Indirect Kiss

"Good morning, Kurohane!"

"Do you know? After you went back yesterday, I kept training through the night and successfully mastered the Shadow Clone Technique!"

Kushina Uzumaki's lips curved into a wide, smug grin, looking incredibly proud of herself.

Since even Naruto could master the Multi-Shadow Clone Technique in a single night, it was perfectly normal for Kushina to learn it in a day, so Uchiha Kurohane wasn't surprised.

He shoved a pancake into Kushina Uzumaki's mouth.

"...Not again!"

This time, Kushina Uzumaki was prepared; she turned her little head and dodged Uchiha Kurohane's attempt to feed her.

However, she caught the fragrant aroma wafting from the pancake and her expression softened with temptation.

"What kind of pancake is this? It smells so good."

"It's delicious, right? It's the best snack in all of Konoha."

Uchiha Kurohane wasn't just bragging; Three-Color Dumplings were mostly just sugar and sweetness.

While addictive, they made one prone to gaining weight.

Pancakes were different; although delicious, they could feel greasy if eaten in excess, so one wouldn't binge on them, meaning no weight gain.

They were the perfect snack for a female ninja.

"Then I'll give it a try."

Kushina Uzumaki reached out with her delicate, jade-like hand, took the pancake, brought it to her lips, and took a large bite.

"Wah~ it's so hot!"

Kushina Uzumaki let out a cry, immediately sticking out her pink tongue and blowing on it.

She wore an expression of pure agony, clearly having been scorched by the heat.

Uchiha Kurohane found her disheveled appearance quite amusing.

She had felt the temperature of the pancake when she held it, so why had she put it in her mouth?

Wait, when I handed it to her, it didn't feel that hot.

Uchiha Kurohane instinctively took the pancake back from her hand and took a bite to test the temperature.

Although the pancake was a bit warm, it wasn't nearly hot enough to burn one's mouth.

It seemed Kushina Uzumaki had a "cat's tongue" that was sensitive to heat.

[Ji Ya~ Host has eaten the pancake Kushina bit, achieving the milestone "Kushina's Indirect Kiss" and obtaining the item "Kushina's Black Stockings S".]

(Kushina's Black Stockings S: The host receives the black stockings worn by Kushina; the reward will be delivered to the host's bed tonight.)

An indirect kiss could trigger a reward, just as Uchiha Kurohane had anticipated.

But the fact that the reward was Kushina's black stockings made him feel like this was absurd.

As a righteous ninja, he only wanted to learn ninjutsu or strengthen his abilities.

What use were a woman's smelly socks to him?

Last time it was Kushina's White Socks, and now black stockings—it was truly endless.

The most critical point was that the system had given him the socks Kushina had just taken off last time.

They had a hint of sweat on them.

This time, the system was waiting until nightfall, seemingly waiting for Kushina to take them off before delivering them.

This hardcore system was truly difficult to deal with.

Uchiha Kurohane looked down at the black stockings on Kushina's snow-white calves and sighed.

Since the black stockings covered so much, reaching all the way up to her thighs, and considering female ninjas trained all day, they would definitely be soaked in sweat.

The scent would surely surpass the White Socks; he estimated that even the regulars at the Ark Bar wouldn't be able to handle it...

On the other side, Kushina Uzumaki stared at the pancake Uchiha Kurohane had bitten, her face turning bright red as she froze completely.

He ate the pancake I bit—is this an indirect kiss?

It definitely is!

By definition, this is an indirect kiss!

Kurohane had an indirect kiss with me!

He ate my saliva!

Kushina Uzumaki felt her whole body burning with shame; she covered her mouth with her small hands and said anxiously.

"Why did you eat the pancake I already bit!"

Uchiha Kurohane looked at her flushed face and finally understood why she was called a Little Tomato.

Her round, adorable, red face really did look like a tomato.

"This is a pancake I bought. It's mine, so how could it be yours?"

Kushina Uzumaki was taken aback by his words. She thought it over and felt he was right, but she quickly snapped back to reality.

No, that's just a clever excuse. I've already eaten it, how could I let you eat it too!

Because the issue of sharing saliva was too embarrassing, she couldn't bring herself to say it out loud.

After a moment of hesitation, Kushina Uzumaki snatched the pancake back.

"What you gave me is mine!"

Kushina Uzumaki took a large bite, only to cry out that it was hot again, causing the pancake to slip from her hands.

Uchiha Kurohane caught it with quick reflexes. While laughing at her lack of memory, he took another bite himself.

Chew~

Perhaps it was psychological, but he felt the pancake Kushina had eaten was exceptionally sweet.

Uchiha Kurohane confirmed once again that achievements already attained could not grant new entries.

This was what Uchiha Kurohane had actually wanted to verify; he wasn't truly interested in the food Kushina had touched.

After blowing on the pancake to cool it down, Kushina Uzumaki saw Uchiha Kurohane eating from it again, and she turned bright red to the tips of her ears from shame.

"You're eating it again!"

She stomped her foot and complained.

Uchiha Kurohane was a gentle man. Seeing that Kushina was unhappy, he shoved the pancake directly into her mouth.

"If you want to eat, then eat."

"Mmph... hot, so hot!"

It was only then that she realized the problem.

Uchiha Kurohane had eaten the pancake Kushina had bitten, meaning he had come into contact with her saliva—it was an indirect kiss.

And as Kushina Uzumaki ate the pancake now, she was also coming into contact with Uchiha Kurohane's saliva.

This was a double indirect kiss!

Rounding it up, that was basically a kiss!

Have I kissed Kurohane?

Poof.

A cloud of steam erupted from Kushina Uzumaki's head. Her eyes swirled like mosquito coils, and her brain crashed in a panic.

She had truly turned into a Little Tomato.

Seeing Kushina Uzumaki become just like Hinata, Uchiha Kurohane secretly felt this was a stroke of fate.

No wonder Naruto ended up with Hinata; it turned out Hinata's steam-engine state was identical to Kushina Uzumaki's Little Tomato state.

The one who was truly like Kushina wasn't Haruno Sakura, but Hinata!

However, due to Uchiha Kurohane's Ninja World Peace Plan and his Save Kushina Plan, Uchiha Kurohane intended to keep Kushina by his side.

In the future, Naruto would not be born.

Hinata Hyuga would not be able to be with Naruto.

Without a partner to marry, Hinata would be single in the future.

This seemed to be a situation caused by Uchiha Kurohane's own actions.

Uchiha Kurohane felt that, as a man, he had to take responsibility.

Speaking of Hinata, Uchiha Kurohane thought of a very important question.

The original work never gave her mother's name.

Uchiha Kurohane could not yet determine who Hinata's mother was.

He wondered if she had the strength to join the Twelve Guardian Ninja Maidens...

After Uchiha Kurohane and Kushina Uzumaki finished the pancake together, they began their training.

Kushina Uzumaki couldn't wait to form the hand seals, using the Multi-Shadow Clone Technique to create two shadow clones.

Looking at the three identical beautiful girls, Uchiha Kurohane felt they looked like triplets, and a curious thought immediately crossed his mind.

After a female ninja uses the Multi-Shadow Clone Technique, the things she can do increase significantly; this jutsu held infinite possibilities.

No, shadow clones are just shadow clones, not real bodies. This kind of jutsu isn't very interesting.

Compared to shadow clones, there was a more useful jutsu.

That was the Transformation Technique.

Instead of having Kushina Uzumaki use the Multi-Shadow Clone Technique to create a few twins, it would be better to have other female ninjas use the Transformation Technique to take on Kushina's appearance.

Since the Transformation Technique involved real bodies, the level of interest would be much higher.

Just as Uchiha Kurohane was exploring the "interesting" aspects of ninjutsu in his mind, the crow perched outside Kushina's door spotted a figure that left him shocked.

That legendary female ninja—she had arrived!