Chapter 203: As Expected of Karin, Her Affection Exploded Instantly
"Huh?"
Karin looked at Akiyama Makoto in disbelief. Although she hadn't had much schooling, she knew what the term "Family Head" meant. It meant she had become a member of his family. Even if she was just a subordinate, it also meant she had a home.
Home... what a distant word.
When her mother was still alive, for Karin, wherever her mother was, that was home. But after her mother had been bitten to death by the ninja of the Hidden Grass, could she still call the straw hut she lived in "home"?
The Hidden Grass Village was even less of a home. There wasn't a single person there who held any goodwill towards her. Everyone just treated her as a living blood bag.
So, upon hearing his words, she stared blankly as tears began to fall, as if she couldn't accept such a huge, sudden joy.
This was immediately followed by a wave of panic and insecurity. She was worried this was one of his cruel jokes, that he was just making fun of her.
Karin respectfully performed a dogeza. "Lord, you must be joking."
"I am a ninja from the Hidden Grass, and a person without even a name. How can I just become your family? Besides, this is the first time we've even met today—"
"You're not willing?"
He ignored her excuses, reached out to stroke her cheek, and then lifted her chin. "Since you don't have a surname, you'll take mine, Akiyama, from now on. You'll become a member of my family."
"I am only asking if you are willing. You don't need to worry about the rest."
Karin looked at his gentle smile, and the fragile doubts in her heart shattered in an instant.
She didn't think he was deceiving her—and even if he was, so what? She was willing to be deceived!
No place was more of a hell than the Hidden Grass Village. As long as she could escape from there and come to live in Konoha, she was willing to pay any price.
So what if she became his "family"? Even if he also wanted her for her talent, or was even training her to be a disposable pawn, she was willing. At least he was the first person who was willing to treat her with such gentleness.
The expression on her face gradually crumbled, and finally, she dissolved into a flood of tears.
She cried her heart out, throwing herself into his arms. "I'm willing!" she sobbed.
"From today on, I am Akiyama Karin!"
A satisfied smile appeared on his face as he gently patted her back.
At this moment, he felt a bit like Orochimaru, going around and tricking ignorant war orphans. But his bottom line was much higher than Orochimaru's. He had no intention of sending these people who followed him to their deaths.
He held her, letting her fully vent the grievances and sorrow that had been accumulating in her heart.
She cried for a full half an hour before she finally stopped, her eyes red and swollen.
He helped her dry her tears, and then, to her surprise, he channeled his Yang chakra into her.
A warm current flowed through her body, warming her from the inside out, just like her mother's embrace. It made her face flush red, and her gaze towards him became hazy.
[Ding! Deeper contact with the ninja Akiyama Karin achieved. Simulation Attempts +3.]
A flash of joy appeared in his eyes. This already counted as an increase? In just a short while, she had already given him four simulation attempts. As expected of one of the other great "love-brains" in Naruto. It had only been a short time, and she had already fallen for him.
But this wasn't surprising. After all, the gentleness he had shown her was many times more than what Sasuke and Orochimaru combined had ever given her. It was only logical that she would fall for him so quickly. What's more, he had even given her his surname. Although "changing one's surname" could also be interpreted as adoption, she probably wouldn't think, for any reason, that he had taken her in to raise her as a daughter.
Soon, her red and swollen eyes returned to normal. She knew that this was him, healing her again.
She bit her red lip, then made a decision. She pulled open her yukata, revealing a large patch of her shoulder. "Um, Family... Head. You... you haven't bitten me yet."
"So impatient?"
He had only been teasing, but Karin blushed and nodded. "You healed me, Lord. It's my turn to repay you."
"Alright."
He didn't hesitate any longer. He was also curious to taste this "Physical Healing" for himself.
He then lowered his head and bit down. A faint, fruity fragrance filled his mouth. This was followed by a muffled groan from her, which, for some reason, sounded somewhat... alluring.
Looking at her, her entire body was red and scalding hot. It was clear that for her, this was not just about repaying a debt. In her heart, she had given this act a certain special meaning.
[Ding! Confirmed intimate relationship with the ninja Akiyama Karin. Simulation Attempts +5.]
The system's prompt just confirmed it. Good heavens, did she just take this bite as a confession?
But I haven't even confessed yet!
Although he did like her, and she was infatuated with him, had they just skipped the whole confession process?
Her next words then explained why.
"Family Head, from today on, when I heal other people, I will only use my arms. But the rest of my body... only you are qualified to bite... Mm!"
That soft little hum... it made him feel as if he had aged several years. Unfortunately, she was not yet mature enough. Otherwise, he probably would have made a "mistake."
As he was thinking, a strange power was transmitted from her body, entering his mouth and abdomen.
He then felt as if all the cells in his body had been activated. Life force rolled out from within them, and the chakra he had lost from using his shadow clone was rapidly replenished. The fatigue from staying up all night yesterday also vanished completely, as if he had received a massive recharge from her, and his whole being had been reborn.
This feeling... was it "Unconscious Healing"?
His eyes lit up. It really was! It was just that, unlike the "Unconscious Healing" he had awakened himself, this passively activated effect was a little weaker, but it was also more domineering, as if it didn't care much about the body's own cellular depletion.
Now he finally understood what her talent was all about.
After a wounded person bit her, a sliver of her active life force would be divided and sent into their body, which would then, like a drop of hot oil in boiling water, temporarily activate an effect in the wounded person similar to Unconscious Healing.
This level of healing was similar to Creation Rebirth. It was achieved by sacrificing the wounded person's cellular potential, not by relying completely on her life force to heal the injury. Otherwise, even if she was a descendant of the powerful Uzumaki clan with a massive amount of life force, if she was constantly being used to treat fatal injuries, her life force would not be able to hold out.
At this point, he was no longer as interested in the healing effect of this talent. When he treated the people around him, he would certainly not heal their injuries at the cost of their life potential.
However, he was still very interested in the specific way she activated a person's innate potential and activity. If he understood this mechanism, he could definitely make it into a kind of "tiger-wolf" medicine to be used during wartime.
Take Tsunade for example. She definitely knew the cost of Creation Rebirth, but compared to death, the cost of damaging her cellular lifespan was acceptable.
He was sure that countless ninja would choose to buy this kind of drug to save their lives, and this would become one of his important sources of wealth.
Of course, that was all in the future.
What he had to do now was to pull her completely to his side.
So, his thumb gently brushed over her lips. "Then you have to eat well and grow well. Next time I bite you, I want to taste a fuller and more moist texture, not such obvious bones."
She froze, not expecting that her almost-indecent words would receive such a serious response.
Then she became even more certain of her thoughts. She took his hands, pulled them in front of her, and gave a firm "Mm!"
"Next time, I will definitely grow taller and fatter, and make the Family Head satisfied!"
Just as she finished speaking, her stomach suddenly rumbled.
She shot up like a spring, frantically waving her hands. "That... no, I'm not—"
She really wanted to deny that she was hungry. But as someone who had never been able to eat her fill, how could she possibly support the powerful bloodline of the Uzumaki clan?
He stood up and stroked her head. "If you're hungry, just say so. My Akiyama family... I can't say much about other things, but making sure everyone is well-fed is definitely the number one priority."
He then began to prepare lunch. The terrifying, commercial-sized super-pot scared her. Could it be that his family actually... ran a restaurant?
❃❃❃
⤑ 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