Kenshin spent nearly all of day 198 resting, tweaking the exo-suit for hours. New ideas kept coming for optimizing energy storage and distribution, and by evening, lounging in the pool with three beauties, he suddenly got an idea to split energy storage across blocks and at least double battery capacity.
He jumped out of the pool instantly, running to his office past the girls' shocked stares, not to lose inspiration.
"Kasumi, girl, good you came. Look at this genius idea! – Kenshin said proudly, unfolding the exo-suit."
"Um, you added extra energy storages? – Kasumi asked smiling."
"Not just that. All energy nodes link to all batteries now. No fear of the suit becoming useless if one battery's damaged. Now I have three! – He said laughing, lightly kissing her lips."
Kasumi knew his formation overlay skills and often advised. Kenshin planned to teach her but waited till after birth. Even telepathic basics would take days minimum.
"Still, this suit's weak. It gives some speed, but any peak Nara Clan genin could catch and destroy you... – Kasumi sighed. More than anything, she didn't want anything happening to Kenshin, and it unsettled her that he wouldn't stay home forever but wanted combat involvement."
"Weak for now. With current knowledge and growing physical strength, I think I can boost speed to chunin level. And if I unlock psionics and integrate it... – Kenshin trailed off dreamily, pondering incredible prospects."
"In serious fights, a Chunin is no more than a fish on a cutting board! Moreover, how will you overcome the natural limitations of the physical body? How will you cope with the enormous overloads from clashes with powerful strikes?! For shinobi, Chakra dampens all that, and you'll have nothing left but to be a ball that withstands the blow but immediately flies into the sky!" Kasumi said in a dissatisfied tone.
Kenshin seriously pondered her words. Dampening inertia from powerful strikes was one of the first questions he had asked the very smart girl. It was pointless to ask Natsumi or especially Aya about it, since the first had only a vague idea of what it meant, and for the second, it was a dark forest. Kasumi, on the other hand, intuitively understood the simplest laws of physics and was able to give at least some coherent answer.
During exchanges of blows between strong shinobi, several parameters came into play. The first was physical defense. Skin, flesh, and bones had to be very sturdy to withstand a counterstrike. If the blow was incredibly powerful, then when blocking, the defender's arms would be broken or torn off, and the strike could easily tear open their ribcage.
The second was Chakra. Kasumi used official terms to differentiate Chakra, but for Kenshin, the term "Chakra quality" was far more convenient. A shinobi with stronger and more potent Chakra could much more easily channel the impulse through themselves and dissipate it in all directions, without being thrown back or staggered.
The third and fourth were Chakra control and quantity. Control allowed one to much more easily channel the most powerful impulses through oneself and dampen a huge portion of the damage, without even harming the flesh. Quantity played a lesser role, only slightly easing the strain on the shinobi's body. This parameter reached a completely different level of effectiveness if it involved someone with Chakra quantity approaching that of a bijuu. According to Kasumi, you could break your fists against such a shinobi's face, leaving only minor bruises on the enemy's skin.
"I'll come up with something..." Kenshin muttered tiredly, rubbing his temples. His knowledge of formation creation was insufficient to effortlessly create an exo-suit capable of harmlessly withstanding the most powerful strikes for the user and instantly dissipating the impulses arising from the collision of two objects.
"Okay, sorry for ruining the mood..." Kasumi replied with a sigh and hugged him, kissing his lips. She didn't want to be harsh with him, but it irritated her greatly that Kenshin couldn't let go of the idea of participating in combat missions.
The next few days, Kenshin only refined the suit and spent two hours a day analyzing the Nara Clan's combat style under twentyfold focus. Thanks to his perfect memory, he clearly remembered every movement and every note from Kasumi. All he had to do was structure this information and make it convenient for passing on to his sons.
On the evening of day 201, he finally impregnated his two wives again, who were aching with desire. Kasumi was very jealous of her friends and promised to drain every last drop from Kenshin after giving birth.
Kenshin spent all of day 203 on pins and needles. Kasumi was extremely nervous and wouldn't let him go far from her. She was preparing to give birth to her first child and was terribly tense.
Aya and Natsumi tried to calm her, but that day Kasumi refused to use logic or common sense, fully surrendering to her fears and prejudices.
Kenshin decided that sitting around waiting for the weather to clear was a waste of time, so he went to his office to continue structuring the Nara Clan's combat style.
"KENSHIN!"
Sitting in the lotus position, Kenshin flinched and opened his eyes. He was in complete shock and immediately rushed to the second floor. Until now, none of the girls could initiate telepathic communication, but Kasumi, with her powerful empathic impulse, managed it.
"UUUUGH, KENSHIN! GOD, WHAT'S HAPPENING!" Kasumi exclaimed, gripped by intense panic.
"Shh, your water just broke, everything's fine," Natsumi said, stroking her head.
Kenshin instantly rushed to his third wife, took her hand, and began empathically radiating complete calm.
"Everything's fine, girl. Nothing bad will happen. Now do as we agreed. Relax and just breathe," he whispered to her in the most soothing voice possible.
Kasumi calmed down a bit and began breathing heavily, gradually normalizing her breath. Kenshin's words had a hypnotic effect on her, making her almost completely relax and surrender to her natural childbirth instincts.
Ten minutes later, to Kasumi's complete surprise, the room filled with the loud cry of a newborn baby.
"Shh, don't cry," Kenshin whispered, looking into the baby's completely black, unblinking eyes, and handed him to his mother.
"Everything's fine, sweetie. You did it. Look at the beautiful baby you gave me!" Kenshin said with a smile, passing the child over and kissing Kasumi on the forehead.
"Aaah, god, he's so beautiful..." she whispered, unable to hold back tears of joy. All her sorrow vanished in an instant when the baby found his mother's breast and silently began to feed.
Kenshin couldn't wait to check his baby's stats.
Name: Fifteenth
Age: 0.1 days
Talent Level: 36
Seeing his youngest son's stats, Kenshin couldn't hold back a joyful smile. Kasumi saw his pleased expression and sighed inwardly with relief. She knew that Kenshin would first look at the talent level and held her breath waiting for the verdict.
"Ha-ha-ha! What a wonderful child! Kasumi, you're pure gold! Talent level thirty-six!" Kenshin exclaimed, delighting everyone present.
The baby wasn't the least bit frightened by his father's loud cries; on the contrary, he liked the voice and began eating with double fervor.
"That's right, little Fifteenth, eat up. Grow big and strong. We'll show your second cousin's grandpa who's the real genius at shadow manipulation!" Kenshin declared with a laugh, in the highest spirits. Fifteenth had exceeded all his bold expectations and was far more talented than any of his older brothers.
Hearing Kenshin's praise, Kasumi was overjoyed and gently stroked the baby's back, not wanting to interrupt feeding for a kiss.
"Thirty-six... That's the level of a solid Jonin!" Aya said in surprise, unable to believe her friend had given birth to such a genius. Jonin were considered the elite of the shinobi world and held all leadership positions. A Jonin could effortlessly decide the fates of small villages like Shinto with a wave of the hand, killing all the discontented. A Konoha Jonin who destroyed a small village faced only a reprimand and fine, and only in rare cases something serious, so Aya had feared them since childhood.
"Said the girl who gives birth to kids with Sharingan..." Natsumi replied with a smile, and everyone chuckled softly.
"Alright, Kasumi, you need to rest. Girls, time for us to go," Kenshin said, kissing his wife and child before heading out.