Life Is Getting Harder and Harder!

"No way? Suzuran-chan is that amazing?"

Kushina's eyes widened, and her mouth opened into an "O" shape, big enough to fit a duck egg.

"She looks so delicate and frail, but she's so fierce in battle, it's really, really..."

Unable to find the right words to express her surprise, she could only wave her hands vigorously, banging them on the table.

"Hey, Konan, this child's personality is a bit strange!"

Katsuki squinted at the spirited young girl in the crystal ball, a stark contrast to the somewhat shy and introverted girl from before... they were practically two different people.

"Dual nature? Has your thinking been split? If this continues, it might lead to a split personality! Is this... a good idea?"

His gaze shifted to Konan, tinged with inquiry.

"Huh? Split personality? What are you talking about, Katsuki? What does this mean? Is Suzuran-chan in danger?" Kushina was even more agitated than Konan, grabbing his collar and shaking him violently.

"Sis, calm down, calm down, it's not that serious yet!" Katsuki broke free from Kushina's clutches, straightened her collar, and said, "Of course, it doesn't look that serious now, but it might get worse if it continues to develop, right, Konan?"

The air felt slightly heavy.

Konan's smile turned extremely bitter.

"I knew it!"

"What exactly happened? Dissociative identity disorder is very rare. In all the records of Konoha Hospital over the past few decades, there have only been three cases, and without exception, they all went insane in the end. Two became serial killers and were shot dead in the street, and the remaining one was thrown into prison and committed suicide by hitting his head against a wall two months later. In short, dissociative identity disorder is a very troublesome thing, not a regular illness."

Katsuki spread his hands and said.

"Is that so? As expected of Konoha, they actually have such a record." Konan took a deep breath. "Suzuran the Valley becoming like this is entirely my fault."

How could that be?

Kushina felt like her brain cells were about to give out; she couldn't keep up with Katsuki and Konan's conversation at all.

"Well! I can imagine what happened, Konan. You went too far in raising that child, didn't you? The excessive pressure overwhelmed her because her personality wasn't very strong to begin with. However, faced with your expectations, her overly gentle nature prevented her from expressing her pain... The end result was the creation of a second personality, a personality that could fulfill her mother's expectations."

Katsuki spoke eloquently.

"... Absolutely right! Katsuki, you're still as scary as ever!"

"That's nothing. I'm a legend at Konoha Hospital, and I'm still the Deputy Chief of the medical department... although it's just an honorary title. I get a salary, but I don't actually do any work."

"Then, Katsuki, do you have a way to treat Suzuran's condition?"

Konan asked seriously.

"Is this your real purpose in bringing... Suzuran-chan the Valley to Konoha?" Katsuki didn't answer directly. "What about Yahiko? What did he say? Is he still busy revitalizing the village?"

"It was Yahiko who asked me to bring Suzuran to Konoha. He said... Konoha's environment is more beneficial for Suzuran's growth. Amegakure is still no match for Konoha... something like that!" Konan's face was full of confusion. She still didn't understand what Yahiko meant.

"Tsk! That guy's eye for talent is as sharp as ever! He clearly knows nothing about medicine, but this talent of seeing through the essence of things is truly frightening!" Katsuki shook her head and laughed.

"Hey, Katsuki, tell me what's going on right now! I'm really confused, you know?"

Kushina's eyes turned fierce, and her demonic aura filled the entire office.

"...Sister, Konan, just relax and let it be. There's no truly effective physical treatment for this special condition of multiple personality disorder yet. However... Suzuran-chan's condition isn't too serious. If nothing unexpected happens, there is indeed a possibility of a cure, and a very high possibility at that."

The images within the crystal ball shifted. The battle continued.

"Five minutes have passed!"

Shuyuan turned around and glanced at Teacher Hitomi.

"That was a great battle! It was even more interesting than I expected. Shuyuan, just relax and watch. There's no time limit for the quiz." Hitomi grinned, looking very happy.

"... No time limit? This is so annoying! Naruto, you idiot, you might as well just give up!"

Shuyuan bit her lip, thinking to herself.

After the initial enthusiasm of being a referee, watching the two fiercely battling on the field, I felt a ticklish sensation in my heart, as if brushed by a feather.

It feels like a battle that will be fought with all our might... No, no, I can't get too excited. I reach out and press my left eye, using my right eye to focus on the battle in the arena.

"Take this! Naruto Uzumaki Style, Shuriken Storm!"

More than twenty Shadow Clone hurled all the unsharpened Shuriken from their Ninja Tool Bag, which fell from the sky in parabolic arcs, truly like a sudden, violent black storm.

"Ta-da!!!"

"Paper Umbrella."

A flurry of white papers flew around, and the spear in the girl's hand changed shape, coalescing into a large, indestructible umbrella as strong as steel, which was then placed overhead to block all the Shuriken.

"What a convenient Ninjutsu! Can you even do that? I didn't even see her Hand Seals!"

Ya exclaimed in surprise, but the next moment, he put his surprise aside and began to launch a mental attack on his teammate.

"Naruto, you idiot, hurry up! I can't wait to go up and beat up that arrogant Shikamaru. If you can't handle it, just admit defeat and get off the stage."

"Giving up won't work, will it? I'm no match for Ino; I can't withstand her Mind Body Switch Technique at all!"

Choji held the bag of potato chips upside down, shook it to make sure he had eaten the last chip, then regretfully crumpled the bag into a ball and tossed it precisely into the nearby trash can.

"Hey, when did I become arrogant?"

Shikamaru stared speechlessly at Kiba, who had descended into a frenzy. Was that loud noise a deliberate provocation? But... Kiba shouldn't be that dense, meaning those words were his true thoughts?

In some ways, it's even more troublesome.

"Never mind that idiot with the dog nose, hurry up and cheer for Suzuran-chan! If this continues, Suzuran-chan might just win!"

Ino watched with excitement as Suzuran displayed her skills on the field. Her dashing figure made Ino's mouth water. She loved beautiful flowers and plants and all things wonderful. Suzuran's current appearance completely captivated her.

"Drool, wipe your drool first! It's kind of scary!"

Shikamaru handed Ino a tissue with a headache, sighing inwardly. Women really are troublesome creatures. He never expected that the seemingly gentle and weak Suzuran would be so fierce in battle.

"Life's getting harder and harder...!" (To be continued)