Meanwhile, Chinatsu and Kaguya were lounging at home, enjoying a leisurely and carefree life especially Chinatsu.
She was sprawled across the sofa with a manga in her hands. With precise chakra control, the grapes on the table beside her peeled themselves and floated directly into her mouth.
Such a slick move was already second nature to Chinatsu.
Perhaps an ordinary person living such a laid-back life would eventually become restless and start looking for something to do.
But Chinatsu was different.
She thought this was absolutely perfect.
Just kidding.
After struggling for so long, she had finally gotten the chance to relax and enjoy herself. There was no way she was going to deliberately make things difficult for herself by searching for something to do.
Although the statue did give her a tiny bit of concern.
Yeah.
Just a little bit.
While Chinatsu lay on the sofa reading manga and eating grapes, Kaguya was hardly any less relaxed. She was also lying on the sofa, but her eyes were closed.
Was she sleeping?
No.
She was concentrating on expanding her senses.
For someone of Kaguya's caliber, spreading her perception throughout the entire Land of Whirlpools was effortless. It was almost as though her spirit had left her body and was freely wandering around the country.
She looked here and there, casually observing everything.
Suddenly
Whoosh!
A golden flash streaked across Kaguya's field of perception.
She didn't even need to look twice.
It was undoubtedly Naruto.
As Naruto flashed past, everyone including Konan emerged from the governing building. They exchanged bewildered glances, their expressions unusually serious.
Seeing this, Kaguya immediately understood one thing.
She was going to witness something interesting.
Naruto had borrowed another massive raw stone from Iwagakure and, following their previous plan, transported it to the shore of the Land of Fire, directly across the sea from the Land of Whirlpools.
Sasuke and the others had already been waiting there for some time.
Kaguya had come along as well.
If Sasuke focused his senses, he could vaguely detect Kaguya's presence, but unfortunately, his attention was completely occupied by the enormous boulder in front of him.
The group exchanged solemn glances.
This time, success was the only option.
Failure was absolutely forbidden.
Even a second chance would be unforgivable.
Konan held the newly revised blueprint in her hands and took a deep breath.
Among everyone present, she felt the greatest pressure.
After all, the responsibility for remaking the statue had been entrusted to her entirely by Chinatsu.
If they failed again, she would bear the greatest responsibility.
However, Konan trusted her companions.
More importantly, she trusted her own artistic sense.
This time, she was certain they would produce a perfect result!
"Everyone, let's begin!"
"Okay!!!"
Everyone raised their arms and shouted encouragement.
Even though Kaguya was currently only a spirit, she could clearly sense their soaring fighting spirit.
Kaguya separated a portion of her spirit and returned to her physical body. She turned her head slightly toward the sofa and confirmed that Chinatsu was still lying there, lazily eating grapes while reading her manga.
Kaguya couldn't help but sigh.
"Chinatsu... you truly are a woman burdened with sin."
She paused.
Then she muttered again.
"Chinatsu, you really are a woman of deep sin."
With that, Kaguya refocused her attention on Naruto, Sasuke, and the others as they began carving outside the Land of Whirlpools.
Their preparations were meticulous.
To avoid attracting attention, they had even created a barrier around the worksite.
It was a barrier technique they had specifically learned for this occasion.
Thanks to their exceptional talents, mastering it had taken them almost no time at all.
Once the barrier was activated, everyone stopped holding back.
Under Konan's command, they unleashed their abilities.
"Naruto Kurama!"
"Sasuke Susanoo!"
"Kakuzu Earth Grudge Fear Mode!"
"Kisame Water Release: Great Shark Bullet Technique!"
"Deidara C1: Clay Spider!"
"Sasori Red Secret Technique: Hundred Puppet Manipulation!"
"Hidan I'll cut!!!"
Under Konan's direction, everyone began working on the massive boulder.
Bits of stone were continuously shaved away from its edges as the rough outline of a statue gradually began to emerge.
"Hidan, make a few more cuts on the upper left! It's not flat enough there!"
"Now the bottom! A little more, but be gentle! The boulder can't be restored once you've cut too much!"
"And this side... that side... and that side!"
Hidan busily worked on the statue's embryonic form.
He didn't complain about being tired.
In fact, he seemed to be enjoying himself immensely.
With everyone's combined efforts, the carving progressed rapidly.
Kaguya watched from the sidelines.
However...
The more she watched, the more confused she became.
She couldn't understand what they were trying to sculpt.
What was that?
Was that supposed to be a leg?
And what were those things beside the legs?
Did Chinatsu have four legs?
No.
Six legs?
Kaguya's expression became increasingly bewildered.
Eventually, her gaze drifted toward the blueprint in Konan's hands.
She hadn't originally intended to look at it.
After all, watching Naruto and Sasuke carve the statue step by step could be considered a form of entertainment in itself.
But her body had other ideas.
Her spirit slowly drifted toward Konan.
Kaguya lowered her head and looked at the blueprint.
"(⊙o⊙) Wow~"
At that moment, Kaguya felt as though a door to an entirely new world had opened before her.
Meanwhile, back at home, Chinatsu had finally finished reading her manga.
She exhaled contentedly.
Perhaps she should distract herself for a while and chat with Kaguya before moving on to another book.
"Kaguya~ Kaguya~"
No response.
"Hmm?"
Chinatsu sat up on the sofa and turned toward the opposite couch.
Kaguya was lying there with her hands crossed over her stomach, her expression peaceful.
"Sleeping?"
Chinatsu tilted her head.
"What kind of dream are you having? You look so peaceful."
Since Kaguya appeared to be asleep, Chinatsu decided not to disturb her.
With a flick of her finger, another book flew over and automatically opened in front of her.
However
The moment Chinatsu glanced at the first page, her expression changed dramatically.
Her cheeks flushed.
Her eyes became completely glued to the novel.
Even the grapes beside her were forgotten.
Her entire attention was absorbed by the book.
After some time, Chinatsu finally finished reading.
She closed the novel and let out a long sigh.
"Jiraiya..."
She stared at the book with a complicated expression.
"You're really terrifying..."