With such limited screen time in the original story, even if Rasa had been paranoid, there was no real chance for it to show.
Ethan hadn't strictly needed to come down into this underground chamber.
But after thinking it over, Ethan reasoned that taking extra precautions was wise, since unexpected dangers could lurk in such places.
Better safe than sorry.
He summoned the system interface and spoke internally.
"Exchange ten High-Grade Affinity Fruits."
A prompt appeared immediately.
"Confirm expenditure of 30 Skill Points to obtain ten High-Grade Affinity Fruits?"
"Confirm."
"Exchange successful. Remaining Skill Points: 340."
Ethan paused for a moment, then continued
"Use two High-Grade Affinity Fruits on Tsunade."
If there was one woman from the Naruto world who had left the deepest impression on him, it was Tsunade.
Not just because she had more presence in the story than most female characters, but because she was impossible to ignore.
Just thinking about her was enough to stir his thoughts.
Back in his previous life, she had appeared in more than a few of his dreams.
And now she actually existed.
He couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to see her in person.
Before his thoughts drifted too far, the system's cold voice cut in
"Target invalid."
"This system cannot be used on individuals the host has never encountered in person."
Ethan froze.
His brow tightened, and he smacked his thigh in frustration.
He hadn't expected a restriction like this.
His idea of influencing people across other villages from afar went.
He had briefly considered raising Affinity with key figures across all five nations.
That plan was now off the table.
After a moment, he regained his composure and refocused.
"System. List all usage restrictions."
.
.
Two minutes later, Ethan nodded slowly.
The rules were simpler than expected.
There were two main conditions.
First...
He could only use Affinity items on people he had personally encountered.
Knowing their name or appearance wasn't enough.
Even someone like Tsunade couldn't be targeted unless he had actually seen her.
However, the requirement was flexible.
Even a brief encounter counted.
Seeing someone from a distance, or simply crossing paths once, was enough.
A single meeting qualified.
Second...
Affinity items could only be used on women whose apparent age was under forty.
Actual age didn't matter.
If someone were older but looked young, the system would still work.
But if they clearly appeared older than forty, it wouldn't apply.
Ethan exhaled.
That was manageable.
The first condition just meant he needed to encounter targets in person.
The second wasn't an issue for him at all.
Now came the real question.
Where should he use these ten fruits?
After a moment of thought, he decided to let the system handle it.
"List all valid targets I can currently use Affinity items on."
"Generating list."
A moment later, names appeared in his mind.
Pakura Age 21 Affinity: 29
Yashalei Age 16 Affinity: 18
Nami Age 17 Affinity: 11
Masami Age 26 Affinity: 10
Tsuyu Age 18 Affinity: 7
Karura Age 20 Affinity: 3
---
---
---
Ethan stared at the list.
That was it?
The Sunagakure had thousands of shinobi.
Even accounting for fewer female ninja, there should still be far more.
Then it clicked.
There simply weren't many named female shinobi in the original story.
Even including anime additions, the number was limited.
Most of them, at this point in time, were still children or hadn't been born yet.
Ethan gave a small, wry smile.
That explained it.
As for others he might have seen in passing, the system likely filtered them out.
He looked back at the list.
Two had already been enhanced before.
That left seven viable targets.
If he raised all of them to full Affinity and doubled it afterward, he could generate over a thousand Skill Points by tomorrow.
Not as much as he originally hoped, but still enough.
He made his decision.
"Assign three High-Grade Affinity Fruits to Masami."
"Assign two to Karura."
"Distribute the rest evenly."
"Masami Affinity increased to 29."
"Karura Affinity increased to 17."
"Other targets increased."
"Total Affinity gained: 70."
"Skill Points gained: 70."
.
At that same time, in a well-kept home near the center of the Sunagakure...
At the same time, in a well-kept home near the center of the Sunagakure...
"Hey… are you okay?"
Yashalei looked at the woman beside her with concern.
The woman blinked, slightly confused, then shook her head.
Her sand-brown hair swayed gently.
For a moment, something unfamiliar flickered in her deep blue eyes.
Then her usual warm smile returned, though it carried a subtle change.
"I'm fine," she said softly.
"Go on. Tell me more about Rasa."
Yashalei blinked in surprise.
Just moments ago, her sister had shown little interest in him.
Now that had clearly changed.
The older woman said nothing more, simply watching her calmly.
Under that quiet pressure, Yashalei gave in.
"Alright, alright… I get it," she muttered.
"Seriously… you didn't care about him at all just a minute ago."
"And now you suddenly want to hear everything?"
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