We're all family. What's wrong with a hug?

Chapter 8: We're All Family, What's Wrong With a Hug?

After Furina finished speaking, she understood through their shared gaze that both Hinata and Roman had reincarnated into the Naruto World. Roman had been an orphan for ten years, while Hinata had become a genius of the Hyuga Clan.

Of course, that wasn't the most crucial part.

The most crucial part was that after the two got close, Hinata Hyuga's Byakugan visual prowess and even her Chakra increased significantly. Roman also gained Chakra, and even the Byakugan...

Even more importantly, this increase continued as time passed!

This thrilled Furina, who saw the possibility of gaining power! — The hope of breaking free from being a mortal and becoming the true Hydro Archon!

Furina's inner excitement and her craving for power quickly resonated through emotional resonance to Roman and Hinata Hyuga's minds.

Hinata Hyuga couldn't help but say, "You want to become stronger? You want to gain Chakra power from me?"

Furina showed a pitiful expression: "Is that not allowed?"

"Of course it is. Come, hug me." After Hinata Hyuga spoke, she turned her head to Roman and said, "You come too. The three of us will stay together."

"Okay."

Roman nodded.

Immediately, the three of them moved closer and embraced.

Furina had no aversion to this whatsoever.

After all, she now knew that Roman's appearance wasn't a disguise; it was real... He truly was the reincarnation of the original Roman.

From the perspective of soul essence, he was another gender-bent version of her.

Given that, what was wrong with a hug?

It was just hugging herself.

Their current posture was Furina holding five-year-old Hinata Hyuga as if she were her daughter, while Furina herself was embraced from behind by Roman.

It was a heartwarming scene of a family of three, but this cozy moment was quickly broken by Furina. Her face flushed instantly, and her ears turned red too!

The cowlick on top of her head almost popped right out of her top hat.

The reason was simple: she felt Hinata's subtle movement, as Hinata rested her head on Furina's chest... Furthermore, at such close proximity, she could sense Hinata's thoughts and feelings through their emotional resonance:

So flat, feels like all bones.

Furina's... really small, feels like an A-cup.

She's been the Hydro Archon of Fontaine for ten years, yet she still hasn't grown up and developed a large chest.

But I, Hinata Hyuga, am different. I'll have a big chest in just ten years, and unlike the Hinata in the original story, I eat my fill every day, so I imagine in ten years... I'll develop better than the original Hinata.

Upon hearing these thoughts, a red-faced Furina couldn't help but say, "Although I've been the Hydro Archon for ten years, I was designated as the Hydro Archon of Fontaine by my reflection, Focalors, right at birth. So, you could say I'm only ten years old and haven't fully grown up yet."

"Heh heh."

Hinata Hyuga let out a scoff: "My dear Furina, my other self... don't be stubborn. According to our memories of Genshin Impact from our previous lives, you won't grow at all for the next 490 years. Your chest won't grow at all; it'll always be this size."

Furina opened her mouth to speak but couldn't find the words. Her face only grew redder, becoming even more flushed.

Just then, Roman, who was holding Furina's waist from behind, spoke up: "It's alright, small is also very cute. I like it a lot."

Furina's expression softened slightly upon hearing this. She shot a challenging glance at Hinata Hyuga in her arms, only to see Hinata Hyuga roll her eyes and say, "Oh please, we are all reincarnations of the original Roman, so of course, we know Roman's preferences!"

"He wants both big and small!"

"It's all the same..."

"That's right."

Roman admitted it without hesitation.

After all, both Hinata Hyuga and Furina were reincarnations of fragments of the original Roman's soul. In a sense, they were other versions of himself.

And one usually knows one's own inner thoughts best!

So why not admit it?

"..."

Furina was momentarily stunned when she heard Roman's admission... It wasn't Roman's bold statement that surprised her, but rather that she noticed Roman's breathing had become heavier after he spoke those bold words...

Furina's body trembled slightly. After a moment of silence, she said:

"Something moved down there..."

"I can't help it. Observing the Hydro Archon of Fontaine, the truly pure and righteous Lady Furina, at such close proximity naturally elicits a reaction from me. After all, I am a man."

Upon hearing Roman's audacious remark, Furina's neck even began to turn red, clearly indicating extreme shyness. Then, she quickly thought of something and said, "Just a moment ago, you called me a pure human, and now you're calling me Lady Furina. You're so fickle."

"Men are all fickle."

With that, Roman leaned in closer and blew a puff of air into Furina's ear.

"You scoundrel."

Feeling all of this, Furina's delicate face showed a hint of angry embarrassment.

She began to stomp her foot.

Hinata Hyuga, held in Furina's arms, sensed something and spoke up, "Furina, I think I feel it. You're feeling it too, aren't you?

"It's quite normal, though, when you think about it. Even if you are a god of Fontaine, you only represent the human aspect of the Hydro Archon. Your physical body is mortal.

"Under these circumstances, it's only natural for you to feel something."

"..."

Furina was unable to retort, her face growing hotter and redder.

Just then, Roman also noticed that Furina was nearing her limit.

If he provoked her any further, Furina would start hitting him with her little fists, so he changed the subject. "How are you feeling now, Furina? Has your body changed at all?"

Hearing this, Furina realized Roman was helping to change the subject, so she quickly closed her eyes and carefully sensed the state of her body.

However, doing so only made the feeling of being pressed against from behind even more pronounced.

It's too big!

Ever since Roman found out that I, Furina, am a reincarnation of a part of his soul, and felt that I had no rejection towards his emotions, he's become completely unrestrained!

Furina thought, her face flushed with anger and embarrassment. She took a deep breath, trying to tell herself to discard all distracting thoughts… Focus. I must focus.

Soon, Furina felt that her physical strength had increased significantly. Apart from this change in strength, she hadn't gained any Chakra.

After sensing her condition, Furina shared what she had discovered about herself.

"Only physical changes? And no Chakra gained?" Roman pondered for a moment. "It's exactly like my situation before. You can try practicing the Chakra Cultivation Method again. I only gained Chakra after attempting to cultivate the Chakra Cultivation Method myself."

Upon hearing this, Furina put the small Hinata down from her arms, then quickly distanced herself from Roman and covered her backside…

"Go on, try practicing the Chakra Cultivation Method properly. I won't cause any trouble now," Roman said seriously. "As everyone knows, when I have serious matters to attend to, I'm a proper person."

"Hmph, I know that, of course."

With that, Furina let out a delicate huff and sat cross-legged in the Chaos Hall to begin her cultivation.

However, several minutes passed, and her body's cells still didn't produce any Chakra.

Roman, who had been observing Furina's internal condition with his Byakugan, noticed that Furina hadn't cultivated any Chakra in a short period and frowned slightly.

"That shouldn't be right. With our talents synchronized, Furina should be able to pick it up quickly."

Hinata Hyuga, at this moment, thought of something and spoke up, "Perhaps it's because she isn't from the Naruto World and doesn't have 130 billion trillion cells in her body.

"Instead, she's a Fontainian created by Focalors, the strongest pure Hydro elemental, so she can't extract Chakra energy from her cells."

Roman's frown deepened. "Then this time, will Furina come with full expectations only to return disappointed?!"

To be honest, Roman really wanted to see Furina grow stronger. After all, no matter what, Furina was another version of himself.

Just then, Hinata Hyuga, who had been continuously observing Furina's internal condition, shook her head and spoke again:

"Furina won't go back disappointed. Roman, look closely at the path the Chakra Cultivation Method takes within Furina's body. It has already subtly adapted and changed.

"It seems the energy being cultivated is no longer Chakra, but another type of energy."

Roman's eyes widened. "Are you saying that the Chakra Cultivation Method, after being practiced by Furina, naturally transformed into a method capable of condensing Elemental Energy?"

Hinata nodded slightly. "Most likely.

"The reason Furina can't cultivate Elemental Energy right now is because there are no Teyvat ley lines around. Once she returns to the world of Teyvat, she'll probably be able to cultivate Elemental Energy, and even gain a Vision!"