Chapter 17: This Touch, It's Soft!
On the bridge, Naruto tightly hugged Haku's waist, looking like he was going all out, determined to protect the person in his arms.
And Haku, in his arms, had a complex expression on her face at this moment.
Her cheeks were flushed, and while there was touched emotion in her eyes, a hint of being stuck between laughter and tears played at the corners of her mouth.
All these emotions were written on her newly revealed face. Especially since the heavenly curtainwas still replaying the inner thoughts about "knowing a man and going for it" and "Zabuzataking maternity leave"; as they reached her ears, her heart, which had been trained since childhood to be as calm as an ancient well, began to pound wildly.
If she didn't do something soon, that strange idea called "Nantong" in this Blonde Youth's head would probably become a reality.
"Um..."
Haku spoke softly; though her voice was weak, it was firm.
Instead of breaking free from Naruto's embrace, she reached out and gently grasped the large hand Naruto had clamped around her waist.
"What are you doing?" Naruto was stunned for a moment, his eyes still warily fixed on Zabuza in the distance. "Don't be afraid. Is that guy Zabuzaglaring at you? Ignore him; from now on, follow me..."
Before he could finish, he felt his hand being guided by a light yet undeniable force, slowly moving upward.
The hand passed the waist, slid over the ribs, and finally stopped at a strange place.
The surroundings suddenly fell silent.
Naruto's pupils first constricted to a point, then suddenly dilated. His breathing stopped, his mind buzzed, and everything went blank.
[Wait... what is this?]
Through the not-so-thin Ninja uniform, a soft sensation reached his palm, and it was even elastic.
[It's soft!]
In Naruto's inner world, Li Yi, who had been prepared to "clash bayonets," knelt directly on the ground, hands raised to the sky, and let out a shout.
[Holy crap! It's soft, it's really soft!]
[Hahaha, Kishimoto, you old liar! But I love this scam to death. What's with 'drawing a girl and insisting it's a boy'? This is clearly a genuine girl!]
[Thank God! To hell with 'clashing bayonets.' Throw the bayonet away, I'm changing equipment! I want the kind of heavy equipment that also takes lives, but in a completely different way!]
Although Haku was so embarrassed she wanted to find a hole to crawl into, she couldn't help but laugh upon hearing Naruto's heartfelt joy and his strange thoughts of switching from bayonets to "heavy equipment" through the heavenly curtain.
Although this person's thoughts were improper, the joy that erupted because she was a girl was not fake at all.
"Because Lord Zabuza needs a sharp tool, and a tool... doesn't need a gender."
Haku explained softly with a blushing face, her eyes watery. "So I've always used a male identity. But since it's you..."
"To hell with 'tools'!"
Naruto abruptly pulled his hand back; although he was reluctant, his movements were very gentle and cautious, for fear of hurting the person in his arms.
He raised his hand and gently wiped away the tear stains from the corners of Haku's eyes, looking at that face flushed with embarrassment.
[Listen to that! Is that even human? What do you mean 'doesn't need a gender'?]
[Zabuza, that blind fool! Keeping such a girl by his side for so many years and actually raising her as a brother?]
[I've really found a treasure!]
[From today on, your name isn't Haku anymore; it's Little Haku!]
Not far away, Sasuke was struggling to prop himself up when he saw this scene, and he almost spat out another mouthful of old blood.
He... he touched it?
Not only did he hug her, but he also touched her in public?
And what was with that "I hit the jackpot" expression on his face after touching her?
Sasuke felt it was better to just lie back down and play dead. The world was too chaotic; an Uchiha's brain couldn't keep up.
[Ding!]
Just as Naruto was still foolishly rejoicing that "my wife is actually a girl," the familiar blue panel in front of him finally flashed with golden light.
Even the system seemed to lag for a moment due to this massive plot twist.
[Detected that host Li Yi has successfully solved one of the Ninja World's great unsolved mysteries: Haku's gender.]
[Achieved Epic Achievement: 'Knowing he's a man and going for it' transformed into... Wait? She's a girl!]
[After target Haku felt your 'touch authentication,' her inner defenses collapsed, and she developed expectations for the future that transcend master and servant.]
[Rewards are being calculated...]
[Congratulations to the host for obtaining a heavenly curtain exclusive reward (Haku): Special Bond - The Vow of Never Betrayal]
[Effect: No matter what you do in the future, she will be your loyal accomplice. As long as she is there, your Absolute Defense exists.]
[Congratulations to the host for obtaining the system's special grand prize: S-rank hand-seal-less Ninjutsu - Rasengan (Initiation Version)!]
[Description: As a future Hokage, how can you not have a 'ball' in your hand? To celebrate that this touch reached into the future, the system spares you the painful process of watching water balloons or even rubber balls, and directly initiates you. Now, go and spin that big ball that can not only scrub backs but also scrub people to death!]
With a buzz, a wonderful sensation of how Chakraflows flooded directly into Naruto's mind.
He instantly understood how to rotate, compress, and maintain Chakra, and then blast it out in one go. Those Chakra control techniques he couldn't grasp before suddenly became his instinct. Narutofelt his right palm longing to find something to vent this power on.
He took a deep breath, the crimson in his eyes receding slightly and turning back to blue, but the confidence in his gaze was even stronger than in his Nine-Tailed mode just now.
He looked back at Zabuza in the distance, who was already dumbfounded.
Before, Zabuza only thought something was wrong with his tool, but now he watched as Haku leaned into Naruto's arms, showing a young girl's demeanor, even pressing Naruto's hand against...
Wait, that's...?
Zabuza's eyes widened.
He seemed to suddenly understand why he had felt Haku was a bit strange at times over the years.
"Hey, bandage man."
Naruto still had one arm around Haku while slowly raising his other hand, palm upward.
A very arrogant smile curled on his lips, but in Haku's eyes, this smile was incredibly cool.
"Although I thank you for raising her so big for me..."
[Even if it was such a rough way of raising her.]
"But you're too blind. Such a fine piece of jade, and you actually used her as a tool to block blades?"
In Naruto's palm, Chakra began to converge at high speed.
"From today on, she and her gender are under my management. Even what color stockings she wears in the future will be up to me."
A blue ball of light rotated at high speed in Naruto's palm, appearing out of thin air with astonishing pressure. The surrounding air seemed to be torn apart, making a piercing sound.
Rasengan
Kakashi Hatake was suddenly jolted out of his "make-out tactics" state, his exposed dead-fish eye bulging as if it were about to fall out.
"That technique... that's... Sensei's...?"
"Impossible! How could that dead last know that technique!"
The whole place fell silent.
Only Naruto's inner voice seemed to be declaring sovereignty.
[Zabuza, look closely!]
[If you can withstand this ball called "This is my wife," I'll respect you as a man.]
[But I think... you, an outdated former member of the Seven Swordsmen, are probably going to be finished under this one spin!]
Held by Naruto, Haku looked at the blue ball of light and listened to the domineering inner thoughts in her mind, feeling waves of warmth from the large hand at her waist.
Even if she didn't know what the future held, and even if their positions were still those of enemies.
At this moment, she closed her eyes and gently rubbed against Naruto's chest, a happy smile appearing on her lips.
"Yes... if it's for you, wearing those things called stockings... is okay too."
The voice was very small, but amidst the whistling of the Rasengan, Naruto still heard it.
Compared to the ball in his hand, Naruto felt his brain buzz, and he couldn't think of anything anymore.
This is what damn life is supposed to be like.