Chapter 158: Where is a Suitable Place for the Tattoo?
"That's right, Sakura."
Akiyama Makoto covered his face. "You've forgotten the past, forgotten our loving history. I—"
Hearing the tremble in his voice, Sakura was moved. Just as she was about to step forward, he continued, "I can't keep this act up."
Only then did she realize she'd been thinking in the wrong direction. She rushed forward, intending to put pressure on him as usual. But then she felt something was wrong. Her own, much fuller figure seemed to be giving him a free show.
"W-Wait! What on earth is going on? Why does this all feel so real?"
Sakura crossed her arms over her chest and held her legs tightly together. While she was roughhousing with him just now, she had a strange feeling, as if her body was already familiar with all of this.
He naturally couldn't say that at this point, they were already an old married couple. He had edited that part of the simulation memory out. He didn't want the real-world Sakura to lose her youthful, lively cuteness just yet.
So, he could only say, "This is my genjutsu. It's normal for it to feel a little strange. After all, I don't know what you'll look like in the future."
"So you're the one who turned me into this?" she asked tentatively.
He knew what she was really asking. "That's right," he said. "In my eyes, this is how sexy and beautiful you will be in the future."
Sakura's cheeks flushed crimson. Only then did she bravely stand up and admire her own appearance, even striking a few poses like a movie star. Unlike the fully mature Sakura from his memory, the current Sakura had a shy, youthful awkwardness, like the feeling he got the first time they achieved the "great harmony." This made him unable to resist giving her a thumbs-up.
She also smiled triumphantly. She admitted that her current appearance was very much in line with her own expectations, and that this was also his expectation of her. The fusion of these two expectations had already given her the urge to grow up sooner.
Afterward, he even took out a mirror and let her admire herself in it. A full half an hour passed before she said, still wanting more, "Can we go out and see the current Konoha? Also—"
She really wanted to ask how Tenten and the others were doing, if they had grown up like her, and if they were still his girlfriends.
But he just shook his head regretfully. "It's just the two of us here."
"Ah—...—"
Sakura stared at him blankly, feeling as if she understood something.
She shyly lowered her head, her breathing gradually quickening, but she still mustered her courage. "Since this is your genjutsu, and we've become adults, then—"
"Then it's time to train, Sakura."
"Huh?"
She looked up, puzzled, only to see him expertly strike a few poses, and then spit water at her with a Water Style jutsu.
The soaking wet Sakura raised her fist in anger and, with a roar, swung at this boy who would never grow up, a complete waste of her feelings.
Then she was shocked to find that her strength seemed to be terrifyingly great. Even though he had taken a defensive stance, she still sent him flying.
He grimaced and shook his arm. He hadn't used any defensive techniques just now, but had purely taken the hit head-on to experience her strength. It was clear that in terms of pure strength, she was now stronger than him. This was the gap brought by a two-point difference in their stat panels.
But other than that, she didn't know anything else. Her knowledge was consistent with her real-world self, which was also the result of his deliberate editing. He wanted her to learn here, not to have knowledge directly poured into her. Learning ability was also a kind of ability, and it couldn't be acquired through infusion. In the future, she would still have to research medical ninjutsu with him.
"My strength—"
Sakura curled her fist, puzzled.
Seeing that the time was right, he explained everything to her.
Her interest was piqued. "I get it!" she said excitedly. "I can experience my grown-up talents here, decide my own learning path, and then bring the experience back to reality?"
"Actually, it's more than that. When we return to reality, I'll also give you a gift."
"Okay!"
He had given her such a precious opportunity. She naturally wouldn't waste any more time.
As for what she would learn today, he didn't plan on teaching her anything too complicated.
First was one-handed seals. This wasn't actually that difficult; it mainly depended on one's chakra control and ability to multitask. Conveniently, her Hand Seal stat of 9 and her Mind-Mirror Image talent already completely met the conditions. The only thing left was the issue of proficiency in reality.
Next were the Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique and the Sly Mind Affect Technique. These two genjutsu, one D-rank and one C-rank, were not difficult for the current her to learn.
Finally was to combine the above parts, allowing her to achieve dual-casting of genjutsu under a "dual-core" Mind-Mirror drive. Of course, once she had grasped this, she herself would have almost no need to fear genjutsu, unless the opponent could detect that her mind was split in two, or could hypnotize both parts of her mind at once.
As for higher-level techniques like the Yin Seal and the Illusion-Breaking Seal, it was still too early for her. It wouldn't be too late for her to come into contact with them after he brought Tsunade back to Konoha.
After realizing her own talent, she trained with one hundred percent enthusiasm. With his hand-in-hand guidance, she quickly mastered the knack. The only thing left was the matter of proficiency.
She looked at him with shining eyes, as if she still wanted to learn more.
He stroked his chin and thought for a while, then simply taught her the Shadow Clone and Water Clone as well. It would be a bit of a strain for her to use the Shadow Clone now, but the Water Clone, which only had one-tenth of the main body's strength and used very little chakra, could be used often.
She then threw herself into her studies. After several hours of learning in the dreamscape, she had finally mastered the knack.
"Alright, don't bite off more than you can chew. That's enough for now."
"Next, we'll return to reality."
But at this moment, she grabbed him, wanting to say something but hesitating.
He smiled and whispered in her ear, "Don't be in a hurry, Sakura."
"I haven't seen enough of your pure and cute appearance yet. We have plenty of time in the future."
Her face turned the color of a pig's liver. She buried her head in his chest and closed her eyes.
When she came to her senses, the two of them were back in her room. Only a moment had passed in reality, but in the dreamscape, she felt as if she had been practicing for almost a whole day.
"—Amazing!"
In the end, this was the only word she could use to describe her experience.
She then tried to form a one-handed seal. Although it was still clumsy, it actually succeeded. Seeing the shadow clone beside her, her excitement was almost palpable.
"Makoto-kun," she said impatiently, "you said you had a gift for me. What is it?"
"About that..." He looked at the time. "How about we talk about it tomorrow?"
"No! I want it now!"
"Alright. Sit cross-legged."
Seeing his serious expression, she knew this gift was extraordinary. She immediately dispelled her clone and focused all her attention.
He also took a deep breath. "This is another ability I've awakened. I can leave a sealing formula on a person's body, and through this formula, continuously produce a special kind of chakra."
"This chakra can make your body healthier and stronger, speed up your development, and maintain your youth. At a critical moment, you can also release the power within it to perform medical ninjutsu, which will have a powerful healing effect."
He had originally wanted to talk about its principles and possible risks, but she had already tightly gripped his hand. "I want to learn it," she said.
"But—"
"Don't say it. Let's do it, quickly! I want to learn it!"
Just for the sake of "faster development" and "eternal youth," even the her of this time could not refuse such a temptation. As for the cost... this was a ninjutsu he was giving her. If it were truly dangerous, would he let her take the risk? This was the confidence she had in him.
"Alright—"
He began to look her up and down. She looked at her own body, puzzled. Was there something strange?
Only then did he say, "The sealing formula will leave a mark in the end. I don't want it to be exposed, where it can be discovered by others."
"At the same time, I also want to place it in a relatively safe place where it won't be easily injured by mistake. Where do you think would be a suitable place to put the tattoo?"
She understood. She looked at herself, front and back, and her recently calmed heart was once again in a mess.
Considering everything he had said, should she choose her chest or her back?
❃❃❃
⤑ 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