Growing Up

A girl appeared, with black hair cut short at ear-length, exuding a certain heroic spirit. Despite her young age, she had an indescribable charm about her.

"Big brother, are you blowing things up again? Master will scold you if he finds out," the black-haired girl sighed, looking helpless.

"It's not blowing things up, it's art! Art, you understand?" Deidara shouted loudly.

"Fine, fine, it's art," the black-haired girl turned to look at Kaguya, stunned by her beauty. "Big brother, who is she?"

"She is—"

"Could she be your girlfriend?" Before Deidara could finish, the black-haired girl shouted as if she had discovered something exciting.

"Nonsense, she's my friend, just my friend!" Deidara hastily explained, his face turning red.

"Got it, got it," the black-haired girl smiled at Deidara.

"Hello, I'm Kaguya. What's your name?" Kaguya smiled faintly, ignoring the earlier teasing.

"I'm Kurotsuchi," the black-haired girl smiled, then asked in surprise, "How is your skin so good? What kind of moisturizer do you use?" She even squeezed Kaguya's hand a few times.

"Ahem, I don't use any," Kaguya calmly withdrew her hand, intending to tease Kurotsuchi but ended up being teased herself. "So your name is Kurotsuchi?"

Kaguya suddenly realized, if she is Kurotsuchi, then she must be the granddaughter of the Third Tsuchikage.

"Yes, is there a problem?" Kurotsuchi asked, puzzled.

"No, I was just curious," Kaguya quickly waved her hand.

Kurotsuchi sighed and complained, "I knew it. What a name they gave me. A girl named 'Black Earth'? It's so lame."

Although Kaguya wanted to comfort her and say the name was nice, she couldn't bring herself to do it. The name was indeed quite unfortunate, especially for a pretty girl.

"I'm going away for a while. Tell the old man I won't be coming back," Deidara said.

"Where are you going?" Kurotsuchi looked at Deidara, then at Kaguya.

"he's going to join Akatsuki, a mercenary organization," Kaguya smiled. "You can train and earn a good commission."

"Akatsuki?" Kurotsuchi scratched her head in confusion. "I think I've heard that name somewhere."

"It's just a small organization. It's normal if you don't remember," Kaguya smiled faintly.

"Okay, I'll tell the old man," Kurotsuchi walked to Deidara, whispered in his ear, "Good luck."

"Don't cause any trouble! You hear me?" Deidara shouted, his face turning red.

Watching Kaguya and Deidara's figures gradually disappear over the horizon, Kurotsuchi turned and left.

"'Akatsuki'... Where have I heard that name before?" Kurotsuchi pondered, thinking about the organization Kaguya had mentioned earlier. "I just can't remember."

Thus, Kaguya successfully convinced Deidara to join Akatsuki. At that time, she was thirteen years old.

Meanwhile, Uchiha Itachi, Kakuzu, and Konan had recruited Hidan into the Akatsuki organization. Like Deidara, Hidan's appearance seemed to have been delayed, perhaps a butterfly effect caused by Kaguya.

By this time, the main members of Akatsuki had all been assembled.

In the blink of an eye, four years had passed.

At the dumpling shop in Konoha, a beautiful young girl had come in. Her silver hair cascaded like mist or a waterfall, her skin fair, her eyebrows like willow leaves, and her eyes like pools of autumn water. Her long eyelashes were like smoke or mist, her nose straight, and her lips rosy.

Unfortunately, she wore a trench coat, a baseball cap, and large sunglasses, obscuring most of her face. This person was none other than Kaguya.

She had always thought that the world of Naruto was similar to a medieval setting, but it turned out to be quite advanced in terms of technology. She had easily bought this outfit, making her wonder if she had returned to her original world.

Kaguya bit into a dumpling. The delicate and soft texture melted in her mouth, leaving a lingering fragrance, especially a hint of bamboo leaves. Over the years, she had tasted dumplings from many places, but Konoha's were still the best.

This time, Kaguya had snuck into Konoha and discovered that much had changed. Her peers were now prominent ninja, many having become Chunin, like Shikamaru, and some even Jonin, like Neji.

"Boss, check please."

"Sure, take care."

After Kaguya left, the boss stared at her back for a long time, mumbling, "What a beautiful girl, but I feel like I've seen her somewhere before. Where could it be?"

Kaguya walked down the bustling street. The streets were crowded with people, carriages flowed like water, and children ran around playing, creating a scene of prosperity.

Following her memory, Kaguya arrived at a tall building, just as she remembered it.

With a light leap, she entered the courtyard. She opened the door and walked into her old room, finding it exactly as she remembered, with everything in its original place. Kaguya walked to the desk and opened a book titled "Icha Icha Paradise."

It seemed someone had been cleaning the room, as the furniture and bookshelves were spotless, the windows clear, and the bedding freshly washed, emitting a faint fragrance.

Just then, the door suddenly opened, and a young girl walked in, freezing in her tracks. The cup in her hand slipped and shattered on the floor with a crisp sound.

"Sister..."