Stalking and the Sun

After the first human swallowed the sap from the Divine Tree's main trunk, regained youth, and was cured of illness, conflict erupted.

The Divine Tree's sap could cure all diseases, preserve youth forever, and grant immortality.

Such legends began spreading wildly among human settlements, like an inescapable evil spirit.

Thus, the area surrounding the Divine Tree's enormous trunk became engulfed in countless wars.

Every day, blood was shed, people died, and corpses were buried deep across the vast lands surrounding the Divine Tree.

Day after day, year after year.

Human ambition and greed seemed endless.

Of course, some had succeeded. A powerful tribe that rose out of nowhere seized the Divine Tree's trunk through force and authority. They built cities here, founded an empire, and resisted foreign enemies. The other tribes united in opposition to their monopoly over the Divine Tree and immortality.

In the end, the empire still crumbled. The unequal distribution of the Divine Tree's resources caused it to fracture from within.

Thus, the bloody light of war once again shrouded the Divine Tree.

Chaos, hatred, greed, disorder.

Many, many years passed. On the land around the Divine Tree, soaked in mountains of corpses and seas of blood, a lush forest gradually grew.

This forest used bones as its wood and flesh and blood as its soil.

Any human or beast that approached the Divine Tree and set foot in this forest of bones would be pierced through by the bone forest, as though it possessed life. Then their flesh, blood, and bones would become part of the bone forest as well.

Humanity began to revere the Divine Tree once more.

Hyuga Residence.

Bathhouse.

Hanabi soaked in the bath, which was comparable to a hot spring, alongside her sister Hinata. After training her limbs and body with the Gentle Fist, she relaxed in blissful comfort as her exhaustion gradually faded.

"So comfortable..." Hanabi narrowed her eyes in satisfaction. Their father put her through incredibly harsh training every day, placing immense pressure on the young Hanabi.

"I'm sorry, Hanabi. It's because your sister is useless..." Hinata soaked beside her, guilt written across her face.

If she were not so useless, why would Hanabi have to suffer like this?

"Big sister, don't blame yourself. We're sisters, so one of us has to do this, right?" Hanabi comforted the somewhat silly older sister in her eyes like a little adult.

"..." Hinata said nothing, her mood somewhat low.

"Huh, what's this?" Hanabi glanced toward Hinata, then suddenly noticed something. She stared at Hinata's right shoulder in surprise. "Big sister, you actually got a tattoo?"

There was a black pattern clearly visible on Hinata's smooth, delicate right shoulder.

"It's not..."

Hinata awkwardly covered her right shoulder, blushing as she said, "It's not a tattoo..."

Hanabi found that even stranger. "Then what is it? Come on, let me see, big sister..." she coaxed.

With no other choice, Hinata removed her hand and revealed the black pattern on her shoulder again.

Hanabi leaned closer and poked it with a finger. "It looks like a flame..."

"Mm." Hinata nodded.

"It obviously is a tattoo. Look, it won't even rub off." Hanabi rubbed Hinata's right shoulder, but the black flame pattern would not come off at all.

"I told you it isn't." Hinata twisted away from her sister's hand, blushing as she submerged even her shoulder in the warm bathwater.

"That's so strange..." Hanabi was puzzled, but she still reminded her sister, "Don't let Father find out, or he'll scold you again."

"I know..." Hinata replied gloomily.

Hinata, this Flying Thunder God mark won't disappear... That way, I can appear by your side anytime.

Remembering Naruto's words that day, Hinata felt a surge of sweetness in her heart.

"Good grief... Big sister, your expression is so strange..." At some point, Hanabi had leaned over again, her pale eyes curiously studying Hinata.

"What are you talking about..." Hinata blushed and splashed water at Hanabi.

"Ah, big sister, that's so underhanded!" Hanabi refused to be outdone and splashed back.

The sisters' laughter and the sound of water echoed through the spacious bathhouse.

"Big sister, your chest is so big..."

"Ha... Hanabi, don't tickle me..."

The next day, Hinata went out as usual.

But unlike usual, a little tail secretly followed behind her today.

Big sister seems a little different... Father happens to be busy and isn't home today... I'll secretly take a look and see what happened to her outside...

Hanabi sneaked along some distance behind Hinata.

Hinata was not a Chakra-sensing ninja, nor could she keep her Byakugan active while simply walking around. Naturally, she did not notice her little sister secretly tailing her.

Big sister seems to mention that Naruto from her team a lot...

Thinking this, Hanabi followed Hinata to a training ground somewhere in Konoha's forest.

Huh, is it team training? How troublesome. If their team has a reconnaissance type, won't I be exposed...?

Byakugan!

Hanabi gathered Chakra in her eyes, and the scenery in her vision immediately turned into inverted black and white...

Huh? There's actually someone else doing the same thing...

Her broad field of vision allowed Hanabi to spot a long-haired woman wearing glasses in a tree not far away in another direction.

Keeping her guard up, Hanabi turned her attention toward the clearing in the woods that Hinata had entered.

Besides Hinata, she saw the other two members of Team 7.

Sasuke was sitting on a tree branch, resting. He was not a stamina monster like Naruto; after arriving early in the morning to train, he needed proper rest as well.

Meanwhile, Naruto had activated Golden Body Mode and sat cross-legged on the ground below with his eyes closed.

Reverse Sage Mode.

Even though he had already learned the Flying Thunder God Technique, Naruto had retained this habit of training.

He spread his Chakra through the surrounding space. This feeling... Naruto gradually became addicted to it.

It felt as comforting as returning to his mother's embrace.

Perhaps it was because his dad had taught him this method... Naruto sometimes laughed at himself for thinking that.

As for Hanabi, her Byakugan had already widened to the limit, and her face was filled with astonishment.

"This person's Chakra... is so vast... How terrifying..."

"Beside Naruto..."

On a tree on the other side, Karin sensed Naruto sitting cross-legged on the ground within her line of sight.

"It's practically like an enormous furnace is burning..." Karin stared in shock. She unconsciously swallowed nervously and muttered, "Is he the sun?"

Crack. Agitated by her emotions, Karin accidentally made a sound.

"Who's there!" Sasuke, who had been resting on the tree branch, suddenly became alert and threw a shuriken.

Thunk. The shuriken embedded itself in the tree trunk beside Karin.

Sweating lightly, Karin could only force herself to step out. She had only wanted to thank Naruto—how had it turned into spying on him...? Karin panicked inwardly.

"Oh, it's you." Naruto withdrew Golden Body Mode, stood up, and looked at Karin with a smile. "Has your matter been dealt with?"

Hinata also looked over curiously.