Chapter 190: Inviting Kurenai Yūhi, the Chūnin Exams are Imminent
Uzuki Yūgao looked as if she wanted to say something but held back. She then suppressed the doubt in her heart, deciding to wait until she had more information before making a decision.
Afterward, Anko chatted with her for a bit, then continued to stand watch for Akiyama Makoto. Although having a former Anbu member like Yūgao helping to protect him seemed very safe, who knew if this woman would be the one to betray him, just as she herself had once done?
It was a dreamless night. With a beauty in his arms, Makoto had a good sleep.
It seemed that because she trained in taijutsu, Tenten was not very quiet at night, and her sleeping posture was not very graceful.
Look, the blanket on her body had long since been kicked to the floor.
At this moment, she was lying on his chest, drooling.
He patted her bottom, then poked her waist. Seeing that she still didn't want to wake up, he gently pushed her away and got up to make breakfast himself.
Almost the instant he left, Tenten rolled off the bed, wrapped herself completely in the blanket, and hid inside, her body turning as red as a shrimp.
After such an intimate night, she no longer felt that she was any worse off than Anko. What's more, she was the first person to know the source of his power. Wasn't that enough?
She touched the "Sweet" (甜) character on her body. This character wasn't just in anticipation of their future daughter; it also represented the sweet feeling she was experiencing from him right now. She didn't know what the other girls had gotten from him, but she knew that what she had obtained was already beyond her wildest imagination.
With a sweet feeling in her heart, she fell back asleep. It wasn't until he put his hand into the blanket to check on her that she shrieked and poked her head out.
She had originally wanted to bicker with him for a bit, but then she saw the apron he was wearing and smiled happily.
"Stop grinning and come eat."
"!"
At the dining table, a slightly tired-looking Anko looked at Tenten with some embarrassment. Being caught in the act by her still made her feel a little guilty.
Tenten was in a great mood, as if she had forgotten yesterday's unpleasantness, and was chatting and laughing with the two of them.
It wasn't until the very end that she said, "Big Sister Anko, you have to take good care of Mako's body in the future. Don't always do strange things."
Anko nodded quickly, promising she would never do it again.
"I told my parents I was staying at Sakura's house yesterday. I have to go back now."
With that, she gave him a reluctant look. "I'll come by often in the future."
Then, she ran off with a red face, leaving behind a bitter-looking Anko.
"Um, maybe we should keep our distance in the future—"
Anko had just finished speaking when she was met with an eye-roll from him. "Why don't you just pretend to have a few drinks and launch a night raid? It's not like I'd get angry."
Anko looked at him in shock. "Is that really okay? But won't Tenten and the others get angry?"
He continued to give her ideas. "Simple. After you're discovered, just perform a dogeza and apologize to them."
Anko looked as if she had been enlightened. "What a great idea!"
But then she realized. "But why am I the one apologizing? Aren't you going to apologize with me?"
He looked at her playfully. "Why don't we two have a little test? Let's see who can't hold back first."
He was very confident in his own willpower. He had, after all, passed the triple test of Sakura, Ino, and Tenten, ensuring his actions were irreproachable.
But Anko was a different story. Did she have any self-control or integrity to speak of?
Anko glared at him, really wanting to shout that she wasn't that kind of person. But facing his handsome face, she really couldn't bring herself to say such a disingenuous thing.
In the end, she left him with a fierce declaration: "A challenge it is!"
Then she lowered her head and muttered to herself, "Hmph! Just you wait. After I 'trick' your Big Sister Kurenai over here, I'd like to see if you can still hold back then!"
The two of them seemed to part on bad terms, but in reality, they had both grown accustomed to this way of interacting. After all, they were destined to not have a pure and innocent relationship, so they might as well be a little more free and casual.
In the following days, his side temporarily returned to its former tranquility.
After each squad had completed their first C-rank mission, they returned to the original D-rank mission mode. The last C-rank mission was like a midterm exam, allowing the Jōnin leaders to discover the shortcomings of their students. The next period would be for them to continuously strengthen their respective long suits and cultivate their teamwork in preparation for the Chūnin Exams.
During this time, the improvement in Sakura's and Ino's strength also gradually became conspicuous.
Naruto was the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, and Sasuke was a genius of the Uchiha clan. It wasn't strange for those two to have a huge improvement. But Sakura was just a girl from an ordinary family. Why had she also improved so much?
Kakashi felt that this matter was related to him, but he couldn't be certain. He reported it to the Third Hokage.
After thinking about it, Hiruzen Sarutobi did not make any decision. The Chūnin Exams were less than a month away. Although her improvement was obvious, she had only reached the level of a Chūnin. A Chūnin of this age was not enough to attract his attention.
As for Ino's side, she was a descendant of the Yamanaka clan. It wasn't strange for her to be a bit of a genius. It was just a pity for Shikamaru and Chōji. Now, Ino had completely become the "big sister" of the three of them. This wasn't just a result of them giving in to her, but a complete suppression in terms of strength.
Another half a month passed like this. Finally, the Hokage's Office announced the decision to hold a joint Chūnin Exam with the Sand Village.
Because of this, Anko found Kurenai. She wanted Kurenai to hold a special training session for the girls at his house.
At first, Kurenai naturally disagreed. It wasn't that she didn't want to instruct the female students, but because she didn't want to get close to him again.
But Anko told her that if she didn't agree, he would come and forcibly invite her himself.
Kurenai's first reaction was anger. Why should I be forcibly invited by a commoner?
But then she thought: if he did come to forcibly invite her, could she refuse him? If she refused him, would he tactfully go away? If he pestered her, would she be able to bring herself to attack him?
Kurenai did not have the confidence to answer "yes" to these three questions in a row.
Looking at Anko's happy, radiant, and blissful face, Kurenai found herself asking, "You and he... living together all this time... has it been harmonious? I mean... in life, and... in that aspect."
After asking, even she felt it was a bit inappropriate.
Anko blushed a deep red, not expecting her to say such a thing.
Looking at Kurenai's pale, sickly face, and then at her messy house, Anko understood: Kurenai's life was a complete mess right now. If she wasn't still a Jōnin instructor for her students, her situation would probably be even worse.
Subconsciously, Kurenai also wanted someone to pull her out of this mud pit, right? And the only person she could rely on right now was probably her, her best friend.
So, Anko decided to just let it all out. She pulled Kurenai close, leaned in to her ear, and began to recount every last detail of her "harmonious" life with him.
Kurenai had originally said this half-jokingly. She had never expected Anko to be so open, to actually pull her aside and start talking about those private matters. At first, she wanted to refuse and stop the topic, but that inexplicable burning sensation rising in her heart made her slowly get drawn in.
At her age, her personal marriage problem had become something she had to consider, and even a decision she had to make quickly. Although Asuma seemed like a good choice, now, whenever she thought of his previous behavior, she still felt a sense of physical revulsion and even disgust.
But now, listening to Anko patiently and meticulously describe her experiences with him, she didn't feel any similar revulsion. She even felt a little... anticipatory.
This made her realize that she had already made a choice in the depths of her heart.
But there were still several hurdles in her heart that she couldn't get over: one was the age gap between them, and the other was his "Akiyama Grand Family" plan.
So she couldn't help but tentatively ask Anko, "Are you really not bothered by him starting a family with so many other girls? I mean... apart from the guilt in your heart for atoning for that day, do you not have any other dissatisfaction?
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