Chapter 63: Hinata, Be My Test Subject
"Naruto-kun!"
Hinata was the first to stand up, wanting to go and check on Naruto, but she was held back by Sakura and Ino.
"Wait, Hinata, don't disturb Makoto-kun!"
"That's right, that's right. Just leave it to Makoto to handle."
"But Naruto-kun, he..."
Akiyama Makoto ignored Hinata's anxiety and Sasuke's tsundere-like words. That guy only showed kindness to people after he had acknowledged them in some way. The Naruto of this time was very weak. If not for the perseverance he had just shown by training until he knocked himself out, Sasuke would never have given him a second glance.
Makoto placed his hand on Naruto's wrist. Perhaps due to the influence of his past life's culture, he preferred to diagnose patients this way.
Almost the instant his chakra entered Naruto's body, he felt a powerful and incomparably evil chakra, like a predator that had found its prey, rushing to attack him.
Makoto naturally had no intention of provoking the Nine-Tails inside Naruto. His chakra quickly retreated from Naruto's body. "He's fine," he said. "His body is ridiculously strong."
"You can take a closer look at his injuries. They're already starting to heal."
Sasuke looked closely and saw that it was true.
"Isn't this guy the dead-last?" he asked, confused. "How does he have such a strange power?"
"Perhaps it's precisely because he has a strange power that he can't use that he became the dead-last. Just like you."
Sasuke's hackles were immediately raised. He glared at Makoto angrily, about to say something, but Makoto's fingers jabbed his forehead like lightning.
In an instant, a surge of Yin Release chakra flowed into Sasuke's meridians.
Sasuke froze, then felt a cold power erupt from his head and flow into his eyes. A faint tomoe began to appear in them. He was ecstatic, realizing he was about to awaken his Sharingan.
But at that moment, Makoto stopped. This made Sasuke glare at him with a mix of shock and anger. "Don't stop! Continue!"
"Ouch!"
The next second, Sasuke was knocked to the ground by Makoto. Behind him, the girls began to laugh. Seeing Sasuke being taught a lesson by Makoto was now just amusing to Sakura and Ino. They had completely forgotten that not long ago, they had idolized him.
Hinata had also gone over to check on Naruto's condition, only sighing in relief after confirming he was safe.
Sasuke got up, wanting to say something more, but Makoto grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and pulled him aside. "This is as much as I can do. I'm not an Uchiha, after all. How you awaken your power is still up to you."
If Sasuke hadn't already awakened his Sharingan once and simply forgotten how to use it, Makoto wouldn't have even been able to stimulate his eyes.
"Also, if you speak of this, I'll be in trouble. Understand?"
Sasuke was taken aback. He had been so engrossed in the thrill of gaining power that he hadn't considered Makoto at all. Now, he tilted his head and looked at him. For some reason, he felt that Makoto's face was slowly overlapping with someone else's.
No, he's not a bastard like Itachi!
"Hmph. Don't worry. A man of the Uchiha clan keeps his word. I'll keep it a secret."
"Good."
Makoto patted his shoulder, intending to leave, but Sasuke called out to him, speaking in a voice only the two of them could hear. "I want to know why."
"Why I helped you?"
Sasuke nodded.
"Let's just say I've heard too many stories of the Uchiha, and I feel it's a pity that your clan is gone."
Makoto waved his hand and walked away, leaving Sasuke alone in the dark, clenching his fists. But it wasn't long before he returned to normal. He walked over, picked up Naruto again, and said calmly, "I'm taking him home."
"Huh? I thought you were going to dump this on me," Makoto said in surprise.
Sasuke pursed his lips. "You'd better take care of these three young ladies!"
"Sasuke, Sakura and I are not 'young ladies'!"
"That's right, that's right! We don't need anyone to take care of us! You're the one who's so good at taking care of people, you're the one who's like a young lady!"
Ino and Sakura giggled, leaving Hinata, who had wanted to offer to take care of Naruto, no chance to speak.
Seeing Sasuke disappear with Naruto on his back, Hinata turned her attention back to the food and began to help Makoto grill fish.
"Hinata, do you know that your body is very weak?"
Hinata was startled. She looked at Makoto's smiling face in the firelight and quickly shook her head, though it was unclear if she was saying she didn't know or that her body wasn't weak.
Makoto began to explain on his own. "We ninja more or less have Yang Release chakra in our bodies. It supports the circulation of our life force and even determines the amount of our chakra."
"Sakura and Ino both have this chakra, and its quality is quite good."
"As for you... unfortunately, you're probably not much stronger than an ordinary person."
Hinata stared at him in astonishment. A moment ago, she had just wanted to brush him off. Now, she wanted to hear more.
"Are you saying that my current weakness is because of a problem with my Yang Release chakra?"
Makoto nodded. "This is just my guess."
"Then... is there a way to treat it?" A glimmer of hope shone in her eyes. She didn't regret that her position had been taken by her sister. She could even accept being branded with the Caged Bird Seal in the future. But she still wanted to become stronger, so that at least she would have the power to protect others and become a ninja trusted by everyone.
"I don't know. I'm not even a ninja."
The light in Hinata's face gradually faded, but Makoto's next words rekindled her hope.
"But I can try."
He raised his hand, and chakra gathered into a ball in his palm. But unlike normal blue chakra, his began to emit a white light, though it only lasted for a few seconds before he could no longer maintain it. Of course, this was just an act. He could maintain the output of Yang Release chakra indefinitely, but that would be a bit too shocking.
"As you saw, I used this kind of chakra just now to clear the chill from your bodies."
"If you're willing, Hinata, I will try to use my Yang Release chakra to nourish your body. As for how effective it will be, I don't know."
Hinata looked at him quietly. She knew very well that this would be a monumental undertaking. Even Sakura and Ino fell silent, looking at the two of them curiously, wondering why he was willing to pay such a great price to help her.
"I..." Hinata bit her lip. According to her personality, she would definitely not trouble others, especially by owing such a huge favor. But desperate to improve her strength and change herself, she didn't want to let this opportunity go.
Seeing her so conflicted she was about to cry, Makoto finally said, "How about this? You become my ninjutsu test subject. If any accidents happen, I'm not responsible. Can you agree to those terms?"
Hinata's head snapped up. So that was his idea? But when she met his gaze, she felt that he was deliberately giving her this opportunity.
Finally, she nodded firmly. "Makoto-kun, I am willing to be your test subject. I will bear all the consequences myself."
"What... what should I do?"
Makoto took her by the wrist and had her sit down. "Relax. The first thing you need to do now is eat your fill."
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