Yugito Nii covered her face, a blush spreading across it. Chinatsu merely blinked blankly at the sight. Although she knew she was beautiful, her own assessment and other people's reactions were on entirely different levels.
Chinatsu's beauty was acknowledged by everyone in Konoha. She was a charming young heiress, and if not for her Uchiha surname, the village's aunties and grannies would probably have already stormed up to her with their sons and grandsons to propose marriage.
Men, women, young, old... she charmed them all!
Yugito Nii had been so tense earlier that she hadn't paid any attention to Chinatsu's face. Now that she had calmed down, Chinatsu's beauty hit her all at once.
For a moment, she even began questioning her understanding of her own sexuality.
It might have seemed exaggerated... but considering she was from Kumogakure, it was somewhat understandable. This was Kumogakure, after all, a village overflowing with burly men. Seeing someone with Chinatsu's looks now, the sheer contrast alone packed quite a punch.
"Ahem, sorry. I was too tense earlier. These are troubled times, so I hope you understand." Yugito Nii cleared her throat and spoke softly, her face flushed.
"It's fine, really. There are lots of things I don't remember, but I still remember basic common sense. You're... Jonin Yugito Nii, aren't you?!"
Chinatsu got up from the ground, dusting herself off as she switched into little-fangirl mode and began showering Yugito Nii with praise.
If anyone else had praised her, she wouldn't have so much as blushed or skipped a heartbeat. But hearing Chinatsu's compliments now, Yugito Nii couldn't stop the corners of her mouth from lifting slightly, and she scratched her cheek with a finger.
Seeing that Yugito Nii had suddenly become much easier to win over, Chinatsu was inwardly ecstatic. What followed was a relentless barrage from her "little fangirl" persona.
Yugito Nii's wariness continued to fade, though there was a limit to how far it would drop. Until she returned to the village and fully verified Chinatsu's identity, she would always retain some suspicion.
Still, Chinatsu figured this much goodwill was enough. The two set off for Kumogakure, and along the way, Chinatsu kept reinforcing her persona, working so hard at it that it almost became part of her real personality.
Yugito Nii: What a poor child. Once we get back to the village, I'll do everything I can to help her recover her memories!
Chinatsu: What do I do? What do I do? What do I do? At this rate, I'll be following her into Kumogakure before long. It'll be game over!
Chinatsu's mind raced as she tried to find a way out. An ordinary excuse wouldn't get her away. If she carelessly made one up, she might even throw away all the goodwill she had built up.
Calm down! Calm down! I need to stay calm!
Chinatsu kept smiling as she dealt with Yugito Nii. Eventually, the sun set, the moon rose, and the two arrived at a valley.
Yugito Nii walked ahead, with Chinatsu beside her... suddenly, Yugito Nii stopped and raised an arm, halting Chinatsu as well.
"Wait."
A sharp wariness returned to Yugito Nii's eyes. She scanned their surroundings as the Two-Tails' chakra gradually seeped out.
What's going on?
An enemy attack!
Chinatsu immediately figured out what was happening. When she had first encountered Yugito Nii, the woman had been lying injured on the ground. She must have been in a fight, but considering her formidable strength as a jinchūriki, she had most likely been ambushed.
Beside Yugito Nii, Chinatsu made a token show of looking around too. Meanwhile, the corners of her mouth subtly lifted, because she had finally figured out how to escape.
Come on, enemies!
I choose you as my extras!
"Careful. We're under attack."
As Yugito Nii spoke, a poisoned dart shot toward her from behind. Blue chakra erupted from her body, forming a cloak that blocked the dart with ease.
Her body was injured, but as long as she could use the Two-Tails' chakra, Yugito Nii was still a Kage-level powerhouse!
When the dart ambush failed, the ground beneath Yugito Nii suddenly split open. An unidentified ninja sprang out of the earth and charged at her, kunai in hand.
Yugito Nii gave him a cold glance. Dodging his attack, she reached out and grabbed his head. With a bang!!!, the ninja's head made intimate contact with the ground, adding a splash of red.
While Yugito Nii was busy slamming that ninja into the ground, two more unidentified ninja appeared on either side of her. They rapidly formed hand seals, attempting to unleash some powerful ninjutsu at close range.
But before they could unleash anything, Yugito Nii gave them the old ora-ora beatdown. Such was the terrifying dominance of Jonin-level strength combined with a tailed beast's power.
Standing beside Yugito Nii, Chinatsu stared blankly. So many of them... and not a single one is coming after me???
Chinatsu: Looking down on me? If you won't attack me, then sorry, but I'll just have to stage an accident!
Out of Yugito Nii's line of sight, Chinatsu's eyes changed into the Three-Tomoe Sharingan. With the Sharingan's enhanced perception, she immediately spotted a ninja eagerly gathering power into a kunai.
Ninja: What an opening!
Chinatsu: What an opening!
Seeing Yugito Nii dealing with the others with her back turned to him, the hidden ninja hurled a kunai packed with a large amount of chakra.
With a whoosh!!!, the kunai tore through the air toward Yugito Nii's back.
Yugito Nii reacted to the kunai approaching rapidly from behind as quickly as she could. Just as she raised her hand to defend herself, a figure suddenly came flying over...
Copying the melodramatic diving rescue pose she had seen in third-rate soap operas in her previous life, Chinatsu flung herself straight into the incoming kunai.
Thwack!
The kunai pierced Chinatsu's waist, sending blood spraying. Yugito Nii wasn't the only one left stunned; even the hidden ninja who had thrown it was dumbfounded.
Ninja: I'm reporting this! I'm reporting her! She's staging an accident!!!
Chinatsu: Thanks for the kunai, buddy, but... why is it my waist again!!!
Struck by the kunai, Chinatsu fell to the ground with a thud, a pool of blood forming beneath her. Yugito Nii's pupils contracted, and the Two-Tails' chakra surged out. A giant cat with two tails, formed from bluish flame-shaped chakra, appeared upon the earth...
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