Chapter 0012: Year-End Examination

I'm not sure how much time passed before I started waking up, groggy and disoriented. Blinking a few times, I looked around the room, trying to piece together my surroundings. It took a moment for everything to click.

I got drained... from just casting a single B-rank jutsu? Wow, how lame.

Shaking my head, I was about to sit up when the door creaked open. My sister, Kurenai, walked in with a stern expression, her face as cold as ice. "You're awake?" she asked, her tone completely neutral.

Uh-oh.

I scratched the back of my head, already feeling the weight of whatever I had done wrong this time. Trying to play it off, I gave her a sheepish smile. "Y-Yeah, I just woke up. How long was I out?"

"An entire day." Kurenai's crimson eyes locked onto me, unamused. "How does it feel to have your chakra completely drained? Nice, isn't it?"

"Not nice..." I mumbled, avoiding her gaze. I knew exactly why she was mad now—it was because of my recklessness. She was worried.

And I was right. She immediately launched into a tirade. "You knew it was dangerous, and yet you still dared to use a jutsu of that level? You idiot! Do you even understand what it means for a ninja to run out of chakra completely? Idiot! You're such an idiot!" As she yelled, she stormed over and started pounding her fists against my chest.

In that moment, I didn't feel any anger. Only a warmth spread through my heart. It had been a long time—two lifetimes, in fact—since someone had shown me this kind of concern.

This feeling… it was incredible.

Reaching out, I gently grabbed her wrist, ready to apologize and express my gratitude. But before I could speak, that damn system's voice interrupted me.

[New options generated!]

[Host, choose one of the following options:]

[-> Option one: With deep emotion, tell your sister, I can't possibly die without making you the mother of my child.]

[-> Option two: Hold her hand and make her feel your... confidence, while telling her, A man with my size has plenty of chakra stored up.]

[-> Option three: Kiss her passionately and push her down. Show her firsthand how resilient your life force is.]

"…"

[Notice: The host needs to say them out loudly and not simply think to himself in his mind. On failure, the host will need to blurt out all of the three options.]

System, I swear, one day I will kill you!

I gritted my teeth in anger. Such a heartfelt moment, completely ruined by this ridiculous system. It was beyond infuriating.

But I had no choice. I had to pick one. I forced myself to mutter, "I... I can't die without making you the mother of my child."

Silence.

The atmosphere in the room instantly became awkward.

My face flushed with embarrassment as I desperately wished I could bury myself under the blanket. But since the system hadn't confirmed my choice yet, I had to hold my "affectionate" stance.

Kurenai's once furious face now sported a deep blush as well. Flustered, she pushed me away, stammering, "W-Who... who wants to have your child, you pervert!" Before I could say another word, she stood up and bolted for the door, practically fleeing.

"I'm so sorry, sister... I was forced into this," I murmured, watching her retreating figure as tears welled up in my heart.

[Congratulations, dear host. You've completed the choice and earned the Extra-Dimensional Ninja Tool Pouch."]

Whoosh.

With a flash of white light, an azure-colored pouch appeared in my hand, looking just like a standard ninja tool bag.

But when I opened it, I realized this thing had some hidden tricks.

The pouch required chakra to activate, sending my mental energy through a special tunnel into an alternate space. The space was quite large, about half the size of a football field. If used to store ninja tools, this thing could easily supply an entire war.

'This... this is like a space ring straight out of Naruto,' I thought to myself.

Still, I couldn't deny how convenient it was. And not easily noticeable by others either. More importantly, it had some unexpected tactical uses.

For example, if someone thought you were just pulling out a small kunai from your tool pouch... but instead, you whip out a bunch of giant windmill shuriken and hurl them at them. Surprise!

Of course, there were likely more advanced ways to use this pouch, but I'd need to experiment.

Setting the tool pouch aside, I cleared my thoughts and closed my eyes to begin my daily chakra training.

...

...

The next morning.

Today was the annual year-end exam, so Kurenai and I headed to the academy early. As soon as we stepped into the training field, a gentle voice called from behind us. "Kurenai, Hiroto, you're here early."

Turning around, we saw a girl with short black hair and a cute, soft face. She wore a light blue training uniform, and her chubby cheeks made her look almost baby-faced.

This girl was our classmate, Shizune Kato. Yeah, the same Shizune who would later run around with the future Fifth Hokage, constantly avoiding debt collectors.

"Oh, Shizune," Kurenai smiled warmly. "You're not that late yourself."

Shizune blinked and replied, "I heard that the third-year students are taking their graduation exams before us, so I came early to watch."

Graduation exams, huh?

Her words made me pause for a moment. A certain upperclassman with long, straight black hair and a cold demeanor flashed in my mind.

Author's Note: 30 chapters available on p@treon: https://www.patreon.com/NarutoWriter