Nawaki gnawed on a roast chicken, watching the two of them act all lovey-dovey as if nobody else were there. The meat in his mouth suddenly didn't taste so good. He rolled his eyes and muttered, "Can't you two pick a better time to show off your affection? Could you at least consider how it feels for those of us who are single?"
"You still want to become my brother-in-law? With the way you're two-timing everyone, I'd never entrust my sister to you!"
The more Nawaki spoke, the angrier he got. He worked himself into a fit of rage.
He tossed aside the chicken bones he'd picked clean, folded his arms across his chest, and said indignantly, "You're all over Mikoto while still thinking about my sister. That's the textbook definition of playing both sides!"
Uchiha Mikoto's cheeks flushed bright red, and she buried her face against Bai Lin's chest.
It wasn't that she was embarrassed to admit they were together. It was just that whenever she thought of Bai Lin's ambition to build a harem, her heart couldn't help racing.
So far, she knew for sure about Kushina Uzumaki and Tsunade. Who knew who else might join them in the future?
The thought of serving Bai Lin alongside other women always left her feeling a little uncomfortable.
Everything is for the Uchiha Clan. Yes, it's all for the Uchiha!
I can put up with anything Bai Lin does!
I'll create a Ninja World of love and peace for Bai Lin!
Thinking this way, everything Bai Lin did suddenly seemed reasonable to her, and the unease in her heart gradually faded.
Feeling the warmth of the person in his arms, Bai Lin gently stroked her long hair, his fingertips tender.
He looked at Nawaki with an amused smile, though his eyes held an undeniable defiance. "You can eat whatever you want, but watch what you say."
"I, Bai Lin, wasn't planning to play both sides!"
"And you're saying this isn't that?"
"Then what would you call it?" Nawaki's eyes widened in disbelief as he pointed at Bai Lin and Mikoto. "My sister is Tsunade! How could she possibly tolerate you having someone else by your side?"
"Are you telling me you can marry my sister and Mikoto too?"
"You have to give one of them up. That's what being an excellent man requires."
Bai Lin chuckled. He hadn't expected Nawaki, who followed Jiraiya around all day, to be so innocent when it came to love.
He slipped an arm around Mikoto's waist and drew her closer. His voice was both arrogant and earnest. "I'll have plenty of women in the future, so 'playing both sides' doesn't even begin to describe me."
"You! You're completely unreasonable!"
Nawaki's face turned red with anger. He pointed at Bai Lin, unable to find the words. "I've never met anyone as shameless as you!"
"If my sister finds out what you're thinking, she'll beat you until you're crawling on the ground!"
"Beat me until I'm crawling?" Bai Lin raised an eyebrow.
"I don't know if she'll beat me that badly, but the first thing I'll do once I've recovered is beat you until you're crawling."
"Mikoto, Bai Lin is such a womanizer. Doesn't that make you feel wronged?" Nawaki stamped his feet in anger.
Bai Lin looked at the woman in his arms, his voice softening. "Mikoto, do you feel wronged?"
Uchiha Mikoto lifted her head from his chest. Her cheeks were still flushed, but her gaze was unusually firm. "No. As long as Lin doesn't abandon me, and as long as he doesn't forget the promise we made to each other, I won't feel wronged."
Bai Lin shot Nawaki a provocative look. "Well?"
"You're unreasonable!"
"Completely unreasonable!"
"You, Bai Lin, are a pervert!"
Nawaki glared furiously at Bai Lin, his voice full of anger.
"Looks like you still haven't learned your lesson, Nawaki."
"What, you want to hit me again? I'm telling you, Bai Lin, I'll never hand my sister over to you. Even if you kill me, I won't do it. Never!"
"Killing you is out of the question." Bai Lin's lips curled into a mischievous grin. "But from now on, besides beating you until you're black and blue every day, I'll switch your food to Military Ration Pills. Don't expect me to give you another bite of anything tasty."
"Hah! That's it? Even if I have to eat tree bark and chew on leaves, I'll never eat another thing you give me!" Nawaki said indignantly. He turned his back on the two of them, refusing to deal with Bai Lin any longer.
Night deepened, and the cave fell quiet once more.
Nawaki still had his back to them, his chest heaving as he sulked and kept watch for the two of them.
Bai Lin and Mikoto lay together, whispering about how much they loved each other. Every now and then, their laughter made Nawaki grit his teeth in anger.
The day passed in the blink of an eye, and soon it was the following morning.
Nawaki wasn't all that strong, but he was responsible.
Because Bai Lin had completely drained his Chakra earlier, his recovery was much slower than usual.
Chakra was a combination of spiritual and physical energy. If the spirit hadn't fully recovered, it was difficult for one's Chakra reserves to replenish quickly.
With Bai Lin temporarily unable to fight, the responsibility of keeping watch over the three-person team fell to Nawaki and Uchiha Mikoto.
But Nawaki was a man, and he took on the entire night's watch by himself rather than making Uchiha Mikoto, a girl, stand guard. That earned him a good deal of Bai Lin's respect.
Bai Lin opened his eyes. Uchiha Mikoto was asleep, nestled against him. Her long eyelashes cast faint shadows beneath her eyelids, and her breathing was even and steady.
He turned his gaze toward the cave entrance. Nawaki sat with his back to them, his spine straight as he perched on a rock. He still held a Kunai in his hand, his eyes warily scanning the forest.
After a sleepless night, faint dark circles shadowed his eyes, yet he remained on high alert. He had barely changed his posture at all.
That sense of responsibility had earned him even more of Bai Lin's quiet approval.
"Nawaki, get some rest first. We'll need to keep moving later."
Bai Lin got up and went over to Nawaki, speaking softly.
"You've recovered?" Nawaki replied listlessly.
The night on watch had left the usually energetic boy's eyes bloodshot, and his voice was hoarse.
He rubbed his aching shoulder and loosened his grip on the Kunai. He was clearly exhausted.
"Yeah. Go ahead." Bai Lin glanced at the gray sky outside and estimated it was around six in the morning.
"You've got two hours to rest. Our next destination isn't far, so we'll need to set out soon."
As he spoke, he took a bag of warm rice balls and a bottle of water from the System Space and held them out to Nawaki. "Have something to eat before you sleep."
At the sight of the food Bai Lin offered, most of Nawaki's defiance from the night before vanished.
He hesitated, then reached out to take it and muttered, "At least you have a little conscience."
Only after Nawaki finished eating and found a sheltered corner to lie down in did Bai Lin sit against the rock wall and close his eyes, focusing on the Chakra within him.
After a day of rest, his spiritual energy had mostly recovered, and his Chakra reserves were back to more than half. As long as they didn't run into another battle like the last one, he could handle things with ease.