"Dinner's ready, Yui Amagiri."
"Oh! Got it, coming right now!" Yui Amagiri called out as she walked out of the room. What greeted her at the entrance was a lavish meal laid out on the table, but there was no sign of Sakiko Yamamura.
Carrying the dinner back inside, Yui dug in voraciously. She devoured the food with the urgency of someone starving. Her energy consumption was high, and so was her need for nourishment. A single meal now felt like it matched three from her previous life. After eating to her heart's content, she let out a loud burp, placed the empty dishes outside, and knew Sakiko Yamamura would come by later to take them away.
Lying there with nothing else to do after a full meal, Yui felt a deep sense of comfort. Compared to the hellish life she had before, this peace felt like pure bliss.
Lazily sprawled out, her mind wandered back to the odd occurrences from the afternoon. The previously unresponsive cards had suddenly activated. They now showed her personal status and even a 3D representation of her physical form.
Even more astonishing, within the deck menu, she saw the figure of Misaka Mikoto. There was even a "transform" option. A note beside it clarified that she could transform into Misaka Mikoto.
She had to suppress the intense excitement that surged within her. As tempting as it was, transforming into another person wasn't something she could explain easily. Becoming a Jonin wasn't something ordinary people could do. They weren't easily deceived. If she wanted to test out the transformation, she'd need the right moment or a believable excuse.
Fortunately, that excuse wasn't too hard to find. One of the most basic ninja techniques was the Transformation Jutsu, which allowed the user to change into another person, an object, or even an animal.
So far, everything Sakiko Yamamura had taught her focused on combat training, physical conditioning, and chakra control. There hadn't been a single lesson on ninjutsu. Was it because of her chakra reserves? Or maybe the emphasis was meant to be on combat for now? Or perhaps Sakiko didn't see the point of teaching such techniques?
Yui had built up a mountain of questions, but no one she could ask. She feared slipping up and revealing something. Jonin were highly perceptive. To her, they were not only unbeatable in combat but also in mind and observation. Especially in her current state, Jonin were the embodiment of invincibility.
"Not sleeping? With such a good chance to rest, it'd be a waste not to use it," Sakiko Yamamura said as she walked in and stood over Yui, looking down at her.
"I guess... After more than half a year, I got used to this. It's hard to fall asleep now," Yui replied honestly.
"Is that so? Then take the opportunity to rest while you can. A ninja must always maintain peak condition to handle any sudden emergencies," Sakiko replied with little concern for Yui's answer. She crouched down, pulled a blanket over Yui, and gently patted her head, encouraging her to sleep.
Yui couldn't understand why this rogue Mist ninja would say such things. Why take the trouble to come say them at all? Was Sakiko really someone who'd do something meaningless? Despite her questions, sleep took over, and she drifted off.
She woke up the next morning feeling refreshed. Yawning and stretching, she let out a pleased hum. This was the best, sweetest sleep she'd had since arriving in this world. So this was what it felt like to wake naturally? Even simple rest could feel so blissful. Oddly, Sakiko hadn't come to wake her. Could her words last night have meant she planned for her to sleep in today?
Yui went out, drew water from the well to wash up, cleaned herself, and returned to the house. There was no sign of Sakiko—and no breakfast either.
Technically, breakfast time had passed. Maybe she'd be having lunch directly instead? Unfortunately, lunchtime came and went with no food either. Yui sat waiting on the veranda for hours, but Sakiko never showed up.
All meals—breakfast, lunch, and dinner—were always brought by Sakiko from outside. The basin was full of plants and flowers, but over 80% of them were poisonous. There were mosquitoes that spread disease and other venomous insects. There was absolutely no edible food in the area. If Sakiko didn't return... would she starve to death?
The horrifying thought sent a shiver down her spine. Surely not, right? After all the effort invested in her, it'd be a waste to let it go unrecovered. Who'd make such a losing trade?
As dusk fell and the moon and stars filled the sky, Sakiko was still nowhere to be found. Yui couldn't sit still anymore. Her stomach ached from hunger. After all, she usually ate large amounts, and now she hadn't had a single bite all day. Sure, she drank water, but that couldn't replace food. Her stomach felt hollow, and her head was starting to spin.
"Are you just going to sit there and wait to die when you're backed into a corner?"
That voice, clear and soothing as a heavenly song, had never sounded so beautiful. Yui looked up in surprise and delight. There stood Sakiko on the rooftop, crouched down, her clear eyes locked onto Yui.
"I'm so hungry! Do you have anything to eat?" Yui asked, unable to hold back.
"I do."
"What is it?"
"Wolf meat."
Yui thought she must be hallucinating from hunger. Did she just hear that right? "What?"
"Wolf meat," Sakiko repeated as she leapt down.
She signaled, and two masked ninja appeared, dragging a large cage to the clearing beside Yui. As they lifted the cloth cover, a foul stench filled the air. Yui recoiled, her heart racing.
Inside the iron cage was a wolf with glowing green eyes. This wasn't some regular wolf from her past life's TV shows. It was a mutated wolf from the Naruto world—absurdly large. For a five-year-old like Yui, it was like facing a massive monster.
"You were always curious about what happened to the sixteen people before you, right?" Sakiko asked. Yui turned her head stiffly, dread growing in her chest.
"Four were eaten by wolves. The other twelve broke the rules and I killed them myself. You're probably wondering what the rule is, right? It's simple. Here in this field, you and the wolf will fight to the death. Win, and you get to eat the wolf. Lose, and the wolf eats you."
Yui went cold. The way the wolf stared at her made her insides churn.
"As for those twelve who broke the rules, they ran out of the designated area. Inside this field, you can move however you want. But step outside, and you'll die. Not by the wolf—I'll kill you myself."
"Is... is that so?" Yui's throat was dry and tight.
"Anything within this field is at your disposal. But remember—do not leave it. If you try, I'll end you before the wolf even gets the chance." With that, Sakiko destroyed the cage and disappeared in a blur. The other two ninja vanished as well.
The giant wolf let out a thunderous roar. It had been starved for three full days and nights, driven mad by hunger. The moment it was free, it lunged toward the only living thing in sight: five-year-old Yui Amagiri.
"No weapons?! You've got to be kidding me—am I supposed to fight it barehanded?!" Yui cursed inwardly.
Was this really happening?!