Miki led Insect Sister and Chiri through the forest.
She said she wanted to go play with Chiri, but for a moment, she didn't know where to go.
The several places Chiri suggested were all rejected by Miki.
Snack shops, shopping streets, parks, and even Hokage Rock.
These were popular spots where children in the Village often went.
Snack shops needed no explanation; for the shopping street, Chiri wanted to buy some clothes and toys.
Even Chiri liked pretty clothes and shiny little accessories.
Her intention in pulling Miki along was obvious.
As for the park, the only things to play on were swings, parallel bars, seesaws, and sand piles. During the day, it was occupied by nearby boys playing Shinobi games, only quieting down at dinner time.
Hokage Rock, on the other hand, was the most popular. Many children would go there to experience what it felt like to be Hokage, and the view of the entire Village from there was also magnificent.
It was just too troublesome to get to, so few people went.
Most people would not go again after visiting once.
But speaking of Konoha's scenery, Miki thought the most beautiful time was winter.
The world was covered in silver, pure and flawless white.
At this time, going to the hot spring street would be perfect.
Soaking in the pool was the most comfortable time of the day.
"Here, for you," Miki said, handing the item to Chiri.
Chiri, who had been watching Miki's actions with her Sharingan, was a little surprised.
She had originally planned to weave it herself.
A grasshopper woven from grass, a small trick.
Miki handed another finished one to Insect Sister, who took it and naturally put it into her mouth.
Miki stared at the wiggling grasshopper legs outside Insect Sister's mask for a while.
Chiri, meanwhile, happily waved the grasshopper a few times and asked, "Where are we going? To hunt fierce beasts in the forest?"
"There shouldn't be any fierce beasts nearby," Miki said, leading the way.
"Huh, why? Aren't there many in the forest?" Chiri asked.
"Fierce beasts have territories. They mark them with scent, and there won't be a second fierce beast within a certain range," Miki explained.
The fiercest beast in this vicinity was currently chewing on a grasshopper.
With Miki's laboratory as its nest, Insect Sister's activity within this range was the grazing area Miki had marked out for her.
"Is that so? Then what are we doing?" No second one within a certain range? Chiri felt something was off.
"Shinobi games," Miki said.
"Huh? I thought you weren't interested in that."
"That depends on what kind of game it is," Miki replied.
"What kind?" Chiri asked curiously.
"Playing with bugs," Miki said.
"Is that really a Shinobi game?" Chiri didn't understand what was so fun about bugs.
Some boys particularly liked those majestic large beetles.
But strangely, they would feel fear when faced with large, dense swarms of small insects.
With questions in her mind, Chiri followed Miki into a dim underground cavern.
Along the way, the fantastical swarms of flying insects parted to create a path, and they walked for a long time, winding through the underground passages according to her perception.
There were many forks in the road; someone with a poor sense of direction would have already gotten lost.
Chiri's eyes grew brighter and brighter.
Miki really knew how to have fun; just this already felt like a secret Shinobi base.
The boys who played Shinobi games also had secret bases, but their bases were just dilapidated shacks built on empty lots.
They were filled with all sorts of junk picked up everywhere.
Though they were quite interesting nonetheless.
"Wow..." Chiri exclaimed, saying, "Did the bugs dig all of this out?"
"Mm."
"So amazing!"
"Don't tell anyone else," Miki said.
"This is our secret!" Chiri replied with a smile.
She reached out and lightly caught a flying glowworm.
"Don't touch them," Miki said.
Chiri let go.
"They're poisonous," Miki explained. "No matter what you see, it's best not to touch it casually. The prettier it is, the more dangerous."
"Will people die?" Chiri asked.
"No, but it will be very uncomfortable," Miki said.
"Huh, are these fireflies?" A large swarm flew around, and Chiri looked closely; they were unfamiliar insects.
"No, fireflies aren't the only things that can glow."
"Miki, are these your bugs too? What are they for?"
"Mostly useless, just pretty," Miki said. "They're actually quite ugly in sunlight."
"Just pretty?" Chiri asked. "If they're useless, why keep them?"
"For decoration," Miki replied.
"Hehe, they really are pretty." In the dim underground cavern, surrounded by these flying insects, it felt as if one was embraced by a blue sea of stars.
Romantic and dreamy.
As they spoke, the two reached the end of the passage, and a somewhat cramped room appeared before Chiri's eyes.
"Welcome to my bug house." For some reason, Miki thought of saying this, and then she did.
"Wow..." Chiri walked into the room, continuously observing.
"What's this?" Chiri asked, pointing to a glass bottle.
A small animal was curled up in a dark green liquid.
"A cat," Miki answered.
"A cat?" Chiri asked, confused, "Do cats have three tails?"
"Is it a monster cat, a Nekomata?"
"Without Chakra, it's just an ordinary cat," Miki said. "I tried to make it mutate a little, but it died."
"Died?" Chiri said. "How pitiful."
"As a Shinobi, you can't be unaccustomed to seeing life and death, Chiri," Miki said.
"I know... but..." Chiri's mood was a little low.
"I didn't see you like this when you were eating bugs," Miki said.
"But that's different! A kitten..."
"What's different?" Miki said. "Kittens are so cute, right?"
"Huh?" Chiri looked at Miki, thinking, 'You know this too?'
"Because it's a bug, it can just die, right?"
Chiri felt something was wrong.
"But, the essence of life has no hierarchy. All are life, all are for living."
"So, a dead cat is the same as a dead bug, no difference," Miki said. "Humans are the same."
Is that so?
Chiri felt it wasn't right.
"But!" Chiri wanted to retort but couldn't think of a way.
Chiri looked at the kitten in the bottle with a pained expression.
The Uchiha clan's summoning beasts were mostly Ninja Cats, so she naturally felt a sense of closeness.
"Cats are very vicious hunters, at the top of the food chain, killers of birds. They can prey on countless animals in their lifetime, not to mention their hunting habits; they will wantonly kill living creatures even if they don't eat them."
"Instead of pitying this cat, why not pity the cute little animals it bit to death? Besides, can you even pity them all?"
Miki said.
"Anyway, I don't find it cute."
Chiri blinked. Are cats that vicious?
"In nature, the most important thing is balance, and then maintaining that balance."
"Death is a part of the balance; there's no need to be sad about it."
Miki said, "Come look at this."
Chiri walked over at her words.
She saw the contents of the bottle.
"This, this can't be!?"
Chiri's eyes gradually widened.
"That's right, Slug Sage," Miki said.
The small Slug Sage in the bottle looked at Miki and said gently, "Little girl, what do you want to do by catching me?"
"Chiri, have you ever eaten braised Slug?"
Instantly, the Slug in the bottle perked up, having an impulse to reverse-summon back to Shikkotsu Forest on the spot.
But, there was no Chakra left.
Which meant...
"You kidnapped Slug Sage!?"
Chiri screamed, instantly realizing the seriousness of the problem!
"That's right!" Miki was a little proud.
During the test with Tsunade, she had taken advantage of the chaos to obtain a part of the Slug's body tissue.
She picked up the bottle and shook it vigorously.
Although for the Slug, it wasn't painful or itchy, it was dizzy!
"Stop! Stop it! Little girl!" the Slug screamed.
For a moment, it was unclear whether it was referring to being braised or the shaking of the bottle.
Rare animal, get.
But the infection progress was extremely slow.
"I'll give you one later."
"I don't want one!" Chiri screamed, "They're slimy and I hate them!"
"Oh, aren't Slugs cute?"
"Not at all!" Chiri stated definitively.
"That's because you haven't seen sea Slugs," Miki said disdainfully. "Remember what you said today; don't beg me then."
Miki casually shook the bottle again.
The Slug screamed!
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