Fire…fire?!?"
That was Naruto and Sasuke's first instinct, both of them instantly recalling the Uchiha Clan's signature Fire Release techniques like Fireball Jutsu, but a huge question mark quickly filled their minds.
Why?
No one was home, how did it catch fire? It couldn't be some rogue shinobi casually walking past the Uchiha compound, taking a deep breath, and unleashing a Fireball Jutsu like an Uchiha prodigy just for fun, could it?
While shinobi like Uchiha Itachi or other elite Sharingan users could do something like that, this situation was still…too far-fetched!
Naruto and Sasuke rushed towards the Uchiha mansion at full speed using basic chakra enhancement on their feet, only to discover the black smoke wasn't coming from a real blaze. Rather than flames, it looked more like…something had been burned or overcooked.
"Cough! Cough! Cough! I was just not paying attention, how did it burn? Is this the power of premium beef? I can't even control it?"
From within the thick fog, Chinatsu emerged, waving her hands and coughing violently, muttering to herself like someone who had just failed a basic Academy practical. In her hand was an iron pot containing a steak the size of a restaurant-grade cut of beef, only…slightly charred like it had survived a partial Fire Release technique.
"Sasuke? Naruto?"
Chinatsu glanced at the beef in the wok, then immediately spotted Sasuke and Naruto standing in front of her. Her gaze shifted rapidly between them before she coughed again, forcing a serious expression like a ninja reporting to a mission leader.
"Ahem! Ahem! You two are back just in time! Look at this specialty I brought back from my business trip to the Land of Lightning! My masterpiece, meticulously crafted, is called… Black Pepper Sirloin Steak!"
Chinatsu explained earnestly while holding the wok like it was a rare mission report scroll. Of course, even Naruto and Sasuke who had both trained under her strange "survival cooking logic" could tell she was completely improvising.
"Sister… this… Black Pepper Steak?"
"That's right! Full name… Black Pepper Sirloin Steak!"
Chinatsu replied without blinking, though internally she was panicking like she had just been trapped in a Genjutsu.
Sasuke and Naruto exchanged a glance, silently recalling their earlier training spar sessions where teamwork and blind trust were emphasized, and after a brief internal struggle, both chose to psychologically suppress their doubts.
Sister is… the truth!
"Sister, I'm hungry! I want to try it!"
"Ah…ah?"
Sasuke reacted first, raising his arm with Uchiha-level seriousness as if accepting a dangerous mission. Naruto immediately followed, trusting her like he trusted ramen.
This startled Chinatsu. She glanced down at the "black pepper steak" in her iron pot and swallowed hard. Even compared to survival food in the ninja world, this looked questionable.
This "thing" should be edible, right?
Chinatsu originally intended to let Sasuke try it first, but her remaining conscience rarely activated even during missions involving deception stopped her.
"Wait a minute, I'll try it first."
Chinatsu solemnly carried the iron pot to the dining table in the Uchiha residence, her movements resembling someone defusing an explosive tag. Her eyes locked onto the steak as if it were a dangerous experimental tool from Orochimaru's lab. Finally, she closed her eyes, picked up a fork, and took a bite.
Chewing…chewing…chewing…
"Hm? Not bad…uh!"
Before she could finish her sentence, her body stiffened abruptly like she had been hit by a low-level Genjutsu, and her vision rolled back. She collapsed to the floor with a thud, completely unconscious.
Naruto and Sasuke's eyes widened in horror, instantly recalling medical ninjutsu emergency procedures taught in theory classes, and rushed to her side. After calling her name with no response, they dragged her onto the sofa. When they turned back to look at the black pepper steak on the table, both their eyes filled with terror.
Black pepper steak… what a terrifying biological weapon!!!
Because of this "biological weapon," Chinatsu slept for twelve hours straight. This wasn't solely due to poison-level cooking damage, but also because her body had been pushed from earlier missions involving Kumogakure infiltration and high-intensity combat.
In her dream, Chinatsu found herself drifting in a strange ocean-like space. Everything around her felt unfamiliar yet strangely familiar, like a space influenced by Yin-Yang Release illusions or subconscious chakra memory.
Perhaps because it was a dream, time had no meaning, and everything felt hazy, like being inside a Genjutsu cast by an unknown Mangekyo user.
In this boundless ocean, she suddenly saw a broken wooden boat drifting quietly. On it sat a young girl reclining gracefully.
Driven by curiosity, Chinatsu squinted toward her, trying to see more clearly. When she finally did, her eyes widened in shock.
The girl on the wooden boat looked…exactly like her!
Except for a completely different aura, their facial structure and presence were almost identical, like a distorted reflection influenced by chakra resonance.
Three swords were strapped at her waist, resembling a wandering swordsman style similar to samurai of the Land of Iron, and her clothing carried a sharp, battle-hardened aura that felt like someone who had survived countless shinobi wars.
But Chinatsu had only stared for a couple of seconds when the girl suddenly noticed her presence and turned her head. Their eyes met directly.
The dream shattered instantly.
"My head hurts…my stomach isn't feeling well either…what's wrong with me…" Chinatsu muttered, raising a hand to rub her temple like someone recovering from Genjutsu backlash.
When she looked around, especially at the "Do Not Disturb" weapon sitting on the dining table, she immediately understood everything.
"I never thought I'd be poisoned by my own cooking. This isn't something that can simply be described as 'disastrous cuisine' anymore."
Chinatsu let out a weak laugh, but what concerned her more wasn't the cooking incident it was the strange dream she had just experienced.
Was that just a dream?
More than a dream, it felt like crossing into another layer of reality, something beyond normal Genjutsu perception.
Crossing dimensions through a dream? That's too far-fetched. Even Space-Time ninjutsu users like the Fourth Hokage would struggle with something like that.
Chinatsu shook her head and dismissed the thought. She straightened her clothes and hair, then prepared to leave.
What for?
To report the results of her Kumogakure infiltration mission to Hiruzen Sarutobi, of course.
Soon, Chinatsu arrived at the Hokage's office. After knocking, Hiruzen Sarutobi said "Come in," and she pushed the door open and entered.
"Huh? It's you? You're back so soon?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi stared at her in surprise. He had expected her to stay away longer due to the risk of Danzo Shimura's surveillance and ROOT activity, but it had only been about a month.
"Yes, what are the results?"
"Of course, there are, Hokage-sama, please see."
Chinatsu replied with a serious expression, pulling out her small notebook the one she had been "carefully compiling" during her missionfrom a hidden pocket and handing it over.
Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately became serious upon seeing her expression. But the moment he opened it, his old face fell instantly.
This is…
Hiruzen Sarutobi: You… are you serious? Did you take the wrong one?
Chinatsu: Seriously, extremely seriously.
Hiruzen Sarutobi: Sigh… you, never mind. You can go back now.
After a long silence, Hiruzen Sarutobi waved his hand weakly. He had clearly been tricked again, though he was already used to Chinatsu's unpredictable reports compared to standard ANBU intelligence formats.
Chinatsu didn't care. As long as she could get away with it, that was enough. She politely bowed, turned, and left the Hokage's office.
But the moment she stepped into the corridor of the Hokage Building, she came face to face with that dangerous old man again.
Shimura Danzo!!!
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