Chapter 151: A New Simulation, Creating Genjutsu Sakura
Let's rewind the time by one minute.
Naruto saw Sakura come in and was about to go over and chat her up.
But Sasuke unceremoniously grabbed his shoulder. "Don't bother her," he said impatiently.
"Huh? What's it to you if I talk to Sakura? You're not even her friend!"
"Sakura's business indeed has nothing to do with me. But it does have to do with him. You want to make him unhappy?"
Naruto's face stiffened. He naturally knew who Sasuke was talking about. A few days ago, he wouldn't have even cared about the name "Akiyama Makoto." But after the incident with Mizuki, he understood that Makoto surpassed him not just in strength, but in character.
However, how could Naruto possibly admit defeat to Sasuke just like that? He found a random excuse, grabbed Sasuke by the collar, and was about to start a fight.
It just so happened that at this moment, someone who was fooling around rushed over and bumped into Naruto's shoulder. And thus, a famous scene was born.
Sakura and Ino had disgusted looks on their faces. They then looked at each other, surprised by the other's reaction, and then laughed helplessly. Akiyama Makoto had completely changed them, making them look down on all the boys their age in their class.
As for Hinata, she was looking down, still savoring the feeling of being held by him, and hadn't noticed any of this. It wasn't until the whole class burst into laughter that she belatedly looked up, confused.
Akiyama Makoto had also sensed the whole process.
He had indeed left the front of the school, but he hadn't gone far. Instead, he had used his sensory ability to wait for the girls' team assignments to be over. He had to make sure that the butterfly effect he had set in motion hadn't altered their life trajectories.
But as it turned out, the ripples he had created were not yet large enough. They hadn't even been able to shake the famous scene between Sasuke and Naruto that even he didn't dare to look at directly.
After confirming that everything was as usual, he returned to his home. The following parts were just the team members' self-introductions and such. There was no need for him to go and watch.
However, he didn't know that he had thus missed several small "famous scenes" created by the ripples he had started.
Team 7.
"My name is Haruno Sakura. The thing I like... or rather, the person I like..."
Sakura was still hesitating whether she should say it, but seeing Naruto's expectant gaze, she said without hesitation, "It's Makoto-kun. Kakashi-sensei should know him, right?"
"Ah, it's impossible not to know him. That said, you really dared to say it. I have to say, I'm impressed," Kakashi said.
Sakura lifted her chin proudly. He had already confessed to her. What was the harm in saying it out loud?
Naruto was dejected. Sasuke, on the other hand, gave Sakura a second look. It seemed that in the future, he would have to protect her well if there was danger, and then use that as an excuse to learn more ninjutsu from Makoto.
Team 8.
"My name is Hyūga Hinata. I'm skilled in the Gentle Fist and Byakugan observation. Please take care of me."
"I don't have anything I particularly like. I spend most of my time training. What I want to do in the future... I want to be a good wife."
Kurenai looked at Hinata's shy appearance and suddenly felt a little envious. "You already want to be a wife? Then who's the husband?"
"Huh? D-Do I have to say that too? It's... Makoto-kun."
Kiba said with dissatisfaction, "Hey, hey, he's not even here! Stop with the PDA, okay? I don't want to eat Akamaru's dog food."
Aburame Shino also nodded in agreement.
Hinata quickly apologized. "I'm sorry! I won't say that I like Makoto-kun in front of everyone again!"
The three of them were speechless. A girl in love was truly a hopeless case.
Team 10.
"Do we really need to introduce ourselves? I know everything about these two, right down to when they were still wetting the bed."
Ino rested her chin in her hand, looking completely bored. After all, the combination of their team was hardly a surprise.
Asuma said helplessly, "Just pretend you're introducing yourselves to me... alright, I'm very familiar with you all too. But let's just go through the motions."
"For your sake, Asuma-sensei... I'm Yamanaka Ino. My future goal is to inherit the flower shop and become a great ninja."
"As for what I like—"
Before she could finish, Chōji interrupted. "Makoto-kun, right?"
"Definitely," Shikamaru chimed in.
And then both of them had their ears twisted by Ino. "The person I like is for me to say! Who asked you two to do it for me!"
The three of them bickered, completely ignoring the dark expression on Asuma's face. It was one thing for Kurenai to have a falling out with him because of that boy, but was Ino also this infatuated with him?
"Ino, I have a question."
She was taken aback. "Asuma-sensei, what do you want to ask?"
"Ahem. I heard he caused quite a stir yesterday. Even after he did that, you still have no complaints?"
Ino helplessly covered her face. So even her Jōnin instructor knew about it. But on this issue, she would not back down. Their own squabbles were their own business. She would not allow an outsider to interfere in her feelings.
So she smiled politely and said, "Asuma-sensei, you shouldn't pry too much into a girl's private affairs. You'll be disliked."
Asuma's face grew even darker.
Returning to Makoto's side, after he got home, he began to make final preparations for today's simulation. At the same time, he was on guard for the possibility of several parents showing up at his door this afternoon.
But to his confusion, not only did Inoichi not appear, but Tenten's and Sakura's parents didn't either. Did they not know about it, or did they just not plan on making trouble for him for the time being?
After thinking about it, he felt it was the latter. Although he had caused quite a stir, it was all limited to a verbal romance, without too much physical action. This was essentially no different from Sakura and Ino playing house in the academy—at least, that's what their parents probably thought for now.
Of course, Hinata was an exception. Unless he failed to grow, his relationship with her was basically set in stone.
The sun slowly set, and he quietly ate dinner by himself. The house was unusually empty today, a good opportunity for a simulation. As for Yūgao on the distant roof, he pretended not to see her. She was here on a mission, and he wouldn't interfere with her completing it. It was just that she could no longer casually use her sensory ability to spy on him, because he had already set up a formula in his room to block perception. If Hiruzen asked, he would just say it was a little self-protection trick he had begged from Kurenai via Anko. With his current influence, Hiruzen certainly wouldn't say much.
Next up was the simulation with Sakura. He still planned to invest 5 simulation attempts. The goal this time was to improve her strength, ensure she could pass the Chūnin Exams with ease, and try not to waste any attempts.
He called up his and Sakura's panels. First, his own.
Eight Ninja Stats: Ninjutsu: 8, Taijutsu: 8, Genjutsu: 10, Intelligence: 8, Strength: 7, Speed: 8, Stamina: 8, Hand Seals: 9. Total: 66 points.
Chakra Natures: Intermediate Earth & Water Release; Advanced Fire, Yang, & Yin Release.
Special Talents: Advanced Chakra Sensory, Advanced Space-Time, Intermediate Natural Energy Adaptation, Low-grade Mind-Mirror Image, Low-grade Spirit Amplitude, Low-grade Wood Style, Low-grade Cell Activation.
Next was Sakura's panel. The detailed data no longer needed to be concerned with, because in terms of both stats and talents, she was now completely crushed by him.
Then it was time to consider which attributes to lock.
The Genjutsu stat was a no-brainer; he couldn't miss this. After the simulation, Sakura would directly possess a Genjutsu 10 attribute, and then she could resonate with him to further raise his own Genjutsu ceiling. Although he didn't know how to use it yet, he would definitely be able to in the future.
Next was the Advanced Yin Release talent. Since she would have a Genjutsu 10 stat, wouldn't it be a waste not to learn some genjutsu?
As for Yang Release, he didn't need to consider it for now, because she wouldn't need to learn jutsu like the Yin Seal before the Chūnin Exams. At most, she could learn a little medical ninjutsu for emergencies.
There were still two fixed chances left. He ultimately chose Hand Seals 9 and the Advanced Chakra Sensory talent. With a 9 in Hand Seals, it would be a breeze for her to cast genjutsu or learn medical ninjutsu in the future. As for the sensory talent, it was because their small team had no sensory ninja, so it would also make up for her shortcomings.
With this configuration, she would surely pass the Chūnin Exams with ease. As for her remaining attributes, it wouldn't be too late to help her fill them in after he had maxed out all his own panels.
As was customary, he created a shadow clone, and then began this simulation.
[Simulation starting...]
[Remaining Simulation Attempts: 40]
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