SWNOVELXO Chapter 85: Chapter 85: Mother-In-Law.
After hearing what Yamanaka Keiko said, Hinata and the other girl's faces flushed even deeper.
"Um, Aunt Keiko, sorry to trouble you," Kaito said, clearly embarrassed.
He wanted to say nothing happened between them last night, but that would only anger his future mother-in-law.
My daughter spent the night with you, and you say nothing happened? That statement would surely infuriate her.
"Hey, don't call me Auntie Keiko anymore. It's time you changed that," Yamanaka Keiko said playfully, pretending to be annoyed.
"Mom," Kaito said awkwardly, secretly thinking how amazing his mother-in-law was.
She even brought nourishing soup this morning—what a considerate woman.
"Come on, Ino, Hinata, try the wolfberry and old hen soup Mom made especially for you today," she said as she skillfully brought out bowls, chopsticks, and spoons from Kaito's kitchen, serving the soup.
"Hinata, from now on, the three of you are family. I am Ino's mother, so you can call me Mom," Yamanaka Keiko said softly, taking Hinata's hand after they drank the soup.
Kaito thought to himself, My mother-in-law is amazing. I really love her kindness.
"Okay, Mother," Hinata replied quietly, lowering her head.
"Good, good! I have another daughter today," Yamanaka Keiko said happily, genuinely pleased.
Kaito didn't know that Yamanaka Keiko was born into the Yamanaka clan and had a temperament as gentle as Hinata's.
Originally, she hoped Ino would be just as gentle, but Ino took after Inoichi's mischievous personality instead.
Hinata's personality matched her Keiko's gentle nature.
Of course, Keiko did all this for Ino's own good—she trusted Kaito wouldn't abandon the two girls, and the three would stay together.
Trying to break them apart was pointless, so it was better to accept it.
Moreover, adopting the Hyuga clan's eldest daughter as an adopted daughter strengthened ties between the Yamanaka and Hyuga clans.
This way, the young family could live happily together, so why not?
This plan was the best solution Kaito, Inoichi, and Keiko had discussed all night, even consulting Hiashi.
Kaito had no idea how much trouble he'd caused his father-in-law just by spending one night with Ino.
"Alright, you three eat first. I won't disturb you. When you have time, let Ino take you home, and Mom will cook something delicious for you," Yamanaka Keiko smiled softly before turning and leaving, not even taking the pot with her.
After she left, Kaito looked at the two girls still blushing and said with a smile, "Don't be shy, drink your soup before it gets cold."
The meal ended in shy silence between the two girls.
[System Message: The art of spiritual communication activated.]
After dinner, with the two women watching, Kaito used his psychic ninjutsu to summon the slug.
"Kaito sama, what's the matter?"
"Slug, I want to enter the Shikkotsu Forest and continue practicing Sage Mode."
"Understood, Kaito sama."
Kaito grasped the slug's body as before, then said goodbye to the two girls.
He vanished, leaving them reluctant to see him go.
Back at the Shikkotsu Forest, Kaito returned to the place where he last trained.
He created thirty shadow clones and resumed his Sage Mode training.
In the dim forest, Kaito exerted all his strength to draw the colorful natural energy from the sky into his body.
Once, twice, ten times, a hundred times.
After relentless effort, the stubborn colorful energy began to shift.
Kaito's face lit up with joy; he had finally cracked it.
Seeing hope renewed, his motivation surged.
Hours passed.
A stream of colorful energy slowly descended from the sky.
Kaito pulled it closer and absorbed about one-tenth of the energy.
He dared not absorb more at once—this was his first time drawing natural energy, and his body wasn't yet adapted.
With the slug nearby, he chose caution over risk.
Outside the forest, the slug observed Kaito's efforts, nodding with satisfaction.
"Tsunade sama has indeed found a worthy disciple—mature, steady, talented."
The slug's voice was regal, far from ordinary.
Meanwhile, Kaito controlled the natural energy within and merged it into his chakra center.
Wherever the energy flowed, Kaito's pores opened wide, bringing intense comfort and a slight boost in strength.
The purple chakra in his chakra center shimmered with a faint colorful glow.
The light was subtle, almost undetectable, but Kaito felt the change deeply.
It lasted only a moment before fading completely.
He knew this natural energy would dissipate eventually, just like Naruto's Sage Mode had a time limit.
Encouraged by this progress, Kaito continued his training tirelessly.
He practiced Sage Mode by day.
At night, half of his shadow clones developed and refined his ninjutsu skills, while the other half observed the dark world's subtle energy.
Time flew by quickly, except for the food in the Forest, which tasted terrible.
The slugs there fed on leaves and dew, and so did Kaito, given the environment.
In the blink of an eye, a month passed quietly.
One day, while training Sage Mode, Kaito opened his eyes at the slug's cry.
During this month, Kaito had gained much.
First, the dark world he once perceived as pitch black now revealed traces of natural energy.
Though still vague, Kaito believed that with time, he would sense surrounding natural energy without needing to pull it from the sky.
Second, the amount of natural energy he could absorb increased from one-tenth to one-half, and his absorption speed increased fivefold.
At this rate, he would master Sage Mode fully within two months at the soonest, or at most within a year.
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I won't even request for stones today, as usual just do your thing.
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