Does a world truly exist where people have no Chakra?
"Jiraiya Sensei?"
Chizhao called softly, but Jiraiya remained unresponsive, his expression grave.
She recalled the experiment she had conducted earlier in Hidden Sand Village; the current situation was almost identical.
"Chizhao, I remember you once said you couldn't use Chakra, right?"
Chizhao was stunned. That was a lie she told to make her story consistent. Had it come true?
"Yes."
"How many people know about this?"
"Besides Sensei, no one else."
"I see."
Jiraiya fell into deep thought again, his fingers lightly pinching his chin, and the atmosphere around him grew heavy.
Chizhao tentatively called his name. This time, Jiraiya quickly snapped out of it, adjusted his emotions, and lightly coughed:
"...Cough... My apologies. It seems you're indeed not good at condensing Chakra, but if you train your Taijutsu well, you can still become an excellent Ninja!"
He pulled out a scroll he had prepared earlier and unrolled it on the ground.
His palm lightly touched the scroll, and a burst of smoke exploded, obscuring their view. Once it cleared, several dummy stakes appeared neatly before them.
"An excellent Ninja can naturally throw a beautiful Shuriken."
Jiraiya clapped the dust from his hands and handed Chizhao a large bag of Ninja tools, filled with Shuriken and Kunai.
"This afternoon's goal: all Ninja tools must hit the bullseye. No misses allowed. Understood?"
"Is this serious, Sensei?"
Chizhao's voice trembled slightly as she asked, a little unsure.
"Of course. Same old rule: if you don't finish before dark, your bento is mine."
"Damn it! He's using this to threaten me..."
But it had to be said, this trick was indeed very effective. Soon, Chizhao resignedly began her training.
She threw several, but not a single one hit the target.
Chizhao looked at everything before her with a messy expression, a sense of frustration enveloping her heart.
Fortunately, she hadn't competed with Sasuke before, or else it would have been her turn to be embarrassed.
I refuse to believe I can't hit even one!
They say diligence can compensate for clumsiness, and this was indeed proven true for Chizhao.
Under intense training, she finally grasped the knack, and several Shuriken were now firmly embedded in the center.
Jiraiya lay back under the tree, leisurely opening one eye to secretly observe.
Recalling the scene of the Chakra test just now, he turned over, closed his eyes tightly, his mind constantly working.
No Chakra, yet she could use incredible Ninja tools to absorb Ninjutsu. What exactly... was going on?
Was the Toad Sage's latest prophecy related to her?
Could she truly lead the world to peace?....
Oh, right, I haven't finished my novel yet... The male protagonist should like ramen...
Soon, piles of beautiful women appeared before Jiraiya's eyes, all with large breasts and shapely legs.
Jiraiya's eyes went wide. He didn't expect these beauties to almost swarm him, surrounding him three layers deep, each calling him "Jiraiya-sama," making his bones tingle.
Just as Jiraiya was enjoying himself immensely, a giant rabbit suddenly burst out from the crowd and charged straight at him, its two paws grabbing his cheeks and pulling frantically.
"Ow ow ow ow!"
Jiraiya screamed, and the beauties before him instantly vanished like bubbles.
In their place was a disheveled Chizhao. He dazedly wiped the moisture from the corner of his mouth, his mind still in a muddled state.
"Jiraiya Sensei! The sun has set! How much longer are you going to sleep?!"
Chizhao looked at Jiraiya with disdain, recalling his silly grin and inexplicable sleep-talking while he slept, blindly guessing his dream wasn't anything 'green' (perverted).
Jiraiya sat up properly from the ground, wiped his face, and patted his cheeks, trying to clear his head.
"Time flies so fast. How did the training go?"
"Here you go~"
Looking in the direction Chizhao pointed, illuminated by the evening twilight, Jiraiya saw the centers of five targets densely packed with Kunai and Shuriken.
Suddenly, cracks appeared in the center of the targets, followed by a "snap."
The entire wooden stake exploded, and the other stakes behind it, without exception, also shattered into pieces. Kunai and Shuriken scattered across the ground, instantly making a mess.
It was a good thing she woke Jiraiya up in advance, otherwise a day's worth of effort would have been wasted.
Seeing everything before him, Jiraiya exclaimed in surprise, happily rubbed Chizhao's head, and praised her unreservedly.
"I didn't expect it, but you little rascal are quite impressive! Very good, very good!"
Praised, Chizhao smiled happily, then quickly grabbed the bento from her backpack and began to devour it.
The long hours of training had left her famished.
Infected by Chizhao's enthusiastic eating, Jiraiya's stomach also rumbled.
As he reached for his bento box, he finally realized something was wrong and shouted in exasperation:
"Hey! That's my bento!!"
........
After several days of high-intensity training, Chizhao could clearly feel the changes in her body.
Her stamina had significantly increased, and her accuracy in throwing Ninja tools had greatly improved. If she were to compete with Sasuke now, she wouldn't be afraid.
The first stage of training had come to an end, and Chizhao finally had a few days of rest.
She leisurely lay on the lawn on the back mountain, watching the clouds in the sky and enjoying the cool breeze, feeling very content.
But she always felt like she had forgotten something.
Hmm~ What could it be?
"Sakura, come quickly, there are so many flowers here too!"
"Ino! Watch out ahead!...."
As Chizhao was thinking, a sudden sharp pain shot through her ankle, making her curl up, too much in pain to speak for a moment.
"Ah!? I'm so sorry, I didn't notice you. Are you okay?"
Hearing the sweet voice beside her, Chizhao endured the pain and slowly looked up.
A cute girl with fair skin and short, creamy yellow hair came into view. It was Ino Yamanaka, the beauty of the Ino–Shika–Chō team.
"Ino, are you okay? I wanted to warn you just now, but I didn't make it in time..."
Another girl with pink hair tied with a bow anxiously leaned over.
Chizhao's mind automatically brought up her name - Sakura Haruno.
"I... I'm fine..."
Chizhao looked at the two adorable girls before her, momentarily forgetting the pain in her ankle.
Speaking of which, from the beginning until now, she hadn't spoken to any girls her age.
Ino curiously leaned in a little closer, her aqua-blue eyes playfully blinking.
"Huh? I remember you're the newcomer who just arrived in the Village, right?"
Chizhao tilted her head slightly, showing a puzzled expression: "How did you know?"
Sakura also cast a curious gaze, waiting for Ino's explanation.
"Because the day you entered the Village, you happened to pass by our flower shop, and that strange robe left quite an impression on me."
"Ino, you're amazing! You notice all these things!"
Ino smiled shyly at Sakura's gaze: "It's nothing, really......"
"My name is Shiratori Chichao, and I did just arrive in the Village recently. Please take care of me from now on."
Ino and Sakura exchanged glances and then introduced themselves in turn.
The three girls sat together chatting. Sakura was the first to ask her question, looking at Chizhao:
"What are you doing here alone?"
Chizhao looked around, her tone relaxed:
"It's wonderful here, isn't it? I really like it here; it gives me a feeling of freedom and relaxation."
Ino caressed a flower beside her, smiling sweetly:
"I think it's wonderful here too. The flowers here are different from those in a greenhouse; they bloom bravely against the wind and rain, possessing their own unique beauty."
Sakura gazed at the flower sea ahead, a hint of tenderness in her eyes:
"The flowers here are truly beautiful. Although they aren't as delicate as those in a greenhouse, they are much stronger and more confident."
Chizhao tilted her head, listening to their words, and couldn't help but think of her past self, frozen in the river of time.
She used to be insecure and sensitive. If her past self had met them, would she have become different?
Chizhao gently picked a flower and handed it to Sakura, "This flower is for you. I hope you can be like it, beautiful and resilient."
Sakura took the flower, her eyes sparkling with surprise: "Thank you, Chizhao. I'll cherish it."
In high spirits, Ino put her arms around both their necks, and the three huddled together: "Then we must come here often from now on and admire these beautiful flowers together."
Chizhao and Sakura both agreed with Ino's words.
They exchanged smiles, as if at this moment, their hearts grew closer.
Afterward, they strolled leisurely through the flower sea, fully appreciating the blend of tranquility and beauty.
The sunlight, like golden threads, fell upon them, draping them in a golden glow, illuminating three faces brimming with youthful vitality.
Time passed quickly. The setting sun reflected on the flower sea, like a golden ocean.
After waving goodbye to Sakura and Ino, Chizhao walked towards home, treading in the afterglow of the sunset.
Not far from the foot of the mountain, she saw a familiar blond boy.