Chapter 118

In simpler terms, the existing regeneration prevented excessive stress from affecting my growth, as would happen with ordinary shinobi without the intervention of a qualified medical ninja. Another fact I discovered surprised me quite a bit — with great desire and diligence, I could become a father right now.

.Well, my hormonal system developed much faster than expected, obviously following the rapid growth of the body. No, I understand that children here grow up quickly, but not that quickly! So, another problem has arisen, and the main thing is, there won't be anywhere to blow off steam until I'm twelve — even in a brothel, they only serve those who are sixteen or have the rank of genin.

Morality is strictly observed here! And the main thing is, only sent subordinates or admirers will be interested in a minor, not the women I'm truly interested in. So, hello to my right hand... Sighing sadly and banishing provocative thoughts to the far corner of my mind, I left the room and headed to the kitchen — almost all of my chakra is spent, so it's worth replenishing properly before meditation.

Considering it's already one in the morning according to the alarm clock, once I finish processing the information obtained from the clones, I'll have about four hours left to sleep, unless Saya has nightmares again. Unfortunately, they happen at least a couple of times a week, and I have to serve as a plush toy and calm her down, luckily, I have experience.

Considering that we've been taught at clan gatherings to maintain a sense of the surrounding environment even in dreams, when Saya has a nightmare, I always wake up and have to go wake her. Although I have a regenerative kekkei genkai, and chakra-using beings generally need less rest, trained shinobi can go weeks without sleep, but a good night's sleep is necessary for anyone, especially for a growing body! And preferably more than a couple of hours a day, because ever since Sai was injured, I've been losing my rightful sleep quite often.

Shaking my head, I accepted a full plate of rice with fruit salad from the "housekeeping" clone, broke the chopsticks, and started eating. I should reduce the workload a bit and shorten the list of planned training sessions, otherwise, even the praised endurance of the Uzumaki won't be enough without adequate sleep.

Only three weekends instead of two are saving grace, allowing for a full night's sleep one day, but a routine is necessary in everything, and a malfunction leads to nothing good. More and more often I think about moving my bed to Saya's room, so I don't have to run every time, and do as I did on the first day.

Only innate stubbornness, remnants of morale, and the fact that in the morning there is literally titanium hardness in "little Ryo" hold me back. It's not far from quite definite dreams with a known outcome, which I would like to avoid. And despite all this, there's not enough time for anything, even with clones!

Only the basics of kenjutsu have been mastered, chakra control, and it's far from the desired result, and with fuinjutsu and ninjutsu training, it's good if I can carve out a few hours a couple of times a week. The only things that haven't suffered from the wards hanging on me are clan exercises, taijutsu training, and hyjutsu, as well as practice in the hospital. Dreadful.

***

There was one week left until Kushina enrolled in the shinobi academy, and I was already eagerly counting the days when an somewhat unexpected visitor showed up early in the morning.

Raising my eyebrow questioningly, I looked at the vaguely familiar woman standing near the gates to the clan quarter, wondering where we could have met... After a couple of seconds, I remembered the meeting at the hot springs and the fact that the jonin who was looking at me was interested in the seals on Sai.

"Good morning, Ryo-san," the kunoichi greeted with a smile.

"And good health to you, Keiko-san," I replied.

"Oh, so you remember me," the jonin literally lit up with joy.

"And I even guess the reason for this visit," I sighed, then gestured for her to follow me, "and it's better to discuss this in a more private setting than on the street."

Leading her through the gates and nodding to the familiar chunin, I made my way to our house, keeping an eye on the companion next to me. During our last meeting, she looked much better than she does now — dark circles under her eyes, a slightly sunken and sharpened face, as well as drooping shoulders and a slightly hunched back, indicating the huge fatigue of the kunoichi.

She managed to wash and change into clean clothes, but she didn't manage to get a proper rest. Most likely, only from a mission, and judging by the slight limp of her right leg, it didn't go without injuries.

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