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The Chinese parasol trees were golden, and the maple leaves were like fire.
The thin autumn air draped a light rosy color around Konoha, which had been filled with lush greenery just a short time ago.
The weather was also gradually getting cooler.
At this time, some time had passed since Tsunade ascended to the position of Hokage.
Konoha Village, which had already been under the management of the "Substitute Hokage Council" for a long time, quickly accepted the fact that Tsunade had taken office as the Fourth Hokage with almost no obstacles.
The Village, which was in urgent need of rest after the war, completely shifted to economic development, and Konoha New City in the distance was changing day by day.
However, there were still many things that remained unchanged.
Sawara Kiri changed into a dark robe and stood at the gate of Senju Residence, looking quite hesitant.
After hesitating for a long time, he finally pushed open the gate.
Sure enough, as soon as he entered the gate, he heard a girl running out from inside.
When the gate was pushed open, she gradually slowed down her pace, pretending to be calm.
Her tone was seemingly teasing and resentful:
"Ara? Kiri-sama is actually coming home for dinner today?"
"You don't have a 'mission' to do today?"
The fourteen-year-old girl was at the age of rapid growth.
Sawara Yuki, who had only reached his chest and looked like a naive child, was like Konoha New City in the distance, growing taller every once in a while.
Now, just standing there, she had a sense of grace and elegance.
Only the pair of wet little hands groping and wiping on the apron in front of her, and the long hair simply tied up for the convenience of cooking, brought her a sense of real life.
There were still a few drops of water on her fair little face—obviously, she had run over as soon as she heard the sound outside, and hadn't had time to wipe it clean.
Of course, what Sawara Kiri was most familiar with was Yuki's indifferent mockery.
"The timing of missions is always uncertain."
However, even under his sister's disgusted gaze, Sawara Kiri had to put on a brave face and pretend to explain:
"Recently, more and more people have been specifically requesting me.
Occasionally, I have to run to the Land of Lightning, and there are bound to be some minor problems on the way."
"By the way, Yuki, what did you make for dinner tonight?"
"I was originally planning to just grab a bite outside, but when I saw the smoke rising from here, I immediately ran back!"
"I've been eating dry food all the way, and it's been a long time since I tasted Yuki's cooking.
I'm a little hungry."
"Is that so?"
Yuki glanced at him, noticing that his clothes and baggage were indeed stained with some travel dust.
Only then did she reluctantly let him off the hook, turning around and walking towards the inside of the house:
"I stewed fish soup tonight, and there are also bean sprouts and veal... Go wash your hands and face first."
"Yes, yes."
Sawara Kiri sighed inwardly.
Yuki was getting harder and harder to deal with.
Rebellious period?
However, he still obediently listened and put down the package on the porch by the entrance, walking towards the bathroom.
"Kiri-sama!"
Just as he was walking inside, he saw a chubby girl like a small dumpling running over from the house, rushing towards him with her short legs.
"Shizune!"
Sawara Kiri was about to hug her, but Shizune had only run halfway when Yuki, who was passing by, grabbed the back of her neck, controlling her fate, and walked towards the depths of the room, scolding as she walked:
"Shizune! I just cleaned you up, and you're getting covered in dust again!"
"Why care about that idiot Kiri?
He's having a comfortable life outside!"
"Uguuu—"
Sawara Kiri's expression suddenly stiffened, turning pale.
Sawara Yuki glanced at him, paused, but still showed no mercy, letting out a low 'hmph'.
In fact, Yuki's behavior was not without reason, as he had a 'previous record' and had been caught.
Since his relationship with Uchiha Megumi had progressed further, Sawara Kiri had been feeling quite happy and reluctant to leave home during the initial period, often staying out for days and nights.
Because many skills could not be used at Megumi's house, and Megumi's mother's sleep was also greatly disturbed, the wealthy Miss Megumi simply bought another house in the center of the Village.
The two top combat forces of Konoha Village spent their days shrinking at home, engaging in gunfights and rain of bullets, which was quite a spectacle.
It wasn't until the honeymoon period of the initial stage was almost over, and Sawara-sensei's accumulated savings over the years were almost exhausted, that the war gradually moved towards a period of relaxation—at least the frequency of battles gradually eased, so as not to exhaust the pond to catch the fish.
However, Sawara Kiri was locked at home by Megumi, playing small games of hiding beauties in a golden house day and night, inevitably neglecting the family here.
At first, Yuki didn't notice anything, after all, it was common for Ninjas to stay outside the Village for days and nights.
But later, Yuki suddenly realized that the number of times her elder brother went out on missions seemed a bit too much—even if the Village had just ended the war, there were many specific requests from various merchant groups, he should still combine work and rest.
Tsunade was well aware of his affairs, but she had only recently become the Fourth Hokage, and she had piles of things to do, spending even less time at home than him.
Moreover, the temperament of the Konoha Princess was well known, and she had no time to pay attention to this smelly disciple.
Until one day, probably because she was so annoyed by Yuki, she intentionally or unintentionally placed the crystal ball that Lord Third had used on her desk.
Eh, it just happened to reveal someone's figure while he was shopping.
That's when Yuki discovered the 'truth'.
Even now, Sawara Kiri still remembers the tragic scene at that time—it can be described as a clash of thunder and earth fire, ghosts and gods were frightened and wailed, she actually blocked Megumi's new home and argued with her, with a hint of the original wife catching her husband cheating on the spot, almost fighting with Megumi 'mistress'.
At that time, Yuki was so angry, and half of the new house was torn down.
However, perhaps out of 'the demeanor of a legal wife', or perhaps out of the room of an 'advantageous position', Megumi's reaction was quite gentle compared to her previous tough demeanor—she didn't take this 'sister' seriously at all.
Later, she was too lazy to repair the new house, and directly bought a newer one in the New City.
Now Yuki can't even catch a glimpse of her.
Since then, whenever Sawara Kiri goes out and doesn't come home overnight, Yuki assumes that he has gone out to steal food.
If he doesn't come home for several days, he will definitely be scolded when he comes back—damn it!
He clearly spends at least one-third of his time actually doing missions!
The road of a scumbag is difficult and long.
I'll coax her later.
Sawara Kiri soaked his whole body in the bathtub, splashing water on his face while thinking in his heart.
He had just run to the Land of Hot Water with the merchant group and returned, and he was indeed a little tired—since the end of the war, his reputation had gradually spread throughout the Ninja World, and the number of specific requests for him from various chambers of commerce had been increasing.
Most of them could be rejected, but there was still a small part that was very powerful or had wide connections, which he couldn't refuse either.
Before the independent economic system of the Ninja World is completed, he is still a Ninja who makes a living by doing missions.
But—
"There really isn't a suitable 'bond"..."
Sawara Kiri looked at his gradually richer panel information, as well as the lone Inner Conflict points lying on it, and sighed faintly.
Since he learned the news of his future death, he had spent a lot of time looking for suitable bonds.
For this reason, he even ran through half of the Ninja World, and tried to make friends with many people, and help them solve problems.
However, whether it was because his strength was too strong, or because the so-called 'troubles' were not difficult for him at all, he had indeed formed many relationships, but the bond objects on the panel remained motionless, and the Inner Conflict points had not been settled at all.
At the same time, based on the judgment of his existing bond objects, the 'minimum strength requirement' required to form a bond with him now is obviously getting higher and higher.
"There's no way, let's use it in time." Sawara Kiri sighed softly.
His gaze swept over 「Talent」, 「Ability」, and 「Item」 one by one, choosing to cast a wide net and catch more fish.
「My dream is—the sea of stars!」
A familiar tone sounded in his ears, and a stream of brilliant light flashed across the lottery interface.
「Shikon no Tama (A)」
「Evil Fall Standing Stick (B)」
「Inherent Time Control (A)」
「Tiamat・Projection Body・Growth Type (SS)」
"…"
Just as Sawara Kiri habitually glanced at the screen, preparing to continue drawing the last shot, his gaze suddenly paused on the last column.
"Huh?! ! ! "
In the next moment, the belated rainbow light on the screen came into his eyes, shining so brightly that he squinted his eyes.
However, his gaze remained fixed on the screen, motionless.
"Splash! ! "
Sawara Kiri couldn't control himself and suddenly stood up from the bathtub, making a loud splash.
Seemingly hearing the sound coming from the backyard bath, Yuki curiously poked her little head inside.
"Splash—"
Sawara Kiri once again covered his vitals and sat back down, struggling to control his facial expression, but still somewhat stiffly turning his head behind him:
"Ah, it's nothing."
"It looked like a rabbit darted past."
"Huh?"
Yuki frowned, showing no intention of avoiding the situation, cautiously revealing half of her body, carefully scanning the surroundings of the bath, confirming that she didn't detect the stench of the Uchiha, and then hesitantly withdrew her body.
After a moment, she suddenly popped out again, as if wanting to startle him.
Only after confirming that Uchiha Megumi, that bad woman, was indeed not there, did she let out a soft 'hmph' and return to the kitchen.
"Phew."
Sawara Kiri slowly exhaled.
It wasn't that he was startled by Yuki, but by the system.
"SS?"
"Tiamat?"
He widened his eyes and confirmed the rank again, and then stared at this 'special ability' item, scrutinizing it for a long time, and the boiling emotions in his heart finally calmed down, with a distorted look of wanting to laugh but not daring to make a sound.
This was the first time he had drawn a 「Ability」 of this level.
Calming down slightly, Sawara Kiri clicked on the details section.
「Acquired Ability」
「Tiamat・Projection Body・Growth Type・First Stage (SS)」
「Information Localization, Completed」
「Details: One of the Seven Evils of Humanity, a beast holding the principle of 『Return』, one of the supreme gods in Mesopotamian mythology, the Mother Goddess of Creation who transformed into heaven and earth with her body—a tiny projection lost in the divided world. Now, under the limitations of the world's rules, it descends here in the form of a 'Tailed Beast'.」
「This ability comes from the "FGO" series」
「Consume Mind Node Points to upgrade」
(Humanoid ↑)
(Beast Type ↑)
Looking at this line of explanation, Sawara Kiri couldn't help but clench his fist.
Even though a series of small words still trailed after the name 'Tiamat', this was, in any case, a genuine SS-level reward.
If he remembered correctly, the main body of this deity seemed to be the size of a planet—just a projection weakened countless times was already at the SS level, what level of monster would the complete body be?
It's just that, I'm afraid that like the previous 「Limitless」, it would take many Mind Node Points to upgrade her stage.
What caught Sawara Kiri's attention even more was the following explanation.
「—Descends here in the form of a 'Tailed Beast'.」
Doesn't that mean that she can also make him a Jinchuriki?
If he could master this power, what would he be afraid of the Ōtsutsuki? Wouldn't beating them back to their old home be as easy as playing?
An excited heart, a trembling hand.
Sawara Kiri quietly looked at the line of words that appeared on the panel and gently clicked on it.
The next moment.
"Thump."
A large egg suddenly emerged from his arms.
"? ? ?"
Sawara Kiri was stunned.
Oh.
So this is what they call a growth type?
At this moment, he suddenly felt a little fortunate that he hadn't chosen any growth-type rewards when he was at Megumi's house.
But now that things have come to this, shouldn't we pry it open and take a look, whether it's a mule or a horse?
Despite having an ominous premonition, Sawara Kiri resolutely chose to add the last Mind Node Point to the panel.
「Tiamat・First Stage → Second Stage」
Almost in an instant, the giant egg, which had just been as warm and hard as a stone, slowly cracked into fine seams in Sawara Kiri's arms, and an exceptionally fragrant scent emanated from inside the eggshell, accompanied by a faint 'gurgling' sound, as if something was constantly moving inside.
"Crack."
When the uppermost eggshell was forcefully pushed open by something, a crisp cracking sound suddenly came from inside.
"Puff pop!"
Immediately following, a small thing with two bluish-purple horns hanging on either side emerged from the giant egg.
Pink eyes dotted with cross stars stared straight at him, and a pair of tender little hands grabbed the eggshell, instinctively crunching and chewing, like biting potato chips, not afraid of strangers at all.
That was a young girl who looked only three or four years old, with delicate white skin covered with gauze-like scales, short, thick eyebrows, and clear egg yolk still hanging on her face, setting off her pink and smooth cheeks. Long little fangs were exposed outside her lips as she gnawed on the eggshell, and pointed ears swayed back and forth with the chewing motion. Her small body wriggled out of the eggshell like a caterpillar until she pounced on him.
Then, naturally, she turned over, skillfully using him as a big bed to lie on, continuing to crunch and chew on the eggshell.
She was completely at ease.
Sawara Kiri lowered his head and stared at her in astonishment.
This SS-level reward gave him this?
Was he looking forward to it for nothing?
Although he could understand that the growth type was a mini version, wasn't this a bit too mini?
When would this little guy be able to fight with the Ōtsutsuki?
As if sensing his doubts, System Sis grumbled in annoyance.
「Having it is already good! Everything from S-level and above has to be raised by yourself, otherwise the various timelines would have collapsed long ago.」
Hearing this, Sawara Kiri couldn't help but be stunned.
He caught another keyword.
The various rewards he draws might also directly affect the survival of the timeline?
"What does the normal timeline look like?" Sawara Kiri tried to ask.
However, seemingly realizing that she had accidentally said something she shouldn't have, System Sis rarely didn't press her advantage, keeping her mouth tightly shut.
Seeing this, Sawara Kiri didn't pursue the matter further.
When she's not being crazy, System Sis's mouth is still very tight.
Just as Sawara Kiri was thinking about where to get some more Mind Node Points to raise this little guy to a usable level, a series of footsteps came from the room behind him.
Yuki still poked her head out unhappily, complaining: "Kiri! Don't play with the water, hurry up and get the child out after washing?!"
Sawara Yuki's face suddenly paled a little.
Sawara Kiri subconsciously stuffed the little Tiamat into the water, but unexpectedly, this little guy's strength was surprisingly great, stubbornly pushing his arm and popping her head out of the water, causing bursts of splashing water during the struggle. Those pink cross-shaped eyes stared straight in Yuki's direction again, with eggshell fragments still in her mouth, her pointed ears twitching rapidly, reaching out a small, stubby hand towards her.
"Goo ya!"
She was even greeting her.
When she noticed the various abnormalities of this little guy (huge horns, pointed ears, cross-shaped eyes), Yuki, who had just thought that Kiri and that bad woman had given birth to a child at lightning speed, suddenly realized—there wasn't enough time.
Moreover, this little guy was obviously not an ordinary person.
After calming down, Yuki's sharp gaze suddenly fell on Sawara Kiri:
"Where did it come from?!"
Sawara Kiri said with a straight face: "I picked it up! One of the surviving underground experimental subjects found after slaughtering an evil organization. Seeing her pitiful, I secretly brought her home. I was just thinking of washing her."
"Splash splash—"
Little Tiamat was obviously unwilling, chattering and clamoring while biting the eggshell, splashing water on his face with her little legs.
She was clearly drawn!
Hearing this, Yuki obviously believed him. The tense expression on her face relaxed a bit, and she complained in a low voice: "It's not like I wouldn't let you raise her. What were you doing secretly bringing her in? You could have just told me. Shizune happens to have a child too. Where did you put her just now?"
As she spoke, she walked closer, wanting to help Kiri lift the little guy up and wash her.
However, just after walking a few steps closer, the little Tiamat, who had just looked full of energy from afar, suddenly became a little timid, for some reason.
Without even saying hello, she suddenly shrank into Sawara Kiri's arms after Yuki approached, and suddenly disappeared like ink dissolving into water.
The two on either side of the pool were both stunned.
Sawara Kiri stared blankly.
Was this the so-called 「descending in the form of a 'Tailed Beast'」?
Yuki looked at her brother in astonishment.
Sawara Kiri's reaction was even faster, saying solemnly: "You see, what a peculiar Kekkei Genkai. She was born with it. That's how I brought her in just now."
Yuki stared straight at him, silent for a long time, and then suddenly sighed, as if she was already used to these little secrets of her brother, and said helplessly:
"Hurry up and wash, the food is ready."
"I won't wait for you if it gets cold."
"..."
"Yes~"
join p atreon.com/KeyofStars and become a Sequence 9: Reader for advance chapters | Every 100 powerstones = 1 extra chapter | Report issues @discord.com/GVBdncd9Wr