[A small head appeared in your line of sight.]
["Little brother is so cute!" The young Kurotsuchi, her big eyes wide, looked at you with delight.]
["Huh? Why don't I have this?" Kurotsuchi suddenly looked at you curiously, very interested in what you had that she didn't.]
[Your heart tightened. Although you had a child's body, your consciousness was that of an adult.]
[How could you allow another woman to play with your little brother?!]
[But you could do nothing.]
'Ah, this...'
Looking at Little Takumi's expression of utter despair, Takumi laughed quite unsympathetically.
But he soon realized.
The one living this simulated life was him.
Which meant Kurotsuchi was his sister?
Thinking of it that way, his mood instantly became subtly complex.
Even though in previous simulations he had spent his entire life with Kurotsuchi, this was a different simulation after all.
And they were biological siblings, so a deeply intimate relationship was certainly impossible, but taking some small advantages was still possible.
After all, little Kurotsuchi was really cute.
[Although played with by Kurotsuchi, you still liked clinging to her.]
[Kurotsuchi also liked carrying you around everywhere. For a time, the entire Iwagakure was filled with your laughter.]
["Hey! You two brats, stay away from my house!" Deidara's voice sounded frantic. It turned out you had peed on his clay.]
["Hehe! Come catch us!" The mischievous Kurotsuchi, holding you, quickly fled the scene of the crime.]
[After shaking off Deidara, who wasn't seriously chasing them, she looked at you with a sly smile, very excited about their troublemaking.]
[Then she took you around causing mischief everywhere.]
[Many people fell victim to their antics.]
[The one who suffered the most persecution was naturally your grandfather, Sandaime Tsuchikage, Onoki.]
"They really are two little troublemakers."
Takumi showed an auntie-like smile.
Although they were causing trouble, that vitality was precious.
Especially in a world like the Shinobi World where people could die at any moment.
Having such vitality supporting the village was a very fortunate thing, just like the troublemaking Naruto used to do in Konoha.
Except Naruto did it to gain recognition from others, while Kurotsuchi simply enjoyed causing trouble.
[Soon, more than half the village had suffered from their mischief.]
[Countless people had been washed by your 'holy water'.]
[Your 'landmines' were spread all over every corner of the village.]
[Your and Kurotsuchi's reputations spread throughout the entire village, making everyone hide far away upon seeing you.]
[Kurotsuchi didn't mind people keeping their distance, because she had you by her side.]
[She was even quite satisfied with her troublemaking behavior.]
["I'm such a genius!" She said so.]
[Unable to speak yet, you could only nod in agreement and reach out for a hug.]
Seeing those people avoiding them, Takumi felt a bit worried.
He's afraid that Kurotsuchi would become depressed or emotionally hurt because of it.
But Kurotsuchi's heart was much stronger than he imagined.
Perhaps it was also because she had someone else accompanying her, making her care less about others' attitudes.
From her almost inseparable behavior with Little Takumi, it was clear.
Kurotsuchi was very dependent on him and valued him highly.
Whether Kurotsuchi would become a good older sister was unknown for now, but Kurotsuchi was definitely a very good companion.
She wouldn't let you feel lonely and would always be by your side.
[As she grew older, Kurotsuchi gradually stopped playing pranks.]
[Because she needed to begin her Shinobi Training.]
[But even so, she would still bring you along, because if you weren't by her side, she would feel restless and unable to concentrate on her training.]
[You were also happy to watch Kurotsuchi train, preparing for your own future training.]
[You were two years old now.]
[Kurotsuchi, absorbed in her training, forgot the time. You felt a bit hungry, but home was too far away.]
[You looked at the black soil on the ground, couldn't resist reaching out, grabbing a handful, and putting it in your mouth.]
["What am I doing?" You felt strange. After all, eating clay shouldn't happen to you.]
[But as if guided by a ghost, you ate a handful of soil and felt no problem with it. It even tasted pretty good, like chocolate crumbs.]
["What are you doing?" Kurotsuchi ran over, surprised and nervous, wanting you to spit out the soil you had eaten.]
[She was afraid your body would have problems because of it.]
[But when she pried open your mouth, there was no trace of soil left.]
'This must be the Devour talent taking effect, right?'
Takumi guessed.
Otherwise, the sudden soil-eating behavior was unexplainable.
And indeed it was.
The Devour talent would alter the physique.
It could digest anything eaten and convert its characteristics.
Provided he could bite through it.
Right now, Little Takumi was just a two-year-old child, so his teeth not even fully grown.
Naturally, he could only eat soft things.
[Kurotsuchi, worried about you, stopped her training and took you to see Onoki, telling him what happened.]
[Onoki took this very seriously. He immediately called Medical-nin to examine you, but the results showed no problems.]
["Why did you eat soil?" Onoki looked at you seriously and asked.]
["I was hungry." You answered truthfully.]
[Then, your gaze fell on the paper on the table.]
["Can I eat that?" You pointed at the paper and asked.]
[You discovered that after eating the black soil, your appetite had changed significantly. You wanted to eat everything you saw.]
[Onoki was shocked, but he soon frowned in thought.]
["No!" Kurotsuchi exclaimed in surprise.]
["Wait, let him try." Onoki thought of a possibility, then tore off a very small piece of paper and handed it to you.]
[You ate it without hesitation and smacked your lips.]
["Not enough." You said.]
["Monitor his physical condition closely." Onoki instructed the Medical-nin, then placed you on the table, allowing you to pick up the paper and start eating.]
"Gotta say, truly worthy of being the Tsuchikage. So perceptive."
"But what possibility did Onoki perceive? The simulation doesn't make it clear."
Takumi didn't expect the simulation process to start being cryptic too.
This dissatisfied him somewhat.
But it did increase his curiosity.
He wanted to see what possibility Onoki had guessed.
[Then, under everyone's watchful eyes, you ate all the paper on the table and let out a satisfied burp.]
["Tsuchikage-sama, no abnormalities." After another detailed examination, the Medical-nin reported with a puzzled expression.]
['It seems he is indeed exceptionally gifted. We just don't know the specific effects yet.' Onoki nodded secretly, simultaneously ordering the Anbu to keep a close watch on you. If you were in any danger, they were to rescue you immediately.]
[He decided to let you continue eating, to see what kind of talent you would display.]
[You were also very puzzled at this time.]
[Previously, eating black soil tasted like chocolate crumbs. This time, eating paper tasted like milk candy.]
[Driven by curiosity, and limited by your teeth, you ate leaves, tasting honey, and gnawed on a piece of soft tree bark, feeling like you were chewing malt sugar.]
[Your actions were constantly reported to Onoki, who closely monitored your situation.]
[Meanwhile, Kurotsuchi was full of worry, because in her understanding, your behavior was too abnormal.]
[Every time you ate soil, leaves, or tree bark, she would take you for a check-up.]
[But no problems ever appeared.]
'Ate quite a variety of things.'
'But what characteristics were converted?'
'What would the characteristic of soil be?'
'What about leaves and tree bark?'
Takumi was very curious.