Chapter 140: I Can Tell at a Glance That You're Not Human
Five minutes later.
Ichikishimahime's consciousness had just returned to her original body. Before she could even enjoy the relief, she suddenly realized that the chakra inside her body had stopped circulating.
A seal?
The moment she realized that she had been hit with a jutsu that sealed her chakra, the little girl's face immediately fell again.
"You can focus on preparing for the Chūnin Exams now. I've already explained the situation with the Hoshinin to the village through the Ninja Cats."
Asuka waved toward the Ninja Cats before turning around and reassuring his three injured students.
He didn't help them recover their strength. After all, this was still the Chūnin Exam. It was understandable for him to intervene when the Hoshinin attacked them, but if he helped restore their stamina, the three would likely be disqualified immediately.
Thinking about the reputation of Konoha's Genin, Asuka's gaze swept over Iruka, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
For most people without some method of cheating, a Genin simply didn't qualify to become a teacher at the Ninja Academy.
"Understood."
The three nodded.
Asuka was dressed in his clan uniform today, making him look particularly handsome and tall, with an extraordinary air about him.
Unfortunately, the moment they saw their teacher with one foot resting on the back of a certain little girl and a rope thicker than his wrist in his hand, several black lines appeared on their foreheads.
Asuka tightened the rope, completely ignoring the looks they were giving him as though he were some kind of pervert.
He turned around, waved at them, and said,
"Good luck with the Chūnin Exams. Once you become Chūnin, I'll treat you to a big meal."
With that, he glanced down at the human-shaped cocoon beside his feet.
He swung the rope over his shoulder, hoisted it onto his back, and walked out of the Forest of Death.
Finding information about Ryūchi Cave in books would be far slower than simply asking someone directly.
Besides, in his opinion, this little girl seemed to be a high-ranking member of Ryūchi Cave.
"Hey! Listen to me! Put me down! We can pretend nothing happened today!"
After struggling unsuccessfully once again, Ichikishimahime raised her head with difficulty.
Asuka was carrying her over his shoulder like a sack of rice.
She shouted angrily,
"Do snakes dream too?"
Hearing Asuka's voice from ahead, Ichikishimahime was about to argue when she noticed the strange looks from the humans around them.
"She's so young, and she's already a criminal?"
"You can't judge a person by appearances. Tsunade-sama is so beautiful. Who would've thought she was from the same generation as my father?"
"Exactly. There are plenty of ninjutsu in the ninja world that can preserve someone's youth."
"Ptooey!"
Ichikishimahime spat at the gossiping villagers and glared at them, baring her teeth.
"Why wouldn't snakes dream? I dream all the time!"
Asuka looked back at her and shook his head.
"Idiot."
Ichikishimahime violently twisted her body, her little face turning bright red.
"Then release my seal if you have the guts! Let's see if I can beat you into the ground. I didn't even use Sage Mode back then. Don't think you can defeat me!"
Asuka looked up at the slowly drifting clouds overhead, a hint of irritation appearing on his face.
Maybe this girl has simply spent too long in Ryūchi Cave.
She kept referring to herself in that strange, archaic manner, deliberately pretending to be an adult. And, judging from everything she'd said so far, she wasn't particularly bright, either.
"Don't mention Sage Mode."
"Judging from your technique, I'd say your Sage Mode isn't particularly impressive."
Her eyes slowly widened.
Bound tightly in the rope, Ichikishimahime felt as though those words had stabbed directly into her heart.
She bared a row of white teeth and thrashed wildly like a fish stranded on shore, desperately struggling as she shouted,
"Nonsense! During the first Chūnin Exam, I attacked you from a distance while using Sage Mode! Didn't you feel it on your butt?"
"That was the power of Sage Mode!"
Asuka stopped dead.
He connected her words with the inexplicable attack he had suffered during the first Chūnin Exam.
He shifted the cocoon from his back to his chest, examined her from head to toe, and narrowed his eyes.
"I thought some pervert had attacked me. So it was you?"
"That's right!"
Ichikishimahime nodded happily.
She was surprisingly honest.
"I just wanted to test your 'meat quality' in advance. After all, you're a human the Sages have taken notice of. You'll definitely participate in the trials of Ryūchi Cave someday."
A red glow flashed through Asuka's eyes.
He stared expressionlessly at her.
"How was the meat?"
Ichikishimahime recalled what had happened that day.
She blinked, then answered with a hint of nostalgia.
"Very springy. Very chewy."
Asuka's expression darkened.
Apparently, she was criticizing him.
He immediately jumped onto a rooftop where no one could see them.
Holding the rope in his left hand, he began running while speaking.
"Snake meat is rich in protein. It's delicious, chewy, and aromatic. It helps improve eyesight, relieve coughing, enhance brain function, and eliminate fatigue."
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The strong wind swept across Ichikishimahime's face, instinctively making her narrow her eyes.
She watched Asuka continuously listing the nutritional and health benefits of snake meat.
Then she glanced at the rapidly running Asuka before looking ahead toward the Uchiha compound.
"What are you planning to do to me?"
Asuka thought for a moment.
"Nothing. I just don't quite understand what 'chewy meat' actually means when you're talking about snakes."
Ichikishimahime looked at him contemptuously.
"Idiot. It means it's difficult to chew."
"I still don't understand. I've never eaten snake before."
Asuka then slipped his right hand through the gap in the rope and squeezed a few times.
A look of sudden realization appeared on his face.
"So snake meat being tough means it has little fat and is mostly lean meat and bone. No wonder it's difficult to chew."
???
Feeling numbness behind her, Ichikishimahime clenched her upper teeth so hard that her lips turned pale.
She stared at Asuka with murderous eyes.
Seeing her flushed cheeks, Asuka withdrew his hand and scratched his head.
His tone was full of apology.
His expression was not.
"Sorry. I can't use Sage Mode, so I can't sense the meat quality of a person."
"And aren't you eating enough? Why are you so thin? You don't have any meat on you at all."
"Were the other snakes bullying you? Did they stop you from eating?"
"Even if we removed all your bones, you wouldn't weigh more than a couple of ounces of meat. You're even lighter than the fat cat at my house."
"When we get back, I'll buy you some cat food. Its nutritional balance is excellent."
Her hand, hidden beneath the rope, dug her fingernails deeply into her palm.
Ichikishimahime's breathing became increasingly rapid.
The bastard was squeezing her snake butt while complaining that she had no meat on it.
She was so stunned that she'd forgotten every insult she had wanted to throw at him.
This sharp-tongued bastard… Why does he remind me of a certain other sharp-tongued tailed beast?
Bang!
Before she could get angry, Asuka shoved her forward again.
Staring at the Uchiha clan crest on his back, Ichikishimahime's expression gradually twisted.
Her eyes were almost bloodshot.
She had already begun planning how to torture Asuka.
Grrrroooowl.
Suddenly, her stomach let out a strange rumble.
Ichikishimahime raised her eyelids and looked ahead.
She blinked, suppressing the frightening thoughts in her mind before asking innocently,
"What was that sound just now?"
Asuka rubbed his stomach.
His expression remained calm.
"Probably just an upset stomach."
"Yūgao hasn't had time to make breakfast because of the Chūnin Exams recently, so I've gone back to my old diet: hot instant noodles with cold milk."
"It's been a while since I ate like that, so my stomach probably isn't used to it anymore."
Grrrroooowl.
The strange rumbling sounded again.
Ichikishimahime's expression changed.
She instinctively stuck out her tongue and licked the corner of her mouth.
Then she began bargaining.
"Can you carry me properly?"
"If not, you can hold me under your arm."
"If that's still impossible, then make the rope longer and drag me along the ground."
Asuka looked back at her.
He comforted her.
"How could an elite jōnin possibly be unable to endure such a trivial inconvenience?"
"You've underestimated me."
"Yes! Yes! Yes!"
Ichikishimahime nodded repeatedly like a pecking chick, wholeheartedly agreeing.
"You're merely a jōnin. Just a shell…"
Whoosh.
A gentle breeze brushed against her face, lightly lifting the dark-blue hair over her forehead.
She looked at the green willows swaying in the wind.
For a moment, the scene seemed filled with endless poetic beauty.
A phrase she had learned from humans suddenly surfaced in Ichikishimahime's mind.
The gentle breeze brushes the face, while the graceful willow branches sway.
The next moment, a sharp voice drowned out the noise of the pedestrians below.
Everyone raised their heads toward the sky.
An extraordinarily furious voice came from above.
"Uchiha Asuka!"
Ten minutes later.
Tap.
Ryōichi, who had been sitting in the courtyard enjoying the sunlight, suddenly opened his eyes.
He looked at Asuka walking into the courtyard.
Then he looked at the human-shaped cocoon behind him.
"What happened?"
Bang!
Asuka threw the cocoon onto the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Then he walked over to the table, picked up the teapot, and took a long drink.
"Phew~"
Feeling the water replenishing his body, Asuka let out a satisfied breath.
Then he pointed toward the depressed-looking Ichikishimahime.
"This girl says the two of us are bound by fate."
"Bound by fate?"
"Marriage?"
Ryōichi's eyes widened.
He looked the girl up and down before sighing in disappointment.
"She may not look her age, but she's too thin. I'm afraid she won't be able to have many children in the future."
"Heh."
A cold laugh came from nearby.
Uchiha Madara opened his eyes.
He stared at the dark-blue-haired little girl for a long moment before speaking expressionlessly.
"She isn't human. She can't reproduce."
"That's good. It's a good thing she can't have children. Then everything can be done openly."
Relieved, Ryōichi sat back down.
Then he suddenly shot upright and stared at Madara in shock.
"Not human?"
He completely ignored Ryōichi's astonishment.
At this moment, Asuka could clearly sense the overwhelming killing intent emanating from the dark-blue-haired girl.
Seeing the snake glaring at him viciously and repeatedly baring her fangs, Madara waved toward Asuka dismissively.
"This little thing has quite a murderous aura."
"Activate your Mangekyō Sharingan and turn her over onto her back. I'll teach you how to eliminate her killing intent."
What the hell?
Asuka's eyes widened.
He stared at Madara in disbelief.
Should I call him the reincarnation of Asura of the ninja world?
He even knows a jutsu for eliminating an opponent's killing intent?
"Use your left hand to hold her chin and establish eye contact with her. Then form the Ox, Hare, Ram, and Boar hand seals with your right hand."
Asuka obediently completed the series of actions.
Madara closed his eyes again and slowly reclined in his chair.
Remembering how he had completely subdued the Nine-Tails back then—the beast's seven varieties of stubborn defiance, eight varieties of furious resentment, and overwhelming killing intent—Madara sneered inwardly.
In this lifetime, apart from Hashirama, no creature has ever dared bare its fangs at me.