After watching Rin personally swallow the pill, Nohara Haruto finally let out a breath of relief.
Rin did not know just how precious that pill was.
It was so valuable that even Haruto himself would not have been willing to take it.
If she ever reached the verge of death, this pill would lock away one last trace of her life force and preserve her life for seven days, preventing her from truly dying.
That would give him enough time to intervene and save her.
After all, as someone who had read the original story, the thing he had always worried about most was the day Rin might throw herself onto Kakashi’s Chidori.
As her older brother, he would never allow his sister to leave him forever in such a way.
Even though he had always been extremely confident in his medical skills, he had still been planning all along to exchange for a Fourth-Grade Nine-Turn Heart-Protecting Pill from the system for Rin.
Just in case something unexpected happened.
After swallowing the pill, Nohara Rin opened her large brown eyes and blinked hard at Nohara Haruto.
Then she began acting spoiled.
“Brother, can you come to the yard and practice shuriken with me?”
“These past two days, I saw that Kakashi from my team has already become a chūnin.
His strength is really much higher than mine and Obito’s.
I want to become a little stronger too.”
Unable to resist Nohara Rin’s pleading, Haruto rubbed her shoulder-length hair and could only agree.
“All right.
It’s good to improve your strength a little.
That way, you’ll be safer if you run into danger on missions later.”
Under the moonlight, the two of them went into the courtyard and began training.
…
The night was dark and heavy, like endless ink spread thickly across the sky.
Only a few faint stars flickered from time to time.
Konoha’s streets were like a calm river, winding beneath the dense shadows of the trees.
Only the leaves, rustling softly in the night wind, seemed to remember the liveliness and bustle of the day.
After a long day of activity, the people of the village gradually fell asleep.
Early the next morning, the sun rose from the horizon.
Light spilled over the earth, and the sky slowly shifted from pale dawn-white to a deeper blue.
Nohara Rin had woken up early and prepared breakfast.
The fragrance of morning food filled the house.
When Nohara Haruto returned from his morning training and stepped inside, he immediately felt his stomach go empty.
His hunger grew stronger, and he wanted nothing more than to sit down and eat right away.
“Brother, hurry up and take a shower before eating!
Otherwise, the food will get cold!”
“Mm, all right.”
Nohara Haruto nodded.
He quickly took a shower, and before his hair had even dried, he sat down impatiently to eat breakfast.
While Haruto was chewing in large bites and immersing himself in the world of delicious food, Nohara Rin was eating much less than usual.
She looked as if something was weighing on her mind.
“What’s wrong?
You’re eating so little today.
Are you sick?”
Nohara Haruto frowned, his tone carrying concern.
“N-No, I…”
Nohara Rin spoke hesitantly, her expression somewhat restrained.
“Is there something you can’t even tell your brother?”
Nohara Haruto smiled gently.
Only toward his younger sister would he show such a soft expression.
“I…”
Nohara Rin lightly bit her pink lower lip with her small white teeth.
She still seemed too embarrassed to speak.
“Could it be that my little girl has started developing spring feelings?”
Nohara Haruto spoke in a joking tone, but in reality, his eyes had already narrowed slightly, revealing a dangerous aura.
If anyone familiar with him from his previous life had seen that expression, their heart would have already begun trembling as they calculated how to escape the scene.
Because in the next second, the sky might collapse and a volcano might erupt.
Clearly, he was already unhappy.
Very unhappy.
But at this moment, Nohara Rin had her head lowered, so she did not see the vicious glint in Haruto’s eyes.
She lowered her head and denied his guess.
“No, Brother… how could I…”
Her voice was as faint as a mosquito’s buzz.
“Then is someone bullying you?”
Nohara Haruto’s expression improved slightly.
If that was the case, things would actually be much simpler.
Someone dared bully Nohara Rin?
Then he just had to beat them up.
“Mm… sort of.”
Seeing that her brother had already started asking, Rin finally gathered her courage and confessed everything to him.
“There’s a boy who says he likes me, and he keeps bothering me.
It’s getting really annoying…”
“I didn’t want to tell you about something like this at first.
I thought I could handle it by myself.
But that boy keeps sticking to me like a plaster.
It’s giving me a headache.”
Nohara Rin sighed softly.
She knew her brother was busy, so she had not wanted to trouble him with such a small matter.
But today, she still had to go out with Teacher Minato to carry out missions around the village.
And after the missions were completed and they disbanded, that guy would probably find her again…
“It’s that brat Uchiha Obito?”
Nohara Haruto raised an eyebrow.
A cold smile tugged at his lips, and his eyes filled with disdain.
He stretched out his fist and cracked his knuckles.
Most people only knew that his medical skills were exceptional.
Very few had ever seen him truly take action.
Even Nohara Rin did not know what level his real strength had reached.
It seemed…
Today, he could loosen his muscles properly.
Haruto sneered.
As expected, that brat Uchiha Obito was no good.
Right now, Obito was nothing more than a stinking little brat.
Haruto did not take him seriously at all.
If he beat him, then he beat him.
The Uchiha Clan would not even dare make a sound.
They would not offend him over some random brat.
“Don’t worry.
I’ll help you properly deal with that kid today.”
Nohara Haruto patted Rin’s shoulder and gave her his guarantee.
Nohara Rin’s face turned awkward, and she hurriedly waved her hands.
“No, Brother… it’s not Uchiha Obito.
It’s Inuzuka Hirono from the Inuzuka Clan…”
“Ah…?”
Nohara Haruto froze awkwardly for a moment.
Then he could not help muttering in his heart,
Where did this side character come from…?