[ Obtained favorability from Kakashi Hatake + 5 ]
[ Obtained favorability from Kakashi Hatake + 5 ]
[ Obtained favorability from Kakashi Hatake + 5 ]
[ Triggered Favorability Critical Hit ]
[ Obtained: Chidori · Basic Level ]
[ Obtained: Hatake Sword Technique · Basic Level ]
[ Obtained: Chakra limit + 1 unit (current) ]
Nohara Moku slowly opened his eyes, and what came into view was an unfamiliar ceiling.
It was white, flat, and carried a faint smell of disinfectant.
He blinked, his mind still a bit dazed.
Looking to the left, he discovered that Rin Nohara, Tsunade, and Shizune were all sitting nearby.
Rin's eyes were red, as if she had been crying;
Tsunade was leaning against the window with her arms crossed, her expression indifferent;
Shizune was standing behind her, holding a cup of steaming tea.
"Sister?"
"Ah! You finally woke up!"
Rin Nohara lunged over and hugged him, with enough force that it almost made him faint again.
"Sis... Sister... I can't... breathe..."
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Rin quickly let go, tears pattering down, "You were unconscious for a day and a night, I was so worried..."
Moku was stunned for a moment, then raised his hand to wipe away Rin's tears, smiling, "Aren't I fine now?"
"Fine?" Tsunade's voice came from the window with a hint of teasing, "Chakra overdraft to the point of fainting, you call this fine?"
Moku shrank his neck.
Tsunade walked over, looking down at him, her gaze scanning his face, and then she reached out to check his forehead.
"Hmm, the fever is gone." She withdrew her hand, her tone indifferent, "Next time you risk your life like this again, I'll throw you out!"
The words sounded fierce, but Moku clearly saw the flash of heartache in her eyes.
[ Obtained favorability from Tsunade + 1 ]
[ Obtained favorability from Tsunade + 1 ]
[ Obtained favorability from Tsunade + 1 ]
[ Obtained: Chakra Scalpel · Basic Level ]
Moku smiled silently in his heart.
Teacher is that kind of person; she talks tough, but her heart is actually very soft.
"Where is this?" He looked around, asking a question he already knew the answer to.
"Konoha Hospital." Shizune replied in a low voice, "You were unconscious for a day and a night. Lady Tsunade personally watched over you for most of the night..."
"Shizune." Tsunade interrupted her.
Shizune immediately shut her mouth, but when her eyes looked at Moku, the vigilance and hostility from the previous days were gone, replaced by a hint of... admiration?
[ Obtained favorability from Shizune + 1 ]
[ Obtained favorability from Shizune + 1 ]
[ Obtained favorability from Shizune + 1 ]
[ Obtained: Healing Resuscitation Technique · Basic Level ]
Moku blinked.
This fainting spell actually solved the internal strife problem?
Just as he was thinking this, the hospital room door was gently pushed open.
A little silver-haired head poked in.
It was Kakashi.
He stood at the doorway, his mask covering most of his face, but his eyes clearly lingered on Moku for a long time.
"Um..." His voice was muffled, as if he didn't know what to say.
Rin smiled gently, pulling Tsunade and Shizune to leave: "We're going to buy something to eat, you two talk."
Tsunade raised an eyebrow, didn't say anything, and followed them out.
Only Moku and Kakashi were left in the room.
Silence.
A slightly awkward silence.
After a while, Kakashi walked over, sat down by the bed, head lowered, his voice very soft.
"Thank you."
Moku looked at him and suddenly found it a bit funny.
This cold-faced genius was currently sitting by his bed like a child who had done something wrong.
"Thank me for what?" Moku pretended to be dumb.
Kakashi raised his head, his eyes staring straight at him.
"You saved my father." His voice trembled slightly, "If it weren't for you, he might have already..."
He couldn't continue.
Moku was silent for a moment, then reached out and patted his shoulder.
"Then remember you owe me Ichiraku Ramen." He smiled, "The kind with double chashu."
Kakashi looked at him, his eyes complex.
After a long time, he nodded gently.
"...Okay."
"So, how is your father now?"
"He's out of danger." Kakashi's voice was a bit more steady, "Lady Tsunade said he can recover after resting for a while longer."
"That's good."
Moku leaned against the pillow, suddenly remembering something, and asked: "By the way, your father... why did he..."
He didn't finish, but Kakashi understood what he meant.
After a long silence, Kakashi spoke, his voice very soft.
"The rumors in the Village... say he betrayed the Village and caused the deaths of his teammates." He lowered his head, "Father has always blamed himself, feeling that it was he who caused those people to die."
Moku didn't speak.
He knew this part of the plot.
White Fang chose to save his teammates, abandoning the mission, which caused heavy losses to the Village. Then those who were once protected by him turned around and attacked him with the most vicious language.
"He is not..." Kakashi suddenly raised his head, his voice becoming firm, "He is not a traitor, he just... chose to save people."
Moku looked at him and suddenly smiled.
"Then you should tell him that yourself."
Kakashi was stunned.
"What your father needs most right now is not for you to block the rumors for him, but for you to tell him—that you think he did the right thing, otherwise there's no guarantee he won't do it again." Moku looked at him seriously, "Go, while there's still time."
Kakashi looked at him, something in his eyes changing.
After a long time, he stood up.
"...Yeah."
He turned and walked towards the door, stopped at the doorway, and looked back at Moku.
"When you're discharged, I'll treat you to Ichiraku Ramen."
"It's a deal then, double chashu."
Kakashi didn't speak, but Moku clearly saw his half-moon eyes curve.
[ Obtained favorability from Kakashi Hatake + 3 ]
[ Obtained favorability from Kakashi Hatake + 3 ]
[ Obtained favorability from Kakashi Hatake + 3 ]
[ Obtained: Invisibility Technique · Basic Level ]
[ Obtained: Paralysis Technique · Basic Level ]
[ Obtained: Substitution Technique · Basic Level ]
[ Obtained: Rope Escape Technique · Basic Level ]
[ Obtained: Clone Technique · Basic Level ]
[ Obtained: Transformation Technique · Basic Level ]
Nohara Moku stared at the system panel; this wave... was a huge profit!
Because he had been focusing on Medical Ninjutsu for the past six months, he hadn't practiced the Three Basic Techniques much. With the basic levels of the six techniques given this time, he no longer had to worry about graduation.
And the Chidori Current · Basic Level could be taught to Kakashi later to milk him for more favorability; the meter was spinning backwards.
As for the Hatake Sword Technique, he would see if he could get a powerful weapon later.
Not long after Kakashi left, Rin and the others returned.
"How did the talk go?" Rin asked gently.
Moku smiled: "It went quite well."
He leaned against the pillow, looking at the bright sunshine outside the window, and suddenly felt very good.
Nohara Moku looked at the system panel, the corners of his mouth curling up.
This wave, not a loss.
He turned his head to look out the window and squinted his eyes.
The sky of Konoha was very blue, and the sunlight was very warm.
And he knew that the trajectory of this world had already begun to change quietly because of his arrival.