Naruto and Sasuke instantly appeared in front of Chinatsu and Kaguya.
Sasuke landed gracefully on the ground after using his space-time ability, while Naruto, driven by pure excitement, lunged straight toward Chinatsu.
"Naruto, you!!!"
"Hehe~ Looks like I'm still faster!"
In the brief instant Naruto closed the distance, Sasuke's eyes widened.
Only 0.1 seconds had passed, yet he had already understood what Naruto was trying to do.
Another 0.1 seconds later, Sasuke gritted his teeth. His Rinnegan pupils contracted as he prepared to use Amenotejikara to manipulate the space between them.
But before Sasuke could make his move—
Smack!
Chinatsu casually raised her hand and slapped the charging Naruto directly into the ground.
Thud!
Naruto landed face-first.
A large red handprint appeared on his left cheek, while his hands and feet twitched slightly.
Of course, the slap wasn't particularly powerful.
Naruto was naturally quite strong and muscular, so Chinatsu had only used enough force to stop his momentum.
After twitching for three or four seconds, Naruto finally stopped.
He slowly pushed himself up from the ground.
Fortunately, he wasn't injured.
The only problem was the bright red handprint on his cheek.
And judging by how clearly it had been imprinted…
It wasn't going to disappear anytime soon.
Sasuke looked at Naruto's miserable appearance and couldn't help but bend slightly forward, a faint smile appearing on his face.
"From childhood until now, I still can't understand how your brain works. You actually thought about pouncing on your sister, and now you've been slapped into the ground. Serves you right."
Naruto immediately pouted.
"It's been almost two months since I last saw her! I was just too excited!"
Indeed.
The sacrifice of Reishi, Shiki, and Mai had taken roughly a month to complete. Then, Chinatsu and Kaguya had spent another month slowly making their way back.
During those two months, Naruto and Sasuke had successfully stabilized the initial chaos in the Land of Whirlpools.
Actually, it hadn't been particularly difficult.
The initial unrest had mainly been caused by the sudden and drastic changes in the environment.
Once Naruto and Sasuke explained the situation and helped everyone adapt, the panic gradually disappeared.
And once people experienced the benefits of the changes…
They didn't want to give them up anymore.
After all, it was easy to go from simplicity to luxury, but difficult to return from luxury to simplicity.
If someone now told the people of the Land of Whirlpools that these changes were going to disappear, even Naruto and Sasuke would probably hear the same response from the entire population.
"NO!!!"
And if anyone actually tried to resist the changes?
Naruto, Sasuke, and the Akatsuki members wouldn't even need to do anything.
The villagers themselves would grab pots, pans, kitchen knives, and whatever else they could find before surrounding the troublemakers.
"Listen carefully!"
"You have to listen!"
"Do you understand?!"
The situation wasn't limited to the Land of Whirlpools.
The other countries were experiencing similar changes.
Konoha's situation was particularly stable, much like the Land of Whirlpools. The other villages had suffered some initial disruption, but after the situation stabilized, the villagers happily began cleaning up the mess left behind by the earlier chaos.
Of course, just because the changes were beneficial didn't mean every consequence would necessarily be positive.
Human desires naturally grew alongside living standards.
The better life became, the more people wanted.
That was unavoidable.
Much like the human instinct to watch a spectacle, it was simply part of human nature.
But overall…
The changes were undoubtedly beneficial.
Two months had passed, and the Land of Whirlpools was already functioning smoothly.
When Chinatsu returned, she didn't need to worry about taking charge of anything.
She could simply relax and enjoy herself.
After hearing Naruto and Sasuke explain the situation, Chinatsu rubbed her forehead and sighed dramatically.
"That's such a shame. I didn't even get a chance to intervene~"
Her voice was filled with regret.
However, the three people beside her knew perfectly well that Chinatsu would never genuinely complain about having nothing to do.
She was secretly delighted.
In fact, one of the reasons Chinatsu had deliberately chosen to walk back instead of immediately teleporting home was because she didn't want to return and instantly throw herself into work.
Just a small part of the reason.
Really.
Only a small part.
"Sister!"
Sasuke suddenly looked at Chinatsu expectantly.
"You should have nothing left to do now, right?!"
His question wasn't casual.
Although Chinatsu always called herself a lazy person, Sasuke knew better than anyone that his sister had actually been constantly busy.
When they were younger, she frequently went on missions.
Even during her supposed rest periods, she spent considerable time training him and Naruto.
Although her cooking was often terrible, Chinatsu had always taken responsibility for their meals.
Breakfast.
Lunch.
Dinner.
Even when she didn't cook, she would make sure there was enough food and supplies for the two of them.
After Naruto and Sasuke graduated from the Ninja Academy and began taking missions, Chinatsu became even busier.
She would disappear for long periods, and nobody knew exactly what she was doing.
It wasn't until the Akatsuki members had gradually joined them that Naruto and Sasuke learned just how much Chinatsu had been secretly doing behind the scenes.
She had fought countless battles.
She had faced several situations where she had nearly died.
Even after defeating the Otsutsuki trio of Kinshiki, Momoshiki, and Isshiki, Chinatsu had spent the next five years seemingly doing nothing.
But Sasuke knew the truth.
That carefree life wasn't the kind of relaxation his sister truly wanted.
During those five years, he had seen her leave her room more than once, sit quietly on the sofa, and let out a heavy sigh.
Sasuke understood.
His sister had been worried about what would happen five years later.
Now, however, everything had finally been resolved.
So she didn't need to do anything anymore.
Right?
Sasuke looked at Chinatsu expectantly.
Chinatsu paused.
Then she smiled.
"Nothing to do?"
She tilted her head.
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
Sasuke's expression immediately darkened.
As expected…
But before he could become disappointed, Chinatsu continued.
"I'm incredibly sleepy right now."
She yawned.
"When I get home, I'm going straight to bed. Nobody is allowed to disturb me."
Her expression became serious.
"Everyone, shut up. I don't want to have a sweet dream interrupted because someone woke me up."
Sasuke's expression immediately brightened.
My sister!
She scared me for nothing!
"Don't worry!"
Sasuke immediately patted his chest.
"I'll keep a close eye on everyone. Nobody will disturb you. Not even a pin dropping will make a sound!"
"That's right!"
Naruto immediately joined in.
"I'll help too!"
Chinatsu smiled.
"Then I'll leave everything to you two~"
She stepped forward and gently patted their heads.
There was a hint of reluctance in her movements, as though she had missed doing this more than she wanted to admit.
Then, accompanied by Naruto, Sasuke, and Kaguya, Chinatsu finally returned home.
After nearly two months…
She was finally back.
And waiting for her inside was the thing she had been looking forward to the most.
Her cozy little bed.
Chinatsu's eyes practically lit up.
Home.