Uchiha Hana

"Mr. Braised Rabbit!"

Uchiha Hana spotted a figure flash between the trees and cried out in delight.

Thinking about the taste of braised rabbit, Uchiha Hana instinctively swallowed.

Uchiha Hana was six years old. The previous year, she had been lucky enough to pass her clan's trial and become a qualified Genin.

She came from a commoner family in the Uchiha Clan, and had a four-year-old younger brother at home.

Because she was especially fond of food, whenever she had some free time, she would come to the forest beside the Uchiha Clan's compound to catch rabbits and other animals for a snack.

Watching Mr. Rabbit vanish in a flash, Uchiha Hana could think of nothing but what he would look and taste like braised.

And so, six-year-old Uchiha Hana followed the rabbit's escape route in hot pursuit.

Mr. Rabbit ran ahead, and Uchiha Hana chased after him...

The girl and the rabbit ran in circles through the forest beside the Uchiha Clan's compound.

"Now's my chance!"

A flash of delight crossed Uchiha Hana's eyes.

As she ran, she saw Mr. Rabbit just within reach and pounced on him with all the force of a falling mountain.

But clever Mr. Rabbit made a sudden, sharp turn to the right, and Uchiha Hana, charging at full speed, missed him completely.

"Mr. Rabbit is so cunning!"

"But I'm not weak, either."

After missing her target, Uchiha Hana didn't lose heart. She planted her right foot against a tree trunk and sprang after him.

Mr. Rabbit seemed to have been chased into a corner by Uchiha Hana. In an instant, he panicked.

In his haste, he spotted a huge hollow in a tree up ahead and darted inside without a second thought.

Uchiha Hana, hot on his heels, saw Mr. Rabbit rush into the hollow in his panic and was overjoyed.

At last, Mr. Braised Rabbit won't get away.

When she reached the hollow, Uchiha Hana circled around it.

After confirming that there was no second exit, Uchiha Hana leaned toward the opening and peered inside, her face beaming.

"Roar!"

Just as Uchiha Hana leaned in to look, a tremendous roar suddenly came from inside the hollow.

Caught off guard, Uchiha Hana's ears rang from the force of the roar.

"This is bad!"

Uchiha Hana knew without having to think that the hollow must be the lair of some enormous creature. She had walked right into its home without realizing it.

Although Uchiha Hana was a Genin, her abilities were nothing special.

She could use the Three Basic Techniques proficiently, and knew the Uchiha Clan's basic Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique, as well as the Uchiha Clan's basic Taijutsu. That was about the extent of her abilities.

The creature's roar alone had made her ears ache.

Uchiha Hana immediately thought about retreating. After all, you only had one life, and no one wanted to die just like that.

But although Uchiha Hana wanted to retreat, the gigantic creature that had made the hollow its lair wasn't about to give her the chance!

Just as Uchiha Hana was about to turn and flee, another terrifying roar burst from the hollow.

Right after the roar came a huge, curved Wind Release slash that shot straight out of the hollow.

Fortunately, Uchiha Hana was quick. After withstanding the shock of the tremendous roar, she hurriedly turned her head to the right.

The huge, curved Wind Release slash narrowly missed Uchiha Hana's ear and streaked toward a tree behind her.

With a crash, the tree behind Uchiha Hana—so wide that it would have taken a person to wrap their arms around it—was cleanly sliced in two by the Wind Release slash.

Seeing the tree's terrible fate, Uchiha Hana's forehead instantly beaded with cold sweat.

That's right—she was scared.

Her ninja instincts kicked in. Uchiha Hana leaped backward, immediately putting dozens of meters between herself and the hollow.

"Thud."

"Thud."

The tremendous vibrations traveled through the ground to Uchiha Hana's feet.

A moment later, Uchiha Hana finally saw what the hollow's owner looked like.

A brown bear—a gigantic brown bear—stomped out of the hollow with heavy steps and glared fiercely at Uchiha Hana.

The bear was truly enormous. Judging by its size, Uchiha Hana estimated that it was well over three meters tall.

To six-year-old Uchiha Hana, who was only one meter tall, the bear was clearly far too big.

Most importantly, this enormous brown bear had just unleashed a curved Wind Release slash.

It was obvious that this enormous brown bear was a wild Ninja Beast.

The difference between an ordinary beast and a Ninja Beast was that Ninja Beasts could use Chakra, and could attack with it.

"This is bad..."

Six-year-old Uchiha Hana instantly understood the predicament she was in.

There was no way she could escape. For a wild Ninja Beast skilled in Wind Release attacks, speed was always one of its greatest strengths.

Besides, there was no way Uchiha Hana's short legs could outrun this Giant Brown Bear Ninja Beast.

A ninja should always be prepared to die in battle.

She couldn't escape. Fighting might at least give her a chance to survive.

With that thought, Uchiha Hana pulled a Kunai from the ninja tool pouch on her back. She held it in a reverse grip in her right hand, lowered her center of gravity, and took a guarded stance, ready to fight at any moment.

"Roar!"

The wild Giant Brown Bear Ninja Beast first roared loudly at Uchiha Hana. Then, like a tank, it charged straight toward her in an instant.

I can't fight it head-on!

That was Uchiha Hana's first instinct.

Taking advantage of the Giant Brown Bear Ninja Beast's charge, Uchiha Hana held her Kunai in a reverse grip and slid sideways, aiming a strike at its right leg.

Uchiha Hana thought that if she could injure the nerves controlling its right leg with a single strike, it would have trouble moving afterward.

Then, whether she chose to run or keep attacking, her chances of success would improve considerably.

In a flash, the girl and the bear rushed past each other.

Uchiha Hana's reverse-gripped Kunai struck the Giant Brown Bear's right leg with pinpoint accuracy and force.

"This is bad..."

The resistance of the Kunai against the fur—the dull, dragging sensation—instantly made Uchiha Hana realize that, in that split second, her Kunai hadn't pierced the wild Giant Brown Bear Ninja Beast's hide.

Before she could figure out what had happened, a huge paw swung at her, striking faster than she could react.

With a thud, Uchiha Hana's small body was sent flying by the massive paw. She slammed hard into a nearby tree.

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I got off work late today. Sorry about that.