Chapter 27: Kyōko's Transformation
Konoha Village, Ninja Hospital.
"Teacher Shennong, the experiment has been completed."
A slender figure pushed open the door to the medical office and spoke to the middle-aged man inside.
Hearing this, the man turned around and smiled at the person by the door.
"Well done! Kyōko—Ryūya-kun has already returned to the village. He's waiting for you downstairs."
The middle-aged man was none other than Shennong, who was secretly operating within Konoha. The girl at the door was Akimichi Kyōko.
"Ryūya-san is back? That's great! Teacher Shennong, then I'll head down first."
A bright smile bloomed on Kyōko's face. She bowed politely to Shennong, then happily turned and left.
Inside the room, Shennong watched Kyōko's departing figure, an inexplicable smile appearing in his eyes.
Rushing all the way downstairs, Kyōko spotted Ryūya waiting outside the hospital at a glance.
"Ryūya-san!"
She cried out joyfully and ran straight toward him.
Ryūya, who had been curiously observing the ninja hospital, turned around at the sound of her voice. When he saw the figure rushing toward him, his mouth fell open in shock.
A well-tailored Konoha ninja uniform perfectly outlined her slender figure. Her fair, youthful face still carried a hint of baby fat, making her look both cute and charming.
"Y-you're Kyōko?!"
After carefully examining the girl in front of him for a moment, Ryūya exclaimed in disbelief.
Compared to half a year ago, Kyōko had undergone a stunning transformation.
Ryūya simply couldn't connect the lovely, adorable girl before him with the Kyōko he remembered.
"Ryūya-san…"
Being stared at so directly, a blush crept onto Kyōko's cheeks. She lowered her head and called out softly.
Kyōko was, of course, very aware of the changes that had happened to her over the past six months.
Faced with Ryūya's astonishment, she felt shy, yet couldn't hide her happiness and pride.
"Th-this…"
Ryūya opened his mouth, not knowing what to say.
"Ryūya-kun, long time no see!"
Just as Ryūya was still in shock, a voice sounded from behind Kyōko.
"Teacher Shennong."
Hearing the voice, Kyōko immediately turned around and respectfully addressed Shennong.
"Teacher Shennong?"
Ryūya's expression darkened as he stared straight at Shennong, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
"Hehe, Kyōko is now my student."
Shennong seemed completely unaware of Ryūya's hostility and spoke with a light chuckle.
"Ryūya-san, after you left the village, I began my internship at the ninja hospital. Teacher Shennong is my supervising physician."
Simple-minded Kyōko sensed the tension between the two and hurriedly explained in a careful voice.
"Kyōko, Doctor Shennong's medical skills are superb. You'll definitely learn a lot under him. Doctor Shennong, we'll be taking our leave now."
After a brief silence, Ryūya smiled faintly and spoke again.
Without giving Kyōko a chance to say anything, he turned around, grabbed her hand, and left.
Kyōko hesitated, but still obediently followed Ryūya.
Behind them, Shennong's expression instantly turned gloomy.
The strong hostility Ryūya had just displayed confirmed one thing for Shennong: this brat definitely knew some of his secrets.
A cold light flickered in his eyes. Shennong stood there for a moment before turning and leaving.
Pulling Kyōko along, Ryūya headed straight toward the Akimichi clan compound.
The two walked in silence, neither speaking.
Ryūya was deep in thought, while Kyōko felt uneasy and wronged.
As she kept thinking, tears began to gather on Kyōko's face.
Only after leading her all the way into the clan grounds did Ryūya stop. He turned around, about to speak—
"Kyōko, what's wrong?"
Seeing Kyōko's aggrieved expression, Ryūya froze.
Kyōko lowered her head without saying a word. Tears kept falling from her eyes, her shoulders trembling.
"Kyōko, I was worried about you just now."
After a moment of realization, Ryūya explained softly.
Hearing this, Kyōko remained silent for a bit before lifting her head. Blinking her moist eyes, she looked at Ryūya in confusion.
"That guy is dangerous."
Ryūya placed his hands on Kyōko's shoulders and said solemnly.
"Doctor Shennong?"
Kyōko's expression changed slightly, disbelief written across her face.
"Yes. Kyōko, tell me—how did such a huge change happen to your body?"
Ryūya nodded seriously and pressed the question.
He suspected that the changes in Kyōko had something to do with Shennong.
Given Shennong's level of medical ninjutsu, accomplishing something like this wouldn't be difficult.
"Ryūya-san, it's all because of that technique you used on me before," Kyōko thought for a moment and replied.
"You mean the Sealing Disease Mark?" Ryūya asked.
Kyōko nodded.
"Yes. Ever since you used that jutsu on me, my body has changed a lot. Not only has my chakra refinement speed increased greatly, but my body also gradually slimmed down, becoming like this."
Hearing this, Ryūya showed a look of surprise.
He hadn't expected the Sealing Disease Mark to have such an effect when used on Kyōko.
The mark on his own body had more seals and had been there longer, yet his body shape hadn't changed at all.
He was extremely curious about the reason behind this.
After all, looks are justice—if there were a chance to become handsome, who wouldn't want that?
However, what concerned Ryūya more right now was another issue.
After thinking for a moment, he asked,
"Then why did you go to the ninja hospital? And how did you end up under him?"
Kyōko replied,
"Half a month ago, Father took me to be tested. The amount of chakra in my body had already reached the level of a chūnin, so the clan planned to send me to the combat division.
But I don't like fighting and killing, so the clan arranged for me to go to the ninja hospital instead. That's how Doctor Shennong became my instructor."
After listening to Kyōko's explanation, Ryūya fell into deep thought.
He couldn't be sure whether Kyōko being assigned under Shennong was intentional on Shennong's part, or just a coincidence.
If it was deliberate, that meant Shennong had already set his sights on him—and Kyōko might be in danger as well.
Thinking of this, Ryūya looked at Kyōko and said seriously,
"Kyōko, for the next few days, don't go back to the ninja hospital. I'll find a way to help you withdraw from that position."
Hearing this, Kyōko nodded obediently.
Only then did Ryūya realize that his hands were still resting on Kyōko's shoulders—and that Kyōko was backed up against a wall.
The scene looked eerily similar to a famous pose often seen in later internet culture.
He quickly pulled his hands back, his expression becoming slightly awkward.
Kyōko was now the very definition of a beautiful少女. Her looks and figure were in no way inferior to Ino or Hinata more than a decade later.
Facing the current Kyōko, Ryūya realized he could no longer remain as calm as he had before.
Watching Ryūya withdraw his hands as if struck by lightning, Kyōko blinked, the corners of her lips curling into a faint smile.
That very evening, Ryūya went to Akimichi Langyu's home.
On one hand, it had been half a year since he'd last visited, and he wanted to pay his respects to the two elders.
On the other hand, Ryūya requested that Kyōko be transferred away from Shennong.
Although Akimichi Langyu was slightly puzzled, he agreed without hesitation.
At present, neither Ryūya nor Kyōko were the insignificant nobodies they once were, and the Akimichi clan now regarded both of them with considerable importance.
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