Nawaki looked hesitant, but under the curious prodding of Ren Kurogane and Hikari, he finally unleashed his Wood Style.
"Wood Style!"
With a loud roar from Nawaki, countless vines suddenly burst through the ground. These thick, massive vines were covered in sharp, poisonous thorns, and they flailed their appendages wildly in a chaotic frenzy.
Hikari looked on with a look of pure disgust. "Deviant!"
"Nawaki, you're a real pervert!" Ren added, giving his heartfelt evaluation.
"No! I didn't want it to be like this!" Nawaki collapsed to his knees, tears of frustration pouring down his face like a broken dam.
Ren patted Nawaki on the shoulder with a touch of sympathy. Under the boy's hopeful gaze, Ren spoke slowly: "It's alright, Nawaki. It's normal for a man to be a little bit of a deviant!"
"NOOOO!!!"
Perhaps the blow was too great; a layer of wood manifested over the surface of Nawaki's body, encasing him completely. After confirming that Nawaki was just suffering from a standard bout of social withdrawal and wasn't in any life-threatening danger, Ren led Hikari back to his residence.
Oh, right—on the way, they ran into Tsunade, who was out looking for her brother. After pointing out Nawaki's location, and enduring Tsunade's teasing glances, Ren calmly brought Hikari home.
Looking at the large courtyard before her, Hikari stood dazed for a moment.
"What a huge house!"
Setting their luggage down, Ren smiled. "There are plenty of empty rooms. I'll take you to pick one out for yourself."
"Oh, okay."
After a tour of the house, Hikari eventually chose a room adjacent to the backyard.
"Here is 500,000 Ryo. Take it and buy some daily necessities."
"Eh! That much?!" Hikari was shocked. Over the past few days, she had gained some understanding of the current era's prices. Although the currency had depreciated compared to her time—with a bowl of ramen costing over a hundred Ryo—500,000 was a massive sum. Its purchasing power was significant.
"However, Hikari is new here and unfamiliar with the place. It wouldn't be good if you got lost wandering around Konoha by yourself," Ren muttered, rubbing his chin.
"I'm not a child! How could I possibly get lost?" Hikari pouted, her tone full of dissatisfaction.
"I'll see if Kushina has time to take you around."
Upon hearing Ren's words, Hikari's face became visibly angry. "Oh, I see! You have another one hidden away at home, don't you?!"
"What are you talking about? Kushina is Minato's girlfriend. What kind of unhealthy things is that little brain of yours thinking about all day?"
"Mi... Minato's girlfriend?" Hikari's large eyes filled with confusion. After blinking a few times, her face flushed with embarrassment, but she remained tsundere: "It's only because a certain someone has a bad reputation! Otherwise, people wouldn't think the wrong thing!"
"I don't have a bad reputation! Everyone in this village knows I'm a famously good man!" Ren defended himself indignantly.
Hikari gave him a side-eye and turned away. "Do you really think I'll believe your nonsense?"
Ren quickly caught up with her. When he brought Hikari before Kushina, the latter was eating pastries. Minato was nowhere to be seen; the two were rarely apart.
When Ren asked Kushina to help Hikari get familiar with Konoha, Kushina's brow furrowed, and she gave a flat refusal. "I have things to do this afternoon. I can't fulfill your request!"
"Eh! Such a blunt refusal?"
"That's right."
With that, Kushina turned to leave. However, before she departed, she gave Hikari a very subtle, encouraging look. Hikari's face instantly reddened, and she gave a microscopic, firm nod back to Kushina.
In a move completely unknown to Ren, the two girls seemed to have reached some sort of secret pact.
Ultimately, Ren had to take Hikari shopping for her daily necessities himself. By the time they returned, he was draped in bags and items of all sizes.
"Don't look so exhausted. These are all daily essentials, okay?" Hikari teased, looking at the drained Ren.
"This is an essential?" Ren pointed to a sparkling bracelet.
"Of course! This is a precious accessory!" Hikari nodded without hesitation.
"And these clothes? We bought at least three colors for every single style."
"The more clothes, the better! Otherwise, what do you think we should buy?"
"Except for silk stockings, nothing else is important!"
"You pervert! Go to hell! Die!"
That night, Hikari fell asleep amidst piles of new clothes. Since the day she was born, this was the most peaceful sleep she had ever experienced.
The next morning.
"I'm heading to the lab. I'll probably be busy for a while. Take care of yourself and remember to eat on time! — Ren."
By now, Ren was already in the laboratory. He had taken out the samples of Urashiki's flesh and blood, beginning his plan for godhood.
Hikari placed the note back on the table. Looking at the breakfast items she had never seen before, she found she didn't have much of an appetite.
"Honestly, couldn't he wait to have breakfast with me before getting busy?"
Just then, a figure suddenly appeared in the courtyard. Minato sprinted in excitedly, shouting, "Ren! Let's go practice Senjutsu!"
Looking at the blonde youth, Hikari's mind couldn't help but recall the blonde "future" boy she had met. She felt these two were remarkably similar.
"Uh, hello. I'm Minato Namikaze. Is Ren here?" Minato asked with a slightly awkward smile.
He had just returned from a mission and didn't know Ren had a new addition to his household. After all, he didn't have Ren's penicillin patent to earn money while sleeping. Although he had earned a fair amount previously, one couldn't live off savings forever. Since things had been quiet lately and his training had hit a bottleneck, Minato had taken a mission to clear his head. He hadn't expected to hear from Kushina that Ren was back the moment he entered the village. Naturally, he had rushed over to ask Ren to teach him Sage Arts!
Step—
Two more sounds came from behind. Kushina's boisterous voice rang out: "I say! Minato, you're getting a bit carried away, aren't you? Abandoning your cute girlfriend just to find a man?"
Beside Kushina, Mikoto was giggling, clearly enjoying the drama.
Hearing Kushina's voice, Minato's body went rigid. He had been so focused on training that he had forgotten about Kushina. This was a disaster!
Hikari watched the scene with interest. She had met Kushina yesterday, so this blonde must be the "Minato" Ren had mentioned. According to Ren, calling Minato the number one genius in Konoha wouldn't be an exaggeration.
Kushina marched up to Minato, puffing out her cheeks. "You! Is training really that important? You haven't seen your cute girlfriend in two days!"
Minato immediately began coaxing his girlfriend. Training, for now, would have to wait.