Chapter 61: Sustenance

After forcing the girls to explain exactly what they meant, Nobu found himself sitting with his left hand cradling his head.

Simply put, kunoichi were designed to have an 'expiration date' from the moment they started their training. The poisons they ingested helped to strengthen their body and provide resistance against other forms of poison, but, at the same time, it drastically reduced their lifespan.

According to Kumiko, the life expectancy of most kunoichis was around thirty years. Most died long before that due to work-related hazards, but, even if they were extremely careful, most would begin to lose their cultivation in their late twenties.

Unless they had a unique set of talents that the clan wanted to preserve, most kunoichi would die between three and five years after their cultivation began decaying. They could lengthen this period of time by working hard or consuming various treasured herbs, but, more often than not, those that reached the age of 'retirement' chose to spend their final few years guiding the younger generation and relaxing.

"That explains why everyone in the village looks so young...this..."

Though he thought he had something to say, Nobu found that he was still at a loss for words. This type of thing would never be allowed back on Earth, yet, as if it was perfectly normal, all the girls around him appeared completely unperturbed by the notion they were already experiencing their twilight years. And what did they intend to spend those years on? Serving him to the best of their ability...

"Fuck..."

Feeling as though he might cry, Nobu covered his eyes with his left hand as he made a shooing gesture with his right, saying, "Leave...I need to think..."

Though he felt a twinge of guilt telling the girls to leave, Nobu didn't want to appear weak in front of a group of people who had dedicated their entire lives to him. He knew this was a little contrary, but, feeling a range of emotions he had never experienced before, he didn't really know what else to do. He just wanted to be alone.

A stark contrast to how Nobu was feeling, most of the girls present found it difficult to contain their smiles. It was rare to have a Lord that cared about their subordinates enough to genuinely grieve at their loss, much less the idea that they would eventually have to part. This drastically increased their desire to protect him, as, even in their wildest dreams, they never imagined that their Lord would be such a kind and compassionate man.

If he knew what the girls were thinking, Nobu would have felt even guiltier. Fortunately, they quickly and silently filed out of the room. They had been so silent, in fact, that Nobu couldn't even begin to guess how long they had been gone by the time he looked up.

Exhaling an emotionally fatigued sigh, Nobu crawled over to his futon before pulling out the stone tablet. The Units and Upgrades tab allowed him to change everything from the girls' size and shape to their various 'preferences', so he was hoping it would allow him to deal with the toxicity issue as well.

With this in mind, Nobu pressed on the tiny (+) icon next to Midori's [Cursed] Status. She hadn't been his 'friend' the last time he looked at it so he was hoping there would be some kind of change now that she was listed in his Units and Upgrades tab. To his considerable relief, there was quite a bit of additional information compared to before. This included a section related to removing the curse, and, though he was far from being able to afford the 30,000,000 Aura price tag, the curse of a Goddess had to be more difficult to resolve than simple poison.

"Fuckin' a, man...I'm so glad to have a cheat right now..."

Though he didn't rise from his futon, a smile developed across Nobu's face as he covered his eyes using his forearm. It hadn't even been two whole days since he met the kunoichi who had sworn to serve him, but, after everything that happened since his reincarnation, they were the closest thing he had to family and friends in this world. This might change once he met his actual family, but, for the time being, Yui and the rest were basically his people...he might be an incorrigible asshole, but he still looked after the people who looked out for him...

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After lying in silence for the better part of half an hour, Nobu eventually rose to a seated position before pulling out his tablet for a second time. He was a little curious about the other (+) icons, so, now that he had calmed down a bit, he couldn't resist the urge to check them out.

Clicking on the (+) next to Midori's [Fear] Status, a wry smile developed across Nobu's face as he saw the familiar, "She thinks you're going to eat her." line. Below that, however, was an option to 'erase' said Status for a mere 390 Aura. This filled his head with various thoughts, but, believing it was only a matter of time before her fear resolved itself, Nobu clicked on her [Natural Jade Body] next.

Unsurprisingly, the description for Natural Jade Body remained the same. Now, however, a number of different options existed within the description. This included strengthening the effect, evolving it into something else entirely, or erasing it completely. Fortunately, the interface showed exactly what it would evolve into, specifically the Flawless Jade Body and Immortal Jade Physique.

"Nice..."

Having confirmed his suspicions, Nobu decided to open Sachiko's and Nariko's Status in turn...

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Name: Yoshitsune Sachiko

Age: 8

Gender: Female, H:129cm, W: 25.2kg, B: 61.1cm, W: 46.3cm, H: 63.2cm

Blood Type: AB+

Cultivation: N/A

Aura Units: 1301/1362

Status: Cursed(+), Carmine Eyes(+), Confusion(+), Excitement(+)

-Cursed by the Goddess Inari Okami: Probably of bearing daughters increased to 99.5%. Life expectancy drastically reduced. Removal Cost: 3,000,000AU

-Carmine Eyes: A rare bloodline that drastically increases the user's affinity with Yin and other negative energies.

-Upgrade Cost: 30,000AU

-Evolution(s): Scarlet Demon Eyes: 6,000,000AU -> Demon Goddess's Blazing Eyes of Destruction: 9,000,000,000AU

-Removal Cost: 500,000AU

-Confusion: Worried about the future.

-Excitement: She is eager to learn how to cook.

Main Hand: Right, Ambidextrous

Preferred Weapon: Ninjato, Naginata, Morningstar, Fists

Strengths: Innately Beautiful, Intelligent, Perceptive, Good listener, Can see in the dark

Weaknesses: Doesn't like talking, Hates being alone, Frigthens easily

Orientation: Heterosexual

Preferred Position: She has considered shoving things up her butt

Favorite Food: Shellfish, Sweets

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Name: Yoshitsune Nariko

Age: 8

Gender: Female, H:125.5cm, W: 25.3kg, B: 62.7cm, W: 45.9cm, H: 63.4cm

Blood Type: A+

Cultivation: N/A

Aura Units: 1293/1411

Status: Cursed(+), Golden Boar's Blessing(+), Excited(+), Curious(+)

-Cursed by the Goddess Inari Okami: Probably of bearing daughters increased to 99.5%. Life expectancy drastically reduced. Removal Cost: 3,000,000AU

-Golden Boar's Blessing: Provides the user with an increased affinity towards plants, animals, and other natural things.

-Upgrade Cost: 5,000AU

-Evolution(s): Golden Boar's Divine Protection: 1,000,000AU -> Golden Boar's Avatar: 960,000,000AU

-Removal Cost: 90,000AU

-Excited: She really likes the stone tablet.

-Curious: She wants to know more about you.

Main Hand: Left, Ambidextrous

Preferred Weapon: Fists

Strengths: Confident, Iron Stomach, Strong Body, High Pain Tolerance

Weakness: Enjoys Bullying the Weak, Slightly Perverted, Being on the Defensive

Orientation: No Preference, Leaning Bi

Preferred Position: She has kissed other girls

Favorite Food: She likes eating

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Though there were several pages of useless information, Nobu couldn't help feeling a little excited by the prospect of upgrading and evolving his 'units'. It might not be polite to think of the girls in this regard, but, so long as he wasn't a complete ass about it, he doubted they would mind.

"It looks like there is still a bit of hope for Yui. So long as I can make her my friend, she won't have to stay flat as a board for the rest of her life..."

Since there were options to both increase and decrease variables such as height, weight, and bust, Nobu could literally increase Yui from an A-Cup to a D-Cup if he wanted to. Unfortunately, the only parameters he could affect in the present belonged to a bunch of brats. Sure, he could theoretically give them even better bodies than Shizune. He just wasn't a pedophile. Hell, just knowing the three girls' sizes was already enough to make him feel like a creeper...

Shaking that thought from his mind, Nobu began navigating through the other tabs to see if there were options for additional bloodlines available. If he could take them away, it stood to reason that he would also be able to add them. Unfortunately, perhaps as a result of the trio already possessing bloodlines, he couldn't find any options that would allow them to possess another.

"Guess I need to get serious about increasing my strength. I'm going to need a shit ton of Aura if I want to treat all the girls' toxicity..."

As that thought crossed his mind, so too did the notion of curing every kunoichi in the village. This would work if there were no limitations on the number of people he could add as a friend, but that didn't seem to be the case. His current Friends List seemed to be capped at 100, and, from what he could tell, there was no way to delete anyone. As a result, he was already down four slots due to the Transcendent Goddess of the Six Paths basically forcing him to add her as a friend.

Unfortunately, even though she was clearly at the top of his Friends List, Nobu couldn't see any of the Goddess' stats or parameters. This implied there was a distinction between the people listed on his Friends List and those who appeared in his Units and Upgrades Tab. Either that or she had gone out of her way to make sure he couldn't see her Status or benefit from her clicks...

Doing his best not to think any bad thoughts about the Goddess who had basically fucked over his reincarnation, Nobu occupied himself with clicking until he began feeling peckish. This was quickly followed by a feeling of ravenous hunger, not because he was suffering from the effects of extreme and prolonged malnourishment, but because Cho's food was that good.

Suppressing the feelings of guilt that instantaneously reared their ugly head, Nobu set aside his stone tablet before calling out, "Is anyone listening? If you are, go ahead and reveal yourselves..."

The moment Nobu finished speaking, Yui, Kiki, and Ayane appeared at the entrance to the room before entering like normal people. Their outfits made this a little strange, especially in the case of Kiku, but that just reminded Nobu of something he had been meaning to ask about ever since his arrival.

Waiting until the girls had taken their seats, Nobu asked, "How long will it take to have the Iga Clan prepare a made-to-order mask? I'm planning to try and train my sense of smell in the future, but I'd rather have the option to block things out than suffer the consequences of not having one..."

Though she was expecting Nobu to ask about dinner, Yui promptly replied, "The Iga Clan is located in the neighboring province. We're not on the best terms, but the merchant branch of the Oda Clan has been trading with them for the last three hundred years. So long as we issue the order through them, it should only take around two months for the mask to be completed. Until then, we can have our own craftsman begin experimenting with alternative solutions. If you're going to be passing on your unique Cultivation technique to members of our clan, we're going to need them..."

Since he was intending to just that, specifically with Sachiko, Nobu nodded his head in affirmation, muttering, "Good...good..." before proceeding to ask, "How soon do you think Cho can prepare a meal...?"

Smiling wryly in response, Yui didn't even have to say anything before a gentle tapping could be heard outside the room. Cho had been waiting outside with food and drinks ready to deliver, and, after everything that had happened earlier, she was more excited than ever to provide sustenance to her beloved Lord and Master...

"I placed a bit of extra love into these dishes. Please let me know what you think~."

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(A/N: Cho is a good girl...)