Chapter 16: What's Wrong With Going for a Man?
In the cage formed by the Ice Release mirrors, the air was bone-chillingly cold.
Just a moment ago, in order to block the dense rain of senbon for Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke had fallen heavily into a pool of blood.
"Naruto... Naruto... You idiot..."
Uchiha Sasuke's hand hung down limply. Those eyes, usually filled with pride, were tightly shut now, and the rise and fall of his chest were so faint they were almost imperceptible.
If it were the original Naruto, he would likely have been overwhelmed by anger and sorrow by now, letting the Nine-Tailed's Chakra run wild.
But the one standing here was Li Yi.
He looked down at the feigning-death Uchiha Sasuke, feeling no ripples in his heart, and even felt like awarding this dedicated Two-Pillar an Oscar.
[Not bad, Two-Pillar, that act of playing the victim and blocking the knife gets full marks! Sleep soundly; although you look like a hedgehog, that Haku is soft-hearted and avoided all your vital points.]
[Now that this melodrama is over, it's time for my highlight moment.]
Complaining internally, Naruto's body trembled on the outside. An ominous red Chakra seeped from his abdomen, wrapping around his entire body with astonishing heat, causing the surrounding air to distort.
Opposite him, Haku stood inside the Ice Releasemirror, watching this scene with cold eyes, like a tool without emotions.
"He also wanted to protect someone important, but unfortunately... for the sake of Lord Zabuza's dream, you must die."
Haku raised his senbon, preparing to deliver the final blow.
"What dream..."
A low, suppressed roar squeezed out from Naruto's throat. He suddenly raised his head; those originally azure eyes were now vertical, crimson beast pupils, and the whisker markings on his cheeks became rough and wild.
His gaze swept past the fallen Uchiha Sasuke and locked onto Haku inside the mirror.
There was no killing intent in that gaze, only a kind of... obsession that made Haku tremble more than killing intent ever could.
Boom!
The bridge deck beneath his feet instantly cracked. Naruto's figure turned into a red afterimage and vanished from the spot in an instant.
"What?!" Haku's pupils constricted, and he subconsciously tried to shift between the Ice Release mirrors.
But it was too late.
Naruto's punch, carrying terrifying Chakra, didn't strike Haku's body but instead slammed heavily into the edge of the Ice Release mirror reflecting Haku's true form! More accurately, he grabbed the figure that was about to escape.
Crack!
The hard ice surface shattered, along with the Hidden Mist mask on Haku's face.
Clatter... Fragments scattered in all directions.
The violent aura that had been enveloping Narutopaused for a split second when the face beneath the mask was fully revealed.
Long hair cascaded down, revealing an excessively delicate face. Even with blood at the corner of his mouth and shock in his eyes, he was breathtakingly beautiful. His skin was fair, his brows and eyes were pretty; it was a beauty that transcended gender, enough to silence the battlefield of slaughter.
Haku was stunned; he hadn't expected his true face to be exposed to this youth in such a way.
At this moment, the [ninja world sky screen] in his mind, which had been silent for a moment, erupted with a roar like a landslide or tsunami, nearly shattering his sanity.
[Holy sh*t—!!]
[This f*cking thing is a guy? This f*cking thing is actually a guy? No! I don't accept it! Even if Kishimoto himself came to draw this, it couldn't possibly be a guy!]
[Screw the one, two, three! Screw ethics and morality!]
Naruto's eyes remained crimson, but burning deep within them was a fanatical possessiveness capable of melting anyone!
[So what if he really has a d*ck? So what if he pulls out something bigger than mine?]
[Such a beautiful face, if used as a tool by a brute like Zabuza, that's simply a crime against the aesthetics of all mankind!]
[I, Li Yi, am putting it on the line today! What's wrong with going for a man? I'm willing to sword-fight! As long as you're bold enough, Zabuza can take maternity leave! This person is mine! Even the King of Heaven can't touch a single hair on him!]
Boom—!!
This declaration from the depths of his soul struck like a thunderbolt, directly splitting Haku's mind.
His whole body stiffened. The hand that should have seized the opportunity to counterattack was now trembling so much it couldn't even hold a senbon steady.
What did it mean... to be willing to "sword-fight"?
What did it mean... to "go for a man"?
If these savage, brazen words had come from anyone else, Haku might have felt disgusted and insulted.
But through the sky screen, what Haku felt was the intense and pure emotion in Naruto's heart.
It was genuinely not minding. It was genuinely wanting him.
This feeling of being domineeringly and desperately desired, for Haku who had been treated as a monster since childhood and existed only as Zabuza's tool, was an unprecedented shock.
Never had anyone... never had anyone said such things to him. Not needing his Bloodline Limit, not needing his killing skills, but simply desiring him as a person (although to a large extent, it was lusting after his body).
A sense of bitterness and a warm current simultaneously breached Haku's mental defenses, which were named "tool."
"You..."
Haku opened his mouth, his originally cold voice becoming dry and trembling. That face, which usually only wore a professional fake smile, was now flushed crimson, and as his gaze shifted, there was a charm never seen before.
This expression in Naruto's eyes made his heart heat up even more.
[Oh my god! He's blushing! He's actually blushing!]
[It's over, I feel like I'm walking further and further down the crooked path. Who could resist this! If he could call me Master with that expression, I'd be willing to go blow up the Hokage Rock right now!]
[Zabuza, you old fart! I've taken a liking to your tool! Whoever dares to touch my wife, I'll kill them!]
[Ding!]
[Hidden plot triggered: Driven by true love (lust) that transcends gender, the host has displayed astonishing willpower sufficient to suppress the Nine-Tailed's resentment.]
[Detected that the target character Haku's mental defenses have collapsed, and he has developed a strong sense of dependence on your possessiveness.]
[Reward settlement (Haku): S-rank Bloodline Limit skill · Ice Release · Absolute Ice Prison (Instant cast, no hand signs needed, can be used for imprisonment, or also for... protection)]
[Reward settlement (Naruto): Given the host's extremely strong belief in protecting his wife, the Nine-Tailed's Chakra has resonated. Congratulations on obtaining: Nine-Tailed ChakraMode (Basic Form · Stably maintained for 10 minutes)!]
Whoosh!
The wild red Chakra around Naruto instantly calmed down, turning into a layer of pale golden light that covered his body. The patterns of the Six Paths Magatama faintly appeared, and an aura full of domineering majesty soared into the sky.
He didn't let go of Haku's wrist; instead, he pulled hard, drawing the dazed youth even closer.
"These eyes are not for crying."
Naruto lowered his voice, speaking in a tone he considered magnetic, while not forgetting to add a line in his heart:
[Of course, if you're crying in bed, that's another matter.]
Haku, who had still been moved, heard this half-finished inner thought, his legs went weak, and he fell directly into Naruto's arms.
"Hiss, so fragrant!"
Inside the sky screen, that atmosphere-ruining exclamation was delivered right on time.
And to the outside world, this scene was shocking and bewildering.
That demon fox kid didn't go berserk and kill, but instead punched and shattered the enemy's mask, and then... hugged that terrifying Ice Release Ninjainto his arms?
The whole scene was silent.
Even Zabuza, who had just forced Kakashi back in the distance, forgot to weave hand signs as he watched the two revealed after the Ice Releasemirror shattered.
"Haku? That kid..." Zabuza's eyes were filled with disbelief, "Haku actually didn't kill him? And even... his fighting spirit has disappeared?"
He could feel that this blade, which he had meticulously honed for so many years, had rusted in the arms of that Blond Kid.
Or even... melted.
Uchiha Sasuke in the corner secretly opened one eye, and seeing this, almost couldn't help but crawl up and curse.
I've been lying on the ground until my body is numb, and you're over there flirting?
And... why does that guy look so pleasing to the eye?
Uchiha Sasuke shook his head, thinking he must have been beaten until his brain was broken.
Naruto felt the body in his arms, which was stiff from shame and bewilderment, and a wicked smile curled the corners of his mouth.
He looked toward Zabuza, his voice echoing across the entire bridge:
"Hey, you bandage-man over there!"
"I'm taking this guy under my protection."
"If you have any objections..." Naruto clenched his fist, the golden light on his body intensifying, "Then come and sword-fight!"
Haku buried his head in Naruto's chest, and upon hearing that double-entendre about "sword-fighting," he felt so ashamed and angry he wanted to melt into a puddle of water on the spot, yet because of the strong hand around his waist, he couldn't muster the strength to break free.