Bro, You Smell So Good

Outside the weed-choked courtyard, Yuhi Kurenai stood in her ordinary clothes. Her eyes were lively, but her expression was terribly awkward.

Facing her was Uzuki Yugao, whose waist-length purple hair and innocent yet alluring air left her looking just as confused.

"Kurenai-senpai? Why are you at Hanazuki's house? Did you hear about it too?"

"Um... you're in the same year as Anko... What did you hear?"

Yuhi Kurenai studied the young kunoichi before her, an inexplicable sense of danger rising in her heart.

"Senpai, you didn't know? Hanazuki—Uchiha Hanazuki—was taken on as a student by Lord Orochimaru, one of the Sannin. Anko became Lord Orochimaru's student afterward, too."

"Our Team Orochimaru was disbanded because of it. I wanted to congratulate the two of them, but I heard Hanazuki had used up too much chakra in the last battle and couldn't go on missions for a while, so..."

Yugao's words did nothing to ease Kurenai's suspicions. Her gaze drifted toward the gift Yugao was hiding behind her, its corner just barely visible, and the sense of danger grew stronger.

"So that's what happened. You and Anko were on the same team as Hanazuki?"

"That was a few months ago. Ever since he saved us from the Fourth Raikage and became Lord Orochimaru's student, Team Orochimaru has been disbanded."

A flicker of sadness crossed Yugao's face and vanished. Just as Yuhi Kurenai was about to comfort her, a hearty laugh came from a street corner in the distance.

"Kurenai! Yugao! What are you doing at this guy's house? Huh? Since when did you two like sweets?"

Anko hurried down the street, reaching Hanazuki's front door in the blink of an eye. She looked from side to side and asked curiously.

"Kurenai, don't you hate cake? And you too, Yugao. Three-Color Dango is really popular. Could it be..."

Under Anko's gaze, the other two felt awkward in perfect unison, as if their toes could dig out a whole apartment.

Their eyes met by accident, and their cheeks immediately warmed. They hurriedly looked away as Yuhi Kurenai fumbled for an explanation.

"Actually, I..."

"So you finally understand the beauty of dango and desserts?"

Anko's smile grew brighter and brighter. Kurenai and Yugao couldn't help but feel relieved. Thank goodness Anko was so oblivious, or they would've been found out.

Hm? Why is Anko joining in too? What is this, a battlefield of love?

"Hey, Hanazuki! How long have you been hiding over there watching us? The great Anko has arrived, so hurry up and open the door!"

Hands on her hips, Anko called out with unabashed confidence.

Yugao and Kurenai looked up in alarm. Only then did they notice the boy in the second-floor window, his long hair casually draped down his back and a languid air about him.

"How long have I been watching? Pretty much the whole time. You didn't ring the doorbell, and I'm not the sort of person who invites women into my house just like that."

Kurenai and Yugao looked embarrassed. They really hadn't rung the doorbell. They'd been too busy sizing up the competition to notice it.

"That sounds suspicious. Your words sound really suspicious. Whatever, hurry up and open the door! If you don't, the dango and red bean soup will get cold!"

The door creaked open. The dark hallway made all three women uneasy, but a strange fragrance wafting out soon dispelled their fear.

"Welcome. I really didn't expect anyone to come visit me. I haven't prepared anything, so... sorry about that."

Hanazuki sounded rather perfunctory, prompting Anko to shout in protest.

"Liar! You did the same thing when you were learning ninjutsu from Lord Orochimaru. You'd send a Shadow Clone to take a look, then leave right away. You just didn't want to be bothered!"

In the clean, bright living room, steam curled from three cups of tea. The three women exchanged glances as Hanazuki sank almost completely into the sofa. In the end, Anko was the first to speak.

"Hey, in a little while, Lord Orochimaru is going outside the village with me to train. Are you coming?"

Anko's gaze wandered as she asked quietly. When she'd waited ages without getting an answer, she worked up the courage to look at him—only to hear a faint snore.

"You! I'm asking you a question! Lord Orochimaru wants me to go train outside the village with him. Are you coming or not, you idiot?"

She grabbed him by the collar and yanked him straight up from the sofa. As she leaned closer, a deep, gentle fragrance quietly filled the air, bringing a blush to all three women's cheeks.

Anko looked around in confusion, suspicion growing on her face.

"Since when do you have flowers in your house? There's this really nice smell. What's going on?"

"Yeah, I noticed it as soon as we came in. There's a lovely, but strange, scent."

"Is it flowers? The smell seems to be coming from somewhere close to us. What kind of flower could it be?"

While the three of them wondered, Anko suddenly brought her hand to her nose and sniffed it. The corner of her mouth twitched.

"Could it be..."

Kurenai and Yugao leaned closer. Their expressions changed, and their cheeks turned red. They instinctively covered their eyes, but excitement glimmered through the gaps between their fingers.

"Anko! What are you doing? Are you kissing him? Is that a kiss?"

"Wait, we can't make this kind of mistake at our age! Even if you want to become an adult, don't do it in front of us, Anko!"

Anko looked utterly baffled. The shouting interrupted Hanazuki's nap, and he opened his eyes. The moment she saw he was awake, she instinctively let go.

"Wait, what are you thinking? That smell is coming from him! From his body! What did you think I was trying to do?"

"Could it be..."

Anko's gaze left Kurenai and Yugao so mortified they could barely face her. Hanazuki, just coming out of his daze, was even more bewildered by the scene.

"What are you all talking about?"

Feeling that something about him was strange today, Hanazuki instinctively checked himself and soon found the problem.

[Name: Uchiha Hanazuki]

[Bloodline Limit: Mangekyō Sharingan]

[Identity: Nine-Tails Jinchuriki]

[Tailed Beast: Black Nine-Tails]

[Exclusive Trait: Fox Charm]

Fox Charm? When did I get such a strange trait? Where did it come from?

He searched through everything, and finally found the source of the trait at the end of his Moon Sign.

Exclusive to the Moon Sign? So the Moon Sign doesn't give me ninjutsu or items—it grants traits that enhance me?

Sensing three dangerous gazes fixed on him, Hanazuki looked up. Several youthful faces, beautiful in a way that seemed far beyond their years, were pressed close to him, their expressions faintly sultry.

"Bro, you smell so good. I really want to rub against you and lick you..."

"Hanazuki-kun, you're so cute! What I really want is you, Hanazuki-kun..."

"Actually, ever since you saved me that day, I've..."

Bang!

A sudden gust of wind swept away the room's heady atmosphere. Someone rushed in, looking frantic.

"Uchiha Hanazuki, something terrible has happened!"