Naruto: The Samurai Menace

Basement of Touki's Residence.

With extreme concentration and moving her hands at high speed, Suki fluidly executes a veritable dance of hands to form the different hand seals intended for one of the latest programs designed by Touki. They are both in their usual working position, with her sitting on his lap, executing each of the seals necessary to achieve the magic that only they are capable of, guided only by a blackboard full of strange symbols, as a reminder of the program's composition.

After hundreds, perhaps thousands, of hand seals, the work is completed with a sigh from Suki and a quick movement from Touki, implanting the code into a metal plate hanging in front of them. The magic happens immediately, and countless symbols scroll across the artifact, then disappear, leaving a faint mark on the metal surface.

The tension drains from Suki's body, causing her to collapse in the man's arms, exclaiming, "We did it, Master."

"That's right, Suki," Touki says softly, letting his arms fall and resting his forehead on her shoulder, "With this, we complete this important project. I want to congratulate you for not slipping up on any occasion today... So, as promised, dinner tonight is whatever you want."

A smile forms on the young woman's face, and she simply settles into the man's lap before saying, "Let me rest for a moment like this."

The man lifts his head, letting Suki's back rest against his chest. "You're feeling peculiarly affectionate today. Why is that?"

"I don't know," Suki replies, still smiling, then puts on a thoughtful expression. "Perhaps it's due to the sudden romantic atmosphere Naruto and Hinata have created in the store. I wonder who's to blame?"

"Cough… I don't know what you're talking about. Are you trying to seduce me?" Touki comments, caressing her head with one of his hands.

Suki takes the man's other hand in her own and begins to play with his fingers. "I think that's impossible. The master doesn't seem to think of me that way. He doesn't even take me on his explorations to other worlds… maybe he's already kissing Izumi in fantasy worlds like fairy tales."

Touki's face tightens, and he can't help but smile bittersweetly, "In order to accompany me, Suki must put in all her effort and fully master her new eyes, otherwise I'll be forced to continue excluding her."

"Then Suki will resort to a strike and will no longer perform hand seals," she complains, pretending to be angry, but at the same time clasping her hand with his.

Suddenly, Touki's face turns serious, saying in a soft but firm voice, "Suki, I can't return your feelings right now."

The smile disappears from her face, but her hand continues to squeeze his. "Why?"

The man is silent for a few moments, then says bitterly, "Because I'm an idiot, lost in my delusions of grandeur, who doesn't know if I really want to love a woman like that… Because I'm afraid of ruining everything and leading you or someone else into a relationship filled with pain, especially when we're involved in a field filled with death… Who knows when one of us will end up psychologically too damaged or simply dead?"

"That's not what you told Naruto about how a strong man should behave," she complains.

"That's because I'm a hypocrite and because I'm far from a strong man. Without my armor and artifacts, I'm nothing. You, Tomomi, Izumi, and practically anyone in the Order can kick my ass under those conditions."

Suki makes a slightly angry face, removing her blindfold and standing up. She then turns around and stares at the man, her eyes red and her brow furrowed. Then, to Touki's surprise, she delivers a well-aimed punch to his face, directly in his eye.

"What the…" the man tries to say, but is interrupted by another punch. At first, he doesn't seem able to respond, but soon, he manages to grab her wrists, and everything turns into a struggle on the ground, with both of them trying to gain the upper hand.

"Don't ever say you're not a strong man," Suki exclaims, tears in her eyes. "I won't let anyone speak ill of my master, not even you."

Touki puts on a conflicted face, doing his best to control her, who begins to cry uncontrollably. Finally, she stops resisting, and he holds her, hugging her tightly. He then says, "Please bear with me. Your master isn't perfect… Let me finish off those who threaten this world, and if you still have feelings for me after all this, I promise I'll make you my wife."

"Really?" Suki murmurs softly, pressing her face against his chest.

"I promise," the man replies, seriously and decisively, "But I also need you to promise me that you won't insist on accompanying me on my travels to other worlds until you completely control those eyes… And I also want you to always prioritize your safety and Karin's before mine. It's the only way I'll be able to rest easy, doing what I have to do."

"I will, if you never show me that pessimistic side of yourself again… You are the most important person to many, and you can't think that way. Your artifacts are part of your strength and the strength of everyone in the Divine Order; no one will ever question that," she says decisively, in contrast to her tear-filled eyes.

Touki simply smiles and kisses Suki on the forehead, letting her hold him for as long as she wants, something that ends up lasting for over an hour when he realizes she's fallen asleep.

The man stares at the ceiling for a long time, completely lost in his thoughts, using a healing device to prevent the bruise from appearing on his eye, before getting up and carrying Suki like a princess to her room.

He then heads to the kitchen and makes himself a coffee with milk and plenty of sugar, but just as he's about to take the first sip, Karin appears from the doorway, her face quite troubled.

"Nii-san, I have a problem," the girl says in the sweetest, gentlest voice possible.

Touki makes a face of extreme pain, sets the cup on the table, and puts both hands to his face. "For the love of god... What's wrong, Karin? You never call me ni-san."

"I had a little conflict at the academy…"

"Conflict?"

"...Let's just say a fight... and our sensei called our parents... or in my case, legal guardian," the girl says, very embarrassed.

"Did something happen to you? Are you hurt?" Touki reacts, examining the girl carefully for injuries.

"Not at all, it's just that I got a little carried away and ended up hitting several of my classmates," the girl's voice is filled with nervousness.

The man seems to understand where the conversation is going, but still asks in a rather serious voice, "Classmates? Plural?"

Karin simply smiles awkwardly and hands a note to the man, who, after reading it, simply stares at the girl for a long time, before sighing in defeat…

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