An explanation?
How am I even supposed to explain this?
Kei Yamanaka couldn't very well tell Tsunade that he had simply blurted out nonsense and tried to take her down with one [Genjutsu].
Considering the situation back then, the only possible reason he could think of for Tsunade tracking him down and attacking him must have been the rumors spreading through the village about him and Kushina.
The problem was, he couldn't really explain those rumors even if he wanted to, and Tsunade didn't seem like someone who wanted to hear explanations anyway.
So should he have let her attack instead, while waiting for her to demolish his house?
Later on, when Kei Yamanaka heard from Kushina that Tsunade had come looking for him simply because she hadn't managed to borrow money from Kushina?
After thinking it over briefly, Kei finally understood.
Was Tsunade really short on cash?
As currently the strongest medical ninja in the ninja world and one of Konoha's Sannin,
If she simply let it be known that she was broke, people wouldn't just lend her money—they'd practically give it to her for free.
But at this point, Tsunade wasn't yet as completely irresponsible as in the original story.
She only dropped her guard around family.
Therefore, upon seeing Kushina believe some man's words and seriously analyzing which loans were acceptable and which weren't, again warning her against gambling, Tsunade decided to come check things out herself.
This woman... she came here to check out her sister's future husband!
Kei Yamanaka struggled to keep his expression neutral. At least right now, he seriously wanted to hide his face and bolt.
What a miscalculation!
Earlier, he had just focused on preventing this violent woman from wrecking his home.
If he had known better, he should've shown more patience and traded a few more techniques with her.
Maybe if he'd let her test things enough, they could've just sat down together for dinner?
"Oh~Onee-san Tsunade~ I heard Master Jiraiya and Master Orochimaru have returned too! Let's invite them over tonight and hang out?"
Noticing her boyfriend's awkward expression, Kushina quickly stepped forward, linked arms with Tsunade, and cheerfully changed the subject.
"Pfft—what fun could I possibly have with those two? They aren't even as interesting as this kid's Genjutsu."
Tsunade huffed in mild annoyance but allowed Kushina to pull her toward the sofa.
She got it now.
Kushina's heart belonged entirely to this boy; she wouldn't bear to see him suffer the slightest injustice.
Hmph… women in love… hopeless.
"So after dinner tonight, can I treat you, Onee-san Tsunade?"
Kei cautiously offered.
Tsunade gave him a "At least you know your place" look before patting her flat stomach and giving Kushina a meaningful glance that clearly said, You know what I mean.
She had overslept that morning and skipped breakfast. From noon onward, she had been wreaking havoc inside the Genjutsu world.
Now that night had fallen and she hadn't eaten all day, she worried she might actually lose some weight.
"I'll handle it! I'll handle it!"
Kei promptly sprang up from the couch and headed straight toward the kitchen.
After all, this was essentially meeting Kushina's family for the first time.
Initially misunderstanding the situation and taking her mentor down with a single [Genjutsu] was understandable.
But if he didn't even offer her a meal now, that would be going too far.
Besides, if Kushina went to cook, he'd be stuck here having awkward small talk with Tsunade.
This...
He was afraid his toes might get worn out.
"Big Sis Tsunade, do you remember that announcement the village put out a while back?" Kushina asked, amused at seeing her boyfriend run off in panic, Kushina turned the conversation toward Tsunade instead.
"Announcement? Who cares about that stuff."
"The one related to the Uzumaki clan!"
"Ohhh... And then what?"
"This time Kei and that girl Namie—oh, I mean Minato Namikaze—went out on a mission together, and they brought back a girl from the Uzumaki clan named Uzumaki Honoka. Apparently, she's dating Minato Namikaze..."
"Again? Why does everyone in your clan go for blondes?"
"What do you mean, 'huh?'"
"What do you mean, 'huh?' Do you only care about looks when choosing a boyfriend? If I recall..."
The two girls, one older and one younger, whispered softly to each other in the living room.
From where he stood, Kei Yamanaka overheard bits of their conversation, nearly rolling his eyes skyward.
Why does she keep saying "everyone likes blondes"?
His hair is gold! Pure gold!
Plus... we're practically family already—how did it come to this?
Future big sis, c'mon—we don't even have the same hair color!
"Whatever, I'll let you off this time since you did call me handsome earlier."
Muttering under his breath, Kei decided to let his future big sis off the hook this time.
Turning around, he opened the fridge to grab some veggies and meat for dinner, all while glancing at his system interface.
He still had three Keyword Draws left—unused and waiting.
"System, draw already!"
[Congratulations, Host! You've obtained the following skills: Blue-Tier – 'A Single Pregnancy, Nine Treasures'; Gray-Rank – 'Own Nothing'; and White-Rank – 'Expired Milk'.]
[A Single Pregnancy, Nine Treasures (Blue)]: Innate Holy Body of Childbirth. Increases pregnancy chance; slightly boosts odds of twins, triplets, quadruplets… all the way up to nonuplets. Enhances postpartum recovery speed and chances of conceiving again.
[Own Nothing (Gray)]: A soul plagued by misfortune. No matter how hard he tries to improve himself, certain key assets will gradually shrink below five centimeters over time, significantly increasing chances of being looked down upon by partners, breaking up, divorcing, or feeling inferior.
[Expired Milk (White)]: When performing Medical Ninjutsu, the nature of the technique undergoes subtle, unpredictable shifts. Slightly improves medical ninjutsu control and healing effectiveness. May cause short-term, mild side effects in patients.
One Blue, one Gray, one White...
Kei pursed his lips, instinctively glancing toward Kushina and Tsunade whispering in the living room.
Their relationship had only just begun—was it really time to think about having kids already?
And besides, one or two would be manageable.
Diaper changes, feedings, lullabies—two people should manage just fine.
"A Single Pregnancy, Nine Treasures"—was this definitely not some kind of curse?
Childbirth is already difficult enough for women. Giving birth to nine at once? Even a C-section could be deadly!
Even if she made it through safely...
Nine hungry babies wailing nearby—what the hell would they even do?
Kei shuddered hard. He couldn't even bear to imagine it anymore. This skill felt worse than a Black-Tier Curse!
And there was also [Own Nothing]...
The first time he saw it, Kei Yamanaka thought it might be something that drained his luck.
But...
It was worse than [A Single Pregnancy, Nine Treasures]—way worse!
And it specifically noted, "Even with effort to change, things will ultimately shrink." Did that mean even Orochimaru's Soft Physique Modification wouldn't work?
Kei Yamanaka glanced down at himself and breathed a silent sigh of relief—his own package was impressively generous. Otherwise, that would've been truly terrifying.
As for the final effect—it was [Expired Milk].
This probably wasn't great news for a Medical Ninja either. Maybe. Possibly. Kind of.
Although it boosted control over Medical Ninjutsu and improved healing effects, the short-term side effects were just too...
"Did I forget to wash my hands? Or have I just been an ass too many times lately?"
Kei Yamanaka looked silently at his hands, currently busy washing vegetables, and immediately dismissed the thought that had just popped into his mind.
This definitely wasn't his fault.
Absolutely not!
He was someone who loved the village—well, enough to secretly stab the Root leader in the back—cared about his comrades—hooked Minato up with dates—and helped others out—like getting the Nine-Tails to crack a smile—even doted on his apprentices—by turning the Three Little Troublemakers into unpaid interns. So how could he possibly be the problem?
If there was a problem, it had to be the system.
That cursed system was broken from day one!
Since obtaining this system, he'd drawn plenty of skill listings already—how many actually useful ones had he gotten?!
Yep. Every last bit of it. The system's fault. All of it.
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