Chapter 13: Man on Man?
After the fierce battle that repelled Zabuza, everyone realized their shortcomings and began special training.
On a clearing a few kilometers away, Sasuke and Sakura were panting as they climbed trees. Kakashi leaned against a tree stump, holding his copy of make-out tactics, chuckling from time to time.
As for Naruto, he had long since wandered off into the depths of the forest several kilometers away.
For a transmigrator with a system, this kind of tree-climbing training was child's play. After two tries, he could hang upside down from a tree like a monkey and sleep. Instead of wasting time here, he might as well go out and look for a so-called "encounter battle."
"If I remember correctly, that classic encounter should be around here, right?"
Naruto had a blade of wild grass in his mouth and his hands in his pockets. He walked casually, yet every step made no sound at all.
Suddenly, a gust of wind blew, carrying a faint scent of herbs into Naruto's nose.
He stopped in his tracks. His blue eyes narrowed instantly and then snapped wide open.
In the clearing ahead, a figure wearing a pale pink kimono was bending over, searching for something in the bushes.
Long black hair cascaded behind the figure like a waterfall, sliding down with the bending motion to reveal a section of fair neck. The pink clothes looked out of place in this somewhat eerie forest, yet they were breathtakingly beautiful.
That was Haku.
[Holy crap...]
[This is the legendary Haku? This isn't scientific!]
Naruto's inner world collapsed in an instant.
At the same time, the figure gathering herbs trembled slightly.
Haku had actually sensed someone approaching long ago, but to disguise himself as an "ordinary herb-gathering girl," he didn't turn around. That was until that familiar, nightmare-like golden heavenly curtain unfolded in his mind once again.
[ninja world sky screen: Connection Successful]
That male voice from yesterday, which had made him feel ashamed and indignant, was once again rampaging through his mental world with undisguised heat.
[Look at the curve of that waist, look at those exposed ankles... Is this skin even more tender than Hinata's? Can a man really grow up like this?]
[And that collarbone... even though only a little bit is visible, that sense of delicacy is definitely not something those rough-and-tumble Hidden MistNinjas could have!]
Haku's fingers suddenly tightened, nearly crushing the few herbs in his hand.
He didn't want to listen! Not at all!
But the heavenly curtain was like a parasite planted in his soul, broadcasting every one of Naruto's thoughts in high-definition and lossless quality. Even the desire to step forward and investigate was transmitted clearly.
[Old Man Kishimoto lied to me! At first glance, no matter how you look at it, this is a top-tier babe, right? What kind of man would have such a face that could bring ruin to nations and peoples?]
[Wait... Is this the so-called'someone this cute must be a boy'? No, no, Li Yi, you have to be calm! Your orientation is normal! You're a straight man!]
[But... if it really is a guy, looking like this... then would 'crossing swords' count as a sacrifice for art?]
Pfft!
A string in Haku's sanity finally snapped.
"Who wants to 'cross swords' with you?!"
Although he only dared to shout this in his heart, he could no longer remain calm in reality. The hand that was supposed to pick the Blood-stanching Herb jerked uncontrollably, and the basket of herbs spilled onto the ground with a "clatter."
For Haku, who was Lord Zabuza's most capable tool and possessed top-tier Ninja qualities, this was an impossible, low-level mistake.
He turned his head in a panic, only to run right into Naruto's large blue eyes, which were filled with "curiosity" and "conflict."
In that instant, Naruto's inner activity stalled for a second, then surged back with even greater intensity.
[Critical hit from the front view!]
[It's over, it's over. This look... this innocent expression mixed with a bit of panic, and a hint of shyness... my heart is melting.]
[I don't care anymore! Man or woman, I want this person! If he's a guy, then I'll just 'face the man head-on'! Who cares about gender these days? Beauty is justice!]
Haku's face instantly turned as red as a ripe tomato, the blush spreading down his neck all the way to his ears. He felt all the blood in his body rushing to his face.
This Konoha kid... what on earth is inside his head!
What "face the man head-on"? What "beauty is justice"?
How could he say such shameless things in his heart so righteously?
"Th... That..." Haku spoke with a slight stammer. His originally feminized voice for the disguise now sounded even more fragile and pleasant due to his nervousness. "Do you need something?"
Naruto also snapped back to his senses at this moment, hurriedly wiping away the drool that didn't actually exist, and putting on what he thought was a very handsome smile.
"Ah, haha, nothing, nothing! I just saw such a... such a beautiful big sister in this forest and was dazed for a moment!"
Naruto laughed it off while trying to step a few paces closer.
But in the heavenly curtain, his true intentions had long since been completely sold out.
[Closer, just a bit closer. Let me see clearly if there's an Adam's apple! That's the key evidence!]
[As long as there's no Adam's apple, even if the official guidebook says 'Male,' I won't believe it! I'd even accept it if it was gender reassignment surgery!]
Haku subconsciously took a step back, his hand holding the basket trembling slightly. He was now like an innocent little rabbit cornered by a big bad wolf—even though this "little rabbit" could kill ten big bad wolves in one move.
But in the battle on the spiritual level, Haku felt he had already been utterly defeated.
That feeling of having his clothes stripped away by the other's gaze, and even having his soul scrutinized through his flesh, made him feel unprecedented shame and panic.
What was even more terrifying was that when he heard the phrase "I'd even accept it if it was gender reassignment," a strange sense of... being touched welled up deep inside him?
No, this is definitely not being touched!
I'm just frightened by this kind of reckless "recognition"!
While Haku was still undergoing a fierce internal struggle, the familiar golden light flashed again in the corner of his vision.
[Detected that the host "Haku" is enduring the protagonist's "impulse to cross gender barriers" and "intense conflict between logic and hormones."]
[Emotional Judgment: Shame level MAX, sanity line on the verge of snapping. In the other's intense possessiveness that ignores ethics, you have for the first time felt a deeper sense of existence than being a "tool"—though this sense of existence is built upon "beauty."]
[Rewards are being issued...]
A strange and warm power instantly flowed through Haku's entire body. It wasn't as overbearing as the previous Ice Releaseenhancement; instead, it felt tingly and numb, like a warm spring breeze.
[Reward obtained: Physical Mutation: Innate Charm (Intermediate)]
[Description: Your beauty is no longer limited by gender perception. Whether the other person sees you as male or female, this attraction originating from the source of life will ignore all defenses. You are now a walking, humanoid hormone.]
Haku was stunned.
What kind of reward is this?!
Does this strange ability help in battle at all?
But in the next second, he was surprised to find that the gaze of the Naruto in front of him seemed to become even more burning. The sanity line that Naruto had barely managed to maintain seemed to have completely collapsed due to the addition of this new ability.
[I can't take it anymore! Who could resist this!]
[System! Give me a mission! I don't care if I have to cut off that hand or whatever, as long as I can give a hug to verify the truth, I'll do anything!]
[Ding!]
A red dialog box suddenly popped up in front of Naruto's eyes.
[Hidden Plot Triggered: When facing a top-tier being of "unknown gender," the host has shown a moving spirit of exploration and successfully pierced through the target's psychological defenses.]
[Detected that the target's emotional fluctuations are in a highly unstable state, suitable for taking advantage of the situation.]
[Congratulations to the host for obtaining an instant reward: Body Flicker Technique: Hidden Mist Footwork (Advanced Version: Close-quarters Combat)]
[Note: Convenient for closing the distance between you and the target in the shortest possible time—whether you want to fight or do something else.]
Naruto felt a sudden burst of power in his leg muscles, and his throat went dry.
He looked at the "pink girl" in front of him, whose face was so red it looked like it was about to drip water, and whose eyes were dodging his but who hadn't immediately run away. An impulse grew wildly like weeds.
"Um... big sister." Naruto finally walked within three paces of Haku, his voice trembling slightly. "Actually, I'm an orphan and haven't seen a sister since I was a child. You look so kind... could you... let me give you a hug?"
The air was deathly silent.
Even the birds chirping in the trees seemed to have stopped.
But Haku didn't move. Or rather, upon hearing the word "orphan," he saw in Naruto the same shadow of his former self—that coldness of being lonely and abandoned by the world.
Coupled with the wretched but real shouts in the heavenly curtain.
For some reason, the hands that were prepared to form seals to kill this lecher stopped in mid-air by some strange twist of fate.
"Just for a moment..." Haku's voice was as light as the wind. "And... I am..."
He was just about to speak the cruel truth.
But Naruto, as if afraid to hear that word, suddenly interrupted him, closed his eyes tight, and charged forward with open arms like he was heading to his death.
"Don't talk! Feel it with your heart!"
Thump.
Two figures collided in the morning mist-filled forest.
Haku's body was as stiff as a block of ice.
While Naruto buried his face in that herb-scented embrace, only one thought remained in his mind, frantically flashing.
[It must be soft! It must be soft!]