The day after the night of the massacre.
Chinatsu slowly opened her eyes as she lay in bed. An unfamiliar ceiling came into view. This was her room at the Uchiha Residence. Thankfully, it wasn't one of those stereotypical pink, girly rooms; otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to sleep comfortably.
"What time is it... five in the morning? This early? Normally, there's no way I'd wake up before ten... Must be the original owner's habit?"
Chinatsu muttered to herself. After all, the original owner had been an exemplary student, a highly regarded, Yamato Nadeshiko-level lady. Going to bed early and getting up early was perfectly normal for her.
Lying in bed, Chinatsu stretched both arms as far as she could. Despite waking up at five, she surprisingly didn't feel very sleepy.
"I barely looked around this place after coming back yesterday. Since it's still early, I'll go take a look!"
Chinatsu climbed out of bed, casually threw on some clothes, and left her room looking a little disheveled.
The residence was spotless, with no sign that it had been filled with corpses just days ago. Chinatsu wandered around for five minutes, but she hadn't even explored a tenth of the entire place.
"Hmm? Is that a noise over there?" Puzzled, Chinatsu turned toward a small grove within the residence. She walked over, and after passing through the trees, a small lake came into view.
Of course, it wasn't just the lake. More importantly, Sasuke was standing on its shore.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!!!"
Sasuke took a deep breath and used one of the most basic Fire Release Ninjutsu.
As Sasuke exhaled, a burst of flame shot from his mouth. This was Chinatsu's first time witnessing ninjutsu in person, and it felt completely different from reading manga or watching anime. But... wasn't that fireball a little too small?
Sasuke's fireball didn't even reach a meter. Not only was it short-ranged and small, it didn't last long either. Within seconds, his face had turned bright red, and the fireball streaming from his mouth abruptly stopped.
"No, this won't do. This isn't even half of what that man could do!" Sasuke gritted his teeth, sweat covering his forehead.
Chinatsu had gotten up at five, but Sasuke had climbed out of bed at three in the morning. Unlike in the original story, where he had spent some time wallowing in despair, this Sasuke didn't want to waste a single second.
"Chinatsu, you're awake? That means it's already five. I've trained for two hours, and I haven't improved at all. Do you think... I just don't have any talent as a ninja?"
Sasuke noticed Chinatsu watching him from the grove. He couldn't help lowering his head, his expression downcast.
Chinatsu felt a little awkward at the sight. She wasn't very good at comforting people. After all, before coming to this world, she'd been something of a shut-in herself.
"Ahem. Sasuke, being able to do this much at your age is already pretty impressive. Most kids your age probably don't even know a single ninjutsu yet."
Chinatsu racked her brains, hurriedly finding words to comfort Sasuke, but they didn't have much effect.
"But if I want to defeat that guy, I can't compare myself to kids my age. As much as I hate to admit it, he's a genius!"
A fierce gleam flashed in Sasuke's eyes. Then he turned to Chinatsu and said, "Oh, right. Before you stopped going out on missions, you were a really strong Chunin, weren't you? Teach me ninjutsu!"
"Huh? You want me to teach you? I guess... I could." Chinatsu quickly searched the fragmented memories in her mind and did indeed find information on ninjutsu.
If I just copy what I remember, it should be fine... right?
"Then I'll give the Great Fireball a try. But let me say this first: I'm not strong at all."
Chinatsu stepped forward, gazed at the lake ahead, and began forming hand seals.
Snake-Ram-Monkey-Boar-Horse-Tiger
Once she finished the hand seals, Chinatsu took a deep breath. Although this was her first hands-on attempt, she didn't stumble at all. Her chakra flowed smoothly throughout the entire process.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Chinatsu forcefully expelled the chakra gathered in her cheeks. The instant it reached the outside air, it transformed into roaring flames. In a flash, a Great Fireball ten times the size of Sasuke's erupted from her mouth.
Sasuke was stunned. So was Chinatsu.
Chinatsu: That fireball... came out of me???
Sasuke: She lied to me. This is what she calls not strong at all???
Not only did it reach far, it was enormous, and it lasted so long that Chinatsu could have kept breathing fire for several more minutes if she hadn't wanted to stop. When her Great Fireball Technique ended, white steam rose from the lake's surface.
Chinatsu stared at herself in astonishment. It was only a Great Fireball Technique, but it hardly seemed like something a Chunin could produce.
And earlier, when Sasuke had left, Chinatsu had immediately detected Kakashi watching from outside in disguise.
Perception, ninjutsu, chakra... none of it seemed to fit a Chunin's capabilities.
Were these abilities the original owner already had?
Or was this the so-called "cheat" that came with crossing into another world?
She still didn't know what it was, but Chinatsu thought this was fantastic. Being in the world of Naruto, especially with this identity, would be far too dangerous without some strength.
I still don't know this body's limits, but before the original storyline begins, I should at least reach Kage level, right?
Chinatsu clenched her fists, lowered her head, and laughed happily. But amid her delight, she thought she heard something shatter.
Yes, what had shattered was Sasuke's pride.
Chinatsu awkwardly turned around, little by little. Sasuke was crouching on the ground with his back to her. He had picked up a small twig from somewhere and was drawing circles in the dirt, his face utterly dejected.
"She lied to me... If that's not strong at all, then my Great Fireball... That guy, too... And now my sister... I really don't have any talent as a ninja... Talent..."
An aura of gloom radiated from Sasuke's entire body. Chinatsu's Great Fireball had clearly dealt a devastating blow to his pride.
Chinatsu was at a loss, too. She really hadn't said that just to show off.
"Sasuke! That Great Fireball really isn't anything special. You can take your time learning things you can't do yet. Whatever you want to learn, as long as I know it, I'll teach you!"
"Really?!"
At those words, Sasuke immediately perked up. He sprang to his feet and looked at Chinatsu excitedly. "Then how did you make that Great Fireball Technique so huge just now?"
"Uh..."
She couldn't answer a single question. Chinatsu awkwardly turned her head aside. She couldn't exactly say, I just gave it a good, hard blow, and it came out that big, could she? (๑❛ᴗ❛๑)
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