Kushina had always been a fast cook.
By the time Tsunade returned, it took less than fifteen minutes for the table to be filled with a variety of fragrant, delicious dishes.
Yamanaka Shinno casually dispelled the genjutsu on Kakashi.
Snapping back to reality, Kakashi's eyes were still misty with lingering tears.
Noticing the group staring at him, he quickly turned his head away, wiped his eyes discreetly, and composed himself before taking a seat at the lower end of the table. He prided himself on being a mature young man, after all.
"Kakashi, how do you feel?" Shinno asked, watching him closely.
"I'm fine. Thank you for your trouble, senpai," Kakashi responded, momentarily pausing his meal to sit up straight and answer with proper etiquette.
"Not bad, not bad. If you keep this up, I'm sure your interpersonal relationships will improve a lot," Shinno nodded approvingly before motioning for him to relax and eat.
"I appreciate your concern, senpai." Kakashi nodded again and resumed eating.
Tsunade, who had been eating with the intensity of a starving beast, furrowed her brows slightly and glanced at Kakashi. Beside her, Kushina also gave Shinno a questioning look.
Kakashi had always been polite, but phrases like "thank you for your trouble," "much obliged," and "I appreciate your concern" had never been a part of his usual vocabulary.
Genjutsu therapy…
Was it really this effective?
Even Kakashi himself felt that the words coming out of his mouth weren't entirely like him. But when he recalled the genjutsu, where his father had taught him these expressions in between beatings, he instinctively attributed the change to the effects of the therapy.
Maybe…
Pain really does reinforce memory?
Shinno caught the strange looks from Tsunade and Kushina and internally rolled his eyes.
This was nothing yet.
Kakashi still hadn't met Obito, the ultimate chatterbox.
Just imagining Kakashi engaging in rapid-fire banter, responding to every single thing Obito said without missing a beat, made Shinno suppress a chuckle.
Giving him the Master Sidekick trait had been a stroke of genius.
Minato and Rin were definitely going to love it!
[...]
After a rather pleasant lunch, Shinno wasted no time in putting Kakashi under another genjutsu session.
Kushina cleaned up the table and headed to the kitchen to wash the dishes, while Tsunade, now stuffed beyond comfort, sprawled across the couch like a heavily pregnant woman, holding her stomach.
"Shinno~ I am all set up, hurry up and get started!"
"..."
Shinno, who had just finished dealing with Kakashi and was sipping his post-meal tea, nearly choked on his drink.
What kind of scandalous nonsense was that?!
You might not care about your reputation, but I care about mine!
Fine, fine. Heaven on Earth genjutsu, here you go.
Despite his internal complaints, Shinno still cast an A-rank genjutsu, sending Tsunade straight into the gambling paradise of her dreams.
"Hahahaha! I'm back, baby! Today, I'm gonna clean this place out!"
"Oh? The dealer's got a good hand—twenty points. Too bad I've got twenty-one! All mine!"
"Think you can take on me, the Legendary Gambler of Konoha? You got the skills?!"
"Three consecutive wins! None of you are leaving here today! Hahahaha!"
Tsunade, still lying on the couch, was flailing her arms and shouting excitedly, her voice carrying throughout the house.
Kushina peeked over and saw Tsunade nearly rolling off the couch in her excitement. She exchanged a glance with Shinno, her eyes twinkling mischievously. Clearly, she was remembering the last time Tsunade got caught in his genjutsu.
[...]
"Alright, System, let's use the 'Random Green Trait Upgrade' now."
Shinno was in a great mood. With a flick of his foot, he nudged Tsunade's body back onto the couch before turning his gaze toward his system interface.
His green trait Enhanced Healing Chakra had already upgraded to the blue trait Ultimate Healing Touch, and Master Sidekick was put to good use.
That left only one green trait: Fate's Apprentice.
With a 100% success rate, this was a sure win!
[Congratulations, Host. Green trait 'Fate's Apprentice' has successfully upgraded to the blue trait 'Fate Weaver.']
Fate Weaver: An existence beyond the flow of fate, moving through the weave of destinies. Actively altering others' destinies allows the user to absorb the residual fate energy released during significant changes, enhancing their own luck. Within a ten-meter range, the user can observe the density of others' fate energy.
"So 'slight' became 'moderate,' and now I can observe fate energy too?"
Shinno raised an eyebrow, quite pleased with the upgraded effect.
A small change in wording made a huge difference.
A 1% gain versus a 10% gain—those are not the same thing.
He turned to look at Tsunade and Kakashi. With Fate Weaver activated, he could clearly see both of them enveloped in deep purple fate energy.
As the future Fifth and Sixth Hokage, two individuals who played critical roles in the main storyline, it was no surprise that they carried immense fate energy.
But…
"What the hell?! Why am I glowing green?!"
Shinno looked down at himself and nearly lost it.
Fate energy and destiny were related but not the same thing.
While people with strong fate energy generally had better destinies, there were always exceptions—like Tsunade, whose life was riddled with tragedy despite her powerful fate energy.
So...
"No matter how strong I get, I'm still a bad-luck magnet?!"
Shinno clenched his teeth in silent frustration, his gaze darting between Tsunade and Kakashi.
To change his fate energy, he needed to alter others' destinies.
And the stronger someone's fate energy, the more excess energy would be released upon altering their fate—energy he could absorb through Fate Weaver.
Not only that, but the system's rewards were also based on how much of an impact these changes had on the timeline.
Tsunade and Kakashi—one a future Hokage, the other an even later Hokage.
If he could change their fates...
Forget the fate energy boost—just the system rewards alone would make him rich!
But how?
Shinno tapped his finger against the couch's armrest in thought.
Helping Tsunade overcome her hemophobia so she could become the Fourth Hokage earlier?
That wasn't a huge change.
There would be rewards, sure, but probably not much.
Same with Kakashi.
It's not like he could just eliminate them for the sake of rewards.
This wasn't a game. Killing NPCs for extra loot was one thing, but in real life? That was beyond depraved.
Knock, knock, knock—
A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts.
Shinno shelved his ideas for the moment and went to answer it.
A masked Anbu, clad in Root's uniform, knelt on one knee upon seeing him and presented a scroll.
"Root?" Shinno raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, Lord Shinno. My codename is Omega, captain of the second squad," the Root operative replied stiffly, his tone laced with a clear sense of reverence.
"…First time I've seen you guys this polite."
Shinno took the scroll, scanned its contents, and found that it matched what the Hokage's Anbu had previously informed him.
He looked down at the kneeling operative. "You may report back. Tell Lord Danzo that I'll report in tomorrow."
"Yes, sir."
With that, the Root operative vanished.
Shinno's grin widened.
Tsunade and Kakashi might be tricky to deal with...
But Danzo?
"Well, well… Looks like it's your turn now, Danzo."
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
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