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"Really?"
Koshiro exchanged a surprised glance with Lisa, both seeing the astonishment in each other's eyes.
They hadn't expected Kaito to have such an incredible ability.
"So, both my wife and I meet the requirements for your... favorability level? Wait, can you actually see how much people like you? Doesn't that mean you can easily tell who's a friend or an enemy?" Koshiro asked, his voice tinged with disbelief.
He couldn't help but think this ability was downright strange.
To think someone could gauge emotions and loyalty so easily—it was almost absurd. But then again, given the bizarre powers granted by Devil Fruits in this world, maybe it wasn't so unbelievable.
Still... was this really a Devil Fruit ability?
Could it be a Contract-Contract Fruit?
But that didn't explain the spatial manipulation he'd witnessed earlier.
Or perhaps... could Kaito be a dual-fruit user?
Koshiro's head spun with all the possibilities. Deciding it was too much to figure out, he set the thoughts aside.
Personally, he didn't mind entering into a contract, but his wife's opinion mattered most.
"Actually, it's not just you two," Kaito added with a smile. "Even Tashigi has reached the required favorability level. And Kuina—once she learns about everything that happened today—should also qualify. Her favorability was already quite high before this."
"Really?"
Koshiro and Lisa looked down at Tashigi, who was nestled in Lisa's arms.
Tashigi blinked her wide, innocent eyes and looked up at her parents before turning to Kaito. She nodded firmly.
"I like Big Brother Kaito the most! If it wasn't for him, Mommy wouldn't have gotten better, and Daddy wouldn't have found us!"
Hearing this, Koshiro and Lisa couldn't help but chuckle.
They understood why Tashigi was so attached to Kaito, even after meeting him just once.
"Lisa, what do you think?" Koshiro asked, looking at his wife. "Kaito's character isn't in question, and I don't have any objections. But this decision is up to you."
Lisa glanced at Kaito, then smiled warmly.
"Didn't Kaito say before? We're family. Signing a contract is just formalizing that. The pros and cons are clear, and I trust he wouldn't harm us. Let's do it. Maybe we should test it out first?"
Though she was willing, there was still a hint of caution in her tone—it was their first time meeting, after all.
Koshiro understood her reasoning and nodded in agreement.
"Alright, Kaito, what do we need to do?"
"It's simple," Kaito said, conjuring two intricate runes from the center of his brow. The symbols floated in the air, shimmering faintly.
"Just touch these runes and agree to the contract in your mind."
Lisa and Koshiro looked at each other before reaching out with a finger to touch the runes.
The moment they made contact, a voice echoed in their minds, explaining the contract's terms and asking for confirmation.
"Agree," they both said silently.
The runes dissolved into streaks of light, entering their hands and traveling up to their brows before vanishing into their consciousness.
In the next instant, a torrent of knowledge rushed into their minds—fragments of the past and future of the Pirate World, glimpses of another realm, and the benefits of being a contract member: access to chakra refinement techniques, health enhancement methods, and even the possibility of extended lifespan.
For a while, the two stood in silence, absorbing the flood of information.
When they opened their eyes, both were visibly shaken.
"Wow," Lisa muttered, looking at Koshiro. "So... you're from another world?" Her voice dropped as she said the last part. "Wait, I can't say it out loud?"
She realized immediately that certain information was restricted, likely due to the terms of the contract.
"Oh, this must be the information limitation. That's incredible!"
Then, her expression turned serious.
"Dear, let's have Tashigi contract as well. And Kuina—she needs to know about Kaito saving me and reuniting us so she can also qualify."
Koshiro hesitated for a moment before nodding.
"Alright," he said, turning to Kaito. "Thank you for everything. I'll go get Kuina right away."
With that, he quickly left the room.
A short while later, he returned with Kuina, who looked puzzled as she followed him in.
Koshiro wasted no time introducing her to Lisa, explaining how Kaito had healed Lisa and brought their family back together.
"Are you really my mom?" Kuina asked hesitantly, her voice trembling as she looked at Lisa.
When Lisa and Koshiro had separated, Kuina had been just a baby. She had no memory of her mother's face.
"Yes, Kuina, my precious daughter. I'm your mother," Lisa said, her voice choked with emotion. Tears welled up in her eyes as she set Tashigi down and carefully pulled Kuina into her arms.
Tears streamed down Lisa's face as her body shook with emotion.
At long last, she had been reunited with her other daughter.
From the moment they were separated, she had regretted leaving Kuina behind. That regret had turned into a deep-seated pain that never left her.
But now, they were together again.
This regret was the root of her obsession and the illness in her heart.
Now, finally, that obsession and resentment were completely resolved.
After a while, Kuina reluctantly pulled away from her mother and then greeted Tashigi, taking her little sister's hand. Smiling brightly, she turned to Kaito and gave a slight bow.
"Senior Brother Kaito! Thank you for helping me find my mom and sister!"
"Heh, no need to thank me! That's just what an older brother should do!" Kaito replied with a carefree wave.
Using his ability to check, he saw that Kuina's affection level toward him had now reached 88 points. Perfect.
"How is it?" Koshiro and Lisa asked nervously.
"She's met the requirements! The contract can be formed!" Kaito confirmed with a nod.
"That's great!" Both parents were overjoyed.
"Huh? What's going on?" Kuina asked, confused.
Unlike her, Tashigi already knew about the contract. She eagerly explained, "After Dad and Mom made the contract with Big Brother Kaito, they were super happy and shocked. Now, they want us to make one with him too!"
"It must be because they got a huge benefit and took advantage of him! Hmph!" Tashigi added with a pout, shooting her parents a side-eye full of disdain.
Lisa and Koshiro couldn't help but feel embarrassed. It wasn't that they were opportunistic; they were just being cautious and protective of their daughters, wanting to test things out first.
"Oh, I see," Kuina nodded, understanding. She looked at Kaito with curiosity. "Senior Brother, can we form the contract now?"
She couldn't help but feel excited. Just the thought of gaining space-related abilities was enough to make her eager. Recently, she had seen Mikoto and the others using teleportation and storage techniques, and even Kushina had taken her on a few teleportation trips around the village. Kuina had been utterly amazed.
She'd assumed those powers were innate, but to think they all came from Kaito's ability! If she'd known, she would have maxed out her affection level with him ages ago. Who could resist teleportation and storage powers?
"And me! I want it too!" Tashigi chimed in, raising her hand eagerly.
"Of course! You know the process. Just touch the sigil and agree in your mind," Kaito said, forming two intricate sigils and preparing to send them over.
"Wait a moment!" Koshiro interjected. "Can you limit the information about our world and yours that they'll receive for now? They're still young, and knowing too much wouldn't be good for them. Please?"
He'd only just realized this concern. Kuina and Tashigi were only four years old, far too young to handle the burden of too much knowledge.
"You're right," Kaito said after a brief pause. "My apologies for overlooking that. I'll seal most of the information in their sigils for now. When you think they're ready, I can help unseal it."
"I'll also exclude the Life Force Technique. They're too young for it, so this technique would be unnecessary and might even have adverse effects."
This small adjustment was well within his power.
"That's perfect! Thank you!" Koshiro and Lisa both agreed, relief evident in their expressions. This arrangement was ideal.
"Alright!" Kaito nodded, spending a few minutes sealing unnecessary information into the sigils. Once everything was set, he sent the sigils to Kuina and Tashigi.
"All done! Go ahead and form the contract!" he said.
"Thank you, Senior Brother (Big Brother)!" The two girls nodded obediently, each reaching out to touch a sigil with their finger.
The sigils dissolved into streams of light, entering through their fingers and traveling up their arms until settling in the centers of their brows. Instinctively, they closed their eyes, processing the influx of knowledge.
After some time, they opened their eyes and looked at each other in awe.
"So amazing! Senior Brother (Big Brother) Kaito is really from another world?" they exclaimed in unison.
"Heh, yep!" Kaito chuckled, nodding.
"Can we go visit your world?" Kuina asked, curiosity lighting up her eyes.
Tashigi looked just as hopeful.
"You can, but only if I or someone like Mikoto takes you. That world isn't safe, so you can't go on your own," Kaito explained.
He added a restriction to their interdimensional travel, just to be safe. "Alright, it's set. You'll need supervision to cross worlds."
"Okay! When can we go?" the two little ones asked excitedly, unconcerned about the restriction. They understood it was for their own good.
"How about tomorrow morning? I'll take some time to show you around the Shinobi World," Kaito suggested. He then turned to Koshiro and Lisa. "Master, Madam, why don't you join us too?"
"Absolutely!" Lisa and Koshiro agreed enthusiastically. The whole family was on board.
Afterward, Kuina and Tashigi spent some more time chatting with Kaito, asking about some of the things they had learned through the contract. Eventually, Lisa led them away, leaving Koshiro to sit with Kaito for a private conversation.
Pouring tea for them both, Koshiro hesitated before finally asking, "Kaito, in the information about the future, is it true that Kuina would have died at age 10 from such a ridiculous accident?"
His voice wavered slightly, and Kaito could sense his unease.
"Master, you don't need to worry," Kaito said, shaking his head with a reassuring smile. "From the moment I arrived, the future has been changing."
"Now that you've all formed contracts with me, things are even safer. Meditation Technique, and Refined Chakra Techniques, Kuina will be so physically strong by the time she's ten that even if a massive boulder crushed her, it'd probably only leave a scratch!"
"Besides, I've set up a safeguard for all contract members. If they're ever in life-threatening danger, they'll automatically be teleported to the dimensional space for safety. There's no way anything could happen to her."
Koshiro let out a long breath, relief washing over him. A smile spread across his face. "I see now. I was overthinking it. You really have thought of everything, Kaito."
"With this, my wife and I can rest easy. But please, continue to guide my daughters in their training. I don't expect them to become invincible; I just want them to live happy, peaceful lives. Of course, if they can grow strong while staying safe, even better!" he added with a laugh.
Thinking of Kuina inheriting his dream of becoming the world's greatest swordsman, Koshiro couldn't help but feel a deep sense of satisfaction.
Perhaps, in this way, everything was falling into place.
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.
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