"Why does everyone seem to hate the Kaguya Clan?"
Under the bright sunlight, Amane asked with her deep blue eyes flashing with great curiosity.
"That clan has nothing but fighting in their heads, and their eyes are especially disgusting, as if they're going to go crazy the next second."
The speaker had blue hair and black eyes. When he opened his mouth, one could see shark-like serrated teeth. His name was Chōjūrō, and he was currently two years older than Amane.
The two met on the second day after she arrived here. At that time, after Nakamura Iku was called away, Amane requested to learn Ninjutsu and was taken to the testing area of this base.
The test mainly focused on two points: the amount of Chakra and the Nature Transformations she possessed.
Because it was wartime, and specifically the Hidden Mist's civil war, there was currently no time for systematic study. Those who were interested would test these two items, then learn some Ninjutsu for practical combat training.
As for the amount of Chakra, even with medication and Amane's active efforts to suppress it, it still reached the level of an ordinary Chunin, giving the testers a huge shock.
This commotion drew a crowd of onlookers. Then, among the many children, Amane noticed Chōjūrō, who looked particularly familiar to her.
By now, this conversation was taking place on her third day here.
She recalled the plot related to the Kaguya Clan in her mind. Unfortunately, apart from Kimimaro, the other Kaguya members only appeared for a few shots, making it hard for Amane to remember much.
"But even so, they can only be considered eccentrics, right? Did they do something to provoke such public outrage?"
During these three days, excluding the first day, she had briefly communicated with some people about the current situation, and they all began to curse the Kaguya Clan. Her curiosity was thoroughly piqued.
They were like the Hidden Mist's version of the Uchiha.
"Um... it's better if you don't know."
A helpless expression appeared on Chōjūrō's face, which was also slightly flushed; he wasn't used to communicating with girls of almost the same age.
While what the Kaguya Clan did wasn't even a secret, saying it out loud was a bit too bloody and violent.
Moreover, he had heard that the girl in front of him... [That kind of reaction, huh. Interesting, interesting. Speaking of which, I'm a beautiful girl in this life, I definitely have to play around a bit.]
Amane remembered that Chōjūrō's initial personality was the gentle type, and a bit shy.
Mhm! Wouldn't it be a waste of the fun God gave me if I didn't play with him?
"..."
First, feigning disappointment, Amane slowly lowered her head and continued, "Sorry for making things difficult for you. This should be a secret, right? I seem to have overstepped my bounds a bit."
As she spoke, she raised her head and tapped it with a fist as if punishing herself.
"No, no, no! You've misunderstood! It's just that the Kaguya Clan's way of doing things is very extreme. I was afraid of scaring you, so..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Chōjūrō saw Amane let out a silvery, crisp laugh. At this point, how could he not understand that he had been teased by the girl in front of him!
But he couldn't get angry; her laugh was so cute~
Two blushes appeared on the innocent Chōjūrō's face.
[Plan successful! Is teasing actually this fun? Mom, Dad, please forgive me for finding this kind of pleasure now.]
She couldn't help but think of the 'feminization stages' she had seen on the internet in her past life; it seemed she had already taken a step forward.
"Sorry, you're really cute. You reminded me of... my brother. Although he's better at talking to girls than you, he's emotionally dense. Even though a girl liked him, he never knew."
Amane said while recalling the plot of Naruto's childhood.
"Eh... so Hibiki, you have a brother. Where is he now? Ah! Sorry."
Chōjūrō wanted to slap himself. Wasn't it as plain as the nose on one's face?
"It's okay, he's still alive. And we will meet again one day, I believe that."
"Is that so."
The emotion the girl showed at this moment was genuine. Chōjūrō couldn't help but offer a prayer for Amane's brother, whom he had never met, wishing for them to reunite soon.
"Are you fishing for information? You little spy."
The sudden female voice gave Chōjūrō a fright, and Amane also jumped up instantly, looking startled as well.
"Good acting, even though you clearly noticed me."
The speaker put an arm around Amane's shoulder from behind like a good friend, but the strength behind it indicated the newcomer was serious.
[This isn't just brute force; this person's Taijutsu level is quite extraordinary.]
Although she hadn't seen the person's face yet, judging from the touch from behind and the position of the person's head, it should be someone short. She just didn't know if it was also a child.
"It hurts, what are you talking about?"
Amane gave a reaction that fit her persona.
"Hurts? Now that I've caught you, I'm even more certain. Your body has been trained, hasn't it? What are your intentions for coming here!"
As she spoke, the newcomer applied even more force.
[Hmph, this level. My usual training is much more intense than this.]
Of course, that's what she thought, but in the current situation, the best response was not endurance.
Immediately, Amane planted her right foot firmly and delivered a quick strike with her left foot to the opponent's ankle!
Wincing from the pain, the opponent's restraining grip weakened. Amane then relaxed her upper body while forcefully breaking free, simultaneously putting some distance between them, finally seeing who the newcomer was.
[Ameyuri Ringo?!]
Under her brownish-red hair was a face showing an intrigued expression, followed by a smile revealing the signature sharp teeth of the Hidden Mist Village.
Her age was about the same as Amane's.
[Right, there was an anime original where a 12-year-old Naruto fought the first-generation Kiba holder, and Ameyuri Ringo was specifically mentioned as the successor. Moreover, her Edo Tensei form was also very young. Looking at it this way, she really is of the same generation as the twelve genin.]
Her time of death should be around the shippuden period, Amane estimated in her mind.
[Looking at it this way, she really is a genius. Her performance when reincarnated was almost equal to white-clothed Sasuke.]
"Yo, you're pretty good."
While praising her, Ringo lunged at Amane again!
[Not good! Although I wouldn't lack confidence if we fought purely with Taijutsu, it would cause a certain degree of flaw in my persona.]
Letting the opponent have the upper hand was the optimal solution for now, but Amane wasn't sure she could control it that well.
Although the two had only briefly exchanged blows for one round, Ameyuri Ringo must have realized that their Taijutsu levels were similar. Intentionally maintaining a weak position in this situation was a technical skill.
Fortunately, Amane and Ringo were not the only two people in this scene.
"Ringo-san, please calm down!"
Chōjūrō quickly ran between them to mediate. His speed was quite fast, living up to his reputation as a prodigy.
"Ha? You, the guy who's been blinded by beauty, are actually telling someone else to calm down? Have you forgotten the Three Shinobi Inhibitions?"
With one sentence, Chōjūrō's face instantly turned bright red as he retorted, "I haven't! Besides, you need evidence to say Amane is a spy!"
If she weren't a direct participant, Amane would have definitely burst out laughing right now.
"This woman is definitely laughing at you in her heart right now. By the way, so am I."
Oh no! I'm about to lose it!
She began to recall sad things in her mind, and at the same time, her favorability for Ameyuri Ringo went up quite a bit.
This person is quite interesting.
"Forget it, men are basically like this. So, what are you, the prodigy, doing here with her? And I just heard you talking about the Kaguya Clan?"
Ringo was smiling with her shark teeth showing; although that look was a bit strange, it was also quite cute.
"Isn't today's training over? I asked Chōjūrō to walk me back. Also, I've been hearing things about the Kaguya Clan these past few days and was curious. What exactly did this Bloodline Limit Clan do to be so disliked by everyone?"
Amane answered.
"I see. That's why I said you're a spy. The Kaguya Clan has been quite active in the last year or two, and you actually didn't know at all."
"For me, I wasn't here before..."
Before Amane could finish, Ringo's originally smiling expression suddenly showed a hint of ferocity.
"What a convenient setting, just as convenient as that lonely expression of yours. Truly disgusting."
After saying that, Ameyuri Ringo gave Amane a disdainful look and left.
[This is troublesome. I have no clue why she's angry; there were too few descriptions of her in the anime.]
Amane thought for a moment and decided to set it aside for now. After all, the major matters in her heart had nothing to do with whether this espionage activity could proceed smoothly.
Moreover, Ameyuri Ringo might not necessarily truly believe she was a spy.
"Ringo shouldn't be that kind of person. Although she's lively and active and hailed as a genius of Lightning Release, she's still very caring toward her comrades."
Chōjūrō said, completely baffled.
"Could it be she feels I'm getting too close to you? Chōjūrō-kun, maybe you're unexpectedly popular~"
[How could someone like me be! I get it, Miss Hibiki must be feeling uneasy in her heart!]
Amane's words sent Chōjūrō into a flurry again, but he soon seemed to grasp onto something and said, "It's okay! I will definitely protect you!"
Amane:... [Continuing to exploit him like this is a bit hard on my conscience. But as far as my job is concerned, it really is a rare breakthrough point.]
Thus, Amane returned to the luxury cottage under Chōjūrō's escort, where Nakamura Iku was waiting for her in a formal sitting position.
She sighed silently in her heart.