And regarding my stats, the situation was as follows: [Status] Name: Naruto Uzumaki Title: — Class: Paladin v.2 Level: 19 (EXP: 304 / 1900) HP: 2260 / 2260 MP (Chakra): 3712 / 3712 Chakra Control: -36 STR: 142 VIT: 106 INT: 42 WIS: — AGI: 89 LUK: — [Unallocated Points: 140] [Traits: Demon, Jinchuriki v.2, Uzumaki, Orphan, Experienced Rescuer, Apprentice Li Shuwen, I Am Wood, I’m a Ram, Strongman I, Resilient I, Gamer+] [Passive Skills: Stealth (Lv.
99), Butler (Lv.
34), Masochist (Lv.
81), Cold Gaze (Lv.
23), Iron Fists (Lv.
79), Observe (Lv.
39), Intuition (Lv.
1)] [Active Skills: Divine Voice (Lv.
1), Talk no Jutsu (Lv.
21), Rhetoric (Lv.
29), Sphere Boundary, No Second Strike – Two Strikes Are Not Needed, Secret Martian Style Technique: Series of Endless Slaps] Not the most advanced stats, and they were growing agonizingly slowly now.
I feared that basic-level training and the Academy curriculum could offer me very little moving forward.
My only real hopes were sparring matches and eventually learning Ninjutsu.
My morning meditations were still paying off, though; I was grasping the concept of “harmony” more and more, and my chakra control was improving.
Yeah, “improving”—it still hadn’t crawled out of the negatives.
I was also amused by the evolution of Singing into Divine Voice.
I had to admit, I genuinely sang very well now, but I was slightly weirded out by the “5% chance to charm a female opponent whose reputation with you is above ‘Hatred'” modifier attached to it.
The System was still perfectly in character.
Having finished reviewing my status, I finally noticed a foreign presence in the room.
It was strange that I hadn’t noticed it immediately—the harmony of the hospital room hadn’t radiated the tranquility and quiet of solitude, it was diluted by…
Harmony?
Li Shuwen, you are a terrible influence on me…
or maybe it was just a side effect of getting kicked in the head.
I lowered my gaze and saw Ino sitting in a chair by the bed, softly snoring, her head resting on the very edge of my mattress.
Wow…
On autopilot, I reached out and gently began stroking the blonde’s hair.
If I thought about it, she was the most “domestic” out of all the girls surrounding me right now.
Well, Hana was similar, but I interacted with her far less.
Ino wasn’t as fierce and pushy as the Uchiha, she wasn’t “slightly unhinged” like Hitomi, and she wasn’t emotionally distant like Yugao.
Honestly, wasn’t she the ideal choice for a wife?
From that perspective, only Hinata might be better, but I had no intention of poaching someone else’s canon wife.
There my thoughts go again.
Lee really hit me hard.
Maybe I should actually ask Guy for some training?
Not the Strong Fist style, just general physical conditioning to turn myself into a monster too.
But I needed to start getting dressed and head to class, since I had evidently recovered.
I was about to gently shake Ino awake when I noticed she wasn’t actually asleep anymore—she was just basking in having her hair stroked.
The dead giveaway was her breathing; it was no longer the steady rhythm of a sleeper, and the percentage points on her affection meter were slowly ticking up.
Well, since we were having such a peaceful moment, I might as well grind a bit more reputation.
“Naruto!
How are you holding up?!” Before I could even finish the thought, Kiba burst into the room…
which was perfectly in character for him.
Good thing he didn’t tear the door off its hinges.
Then again, this was a hospital for shinobi; the doors here were probably reinforced.
“I’ll come back later,” Kiba said, taking in the scene.
I choked on air.
Kiba?
Showing tact?
What was the world coming to?
But on the other hand, there it was—a true friend.
He instantly grasped the situation and backed off, even though he was genuinely worried about my health.
Yeah, all points firmly in the positive; he was a good guy.
Maybe I should help him out with Hinata?
He was literally the only person who didn’t notice how she felt about him.
I had even confirmed it with Shikamaru…
right before I had to perform the Heimlich maneuver on a choking Nara, whose mind had been utterly blown by the fact that I had noticed the situation.
I kind of wanted to strangle the little bastard then!
Before I could finish that thought, I heard a whining sound from the hallway, and Saya and Aya walked in, looking distinctly displeased.
It seemed Kiba had tried to guard the door to let me rest, but he was no match for two Uchiha.
However, they froze on the threshold, their eyes bulging at the sight of Ino so intensely that I half-expected them to awaken the Sharingan right then and there!
And as if that wasn’t enough, upon seeing her rivals, the blonde devil decided to stop pretending to sleep and deliver a critical hit.
“Thank you, that felt wonderful.
I wouldn’t mind doing it again sometime, since you offered,” Ino said as she stood up.
She kissed me on the cheek for good measure and walked out of the room with the absolute aura of a victor.
I offered?!
You completely twisted the situation!
(Meanwhile, out in the hallway, Kiba was picking himself up off the floor just in time to see a completely red-faced blonde march out of his friend’s room wearing a triumphant smile).
Well, it was an absolute miracle the twins hadn’t unlocked the Sharingan just now.
I was going to spank that little devil.
Actually, no, I couldn’t do that.
It wasn’t appropriate for our current relationship status.
First, I had to grow up, officially start dating her, and then spank her…
I needed to make a note of that so I wouldn’t forget.
“How are you feeling?” the twins asked in unison, completely ignoring the fact that they had just seen Ino.
Oh no, please no, don’t start that brain-melting way of talking.
“We were so…” Saya started.
“…worried about you!” Aya continued.
“Especially when you…” Saya again.
“…flew out of the ring like a bullet…” Aya picked it up.
“…and smashed into the wall!” Saya finished.
Yes, when they finished each other’s sentences like that, and their voices came from two different directions, my brain started to boil.
And I wasn’t the only one.
This pair actively used it as a psychological weapon.
That “quiet Japanese wife” completely set me up.
Ino, my grudge against you has grown immeasurably, and I don’t care that you just maxed out your second heart.
Yeah, and the System had provided an incredibly funny screenshot: a kiss on the cheek framed against the background of two furious, wide-eyed Uchiha.
It was practically a declaration of war.
“What…” Saya started again.
“…kind of jutsu…” Aya.
“…did you use?” Saya finished.
Somebody save me!
“What do you mean?” I honestly had no idea what jutsu they were talking about.
“Well, when you…” Aya.
“…managed to react to Lee’s kick…” Saya made my eyes go wide.
I didn’t react to it!
“…and used something!” Aya finished.
That didn’t make things any clearer.
“Yeah, and after that, Lee said your forehead was like steel and limped (!) back into the Academy.” Kiba, who had been eavesdropping, finally rejoined the conversation, sticking his head back into the room and saving my brain from the Uchihas’ stereo assault.
Thank you, friend!
Hmm, he hurt his leg on my forehead?
Hahahaha!
That wasn’t a jutsu, that was the I’m a Ram trait!
Seriously, that trait never ceased to amaze me.
Alright, time to get up.
I felt perfectly fine, and there were no negative debuffs in my status window.
I was good to go.
I threw off the blanket and…
“Ah!” the twins squealed simultaneously, turning bright red.
“You could at least cover up.” Kiba facepalmed.
…Which bastard took my clothes off?
And why didn’t they give me a hospital gown?!
Meanwhile, Might Guy.
“I feel like I forgot something,” the Jonin muttered thoughtfully, having recently left the bedside of his student’s victim.
The hospital staff hadn’t wanted to let him personally tend to Naruto, but the Power of Youth simply wouldn’t allow him to abandon his duty.
After all, his student had nearly crippled the boy, and the blame ultimately lay with him—Might Guy—for overestimating Naruto and mistaking the boy’s potential for realized strength.
Though, if the boy ever asked to be his student, Guy wouldn’t mind training him…
in the name of the Power of Youth!
Passing shinobi violently veered out of his path as Might Guy manifested another of his bizarre quirks: a blazing sunset materialized behind him, and it wasn’t a Genjutsu.
But really, what else could you expect from Konoha’s Green Beast?