Geniuses are always lonely.
The overly clear-headed geniuses are the loneliest.
"Little Chiri, want some dango?" As Chiri passed by, a warm-hearted shop aunt called out to her.
"Mm..." Chiri softly responded, then shook her head and said, "No, Aunt Ina, I've already eaten."
"Oh, I see. Are you enjoying Ninja Academy?"
"Very much," Chiri said with a sweet smile.
"I wonder if my little boy will be able to attend Ninja Academy next year."
"He definitely will," Chiri encouraged.
"But I'm still a little worried. That Ichiraku boy doesn't have much Shinobi talent."
"The school's lessons aren't difficult at all," Chiri comforted.
"With your words, Chiri, I'm not worried anymore."
On the way after parting with Miki, Chiri chatted with the warm-hearted Villagers all the way.
She looked like she had nothing to do, and in fact, she didn't.
Unbeknownst to her, she wandered to the Village's Shinobi training ground.
Although she took a longer route today than usual, Chiri spent every day like this.
There was no difference from her usual routine.
Fortunately, the Shinobi who were engrossed in training had not yet left.
Sometimes there were five or six people, sometimes one or two.
Many commoner Shinobi in the Village particularly needed such a training ground.
Unlike some large clans, who had their own designated training areas.
And the reason she didn't watch her clansmen train was simply because her clansmen had nothing more to teach her.
These commoner Shinobi, however, occasionally demonstrated some Ninjutsu that Chiri had never seen before.
Then, a single glance was enough.
Today, there was only one person at the training ground.
And was that young man developing Ninjutsu?
Chiri couldn't help but stop, and a two-tomoe Sharingan appeared in her eyes.
The Ninjutsu in the Village, if not tens of thousands, numbered in the thousands. Even if Chiri hadn't seen some of them, she recognized most.
Aside from secret techniques, ordinary Earth Release could be recognized at a glance.
And unusual Earth Release could also be recognized at a glance.
That young man didn't perform hand signs.
Nature transformation?
Shape transformation?
Was it the legendary Ninjutsu without hand signs?
Chiri's interest was piqued.
The young man on the training ground had striking white hair, which made Chiri first think not of Jiraiya, who had the same hair color, but of the Second Hokage Senju Tobirama.
Fools and geniuses, even with the same hair color, don't match.
He looked about eleven or twelve years old, already wearing an Anbu uniform and a somewhat goofy dog mask.
Of course, it was also possible he was an adult but short.
Subconsciously, Chiri slowed her breathing, concealed her presence, and stood motionless in the dense woods at the edge of the field.
Lightning Release, huh?
The white-haired young man was trying his best to contain the erratic lightning around him.
Chiri was a little confused; generally speaking, wasn't the stronger the Ninjutsu, the better?
Few people performed such a reverse operation, suppressing the power of Ninjutsu.
But by observing Chakra with her Sharingan, after a moment, Chiri understood a little.
Because if he didn't suppress the power, the young man would clearly electrocute himself entirely.
Subtly, Chiri seemed to smell a strange aroma wafting from upwind.
Crazy.
She had never seen anyone use Lightning Release on themselves.
How ruthless.
Before long, the electrical arcs on the young man's body gradually receded, with only one or two arcs occasionally flickering on his skin.
To precisely control the volatile Lightning Release to this extent, this big brother is truly amazing.
This was not something that could be achieved in one or two attempts. Before this, the young man had obviously experimented countless times, and now, he was close to success.
Sure enough, the next second, the young man confirmed Chiri's thoughts.
"Konoha Style Taijutsu Secret Technique! Thousand Years of Death!"
Only a residual afterglow of lightning remained on her retina; when she looked again, the young man had already sprinted to the other end of the training ground at extreme speed.
And Chiri's pupils suddenly constricted.
So fast!
A speed she had never seen before!
The Konoha short sword he pulled out remained in an upward diagonal thrusting posture.
Chiri was very familiar with this Taijutsu movement; the boys at school would roughhouse like this during breaks.
She didn't know who invented it.
In any case, it had been passed down among the boys at school.
Hiruko was the main victim in their class.
Boys passing by would often hit him with it.
"Despicable, shameless, and utterly vulgar."
Chiri said softly.
This white-haired Anbu is not a good person.
Others use their fingers; he pulls out a short sword.
If he aimed at that unspeakable part and stabbed, Chiri could already imagine the pain worse than death.
Too brutal.
This Secret Technique.
However, it's a truly amazing technique. Using Lightning Release to stimulate the body and increase speed, huh? Now it's mine.
"Who's there!" The young man's voice was clear, and sensing another person present, he shouted.
Chiri silently walked out. When she closed her eyes and reopened them, her eyes had returned to their normal state. She smiled warmly at the young man and said, "Big brother is truly amazing."
Looking at Chiri, the young man scratched his head. After a long moment, he said nothing more, put away his short sword, and coolly turned and left.
Others would surely think he was a cool Shinobi with a strong Shinobi demeanor.
If it weren't for that Thousand Years of Death technique, Chiri almost would have believed it.
Only mischievous fellows at school would master this technique proficiently.
So, Chiri thought, this white-haired person should be very playful.
Just like a fool such as Jiraiya.
No! Even a fool like Jiraiya wouldn't pull out a knife to use this kind of Taijutsu.
After the white-haired Anbu young man left, Chiri went to the training ground to experiment with the newly learned technique.
After a few tries, she had a preliminary grasp of it, though her limbs were a bit numb from the electricity.
It was a little bit harder than she expected.
Because she usually learned things in one go, it felt a little harder.
Pressing her numb little arms and legs, Chiri left the training ground and continued her daily routine.
Wandering around the Village.
By the time it was very late, Chiri had unknowingly returned home.
The small house's front door was tightly shut, with no lights on.
The surrounding houses were brightly lit, and the lively atmosphere of the occupied homes formed a stark contrast with her own quiet solitude.
Chiri looked up at her front door and didn't want to go in.
Then don't go in. Anyway, it's not the first time, and no one will be nagging in her ear.
So, where should I go?
I don't know.
Then I'll just walk around casually.
She walked and walked until she arrived at a park on the edge of the Village.
Sitting on a swing in the park, she kept swaying.
"Self-created Ninjutsu?"
"Seems quite interesting."
"But now, I'll be first in class, right?"
Even Chiri, who didn't want to compete for anything, had a competitive spirit.
But secretly enjoying it herself was enough.
"Miki probably can't deal with this surprise attack. Tsunade might react, but if I don't use a knife to take Tsunade down in one go, getting hit by her hurts a lot."
Chiri muttered to herself.
"To deal with Tsunade, Genjutsu is still the way to go."
"I should still test it out."
"Self-created Ninjutsu."
Saying this, Chiri raised her hands and performed hand signs.
"Like this?"
"Like this?"
"And then like this?"
"Eh? Isn't this very simple?"
Miki found Chiri in this situation.
Under the moonlight, on a lonely park swing, a girl swayed in the cool moonlight, surrounded by a swarm of Butterfly.
Those glowing Butterfly were very beautiful, their ornate scaly wings elegantly fluttering, clustering around the girl who seemed to be dancing in the moonlight.
Like a group of sprites playing.
A group of Butterfly fluttering.
"Ah! Miki!"
Seeing Miki appear, Chiri stopped her swinging, elegantly leaped down, and landed on the ground.
"What was that?" Miki asked.
"What was what?" Chiri asked, confused.
"The Butterfly, the glowing ones," Miki said.
"It's Genjutsu," Chiri said.
As Chiri finished speaking, the Butterfly one by one vanished into thin air.
Genjutsu?
When did you put me under Genjutsu!?
"You, you really can't be underestimated," Miki said.
"Hehe," Chiri laughed, "You're the chief who can't be underestimated the most."
Appearing suddenly like a ghost, completely undetected.
Ah, it's really you! Monster! (X2)
Miki and Chiri looked at each other.
Insect Sister tilted her head.
A little confused.
How long would the two of them stare at each other?