Chinatsu slowly became a corporate drone

The ninja world had Five Great Nations, each with its own ninja village: Konoha, Kirigakure, Kumogakure, Sunagakure, and Iwagakure.

Beyond those five villages, there were plenty of smaller ninja villages that also had their own "Kage," though Kage outside the five great villages did not count as Kage in the usual sense.

The Kage of the Five Great Nations symbolized strength and authority. In a small village, a Kage might simply be a village chief.

After accepting her Anbu mission, Chinatsu put on a tight black outfit, packed only a small bag, and set off with a mask in her hand.

Her destination: Kumogakure, in the Land of Lightning.

Off she went!

But setting off really was not as simple as saying it. The Naruto world had no cars, trains, or planes. She had to rely on her own two legs.

Chinatsu felt as though a monkey had possessed her, constantly leaping, landing, and leaping again. As a ninja with chakra, she could certainly move faster than an ordinary person, but she did not think her current speed could compare with a car that never tired and needed only gasoline to keep going.

Less than an hour later, Chinatsu was already panting with exhaustion. She had Uchiha Clan blood, not Uzumaki Clan blood! Any random member of the Uzumaki Clan could have as much chakra as five or six Kakashis. Chinatsu reckoned she had three Kakashis' worth at most.

"Damn it, I can't spend all my chakra on traveling. I have to save some in case an enemy ambushes me. Come to think of it, though, the mission instructions didn't seem to give a specific deadline. So it should be fine if I slack off for a few days and then head back, right?"

Chinatsu muttered resentfully under her breath. Once she finished, she suddenly raised her head, glanced around, then thrust the internationally recognized farewell gesture toward the sky.

"Sarutobi, ********!"

A string of colorful language that absolutely warranted censorship poured from Chinatsu's mouth.

Hiruzen Sarutobi? Your all-seeing crystal ball?

Surely you can't still see me from this far away?

Inside the Hokage's office in Konoha, Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly let out an enormous sneeze. It nearly rattled his old bones apart.

"The weather is getting colder and colder. I hope winter passes soon. Spring is the best season for the hopes of Konoha's leaves to sprout and grow," Hiruzen Sarutobi murmured, gazing at the window beside him.

Sending Chinatsu away on a mission had been Hiruzen Sarutobi's idea. If Shimura Danzō had had any say in it, he would never have let her leave.

The Sharingan bloodline absolutely could not fall into anyone else's hands. By sending Chinatsu away, Hiruzen Sarutobi was actually protecting her, because he had noticed that Shimura Danzō was beginning to take an interest in her.

In a sense, Shimura Danzō was another Hiruzen Sarutobi. Both placed enormous importance on the village. If Hiruzen Sarutobi outwardly represented its light, then Shimura Danzō, who controlled its dark corners, could be called the embodiment of Konoha's darkness.

Shimura Danzō was deeply hostile toward the Uchiha Clan. Behind the scenes, he also engaged in plenty of underhanded dealings that would leave ordinary people uncomfortable and disgusted.

Although Hiruzen Sarutobi did not know all the details, he still knew a little.

That was why he had sent Chinatsu away. As long as she did not get too reckless, the outside world was safer than being around Shimura Danzō. But this could not entirely be considered an act of kindness toward Chinatsu. His main concern was keeping Shimura Danzō from getting his way too easily and maintaining the village's balance.

When Naruto and Sasuke returned home after classes at the Ninja Academy, they soon discovered the note Chinatsu had left on the table.

They had already suspected something when their sister failed to pick them up that day and was nowhere to be seen when they got home, but having it confirmed still left them miserable.

"Big Sis... went away on another mission..."

Sasuke held Chinatsu's note in his palm, his head lowered and "I'm really upset right now!" written all over his face.

Under Chinatsu's guidance, however, Sasuke was no longer so quick to fall into extreme emotions. After a dozen or so seconds, he took a deep breath and steadied himself.

"Big Sis is just out on a mission. Like last time, she'll be back before long. Maybe she'll even be home when we wake up tomorrow. Naruto, let's keep training."

As Sasuke spoke, he unclenched his fist. He smoothed out the note he had crumpled and put it away carefully, then turned to head toward the clearing, only for a thunderous rumble to stop him in his tracks.

Sasuke looked back in shock. Naruto stood there with one hand on the back of his head and the other on his stomach, smiling sheepishly.

"Um, before we train, shouldn't we have dinner first...?"

Nothing mattered more than getting something to eat.

Despite his apparent composure, Sasuke clearly was not quite calm enough yet. Only after hearing Naruto's words did he remember, and hunger promptly welled up inside him.

We're out of Soldier Pills, too...

If Big Sis were home, she'd definitely have dinner ready by now. It would probably be hamburgers and fried eggs, though, with a sausage at most...

Sasuke sighed helplessly and pressed a hand to his forehead. Just then, Naruto stepped forward, raised his arm high, and said with a grin, "If there's nothing to eat at home, I know a place. Why don't we eat there?"

"Hm? Where?"

"Teuchi's ramen shop!"

"Ichiraku?"

Sasuke paused. The name "Ichiraku" sounded vaguely familiar, as though his sister had mentioned it in one of her rambling mutters.

Then this guy who runs Ichiraku must have something special about him, right?

Could he be some hidden ninjutsu master?

With that thought, Sasuke agreed to Naruto's suggestion and left the residence with him, heading for Ichiraku Ramen.

Rather than worry about when Chinatsu would return, he might as well keep working to improve himself until he could one day become a ninja capable of standing on his own...

Naruto and Sasuke were eating ramen, and so was Chinatsu. But while the boys were eating at Ichiraku Ramen, Chinatsu was eating at some nameless roadside ramen stall.

"I need a full stomach before I can keep running. There's still a long way to go. Can't run on an empty stomach..." Chinatsu slurped down her ramen ravenously. She still had a full day's journey before reaching Kumogakure.

Chinatsu: I took this Anbu job to copy other people's ninjutsu, not to practice running! How am I any different from a corporate drone right now?

After finishing her ramen, Chinatsu resumed her journey toward Kumogakure. Powered by her gradual transformation into a corporate drone, she set foot in the Land of Lightning early the following morning.

Mountains towered into the clouds, mist swirled everywhere, and deafening thunder echoed without end.

This was the Land of Lightning.