Probably only a brain overly nourished by sweets could do something like this. A whole Special Jōnin, squatting in a corner every day to peep on a boy. If this were discovered, wouldn't Anko's reputation be utterly ruined? Even if the matter between them wasn't leaked, the title of "pervert" would probably be stuck to her head forever.
Oh, well. I should probably give her a hint.
A minute later, Kazematsuri Matsugu rushed out with a broom, heading straight for the shadowy corner where Anko was hiding. Anko naturally couldn't let an old woman discover her. She used the Body Flicker Technique and fled. Although the old woman didn't see her, she knew someone had just been there. She decided that tomorrow she would go to the Konoha Military Police to file a report that someone was peeping on the Kazematsuri Bathhouse late at night. Even if the peeper was just looking at a boy, it was still behavior she would not tolerate!
Anko stood in the distance, her face dark. What was she supposed to do now to protect him? A direct meeting was out of the question; she was worried it would trigger his trauma and injure him again. Was there a way to get close to him without being discovered?
Looking at Matsugu's retreating back, a thought came to her. Couldn't she just rent a room for a long-term stay as well? As long as she got the owner to help her keep it a secret, she was sure that such a professional person would do so.
No sooner said than done. As expected, she successfully rented a room and got Matsugu's promise, allowing her to arrive late at night and leave before dawn.
Holding the key, Anko tiptoed into her room and leaned against the wall, lying down on the tatami mat. On the other side of the wall was Makoto. At this moment, she could almost hear his breathing. A satisfied smile appeared on her face.
Makoto sensed her smiling at the wall, and for a moment, he didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Even if he were petty, he couldn't get angry at a woman like this. Alright, then. I'll repay her feelings in today's simulation.
That's right, he was going to simulate again.
Plans always fell behind changes. Because of Hiruzen's attitude, he had to investigate further. There was only half a year left until Hiruzen went offline. He couldn't afford to mess up during this peaceful period in Konoha. He had to figure out what had caused the Hokage to start probing and suppressing him.
Since he had decided to simulate today, the next question was who to simulate. Since the goal was intelligence gathering, he didn't want to waste a simulation attempt, nor did he have a specific ninjutsu goal he had to obtain. If he had to try something, he might as well try simulating with Moegi and see if he could get Wood Style. He couldn't handle Wood Style right now, but if he was lucky enough to get it, he could at least experience its principles and accumulate experience for dealing with Danzō's Wood Style in the future.
He had already obtained Moegi's pheromones when she fell asleep on his lap earlier, so he could simulate with her directly.
The moment he opened the simulation, his and Moegi's stat panels popped up.
First was his own.
Eight Ninja Stats: Ninjutsu: 7, Taijutsu: 8, Genjutsu: 8, Intelligence: 8, Strength: 7, Speed: 8, Stamina: 8, Hand Seals: 8. Total: 62 points.
Chakra Natures: Intermediate Fire, Earth, Water, Yin, and Yang Release Talents.
Special Talents: Intermediate Chakra Sensory, Advanced Space-Time, Low-grade Natural Energy Adaptation, Low-grade Mind-Mirror Image.
Then, Kazematsuri Moegi's panel.
Eight Ninja Stats: Ninjutsu: 8, Taijutsu: 7, Genjutsu: 5, Intelligence: 6, Strength: 6, Speed: 8, Stamina: 7, Hand Seals: 7. Total: 54 points.
Chakra Natures: Intermediate Earth, Water, Yin, and Yang Release.
Special Talent: Low-grade Wood Style Talent.
Seeing Moegi's panel, he was slightly taken aback. He hadn't expected her stats to be so high; her Ninjutsu stat was even one point higher than his. But then he looked at her Low-grade Wood Style talent and her Stamina and Hand Seal stats of 7. It was basically certain that on her own, she would never be able to reveal even the tip of the iceberg of the First Hokage's Wood Style. For her entire life, she probably wouldn't even be close to Yamato's level.
But now she had met him. Perhaps in the future, she could become the next ninja to ascend to the position of Hokage through Wood Style.
Another noteworthy talent of hers was her Intermediate Earth, Water, Yin, and Yang chakra affinities, the same level as his. He knew that to use Wood Style, one had to have both Earth and Water chakra talents. It seemed now that just having those two natures wasn't enough; the talent had to be strong. Perhaps the upper limit of the Wood Style talent was also restricted by these two chakra natures. This made him want to take this opportunity to improve his own chakra talents.
But he decided against it. The main goal for now was to gather intelligence.
[Simulation starting...]
[Remaining Simulation Attempts: 14]
[Simulation Target: Kazematsuri Moegi]
[Initial Relationship: She thinks you are a good person.]
[Ding! The simulation is about to begin. You have three free opportunities to guide the simulation's direction.]
[Guide the simulation's direction now?]
As was his custom, he chose to use a guidance. He was amused by Moegi's evaluation. The simulation hadn't even started, and he had already received a "good person" card from her. It seemed pursuing her wouldn't be an easy task. But she was young. At worst, he could just groom her from a young age.
After inputting the guidance, the new round of simulation began.
Thinking about what was about to happen, he couldn't help but want to laugh.
[You leave your room and knock on Anko's door. A flattered Anko opens the door and cautiously asks what you want. You tell her you want revenge and ask if she agrees.]
[Anko immediately nods in agreement, then returns to her room, grits her teeth, and closes her eyes. But the pain and tearing she expected do not come. All she feels is your gentle comfort. You have completed your revenge on her in a way that makes her unable to stop wanting more.]
He pursed his lips. He hadn't expected it to actually work—Anko was completely defenseless against him! Didn't this mean that in every simulation, he could have a child with her? Looking at it this way... Anko was actually a pretty good person. Definitely worth keeping around!
[The next day, you tell Anko that the score between you is settled. She expresses her dissatisfaction, saying that your method of revenge was too gentle and that you two can continue to discuss other methods of revenge.]
[Ding! You have formed a strange brother-sister relationship of 'tsundere words and an honest body.']
He was unfazed by the system's teasing. He was only this wild in a simulation. Back in reality, he would definitely be more restrained. At the very least, in reality, he would still try to cultivate a relationship with Anko. Otherwise, he wouldn't feel at ease gifting his bloodline to her. But for now, in the simulation, he was mainly pursuing efficiency.
[From then on, you and Anko discuss methods of revenge at night, and during the day, you devote yourself even more fully to training your body.]
[The next round of attacks and investigation that you had anticipated never arrives. It seems Hiruzen Sarutobi has forgotten about the incident.]
Seeing this, he was slightly taken aback. Had he misjudged Hiruzen? Perhaps that day he had just been acting on a whim, wanting to hear his thoughts on the Will of Fire, with no other ulterior motives.
Just as he was hesitating, the text that appeared in the next second revealed the harsh reality of the situation.
[Konoha 64: One month before Naruto and the others graduate, you are attacked and captured by Root ninja and taken to the Root headquarters.]
❃❃❃
⤑ Show your support with Power Stones!
⤑ Unlock a Bonus Chapter every time we hit 200 Power Stones!
❃❃❃
♕ Get early access to 20+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
🔗 https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Hollowborn
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to open the link!)
💬 Enjoying the story? Drop a review!
Your support really helps the series grow—thank you