STIN: Chapter 74/76

Chapter 74: The Second Generation of the Nine-Tailed Jinchūriki

The final wisp of the Nine-Tails' wild crimson chakra sank completely into Kushina's body.

The Eight Trigrams Seal etched upon her abdomen flashed violently, then dimmed. The golden light folded inward, settling deep beneath her skin until only a faint, intricate sealing mark remained, small but brimming with immense power.

On the stone dais, that terrifying scarlet radiance flickered out like a dying wildfire, vanishing into silence.

Deathly stillness followed.

Only the ragged, shallow breaths of a small figure at the center of the altar broke the quiet, mingling with the faint, acrid scent of burned flesh.

Hiruzen was gasping for breath, utterly spent.

Koharu's face had gone pale as paper, and Homura's trembling hands could no longer be stilled.

The shinobi standing guard nearby instinctively took half a step back, horror widening their eyes.

Kushina stood at the heart of the altar, her small frame covered in scorched wounds, head bowed, her skin still faintly glowing with dark golden lines that slowly faded beneath her flesh.

Sweat soaked every strand of her vivid red hair, clinging to her tattered clothes.

She stood motionless upon the still-warm stone, bathed in the afterglow of the ritual.

Against the far wall, Ryo hadn't moved an inch.

No one noticed that his left hand had never released the cold hilt of the Kusanagi Sword.

---

Within the vast expanse of her inner world, Kushina's soul floated above a boundless sea of thought.

Below her, the colossal Nine-Tailed Fox thrashed and roared, its fury shaking the void.

"Damn it! You dare—"

Its roar was cut short.

From the emptiness above, countless chains of dark gold burst forth, radiating cold will and absolute dominance. They snapped around the beast's throat with brutal precision.

Thicker, heavier chains followed, binding its limbs and nine ferocious tails until its mountain-sized body was forced into a humiliating, suspended stillness.

"Shut up, you stupid fox."

Kushina's voice was cold and level, echoing through the sealed space like a decree.

Her will suffused the realm, silencing every trace of the fox's rage.

Only the grinding of the chains and the creature's muffled growls remained, low, venomous, but utterly powerless.

---

Back in the Courtyard of the Senju Estate

The suffocating air of violence gradually dispersed.

Ryo stepped forward toward the altar and extended his arms in silence.

Kushina lifted her head. Her small face, blurred by sweat, tears, and pain, tilted upward.

Her willpower, stretched to the breaking point, gave way. Exhaustion and fear flooded through her body all at once.

Her knees buckled. She fell backward, only to be caught firmly in Ryo's embrace.

"Ryo…" Her voice was faint, like the last flicker of a dying candle. "Now I'm just… a monster, aren't I?"

Tears welled again, spilling over the streaks that had only just dried.

"Will you… not want me anymore?"

She remembered the villagers' whispers, the fearful eyes behind her nickname Red-Hot Habanero.

Now that the source of calamity itself was sealed inside her, the title monster had become undeniable.

That truth pierced deeper than any physical pain.

Ryo's arms tightened around her, as though he could fuse her trembling body into his own.

He bent close, his breath hot against her ear.

"Have you forgotten?"

"What did they call me? I'm a monster too."

His tone hardened. "We were born for each other."

The declaration struck like thunder, shattering the ice of fear in Kushina's heart.

All the agony, panic, and exhaustion of the night surged out of her in a wave, and she finally collapsed, sinking into darkness.

"Sleep," Ryo murmured, his voice softening to a whisper.

He brushed the sweat and tears from her face with his sleeve, awkward but gentle, smoothing her tangled red hair with tender care.

"Kamiyama Ryo!"

Homura stepped forward, his face like stone, eyes sharp as blades. "Release the Jinchūriki immediately! She's in an extremely unstable state and requires maximum isolation and protection. She is the village's core secret, its greatest asset. You—"

Koharu cut in sharply, "He's right! If you provoke the Nine-Tails again, the consequences will be catastrophic! Step back at once!"

Ryo didn't move. Still cradling Kushina, he slowly turned his gaze toward the two advisors.

Their eyes met.

Boom!

An invisible explosion of killing intent tore through the courtyard, cold, suffocating, and absolute.

It wasn't chakra. It was pure will.

A warning.

The two advisors froze mid-sentence, their throats constricted by invisible hands.

Their faces drained of color, pupils contracting to pinpoints. Tremors wracked their bodies as icy dread crawled up their spines.

Cold sweat beaded across their foreheads.

They understood perfectly.

That gaze carried an unmistakable message. Say one more word, and face the consequences.

Tsunade's heart seized.

Damn it. She knew Ryo too well, a man who followed only his own heart, heedless of authority or consequence.

She darted between him and the advisors, arms spread wide, her tone sharp with urgency. "Ryo! Calm down!"

Hiruzen, still pale from the strain of the ceremony, finally found his voice. He stepped forward, his tone firm with the authority of a Hokage.

"Enough!"

His gaze swept over the trembling advisors. "Homura. Koharu. You've both been awake all night. Emotions are running high. The sealing is complete, Kushina's stability is our top priority. Return and rest, both of you."

His words carried the weight of command.

Then his eyes turned to Ryo, still stern, but softer now. "Ryo. Take care of Kushina."

The crushing pressure that filled the courtyard dissipated as if it had never been.

Ryo's attention returned to the girl sleeping in his arms. The murderous aura vanished without a trace, leaving only calm, unwavering devotion.

Only the soft rustle of leaves and the sound of steady breathing remained.

---

Three days later.

The funeral of Uzumaki Mito was held in quiet solemnity at the Memorial Stone deep within Konoha's forest.

The sky hung low and gray.

Though no rain fell, the air was heavy with the damp chill of an unspoken sorrow.

The scent of wet earth lingered thick in the air.

No grand ceremony. No crowds.

Only a handful of mourners stood among the trees: Tsunade, Nawaki, Hiruzen, Homura, Koharu, and Ryo, silent and steadfast at the side of a cloaked Kushina.

Before a simple wooden monument carved with the deceased's name, Kushina's red-rimmed eyes brimmed with grief. Yet beneath the sorrow, something deeper had taken root—a quiet, unyielding strength.

Teardrops slid down Tsunade's cheeks unnoticed as she looked at the grave.

Her voice was low, hoarse. "Grandmother…"

She paused, then turned to Kushina with a weary smile touched by bitter understanding. "Grandmother Mito used to say that meeting my grandfather, was the greatest blessing of her life. Now…"

Tsunade's lips curved into a sad, knowing arc. "Maybe I finally understand what she meant."

Kushina's head snapped up, eyes burning red once more. Her lips trembled, but no words came.

Instead, she bowed deeply, a silent gesture carrying all the emotion words could never hold.

Her hand drifted to her abdomen, where faint heat still lingered—the place that now sealed a power capable of both destroying and protecting Konoha.

Grandma Mito, she thought, you can finally rest. The burden you carried your whole life is now mine to bear.

The cold morning breeze whispered through the trees, carrying with it a gentle drizzle, as if the heavens themselves wept for the passing of a great kunoichi.

The era of Konoha's first Nine-Tailed Jinchūriki had ended.

And the era of the second, Uzumaki Kushina, had begun.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 75: Flying Thunder God Mark

Konoha Village, Hokage's Office

The heavy, dark red curtains shut out the harsh sunlight. The air inside was thick with cheap tobacco smoke and the silent scent of gunpowder.

Hiruzen stood with his back to his desk. The brush in his hand hovered over an urgent battle report from the Suna frontlines. A drop of black ink fell silently onto the parchment, spreading like a small, ominous shadow.

Homura's voice nearly sprayed the back of Hiruzen's neck.

"Did you see what that Kamiyama Ryo did? He dared to show killing intent right in front of you! He wanted to kill us, plain and simple! Today it is the advisors, tomorrow it could be you! Someone that dangerous and unstable must be contained, watched closely!"

Outrageous. The gall of that upstart, threatening him, an elder of Konoha.

Did he still have the village in his eyes? Did he respect authority at all?

If this was tolerated, what would stop other shinobi from following suit?

Such defiance must be crushed, immediately.

Koharu's thin, sharp face twisted as she chimed in, her voice as shrill as a knife scraping bone.

"He is absolutely right! And that is not even the worst of it! We are talking about the Jinchūriki, the village's ultimate weapon, its greatest treasure! She is not Ryo's girlfriend! He must be kept far away from Uzumaki Kushina! If he manipulates her emotions, it could end in disaster! And you, Hiruzen, you know exactly how dangerous it is when a Jinchūriki gives birth and the seal weakens!"

Hiruzen slowly turned around. His graying beard trembled slightly as his weary yet razor sharp eyes swept across the two faces before him, faces painted with false righteousness but shadowed by fear of losing power.

He slapped the battle report flat onto the desk with a sharp thud.

"Enough, Homura. Koharu."

His voice was not loud, but it carried the iron weight of Hokage authority.

"Kushina and Ryo are both pillars of Konoha, Tsunade's disciples, and my students' students. I trust their character completely. Just as I trust you both to maintain Konoha's stability when I eventually step down."

He paused deliberately, watching their expressions sour.

"Ryo's will to protect the Jinchūriki is steadfast. That is exactly the bond Mito-sama and I hoped to see. As for the rest," his tone hardened, "I have not gone senile yet. Do your jobs. That is the best support you can give me. Understood?"

The warning in his words struck deep. Both advisors went pale, as if someone had clamped invisible hands around their throats.

The phrase when I step down hit them like a bucket of cold water, dousing the faint flames of ambition smoldering in their hearts.

Their lips twitched, desperate to retort.

"Out!" Hiruzen's roar cut through the tension.

He slammed his pipe against the desk, the dull thud echoing like a gunshot.

The two advisors flinched as if struck, glaring resentfully at the pile of paperwork, the symbol of absolute power, before turning on their heels and leaving the room in silence.

The heavy wooden doors closed behind them, shutting out both the noise of the world and the whisper of political schemes.

Hiruzen let out a long, tired sigh, rubbing his throbbing temples.

The aftereffects of the Nine Tails' transfer had not yet faded, the frontlines were strained, and the village was riddled with petty troubles.

He leaned back in his chair and lit his pipe once more.

White smoke curled upward as his eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

Ryo. Tsunade. Jiraiya. Orochimaru.

All powerful, all loyal, for now.

As long as their strength stayed aligned with his, as long as they did not threaten the authority of the Hokage, they could live and act as freely as they wished.

After all, which great shinobi was not a bit unruly?

Even his three students had their vices, gambling, debauchery, rebellion.

And as for Homura and Koharu?

He chuckled quietly.

Two old relics clutching to power, they were just reacting to the new generation's rise.

Still chuckling, he reached for the crystal ball on his desk.

After all that hard work, a little entertainment would not hurt.

Senju Estate, Ryo's Room

The afternoon sun streamed warmly through the paper doors, casting soft golden stripes across the tatami.

The air was still. Only the faint scratch of a brush against skin and Kushina's stifled, ticklish gasps broke the silence.

Ryo sat cross legged behind her, his long, steady fingers glowing faintly with concentrated chakra.

With delicate precision, he was inscribing a minuscule but intricate Hiraishin no Jutsu formula along the side of her smooth, pale abdomen, close enough to her Jinchūriki seal to link with it, yet far enough not to disturb it.

The completed design resembled a small, round tomato.

Its scarlet hue was not ink, it was pure chakra light, softly pulsing against her warm skin like a living mark.

"Ahh… Ryo, are you done yet? That tickles…"

Kushina squirmed slightly, the tips of her red hair brushing against his arm. Her cheeks glowed pink, caught somewhere between shyness and sweetness.

Since becoming the Jinchūriki, her senses had sharpened immensely. She could even detect the faint chakra of the hidden ANBU watching from beyond the walls, those who claimed to protect her, but in truth only monitored her every move.

That invisible cage of surveillance weighed heavily on her heart.

"Do not move," Ryo murmured, voice low but gentle. His hand remained steady as stone. "Almost finished."

He watched the forming seal intently, adjusting the chakra output with microscopic control.

"I know about the ANBU."

Kushina stiffened slightly, then slumped, deflated like a pufferfish.

"They are always there, like flies," she muttered sullenly, her voice small and bristling with frustration. "So annoying! They will not even let me leave the village! Always saying they are afraid I will lose control, hmph!"

"Done." Ryo's tone was calm but certain.

The final rune clicked perfectly into place.

The tiny chakra tomato glowed once, then dimmed, fusing seamlessly into her skin, like a natural birthmark.

Ryo exhaled softly, drawing back his hand, the warmth of her skin still lingering at his fingertips.

"It is complete."

After days of relentless training, burning through shadow clones and guided by Kushina's own deep knowledge of sealing, he had finally grasped the basics of the Hiraishin no Jutsu, an S rank space time ninjutsu.

His foundation was still shallow, far from the effortless mastery of the future Fourth Hokage, but the core function, long distance teleportation, was finally stable.

The key to survival and rescue was now within reach.

He looked up, meeting Kushina's bright blue eyes. There was a new depth to them since the sealing ritual, traces of the Nine Tails' crimson glint mingled with the unyielding strength of her Uzumaki blood.

"Hiraishin?" she repeated, eyes wide with wonder as she touched the mark. The surface was cool and smooth, leaving no trace of discomfort.

"That is the one, right? The super cool technique that lets you whoosh across space instantly?" Her eyes sparkled, then dimmed a little. "But even if you can do that, it is not like they will ever let me leave the village." She pouted, looking heartbreakingly dejected.

Ryo reached out, resting a broad, calloused hand atop her soft crimson hair, ruffling it gently, awkwardly, but full of quiet affection.

A faint breeze stirred the room.

Kushina blinked. For a moment, Ryo vanished from sight, and before she could gasp, warmth bloomed behind her. His arm slipped naturally around her waist from behind, his chin brushing the curve of her neck.

"Do not worry."

"The mark is set. Once I am strong enough to crush every obstacle, I will take you anywhere you want to go."

The instant his words faded, his body flickered again, gone and back in the same heartbeat, as though he had never moved at all.

The speed was breathtaking. Even a shadow clone could not react that fast.

"Wow!" Kushina clapped a hand over her mouth, eyes wide in disbelief before bursting into pure delight.

Then she threw herself forward, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist, pressing her cheek against his chest with a fierce little smile.

"Mm! I believe you! We will travel the whole ninja world together!"

The gloom that had clouded her heart for days melted away, replaced by dazzling excitement and hope.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 76: What’s Wrong with Enjoying Myself

The heavy curtains of the Hokage's office shut out every ray of sunlight.

The air was so thick with the stench of cheap tobacco and mildewed paperwork that it could almost be cut with a knife.

Hiruzen was rewarding his own "diligent service to Konoha" by staring so hard into his crystal ball that his eyes seemed welded to it.

His face was flushed, drool glistened at the corner of his mouth.

The mighty Third Hokage looked less like a leader and more like a senile old pervert.

"Hokage-sama."

At the voice, Hiruzen jerked upright, snatching the crystal ball out of sight, his expression snapping into feigned composure.

A masked ANBU emerged soundlessly from the shadowed corner, dropping to one knee. Beneath the tanuki patterned mask, his voice was flat and emotionless.

"Danzō-sama has sent a second encrypted dispatch from the Ame front."

He set a wax sealed Root scroll on the desk. "Contents: When will Tsunade return? Suna's counterattack is intensifying. The medical corps is gravely undermanned."

The moment Hiruzen heard "Danzō's message," the brief ease in his brow vanished, knotting tight again.

"The messenger from Danzō-sama has already requested an audience three times," the ANBU continued evenly. "Additionally, we have confirmed Tsunade-sama's current location, she is at the gambling house by the village gates."

A pause. "Eyewitnesses report she is, losing heavily."

Bang.

Hiruzen's fist crashed down on the desk. Ink splattered from the jar, spattering the casualty list from the Suna front like fresh blood.

"Damn it. Does she think the Hokage's office is her personal bank? Shinobi are bleeding out on the front lines, and she's wasting her days at the dice table."

The ANBU stiffened imperceptibly.

Hiruzen took several sharp breaths, forcing his blood pressure back down.

He had recalled her to the village to let her see Mito one last time, to stabilize the Jinchūriki transfer, to be the failsafe in case something went wrong.

With Kushina's seal only days old, the Nine Tails was like a live explosive tag with the pin half pulled. Keeping Tsunade nearby was pure insurance.

But that reckless girl, she really thought this was vacation time.

Meanwhile, Danzō was at the Ame front sticking his neck out, demanding medics, three messages in a single day, and she was gambling.

Hiruzen raked both hands through his thinning hair in exasperation.

He had dumped all his biggest headaches, Kushina, Ryo, and even Uchiha Mikoto, onto Tsunade's newly formed Eighth Squad. It was partly necessity, partly a petty bit of payback to watch his strong willed student squirm under the weight.

And now, she had simply vanished into leisure.

"Go," he barked through clenched teeth, jabbing a finger at the ANBU. "Drag that reckless brat here, now."

The Gambling House, Lucky Cat Pavilion

The gold painted sign gleamed above the reek of sweat, liquor, cheap perfume, and half spoiled food.

Dice clattered, coins rang, voices rose in cheers and curses, a roaring chaos of greed.

In the VIP corner, Tsunade had one foot propped on a stool, her crimson Gamble cloak hanging open to reveal a tight scarlet bustier beneath.

The small mountain of chips before her was collapsing in an avalanche of defeat.

"Two points, small," the dealer intoned, face blank.

"Damn it." Tsunade slammed the table, sending chips scattering. Without even looking, she slapped her last two gold coins onto big. "Again. I refuse to believe my luck is that rotten."

The oily faced pit boss sidled up, rubbing his hands together, wearing a servile smile that could not hide his calculating eyes.

"Tsunade-sama, perhaps you should rest a bit? About that loan from last time, "

"Quit yapping," she snapped, her glare sharp enough to cut steel. "I am about to win it all back. Roll."

The pit boss flinched, swallowing whatever he had meant to say about her previous debts.

No one with half a brain argued with this woman. And with that generous fool Jiraiya always footing the bill, why risk his life? Better to treat it as buying peace of mind.

Half an hour later, the last fifty ryō chip was swept away by the dealer's bamboo rake.

The table before Tsunade gleamed empty.

"Rotten luck." She surged to her feet, knocking over the stool behind her. Her golden hair, tangled from hours of frustration, flared as she clawed through it. Her eyes, red rimmed from fatigue and anger, burned like a cornered lioness's.

The pit boss appeared again like a ghost, holding out a thin scroll sealed with a tiny Uchiha fan emblem. His voice was all caution.

"Tsunade-sama, this came from the Hokage's office earlier, about your Eighth Squad's task assignment and team confirmation, "

Already seething, Tsunade snatched the scroll, crumpled it into a ball, and shoved it into her bulging, and completely empty, coin purse.

"Got it. Now get lost." She kicked aside a chair, shouldered past the gawking gamblers, and stormed out of the hall, the floor trembling under her boots.

Her head pounded with a single thought. Win it back.

Find somewhere to win it all back.

Damn that stingy old man, takes forever to approve funding.

And those stupid team rosters, what do they have to do with me anyway?

Senju Compound, Late Afternoon

The courtyard basked in the lazy orange glow of sunset. Nawaki lay sprawled under the veranda.

He had just been dragged out by Ryo for chakra control training. His best attempt at Water Bullet had been cleaved apart by a casual sword wave, not even splashing Ryo's pant leg. The humiliation still burned.

"Why, " he muttered at a fallen leaf, fists clenching till his nails bit deep. "Grandma's last words were for me to prepare for missions. Am I really going to spend my life splashing water at logs? I am a Senju. I belong on the battlefield."

Then he remembered how the Second Hokage Tobirama had died, and his defiance sank into dull self pity.

He punched the post beside him, shaking down a sprinkle of dust. "Useless."

He flopped over, muffling his voice in his arm. "Ryo is a monster, and I am, just the leftover nobody, "

"Nawaki-sama. Nawaki-sama."

A young attendant sprinted into the courtyard, gasping. "Order from the Hokage. Tsunade-sama is to report to him immediately."

Nawaki blinked, still half dazed. "Who? My sister? Now?"

"Yes. And, Hokage-sama is very angry. Something about Danzō-sama, "

Before he could process that, the sharp clack of high heels struck the stone path outside, rapid and furious.

Tsunade strode into the courtyard, sunlight gilding her silhouette in gold and flame. Her face all but said, I am in a terrible mood, do not test me.

Dark rings bruised the skin beneath her eyes. Her red robe was stained with wine and grease, her hair a disheveled halo of wrath. The air around her shimmered with raw temper.

Nawaki swallowed hard. The word Sis reached his throat, and wisely stayed there.

Hokage's Office, Moments Later

Bang.

The door slammed open.

"Old man. You haunting me now? Trying to rush me into the grave?" she bellowed before even stepping inside.

"People dying at the front, so what? I am on standby guarding Kushina, are I not? That is real work. I have fought half my life, can I not blow off steam without you losing your mind? I did not wreck your house. If Danzō is that desperate, let him haul the wounded back himself."

Hiruzen's face turned blacker than soot. The sight of her outfit, and hearing her shout Kushina's name, was like salt rubbed into the wound left by Homura and Koharu's earlier complaints.

He slammed a palm on the desk so hard the pen holder jumped.

"Tsunade." His voice rumbled like a volcano on the verge of eruption. "Do you even understand what you are saying?"

He rounded the desk, jabbing a finger at her nose.

"What was Mito-sama's dying wish? You. She wanted you to carry on after her, not to gamble away the Senju name and drag your teacher's face through the mud. You are the Princess of Konoha, not some thug collecting debts in the street."

The blast of authority made her instinctively step back. "I, "

"Save it." Hiruzen thundered on. "Uzumaki Kushina is the village's keystone. The Nine Tails' transfer was days ago. That thing is not a kitten, it is a bomb. You of all people know how unstable that seal is. I left you here so if anything went wrong, you could stop the bleeding and save lives. That is your duty. That is what is at stake."

He thrust a finger toward the window.

"That out there, the village, is what I am breaking my back to protect. Not your dice cup."

He drew a long breath, forcing his fury into a colder edge.

"And yet," he said with a bitter smirk, "you were the one who slammed my desk demanding Uchiha Mikoto be placed under you. The squad list has been on your desk for days. You think being captain means doing nothing? Or are you scared now? Think I set you up to fail? Waiting to watch you crash and burn?"

The words hit like hammer blows.

Scared? Cannot handle it?

The taunt seared through her pride, burning away hesitation.

Who was she afraid of? Him? Failure? Not a chance.

Her hand went to her waist, the purse there hard and lumpy. She remembered the forgotten scroll inside.

With a snarl, she yanked it out, half crumpled and stained with sake and grease. The Senju and Hokage seals were nearly rubbed away.

"Nonsense," she shot back. "A good squad? You mean a pile of headaches you dumped on me."

She tore it open, paper rasped under her hands.

Her eyes flicked over the print. Team Eight, Captain, Tsunade. Members, Kamiyama Ryo, Uzumaki Kushina, Uchiha Mikoto,

At Kushina's name, her rage stuttered.

Mito's dying eyes flashed across her memory, clear, pleading.

"Kushina, out of the village? Over my dead body." she roared. "You want the Nine Tails running loose for fun? Not happening."

Hiruzen folded his arms, cool again. "Kushina is exempt. She will stay here to recover."

Tsunade's fingers whitened around the scroll. Two names left.

Ryo, the walking weapon.

Mikoto, an Uchiha political figurehead.

A team too small to qualify.

Then, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Nawaki, hovering in the doorway, dirty from training, eyes wide with unspoken longing.

That same look he had worn every time she had packed for a mission.

Grandmother gone, his hunger to prove himself had only grown.

The afternoon's memory, his crushed expression under Ryo's effortless victory, rose unbidden.

Hiruzen's goading still rang in her ears. Scared? Cannot handle it?

The Senju were not cowards.

They did not coddle their own like fragile glass.

If she and Ryo could not protect one brat, they might as well quit and plant potatoes.

Tsunade snatched the crooked pen from Hiruzen's desk and, without ink, stabbed it across the scroll's blank backside.

Scratch, scratch, scratch.

She slashed through Uzumaki Kushina, nearly tearing the paper, then scrawled four new characters in rough strokes, Senju Nawaki.

"Here." She slapped the scroll into her brother's face.

He caught it reflexively, the paper sticking to his cheek. Pulling it away, he blinked, and when he saw his name in the roster, his eyes bulged like lanterns.

Tsunade did not even glance at him. She barked to the waiting servant at the door,

"Take that roster to Personnel, now."

Her shout drowned out Nawaki's strangled "Huh?" that came from pure disbelief.

"And inform Uchiha Mikoto, assemble at the village gate before dawn tomorrow."

Her gaze snapped back to Nawaki, still frozen like a statue. "Listen up, brat. If you do not want me carrying your crying carcass on the battlefield while Suna nail your legs to the dirt, you had better get moving. Train that sorry excuse for chakra control till you can at least walk without blowing yourself up."

She jabbed a finger at his nose, each word sharp as an icicle. "Tomorrow. Before sunrise. One second late, and you can spend the rest of your life guarding the courtyard."

(To be continued.)