The atmosphere in the village has been tense lately.

There are more ninja officers patrolling the streets, the screening for entering and leaving the village has become stricter, and with all the rising rumors, the Fifth Hokage, who has been blind, has yet to make a public appearance to reassure the people… it would be a lie to say things aren't tense.

Of course, these are adult matters. For the students of the ninja school, now on summer vacation, these adult concerns don't matter to them. Most of them only care about enjoying a fun summer break. However, not all students have their minds set only on play; a few diligent kids work hard even during the holidays.

That's right,

We're talking about—

Tsuchigumo Hotaru.

Among the well-known students in their sixth year at the ninja academy is a boy named Lee Rock, famous for his extreme dedication to training. But few know that there's a fifth-grade girl who trains herself just as hard, as long as it doesn't kill her.

Though Hotaru often hangs out with Kurama Yakumo and Uchiha Fujiha, going shopping, watching movies, or eating sweets together, few realize that she uses Shadow Clones to continue her training at home even while out.

She's even pushed herself to the point of hospitalization several times.

Her desire for 'revenge' gives her unique qualities, such as an endurance for pain, a resolve to see her beliefs through to the end, and the drive to keep pushing forward… even her mentor, Sougen, eventually accepted her borderline self-destructive training methods, only ordering her to get regular check-ups at the hospital.

"Hotaru, it's noon—time to take a break and have lunch."

Uchiha Fujiha checked the time, catching her breath as she threw her last shuriken at the wooden stake, landing a perfect hit.

They were training at the police department's internal training grounds. Even though it was summer, they clearly weren't allowed to wander unsupervised. Sougen, overwhelmed with work, had decided to send his two disciples and only sister to train at the police department.

This way, they could access all the training facilities and wouldn't have to worry about safety.

If Hotaru pushed herself too far again, there were medical ninjas on duty who could help in an emergency.

"…Alright!"

Hotaru reluctantly wiped off the marks on her palm.

"Don't be so unwilling! Training needs to be balanced with rest. Overdoing it will lead to… uh, what's it called again? Half the work for double the effort?"

"It's double the work for half the result!"

Kurama Yakumo, who was honing her drawing skills nearby, corrected Fujiha's mistake.

The three girls, each with different bloodline abilities and secret techniques, naturally had different training methods. They trained together for three reasons: one, to spar and avoid shutting themselves off from reality—true improvement requires facing real combat.

Second, the girls had grown used to being together and, unless necessary, didn't want to be apart.

Third, being together made it easier for Sougen to guide them. If he found one of them, he knew the other two wouldn't be far, which saved him the time of searching, especially since he was quite busy these days.

"Okay! Half the work… uh, double the work for half the result—it doesn't feel that different to me!"

Fujiha muttered under her breath.

"Oh, there's a huge difference, believe me!"

After cleaning up her sketchbook, Yakumo joined her two friends for a quick shower at the police department bathhouse and changed clothes. Being able to relax with a nice hot shower after training was one of the reasons they liked practicing at the police department's facilities.

Public training grounds in the forest were spacious, but jumping into the river to bathe after sweating wasn't an option. Naruto and Sasuke could get away with that, but it wasn't the same for girls.

"So… what should we eat for lunch? The cafeteria?"

Yakumo asked her friends as she brushed her hair.

"Eh? The cafeteria again? Let's go out! How about ramen? We haven't had ramen since break started." Fujiha's eyes sparkled with excitement as she looked at them. Yakumo shrugged, and Hotaru nodded in agreement.

"Ichiraku Ramen?"

"Definitely! I love their soy sauce ramen the most."

Fujiha couldn't help but gulp at the thought.

Ichiraku Ramen wasn't too far from the police department building, at least compared to their previous police headquarters. However, when they arrived at Ichiraku Ramen, they found a long line stretched out front—it was peak lunch hour.

As Konoha's number one ramen shop, Ichiraku was as popular as ever.

But standing in the hot sun to wait was hardly enjoyable for the girls.

"What should we do? Should we wait?"

Under the shade, Hotaru whispered to Fujiha.

"…Sigh! All we wanted was some ramen. Why does it have to be so hard?" Fujiha sighed in disappointment. "Forget it; let's find another place. Yakumo, Hotaru, any other place you want to try?"

"Over there—isn't that Naruto and Sasuke?"

Yakumo pointed out two boys near the front of the line: a blonde and a dark-haired one, the latter sporting the Uchiha clan fan symbol on his back.

"Let me see!"

Upon hearing Yakumo's question, Fujiha perked up and looked over, spotting the two boys' backs. "Ah!… Their relationship is as good as ever, huh? Hey, Yakumo, Hotaru, do you think… they're, you know?"

"Probably not." Hotaru thought it over seriously and found it unlikely.

"But look, they're inseparable, even on vacation."

"Didn't we spend every day together?"

"That's different! We live together, but Naruto and Sasuke don't. And we're three, while they're just two."

Listening to her friends debate a completely baseless theory, Yakumo rolled her eyes.

Honestly, what nonsense.

She should've just pretended not to notice.

"Cough, cough!"

Yakumo cleared her throat, "Let's not get off-topic! Weren't we talking about lunch? You two veered way too far off, especially you, Fujiwara. Stop reading that kind of stuff so much. What are you even thinking about all day?"

"Hmph! You have way more manga than I do, Yakumo."

Fujiwara muttered, clearly annoyed at the scolding.

Wham!

Yakumo swiftly delivered a karate chop to Fujiwara's head.

The girl who once sat in a wheelchair was now a memory. The present Kurama Yakumo could precisely deliver a blow to Fujiwara — though only after restraining her with an illusion, as Fujiwara, with her single-tomoe Sharingan, was no match for Yakumo's genjutsu.

"Ugh! Always bullying me with your genjutsu," Fujiwara mumbled, rubbing her head in frustration, though her voice was barely audible. Yakumo rolled her eyes and said irritably, "Stop wasting time. Just tell me what you want for lunch already!"

"How about..."

Hotaru started to say but stopped midway when she noticed Yakumo's expression change. Yakumo stepped out from the shade of the roof, standing on the sun-scorched street as she tilted her head to look at the sky.

She wasn't the only one.

A blond-haired boy waiting outside Ichiraku Ramen also stepped out of line, standing in the middle of the street, craning his neck to gaze upwards.

"What's going on?"

Fujiwara and Hotaru exchanged glances, then mimicked Yakumo by moving into the street and looking up at the sky... where they saw a strange-looking bird circling in the blue sky.

"A bird?"

Under the gaze of many, the odd bird shook its body,

and then,

its feathers began to float down, one by one.

———

Now, let's rewind about five minutes.

At the main gate of Konoha, the two large doors were wide open, as usual, welcoming visitors from all around the world. However, due to the recent tense atmosphere in the village, the flow of people had noticeably decreased. Many local merchants and nobles had also chosen to leave the village to avoid the heat.

It seems that a good number of people were perceptive.

Typically, Konoha's security was the best in the Shinobi World, but if something went wrong, it usually meant major trouble—like the night of the Nine-Tails' attack, which left a deep scar in the minds of Konoha's residents.

That was the first time Konoha had experienced such significant casualties.

No matter how brutal the battles on the frontlines, the villagers had always felt safe within Konoha. But after that night, the idea of Konoha's safety became a fragile, ever-changing notion.

"There aren't many people around."

"Yeah, fewer than yesterday...and the forest is unusually quiet, too."

The guards at the gate sensed something was off.

Don't think guarding the gate is a trivial job. Konoha's main gate wasn't guarded by Jonin since, realistically, there would be little for a Jonin to do here. But since it's the face of Konoha, seasoned Chunin were assigned to this duty.

The Chunin noticed something strange.

People had vanished from the road, and the forest around them was silent. This wasn't the restful quiet of winter — the blazing sun above was still giving off endless heat, and it was the season of life and vitality. Normally, the forest would be filled with the sounds of birds and insects, as if a whole symphony were playing.

But now,

the only sound was the rustling of leaves in the wind.

"Someone, go check on…"

The captain's words trailed off as a small figure appeared on the otherwise empty road.

It wasn't a trick of the distance; the figure was genuinely small. After guarding this gate for so long, they could tell: the figure looked like a child…or maybe a dwarf.

As the figure got close enough to reveal its features, they saw it was wearing a white high-collared cloak that covered half its face. Due to the height difference, they could just see a face half-wrapped in bandages, making it impossible to identify.

But,

the sheer pressure emanating from this person was enough to show that this was no lost child.

"Stop! Who are you?" the captain demanded loudly.

The others fell into defensive stances.

"Konoha ninja, Hiruko," the figure responded smoothly, stopping as instructed.

However—

"…What?"

The unexpected answer threw the captain and his team off. They had been ready for the dwarf to attack, but instead, they got…this. Was he one of them? This had to be a joke, right?

As a guard, he didn't know every single person in the village, but someone with such distinctive looks would definitely be memorable.

The issue was, he had no recollection of anyone named "Hiruko."

"Konoha ninja? Sorry, I don't recognize you. Do you have any ID or proof of identity?" the captain asked. He still had a bad feeling about this visitor but was willing to buy some time, hoping for backup to arrive.

"It's been many years, so it's understandable you don't recognize me."

Hiruko looked up at the large gates before him, seemingly unchanged from his memory.

"Many years?"

The captain pondered. Was he a rogue ninja? He couldn't recall any rogue ninja matching this dwarf's description… Wait, Hiruko? Wasn't that the name of a rogue ninja? But if he remembered correctly, the rogue in the wanted posters was a regular-sized adult.

"The timing should be just about right. Your Hokage must have spotted me by now, right? Wireless transmission…quite convenient indeed."

Hiruko's gaze settled on the camera above the gate, and he let out a mocking laugh.

The guards immediately tensed up.

In an instant, Hiruko's laughter ceased. He looked up, opened his mouth, and fired a laser beam that pierced through the approaching masked Anbu in white cloaks. Hiruko's body then emitted a steam-like vapor, moving at speeds too fast for the eye to follow, dodging attacks from all sides and below.

Then,

his lava-coated fist punched through two Anbu bodies.

At the same time, he stomped down with his lava-encased right foot, melting the skull of the Anbu trying to retreat underground.

The entire battle lasted less than three seconds.

An entire Anbu squad was eliminated in an instant.

"All right, with the flies out of the way, it's time for the main show."

Hiruko clapped his hands lightly, signaling his forces. From the dense forest beyond Konoha's gate, a swarm of twisted, monstrous birds filled the sky, and ferocious dogs and deadly serpents flooded out of the trees, a massive dark tide surging forward.

"Ahhh!"

"What are those things?"

The gate guards screamed, but soon, all sound was drowned out by the oncoming swarm of beasts.

"It's been a long time…now, enjoy this homecoming gift of mine! My dear hometown!" Standing atop Konoha's gates, Hiruko laughed gleefully.

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