Jiraiya's erotic novel had genuinely surprised Chinatsu.
When she used to read the manga and watch the anime in her previous life, she had always been curious about this series.
What kind of erotic novel could become a bestseller throughout the entire ninja world?
Now that she had finally seen it for herself, Chinatsu could only admire Jiraiya's creativity.
Judging from the copyright fees alone, even Tsunade no matter how extravagant she was should probably be able to afford it.
This suddenly made Chinatsu curious about the current relationship between Tsunade and Jiraiya.
After all, Jiraiya was still alive in the world she had interfered with.
If those two could actually get together, that would be wonderful.
Chinatsu did have the ability to locate Tsunade and Jiraiya instantly if she wanted to.
However...
Spying on other people's private moments was unethical.
So she naturally wouldn't do something like that.
Lying comfortably on the sofa, Chinatsu placed the open copy of Icha Icha Paradise on her chest.
Her eyes slowly closed.
And just like that, she began one of the three core activities of the legendary "lazy party."
Sleeping!
Time passed day by day.
Meanwhile, the Konoha delegation staying in the Land of Whirlpools became increasingly curious about the enormous object covered by the white cloth.
Nobody knew what was underneath.
But judging from the size...
It had to be something extraordinary.
At the same time, outside the Land of Whirlpools, thanks to the tireless efforts of Naruto, Sasuke, and the others, the second version of the Chinatsu statue was finally approaching completion.
Konan stood in front of the finished sculpture, holding her blueprint.
She looked up at the result of everyone's hard work.
Tears welled up in her eyes.
"B-Everyone..."
Her voice trembled.
"You've worked so hard..."
The others looked at their masterpiece with expressions of satisfaction.
This time...
It was perfect!
At long last, they could return to the Land of Whirlpools and face Chinatsu with their heads held high.
That night.
Under the cover of darkness, the group secretly approached the original statue like a bunch of thieves.
Sasuke activated his Susanoo and carefully lifted the enormous First Chinatsu Statue from its position.
Naruto then summoned Kurama.
The Nine-Tails carefully picked up the newly completed statue and placed it exactly where the previous statue had stood.
Everything went smoothly.
There was only one final step.
Cover it again.
After all, the surprise would be much more effective if the statue remained hidden until the official unveiling.
This...
Was a surprise!
Once everything was secretly completed in the middle of the night, everyone dispersed and returned to their rooms, eagerly awaiting morning.
Morning arrived.
"Sister! Sister! Sister!"
Naruto's voice echoed through the room.
Chinatsu slowly opened her eyes.
She had just finished twelve hours of sleep.
Even after twelve hours, however, she still let out a long, sleepy breath.
Her energy levels were nothing like they had been during her intense school days in her previous life.
Back then, six or seven hours of sleep were enough to make her wake up feeling refreshed.
Now?
Twelve hours wasn't even excessive.
"What is it?"
Chinatsu yawned and turned toward Naruto and Sasuke beside her.
Incidentally, she was sleeping on the sofa this time.
If she had been sleeping in her bedroom, Naruto and Sasuke wouldn't have dared to enter without permission.
Naruto and Sasuke exchanged a glance.
Then both of them grinned.
"Come outside with us, Sister!"
They didn't explain anything.
But that alone was enough for Chinatsu to understand.
Ah.
So that's what they were planning.
Surprisingly, she didn't feel any ominous premonition this time.
Well, Konan had helped them.
So maybe...
She could finally see a normal statue this time!
Chinatsu stretched lazily.
She briefly considered calling Kaguya along.
But Kaguya refused.
"I've already seen it."
Kaguya's expression remained strangely calm.
"I can only say... it's very good."
Very good?
Chinatsu raised an eyebrow.
She was a little curious about when Kaguya had seen it, but those words still gave her some confidence.
Maybe this time, they had actually succeeded.
With that thought in mind, Chinatsu stepped outside.
The enormous object covered by the white sheet immediately entered her field of vision.
Beside the statue, Hidan and Kagura were already standing like professional commentators.
The moment they saw Chinatsu emerge, both of them became excited.
"She's here!"
"Prepare for the unveiling!"
One of them shouted loudly while the other grabbed the corner of the massive white sheet.
Chinatsu stood there calmly, wearing a faint smile.
Then
"Three!"
"Two!"
"One!"
SWOOSH!
The enormous white sheet was pulled away.
Chinatsu's smile froze.
Her pupils contracted.
She inhaled deeply.
Completely different from what I expected!!!
The original Chinatsu statue had been wearing battle-damaged armor from the Night of the Massacre era.
One hand held a gigantic torch.
Its expression was fierce and intimidating.
And its gaze...
Well...
Chinatsu couldn't even figure out what the statue was supposed to be glaring at.
Summary:
Abstract!
But the new Chinatsu statue...
Although it was considerably less abstract than the first one, it definitely couldn't be described as "normal."
Chinatsu was sitting on a throne-like chair.
Her body leaned slightly backward, giving her a posture that was far from proper.
One leg was raised and crossed over the other.
Her head tilted slightly to the side.
One hand supported her cheek.
The corners of her mouth were slightly raised.
And her eyes carried an unmistakable look of disdain.
Chinatsu stared.
...
Wait.
Wait a minute.
This...
Actually wasn't bad?
Chinatsu's mind went blank.
Although the statue was still somewhat abstract and the fact that it was a statue of herself made the whole thing incredibly embarrassing she had to admit something.
From her own aesthetic perspective...
She actually liked it.
It somehow captured the feeling she often had.
That lazy, arrogant, carefree attitude.
It was strange.
It was embarrassing.
But it resonated with her.
Far away, Konan was watching Chinatsu's expression with extreme nervousness.
Her original blueprint had been quite ordinary.
But this version?
This was a gamble.
Konan's heart was pounding as she continued staring at Chinatsu.
Seconds passed.
Yet Chinatsu still hadn't given any clear response.
Konan became increasingly nervous.
Please...
Please...
Please!!!
Suddenly, Chinatsu turned her head.
Her gaze landed directly on Konan, who was nervously watching her from a distance.
Konan's heart immediately leaped into her throat.
Please!
Please don't hate it!
Then
Chinatsu slowly raised her hand.
And gave Konan a thumbs-up.
"It's still abstract..."
Although Chinatsu didn't say it aloud, her expression clearly conveyed the rest.
But I like it!
Konan instantly understood.
Her entire body relaxed.
A massive breath escaped her lungs.
"Haaaaaa..."
Her legs went weak.
THUD!
Konan collapsed onto the ground.
"Konan!"
Nagato and the others were startled.
They immediately rushed over and tried to help her up.
"What happened?"
"Are you alright?"
Konan didn't answer immediately.
Instead, she lay flat on the ground.
She stretched her arms and legs leisurely, enjoying the feeling of finally releasing all the tension that had accumulated over the past few days.
Then she smiled.
"Comrades..."
Everyone looked at her.
Konan raised a fist toward the sky.
"We passed!"
Silence.
The surrounding crowd froze.
Then
THUD!
THUD!
THUD!
One person after another collapsed onto the ground as if they had all been struck by the same invisible attack.
"We..."
"We actually passed..."
Their appearances were pitiful.
It almost looked as though Chinatsu had tortured them for several days.
In reality, however, they had simply been under too much pressure.
They had been terrified that the second statue would be even worse than the first.
Fortunately, they hadn't received any bad reactions from the ordinary citizens.
In fact, because everyone had been too nervous to focus on Chinatsu's reaction, they hadn't even noticed the subtle difference between the two statues.
Now that Konan had announced their success...
The tension holding everyone's bodies together finally disappeared.
These normally fearsome figures the leaders and important members of the Land of Whirlpools simply lay scattered across the ground.
And then...
They fell asleep.
Just like that.
The statue crisis...
Was finally over.