Being Handsome Is a Sin, Too

Most importantly, she would have more time to spend with the handsome Rikuto.

Hehe...

At the thought,

Tenten's imagination began to run wild.

She became immersed in her fantasy world.

A glistening trickle even slipped from the corner of her mouth.

"Tenten, Tenten..."

Rikuto, who was beside her, called her several times

before he finally snapped the lovestruck girl out of her daze.

"Huh?" Tenten came to her senses.

Looking at Rikuto's handsome face so close to hers, she couldn't help blushing.

She lowered her head in a fluster. "Sorry, my mind wandered just now!"

"Hm?"

Beside them, Ino's face darkened.

She keenly sensed that something was amiss.

She scrutinized Tenten suspiciously. "Tenten, you weren't just thinking about something naughty, were you?"

"Of course not!"

Tenten flushed and vehemently denied it.

She hurriedly changed the subject, turning to Rikuto. "Rikuto, I'm counting on you from now on. I'll work hard to become an excellent puppeteer!"

With that,

she clenched her little fists.

Her delicate face was full of determination and resolve.

She knew very well that although her family was fairly well-off, this was, after all, the age of ninja.

Unlike Ino, who had her clan's secret techniques, all she could rely on was putting in more effort.

Otherwise, the gap between her and Ino would only grow wider.

"Yeah, I believe you can do it!"

Rikuto nodded and smiled encouragingly. "After all, you've set your sights on becoming a great kunoichi like Lady Tsunade, one of the legendary Sannin!"

Whether she could do it or not was another matter.

That ambition and drive alone were worthy of praise.

"Then let's do our best together, Tenten!"

Ino smiled encouragingly too.

Under a certain scumbag's "proper" guidance,

the two girls had long since become the closest of friends over the two years they had spent together.

[PS: The protagonist isn't really going to become a puppeteer, so don't worry.

It's just a personal interest that gives him a legitimate reason to train Tenten as a puppeteer.

Otherwise, I wouldn't have written in the Woods-Woods Fruit. That's his main means.]

Chapter 11: Being Handsome Is a Sin, Too [second update, please support]

"No, that's not right..."

"Do it like this. Control the Chakra Threads as precisely as you can..."

"Then use hand movements along with them to control it!"

In a clearing covered with lush green grass,

tall, leafy trees stood rooted in the ground, swaying in the breeze as fallen leaves danced through the air.

One or two puppet dolls moved slowly, controlled by several barely visible Chakra Threads.

"Rikuto/Big brother, I remember..."

Ino and Tenten, whom Rikuto was carefully teaching hands-on, had rosy cheeks.

They kept glancing at his unbelievably perfect, handsome face, reluctant each time to look away.

They couldn't concentrate at all, and the Chakra Threads they had struggled to form nearly snapped again and again.

The puppet dolls in front of them fell to the ground one after another.

"Ino, didn't you say you remembered?"

Rikuto's face darkened.

He couldn't resist tapping both girls on their smooth foreheads. "And you, Tenten, what are you thinking about? Concentrate!"

"Ow..."

"Darn it..."

Ino and Tenten's eyes filled with tears.

They glared indignantly at Rikuto, feeling deeply wronged.

Ino in particular clutched her reddened forehead.

The little princess of the Yamanaka Clan, whose temperament had always been rather wild, clenched her little fists.

She couldn't help jumping up and throwing herself at Rikuto.

Before Rikuto, who was rolling his eyes a little, could pull her off, she had already wrapped her arms around his head.

She planted a fierce kiss on his face, which was still somewhat childish but exceptionally handsome. "It's all your fault, big brother Rikuto! You're so handsome that I can't concentrate!"

"Smooch! Smooch! Smooch..."

Apparently not satisfied,

she gave him several more pecks.

The little girl held her head high and let go, thoroughly satisfied.

She looked just like a proud little hen returning in triumph.

But faced with Rikuto's speechless gaze and Tenten staring at her, dumbfounded, her cute face had already turned red to the tips of her ears without her realizing it.

It was her first time doing something so "outrageous."

Even someone as lively and cheerful as her couldn't help feeling a little shy.

She turned her head away, no longer daring to meet Rikuto's or Tenten's eyes, and muttered, "It's big brother Rikuto's fault for being so handsome!"

"Be serious. We're training..."

He wiped the still-wet saliva from his face.

As a scumbag determined to become a "tentacle monster"-no, the "king of the forest"-

Rikuto had grown up alongside Ino, and when it came to such intimate gestures from her,

he naturally didn't mind, much less blame her.

But as for the currently "unremarkable" little girl,

compared with the promise she held for the future, he really wasn't interested in her now.

After all, he wasn't actually a pervert.

"All right, then practice by yourselves for now..."

Looking at Ino and Tenten, neither of whom could focus, Rikuto felt a little helpless. "Make sure you get a good grasp of the points I just taught you!"

With that,

he spread his hands and stepped aside.

Sometimes, being too handsome was a sin, too.

He didn't know whether it was because the Woods-Woods Fruit had combined with his own Chakra and mutated, or because of some other unknown reason.

As he grew older, not only did his face become more and more handsome, but his skin also grew fairer and smoother, enough to make any woman jealous.

Moreover, there was the aura he naturally, imperceptibly exuded from within.

It seemed to have quite an effect on women,

drawing them in deeply and involuntarily.

A mature woman like Kurenai Yuhi wouldn't lose her composure too badly.

But young girls like Ino and Tenten, who were just beginning to experience the stirrings of love and barely understood them, couldn't resist it at all.

That was also why he was so popular at the Ninja Academy.

"Yeah, I'll do my best, big brother Rikuto!"

Ino suppressed her shyness and nodded seriously.

Seeing that the big brother Rikuto she had admired and adored so deeply since childhood didn't mind and showed no sign of anger,

she couldn't help feeling an indescribable joy and excitement in her heart.

"Me too!"

Although Tenten wasn't as bold as Ino,

she was unwilling to be outdone and earnestly raised her little hand.

"Good. If you have any questions, come ask me!"

After saying that,

Rikuto let Tenten and Ino practice on their own.

He walked over to a large tree by himself and used his considerable sensory abilities to confirm that no one was watching.

He casually picked up a leaf, and with a slight thought,

"Shhk..." The leaf split in two in an instant.

The cut was perfectly straight.

"Crackle..."

He picked up another fallen leaf and placed it in his palm.

Thin strands of electricity flashed across it.

The fallen leaf turned completely black and charred.

"Crackle, crackle..."

The next moment,

it gave off wisps of smoke

and spontaneously caught fire without a flame.

"Sizzle..."

Immediately afterward,

the flame went out.

The charred leaf was soaked again.

Then, without any external force touching it,

it broke into countless fragments.

If anyone had seen it, they would probably have been too shocked to speak...