Konoha Village.
It was noon, and the sun was scorching.
Three people and one cat dashed through the jungle.
"Where are you running?"
"Stop right there!"
"Hurry up and catch it!"
Two boys and one girl—or, to be more precise, one boy, one girl, and one who was somewhat in between—raced at full speed before finally reaching the downtown area.
Their target was a cat with a bow on its head.
Wherever they passed, chaos followed.
Clothes drying racks were knocked over, fruit stalls were sent tumbling, and even Ichiraku Ramen's old man, Teuchi, who was about to head out for a delivery, ended up sprawled on the ground.
A series of curses echoed from behind them.
Finally, they managed to trap the cat in a dead end.
The three pursuers grinned triumphantly.
"Lost Pet Tiger, we've got you now!" the half-male, half-female young ninja declared in an androgynous voice.
"That's great, Konohamaru! We finally caught it!" the blonde girl with twin pigtails cheered.
The last of the trio, a boy wearing thick glasses with snot dripping from his nose, pointed at the cat and shouted, "Go, Konohamaru! Moegi and I will block it off. Don't let the cat escape!"
These three were none other than Sarutobi Konohamaru and his teammates Kazematsu Moegi and Ise Udon, three die-hard followers of Naruto Uzumaki.
Three years later, they had finally graduated from the Ninja Academy and become Genin.
While Moegi and Udon remained largely the same as in the original timeline, Konohamaru had changed significantly.
Though his strength wasn't much different, after being castrated by Fujiwara Kirito when he was younger, his clothing had gradually become more feminine, giving him an androgynous appearance.
Despite his lingering hatred for Kirito, Konohamaru hadn't fallen into darkness like Sasuke.
However, his personality had become somewhat twisted—almost like that of a cross-dresser.
"Alright, leave it to me!" Konohamaru yelled, lunging toward the cat.
Man and cat wrestled against each other.
Finally, Konohamaru managed to grab it from behind, securing a momentary victory.
"Success!" Konohamaru exclaimed in excitement, holding the cat up.
"The bow is on its right ear. There's no mistake." Udon nodded.
"Ebisu-sensei, we've caught the target—Lost Pet Tiger!" Moegi spoke into the radio earpiece, reporting their success to their team leader, Ebisu.
However, before they could celebrate, the cat suddenly struggled violently, scratching Konohamaru's face and biting down on his arm.
Konohamaru yelped in pain, loosening his grip.
The cat escaped.
"Oh no! Lost Pet Tiger ran away!"
Seeing the cat about to flee the alley, the trio hurried after it.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Suddenly, three kunai whizzed through the air, landing precisely to the cat's left, right, and front, cutting off its escape.
Terrified, the cat froze in place, trembling.
"What the—?" Moegi, Udon, and Konohamaru were stunned.
Footsteps echoed from outside the alley.
A tall girl with an elegant figure slowly approached.
Perhaps because of the backlighting, or maybe because she radiated confidence, Konohamaru found himself momentarily dazzled. He instinctively squinted.
When the girl stepped into the light, they could finally see her clearly.
She wore a green, high-collared uniform, its design accentuating her snow-white neck. Her Konoha forehead protector was tied around her neck, adding to her aloof aura.
Her waist-length blonde hair was smooth and unadorned, giving her a clean, refined appearance. Her facial features were delicate, her thin lips, curved eyebrows, and bright brown eyes possessing a piercing clarity, like an elf untouched by flaws.
She looked like someone straight out of a painting—stunning even as a child. It was hard to imagine how beautiful she would be when she grew up.
This girl was none other than Chinatsu, now older.
Like Konohamaru and his team, she had also graduated from the Ninja Academy—but unlike them, she had done so in just one year, becoming the second person after Uchiha Itachi to achieve this feat.
This had been a mandatory request from Tsunade.
Though Chinatsu's strength had far surpassed her peers under Kirito and Tsunade's guidance, Tsunade still wanted her daughter to have a normal childhood.
However, since Chinatsu had no patience for mediocrity, she ended up beating every student and teacher in the academy.
This caused such uproar among the faculty and students that the school was forced to let her graduate early.
"Ah… It's her… The Fifth Hokage's daughter… Chinatsu, the Demon Queen of the Ninja Academy!"
Upon seeing Chinatsu's face, Moegi and Udon turned pale, their bodies trembling. They instinctively curled up in the corner of the alley.
It was clear that they were among the many students she had beaten mercilessly.
Konohamaru, however, stared at Chinatsu in defiance.
But despite his bravado, his clenched fists, pale face, and grinding teeth betrayed his fear.
He was the grandson of the Third Hokage, a boy determined to one day kill Fujiwara Kirito, the most dangerous S-rank traitor in Konoha's history.
Yet, here he was—completely helpless against a girl five years younger than him.
How could he accept this?
"You're really weak," Chinatsu remarked coldly.
She picked up the cat and turned to leave.
Before she could take another step, Konohamaru's voice rang out.
"Hey! We caught that cat first!" he shouted angrily.
"But didn't it escape from you?" Chinatsu turned back, a smirk forming on her lips.
"Ebisu-sensei said that whoever catches Lost Pet Tiger first completes the mission. Or… are you trying to take it from me?"
Her voice was so beautiful that it seemed to cleanse the soul.
But to Moegi, Udon, and Konohamaru, it sounded like the voice of the devil.
Especially that 'innocent' smile—they had seen it before.
And every time she smiled like that, it meant she was about to beat someone up.
They weren't wrong.
Chinatsu was in an extremely bad mood.
It had been over a month since Kirito had visited her.
She was furious and desperately needed someone to vent on.
And who better than Konohamaru, who hated her father?
That was exactly why she had taken this dull mission—so she could find him.
"Hey, Konohamaru… Forget it," Moegi and Udon whispered nervously, grabbing his shoulders.
They signaled him desperately.
If he angered Chinatsu, there was no way he would escape without a beating.
(End of this chapter)