Strength Improvement and New Binding

The night was as black as ink. The alley, bustling with people during the day, lay utterly silent now.

The distant main street was brightly lit, and through layers of rooftops, a few hazy, faraway halos of light fell into the alley, making it seem even deeper and more tranquil.

Shinji and Rin slowly walked into the alley.

Feeling the softness and warmth in his palm, Shinji could not help giving her hand a gentle squeeze.

Nohara Rin had not expected him to do that. Like a startled deer, she tightened her grip on his hand instead.

"Shinji, th-this place seems to be getting farther and farther from my house!"

She spoke softly, a trace of panic in her voice.

A rare flush rose to Shinji's face. Of course, he had done it on purpose. The True Love System's mission required him and Rin to hold hands for a full thirty minutes. Her house was not far away, so he could only deliberately take a detour.

He had not expected her to notice.

Shinji stopped and turned Rin to face him. Moonlight fell gently over her face, making her seem pure and beautiful.

As expected of a white moonlight.

"I wanted to spend a little more time with you," Shinji said softly. "There were too many people during the day. I was afraid you'd feel embarrassed."

Nohara Rin looked into Shinji's gentle eyes, then at his handsome profile, and her cheeks instantly turned bright red.

The two looked at each other quietly. Rin was the first to surrender, her eyelashes trembling lightly as she no longer dared to look at him.

Shinji probably likes me, right?

Then... do I like him?

Unable to meet Shinji's eyes any longer, she lowered her head and lightly bit her lower lip. "Actually... actually, taking a detour is fine too."

Nohara Rin quietly compromised with herself.

For a moment, countless thoughts churned through her mind. Thinking about their relationship left her heart in complete turmoil.

Shinji smiled and answered, "Okay." Their hands never separated from beginning to end.

He thought of Obito and secretly thought to himself:

Obito, you can't imagine my happiness.

Half an hour later, the two finally arrived at Rin's front door.

The lights were still on inside. It was only a little past eight in the evening, so her parents were probably still awake.

Nohara Rin cautiously pulled her hand back. Raising her eyes to look at Shinji, she spoke in a very soft voice:

"Shinji, we... our relationship is moving too fast."

"Some things should wait until the war is over."

Though it sounded like she was putting things off, Rin's next action filled Shinji with delight.

She stepped forward and gently embraced him. The next second, like a startled bird, she ran into the house without looking back.

Shinji had not expected Rin to be so proactive. The softness and warmth lingering in his arms vividly told him that the embrace just now had not been an illusion.

"After the war?"

He murmured softly. The Battle of Kannabi Bridge was about to begin, and after that, the war would be over.

After parting with Rin, Shinji went straight home.

He took a comfortable hot bath, washing away the exhaustion from the journey. Then he curled up on the fabric sofa in the living room, his back resting against a soft cushion, and summoned the system interface with a thought.

At the top of the information panel, a new notification glimmered faintly.

"Side Quest: Encouragement Completed"

"Mission Reward: 100,000 Points, A-Rank Gift Box ×1 automatically credited"

"Note: It is truly an impressive achievement for the host to complete the mission in such a short time."

"One hundred thousand Points, and an A-Rank Gift Box."

Shinji raised an eyebrow, his gaze falling on the square box with gilded patterns in his inventory. He lifted a hand and tapped it lightly.

The screen flashed, and the gift box floated in the center of the interface. Golden light suddenly blazed forth as new notifications appeared one after another.

"A-Rank Gift Box opening. Please wait..."

The moment the lid opened, a large wheel covered in intricate patterns appeared. Its surface was clearly divided into sections for ninjutsu, talents, Chakra, ninja tools, and more. Two silver needles spun rapidly before slowly coming to a stop.

"Current Gift Box Reward Type: Talent, Charm"

"Charm +3"

"New Talent Acquired: Medical Affinity (Cannot be upgraded)"

"Talent Description: When learning knowledge and techniques related to medical ninjutsu, learning speed increases by 30%. The host will possess the potential aptitude to become a genius Medical Ninja."

Shinji immediately felt a warm current surge through his limbs and body, while the Chakra within him pulsed gently.

"Medical Affinity! It seemed the system had modified my body and, along the way, awakened a talent suited to the Yang attribute."

A slight stir rose in his heart, and the corners of his lips unconsciously curved upward. "Now that I have this talent, I really should ask Rin for more guidance."

Shinji murmured to himself as Rin's figure suddenly surfaced in his mind, and he instinctively imagined a scene.

She wore a white coat, her slender, fair wrists exposed, as she leaned over and patiently explained acupuncture points and medicinal theory to him.

"Cough, cough!"

Shinji hurriedly suppressed those stray thoughts and continued scrolling through the message log. Before long, he found the two character profiles he had scanned at the training ground that day.

He had investigated them early that morning.

[Character: Kurenai Yuhi]

[Skills: Three Body Technique Lv3, Hell Viewing Technique Lv2, Body Flicker Technique Lv2, Fox Heart Technique Lv2...]

[Estimated Points Reward for Successful Pursuit: Ambiguous Relationship/3000 Points, True Love Relationship/150,000 Points...]

[Remarks: Low difficulty rating. You are in the same team, so you have the advantage of proximity. Those crystal-clear eyes like exquisite rubies, paired with those long, straight, fair legs—aren't they enough to make your heart race?]

[Character: Kakashi]

[Skills: Three Body Technique Lv3, Chidori Lv1, Swordsmanship Lv3, Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall Lv2...]

[Estimated Points Reward for Successful Pursuit: Ambiguous Relationship/5000 Points, True Love Relationship/200,000 Points...]

[Remarks: High difficulty rating. Brotherly love is love, and bromance is deep affection too. A genius Copy Ninja, max out that bond! Lost in life, he needs you to reach out and save him! Friendly reminder: Kakashi has a preference for certain novels—perhaps that would be a good way in~]

"Brotherly love is love, and bromance is deep affection too."

At the sight of that prompt from the True Love System, Shinji's face instantly darkened, but he could only accept it.

Now that the system had bound itself to him, he could only face whatever came.

Shinji had already set a bottom line for himself: if he developed a system relationship with a man, it would go no further than the second stage. He had no intention of being forcibly turned gay by the system.

Since the Character Detector was limited at this stage, he could only prioritize high-quality prospects and easy targets for now.

Besides, Kakashi and Kurenai Yuhi would soon be heading to the front lines together, giving him plenty of time to pursue them.

Afterward, he deftly operated the interface and added Kakashi and Kurenai Yuhi's names to the binding list. Then he opened the inventory, found the scroll Shisui had given him during the day, spent 50,000 Points to unlock the Phantom Body Flicker Technique, and upgraded two skills while he was at it. Finally, he cleared out the remaining usable items in the shop, instantly spending more than half his Points.

Looking at the clear binding list, learned ninjutsu, and newly acquired items on the System Panel, Shinji nodded in satisfaction and laughed softly. "A perfect start!"

[Name: Uchiha Shinji]

[Charm: 33]

[Chakra: Approx. 0.6 ka]

[Talents: Sharingan (Two Tomoe), Medical Affinity]

[Skills: Three Body Technique Lv3, Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique Lv2, Lightning Style: Earth Run Lv2, Uchiha Style Swordsmanship Lv1, Illusion Technique: Demonic Binding Prison Lv1, Phantom Body Flicker Technique Lv1]

[Bound Targets: Nohara Rin (First Stage), Kakashi (None), Kurenai Yuhi (None)]

[Points: 15000]

[Inventory: Ninjutsu/Taijutsu/Genjutsu Training Acceleration Card (7 Days), Invisibility Cloak (Consumable), Dirty Book]