How a Scumbag Was Made / Ino and Tenten

Chapter 8: How a Scumbag Was Made [Please support]

"Tenten should like this gift, right?"

Looking at the chibi "Tenten" in front of him, Chiya Rikuto smiled.

He had always been quite fond of the Chinese-style girl.

Besides, she had always cared about him, quietly keeping an eye on him.

Naturally, he had noticed her innocent, budding feelings.

He would consider this a gift in return.

"And there's Ino, too..."

That was right. Besides the little puppet carved in Tenten's likeness,

the second puppet doll looked just like the Yamanaka Clan's heir, Ino Yamanaka, from the famous Ino-Shika-Cho trio of the Shinobi World.

Chiya Rikuto's late father had been a renowned medical Jonin.

He had also been frank, warm, and friendly, so naturally, he had made plenty of friends during his lifetime.

He had been friends with the Ino-Shika-Cho trio for many years.

Over the years, the three Ino-Shika-Cho families had often visited Chiya Nao, their late friend's mother, who was in poor health and had difficulty getting around.

With no one to teach him, young Chiya Rikuto had been forced to figure out his training on his own. He inevitably ran into difficulties in his day-to-day practice and often seized the chance to ask them for advice.

The three members of Ino-Shika-Cho held nothing back, teaching him generously and guiding him patiently.

As time went on,

Chiya Rikuto grew increasingly close to the Ino-Shika-Cho trio.

He gradually came to accept them from the bottom of his heart, treating Shikaku Nara and the others, who had taken such good care of him, as elders of his own family.

Naturally, he also got to know the heirs of the Nara, Yamanaka, and Akimichi clans.

And thanks to the good upbringing they had received from their families, Shikamaru Nara, Ino Yamanaka, and Choji Akimichi, who were a year younger than him, lacked the arrogance and disregard for others common to children of other major clans.

They were close in age.

They got along fairly well.

Ino, who had an eye for good looks, even became a little fangirl of Chiya Rikuto's.

They could be considered childhood friends.

Over the past two years, with him bringing them together,

Ino and Tenten had long since become good friends.

The three of them often trained together.

Occasionally, Shikamaru, Choji, Rock Lee, and the others joined them.

So Chiya Rikuto, who was determined to become a "scumbag," did not favor one girl over the other.

He had prepared a special gift for each of them.

After all, they were both his future "wings."

"Grandma, I'm off!"

"Remember what Grandma told you. You must be careful!"

"I know!"

Early the next morning,

after eating breakfast with his grandmother,

Chiya Rikuto spent some time talking with her.

He also used his Wood Release Chakra, which was brimming with powerful vitality, to nourish her body once more.

Then he put the puppet dolls away in the gift boxes he had prepared beforehand.

With the old woman earnestly reminding him to take care, he got ready to leave.

"Oh, right, I almost forgot..." He suddenly remembered something and slapped his forehead. "I still need to water Sister Kurenai's flowers!"

"Click!"

He took out the key Kurenai Yuhi had given him some time ago.

After closing his own door, Chiya Rikuto went straight over and unlocked Kurenai Yuhi's door with practiced ease.

Her home likewise had three bedrooms, a living room, and a small balcony.

The whole place was neat and tidy.

A pleasant fragrance lingered in the air.

Chiya Rikuto was not surprised.

After all, as far as he remembered, Kurenai Yuhi had always been a very tidy woman.

There was not much furniture, giving the place a simple look.

The living room held only two or three sofas, and a somewhat old photograph sat on the coffee table beside them.

It showed a stern-looking, red-eyed middle-aged man beside an adorable girl with delicate features like a porcelain doll's and ruby-red eyes.

It was a photograph of Kurenai Yuhi with her father, Konoha Jonin Yūhi Shinku, who had also died in the Nine-Tails' attack, and it was the possession she treasured most.

"Sister Kurenai was really kawaii when she was little..."

Chiya Rikuto did not hurry to the balcony to water the flowers.

Instead, he picked up the photograph and smiled as he looked at Kurenai Yuhi, who was as adorable as a porcelain doll. "No matter how many times I look at it, she's just so lovable!"

As he spoke, he gave the photograph a quick wipe.

No wonder the Third's son, Asuma Sarutobi, had once wanted to court her.

Unfortunately, his feelings were not returned.

From the indirect questions he had asked over the years, Rikuto had more or less determined Kurenai Yuhi's standards for a partner.

Good looks were secondary, but the man had to be stronger than her and could not be much older.

She did not dislike men who drank and even enjoyed a drink herself on occasion.

Of course, that was provided they did not drink to excess.

But she quite disliked men who smoked, reeked of tobacco, and were scruffy.

And so, Asuma Sarutobi was spectacularly out of the running.

"But Asuma, you should just stick to being a unit of currency..."

The corners of Chiya Rikuto's mouth curved up. "Beautiful, gentle Sister Kurenai will have me to take care of her in the future!"

As a "fake shota" with the mind of a normal adult,

he was faced every other day with such a gentle, intelligent beauty, with an amazing figure and gorgeous looks.

What was more, she occasionally acted quite intimately with him.

How could he possibly not have any thoughts about her?

In any case, ever since gaining the power of the Woods-Woods Fruit,

he had already become a legendary "tentacle monster."

Naturally, the more wings he had around him, the better.

Nothing wrong with that.

Chapter 9: Ino and Tenten [Please support]

"Splash, splash..."

By the time he finished watering Kurenai Yuhi's flowers,

the sun was already high in the sky.

Outside, on the bustling streets,

people were already coming and going in great numbers.

He had spent quite some time carefully making the two little puppets.

Carrying the gift boxes, Chiya Rikuto sped over the rooftops, leaping from one to the next.

Before long, he arrived in a lush forest with beautiful scenery.

And there,

two beautiful, adorable girls with different builds

had already been waiting expectantly for quite some time.

"Brother Rikuto, you're so slow!"

"Rikuto, you're late..."

When they saw Chiya Rikuto arrive,

the eyes of both girls, who had waited so long, lit up.

They came over to greet him.

"Sorry, I'm late today!"

Rikuto apologized.

He looked at the two young beauties

with a smile on his face.

"Brother Rikuto..."

Little Ino, her hair tied in a ponytail that gave her a smart, capable look, rushed over with practiced ease.

She clasped his arm affectionately, pouting slightly as she complained, "This is the first time you've been late!"

But her eyes were immediately drawn to the gift boxes in Chiya Rikuto's hands. "What are these...?"

Beside them, Tenten smiled as she watched Ino boldly hold on to Rikuto.

Her gaze inevitably carried a hint of envy.

But although she was naturally cheerful, she was also somewhat reserved, and could not bring herself to act so intimately.

Instead, she too looked curiously at the gift boxes Rikuto had brought.

There were two of them.

Could it be...?

"These are gifts for you!" Rikuto said with a smile.

"Gifts?"

"Really?"

At his words,

both girls' eyes lit up, pleasantly surprised.

"This one's for you, Ino..." Rikuto did not keep them in suspense and handed each girl a gift. "And this one's for you, Tenten!"

"Hee-hee, thank you, Brother Rikuto..."

Ino was excited as she looked at the exquisite gift box.

Her pretty face was full of joy as she looked at Rikuto. "What kind of gift is it? I can't wait to see!"

"Thank you, Rikuto..."