Ten more days passed. Jiraiya continued his routine of leaving early and returning late, always reeking of alcohol. Lin Yu wondered if Orochimaru would unleash a Hidden Shadow Snake Hand on him if he knew Jiraiya was "gathering intelligence" like this.
Lin Yu, lying listlessly in a tree, watched the three boys below practicing climbing. In these ten days, they had all managed to refine chakra. Nagato's talent was the greatest, which was only natural. If not, Madara Uchiha wouldn't have taken an interest in him. After all, Nagato wasn't the only survivor of the Uzumaki clan.
Lin Yu stopped watching Yahiko, who had once again fallen from the tree, and focused his mind:
Monthly Missions:
Mission 1: Trick Nagato into saying "I like you" to Yahiko. (Deadline: 4 days)
Reward: Two hours of no-consumption experience with the Rinnegan (can be frozen).
Mission 2: Fist bump with Kurama.
Reward: Yang Power Refinement.
Mission 3: Treat Mikoto Uchiha to a meal.
Reward: Shadow Clone Jutsu.
Accumulated Missions (2/10):
Mission: Obtain a title from Madara Uchiha.
Reward: Perfect Sage Body.
Mission: Return to the Hidden Leaf Village from the Land of Rain.
Reward: Mangekyo Sharingan.
Limited-Time Reward: No-consumption Rinnegan usage rights (Remaining: 1 hour 39 minutes 49 seconds – frozen)
Sigh, only four days left. I need to act fast. After these days of subtle influence, Nagato trusts me completely. It should work.
No! It *must* work! I'm sorry, Nagato. I hope you won't blame me when you grow up! Lin Yu sighed inwardly, then his expression turned resolute. If anyone's to blame, it's this damn system for being so unreasonable!
"Heehee, Yahiko, why are you still not climbing? Nagato and I have already learned to climb trees," Konan said, standing parallel to the ground on a branch. Nagato, on another tree, looked at Yahiko with a hint of worry.
"Damn you! You just wait! I'll climb up and beat you, Nagato!"
Nagato: ...I didn't say anything!
"Nagato, come here, I'll give you some individual tutoring today!" Hearing Lin Yu call him, Nagato stopped dwelling on Yahiko's strange reaction and jumped down from the tree, running towards Lin Yu.
At the top of the pine tree, the same old spot, but the mindset had changed, and actions would gradually be influenced. For example, Nagato was now sitting at the top of the pine canopy, his legs dangling.
Nagato saw Lin Yu as a kind elder, but due to their similar ages, there was no restraint like one would feel with an elder, only complete trust.
The gentle afternoon breeze caressed their long red hair, carrying away Nagato's fatigue from the morning and Lin Yu's lazy days. He needed to put in some effort!
Lin Yu said softly, "Nagato, what do you think of Yahiko?"
Nagato seemed a bit lost in thought. He was enjoying the feeling of being high up. Hearing Lin Yu's question, he quickly came back to himself. "Huh? Yahiko? I think he's great. There are many things I can learn from him."
"Oh? You just think he's great? No other feelings?" Lin Yu continued to probe Nagato.
"Maybe... there's another feeling, uh, I don't know how to describe it. I just feel that Yahiko is a very important person to me." Nagato pondered with his small head.
"Oh? Then if Yahiko were to get hurt, what would you do?"
Nagato's expression immediately turned agitated. "That won't happen! I'll protect him! And... and senior you..."
"I'm just saying 'if'. And I can't be by your side all the time. If one day Yahiko were to get hurt, even critically, what would you do?"
"I would kill the person who did it, then help Yahiko fulfill his unfinished dreams... and then go down to be with him!" A hint of ferocity appeared on Nagato's fair face, but it turned into a determined look as he spoke the last words, gazing seriously in the direction of the small wooden house.
You're in trouble! You've fallen in love! Lin Yu desperately wanted to say this to Nagato, but he couldn't. Suppressing the urge to mock, he asked, "Nagato, do you know what 'liking' is?"
"Liking? I don't know." Nagato looked confused. Why was Senior Lin Yu saying things he didn't understand? His harsh childhood made him think only in terms of edible and inedible, habitable and uninhabitable, bad guys and good guys. He had no room to consider liking or not liking; he had no right to choose.
A smile bloomed on Lin Yu's face. He said with a smile, "Liking, for example, if you dislike ugly people, but it's okay if he's ugly. Or if you dislike fat people, but it's fine if he's fat... Liking is like that. You find everything about him pleasing. Have you fallen for Yahiko?"
"But... Senior Lin Yu, I think Konan said that liking is between men and women... Yahiko and I are both boys, how can..." Nagato hesitated, looking at Lin Yu nervously.
"What does that little girl Konan know? I like a cloud, do I have to go to the sky to find a female cloud? When I like a flower, do I care if it's male or female? Liking knows no bounds."
Nagato felt something was off somewhere, but his limited experience made it hard to articulate. He could only say with a pained expression, "So, do I... do I like Yahiko?"
"Would you dislike Yahiko if you thought he was ugly when he grew up?"
"No! Yahiko is the most handsome in my heart!"
"Would you dislike him if he had bad habits, like not washing his hands after using the toilet?"
"No... no..."
"Then it's settled! You've fallen for Yahiko!"
"But... I still feel something is strange, Senior Lin Yu..."
Lin Yu immediately interrupted Nagato, preventing him from overthinking. "Nagato, when you are with Yahiko, especially when you're bickering, do you feel your face flush and your heart race?"
Nagato hesitated, his small head recalling. He didn't know how to lie and said slowly, "I think... maybe..."
"Exactly. Blushing and a racing heart are feelings you get when you're facing someone you like." From a medical standpoint, blushing and a racing heart are merely external manifestations of the body's reaction to tension or anger, where the brain stimulates the adrenal glands to secrete adrenaline. However, Lin Yu would not explain this.
In a way, from a broad perspective, Nagato truly liked Yahiko!
"But, but I just feel it's not right. Although what senior said makes sense, and my actions do show that I like Yahiko, I still feel like something is missing."
Lin Yu felt a little helpless. Trying it out, he said, "Actually, above liking, there is another feeling."
"Senior, what is it?"
"It's beyond liking. It not only requires the feeling of liking, but also the resolve to bear responsibility. Liking can be a momentary attraction, but this emotion requires the accumulation of countless such moments."
Lin Yu paused and continued, "For example, your feelings for Yahiko, not just now, but forever. You want to protect him for life, even if you give silently behind his back with no reward, you remain unwavering!"
"Senior! What is this feeling beyond liking called!"
"Uh... it's called love."
"Senior, I finally understand! I know what my feelings for Yahiko are!"
"Huh?"