The next morning, Ruichi felt completely numb.
Half of his body felt as if it had been struck by sleep paralysis—heavy, stiff, and so numb he had almost lost all sensation. Anko was wrapped around him without the slightest bit of decorum, one leg boldly draped across his waist and abdomen. A thin trail of drool glistened at the corner of her mouth, soaking into his clothes.
"…Well, I guess I've experienced it now. Sleeping while holding someone isn't nearly as nice as it looks in the shows."
Ruichi sighed and carefully pulled his arm out of Anko's embrace. What should have felt soft and warm instead sent sharp, needle-like pain shooting through his completely numb limb.
"Ah—!"
With a short yelp, Anko jolted awake and scrambled to the opposite corner of the Earth Style shelter.
"Morning, Anko," Ruichi said while flexing his abused arm. "Sleep well? You drooled all over my clothes."
"Y-you're talking nonsense! I didn't drool!" Anko hastily wiped the corner of her mouth.
"Sure, sure. Whatever you say."
Ignoring her, Ruichi pulled ingredients from his backpack and started making breakfast.
"Earth Style: Griddle. Fire Style: Barbecue."
Before long, two hot, simple scallion pancakes were ready.
Anko shuffled over awkwardly, took the pancake Ruichi handed her, and ate in small bites. She had to admit it—this kid's cooking was genuinely good.
"Anko," Ruichi suddenly said, "what happened last night can't happen again."
"Cough—cough!" Anko nearly choked, her face flushing red. "I-I told you, that was an accident!"
Ruichi looked at her seriously. "I know it was an accident. But you can't keep relying on me to suppress the Cursed Seal. That only treats the symptoms, not the root cause."
"Then what do you want me to do?" Anko snapped. "That thing was planted by Orochimaru. Who else can deal with it besides him?"
Years of torment had long since crushed any hope she had of truly getting rid of the Cursed Seal.
"Maybe I can."
"…Huh?" Anko froze, wondering if she had misheard.
"I can't remove the Cursed Seal itself," Ruichi said calmly, "but I can teach you how to control it."
After finishing his pancake, Ruichi began explaining.
"In my view, the Cursed Seal is basically a device that automatically absorbs Natural Energy without discrimination. Unrefined Natural Energy is violent and hard to control. The pain you feel whenever it flares up is that energy rampaging through your body and damaging your chakra pathways."
"Then why are you fine?"
"Maybe my body automatically organizes Natural Energy. Or maybe it just gets assimilated the moment it enters—I honestly don't know. Either way, it doesn't hurt me."
"You're just cheating…" Anko muttered resentfully.
"Either way, instead of resisting the Natural Energy, you need to guide and organize it. First, calm down and try to sense it."
Before she could respond, Ruichi stepped behind her and placed his palm on the Cursed Seal at the back of her neck.
Anko stiffened. A warm current spread from the point of contact, flowing through her entire body.
This was the first time she had felt Ruichi's Natural Energy while fully conscious. Her body resisted at first, but quickly adapted—and soon, it even felt… comfortable.
She could sense its form, feel it moving inside her. More than that, she could actually guide it with her will.
"Th-this… how is this possible?" Anko whispered. "I… I can control it?"
"Incredible, right?" Ruichi said calmly. "But this is just the first step. Think of it like horses. What you're controlling now is a gentle pony. The Cursed Seal gives you a wild, violent horse with no reins. Your job is to put reins on it and turn it into a warhorse that obeys you."
He withdrew his hand.
"But take it slowly. This is dangerous. For now, practice guiding the Natural Energy I gave you. Once you're proficient, we'll move on to guiding the energy released by the Cursed Seal itself."
Before that, I'll need to deal with the hidden danger inside the seal… If I remember correctly, it required the Evil Sealing Method. What a pain. I'll handle it after we return to the village.
Watching Ruichi's calm, matter-of-fact expression, Anko felt her worldview shatter.
A Cursed Seal left behind by Orochimaru—one of the Legendary Sannin—something even the so-called Professor of Ninjutsu couldn't solve… and to him, it was no more difficult than teaching someone how to ride a horse?
Feeling the lingering warmth inside her body, Anko couldn't help recalling last night's agony—and the overwhelming sense of security she felt while holding him.
Maybe… he really could do it.
…
After packing their things, the two set off once more.
The atmosphere between them had become subtly different.
Anko still slung an arm around Ruichi's shoulders as boisterously as ever, but from time to time her eyes showed awe, curiosity, and an emotion she couldn't quite describe.
It felt like she hadn't taught him anything at all. Instead, Ruichi had taught her about the Cursed Seal—something on par with an S-rank forbidden technique.
Her position as a "teacher" now felt purely nominal.
So… what exactly was their relationship now?
Heading north, they arrived at a lively town that afternoon.
With a town came lodging—and a chance to gather information about Jiraiya.
As they walked down the street, Ruichi's gaze was suddenly drawn to a large poster plastered on a wall.
It was a movie promotion. On the edge of the poster was a woman with long hime-cut hair and a cold, melancholic aura. Beside her image was her stage name—Yukie Fujikaze.
Yukie Fujikaze… Koyuki Kazahana? I see. Timing-wise, she really would've debuted by now—just not famous yet.
Ruichi didn't stop. The Land of Snow and the entertainment world had nothing to do with their mission.
Two hours later, the two returned to their hotel room without any useful leads.
"So," Anko said, arms crossed, "why did you book a double room?"
"…To save money?"
"A double room is one thing. But why is it a single large bed? You planning to sleep while holding me again?"
"…Isn't that to keep your Cursed Seal from acting up?"
"If we slept in two separate rooms, wouldn't that stop it too?"
"Ah! Stop nagging!" Anko snapped. "Are you even a man? You won't lose a piece of flesh sleeping together! Or what—are you afraid you'll do something to me, or that I'll do something to you?"
Before Ruichi could get annoyed, Anko got angry first, leaving him completely baffled by her unreasonable outburst.
"…Anko, does this really not bother you?"
"We're ninja," she said stiffly. "If it's necessary during a mission… then it's all for the mission."
Whether she was convincing him or herself was unclear.
In the end, neither side backed down. Anko refused to change rooms, and Ruichi refused to share the bed. Instead, he used Earth Style to create a simple stone bed beside it.
That night, Anko's Cursed Seal flared up again. She instinctively wrapped herself around Ruichi, and in the end, they were forced to sleep pressed together once more.
And so, stopping and traveling along the way, the two finally arrived at the hot spring resort in the Land of Hot Springs a week later.
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