"Geh?"
Karin looked at Ryun in disbelief. Although she had hardly any experience with schooling, she understood the meaning of the word 'Clan head.'
This meant she had become a member of Ryun's family. Even if she was just a subordinate, it still meant she had a home.
Home... what a distant word?
When Karin's mother was still alive, for Karin, the place where her mother was, was home.
But after her mother was bitten to death by the Kusagakure-nin, could she still call the thatched hut she lived in 'home'?
Kusagakure was even less her home. There wasn't a single person there who harbored any goodwill towards her; everyone saw her as a living blood pack.
So when she heard these words from Ryun, Karin was dumbfounded, tears streaming down her face, as if she couldn't accept such an enormous surprise all at once.
Then, what followed was an overwhelming wave of fear and self-doubt. She worried this was some cruel joke by Ryun, that he was just making fun of her. Karin nervously performed a dogeza prostration and said, "My Lord, you flatter me."
"I am a Kusagakure-nin, a person without even a name. How could I just become your family like this? Besides, this is our first meeting—"
"You are unwilling?"
Ryun ignored Karin's excuses, reached out to caress her cheek, then lifted her chin and said, "Since you have no surname, from now on, take my surname, Nojuro, and become a member of my family."
"I'm only asking if you are willing. As for other matters, you don't need to worry about them."
Looking at Ryun's gentle smile, the fragile doubts in Karin's heart crumbled in an instant.
She didn't think Ryun was deceiving her—and even if he were, so what? She was willing to be deceived!
No place was more of a hell than Kusagakure. As long as she could break free from there and come live in Konoha, she was willing to pay any price!
Becoming Ryun's family? Even if Ryun wanted her for her talent, or even planned to train her as a sacrifice, she was still willing.
At the very least, Ryun was the first person to treat her so gently.
The expression on Karin's face gradually broke down, and finally, she dissolved into tears.
She cried loudly, throwing herself into Ryun's arms, and said, "I am willing!"
"From today onwards, I am Nojuro Karin!"
Ryun showed a satisfied smile and gently patted Karin on the back.
At this moment, Ryun felt a bit like Orochimaru, going around coaxing innocent war orphans.
However, Ryun's moral bottom line was much higher than Orochimaru's; he never intended for those who followed him to die.
Ryun held Karin, letting her vent all the pent-up grievance and sadness in her heart.
She cried for a full half an hour before stopping, her eyes swollen and red from crying.
Ryun helped her wipe away her tears, then, to Karin's astonished gaze, infused her with Yang Release chakra.
A warm current flowed through her limbs and bones, warming Karin's entire body like a mother's embrace, making her cheeks flush and her gaze towards Ryun become hazy.
[Ding, close contact with ninja Nojuro Karin, simulation count +3.]
A flash of joy passed through Ryun's eyes. So this was what increased the simulation count?
In just a short while, Karin had already given him four simulation chances.
As expected of another major 'love-brain' in Naruto. In just this short amount of time, she had already fallen for him.
But this wasn't really strange, after all, the gentleness Ryun showed Karin was many times greater than that of Sasuke and Orochimaru combined. It was only reasonable that Karin quickly succumbed in Ryun's arms.
What's more, Ryun had even changed her surname.
Although changing one's surname could also be understood as adopting a child, Karin probably wouldn't think Ryun took her in to raise her as a daughter no matter what.
Soon, Karin's swollen eyes returned to normal. She knew Ryun had healed her again.
She bit her red lip lightly, then made a decision, and then pulled open her yukata, revealing a large part of her shoulder, and said, "Um, Family Head—my Lord, you haven't bitten me yet."
"So impatient?"
Ryun originally meant it as a tease, but Karin blushed and nodded, saying, "My Lord healed me, it's time for me to repay you."
"Alright."
Ryun hesitated no more. He also happened to want to taste the feeling of this physical energy healing from Karin.
Then Ryun opened his mouth and bit down. A faint fruity scent wafted into his mouth and nose, followed by a muffled grunt from Karin. Strangely, it sounded somewhat alluring.
Looking at Karin's entire body flushed a burning red, it was clear that for Karin, this was not just repaying a debt. In her heart, she had endowed it with some special meaning.
[Ding, confirmed intimate relationship with ninja Nojuro Karin, simulation count +5.]
The system notification further confirmed this point. Good grief, was Karin treating this bite as a confession?
But Ryun hadn't confessed yet!
Although he did like Karin, and Karin was infatuated with him, did the whole confession process just get skipped like this?
Then, Karin's words provided an explanation for skipping the confession process.
"Family Head, from today on, when I treat others, I will only use my arms. As for the rest of my body, only you have the right to bite—hnn!"
This soft nasal sound made Ryun feel like he had matured a few years.
It was just a pity that Karin wasn't mature enough yet; otherwise, he might have made a mistake.
As Ryun pondered, a peculiar force transmitted from Karin's body, entering his mouth, nose, and abdominal cavity.
Then, Ryun felt as if the cells throughout his body were activated, life force gushing out from within them. The chakra he had lost by releasing shadow clones was rapidly replenished.
The fatigue from staying up all day yesterday also vanished, as if he had received a massive energy recharge from Karin, his entire being felt reborn.
This feeling seemed like Markless Healing?
Ryun's eyes lit up. It really was Markless Healing!
It was just that, unlike the Markless Healing he himself had awakened, this passively activated Markless Healing was slightly less effective, yet it was more forceful, seemingly ignoring the cell's own state of depletion.
Now Ryun finally understood what this talent of Karin's really was.
When an injured person bit Karin, a strand of the active life force within Karin's body would be transferred into the injured person's body, then, like a drop of hot oil into boiling water, it would temporarily activate an effect similar to Markless Healing in the injured person.
The level of this healing itself was similar to Creation Rebirth, achieved by sacrificing the injured person's cellular potential, not entirely relying on Karin's life force to heal the injuries.
Otherwise, even though Karin was a powerful Uzumaki clan descendant with vast life force, if she were constantly used to heal fatal injuries, her life force wouldn't hold up either.
At this point, Ryun's interest in the healing effect brought by this talent had diminished considerably, because when he treated those close to him, he certainly wouldn't heal their injuries at the cost of depleting their life potential.
However, he was still very interested in the specific mechanism of how Karin activated the body's own potential and vitality.
Understanding this mechanism could potentially be used to create a potent, risky medicine for use during wartime.
Take Tsunade herself for example. She certainly knew the cost of Creation Rebirth, but compared to death, the cost of damaged cellular vitality was acceptable.
Ryun believed that countless ninjas would choose to buy such a medicine to save their lives, and this would become one of Ryun's important sources of wealth.
Of course, this was all in the future.
For now, what he needed to do was to firmly bind Karin to his side.
So, Ryun's thumb gently brushed across Karin's lips, saying, "Then you must eat well and grow up well. Next time I bite you, I want to taste a fuller, warmer, softer texture, not such prominent bones."
Karin was stunned, never expecting her almost speechless remark to receive such a serious response.
Then, she became even more certain of her decision. She held his wrist with both hands, pulling it in front of her, and hummed affirmatively.
"Next time, I will definitely grow taller and fatter, and satisfy the Family Head!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Karin's stomach suddenly growled.
She sprang up like a spring, quickly waving her hands, saying, "Um, no, I didn't—"
She wanted to deny being hungry, but how could she, who had never really had enough to eat, possibly sustain the powerful bloodline of the Uzumaki clan?
Ryun stood up and patted her head, saying, "Since you're hungry, say it openly. Setting aside other things for now, in my Nojuro household,
ensuring everyone has enough to eat is definitely the top priority."
Then Ryun began preparing lunch. The terrifyingly large commercial super-pot startled Karin. Could it be that Ryun's house actually ran a restaurant?