Chizhao, who had run out of the small wooden house, let out a breath and calmed down.
It was definitely too late to run home now.
If she were to teleport back, she couldn't just leave the Membrane Card lying around here.
Chizhao leaned against a large tree, thought for a moment, then steadied her breathing, closed her eyes tightly, and held her sword-finger in front of her, imagining Shukaku in her mind.
Tiny specks of light slowly gathered at her fingertip, and in a moment, a Membrane Card with Shukaku printed on it appeared between her sword-fingers.
She threw the Membrane Card out.
With a 'bang,' a puff of smoke exploded.
Shukaku's figure, lazily lying on the ground, appeared on the lawn.
An anxious Chizhao quickly stepped forward, picked up Shukaku, and shook him rapidly back and forth.
"A-He, wake up! Don't sleep anymore!"
"What do you want! Can't this lord get some proper sleep?!"
Shukaku shouted angrily, looking around at the unfamiliar surroundings, his face full of confusion.
"Wasn't I near the small wooden house? How did I get here?"
"I summoned you here. I have to go back now. Please keep this Membrane Card for me. If there's an emergency, just call me as you normally would..."
Shukaku jumped up from the ground, displeased.
"This lord isn't your babysitter..."
"I'll bring you a bento! Plus taiyaki!"
"That's more like it..."
Chizhao: .........
Inside the house, Keiko had set out breakfast and was looking at the clock on the wall, anxiously calling upstairs:
"Chizhao! You'll be late for school!"
After a long while, there was no response from upstairs.
She raised her voice and repeated herself, but still, there was no response.
Feeling that something was wrong, Keiko untied her apron and walked upstairs.
Just as she was about to knock, the door in front of her opened from the inside.
Chizhao, fully dressed, stood before her with an apologetic expression.
"Sorry, Grandma, I was too sleepy last night. I'm coming downstairs to eat breakfast now!"
Before Keiko could react, Chizhao quickly walked downstairs, secretly letting out a long sigh of relief.
Good, good, I almost exposed myself.
After quickly finishing breakfast, she slung on her backpack.
"Oh no! I'm going to be late! I'm leaving, Grandma!"
Before she finished speaking, her voice trailed off as Chizhao sprinted towards the school at a training-like speed.
In the noisy classroom, Naruto propped his chin, glancing at Sasuke's back, who was surrounded by girls, and scoffed disdainfully: "What's so great about that guy...."
His gaze then fell on the empty seat beside him, and he looked towards the door, muttering in confusion:
"What's wrong with Chizhao today? It's already this late and she's not here... She's usually early..."
Shikamaru, who was also paying attention, changed to a more relaxed posture, looked up at the clock on the wall, and said in a calm tone:
"That guy didn't oversleep, did she?"
In his peripheral vision, a streak of high-speed movement on the road outside the window, kicking up dust, caught his attention.
Shikamaru leaned out and looked carefully, a drop of cold sweat appearing on his forehead:
"That crazy person rushing over here, it couldn't be her, could it....."
"Really? Let me see...."
"I want to see too....."
Naruto and Choji successively poked their heads out the window, only to see a small whirlwind sweeping towards them, letting out prolonged sounds of surprise.
"It really is Chizhao!" Naruto waved excitedly:
"Go, Chizhao!"
Choji took a bite of his potato chip and looked at the time: "Two more minutes....."
Chizhao, running with all her might, saw the few people leaning out the window and sped up.
"Oh oh oh oh oh!!!"
The word 'late' is not in my dictionary of life!!
"Fifty more seconds....."
At this moment, the students had all returned to their seats, waiting for class to begin, while Shikamaru propped his cheek, looking towards the door with interest.
A nervous Naruto swallowed, his hands clenched into fists, waiting for that figure to appear.
Go, Chizhao, you have to make it!
"Three, two....."
As Shikamaru counted down, with a "snap," the classroom's sliding door was thrown open!
"Safe!!!"
The class bell, accompanied by Chizhao's shout, echoed throughout the classroom. Everyone's gaze turned to the door, and the air seemed to freeze for a few seconds.
Only the noisy bell and Chizhao's gasps remained.
Then, a burst of laughter erupted in the classroom.
Chizhao's cheeks turned a deep red with a "thump." At this moment, her mind was in chaos, wishing she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
Sasuke silently averted his gaze from Chizhao:
That idiot.
Amidst the surrounding laughter, Chizhao awkwardly slid into her seat, burying her flushed face in her arms.
Only Naruto, as usual, cheered excitedly beside her, celebrating her victory.
"That's awesome, Chizhao, you made it to the classroom at the very last second! So cool!"
Chizhao lifted her eyes, a thin mist swirling in them.
Her reddened ears were covered by a few strands of hair, and a muffled voice came from her arms: "Thank you, Naruto..."
"Did you stay up too late reading manga last night, that's why you overslept?...."
"No, I didn't!"
Chizhao propped herself up from the desk, the blush on her face not yet faded, and frowned, refuting Shikamaru's guess.
Choji, shaking the potato chips in his hand, also joined in.
"Then is it because you ate too much last night and couldn't sleep?"
"No, that's not it either....."
"Then what is it?"
Naruto tilted his head, strangely propped on the desk, watching her beautiful eyes.
At this moment, Iruka Sensei's appearance interrupted their conversation.
Immediately, the classroom returned to quiet, with only Iruka Sensei's booming lecture.
But Chizhao's attention was no longer on the class.
She gazed at Sasuke's back, her heart filled with worry.
Soon, the Uchiha Clan would be annihilated, and from then on, Sasuke and Itachi would head towards a path of conflict.
Could this tragedy between the brothers truly be unavoidable?
They both clearly cared so much about each other.
Recalling her brief encounter with Itachi and the images in her memory, Chizhao's heart was filled with emotion.
Why did such a gentle person have to bear such painful responsibilities?
Shukaku's voice echoed in her mind again.
"What if you had the power to change the world?"
Now that Shisui had been saved by her, perhaps she could truly change Itachi's fate, and even reverse the future of the Uchiha Clan?
Naruto, who had been silently observing Chizhao, saw her gaze fixed on Sasuke's back.
Her expression seemed serious and deeply affectionate, and another scene played out in his mind.
Could it be..... last night..... Chizhao and that guy Sasuke..... talked all night outside?!
Naruto quickly shook his head, shaking his absurd thoughts out of his mind.
Impossible.... Chizhao isn't that kind of person....
After denying his inner thoughts, his gaze remained fixed on Sasuke's back.
The surge of inner irritation was overwhelming, making him feel incredibly suppressed, so he simply closed his eyes and lay on his desk, trying to calm the turmoil within him this way.
A worried Naruto secretly glanced at Chizhao again, seeing that she had already averted her gaze and was looking out the window, but her face still wore a troubled expression.
Could it be..... Chizhao... likes Sasuke?
This thought flashed through Naruto's mind, making his heart race instantly.
He clenched his fists tightly, trying to suppress his inner unease.
However, the expressionless Sasuke in front keenly sensed a strong gaze from behind him.
Like sharp silver needles, piercing his back.
He frowned slightly, turned his head, and glanced at the gritting-toothed Naruto.
Did that dead last take the wrong medicine again today?
He snorted, withdrew his gaze, and as always, ignored him behind him.