Running low on big sister energy

Once Yugito Nii unleashed her Tailed Beast Transformation, the entire battle became an utter slaughter. The enormous blue cat demon swept across the battlefield. A bunch of ninja still fighting with kunai and shuriken could not even breach the Tailed Beast's chakra defenses, and the battle ended in barely ten seconds.

Yugito Nii quickly undid her Tailed Beast Transformation and landed on the ground with a thud. She turned and hurried over to Chinatsu, who lay in a pool of blood, and anxiously examined her wound.

"This is bad. It's too deep... and it's in a really bad spot. This isn't ordinary bleeding. What do I do? I don't know Medical Ninjutsu..."

Yugito Nii's pupils trembled slightly. She did not know Medical Ninjutsu, but she knew enough to recognize that ordinary Medical Ninjutsu could not save someone with a wound this severe...

"Cough! Cough!"

Chinatsu tasted blood in her throat and violently coughed up a mouthful. The blood loss was truly staggering. Even someone who had no fear of blood might develop one at the sight.

With this much blood loss, there's no saving her...

Although they had only just met and were not particularly close, Yugito Nii had a very good impression of Chinatsu. If they returned to the village and confirmed that she really was one of its ninja, Yugito Nii thought they might even become good friends.

But now that chance was gone.

Yugito Nii held Chinatsu's hand and asked whether she had any last words. Chinatsu struggled to press her lips together, then opened her mouth, but the words she wanted to say caught in her throat.

Chinatsu's head lolled to one side, signaling her death. Yugito Nii lowered her head and bit her lip, then took off her jacket and draped it over Chinatsu before heading toward Kumogakure alone.

No one knew what she was thinking at that moment. All anyone knew was that she returned to the village with a gloomy air that warned everyone to keep their distance, then spent all her time immersed in difficult missions. It took a month before she began to recover.

After Yugito Nii left, Chinatsu, who had closed her eyes on the brink of death, slowly opened them again.

She... should be far enough away now, right?

Chinatsu narrowed her eyes and turned her neck slightly to look around, then reached out and gripped the kunai still embedded in her waist.

With a pop!, Chinatsu forcibly pulled the kunai out. Without it plugging the wound, blood spurted out even harder. Within a few seconds, however, the flow visibly began to slow. After a little over ten seconds, the bleeding had stopped, and a minute later, the wound had already scabbed over.

"Ow, ow, ow... I might have faith in my healing ability, but that doesn't mean it won't hurt..." Chinatsu covered the wound where the kunai had stabbed her. Just remembering the pain made her shudder.

Still, Chinatsu did not regret what she had done. It had been the best way to shake off Yugito Nii, and it had also made her realize how weak she currently was.

"Most Jonin might not be able to beat me now, but at the end of the day, Jonin are just slightly stronger cannon fodder. Once the Fourth Shinobi World War rolls around, even Kage Level strength won't be enough."

Lying on the ground, Chinatsu muttered to herself and reached up to ruffle her hair.

At present, she only had a few trump cards.

First, her kekkei genkai, the Sharingan.

But it only had three tomoe. She had not even awakened the Mangekyo yet. If she remembered correctly, unlocking that form required the pressure of intense negative emotions...

That alone was quite a challenge for Chinatsu. With her carefree personality, building up such powerful negative emotions was hardly an easy task.

Second, a regenerative body, tentatively named.

Her body was similar to Hashirama Senju's, possessing rapid healing abilities. Hashirama Senju had been born with a sage body, but she was still unsure whether hers qualified.

Third, Wood Release.

Yet another connection to Hashirama Senju. This was supposed to be his unique kekkei genkai, one that was not only powerful but also capable of suppressing Tailed Beasts.

Those were the three main trump cards Chinatsu could rely on. Yet despite calling them trump cards, none of them seemed impressive enough to really show off.

Ah, there's still a long road ahead...

Chinatsu sighed helplessly, then stood up. She had lost so much blood that her clothes were soaked in it.

Fortunately, Chinatsu had prepared a spare outfit ahead of time. She slowly glanced around once more, then found a secluded corner to change in.

Previously, Chinatsu had been wearing a tight black outfit. She had practically turned her wardrobe upside down before finally finding something that did not have quite so much of that traditional, demure lady vibe.

With the tight black outfit no longer wearable, Chinatsu could only change into a pure white dress.

Standing there like that, as long as she kept her mouth shut, anyone would have assumed she was some clan's pampered young lady out on an excursion.

Then again, Chinatsu really was a pampered young lady...

"This outfit feels like it has really low defense..."

Chinatsu looked down at the pure white dress she was wearing and muttered softly.

Low defense was an understatement. In this outfit, she had no idea how she was supposed to move if a fight broke out. Every movement risked exposing her...

Chinatsu cleared her throat softly, straightened herself up a little, and set off toward Kumogakure again.

She had made up her mind. Once she reached Kumogakure, she would do a little investigating and immediately head back the way she had come. She did not want to spend another moment in this place.

Three days had passed since Chinatsu left Konoha, and the strange aura radiating from Naruto and Sasuke had grown increasingly intense. Even Iruka found himself startled by the two boys sitting in their seats during class at the Ninja Academy.

They looked as though everyone owed them millions...

Day one: It's fine. Being away for a day is perfectly normal.

Day two: Why isn't Big Sis back yet? Nothing happened to her, right?

Day three: Big Sis... Big Sis... Big Sis... Big Sis...

As the sun set and the third day since Chinatsu's departure neared its end, Naruto and Sasuke returned to the Uchiha Residence for their intensive training as usual.

While Chinatsu was away, Naruto and Sasuke had sparred every day. Their current record stood at five wins each.

Although Sasuke often gained the upper hand, Naruto was like a cockroach that refused to die. Once he dragged things into the late stages, he always managed to turn their fight into a Hollywood-style showdown.

Early stage: a Ninjutsu clash!

Middle stage: a Taijutsu showdown!

Late stage: a punch from you, a punch from me, a kick from you, a kick from me...

That night's winner was Naruto. But after winning, he too toppled stiffly backward and hit the ground with a thud, desperately gasping for air.

Sasuke, who had lost by a narrow margin, lay on the ground and raised an arm to rest across his forehead. Pressing his lips together, he murmured softly.

"Running low on big sister energy..."