A summer morning might be the most comfortable time of the day. The sun had just risen, emitting gentle rays that evaporated the dew on the flowers and leaves. The sky was clear blue with clouds drifting leisurely, and a gentle breeze brought a refreshing coolness.
Kaguya slowly woke up, rubbing her eyes before suddenly standing up, alarmed.
She furrowed her brows slightly. This was not a good sign. Falling asleep in a completely defenseless state could easily lead to an ambush. She decided to thoroughly investigate what was happening once she got back.
"Mother," came the voice of Black Zetsu, emerging from a distortion in the ground.
"Is something the matter?" Kaguya's eyelashes fluttered as she asked curiously. She wondered why Black Zetsu would come at this time.
"Hidan and Kakuzu were attacked by Konoha ninjas and have been killed," Black Zetsu said in a low voice.
"Oh," Kaguya was not surprised. Hidan and Kakuzu's abilities were quite unique, so it was normal for them to secure victories when their opponents lacked sufficient information. However, once their abilities were known, failure was only a matter of time, especially with a high-IQ opponent like Shikamaru involved. "Anything else?"
"Another piece of news," Black Zetsu said respectfully. "Jiraiya has infiltrated Amegakure."
Jiraiya... Kaguya pondered for a moment, remembering that Jiraiya indeed went to Amegakure and fought with Nagato, ultimately dying there. It seemed that history hadn't changed much.
"You've done well," Kaguya said gently, patting Black Zetsu's head, "Keep up the good work next time." Kaguya suddenly found this scene familiar and realized it reminded her of how her mother praised her in elementary school when she got her first perfect score.
Black Zetsu grinned shyly, looking as happy as a child receiving praise.
"Someone's coming," Black Zetsu suddenly noticed, turning to look into the distance. "I must go. Please take care, Mother."
"Hmm," Kaguya nodded, "Go on."
Footsteps sounded from afar, growing closer. As Kaguya was about to leave, the bushes parted, revealing several people.
They were familiar faces. Leading them was the blonde, whiskered Naruto, followed by Kiba with his dog, and a man wearing a strange mask that covered his face — Kaguya recognized him as Yamato. The last was the eternally masked Kakashi.
Seeing the beautiful girl before them, they were momentarily stunned.
"Are you Kaguya-chan?" Naruto asked loudly, pointing at her with an exaggerated expression.
"So noisy. I'm not an old person; you don't need to shout," Kaguya replied, annoyed, and used her finger to clean her ear.
"Long time no see, Kaguya," Kakashi said, approaching.
"I suppose so," Kaguya replied nonchalantly, twirling a lock of her hair, "If there's nothing else, I'll be going."
"Wait," Naruto ran over, scratching his head with some embarrassment, "I misunderstood you before, thinking you were responsible for killing the Third Hokage. I'm sorry."
"Ah, it's nothing," Kaguya waved her hand indifferently, "I don't care what others say about me."
"But why did you join Akatsuki?" Naruto asked, clenching his fists and looking a bit agitated, "Come back to Konoha. Everyone's waiting for you."
Kaguya's face fell, knowing that Naruto was about to start his lecture. She impatiently said, "Kids don't understand, go away."
"I don't understand, but I know you're not a bad person," Naruto said seriously. "Otherwise, you wouldn't have saved Asuma-sensei."
"Kaguya, although I don't know why you made such a choice," Kakashi said softly as he walked over, "I still hope you can seriously reconsider. After all, Akatsuki is not a good organization, and you will face danger there."
"What danger? I faced danger in Konoha too, almost got killed," Kaguya said with a grim face.
"No, this time it won't happen. We'll protect you," Naruto hurriedly said.
"You can't even beat me, and you talk about protecting me?" Kaguya turned her head, snorting disdainfully.
"I know my strength may not be enough," Naruto said, clenching his fists, "but I will use my life to protect you."
Kaguya felt a wave of nausea in her stomach. If you were a beautiful woman, of course, I'd agree wholeheartedly, but if you're a big man, no thanks.
"Don't worry, no matter how powerful the enemy is, we'll defeat them," Kiba said confidently.
"Woof," Akamaru barked beside him.
"Although I don't know you," Yamato walked over, "Naruto never lies. We all hope you can come back."
Kaguya lowered her head without speaking, making it hard to see her expression.
Just when everyone thought Kaguya's attitude might change, she suddenly looked up with a disdainful expression and said, "Are you guys sick?"
Everyone was stunned.
"What I want to do is my business, not yours," Kaguya said, putting her hands on her hips. "Besides, I don't need you to take care of me."
"But," Naruto wanted to say more.
"No buts," Kaguya waved her small hand, cutting off Naruto's words impatiently. "Forget it, I don't want to talk nonsense with you. I'm leaving. If you bother me again, I'll beat you up."
When Kaguya was about to leave, everyone suddenly surrounded her, blocking her way.
"What are you doing?" Kaguya's face darkened, her tone unfriendly.
"I can't watch you go astray," Naruto said seriously. "Even if it means hurting you, I won't let you go back."
"Sorry, Kaguya, I hope you understand." Kakashi drew a kunai from his waist pack and held it in his hand.
"Busybody," Kaguya said angrily. "You guys are really sick. Since you want a beating, don't blame me for being rude." With that, Kaguya rolled up her sleeves, revealing her snow-white arms.