A few days later, at the Konoha-Iwa border outpost.
The dry wind blew, carrying dust, striking the logistics tent where Shion was spending his afternoon. After the bizarre and confusing mission in Roran, the details of which somehow felt blurry and blank in his head like a scroll with washed-out ink, Shion returned to his routine of checking stacks of weapon supply documents.
The atmosphere inside the tent was quite peaceful, the only sound being the scratching of an ink brush on parchment. However, that peace was shattered to pieces in an instant when a mechanical voice, which hadn't been heard for a few days, suddenly echoed inside his skull.
[Ding!]
Shion's hand, holding the brush, instantly stopped in mid-air. A drop of black ink fell, staining the report paper. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up all at once.
Hearing a notification from this bastard System always brought a sign that his sanity was about to be tested. With an incredibly bad feeling, Shion swallowed hard and slowly opened the transparent screen interface in front of his face to read the title and description of the notification.
The System presented a mission with a title that successfully made Shion's heart beat erratically.
[Emergency Mission: 'A Message from the Future']
[Description: A space-time memory seal has been detected inside the Host's brain! This mission will break the seal and restore all the memories sealed away when the Host was executing the mission in the Roran Kingdom.]
[Reward: A Collection of Personal Items from the Future.]
Gulp!
Shion swallowed with great difficulty. Cold sweat began to seep at his temples. He genuinely didn't remember what happened in the latter half of his mission in Roran.
But somehow, even though his brain didn't remember, his survival instincts were screaming loudly, giving him a very, very bad feeling.
With a hesitant, trembling hand, Shion forced his finger to 'press' the accept button on the holographic screen.
The moment he touched it, an imaginary electric shock zapped his cranial nerves.
"Argh!" Shion clutched his head with both hands. The barrage of memories forcefully sealed by Minato's jutsu now flooded his brain like a burst dam. Memories about a blond boy named Naruto, a dark future secret, a warm hug from 'the son', and... a message scroll from his future self.
While Shion was still wincing, enduring the dizziness from the memory assault, a soft sound was heard on his desk.
Pop!
A small puff of smoke appeared from the void, right above the pile of logistics documents. The smoke faded, leaving behind several 'suspicious' items that materialized as his mission completion reward.
Shion's eyes, still slightly watering from the headache, immediately locked onto the most prominent object: a thick stack of photos tied with a small ribbon.
With bated breath and violently trembling hands, Shion pulled the ribbon and began to look through the photo sheets at the top of the stack.
Upon seeing the first photo, Shion's world seemed to collapse instantly.
In that photo, there was a figure of 'himself' wearing an incredibly beautiful, light-purple traditional silk kimono. The face radiated a very sincere maternal gentleness, smiling sweetly at the camera while affectionately holding a spiky-blond-haired baby (Baby Naruto).
The second, third, and fourth photos displayed a progression of time. The photos documented 'Shion's' moments together with Naruto as he slowly grew up. Starting from a toddler Naruto learning to walk, a little Naruto covered in mud, to a photo of the two of them smiling widely in front of the Ninja Academy when Naruto graduated, complete with a Konoha headband.
'Who is this woman?!' Shion's mind screamed hysterically upon seeing the image of his future self.
The figure in the photo had long brown hair elegantly styled in a bun with a flower hairpin. The curves of the body, wrapped in an obi and an expensive kimono, looked very mature, proportional, and ideal. That future 'Shion's' appearance truly radiated the aura of a typical, enchanting young adult mother... an existence that in his past life he often referred to as a MILF!
'This can't be me... This must be an illusion! Where are the remnants of my masculine pride?! Why am I radiating this thick of a maternal aura?!' Just when Shion felt his soul slowly detaching from his body, the stack of photos ended. Underneath them lay a smooth, leather-bound book that looked frequently opened. A diary with his own handwriting, yet far neater and more feminine.
Shion opened the first page, marked with a red ribbon bookmark.
[Dear Diary…
Today is the day of Minato's inauguration ceremony.
I have to admit, he looked quite handsome and dashing wearing his white Hokage cloak flapping in the wind from the roof of the building.
B-but wait a minute! No, that doesn't mean I like him or anything like that!
I'm just evaluating him objectively as a coworker! The point is, starting now, in my new position, I will try my absolute best to help him change that dark future.]
Shion's eyes widened. 'What kind of denial sentence is that?! A classic Tsundere sentence pattern?! You've really lost your sanity, my future self!!'
With his chest heaving, holding back emotions, Shion turned to the next marked page.
[Dear Diary…
You know, today is a historic day. I officially took office as the Fourth Hokage's Personal Advisor!
Unlike what I imagined before, it turns out the job as an advisor is far more exhausting than fighting on the front lines. There are so many documents I have to handle for Minato.
But, that won't break my spirit at all! Being by his side ensures the future remains safe.
Oh, and you know what? Today I accidentally bumped into Kushina in the office hallway. Somehow, her glare when she saw me coming out of Minato's room looked very sharp and... was she jealous?!
Even though it's impossible for anything to happen between me and Minato, right? Besides, the two of us are purely just working professionally... at least for now… hehe]
Shion's hands holding the diary began to crumple the edges of the paper. Cold sweat the size of corn kernels dripped down his temples. 'At least for now?! What is the meaning of that damn closing sentence?! Don't tell me you're secretly enjoying this deadly love triangle?!'
With deepening despair, Shion turned to the third page. And here, the remnants of his sanity were truly pulverized into dust.
[Dear Diary…
Kyaaa! (/ω＼)
Today really made my heart a mess! When we were working overtime handling documents in the office, Minato seemed so exhausted that he finally fell fast asleep with his head resting on the desk.
His blond hair was messy, and his sleeping face... he looked so peaceful and, oh my gosh, incredibly handsome from that close of a distance.
Earlier... I don't know what demon possessed me... I almost leaned my face in and kissed him! (><)
What a shame… eh, I mean thank goodness! he woke up suddenly just as I made a move!
Luckily, he rubbed his eyes and didn't realize what I was actually about to do to him… oh my gosh, my heart almost dropped and jumped right out of my chest! I have to be able to control myself better tomorrow!]
Shion: "..."
Shion's mouth opened slightly, but no sound came out. His gaze was blank, staring at the word 'Kyaaa!' written in cute, looping ink along with the embarrassing emoticon next to it.
The world around him seemed to spin. His true identity as an adult man who was once rough and tough was now being laughed at by fate. Shion, with hands trembling ever more wildly, kept flipping through, reading page after page of the diary.
Entry after entry, confession after confession. He witnessed with his own eyes how his 'future self' slowly but surely fell deeper into the hole of romance, losing his masculine identity more and more, and voluntarily metamorphosing into a girl who was madly in love with her own boss.
When Shion reached a long page near the end, where 'she' detailed very enthusiastically how Minato finally asked her out for a dinner for two that clearly felt like a romantic 'date' after work, Shion's mental defenses finally shattered without a trace.
The fine veins of his Byakugan bulged aggressively, not because he activated his dojutsu, but because of the anger, shame, and despair exploding from his soul.
Shion slammed the logistics desk until it broke into two pieces.
"Daaaaaammit!!!"
That scream of frustration, suffering, and absolute denial echoed incredibly loud, booming through the afternoon air at the border outpost. Crows perched in the trees around the camp flew frantically into the sky, while the patrol ninjas standing guard outside the tent instantly looked at each other with pale faces, wondering what kind of terrifying enemy had just tortured their comrade from the Hyuga clan.
…
A few days later, the border wind blew again with its boring rhythm. Through a high dedication to reality denial, Shion had exerted his entire mental capacity to deeply bury the memories of that horrifying 'future'. He had tightly sealed the leather-bound diary in the darkest corner of his pocket dimension, hoping the cursed object would disappear, swallowed by the void.
On an afternoon during days that had returned to 'normal' as usual, inside the command tent filled with the scent of chemicals and old parchment, Shion stood before his master's desk.
Orochimaru was busy observing a poison specimen in a glass tube when his disciple suddenly broke the silence with quite a surprising request.
"Orochimaru-Shishou," Shion called out in a serious tone, bowing his head slightly. "Please let me sign a contract, teach me the Kuchiyose (Summoning) technique of the Ryuchi Cave!"
"Hmm?"
Orochimaru's hand movement stopped. The pale Sannin slowly shifted his gaze from his glass tube, looking at Shion with his sharp, reptilian golden eyes. It was very rare for a subordinate to directly request a legendary summoning contract like that, especially from a place as dangerous as the Ryuchi Cave.
However, Orochimaru had absolutely no intention of refusing. Having an ambitious disciple was something he liked. It was just that, this was Orochimaru. It wasn't the Sannin's style to agree to something too easily without gaining an advantage.
A thin, cunning, and intimidating smirk formed on his pale face. The small white snake coiled around his neck seemed to hiss along.
"Of course you may, my beloved Shion," Orochimaru hissed softly, his voice seeming to crawl through the air. "But, in this ninja world, nothing is free. Naturally, there is a price you must pay to obtain the power of the White Snake Sage..."
Hearing that threatening tone, Shion didn't flinch. He had expected it. Just as Shion took a deep breath and prepared to offer one of his combat secrets as 'payment'...
The mental death alarm rang again.
[Ding!]
The hairs on Shion's neck stood straight up. The blue holographic screen he hated so much suddenly appeared right in front of his face, blocking his view of Orochimaru's figure.
[Emergency Mission Triggered: The Disciple's Drama!]
[Required Line: "I-I didn't expect you to be that kind of person! But… what can I do…"]
[Completion Reward: Upon forming the contract, the affinity level with the White Snake Sage's Three Servants (Tagorihime, Ichikishimahime, and Tagitsuhime) will permanently increase by 50%!]
Shion's breath caught in his throat.
'Bastard System!!' Shion screamed in his mind, feeling like he wanted to vomit fresh blood right then and there.
What kind of mission was this?! He had to say an incredibly embarrassing, ambiguous sentence full of fatal misunderstandings to Orochimaru?! However... Shion's eyes subconsciously glanced at the reward line.
A 50% affinity increase with the Three Servants of Ryuchi Cave. To anyone who knew how cruel, cunning, and dangerous the giant snakes inhabiting Ryuchi Cave were who often even ate their own summoners if deemed unworthy, this reward was an absolute shield of safety! This was a negotiation cheat he couldn't possibly refuse if he wanted to survive using snake Kuchiyose!
Meanwhile, from Orochimaru's perspective, the Sannin saw his disciple suddenly freeze. The girl's face tensed up and she remained silent for quite a long time.
Orochimaru let out a short sigh. He thought Shion was feeling hesitant, scared, didn't know what to 'pay' with, or perhaps Shion thought her master was very stingy and cruel.
"Don't be too tense, Shion. I won't ask for your life," Orochimaru said, intending to clarify.
However, just as Orochimaru was about to finish his sentence, a sight that caused his brain to experience a severe short-circuit occurred.
Shion suddenly lowered his face. An incredibly deep, beet-red blush spread from his neck to his ears (a purely physical reaction caused by unbearable embarrassment, which unfortunately looked like the blush of a shy girl).
With trembling movements, Shion hugged his own body, clutched his sleeves defensively, and took two steps back, moving away from Orochimaru's desk.
"I-I didn't expect... that Shishou was that kind of person!" Shion said with a violently trembling voice.
Orochimaru furrowed his brow, not understanding the direction of this conversation. "That kind of... what do you mean—"
Before Orochimaru could digest the situation, Shion turned his face away to the side, his eyes squeezed shut with a highly dramatic expression of resignation. And out slipped the lethal sentence.
"I-I truly didn't know that Shishou actually had a specific preference for teenage girls like me... B-but..." Shion bit his lower lip, holding back tears of despair ready to fall. "...what can I do. If... if that's what Shishou wants as payment, I am willing. But please... I just have one request, please... don't be too rough with me..."
Orochimaru: "..."
The Sannin, whose hands had been bathed in the blood of thousands of enemies, now froze like an ice statue carved from hell. His mouth was slightly open. His golden eyes widened, displaying a mix of absolute shock, psychological horror, and a very pure disgust that touched the depths of his soul.
Throughout his decades of life, being accused of being a mad scientist, cruel, or a monster had become his daily bread. But to be directly accused (and resignedly 'accepted') as a lecherous middle-aged man who wanted his own teenage disciple's body as payment for a jutsu?!
This was the greatest insult to his dedication to pure science!
Shion: "..."
On the other hand, Shion, still maintaining his self-hugging pose, kept his eyes squeezed shut, waiting for a response from his master while praying his life would be taken right then and there by the God of Death. He had sold the remaining dust of his pride for a 50% servant snake affinity.
A few seconds passed like centuries. The air inside the tent suddenly turned incredibly cold and deadly. A very thick, bone-piercing killing intent exploded from Orochimaru's body.
One hour later.
The atmosphere in the border medical tent was suddenly in a panic. The nurse Kunoichi ran around carrying antidotes, bandages, and IV fluids with tense faces.
On one of the medical beds, Shion lay helpless. His entire body was completely paralyzed, stiff from the neck to the tips of his toes. His face was deathly pale, and cold sweat the size of corn kernels flooded his forehead.
The head doctor, who had just finished the initial examination, swallowed hard, staring at Shion's medical chart with trembling hands.
"T-the diagnosis is..." the doctor reported to his assistant in a whisper, "The patient suffered a direct bite from a mutated snake species with a high-level dose of lethal neurotoxin venom. Fortunately, her physical body defense is incredibly illogical, otherwise, she would have died in seconds..."
On his bed, Shion, who could only move his eyeballs, stared blankly at the white tent ceiling. An excruciating pain burned through his bloodstream, the result of an instant 'punishment' delivered by his master, who was extraordinarily furious due to that god-tier misunderstanding.
'Dammit...' Shion wailed bitterly, a tear of regret flowing from the corner of his paralyzed eye. 'Cursed mission. At least... at least I actually got that affinity, right? If not, I am really going to burn this system down...'