76-80

Chapter 76: Gaara Loses Control

A long spear thrust towards Anko Mitarashi's neck.

Even though there wasn't enough space to build momentum, a jab to the throat could still be fatal, even with something as simple as a bamboo stick.

At that moment, a flash of silver light shot upward.

The spear was instantly dissolved, crumbling bit by bit into fine sand.

"Touji!"

"How can it be you?"

"Impossible! Weren't you dead?"

Touji let out a cold laugh, ignoring everyone's shock. His body suddenly shook, and countless transparent ice shards, as clear as glass, fell from him.

"Ice? And how did he observe everything from underground?" Temari stared at Touji in disbelief.

No matter how much she tried to reason it out, Temari couldn’t figure out how Touji had been able to watch the action from beneath the sand and always intervene at the critical moment to save Anko Mitarashi.

Gaara, on the other hand, widened his eyes, glaring angrily at Touji.

"Why aren’t you dead? Why won’t you die?"

"Going full-tailed beast, huh?" Touji shot Gaara a glance, then dismissed him with a chuckle, "I don’t have time for you right now."

Bang!

The sand cocoon around Anko Mitarashi instantly disintegrated.

She collapsed weakly into Touji’s arms.

"Did the sand suffocate you from being trapped too long? I told you to stay put," Touji said, with a hint of frustration.

Anko’s face showed a hint of guilt.

If she had known Touji could have escaped so easily, she wouldn't have rushed into danger and ended up playing right into the enemy's hands.

However, Anko now felt strangely at ease.

Despite the fact that Touji was only twelve years old, his body not yet fully grown, and lacking the kind of physical presence that usually brought comfort, being in his arms felt safer than anywhere else.

Gaara, already on the brink of losing control, saw Touji holding Anko, and it was like his brain short-circuited.

He couldn’t understand the gesture but felt an overwhelming irritation, wanting to burn them both to ashes.

"Oh no, Gaara's losing it!"

"Damn it, run! When Gaara loses control, he recognizes no one!"

Temari and Kankuro shivered and quickly hid among the nearby treetops.

"Even though they’re Konoha examiners, if they face Gaara in this state, they’re dead!" Temari said with a heavy expression.

Touji placed his hand on Anko’s forehead, gently pushing her away to create some distance between them.

Watching Gaara slowly morph into his tailed beast form, Touji couldn’t help but laugh.

"The single guy's going berserk. Anko, you better find a place to hide and stay out of this."

"Oh..."

Anko’s face showed a mix of frustration and embarrassment.

She was a Special Jonin, yet today, in every battle, she had been totally overwhelmed.

And all her opponents were just kids!

Now Touji was telling her to back off, adding insult to injury. Her last shred of dignity felt completely shattered.

Still, Anko obediently retreated, leaving only Touji and Gaara standing in the sand.

Suddenly, Gaara charged toward Touji, swinging a punch as his arm extended unnaturally, aiming straight at Touji.

Touji smirked, drawing his White Fang blade and sweeping it forward.

In an instant, Gaara’s extended arm was severed in two, falling to the ground and transforming into sand.

"He's impressive! Even Gaara in this form can’t land a hit. Are all Konoha’s young shinobi this strong?"

"Well, he is an examiner, so of course he’s strong. And Gaara hasn't fully revealed his power yet!"

Touji continued battling Gaara, but he wasn't fighting just Gaara; the entire sandy ground seemed to be alive.

Every time Touji stepped, sharp spikes of sand would shoot up from below.

Fortunately, Touji had discreetly activated his Byakugan.

He could see the flow of chakra beneath the sand, and by dodging the spikes when chakra gathered, he easily evaded each attack.

"Why! Why can’t I hit you?"

Seeing that none of his attacks had landed, Gaara’s rage grew, his chakra surging wildly.

Gaara’s body began to swell, growing larger and larger, and even his voice became sharper.

"This is bad! Gaara’s about to wake it up! If that happens, all our plans will be ruined!" Temari’s brow furrowed, her mind racing for a solution.

After several seconds of thought, she gritted her teeth and shouted, "Kankuro, stop Gaara!"

Kankuro hesitated, a bitter expression on his face.

Charging at Gaara now was suicide, but Kankuro knew all too well that if they didn’t stop him, their entire mission would fail.

No matter how dangerous, they had no choice.

"I’ll hold Gaara down. You stop him from using the Sleep Technique!"

Temari and Kankuro exchanged a glance, then rushed toward Gaara.

Seeing Touji still standing in front of Gaara, Temari couldn’t help but shout, "Run! No matter how strong you are, you can't take him in this state!"

"Crow, bind him!"

A puppet shot out from Kankuro’s back, speeding toward Gaara.

But before it could get far, it was trapped by sand, rendered completely immobile.

"Damn it! Sand’s gotten into the joints. I can’t control it anymore!" Kankuro shouted in frustration.

The more intricate something is, the less room there is for error.

The sand had infiltrated Crow’s joints, rendering it useless.

Temari scoffed, pulling the giant fan from her back, and swung it with full force toward Gaara.

A gust of wind surged forward, splitting into countless wind blades that shredded everything in their path.

But once again, Gaara’s sand shield rose up, blocking the attack.

Temari didn’t give up. She aimed her fan at the ground, sending herself airborne with another gust.

As she flew over Gaara, she raised her fan once more, this time swinging downward with all her might.

"Gaara, snap out of it!"

For a moment, Gaara, along with the surrounding sand, was blown away, and he wobbled in the wind.

"Did it work?"

Temari’s face lit up, but her relief was short-lived as she felt sand wrap around her feet.

It was only then she realized that the sand had dispersed into the air and Gaara had used it to grab her.

She struggled, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t break free.

Before long, the sand completely engulfed Temari, leaving only her head exposed.

Gaara didn’t kill her but instead pulled her closer and made hand signs.

"Sleep Technique!"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter 77: Rise and Shine

Despair!

In his current state, Gaara was completely unrecognizable, showing no emotion or mercy towards anyone.

Even though Temari was Gaara’s sister, it meant nothing. If he said he was going to kill her, he would definitely do it.

Gaara hesitated briefly, but only for a moment. His pupils fully transformed into a coin shape, and the last shred of his sanity vanished completely.

Then, his head tilted, and he suddenly fell into a deep sleep.

But Gaara’s body continued to grow.

“Hahaha, I’m finally out! Oh? This kid even caught a sacrifice for me. Perfect, I’ll have a taste!”

Shukaku’s body shuddered as he spoke, and the ever-growing figure halted, settling at the size of an elephant.

“Oh? Is this someone important to this kid? Well, I’m in charge now, so since she’s important to you, I’ll gently crush her to death!”

The sand that was binding Temari gathered onto Shukaku, forming a massive claw.

Temari’s face filled with despair, her eyes brimming with fear.

But at that moment, she saw Touji still standing there, motionless, showing no signs of running.

“What are you doing just standing there? Run!” Temari shouted at Touji.

Touji was momentarily stunned. He hadn’t expected Temari, a ninja of the Wind Country, to care about his life.

Temari, despite being a peace-loving ninja, had to carry out the mission of the Leaf Village's destruction plan. She hadn’t killed a single Leaf ninja.

Touji smiled slightly, then in a flash, vanished from the spot.

Seeing Touji disappear, Temari felt a pang of bitterness. Though she had told him to leave, a part of her had hoped he would save her, like in a fairytale.

But fairytales are lies, and they were still ninjas from opposing villages.

There had been wars, and more would come.

If Touji saved her, Temari wouldn’t know how to face the upcoming mission.

“I wish I could be born in a peaceful world in my next life.”

“Next life? Why not help create a peaceful world in this life?”

“I would love that…”

Temari was taken aback. She opened her eyes to see Touji crouching in front of her with a smile.

Her heart filled with joy, but her face showed anger.

“Why did you come back? You can’t beat him. Run!” she shouted in panic.

Though this was their first meeting, and they were from enemy villages, she felt a strange affection for Touji, as if they had known each other for a long time.

“Why did I come back? Of course, to save you!”

*Ding! Temari’s favorability increased by 3 points! Current favorability: 58 points!*

“A bug? I’ll squash you!” Shukaku laughed, raising his massive hand toward Temari.

If Touji left, she would surely die. If he stayed, both of them would die.

“Run! It’s almost too late!”

“Yeah, almost too late.”

Touji took out his White Fang blade and slashed at the giant hand.

But the hand didn’t stop. Instead, it sped up as it came crashing down.

Bang!

Seeing Shukaku’s hands clapped together, a smile of satisfaction spread across his face.

“You thought you could save her from me? Dream on!”

But before he could finish, the hand he had just slammed down turned into sand and started falling apart.

Shukaku looked on in disbelief.

Due to Gaara’s influence, he wasn’t in full form yet, but even so, an ordinary blade couldn’t harm him—especially not a short one like Touji’s.

Touji, meanwhile, emerged from the sand, holding Temari.

His heart was racing. While Shukaku’s hand had been cut, the falling sand had almost buried them alive. Thankfully, Touji’s physical stamina had improved since becoming a ninja, or he would’ve perished.

“I’m…alive?”

Temari felt her body freed, her face filled with confusion. She hadn’t expected this man to actually save her—and succeed.

Someone who could cut off Shukaku’s hand with a single slash would undoubtedly become a formidable ninja.

At that moment, she was lying in his arms. She could easily draw her kunai and eliminate this potential threat.

But Touji had just saved her—how could she?

*Ding! Temari’s favorability increased by 2 points! Current favorability: 60 points! You can now sign in!*

“Sign in for Temari!”

*Ding! Successfully signed in for Temari! Obtained Shuriken Jutsu! Favorability increased by 4 points! Current favorability: 64 points!*

*Ding! Due to obtaining Shuriken Jutsu, lower-level shuriken skills will be upgraded to higher levels!*

Touji was thrilled. Another basic jutsu! But this time, the Shuriken Jutsu felt different. It seemed like he was on the verge of mastering it, just one or two more sign-ins, and he’d reach a new level—like with his Gentle Fist technique!

“You’ve really angered me now, brat! I’m going to kill you today!”

Shukaku roared, causing the ground to tremble violently.

Up on Shukaku, Touji felt like his head was being pounded by multiple bass drums, buzzing painfully.

“Shut up already!”

Touji shouted, and an icy aura spread from his body.

From his feet upward, Shukaku’s giant arm began to freeze rapidly, the ice creeping up toward his head in mere seconds.

“What is this jutsu? Damn it, Gaara, stop holding me back, or I won’t be able to handle this guy!”

Shukaku yelled, then suddenly looked ecstatic.

“I’m finally about to break free! Just wait, kid!”

Shukaku’s body swelled again, growing several times larger in the blink of an eye.

Touji frowned. If Shukaku fully transformed, there was no way he could win—he’d have to run. But right now, Shukaku had a fatal weakness.

Touji smiled, and with Temari in tow, disappeared, reappearing beside Gaara.

Shukaku panicked when he saw Touji on Gaara’s head.

“Hey, kid, maybe we don’t have any real beef. How about you come down?”

Touji smiled, raised his fist, and shouted, “Rise and shine!”

*End of Chapter*

*Chapter 78: Letting Gaara Go*

Touji landed a punch squarely on Gaara's face.

Instantly, Shukaku trembled, its massive body freezing in place.

"You bastard, remember this! Next time I get out, I'll kill you for sure!"

In an instant, Shukaku's enormous body began to turn into sand, crumbling away.

Temari stared at Touji in disbelief.

Although Temari knew the method to break the False Sleep Technique, executing it was incredibly difficult—almost impossible.

As a tailed beast, Shukaku had immense power, and getting close to it required dodging endless waves of sand.

But aside from Shukaku’s strength, his sheer size made climbing to his head a massive challenge, not to mention that he could still move.

Yet Touji, with just a single Body Flicker Technique, reached his goal in an instant.

"You're strong, finding a solution so quickly. Just from that alone, you're bound to become an extraordinary figure in the shinobi world," Temari said, completely convinced of Touji's strength.

Touji ignored her and raised his fist again.

He began repeatedly punching Gaara's face.

Even though Gaara had the protection of the Sand Armor, it couldn't hold up against Touji's relentless barrage of punches.

"Hey! Stop it! The technique’s already been broken!" Temari shouted in panic.

Even though the technique was undone, if Touji continued like this, Gaara might go on another rampage.

"I don't think he's fully awake yet. Let me knock some more sense into him," Touji replied with a smirk.

Gaara had almost crushed him with sand earlier, and even wrapped Anko Mitarashi in it. Now that Gaara was powerless, Touji wasn’t about to pass up the opportunity to throw a few more punches.

Only after a few more strikes did Touji stop.

"Temari, my face feels weird. Could this be... pain?" Gaara asked as he touched his face, looking at her in confusion.

Temari felt a pang of sympathy for Gaara.

Growing up, Gaara had always been protected by the automatic defense of the Sand Shield. Though it kept him safe, it also left him isolated, and he'd never even experienced something as simple as pain before.

Meanwhile, Anko Mitarashi ran over, grabbed Touji's hand, and examined it.

"Your hand’s all red. Does it hurt?"

Temari's eye twitched.

Clearly, Gaara was the one in more pain!

Still, seeing how close Anko and Touji were, Temari felt a strange, unexplainable irritation rising inside her.

"Fine, what do you plan to do with us?" Temari asked, her voice carrying a hint of defiance.

Anko shot her a cold look. Seeing Touji hold Temari earlier had stirred up unexpected feelings of jealousy within her.

"We have every reason to kill you for trying to assassinate the exam proctor! But... I'll let Touji decide."

Touji chuckled wryly. He thought Anko would make the call, but she left it to him.

That was fine, though. Touji didn’t want to interfere with the plan to destroy Konoha. If that fell apart, who would take down Hiruzen Sarutobi? Most importantly, if the story deviated too much, Touji’s advantage of knowing the plot would be lost.

The unknown is the scariest thing.

"Let's just pretend we never met today."

Temari looked at Touji in disbelief.

The crime of attempting to assassinate a proctor should have been more than enough to seal her fate, especially since Anko seemed to harbor a special grudge against her. Temari had been certain of her death, but Touji was letting her go.

"Touji, how could you let them off so easily? Do you... have feelings for her?" Anko almost pouted, her tone teasing.

Hearing this, Temari's face flushed, and she quickly looked down, sneaking a glance at Touji.

Touji coughed awkwardly.

He felt the atmosphere was getting weird.

"Don't say things like that. Temari’s team represents the Land of Wind. If we executed them, it could cause tension between our nations, possibly even lead to a war between shinobi!" Touji said, keeping a straight face, which made Anko feel a little guilty.

She realized she had been acting selfishly, while Touji was thinking about peace in the entire shinobi world. The difference between them was stark.

Ding! Anko Mitarashi’s affection has increased by 1 point! Affection level: 89.

Ding! Temari’s affection has increased by 3 points! Affection level: 71. You can now sign in!

Ding! Gaara’s affection has increased by 8 points! Affection level: 53. You can now sign in!

Touji couldn't help but smirk.

Now he understood why some men were so popular. A few words were all it took for affection points to skyrocket, while honest, hardworking guys were lucky to get a "Good night."

Gaara's affection, however, seemed to have increased not from words, but from the beating he just took.

"Sign in: Temari and Gaara!"

Ding! Signed in: Temari! Obtained: Great Sickle Weasel! Affection increased by 3 points! Affection level: 74.

Ding! Signed in: Gaara! Obtained: Sand Control! Affection increased by 5 points! Affection level: 58.

Touji’s eyes lit up in excitement.

Gaara's entire jutsu repertoire was based on sand control. This meant that as long as Touji had enough chakra, he could replicate all of Gaara's techniques.

At that moment, Touji felt a connection to the sand beneath his feet. By channeling chakra into it, he realized he could control the sand's movements.

However, Touji soon discovered that while it was easy to control small amounts of sand, launching full-scale attacks like Gaara required several times more chakra than he had.

Performing techniques like the Sand Waterfall Funeral demanded an enormous amount of chakra, leaving Touji feeling a bit frustrated.

He had gained a powerful skill, but he couldn’t use it to its full potential yet.

Temari hesitated before finally speaking up. "Touji, do you think... you could leave Konoha soon? Like, maybe take a mission?"

Touji blinked.

Temari's question was basically throwing "Konoha is dangerous, run!" right in his face.

It was surprising coming from her, a dedicated shinobi.

"I’ll think about it."

Just then, Gaara walked over, staring at Touji for a long time.

"You're the first person who’s ever managed to hit me. I hope you don’t die."

With that, Gaara left with Temari and Kankuro.

Touji breathed a sigh of relief and turned to the bushes nearby.

"You've been watching long enough. Why don’t you come out?"

"Well, damn, Touji!"

Touji winced. He didn’t even need to look to know the voice belonged to a Konoha ninja.

(Sorry for the delay on this chapter. I was really stuck and ended up writing late into the night. Looks like I don't have the nerve to ask for more votes now...)

(End of Chapter)

*Chapter 79: Affection Points at 999*

Ino-Shika-Cho (Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji) cautiously poked their heads out, greeting carefully.

However, they didn’t let their guard down, especially Shikamaru, who kept his eyes warily fixed on Touji (the protagonist), because in this forest, everyone they encountered was an enemy.

Shikamaru became suspicious when Touji was seen laughing and chatting with the three people from the Land of Wind.

*Ding! Shikamaru Nara’s affection points: 51! You can sign in!*

- Affection at 50: Unlock Shadow Imitation Technique!

- Affection at 60: Unlock Shadow-Neck Binding Technique!

- Affection at 70: Unlock Shadow Sewing!

- Affection at 80: Unlock Shadow Tentacles!

- Affection at 90: Unlock Shadow Stabbing!

- Affection at 100: Unlock Black Spider Web! You’ve received Shogi! Unlimited sign-ins activated (Sign-in interval: 7 days)!

*Ding! Choji Akimichi’s affection points: 51! You can sign in!*

- Affection at 50: Unlock Human Boulder!

- Affection at 60: Unlock Partial Expansion Jutsu!

- Affection at 70: Unlock Expansion Jutsu!

- Affection at 80: Unlock Super Expansion Jutsu!

- Affection at 90: Unlock Super Push Hands!

- Affection at 100: Unlock Butterfly Bullet Barrage! You’ve received “Enjoy My Body!” Unlimited sign-ins activated (Sign-in interval: 7 days)!

*Ding! Ino Yamanaka’s affection points: 54! You can sign in!*

- Affection at 50: Unlock Binding Jutsu!

- Affection at 60: Unlock Sensory Jutsu!

- Affection at 70: Unlock Bird Cage!

- Affection at 80: Unlock Healing Palm Technique!

- Affection at 90: Unlock Mind Body Switch Technique!

- Affection at 100: Unlock Mind Clone Switch Technique! You’ve received “Let’s Swap Bodies!” Unlimited sign-ins activated (Sign-in interval: 7 days)!

Touji’s eyes lit up. He thought all three members of Team 10 had unique strengths. Techniques like Shadow Imitation and Mind Body Switch were useful in certain scenarios.

But out of the three, Touji wanted to boost Choji’s affection the most—not for any particular reason, just because he liked Choji as a person.

"Sign in for Shikamaru Nara, Choji Akimichi, and Ino Yamanaka!"

*Ding! Shikamaru’s sign-in successful! You’ve received Shadow Imitation Technique! Affection increased by 5 points! Current affection: 56 points!*

*Ding! Choji’s sign-in successful! You’ve received Human Boulder! Affection increased by 5 points! Current affection: 56 points!*

*Ding! Ino’s sign-in successful! You’ve received Shuriken Jutsu! Affection increased by 5 points! Current affection: 59 points!*

*Ding! Since Shuriken Jutsu was already obtained, the lower-level technique has been upgraded to the higher level!*

"Another Shuriken Jutsu!"

Touji was overjoyed. He had a feeling that if he signed in for one or two more Shuriken Jutsus, he’d break through his current limit. Plus, it felt like the shuriken he threw now had some kind of connection to him, as if they could change direction without colliding with others.

"Who are you? You didn’t respond to our code!" Shikamaru blocked Ino and lazily eyed Touji.

"Code? What code?"

Touji looked at the three of them, baffled, since they hadn’t said any specific code words.

"He’s a fake! Attack!"

With Shikamaru’s order, Choji immediately transformed into a large ball and rolled towards Touji.

A massive human boulder, as tall as a person, rolled straight at him. Though it didn’t exert the same pressure as Shukaku earlier, it still made Touji frown.

"Be careful, Touji!" Anko Mitarashi warned, but then she realized she couldn’t move. Looking down, she saw a long shadow extending from her, connecting to Shikamaru.

"Shadow Imitation Technique?"

"That's right. I never trusted you from the start. I used my Shadow Imitation during our conversation."

Shikamaru yawned and scratched his head, with Anko copying his movements.

Touji rolled his eyes. As expected, Shikamaru, the “cunning coin,” had gotten him in a tricky situation.

Touji felt a bit flustered. He could easily break through Choji’s Human Boulder, but that might seriously injure or even kill Choji. Since Choji was the person he wanted to boost his affection with the most, he didn’t want to hurt him.

As Touji considered his options, he noticed Ino forming a heart shape with her hands, aiming at him.

Touji’s heart skipped a beat. “This isn’t good,” he thought.

Ino collapsed, but Touji remained unharmed.

"Missed?" he thought.

"Why didn’t my jutsu work on you?"

While Touji was confused, a voice suddenly sounded in his mind, startling him. He looked around but couldn’t find Ino.

"A system? What’s that?"

Touji panicked, realizing Ino was reading his thoughts. Fortunately, she was only reading surface thoughts and hadn’t uncovered his core secrets yet.

But it was only a matter of time.

*Ding! Foreign soul detected! The system is under threat! Choose an action:*

- *Option 1: Eliminate the invading soul!*

- *Option 2: Instantly raise the soul’s affection to 999!*

Touji hesitated. He hadn’t expected the system to have an auto-protection feature. But since Ino had only entered his body as part of the match, eliminating her seemed cruel.

Compared to the first option, the second was much more humane. But while other characters' affection could only go up to 100, this time it could rise to 999! At 100 points, people are already completely obedient, so what would happen at 999?

“Wow, it’s really Touji! I’m inside his body! If Sakura finds out, she’ll be furious! Wait... why can’t I get out? Touji, help me!”

Touji shrugged helplessly. Now that Ino had discovered his secret, if word got out, he’d be in big trouble.

"I’ll choose the second option!"

*Ding! Ino Yamanaka’s affection points have been maxed out! Current affection: 999 points! All of Ino’s ninjutsu and tools are now yours!*

"Wow! That’s amazing!"

—End of Chapter—

*Chapter 80: Meeting Late but Connecting Deeply*

In an instant, countless memories flooded into Touji's mind.

Not only did he learn everything Ino Yamanaka currently knows, but also things she hadn’t yet mastered.

Touji was troubled.

Initially, he hadn’t planned to raise Ino Yamanaka's affection level. After all, several girls already liked him, and adding another would only speed up his demise.

But the system directly maxed it out.

The once noisy Ino Yamanaka, who had been constantly arguing within Touji's mind, had now fallen silent.

However, Touji could still clearly feel her emotions—a sense of admiration, a purposeless infatuation.

It was like the most devout follower praying to their faith.

"Ino, are you alright?"

"Touji... Master! I'm here. Is there anything you'd like me to do?"

"Master?" Touji twitched.

The sudden shift was too much for him to accept.

"Does Master not like that title? I can change it," Ino said innocently.

Hearing Ino's gentle voice sent shivers down Touji's spine. This was definitely tempting him to commit a crime!

On the other side, Anko Mitarashi noticed Touji’s odd behavior. Her anger was boiling, and her chakra was rapidly increasing.

Nara Shikamaru, sweating, urgently shouted, "Is Ino done over there? I can't hold on much longer!"

The Shadow Imitation Technique could restrain an enemy, but if the opponent was too strong, it became almost useless.

If Nara Shikamaru had to control someone like Madara Uchiha, he'd probably get played to death.

But against opponents of a similar level, the Shadow Imitation Technique could work wonders.

Combined with Shikamaru’s intelligence, it was like a godly skill.

"Choji, hurry up and take Ino away! I can't hold on!"

With a light shout, the Shadow Imitation Technique snapped, and Nara Shikamaru collapsed to the ground, panting heavily, his eyes filled with despair as he looked at Anko Mitarashi.

"She's too strong! We can't handle this enemy!"

But Anko Mitarashi didn't attack Shikamaru. Instead, she anxiously ran towards Touji.

"Touji, are you alright?"

"Hmm, this woman has a good figure and a pretty face, though she’s a bit older. But as a maid for my master, she’s qualified. Should I help Master deal with her?"

Touji nearly choked on his own blood.

After reaching 999 affection points, Ino not only became infatuated with him, but also started acting as his wingman.

At least Ino wouldn’t get jealous.

"Once we're out of here, stop calling me ‘Master,’ call me Touji! And don't try to play matchmaker for me!"

"Yes, Master. Understood, Master. But it would be perfect if I were your only one."

Touji twitched again and quickly sent Ino out of his mind.

If she stayed any longer, he’d go insane.

At that moment, both Touji and Ino shuddered. Touji finally breathed a sigh of relief, while Ino blinked her eyes in confusion.

"Ino, hurry up and run! Those two are too powerful, we can’t beat them!" Akimichi Choji said as he reached out to pull Ino up.

But Ino dodged his hand, looking at him with disdain.

"Why run? These two are the examiners this time—Anko Mitarashi and Lord Touji!"

"Are they really the examiners? Then why didn’t the code words match up? The entire Hidden Leaf Village knows those code words," Shikamaru questioned, though he didn’t doubt Ino's words.

The Mind Transfer Technique not only allowed control of another’s body, but also minor memory reading.

Since Ino had entered their minds, there wouldn’t be any issues.

And if they were the examiners, then they were no longer in danger.

"We should apologize then, and not make them mad."

The three members of Team 10 walked up to Touji, bowing apologetically.

"Sorry, we were wrong!"

Touji froze for a moment.

It wasn’t their apology that surprised him, but Ino's behavior.

Usually, when someone’s affection level skyrocketed, they’d act weird, especially around him.

But Ino seemed like nothing had happened, still her lively and cheerful self.

Though Touji knew it was all an act.

He let out a long sigh of relief.

If Ino had turned into an obsessive sycophant, it would make future relationships much more complicated.

Maintaining the current situation was ideal.

But Touji noticed that Ino’s gaze wasn’t on him; instead, she was eyeing Anko Mitarashi up and down.

She nodded approvingly at times, but then shook her head disdainfully.

"Hey! What's your problem with me? You're nodding and shaking your head like that! Just say it directly—I won’t hesitate to kill you!"

Anko was furious after seeing Ino's reaction.

If Touji weren’t around, she would’ve taken care of Ino herself.

Ino shook her head again, showing a disappointed expression.

"Nothing. I just thought you two were so close, like a couple. Guess I don’t stand a chance."

Anko blinked in surprise, her irritation vanishing as a smug expression took over.

"Got a good eye, huh? Do you think we make a good match? But aren’t we a bit too far apart in age?"

Anko draped an arm around Ino’s shoulder, pulling her into a corner like they were best friends gossiping.

Ino quickly replied, "Not at all! Haven’t you heard the old saying, ‘A woman three years older is worth her weight in gold’? With your age difference, your mature charm will only captivate him more!"

Anko's eyes lit up.

It felt like she had found a kindred spirit—like they had met too late in life.

Watching them chat like secret conspirators, Touji couldn't help but smile wryly.

This wingman was taking the job too seriously.

With someone like Ino, how could he ever struggle to find a girlfriend?

But right now, Touji wasn’t even thinking about romance. His only goal was to improve his strength, so he could survive the impending war.

After about half an hour, Anko and Ino finally returned, with Anko blushing slightly and Ino giving Touji a thumbs-up.

Touji had met all the key figures, so he had no intention of staying in the forest any longer.

Outside, Kakashi Hatake had already been waiting by the pavilion.

But when he saw Anko clinging to Touji’s side, his expression turned to one of shock.

"How... How did you manage that?"

---

(End of Chapter)