A Remarkable Woman-Uchiha Shuri

Konohagakure's Training Ground.

A year ago, this place had been wrecked by Diejian and Juri. It had since been completely repaired, and there was no sign it had ever been damaged.

In one corner of the Training Ground stood two women.

Diejian quietly approached them.

One was Uchiha Shuri, her glossy black hair tied high behind her head for ease of movement.

The other was Yamanaka Ina, her golden hair, soft in the sunlight, gathered into a bun at the back of her head, with a lock of bangs left loose on one side.

They wore similar outfits: vests covering their chests and short shorts that allowed them to move freely.

Their long, slender legs extended from the shorts, their lines beautiful, while their exposed arms were firm without being overly muscular.

Their navels were exposed, and beneath their fair skin, taut muscles and faintly visible abs looked beautiful.

Both had honed the physiques required of ninjas while retaining their feminine curves.

If there was any difference between them, it was the size of their chests.

Diejian stopped a little way away and frowned in confusion.

What are they doing...?

This was a Training Ground where young ninjas honed their strength.

He had heard Ina and Shuri were here, so Diejian had assumed they were training together in a friendly spar.

That would have made perfect sense.

If they needed him, he was willing to be their sparring partner.

Naturally, Diejian had thought Shuri and Ina were practicing hand-to-hand combat.

So the sight of them a short distance away was entirely unexpected—

"Ah, ahhh!!"

"Keep going! You're almost there!"

Shuri, drenched in sweat, let out a pained cry.

Ina, her fair skin illuminated by the light, encouraged her in a trembling voice.

At first glance, it was a lovely sight, but Diejian couldn't make sense of it.

"Wow, those big sisters are playing horsey..."

Unfortunately, the seedlings of future ninjas—children who looked to be boys and girls—were watching Ina and Shuri intently.

Diejian glanced at the two familiar faces and decided to pretend he didn't know them.

Shuri was down on all fours, while Ina was riding on her back.

Shuri held her body low, supporting herself deftly on the ends of her outstretched limbs—her fists and toes—as she crawled around the Training Ground.

Diejian wasn't sure whether the scene could be described as "walking."

But in any case, Shuri was carrying Ina on her back and moving like a horse.

What on earth was going on with those two?

Diejian couldn't help pressing a hand to the corner of his eye, which didn't hurt, and wondering if he'd somehow fallen under a genjutsu.

"Don't look! It's dangerous!"

"Ah, but I think Mom and Dad did something like that before."

"My mom and dad did, too."

"Is it a wrestling game?"

"But they're girls."

"Is there a world like that?"

"Jiraiya-senpai said girls have lots of secrets."

"Really? Let's ask him when he gets back."

"Do they get spanked and stuff?"

"Huh? Why?"

"Spanked?"

"Girls are amazing!"

"Then does Tsunade-neechan, the one Jiraiya-senpai told us about, get spanked too?"

"Tsunade-neechan's so cute!"

"Tsunade-neechan's beautiful, too."

"Does she do that kind of thing, too?"

"Should I ask my mom...?"

The children's noisy huddle had burst into full swing, like a dam breaking.

Their whispers and chatter overlapped, reaching Diejian's ears.

Jiraiya... What on earth has that guy been teaching these kids?

Diejian suppressed a headache at the thought of Jiraiya spreading unnecessary knowledge and silently prayed for the future peace of the boy who'd spoken last.

But now that they'd mentioned Tsunade, he couldn't keep pretending to be a passerby. As her brother, he had to step in.

Diejian strode toward the gathered boys, radiating intimidating Chakra. He looked down at them and smiled faintly.

"Tsunade would never do that. Got it?"

"Na..."

"Na?"

One of the boys let out a stiff, strangled sound.

Diejian puzzled over the word the boy had blurted out and tilted his head.

Then, the next second—

"It's the Slug Prince!!"

"Run!!"

"He'll kill us!!"

"He'll eat us!"

"Will he stick us to the Prison Gate?"

"Just spare me One Thousand Years of Death!"

"Idiot, run!"

"Waaah!"

"So scary!"

"I—I'm gonna pee myself..."

"I mean, I know I'm that scary, but it still hurts..."

The moment the children recognized Diejian, their faces went pale, and they scattered like startled spiders.

Crushed by his terrible reputation, Diejian reached out toward the empty sky as if trying to grasp it.

"Well, if it isn't Diejian. Hey~"

"Even kids hate you. Guess your nasty personality's written all over your face."

Ina's drawn-out greeting and Shuri's harmless teasing, both prompted by the commotion, left Diejian feeling utterly drained.

There was no pretending to be a passerby now.

Resigned, Diejian ruffled his neatly trimmed short hair.

The two of them were still in the same horse-and-rider positions.

As she moved closer, Shuri was indeed still on all fours, while Ina sat on her back with complete ease.

"Shuri, Ina... Um, nice weather today."

"Huh? Why are you making small talk all of a sudden?"

"Mm, the weather is nice."

Ina tilted her head in confusion at Diejian's stiff greeting.

Beneath her, Shuri's tied-up black hair swayed as she casually agreed.

"Sorry for interrupting you."

"You're not interrupting. Right, Shuri?"

"Yeah. Actually, it'd be great if Diejian helped out."

"Whaaat!?"

A drop of sweat slid down Diejian's cheek as he thought, Now I'm getting dragged into it, too?

"Anyway, what are you two doing?"

"I'm helping Shuri train... Can't you tell? Come on, Shuri, you're almost there. Keep going."

"Yeah, I am."

Diejian had only meant to ask what they were doing, but Ina answered coldly, as if he'd asked something obvious.

He'd asked because he couldn't understand what he was seeing, which looked like something else entirely, but Ina didn't seem to realize that.

Following Ina's instructions, Shuri began bending and straightening her arms—doing push-ups.

So Ina was acting as a weight, Diejian realized.

Still, it was a little hard on the eyes, seeing two women with so much skin exposed doing this.

They'd already had a bad influence on the boys and girls, so it would be better if the two women understood that themselves.

Though most of the boys' wild fantasies were probably the fault of that perverted Monkey who'd filled their heads with strange ideas—

"Ah... Ina, how would you feel if I wore something similar and rode on Shuri's back?"

"H-huh? What are you suddenly saying? That kind of... that kind of... Ah!"

Coming from Diejian, who rarely spoke about anything sexual, the question threw Ina—still a blushing innocent despite being over twenty—into rare disarray.

Wearing skimpy clothes and riding on Shuri's back... Was he bringing up Shuri to make her jealous? Was he finally going to honor the promise they'd made a year ago? But here, in front of Shuri? Ina's cheeks flushed as she wavered.

But Ina was a clever woman.

She quickly considered her own position and guessed how she and Shuri must look to an outside observer. Then she understood what Diejian was getting at.

And so—

"No!! That's not it!!! Listen to me, it's not like that! It's nothing like that!"

"Oh, okay."

Still riding on Shuri's back, Ina spoke with astonishing force.

Diejian was intimidated by the fierce look on Ina's face. At the same time, watching her move up and down as Shuri bent and straightened her arms felt a little unreal.

"No—! Help me, Diejian. Ina suddenly pushed me down and made me be her pony..."

"Shuri, shut up! You were the one who suggested it in the first place!"

"—Ah!"

Shuri abruptly cut in, perhaps amused by Ina's flustered reaction.

She probably hadn't realized that her words would only tighten the noose around her own neck.

According to Shuri, Ina had forced her to be a horse against her will and was making her do as she pleased.

Diejian wasn't gullible enough to believe that story, but Ina couldn't stand it.

Her childhood friend standing right there might think she had a sadistic streak and was a lesbian.

Ina's eyes narrowed, and she raised her hand high before smacking Shuri hard on the butt.

A crisp smack rang out, and Shuri let out a yelp like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

"So that's what those kids meant earlier... One of the Akimichi kids was there, too. What am I supposed to do now? Honestly..."

As for Ina, after smacking Shuri's beautifully shaped, soft bottom, she seemed to have let go of her anger.

"Give me a break..." She lowered her head, looking as if she might cry, and sighed wearily.

"Come on, Shuri, you're almost there. Keep it up."

"Yeah, I'll keep going."

But the moment she'd lowered her head, Ina lifted it again, her expression now gentle.

Her voice was just as kind as she spoke to Shuri.

As she spoke, Ina patted Shuri's butt a few more times, but the gesture was tender, like a mother encouraging her child.

Shuri nodded awkwardly and quietly started doing push-ups again.

I still don't understand how close these two are...

Watching them interact, Diejian scratched the back of his head several times, not knowing what to make of it.

"Is this... training?"

"Let's just call it training."

"You're really throwing yourself into it. Shuri, are you planning to take this Chunin Ninja Exam?"

"Of course. I've been preparing for a long time."

Shuri grinned and focused on her push-ups again.

It had been about four years since the first Chunin Selection Exam.

All but one of Diejian's peers had been promoted to Chunin, and a few had even become Jonin.

Sadly, needless to say, that "one exception" was Uchiha Shuri herself.

It was only natural that Shuri was working so hard.

"...Nine hundred and ninety-one, nine hundred and ninety-two..."

"Yeah, that's how it is. She says she feels ready to become a Chunin now, so she's really motivated. She's already signed up, too. You should cheer her on, Diejian."

"Oh, she's already registered?"

Diejian's eyes lit up.

Shuri was undoubtedly counting the number of push-ups she'd done.

Even through her labored breathing, he could hear the happiness in her voice.

Of course, she wasn't feeling good because her arms had gone numb from overexertion.

It was probably because she was nearing the thousandth rep she'd been aiming for.

Diejian had wanted to tell them something, but he closed his mouth again.

He felt it would be too cruel to Juri, who was about to reach a thousand.

"Nine hundred and ninety-nine! One thousand...! I did it—!!"

"Juri, I've been assigned as an examiner for this Chunin Ninja Exam."

"...Huh?"

"Whoa..."

So Diejian decided to tell her the moment she'd reached a thousand.

Sure enough, Juri stopped dead. The cheeks that had relaxed with a sense of accomplishment tensed up.

Her sweat-soaked, flushed skin lost its color, and her arms, pushed past their limit, began to tremble.

Ina felt Juri shaking through their pressed-together thighs and let out a sympathetic sigh.

Thump—Ina stood up, and Juri's body crumpled to the ground.

"Juri, you failed the last one, so you have to start over and do a thousand."

"W-wait, that one didn't count, did it?!"

At Ina's merciless pronouncement, Juri hurriedly pushed herself up from the ground.

But her protest fell on deaf ears.

As if crushed by the cruel reality, Juri dropped back onto the ground and let out a mournful groan.

"Honestly, I'm joking, Juri."

"Really?!"

"Yeah. Congratulations on reaching a thousand..."

Juri had been brushing the dust off herself and her clothes, but she grabbed Ina's outstretched hand, her expression brightening.

Ina, however, looked unconcerned as she turned her gaze to Diejian.

"So, Diejian. Was what you said just now true?"

"Yeah. I don't know which round it is, but apparently I'm in charge of one of the exams."

"Huh. That's an important job. Does it mean you're getting promoted?"

"Well, more or less..."

"You're an examiner!? What about me!? Are you telling me to die!?"

Juri, still sitting on the ground, went pale.

It seemed she'd finally realized her predicament.

Ina covered her ears to block Juri's shrill voice and frowned in displeasure.

"Hey, Juri, you're too loud."

"Waaah..."

Perhaps saddened by Ina's merciless rebuke, Juri let out a pathetic little wail.

Unable to watch Juri looking so miserable, Diejian smiled wryly and reached out to her.

"Come on, get up first, Juri."

"D-Diejian..."

Juri had been dragging her feet, but now her face softened as if she'd found her savior. Her cheeks flushed faintly as she took his hand.

And held on.

Even after using Diejian's hand to stand up, Juri didn't let go.

Not only that, she clasped his hand in both of hers.

"Oh..."

Juri's soft hands, so different from his own rough ones, wrapped around Diejian's. He savored the tender feeling.

The warmth made him want to keep feeling it, and put his mind at ease.

Perhaps that feeling reached Juri, because her grip on Diejian's hand tightened.

Harder, and harder—

"Ow, ow, ow, ow!"

Diejian yelped and yanked his hand away, as if trying to escape Juri.

"Ah, no, I didn't mean anything by it. I was just... thinking that if you couldn't make hand signs, you wouldn't be able to work as an examiner. Sorry."

Juri looked a little lonely after Diejian shook off her hand, but she apologized without a hint of remorse.

Diejian shook his hand roughly to dispel the pain and narrowed his eyes in exasperation.

"Did you really have to go that far? People don't usually do that."

"It's a matter of life and death. I was giving it my all."

"Can't you show some ambition? Instead of thinking about getting rid of me, why not try to earn your Chunin promotion with your own strength?"

"Well... If you knew what you've been like lately, even I'd do the same."

Ina's words implied that she sympathized with Juri. She gave Juri a pitying look, then glanced at Diejian with exasperation and shrugged.

"Why...?"

"See? Ina agrees with me."

Juri was delighted by the unexpected backup, while Diejian stood frozen.

Taking advantage of the moment, Juri closed in on Diejian and reproached him.

"Besides, Diejian—you're the root of all this, aren't you!!"

"The root of it? That's a pretty harsh way to put it..."

"You betrayed me in the final exam, even though we fought side by side and passed the second exam together!"

"No, 'betrayed'... You can't blame me for that..."

Juri emphasized "me," spreading one hand and pressing the other to her chest. Her gestures were practically those of a stage actress.

But her heartfelt appeal didn't get through to Diejian at all.

"The ninja teams for the second exam were apparently assigned as opponents in advance. If you have a grudge, go complain to Uncle Tobirama."

"Damn you, Second Hokage! You're still getting in my way even after you're dead!"

"But he got in your way before he died."

Diejian replied dryly, while Juri threw her head back and roared.

As Juri stamped her feet, she looked nothing like the woman rumored to possess the Ice Beauty's looks.

—They said that men who crossed paths with Juri would be left standing there in a daze, forming a pillar of stunned onlookers.

They'd see her in the morning and want to speak to her, only to realize it was already night.

They'd bump shoulders as they passed, then wake up in the hospital.

They'd call out from a distance to say she was cute, and end up kissing a utility pole.

The one thing all these accounts had in common was that they'd met those beautiful red eyes, so cold they seemed to freeze you in place.

That was right.

Nine times out of ten, the men who showed interest in Juri had been caught in the Sharingan's genjutsu.

Diejian was certain of it. No doubt about it.

She was a woman with a somewhat excessive persecution complex, so she probably mistook compliments like "pretty," "cute," and "I want her to step on me" for people badmouthing her behind her back, and made them shut up.

Or perhaps she was just covering up her embarrassment—

What an awkward person.

Diejian gazed at Juri with great tenderness.

"Haah... In the end, all the work I'd wanted to show off in the final exam went to waste... I took it pretty hard."

Juri seemed to have calmed down and muttered sulkily.

But what work had she wanted to show off? Diejian wondered.

As I recall, Juri was studying under Teacher Kagami back then... Could it be that this girl—

The shocking truth had come to light after all these years.

Diejian blinked repeatedly, at a loss for words.

But thinking back, there had indeed been signs.

Juri had probably wanted people to see the results of the training she'd received from her older brother, Kagami.

Maybe she'd wanted to be praised, or maybe she'd wanted his approval.

She hadn't said who.

But one of the reasons Juri had been so down when Diejian and the others were promoted to Chunin was that she hadn't been able to show her results to that "someone"...

Honestly... What an utterly unfrank "little sister" she is.

Diejian smiled wryly.

But he understood how she felt.

He'd surely been doing the same thing all along for his late mentor.

"Speaking of showing off your results, I was forced to withdraw over a disqualification back then, too. It's no different, is it?"

"Diejian, that's completely different. I didn't break the rules."

"You..."

Diejian had finally tried to smooth things over for Juri, only to be mercilessly shot down by Juri herself. Unbelievable.

Diejian shrugged wearily. His gentle gaze shifted to an exasperated squint.

"Besides, it wasn't me who took you out. It was Ina—"

"Diejian, don't you understand how girls feel?! Everyone in our class became Chunin, and a few of them are already Jonin... Of course it's hard!"

Diejian had tried to turn Juri's ire toward Ina, but Ina, who'd been watching silently, saw through his tactic at once and began to dismantle it.

After saying she sympathized with Juri, Ina lowered her eyes sadly.

Diejian gaped in surprise as he realized his childhood friend had sold him out.

"No, Ina... You're one of those 'few people who became Jonin'..."

"B-besides!! Sakumo, who was in our class, is already known as the White Fang. And you've been promoted to Lord Hiruzen's personal guard this year... What was it called again, a carp streamer? That's what people call you."

"No, it's Rising Dragon. What the heck is a carp streamer?"

"What does it matter? What's so great about Rising Dragon?"

Diejian corrected his nickname, only for Ina to rebuke him in an unusually cold voice.

This isn't like the Ina I know. Diejian shrank back.

Just then, Juri cut in.

"That's right..." Juri whispered, as if struck by a revelation, her lips trembling slightly.

Diejian sighed inwardly, thinking this was about to become a whole ordeal, and lazily scratched his head.

"I'm the only one still a Genin...! Damn it! Damn it—!! How could you possibly understand how that feels, Diejian?!"

"That's true. I don't understand."

Shouting, Juri grabbed Diejian by the lapels.

She moved so quickly that even Diejian's eyes couldn't follow her. All he could do was let her shake him.

Perhaps annoyed by Diejian's casual answer, Juri frowned.

"Listen, Juri."

Diejian grabbed the wrist of the hand clutching his lapel and stopped her from manhandling him.

Then he added a hint of coldness to his gaze and looked down at Juri.

The sharp look he'd honed over the past year, combined with the old scar still on his cheek, gave him an imposing air.

"What's with that look...?"

Juri met his sharp gaze head-on.

Her eyes revealed a fierce determination not to yield to the man before her—but her gaze shifted slightly downward, and her slender waist had already leaned back.

Honestly... You haven't changed a bit. Still so stubborn.

After all, Diejian and Sakumo, who wasn't here, had tried everything they could think of to help Juri become a Chunin.

Juri herself was the one who had ignored all of it.

As far as Diejian was concerned, she had no right to blame him.

Even so, to be honest, he did understand what she was trying to say, and he could sympathize with how she felt.

Juri hadn't failed every Chunin exam over the past few years.

But now that the next exam was approaching, it was only natural that she'd be nervous and on edge.

If she was anxious, she could just say so. Why did she have to get stubborn? Was it because the habit was too deeply ingrained to shake?

Her resistance to revealing her weakness still seemed deeply rooted in her heart.

So, as her friend, Diejian decided to tell Juri exactly what he thought.

Diejian grinned and raised his clenched fist.

Perhaps the strange mismatch between Diejian's expression and his actions frightened her, or perhaps she was simply afraid he'd hit her. Taken by surprise, Juri hunched her shoulders and closed her eyes.

Thud—Diejian lightly tapped Juri on the forehead.

Juri opened her eyes and saw him smiling.

Diejian released the hand restraining Juri, then gently tapped her fair forehead with the back of his knuckles, as if knocking on a door.

Juri's eyes turned "red" and white.

A small spot on her forehead reddened, and then her whole face gradually turned red.

Stunned, Juri stared with her mouth hanging open, just like a goldfish waiting to be fed.

"It's fine. You can get through any exam as you are now. I guarantee it."

"Mm... Thanks."

Juri, who'd gone still, covered the spot he'd tapped with both hands and nodded.

Diejian moved a little farther away from her, then smiled as if he'd given a snort.

"But your Examiner is this vicious guy, after all."

But Ina saw right through Diejian's skillful attempt to change the subject.

Under her icy gaze, Diejian broke into a cold sweat.

"But what is this? This adorable creature."

Perhaps surprised by how different Juri looked curled up in a ball, Ina pinched her cheeks from both sides as she hung her head.

"Stop it!"

After being squeezed for a while, Juri returned to her usual self.

But her cheeks were still flushed, and she couldn't hide the smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"But really, are you going to be okay? You've been promoted, sure, but I can't imagine you coming up with an 'exam' and all that."

After a while, Ina finally stopped fooling around with Juri and asked worriedly.

Truthfully, Diejian's grades back in the training facility had been nothing to brag about.

So even when Diejian shamelessly declared, "I'm no good at academics," Ina could only nod and say, "I know, right?"

"So, it'll probably be practical, but as for what exactly..."

"Why not look at past exams for reference and figure it out as you go?"

"Right. Depending on the situation, Super Ninja Kemari could be 'acceptable' too...?"

"No, let's leave that out."

Thinking back to the first Chunin Selection Exam, Diejian muttered to himself. Ina remembered it too, and smiled wryly.

She told Diejian it had been a one-off joke, and that doing it again probably wouldn't go over well.

"Oh, I've got a great idea!"

"Oh? What is it?"

"..."

Ina tilted her head at Juri, who seemed to have come up with some brilliant plan.

Since Juri was a Genin taking the exam, her suggestions were bound to be rejected—but this called for a little kindness.

Ina gave her a gentle smile.

Meanwhile, Diejian had a faint idea what Juri was about to say, and narrowed his eyes in distaste.

"Diejian, tell me what the exam will be—"

"Forget it. I have no intention of telling a Genin what's on the exam."

Diejian cut Juri off before she could finish.

Rejected without mercy, Juri's eyes widened in shock, her half-open lips trembling.

"You said you'd cheer me on!"

"That's a different matter."

Juri clung to him, nearly in tears, but Diejian responded with no sympathy and laid out the facts.

"Urgh... Diejian, I knew our fates were to fight..."

"Please stop. This time, are you planning to drag me into it instead of Sakumo?"

"Ina, stop! I didn't mean to... Ow!"

To pull Juri away as she closed in on Diejian with her Sharingan showing, Ina grabbed her by the hair at her temples.

Unable to bear the pain, as if her scalp were about to be torn off, Juri cried out.

"Diejian, I understand what you're trying to say. I'll go to your place after I teach this idiot a lesson. We can discuss the exam there."

Still holding Juri, Ina turned back to Diejian.

"Ah, Ina, that's so unfair! Ah, ow!"

"That'd be a huge help. I'll be waiting."

Having successfully arranged to borrow Ina's wisdom and achieved his goal, Diejian had no reason to stick around.

Watching Juri being dragged away, Diejian turned and left without hesitation.