It had already been nearly evening when Naruto and Sasuke got out of school. By the time Naruto finished watching Chinatsu and Sasuke's special training, the sun had set completely, handing the sky over to the moon.
Although Chinatsu really wanted to tie Naruto down and keep him there, that would have been far too obvious and deliberate. So she let him go home without trying too hard to make him stay.
Seeing that Chinatsu made no attempt to keep Naruto there, Sasuke frowned slightly and asked, "Sis, shouldn't you try asking him to stay at a time like this? Is it really okay to let him go home?"
"Hm?"
Chinatsu turned to Sasuke in surprise and blurted out, "Was I that obvious?"
"No, I'm just observant. You went out of your way to send me to the completely useless Ninja Academy, so it obviously wasn't just for me to have fun. You mentioned Naruto to me before, so you probably wanted me to get close to him. The Fourth Hokage's son, the Nine-"
Before Sasuke could finish his analysis, Chinatsu planted a Tathagata Palm on his head. He blinked blankly, then looked up at her in confusion.
"Wh-what is it... Did I get it wrong?"
"Well, you weren't exactly wrong, but you weren't exactly right either. Sasuke, I didn't send you to the Ninja Academy just to get close to Naruto. And you shouldn't spend time with him solely with that goal in mind. Friends are important."
Sasuke was too rational. While Chinatsu didn't want him to be overly emotional, being this rational wasn't good either.
After pondering her words for a while with only a vague understanding, Sasuke nodded, though he still didn't think friends were of any use.
"It's getting late. Let's eat. I learned to make something new today while you were out."
"You learned a new dish, Sis?! What is it?!"
"Hehe, this new dish is called... a hamburger! Well? Pretty amazing, right?!"
"..."
Several dark lines practically appeared on Sasuke's forehead. It wasn't that hamburgers were bad, but he felt that the food his beautiful older sister made ought to be something more delicate and refined. A hamburger... really didn't fit her image...
Still, Chinatsu had only settled on hamburgers after giving it a lot of thought.
She couldn't keep making fried eggs forever. Although the original owner of her body had been a Yamato Nadeshiko who could cook all sorts of dishes, unfortunately, Chinatsu hadn't fully inherited that knowledge.
Fair enough. Frying an egg had practically taken half her life, even forcing her to activate her Sharingan. Anything more complicated would definitely leave her utterly exhausted.
As for hamburgers, Chinatsu had decided that even after transmigrating into the world of Naruto, she still wanted to eat something from her old world. Though she considered herself a veteran homebody before transmigrating, hamburgers were still one of her favorite comfort foods.
Making these was much easier for Chinatsu, but the trouble had come on her way out to buy the ingredients...
"Oh, isn't that Chinatsu? You've changed your outfit! I almost didn't recognize you!"
Chinatsu stiffened as she walked down the street to buy groceries. She really didn't care much about other people's stares or gossip, but being called out to directly was another matter...
She turned stiffly toward the voice and saw a middle-aged woman. Judging by her manner, she seemed to know Chinatsu. Filled with awkwardness, Chinatsu could only turn to face her and put on her practiced, professional smile.
"You've changed your style, Chinatsu! You don't usually wear clothes like these. But that's fine. You're so pretty, you look good in anything!"
The woman grinned and launched into a stream of chatter. With Chinatsu pinned down, it wasn't long before a whole crowd of middle-aged women gathered around her.
"Well, if it isn't little Chinatsu! It's been so long."
"Chinatsu, seeing you like this puts our minds at ease. Who could have imagined something like that would happen to your clan..."
"That's our Chinatsu! Such a good attitude, bouncing back so quickly and facing life head-on. Good for you!"
The women surrounding Chinatsu never stopped talking. Their words were all heart, without a shred of finesse.
For some reason, Chinatsu suddenly felt as though she were back on Earth. Instead of a crowd of middle-aged women, she seemed to be surrounded by relatives of every description, asking her about anything and everything.
And usually, in situations like this... things would take a certain turn...
"Oh, right, Chinatsu, do you have a boyfriend yet? Would you like us to introduce you to someone?"
"Yes, yes! If you want a boyfriend, just tell us. We might not have many talents, but we certainly have connections. Tell us what you're looking for in a boyfriend, and we'll do our best to find you one."
"My boy's quite a catch. He's only a few years apart from you, little Chinatsu. He didn't become a ninja, but he has a real talent for business, and he has a lovely personality..."
"Mrs. Wang, that's hardly fair! If we're talking about our own boys, mine certainly isn't any worse than yours. My boy is a Chunin just like Chinatsu, and he has a very good chance of becoming a Jonin!"
"If that's how you're going to play it, I'll have to put in a word or two myself!"
Yes. Exactly that kind of turn.
How was this any different from relatives hounding her during New Year's with questions like, "Have you found someone yet?" or "Have you figured out what you're going to do in the future?"
In Chinatsu's eyes, the scene before her was even more overwhelming than anything she had experienced before transmigrating.
As these women chattered away about her marriage prospects, Chinatsu's professional smile was on the verge of cracking, twitching slightly every now and then.
A boyfriend?
Uh...
I don't think that's going to happen...
It took quite a while before Chinatsu finally escaped from the women. After returning home and putting away the ingredients, she barely had time to rest before heading to the Ninja Academy to pick Sasuke up.
Fortunately, after becoming a ninja and mastering chakra, Chinatsu found that two or three hours of sleep a day were enough for her.
One in the morning.
Sasuke had drifted off to sleep, while Chinatsu lightly patted her cheeks with both hands to perk herself up.
Chinatsu had no idea whether other ninja slept at this hour, but she certainly wasn't planning to.
She went to an open space at the Uchiha Residence and roughly gauged the distance, figuring she should be far enough away not to disturb Sasuke's sleep.
"All right, the real battle starts now!"
Chinatsu took a deep breath. Her three-tomoe Sharingan spun, and flashes of lightning began flickering in one of her hands.
"Chidori!"
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