Another dull day drew to a close.
As the sun set, the forest behind Konoha was bathed in a thick orange-red hue.
Fragments of sunlight filtered through the canopy, casting dappled spots of light onto the damp moss.
Hoshi walked with his hands in his pockets, a blade of grass dangling lazily from his lips, his messy black hair swaying gently in the evening breeze.
His deep black eyes held a trace of laziness, making him look nothing like the black-market opportunist who had just “plundered” his classmates’ wallets on the training field.
“Bummer.
Postponing the rehabilitation center’s financial report tonight just to clear Ino-chan’s chakra pathways…
That’s a loss of at least tens of thousands of ryo.
Should I demand compensation later?” As Hoshi muttered to himself, a blonde figure was already waiting for him up ahead on the narrow path.
Ino Yamanaka had swapped her usual practical ninja outfit for a pale purple crop top, her long, slender legs glowing with a healthy radiance beneath the setting sun.
Her signature blonde hair was tied in a ponytail behind her head, with a few stray locks framing her face, adding a touch of maidenly bashfulness.
“Hoshi!
You came!” Seeing Hoshi’s figure, Ino’s eyes instantly lit up like a pair of tucked-away jewels.
“How could I break a promise to you, Ino-chan?” Hoshi flashed that trademark, disarming “Minato-style” smile.
He walked up to stand right in front of Ino, close enough to catch a subtle whiff of cosmos perfume clinging to her.
“Um…
how are we going to start?” Ino fidgeted nervously with her fingers, her heart pounding like a startled rabbit in her chest.
At the Ninja Academy, everyone trained in violent taijutsu; this kind of one-on-one “pathway clearing” sounded…
suggestive, especially to adolescents in Konoha who grew up fast.
“It’s simple.
The essence of the Mind Transfer Technique is the instantaneous exchange of mental energy and chakra.
The reason you feel a delay is that your Yin-attribute chakra experiences tiny spasms caused by emotional fluctuations whenever it passes through your central pathways.” Hoshi extended his right hand, a soft, soothing emerald-green light blooming in his palm.
It was the Palm Healing Jutsu.
But under Hoshi’s control, the light was far more concentrated than that of an average medical ninja, even faintly exuding the ethereal aura of Senjutsu chakra.
“Relax.
Close your eyes.” Hoshi kept his voice low, infused with a magnetic tone of quiet authority.
Ino obediently closed her eyes, her long eyelashes trembling slightly.
A moment later, she felt a warm, broad palm gently press against the back of her neck.
“Nnh…” Ino shuddered softly as a warm current, like spring rain nourishing the earth, surged down from the tenketsu in her neck, instantly sweeping through her whole body.
It felt as though long-accumulated exhaustion and dryness were instantly hydrated.
Guided by this current of chakra, her parched pathways seemed to hum with relief, like cracked earth drinking up a long-awaited rain.
“Don’t get distracted.
Feel the path of my chakra.” Hoshi leaned close to Ino’s ear.
His warm breath brushed against her earlobe, causing the young girl’s face to instantly flush bright red.
Yet Hoshi’s eyes remained exceptionally calm.
He really was helping Ino.
As Inoichi Yamanaka’s daughter, Ino’s future support capabilities would be an indispensable part of Konoha.
Through this method, he could not only help Ino boost her strength but also plant a seed of “absolute trust” in the young heiress of the Yamanaka family.
*Yin Seal, micro-adjust.* The mark on Hoshi’s forehead grew slightly warm.
Seizing the momentum, he increased the chakra flow, his fingers shifting precisely along several key tenketsu on Ino’s back.
Every press was perfectly placed, relieving muscle tension while breaking up the blockages in her chakra pathways.
“All done.” After about fifteen minutes, Hoshi withdrew his hand.
Ino was slumped limply against a large tree, panting heavily, her gaze dazed and dreamy.
The flush on her cheeks had spread all the way down to her neck, and her clothes were soaked with sweat—a small lotus bud just emerging from the water, not quite ready to bloom into full maturity.
“Hoshi…
I feel like my chakra speed is at least twice as fast now.” Feeling an unprecedented lightness in her body, Ino looked at Hoshi with eyes that held not just admiration, but a deep, growing infatuation.
“That’s just a normal reaction after consolidating your fundamentals.
Bummer, bummer, bummer…
Expending so much of my pure chakra means I’ll have to eat a huge feast tonight to recover.” Wiping the light sweat from his forehead, Hoshi returned to his usual sly, manipulative persona.
“Ino-chan, this was a ‘VIP Supreme Treatment,’ valued at a market price of 100,000 ryo.
But since you’re my first client, how about a massive discount—10,000 ryo?” “10,000 ryo?
I’d pay even if it were 100,000!” Ino excitedly grabbed Hoshi’s sleeve.
“Hoshi, can you…
clear my pathways regularly from now on?” “For regular customers, I offer monthly memberships.” Hoshi smoothly lifted a small bag of konpeito from Ino’s hands—candy she had prepared to thank him—which happened to be one of his favorite snacks.
Just as the atmosphere between them reached a peak of intimacy, a sharp snap came from the nearby bushes.
“Who’s there?!” Hoshi’s gaze instantly chilled.
With a flick of his wrist, three kunai flew out in a tight triangular formation toward the shadow.
“Ouch, ouch, ouch!
Kids these days really don’t know how to respect their elders.” Jiraiya crawled out of the bushes with an embarrassed grimace, rubbing his forehead where a branch had scratched him.
He had originally intended to return to the village to discuss Orochimaru with the Third Hokage, and dropped by the mountain to check on Tsunade’s new beloved disciple, only to stumble upon this scene.
“Jiraiya-sama?!” Ino gasped, blushing so hard she wanted to crawl into a hole.
She hurriedly straightened her disheveled clothes.
“Bummer, bummer, bummer…
Jiraiya-sama, your habit of ‘researching’ is getting worse by the day.” Hoshi shed his cold demeanor, looking at the old rascal with a headache.
“If Master finds out you were peeking at your juniors dating—err, peeking at your juniors training in the woods behind Konoha—your *Make-Out Paradise* supply might be cut off next quarter.” “Nonsense!
I was conducting strategic reconnaissance!” Jiraiya coughed guiltily, though his eyes darted teasingly between Hoshi and Ino.
“Still, kid, you’ve got that ‘deep chakra interaction’ technique down pat.
You really have Tsunade’s style from back in the day.
Care to teach me?
It’d be super helpful for my research!” Jiraiya walked up to Hoshi and lowered his voice.
“Nice taste, kid.
You’ve got my style from back in the day—” Hoshi’s eyes narrowed.
*Who’s like you?
A wimp who chased Tsunade since childhood, never even held her hand, and can only daydream.* “My taste has always been great.” Hoshi nodded, then pointed to the bushes behind Jiraiya.
“Jiraiya-sama, the patch you were hiding in is full of itchgrass.
Within half an hour, your whole body will break out in a rash.” “What?!” Jiraiya’s face changed dramatically, and he frantically jumped up, slapping at his pants.
Hoshi took Ino’s hand and activated the Body Flicker Jutsu, vanishing from the spot with a trail of crisp laughter.
“Jiraiya-sama, hope you have a wonderful night!
Ino, let me buy you ramen!”