'This is a brand new world,' Sasuke muses. 'Strength and attractiveness are useful, but something that'll point me in the right direction might be invaluable.'
If not for Akeno's hint to follow the stream, where would he be now? Certainly he wouldn't have gotten with a buxom blonde and obtained his second Level up.
He wonders what he could miss out on if he doesn't take this Perk while he can.
Akeno stares him down, a look of bemusement on her gorgeous face. She's still draped in that dangerously alluring sundress from earlier in the day.
"I meant to ask—did you enjoy your time with Ino?" Akeno says.
Sasuke blinks, his gaze tearing away from the holograms to fall on her face.
"What do you mean?" he asks, cautiously at that.
"You spent your first day here in Riwyth popping her cherry," Akeno says sweetly. "That must have been something, no?"
She comes off as innocent. Or at least, she would've, if not for the fact that he could distinctly remember the grip of her lips around his shaft.
"I've got to admit, it was exhilarating." Sasuke takes a breath. "The way it felt. The way she felt. I can't even begin to describe it."
Akeno's amethyst eyes twinkle in the firelight.
"Careful," she says gently. "You might just go and make me jealous."
To that, he smirks.
"Don't tease me," Sasuke says, grinning despite himself.
Akeno giggles, the expression on her face sultry. Then, after a moment, she's back to business. She sweeps her gaze back to the three holograms that still hang in the air between them.
"So?" she asks. "What's your choice going to be?"
He looks between the holograms for a final time.
"The map," Sasuke decides at last. "I think I'll take the map."
"A wise choice," Akeno says. He can't tell if she means it or not.
The holograms fade out. Akeno stares into his eyes all the while.
Then there's a tingle that runs down his spine.
It's a hard feeling to ascertain.
It's as if his very cells are growing more powerful, more malleable, more dense.
A question springs to mind. He's sure Akeno will know the answer.
"Does Leveling up affect anything other than the Perks I unlock?" asks Sasuke.
"A shrewd question," Akeno says. She smiles. "Every Level comes with benefits. The major one being how you assign your Skill Points. Beyond that, you'll also see an increase in all of your stats every time you Level up."
"What's the point in putting a Skill Point into Strength or Attractiveness, then?" Sasuke asks, frowning.
"You could spend a year training up your Strength, if you'd like," Akeno says. "I imagine the effort it would take to build up your muscles would pale in comparison to the effort it'd take to fuck Ino a couple of times."
"Point taken," Sasuke says. "I should definitely be listening more to you, I suppose."
"I'm an avatar designed to help you along your way—why wouldn't you listen to me?" Akeno smiles at him.
"Point taken times two."
To that, she laughs.
"No blowjob for you this time," she says, despite the fact that she's been eying his nude body with quite some hunger the whole time they've been seated across from each other. "Go back and get some more experience."
Sasuke clicks his teeth.
"Tell me," he murmurs. "Will I get the chance to—"
"In due time, Sasuke. Don't be so hasty." Akeno grins from ear-to-ear. "Now shoo."
"Yes ma'am," Sasuke says, smirking.
Back to the Yamanaka household he went, through the same door he came through.
Only he doesn't emerge into the same house that he remembers.
It's quiet. Far too quiet for Sasuke's liking. His skin prickles as the door that shouldn't be there closes behind him.
The cottage is empty—one of the beds is overturned. Everything that isn't nailed down is gone or ruined. The kitchen barren, the windows boarded shut.
Sasuke peeks through the cracks in the windows.
The village is a ghost town. He sees burnt houses, ruined houses, demolished houses. The palisade is in tatters.
The whole place is a desolate wasteland.
A lump settles in his throat.
'What happened?' Sasuke wonders.
He finds a cold sweat on his brow and on his hands. There's a sense of impending doom that settles in his gut.
When he consults the map, he finds that it's entirely black.
A whistle of wind floats in through the cracks in the window.
Thump. Thump.
His heart beats in his ear.
He makes for the door, and hopes beyond hope that there's nothing waiting for him on the other side. No matter what, he can't stay in this empty house.
His fingers curl around the handle; he hesitates, then opens the door.
Sasuke finds himself engulfed in darkness.
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