"Hey everyone, long time no see!"
Itsuki pulled Tsubaki down from the earth-style wall and greeted everyone one by one.
Except for Kiba, who was still seriously injured and unconscious, Ino and Choji had already woken up.
"Itsuki? What a surprise! You actually joined the Anbu!" Shikamaru high-fived him and said with a grin, "Thanks for showing up when you did! Your timing was perfect."
"Itsuki has gotten so strong!" Choji also high-fived him, then immediately tore open a bag of potato chips.
He held one out and said, "Want one? Consider this my thank-you gift!"
"Thanks." Itsuki smiled, took the chip without hesitation, and popped it into his mouth.
He knew well—receiving food from Choji meant he had gained his true recognition.
Shino stood there silently with his hands in his pockets, his expression unreadable. It was as if he was waiting for something.
"Uh…" Itsuki scratched his head awkwardly.
"My name is Shino," Shino said flatly, but there was clear dissatisfaction in his tone, like he was suppressing some emotion.
"Yeah, I know!" Itsuki quickly replied.
After a long pause, he finally waved his hand and said, "No need to thank me. We're all comrades, after all."
He wanted to say something friendlier, but it just wasn't happening.
Watching Shino on screen back in his old world was funny—but standing face-to-face like this? The silence was unbearably awkward.
"Ah, Itsuki!" Thankfully, Ino broke the tension.
She leapt onto his back, wrapped her arms around his neck, and clung to him like a koala.
"You came here just to save me, right? You must have! I'm so happy and touched!" Ino squeezed tighter, rubbing her cheek against his shoulder.
Inside her head, imaginary numbers scrolled wildly: Favorability +1 +1 +1 +1 +1…
Of course, it was all self-delusion.
Itsuki, however, felt a bit of regret. He was wearing his Anbu combat vest, which was hard and thick—he couldn't feel anything behind him.
Still, this was the first time he had been so close to Ino.
Her refreshing floral scent filled his senses, and the warmth of her skin brushing his face left him oddly comfortable.
Behind them, Shino's expression darkened. In a voice so low only he could hear, he muttered with hellish resentment:
"Why not me? Why am I the one being left out?"
But no one paid him any attention. That only made his gloomy aura stronger as he sank deeper into the corner's shadows.
Hinata timidly stepped forward, lowering her head and fidgeting with her fingers.
"Itsuki-kun… thank you! And, um… sorry about yesterday."
"Huh? Yesterday?" Ino's eyes narrowed. She glanced at Hinata suspiciously.
[Uzumaki Karin: Wow… no matter when I see Itsuki-kun, he's always so handsome. I just want to lick the screen.]
[Haruno Sakura: Putting aside my earlier prejudice… Itsuki really is amazing in every way. I was wrong before.]
[Yamanaka Ino: Tch. Saying that in chat doesn't count. You're only saying it for the buff, aren't you?]
[Haruno Sakura: I'm not! I didn't! Don't talk nonsense!]
[Tenten: @Yamanaka Ino @Hyuga Hinata Remember to ask Itsuki where he lives now!]
[Yamanaka Ino: Oh, I won't forget—wait! @Hyuga Hinata, what do you mean by that?!]
[Haruno Sakura: Ohhh, there's something going on here!]
[Tenten: @Hyuga Hinata Why are you apologizing to Itsuki? Why mention yesterday? Did you two meet yesterday?!]
"N-no! I didn't say anything!" Hinata yelped, quickly covering her mouth.
She shook her head in panic, refusing to meet anyone's gaze.
If she didn't look at the chat, then nothing happened. Right?
Itsuki wanted to just spectate, but Kurenai Yuhi came over at that moment to rescue Hinata from further interrogation.
"You all know him?" Kurenai descended from the earthen wall and looked at Itsuki in surprise.
He was around the same age as her students, maybe a little older—but his handsome features and calm presence stood out.
Simply by standing there, it felt as if the entire area revolved around him.
Hinata quickly took the chance to explain, relieved: "This is Itsuki-kun, my classmate back at the Academy."
"So you graduated in the same year… but your strength is leagues above theirs." Kurenai frowned in thought.
She had already guessed it, but hearing the confirmation still shocked her.
The Earth-Style Wall earlier, and his perfect timing—she wasn't even sure she herself could have executed it that flawlessly.
And this was a recent graduate?
"You're Kurenai-sensei, right?" Itsuki smiled politely and added, "I've heard Sister Anko talk about you. She said you're both talented and beautiful—one of her few close friends in the village."
"Anko? You know Anko Mitarashi?" Kurenai blinked in surprise.
How could Anko have a connection with this year's graduates? She'd never mentioned it.
Itsuki explained, "She calls herself my sister now. Well… she kind of forced me into it. We just met by chance a few days ago."
Kurenai covered her mouth, chuckling softly. "That's exactly the sort of thing Anko would do."
But learning that Itsuki was her best friend's self-proclaimed brother made Kurenai feel instantly closer to him.
[Mitarashi Anko: Lies! Slander! It was Itsuki who forced me to be his sister! Why is he making it sound like the other way around?!]
[Mitarashi Anko: And what's with 'that's exactly the sort of thing I'd do'? So that's how you see me, Kurenai?!]
[Mitarashi Anko: We're done! When you get back, we're breaking up as besties!]
[Haruno Sakura: Someone's anxious, I won't say who.]
[Yamanaka Ino: Aha, I knew it. No wonder she kept telling us Itsuki's new address. She was worried someone would snatch him away.]
[Tenten: Sister Anko, I despise you.]
[Mitarashi Anko: …]
[Mitarashi Anko: Idiots. Information gathering is a basic ninja skill. If you can't even find Itsuki's address in Konoha, maybe you shouldn't be shinobi at all.]
[Mitarashi Anko: @Yamanaka Ino @Hyuga Hinata Especially you two! You showed mercy to the enemy and your reaction speed was pathetic. If Itsuki hadn't shown up out of nowhere, at least two of you would've died!]
The chat instantly went quiet.
Only then did the girls realize—Anko hadn't been joking around.
Behind her playful, brash exterior, she was genuinely trying to train their survival instincts.
If she hadn't said it outright, none of them—not even TenTen—would have noticed her true intentions.
And as for her earlier quips about not letting Kurenai get close to Itsuki? Looking back now, it was obvious she had never been serious.
After Itsuki appeared on the live broadcast, she hadn't mentioned it even once.
Still, they had all taken her words at face value and thought she was being stingy and possessive.
Now, their faces flushed with shame. They couldn't help sweating in embarrassment as the truth sank in.
...
Author's Note:
The full completed version of Konoha Harem Chat Group: I Can Fabricate the Future (Completed) is now on Patreon!
🔗 patreon.com/Shadow_demon_007
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