Raizen tied a Partner's Red String around Guren's wrist.
Under Guren's astonished gaze, the red string slowly faded into nothingness.
"Eh? It really disappeared?" Seeing this, Guren's eyes widened in shock.
She rubbed the spot where the string had vanished, but felt absolutely nothing. It was as if the red string had never existed on her hand. The other four women also stared, their eyes wide with curiosity.
The red string was still there, but it existed like a void—untouchable and invisible. Only Raizen could see it or untie it. As long as it remained, Guren would be influenced by the Partner's Red String to develop a unique affection for Raizen and would never commit an act of betrayal. This was a massive guarantee for his future safety; at the very least, he wouldn't have to worry about Guren secretly following Orochimaru's orders to sabotage him.
The moment the string was tied to Guren's hand, Raizen noticed a number appear floating above her head: 70.
70?What's this? Why did a number suddenly appear?Is it because of the Partner's Red String I just tied?
Raizen silently asked the system for an explanation. What did the 70 represent?
The system clarified: This is the Affection Level.
The Partner's Red String allowed Raizen to see the current affection level of those he was bonded with.
Max Value: 100
70: Ordinary Friends
80: Friendly/Close Friends
90: Ambiguous/Romantic Interest
100: Deeply Bonded/Intimate Partners
"How did you do that?" Guren asked, rubbing her wrist back and forth, unable to feel a thing. Her heart was filled with intense curiosity.
"It's magic. If I told you, it wouldn't be mysterious anymore."
"Ladies, let me perform for each of you. See if you can find the flaw in this trick. There's a big reward for whoever figures it out!"
Raizen walked over to the other four beauties with a grin, signaling for them to extend their hands. Since Guren had already done it, and they followed her lead, the four women didn't refuse and took turns extending their hands.
Guren moved to the side, her large eyes fixed on Raizen's hands as he tied the strings, determined to see through his "magic." However, her efforts were in vain. After tying a string on each of the four women, the red strings vanished one by one right under her nose.
"How on earth are you doing that?" Guren rubbed her eyes hard. She couldn't see a single opening. This was too incredible! Moreover, she didn't feel any chakra fluctuations; it couldn't be a Space-Time Ninjutsu. Yet, the strings had simply vanished into thin air before her very eyes.
Guren truly couldn't fathom how Raizen was accomplishing this.
"A secret can't be told," Raizen laughed. He glanced at the numbers above the other four women's heads: 68, 66, 63, and 69.
These represented their current affection toward him. Seeing these stats, Raizen felt they were quite decent. 60 was the passing grade; anything above that meant these women's first impression of him wasn't one of hidden loathing.
Affection could be cultivated over time. Once they knew each other longer, it would naturally rise—he wasn't worried about that. However, Raizen was slightly curious: they were sent by Orochimaru, so why didn't they harbor any resentment or hatred toward him? Hadn't Orochimaru secretly ordered them to deal with him?
Perhaps "Auntie Snake" simply wanted to contribute to the Uchiha's revitalization with no selfish motives? Yeah, right. That was impossible.
The current Orochimaru hadn't been humbled by Itachi yet and was still very much in love with killing. During the Chunin Exams in the original story, Kakashi had been paralyzed by his killing intent alone. A guy with that much malice wouldn't kindly send one of his future vessels over just to have babies.
Thus, Raizen was puzzled by the affection scores. Why was there no hostility? If they were enemies, the score should definitely be below 60.
This is strange...
"Hmph! Stingy," Guren huffed when she saw Raizen wouldn't tell her the secret.
Raizen chuckled. "Let me arrange your rooms first."
He called over a female attendant. "Arrange rooms for these ladies."
"Yes, Boss," the attendant bowed and smiled at the group. "Ladies, please follow me."
Guren glanced at Raizen before following the attendant away. Not long after, she returned alone.
"Are you all settled in?" Raizen asked with a smile.
"All settled." Guren sat in the chair next to Raizen. She looked at him and asked, "Do you intend for us to live in this hot spring inn long-term?"
Raizen nodded. "This inn is my property. These buildings are mine, so living here is essentially the same as living in my home."
"I saw a lot of other beauties in the next wing just now. They didn't look like employees. Don't tell me they all accepted the mission too?" Guren's eyes were wide with curiosity.
"Exactly. Every single one of them," Raizen nodded with a grin.
Guren's eyes widened even further, her face full of astonishment. "To be honest... can you actually handle that many?" she laughed once the shock wore off.
"I'm a super alpha male. How could I not handle it?"
"Even if another hundred came, it wouldn't be a problem." Raizen patted his chest confidently.
Guren stared at him with a half-smile. "I highly doubt that. I don't believe you."
"Fine! Since you don't believe me, I'll let you cut in line tonight. I'll let you see for yourself if Uchiha Raizen is everything you doubt..." Raizen said, looking at her playfully.
A blush immediately rushed to Guren's face. "That's too fast. Let's get to know each other for a few days first, otherwise, it'll be awkward."
"Fair enough. We'll do it your way." Raizen also felt that jumping straight into it would be a bit awkward. Perhaps they could drink together for a few days to build rapport until it happened naturally.
"Since you've come from so far away, I'll host a grand feast tonight to welcome you all. We'll have a proper celebration."
Guren nodded slightly. At the same time, she felt a strange sensation in her heart. Why did she suddenly feel like she wanted to stay by Raizen's side? Being near him felt... fulfilling, and strangely comfortable.
She had come with a mission from Lord Orochimaru, prepared to lurk in Konoha and kidnap Raizen for a vessel when the time was right. Yet, Guren couldn't understand why she suddenly felt this urge to get closer to this guy.
Whenever she looked at him, an inexplicable emotion welled up. This was a feeling she had never experienced before.
Why is this? What is it about this guy that is attracting me?
Guren was utterly bewildered, her face a mask of confusion.
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