I don't know how long it took, but finally, I stepped out of the woods. My body had once again transformed into that of a little girl, with long, water-blue hair cascading down my back. I was now dressed in a dark red yukata adorned with delicate floral patterns, something I had 'earned' from that venom-tongued girl in the Hyuga family after completing a ridiculous task.
It fit me… almost too perfectly, as if this damned system had known this moment would come and tailored it to my childlike form.
"This should..."
I looked down at myself, my voice a mere whisper as frustration welled up. "No one should recognize me like this, right? But having to do something so embarrassing in front of everyone... it's humiliating!" I groaned quietly like a cornered animal before steeling myself. Then, against my better judgment, I started sprinting toward the Sand Ninja encampment.
Back at the Konoha strike force's hiding spot, Tsunade's brows furrowed, clearly irritated. "Where did that brat run off to this time?!"
"Tsunade-sama, it's time."
Shikaku tried to focus on the mission at hand, knowing that finding me wasn't their top priority. He turned to look toward the Sand Ninja camp and began to say, "Should we—" but suddenly, his words caught in his throat. His expression morphed into pure shock.
"What the… Where did that little girl come from?"
"What girl?" Tsunade snapped, momentarily confused, as she followed his gaze.
There, in front of the Sand Ninja camp's gate, was a small figure—a girl dressed in a dark red yukata, her light footsteps almost making her seem weightless as she approached the heart of the enemy's camp. The firelight flickered across her, revealing a delicate side profile—big, innocent eyes, fine brows, and long strands of water-blue hair swaying in the night breeze. There was something almost ethereal about her in the moonlight, as if she didn't belong to this world.
But Tsunade couldn't shake the feeling of familiarity. Why did this girl feel so… close?
"Stop!"
"Who are you?!"
The Sand Ninjas standing guard around the camp immediately noticed the young girl. In moments, they surrounded her, weapons drawn, ready to eliminate her.
Even from the distance, Tsunade could make out their words just by reading their lips. She felt a rush of panic for the girl—charging straight into a warzone like that, even if she was from the same village, she wouldn't escape death. This was the frontlines. They wouldn't show mercy.
And then, the unimaginable happened.
The little girl in the dark red yukata raised her right arm and struck a pose—one so strange, so unnatural, that it didn't belong in any kind of fight or jutsu she had ever seen.
What is this...? Some sort of technique?
The thought flitted through everyone's mind at once. But before they could react, a soft, melodic tune began to escape from the girl's lips.
"In the moment the moon rises high, light the red lanterns…"
Her voice carried rhythm and allure, like some kind of siren's song. The smoothness of her movements, synchronized with the haunting melody, seemed to mesmerize everyone. The Sand Ninjas that had circled around her stopped in their tracks, their eyes glazing over as if they were falling under a spell.
It wasn't just them.
Even from our hiding spot, I could see it—the way my own comrades were entranced by the sound, faces reflecting some strange fascination.
Oh gods, this is happening. I'm really doing this! I'm actually singing this in front of them! I want to die. I want to crawl into a hole and die! Why are they looking at me like that?! Stop staring at me! I'M A MAN!
As the embarrassing thoughts flooded my mind, I had to suppress the nausea rising in my throat. I didn't have a choice. The system's ridiculous quest wouldn't be complete until I finished my performance, no matter how mortified I felt.
Is this… genjutsu?
Tsunade blinked, snapping out of her brief trance. No, this wasn't any ordinary genjutsu. It was something more dangerous, something subtle—influence. This girl's voice was imbued with some kind of persuasive power, an emotional pull that could lead even hardened ninjas astray.
What terrifying ability…
This kind of technique wasn't just dangerous—it could sway entire battles if the enemy remained under its thrall for too long. If they weren't snapped out of it soon, those soldiers could easily become her puppets.
Tsunade glanced around quickly, alarmed to see her own team showing signs of being affected. Her mind raced with a dozen questions. Who was this girl? Enemy? Ally?
Her gaze shifted back to the young girl, now twirling gracefully, the dark red yukata swirling around her like wings. The small figure turned elegantly, revealing herself fully to the onlookers.
The moonlight illuminated her soft, childlike features, making her look almost angelic—pure, untouchable.
The instant Tsunade got a full view of the girl's face, her eyes widened, her heart skipping a beat. It wasn't the innocent appearance that shocked her—it was the unmistakable mark on the girl's forehead, a faint bluish scar shaped like a tiny flame.
It was exactly the same mark she had accidentally left on her student just days ago during a training session—something she had joked about being a lifelong scar. It wasn't possible… or was it?
Her student had disappeared, and now this girl suddenly appeared before the enemy camp...
Tsunade's mind raced as all the clues clicked together.
This girl wasn't some random stranger.
She was Hiroto.