Chapter 307: Chapter 163
Glancing back at the small crowd just beginning to gather near the camp gates, I shrugged.
"It looks like I have a couple of hours before departure, so why not?"
"Let's go," the girl nodded.
The Hyuga's tent was located near the southern wall of the main camp, right next to the gates, so we reached it in just a few minutes. Since the supplies for shinobi here were much better than in our remote outpost, Kanade offered me tea and a small amount of dried fruit. Given that for the past six months I had been drinking only water with dry rations (excluding my unauthorized trips to Konoha, and I hadn't had time to replenish supplies before departure), I naturally accepted.
"So why did you extend your service period?" I returned to the interrupted conversation once the refreshments were finished.
"Because then I will have to face the clan head," the kunoichi sighed wearily, hunching over even more in her seat and lowering her gaze to the floor, "a very displeased clan head, and you've probably seen what happens to members of the Hyuga branch family who displease him when you worked in the hospital."
Recalling the unfortunate patients who had convulsed after prolonged activation of the seal on their foreheads, I grimaced and shuddered, imagining the amount of pain that could turn an experienced shinobi into a disoriented, epileptic fool, even if only temporarily.
"Why would he be displeased?" I asked in surprise.
"Because I didn't complete his task, despite the considerable time I was given," Kanade sniffed, involuntarily reaching for her forehead band. "And so I have a request for you."
"What is it?"
I raised an eyebrow questioningly, but sensed trouble brewing. And the girl lying on the floor did not disappoint my expectations.
"Allow me to be your girlfriend, if not that, at least your lover!"
If I had been drinking tea at that moment, I would have definitely choked. Instead, I just slapped myself on the forehead. Who asks such things!? And besides — what the hell?
"Huh?! What does that have to do with anything!? And how does your situation relate to wanting to be my girlfriend!?"
Before answering, Hyuga resumed her seated position but still did not dare to lift her gaze.
"That was my assignment from the moment the clan head used all his connections and appointed me as your team's sensei."
With that small but significant piece of information, all the confusion about Kanade's behavior during training became crystal clear, and I suppressed the urge to hide my face in my hands from the wave of embarrassment — I should have figured it out much sooner!
The only thing that excuses me is that I was accustomed to much more intense attempts at seduction from women in the same hospital and simply didn't recognize the girl's awkward and modest attempts to attract attention as anything more than a clumsy expression of affection. Damn, I was too used to more overt displays of desire and ambition among shinobi, and missed it.
"Sorry, but my answer is 'no.' As a girl, I undoubtedly like you, and your personality is almost perfect for my tastes, not to mention your figure," I sighed. "But being from the Hyuga clan and that silly seal on your forehead outweighs all the positive qualities — I prefer to stay away from politics, and a girlfriend, lover, or wife from another clan would inevitably drag me into the tug-of-war between power-hungry elders and clan heads on both sides, not to mention the drawbacks of the branch family."
Of course, this is less relevant for the lazy Nara who prefer lounging on the grass and watching the clouds over dealing with such problematic intrigues, but it applies to them as well.
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