Seeing Karura looking at him like she didn't recognize him, Hattori was momentarily taken aback. Then he gave her an exasperated look.
"Karura, I was only gone for half a day, and you already don't recognize me? Looks like you've really been distracted by that baby growing inside you."
"Pfft, you're the one who's distracted!"
Hearing this, Karura gave him a disapproving look and lightly swatted him, grabbing his hand.
"Come with me!"
She pulled him into the house and over to a mirror by the entrance. "Here, take a look for yourself!"
"What's there to see? There's nothing... hey, what the heck?"
Looking at the mirror, Hattori froze. His hair was now a blood-red color, and a cobalt-blue diamond mark was stamped on his forehead.
"This is... me?"
Previously, Hattori's hair, like most people in Sunagakure, was dark brown, and he had nothing unusual on his forehead. But now, something was clearly different.
"Could this be because of my choice just now?"
Thinking back, Hattori felt he might have figured out the answer.
"In the original storyline, the red hair of the Uzumaki Clan was a sign of strong life force. After I chose to learn the Uzumaki sealing techniques and gained an extra 1000 HP, could this be the reason?"
As if responding to his guess, a series of notifications popped up before his eyes.
**[Sealing Technique Unlocked - Adamantine Sealing Chains]**
**[Adamantine Sealing Chains: An exclusive technique of the Uzumaki Clan, capable of binding and suppressing powerful foes or demons. Once bound, escape is nearly impossible, and the effect is doubled on tailed beasts.]**
**[Note: Pray you don't get caught by me, or you can kiss your life goodbye!]**
Hattori: "╭(°A°`)╮"
Wait—how did I unlock this technique too?
"This is the Uzumaki Clan's bloodline limit, and one that typically requires a pure lineage. Unlocking this skill doesn't make any sense!"
Glancing again at his reflection, red-haired and all, his expression turned complicated.
"Strong vitality, red hair, and now the Adamantine Sealing Chains... If I claim I'm not from the Uzumaki Clan, nobody's going to believe me. How am I supposed to explain this?"
While he pondered his predicament, Karura's surprised expression suddenly turned thoughtful.
"Hattori, don't tell me... you've awakened some kind of bloodline limit?"
"Huh?"
Hattori looked up, equally surprised. "Karura, you knew I'd awakened a bloodline limit?"
"Of course!"
Karura nodded.
"There are a few ninjas in the village who've awakened bloodline limits, and there are usually changes during the awakening. Some changes are external, others internal. Yours seems to be the former."
Saying this, she placed her hands on his shoulders with a concerned look.
"Hattori, do you feel any different? Are you uncomfortable anywhere?"
Seeing her worry, Hattori felt touched and shook his head with a warm smile.
"No, I feel fine. Actually, I feel more energetic than ever!"
"Good, that's a relief."
Hearing this, Karura let out a sigh of relief and patted his head.
"Don't tell anyone about your bloodline limit awakening. I'll help you dye your hair back, and we'll cover up that mark on your forehead with a forehead protector."
"Heh, got it!"
Hattori understood Karura's thinking and nodded without hesitation, touched by her concern.
"Sis, I'll listen to you. Now that I've awakened this bloodline limit, I'll master it as soon as possible and protect you!"
"I believe in you!" Karura smiled. "Now go wash up; the food will get cold soon!"
"On it!"
...
After dinner, Karura finished dyeing Hattori's hair as the night fell.
Temari began to cry, clearly tired, so Karura hurried to put her to bed, while Hattori took up the task of washing dishes and cleaning the kitchen.
Once the kitchen was spotless, he sat down on the couch, took out his spider and lizard puppets from his scroll, and began equipping them with explosive tags.
He'd been so focused on honing his evasion skills lately that he hadn't even had time to sleep, let alone work on anything else.
But now things were better. With the Yin Seal mastered, he was past the "weak period." As long as he didn't use any skills, his MP wouldn't drain, allowing him to get a full night's sleep.
With his time freed up, he could finally get more done.
As he tinkered with his puppets, Karura returned from putting Temari to sleep and was surprised to see him still awake.
"Huh? Hattori, you're not sleeping yet?"
"Not tired yet; I'll sleep when I am."
Hattori responded while stuffing an explosive tag into a spider puppet's abdomen, sealing it and painting the puppet brown.
Seeing this, Karura smiled and came over.
"Let me help you!"
She took the spider puppet from him and chuckled.
"You usually fall asleep so early, but you're wide awake tonight. I guess all that extra sleepiness before really was a sign of the bloodline awakening."
"But it's good. No matter what kind of bloodline you've awakened, the important thing is you're safe, and that's all that matters."
Hattori stayed silent, wondering if he should tell her the whole truth. After thinking it over, he decided against it.
He knew Karura well enough to know that the more she knew, the more she'd worry. It was better to keep quiet and pretend he didn't know much himself.
Unaware of his thoughts, Karura mistook his silence for worry about his bloodline and quickly reassured him.
"Hattori, a bloodline limit is just an ability, not an illness. It's usually quite safe, so you don't need to worry. And besides, you have your big sister here—I'll protect you, so just relax!"
"Mm, I know!"
Hattori nodded, his face serious as he turned to her again.
"I'll protect you too. No matter what it takes, I'll keep you safe. I promise!"
Karura was stunned for a moment by his sincerity, then burst into laughter.
"Haha, Hattori, you look so cute when you're serious! I'm touched. As a reward, I'll buy you a cake tomorrow!"
"Hmph!" Hattori rolled his eyes. "I don't need it. I'm not a kid!"
"Aw, don't be shy!"
"I'm not!"
"Hahaha…"
*(End of chapter)*
"Σ(っ°Д°;)っ"
power stone,,
giv me..
^(ω)^
=つ≡つ