T/N:
Thank you, Özgür Akın , for joining my Patreon and supporting the journey!
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"It's my turn, what a drag..." Shikamaru Nara, with his hair tied in a topknot, lazily placed his hands behind his head and walked to the center of the arena.
From the Sound Village, only Kin Tsuchi remained. She had been sitting next to Furen, and before heading to the arena, she shot him a loving glance.
Furen smiled back at her, and Kin Tsuchi suddenly heard Furen's voice in her mind.
"Don't worry, I'll help you."
Furen had used the Mind Body Disturbance Technique to send part of his consciousness into Kin Tsuchi's body.
Kin looked curiously at Furen. His mouth wasn't moving, but his voice echoed in her mind: "It's a bit strange, but since it's Furen's voice, there's nothing to worry about."
Standing in front of Shikamaru, Kin Tsuchi waited quietly for the referee to give the signal.
"Ugh... such a drag. Fighting a girl feels troublesome," Shikamaru muttered, hands in his pockets and looking as unenthusiastic as ever.
Furen's voice echoed again in Kin Tsuchi's mind: "His jutsu can control shadows. Be careful of his shadow."
"Understood," Kin replied inwardly, feeling a wave of warmth.
"Let the match begin!" announced Hayate Gekko, the referee, holding a clipboard with his usual expression of weariness.
As soon as the match began, Shikamaru formed a hand sign and immediately used his clan's signature jutsu.
Ninja Art: Shadow Imitation Technique!
Under the sunlight, Shikamaru's shadow stretched toward Kin Tsuchi like a living entity, rushing across the ground.
Kin was startled, but thanks to Furen's earlier warning, she quickly dodged to the side, avoiding the shadow's grasp.
After sidestepping the Shadow Imitation, Kin Tsuchi reached into her pouch and pulled out two senbon, each with bells attached to their ends. She threw them toward Shikamaru.
Shikamaru ducked, dodging the ringing senbon. He looked at Kin with a hint of mockery in his expression.
"Really? That's such an old trick. You throw two senbon with bells attached to grab my attention, then follow up by throwing another two—one with a bell and one without. The idea is to make your opponent dodge based on the sound, so they get hit by the silent one, right?"
Kin smiled but didn't respond. She simply threw two more senbon, and this time, the bells jingled behind Shikamaru.
By habit, Shikamaru turned his head toward the sound, only to see two bells suspended in mid-air. These bells were still attached to the senbon she had thrown earlier, and were connected to her by thin wires. When Kin pulled the wires, the bells jingled again.
"I've been tricked!" Shikamaru realized, but it was too late—Kin's senbon pierced his shoulder.
Kin, pleased with herself, looked up at Furen in the audience, her expression like that of a child hoping for praise. However, Furen's face was stern.
Just as Kin was about to check on Shikamaru, she realized that her body couldn't move.
Shikamaru, now crouching, slowly stood up. "You still fell for my Shadow Imitation Technique."
Kin's mind raced. "Could it be... he used the thin wires from my bells to link his shadow to mine?!"
Furen's voice echoed in her mind again: "You little scatterbrain, I told you to be careful."
Kin bit her lip, feeling a bit embarrassed.
"No worries, I've got you," Furen reassured her.
Shikamaru sighed, "Too bad. You lost," and prepared to proceed with his next move.
Suddenly, without any warning, the sky grew dark. Clouds gathered, casting shadows over the arena, and the once sunny day turned gloomy.
Shikamaru, hands still forming the seal for his jutsu, stared up in shock. "What the...?"
With the weather turning cloudy, Shikamaru could no longer use his shadow techniques effectively.
Feeling the effects of the Shadow Imitation release, Kin didn't hesitate. She immediately grabbed a handful of senbon and threw them all at Shikamaru.
"Furen's amazing..." Kin thought to herself, knowing it was him who had helped her.
Having worked under Orochimaru for so many years, Kin had never relied on anyone before. She had always needed to depend on herself to get what she wanted. But now, for the first time, she had found someone she could truly rely on.
Kin Tsuchi's favorability toward you +20%
The system's voice rang out in Furen's mind, surprising him: "Wasn't Kin's favorability already at 100%? It can still increase?!"
Kin Tsuchi's current favorability: 120% (5 remaining reward draws)
Ding!
Congratulations, host, on unlocking the post-100% favorability bar.
Host: Tsukiyo Furen
Kin Tsuchi: Favorability 120% (5 remaining reward draws)
Koyuki Kazahana: Favorability 100%
Haku: Favorability 100%
Haruno Sakura: Favorability 94%
Yamanaka Ino: Favorability 95%
Favorability Breakdown:
25% Favorability: She has a good impression of you.
50% Favorability: You are her dream lover, the best candidate for a relationship.
75% Favorability: If you ask, she will become your girlfriend.
100% Favorability: She deeply desires to marry you.
120% Favorability: She will fulfill any request you make, as long as it's within her capability.
150% Favorability: She will do anything for you.
200% Favorability: She is willing to die for you.
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T/N:
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