I, Bai Lin, Have No Intention of Playing Both Sides!

Nawaki gnawed on his roasted chicken, watching the two of them act intimate as if no one else were around. The meat in his mouth suddenly lost its flavor, and he rolled his eyes, muttering, "Can't you two pick a better time to show off? Could you at least consider the feelings of a single man?"

"And you still want to be my brother-in-law? With your two-timing behavior, I will never hand my sister over to you!"

The more Nawaki spoke, the angrier he became, his frustration boiling over in a sudden burst of indignation.

He tossed the picked-clean chicken bones aside, crossed his arms over his chest, and said indignantly, "You're cozying up to Uchiha Mikoto while still pining after my sister—you're the textbook definition of a two-timer!"

Uchiha Mikoto's cheeks turned beet red instantly, and she buried her entire face into Bai Lin's chest.

It wasn't that she was ashamed to admit their relationship; it was just that whenever she thought of Bai Lin's ambition to "build a harem," her heart couldn't help but race.

As of now, she knew for certain about Kushina Uzumaki and Tsunade, and there was no telling who else might join the fold in the future.

The thought of serving Bai Lin alongside other women always left her feeling a bit conflicted.

Everything is for the Uchiha Clan. Yes, it's all for the Uchiha!

I can endure anything for Bai Lin!

I will create a Ninja World of love and peace for Bai Lin!

Thinking this way, Bai Lin's actions suddenly seemed reasonable in her eyes, and the inner conflict began to fade.

Bai Lin felt the warm breath of the person in his arms and raised a hand to stroke her long hair, his fingertips moving with gentle pressure.

He looked at Nawaki, a playful smile curling his lips, though his eyes held an unquestionable, rebellious arrogance: "You can eat whatever you want, but you shouldn't say whatever you want."

"I, Bai Lin, have no intention of being a two-timer!"

"You call this not being one?"

"Then what do you call this?" Nawaki's eyes widened, and he pointed at him and Uchiha Mikoto in disbelief. "My sister is Tsunade! How could she possibly tolerate you having someone else by your side?"

"Do you really think you can marry my sister and Uchiha Mikoto at the same time?"

"You have to choose one or the other; that is the bare minimum requirement for a decent man."

Bai Lin chuckled aloud, surprised that Nawaki, who spent all his time hanging around Jiraiya, could be so naive and innocent when it came to matters of the heart.

He hooked his arm around Uchiha Mikoto's waist, pulling her closer, his tone a mix of arrogance and sincerity: "In the future, I will have many women, so the phrase 'two-timer' isn't even enough to describe me."

"You! You are simply unreasonable!"

Nawaki's face flushed red with anger, and he pointed at Bai Lin, unable to find the words. "I have never seen someone as shameless as you!"

"If my sister finds out what you're thinking, she'll definitely beat you until you're missing teeth!"

"Beat me until I'm missing teeth?" Bai Lin raised an eyebrow.

"I don't know if she'll manage to knock my teeth out, but the first thing I'll do once I recover is knock yours out."

"Uchiha Mikoto, Bai Lin is such a playboy, don't you feel wronged at all?" Nawaki stomped his feet in frustration.

Bai Lin looked at Uchiha Mikoto in his arms, his tone softening slightly: "Uchiha Mikoto, do you feel wronged?"

Uchiha Mikoto lifted her head from his chest, her cheeks still flushed, but her gaze was exceptionally firm: "I don't feel wronged. As long as Bai Lin doesn't abandon me and doesn't forget the promise between us, I will never feel wronged."

Bai Lin cast a provocative glance at Nawaki. "Well?"

"Unreasonable!"

"Simply unreasonable!"

"You, Bai Lin, are a pervert!"

Nawaki glared fiercely at Bai Lin, his voice dripping with extreme indignation.

"It seems you haven't learned your lesson yet, Nawaki."

"What, you want to hit me again? Let me tell you, Bai Lin, I will never hand my sister over to you! Even if you kill me, I won't—absolutely not!"

"Killing you is out of the question, of course." Bai Lin smirked. "But from now on, besides getting beaten black and blue every day, your only food will be Military Ration Pill. Don't even think about getting a single bite of good food from me."

"Hah! That's it? Even if I have to eat tree bark and chew on leaves, I will never eat another bite of your food!" Nawaki huffed, turning his back on them, refusing to acknowledge Bai Lin any further.

As the night deepened, silence returned to the cave.

Nawaki remained with his back to them, his chest heaving as he kept watch in a huff; meanwhile, Bai Lin and Uchiha Mikoto lay together, whispering their love for one another, their occasional soft laughter only making Nawaki grit his teeth in rage.

The day passed in the blink of an eye, and soon it was the next morning.

Though Nawaki's strength wasn't much to speak of, he was responsible enough.

Because Bai Lin had completely exhausted his Chakra, his recovery speed was far slower than usual.

Chakra is a fusion of spiritual and physical energy; if the spirit cannot fully recover, it is difficult for the Chakra reserves to replenish quickly.

In their three-person team, with Bai Lin temporarily lacking combat capability, the responsibility of keeping watch fell to Nawaki and Uchiha Mikoto.

However, Nawaki, being a man, had taken on the entire night's watch himself, refusing to let Uchiha Mikoto pull a shift, which earned him a fair amount of respect from Bai Lin.

Bai Lin opened his eyes to see Uchiha Mikoto sleeping soundly in his arms, her long eyelashes casting faint shadows beneath her eyelids, her breathing steady and calm.

Shifting his gaze to the cave entrance, he saw Nawaki sitting on a rock with his back to them, his spine straight, clutching a Kunai as he scanned the jungle with a vigilant gaze.

He hadn't slept all night, and though faint dark circles rimmed his eyes, he remained on high alert, barely shifting his posture.

This sense of responsibility truly earned a measure of silent approval from Bai Lin.

"Nawaki, you should rest for a while. We need to continue our journey later."

Bai Lin stood up, walked over to Nawaki, and spoke to him in a low voice.

"Are you rested?" Nawaki replied listlessly.

A night of keeping watch had left the usually energetic boy with bloodshot eyes, his voice raspy.

He rubbed his aching shoulders and loosened his grip on the Kunai, clearly exhausted to the point of collapse.

"Yes, go ahead." Bai Lin glanced at the graying sky outside, estimating it to be around six in the morning.

"I'll give you two hours to rest. Our destination isn't far, so we need to set off as soon as possible."

As he spoke, he retrieved a bag of warm rice balls and a bottle of water from his system storage, handing them to Nawaki. "Eat something to line your stomach before you sleep."

Looking at the food offered to him, the stubbornness Nawaki had held since last night dissipated in an instant.

He hesitated for a moment before reaching out to take it, muttering under his breath, "I suppose you have a conscience after all."

Once Nawaki finished eating and lay down to rest in a sheltered corner, Bai Lin leaned against the rock wall, closed his eyes, and focused on sensing the Chakra within his body.

After a day of recuperation, his mental energy had largely recovered, and his Chakra levels had climbed back to more than half capacity; as long as he didn't encounter another battle like the last one, he could handle most situations with ease.