💎 WEEKLY POWER GOALS 💎
🔥 30→2ch | 60→5ch | 100→8ch | 200→15ch | 400→25ch
⏰ Resets Monday!
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
"Shisui? What are you doing here?"
Heshu stared, surprised, at Shisui. Teacher Sato had clearly said tutoring would be after school every afternoon.
Shisui stood there, a dark blue backpack slung over one shoulder, his short, spiky hair defying gravity. But it did nothing to diminish his classic Uchiha good looks.
"The afternoon class is shurikenjutsu," Shisui explained. "So I came early to go over this morning's material with you."
Oh!
Heshu understood. Shurikenjutsu was Shisui's specialty. His skill was so advanced he could probably teach Sato Yoshiki himself. So, skipping that class was no problem at all.
Makes sense.
Heshu nodded and stepped forward. "Thanks, Shisui. Really."
Shisui shook his head, his trademark gentle smile in place. "It's no trouble."
They walked and chatted, the conversation easy, all the way to the hospital room door. Heshu felt a nagging sensation. He'd forgotten something.
"I'll get it," Shisui said with a smile, reaching for the door handle.
A bolt of clarity struck Heshu. He remembered. He'd been so focused on farming Shisui's favorability points that he'd forgotten one crucial detail.
Tsunade!
"Wait—!"
Too late.
BAM!
The sound of a solid fist meeting flesh.
Shisui flew backward out of the room, landing in a heap in the corridor.
"Oh no…" Heshu's hands flew to his mouth in horror. "Sh-Shisui!"
His heart ached for the poor Uchiha. This was a disaster he'd done nothing to deserve.
Shisui was… confused. Wasn't Heshu's uncle supposed to be gravely injured? What kind of gravely injured person could throw a punch like that?
"Pfft!"
Shisui pushed himself up, spitting out a mouthful of blood. Heshu's eyes widened in fresh terror. Mixed in with the blood were several teeth.
"Ohhhh…"
Tears welled in Heshu's eyes. Genuine guilt washed over him. This was all his fault.
"Hethu, I'm… okay… don't worry…"
Shisui nodded solemnly to the tearful Heshu, his speech slurred. His mind raced. An enemy must have infiltrated the room. Takenouchi-san might already be in trouble. The opponent was strong. Far beyond what he or Heshu could handle.
Looking at Shisui, who now spoke with a distinct whistle through the gaps in his teeth, Heshu was nearly drowned by remorse. How was he supposed to look at Shisui, the future master of the Body Flicker, now a gap-toothed…
"Huh?" A voice came from the doorway. "Didn't dodge?"
Tsunade sounded puzzled. That kid Heshu could teleport. He should have avoided it easily.
"Hmm? Who're you?"
Tsunade stepped out, frowning at Heshu, who was still covering his mouth. Shisui immediately went on high alert, positioning himself protectively in front of Heshu, his eyes locked on the brazen woman.
Seeing the cut on Shisui's lip, Tsunade realized her mistake. "Er… A beautiful misunderstanding!"
…
Half an hour later, the "beautiful misunderstanding" was cleared up inside the room.
"Open your mouth. Let me see the damage."
Tsunade's deadly glare swept over Heshu before settling on Shisui. Shisui looked uncomfortable, but under the implicit threat of Tsunade's fist-sized… well, fists… he reluctantly opened his mouth.
"Tch."
Tsunade gripped his chin, tilting his head for a better look. She studied the gaps, then rubbed her own chin thoughtfully.
"Sister Tsunade," Heshu asked, moving closer, his voice full of concern. "Will Shisui's teeth… not grow back?"
Tsunade looked at him, her expression unreadable. "Indeed. They will not grow back."
Shisui stiffened, his hand going to his swollen cheek. A lost look entered his eyes.
Heshu sucked in a sharp breath. Was a lifetime of lisped speech truly Shisui's fate now? Would the legendary title 'Shisui of the Body Flicker' become 'Shisui the Whistler'? He couldn't accept this cruel reality.
"Isn't there any way?" Heshu grabbed Tsunade's hand, eyes pleading. "Sister Tsunade, it's all my fault. Be mad at me, that's fine! But please, you have to help Shisui!"
[Ding! Target: Uchiha Shisui. Favorability: 58!]
Heshu's heart leapt. Just two more points to sixty!
Shisui looked at Heshu, deeply moved. This was Heshu for you. Always thinking of his comrades.
"There might be a way," Tsunade said, a glint of mischief in her eyes. Her gaze turned strangely appraising as it landed on Heshu. "It depends on whether you are willing."
Heshu narrowed his eyes. His instincts screamed this wouldn't be simple. But for those last two points… "Of course I'm willing!" The words burst from him without hesitation. "Shisui got hurt because of me. If there's a way to help him, how could I possibly refuse?"
[Ding! Target: Uchiha Shisui. Favorability: 60!]
Yes! Heshu fought to keep the triumphant grin off his face.
Shisui's calm heart rippled with emotion.
"Heh." Tsunade's smile turned downright sinister. "It's simple. We pull out your teeth and give them to him."
Heshu's look of concern froze solid. "Th-that's… not scientifically sound, is it?"
Panic seized him. Missing teeth? How was he supposed to farm favorability points looking like that?
Tsunade shook her head, crossing her arms. "I am the world's greatest medical ninja. If I say it works, it works. What does 'science' have to do with it?"
Heshu's hands shook. Lord Orochimaru… Lord Orochimaru, where are you? Only you, a fellow believer in science, are my true comrade!
"No! Hethu ith a girl!" Shisui stepped forward, his protest vehement despite the whistling lisp. "I won't accept Hethu'th teeth!"
Even with the lisp, Heshu understood him perfectly. Waaah… What a bro! From this day forth, Heshu declared, Uchiha Shisui was his sworn brother!
"Hmph." Tsunade gave Shisui a sidelong glance. This Uchiha kid had a bit of a chivalrous streak. Unusual. Most Uchiha were as expressive as blocks of wood. This kid was an oddity. Pity he'd run into a little devil like Heshu.
Tsunade had only intended to scare Heshu. As a medical ninja, she had plenty of others to instruct and had wasted enough time here. It was time to go.
Before leaving, to prevent Takenouchi's untimely demise at Heshu's hands, she offered a final piece of advice: "If you want your uncle to die young, just keep making him those homemade bentos of yours."
With that parting shot, she strode away.
Heshu burned with humiliation. Earlier, when explaining why she'd punched Shisui, Tsunade had described Heshu's cooking with just four words: "Like eating dung balls." Now, on her way out, she had to take another jab.
"Hethu, don't be thad." Seeing Heshu's dejected look, Shisui moved to comfort him.
Heshu's whole body went stiff. Even though Shisui was in this state because of him… listening to him talk was agonizing. He really was a heartless pretty girl.
"Today in clath, the teacher talked about the different countrieth… Cloud Country, Fire Country…"
And so, the tutoring session concluded under the solemn, whistling lisp of Uchiha Shisui.
"Shisui, see you tomorrow!" Heshu waved goodbye as he saw Shisui off at the hospital entrance.
Shisui glanced back, waving too. A wide, gap-toothed smile started to form on his face before he seemed to remember something and quickly clamped his mouth shut.
Back in the room, Takenouchi's gaze rested on Heshu. "Do you like that Uchiha Shisui?" he asked abruptly, his eyes filled with deep concern.
Heshu, who was drinking water, nearly spat it out. "Uncle! Shisui and I are good bro—friends!" he hurriedly explained, his face the picture of sincerity.
Seeing his expression seemed genuine, Takenouchi relaxed slightly. That afternoon, watching Heshu and Shisui get along so well, a sudden sense of crisis had gripped him. His daughter was perfect in every way except her cooking. It wouldn't be strange for a proud Uchiha genius to take an interest! But Heshu was still young. Takenouchi didn't want her getting whisked away.
"Uncle, I'll go prepare dinner!" Heshu changed the subject swiftly. He really wasn't comfortable having these 'adult' conversations with Takenouchi while stuck in this child's body. He was a pure-hearted child at his core!
Takenouchi jolted. "Heshu," he called out, stopping her. "Uncle… wants Ichiraku Ramen tonight." So please, for the love of all that is holy, do not cook.
Heshu paused, then nodded. "Okay!" Turning away, she shed thick, noodle-like tears. Even Takenouchi hated her cooking!
Walking the street towards Ichiraku Ramen, Heshu finally pieced it together. Why had Kakashi's favorability dropped a while back? Why did Might Guy, whom she'd never met, have negative favorability? It must have been the bento's doing!
Heshu stopped in her tracks, clenched her fists, her eyes filled with determination. The system braced itself for vows like "From now on, I will practice cooking diligently!" or "I'll secretly master the culinary arts and amaze everyone!"
Instead, Heshu declared with absolute finality: "From this day forward, I shall never set foot in a kitchen again!"
"…"
[Automatically allocated skill has arrived. Host, please choose to receive?]
[Yes] [No]
The familiar blue system screen appeared in her mind. Heshu's thoughts cleared. She'd almost forgotten. Shisui's favorability had hit sixty. Time for a skill.
With eager anticipation, Heshu mentally pressed [Yes].
[Reverse Cursed Technique]
[Skill Introduction: A technique from the anime Jujutsu Kaisen, mastered by Gojo Satoru, Ieiri Shoko, Itadori Yuji, and others. By converting the negative energy of an injury into positive energy, a healing effect is achieved.]
[Note: In the ninja world, the 'negative energy generated by curses' is automatically interpreted as 'residual chakra energy left by enemies.']
Heshu's eyes sparkled. A healer skill! From now on, she was a tiny little medic-nin! And most importantly—Uchiha Shisui would not have to speak with a lisp forever!
In a fantastic mood, Heshu bought four bowls of ramen and headed back to the hospital. Tomorrow, when Shisui came for tutoring, she'd fix his teeth. Tonight, she'd practice on Takenouchi first.
Lost in these happy thoughts, a sudden commotion reached her ears—the sound of a fight. Heshu wasn't one to meddle, but the voice was oddly familiar.
"If it wasn't all of you against one, I never would have lost!"
Uchiha Juri?
Heshu halted. Watching Uchiha Juri suffer was one of her favorite hobbies.
A group of older boys swaggered out of a side alley, faces beaming with satisfaction. Beating up Uchiha Juri had clearly been a pleasure. The guy was arrogant, had a sharp tongue, and was practically begging for a reality check from society.
Heshu thought for a moment, then turned into the alley.
Uchiha Juri had never been this humiliated. He sat slumped against the wall, every muscle screaming in protest. A trickle of blood stained his lip, and two spectacular black eyes adorned his face as he stared into the middle distance, questioning his life choices. His usually sleek long hair was a wild, spiky mess. He was already plotting his revenge.
Suddenly, a pair of girl's ninja sandals entered his field of view. He slowly looked up. A familiar figure stood there, smiling down at him.
"!"
Juri's first instinct was to hide his face. Being seen by his arch-rival in this state… the shame was unbearable!
"Is that you, Juri-kun?" Heshu asked, her smile sweet.
"No!" Juri snapped, voice stiff. "I don't know any Uchiha Juri!"
Heshu almost laughed out loud. He was even more fun to mess with than she'd thought! Still just a kid, after all.
"Is that so?" Heshu tilted her head, feigning confusion. "You look hurt. Let me help."
Juri covered his face, resisting. "No need!"
"Just let me see!" Heshu began tugging at the sleeve Juri was using to shield his face. She felt a little guilty about using Takenouchi as a test subject. But using Uchiha Juri as a guinea pig? No guilt whatsoever!
"I said no! What's wrong with you?!"
Feeling the persistent tug on his sleeve, Juri's embarrassment boiled over into anger. He yanked his arm away, his face now fully exposed. He watched Heshu's pupils dilate slightly. "Happy now?" he snarled through gritted teeth. "Seeing me like this, you must be thrilled, right?" His eyes were rimmed with red, as if he wanted nothing more than to bite her.
Heshu blinked, then shook her head slowly, a faint look of hurt appearing on her face. "Juri-kun, how could you think that of me?" She looked down, fingers twisting her sash. "I was just worried about you." Her tone was utterly sincere.
Juri suddenly choked. All the mean, cutting remarks bubbling in his throat died unsaid.
"Hmph!" He snorted, turning his face away.
Heshu's eyes softened. She reached out, placing both hands gently on Juri's bruised face. "Juri-kun, let me try to heal you." My little guinea pig. Don't resist now. Heshu's smile deepened.
Juri froze. He stared, dumbfounded, at Heshu's face. For a moment, he forgot to pull away.
A gentle, warm energy emanated from her hands, spreading over his wounds. The sharp, burning pain faded, replaced by a strange, tingling sensation. The swelling on his face began to subside, the bruises lightened, and the cuts closed.
Heshu's eyes shone with triumph. Seeing the results, she withdrew her hands. "Goodbye, Juri-kun." With her experiment concluded, there was no point wasting more time. The ramen was getting cold!
As she walked away, Heshu replayed the moment in her mind. The Reverse Cursed Technique had taken the negative energy lingering in Juri's wounds and automatically converted it into positive energy that promoted healing.
She looked at her own clean, unmarked palms. She was still inexperienced. The skill at sixty favorability points was only at a beginner level. It needed practice. She'd try it on Takenouchi tonight. Now that she had a feel for it… nothing should go wrong.
The evening sky was not dark, but a bright, clear blue. Bathed in the setting sun's light, the village was tinged with a faint, rosy hue.
Uchiha Juri watched Heshu's retreating back, something unfamiliar slowly stirring in his heart.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
Read up to (40+ ) advanced chapters on Patre\on
Visit us here: patreon.com/GoldenLong
Happy reading, everyone!