"I am so hungry." A little girl with straight beige-colored hair rubbed her stomach and looked up at the villagers who were all staring at her fearfully. She quickly lowered her head again, looked at the scars on her hands, and murmured, "I trained hard again today."
Then...
Her little face, covered in dust, wore a happy smile as she slowly walked down the street...
Since the Fourth Raikage completed his reforms, there had been fewer and fewer people in the ninja village. Most ninja had started going out, reaching various places in the Land of Lightning. As for what they were doing?
She did not really know. After all, she was still just a child.
"What should I eat today?" The little girl wrinkled her cute little brows and murmured, "I do not have much money left. It is still a few days until the end of the month. I must use it sparingly."
The assistance funds she received each month were not much. If it was just for meals, it was enough to not starve, but she never felt full.
And she still had to train. She would get very hungry every day. Sometimes, because she was too hungry, she ended up spending too much money, and then had to be even more frugal the next day. Otherwise, she definitely would not make it to the end of the month.
"Mhmm." The little girl raised her small pink fist and said with a serious expression, "I am not too tired today. I definitely can eat less."
She absolutely had to control the monster inside her. Otherwise...
The people in the village would not like her.
The little girl's face showed determination, but when she saw the disgust in the eyes of the villagers around her, she still felt a little sad. Clearly, she had never once harmed the village, so why did they all dislike her so much?
She thought about it, then quickly lowered her head again...
As long as she could not see them, they definitely could not see her.
Then, she started running with small steps...
Before long...
"It smells so good." The little girl suddenly caught a faint, delicious scent and immediately stopped. She looked up and was stunned when she saw the small shop that had suddenly appeared in front of her. She murmured, "When did this open?"
Why had she never seen it before?
She looked up at the signboard above...
"Uzushiogakure Authentic Tofu Pudding?"
From Uzushiogakure?
But why would it open here?
The little girl's face showed confusion. As a person of Kumogakure, she still knew about Uzushiogakure. She heard there was a powerful person there that even the Fourth Raikage could not defeat. Also, in the previous wars between Kumogakure and Uzushiogakure, they had never won even once. So...
In her mind, Kumogakure and Uzushiogakure should be enemies. So why was there a shop from Uzushiogakure here?
Did the ninja adults not care?
But...
The little girl twitched her nose and murmured, "It really smells so good."
She had never smelled anything like this before.
Especially...
"It is so delicious." A chubby boy nearby said with his eyes narrowed, "Soft, sweet. I never thought Uzushiogakure had such delicious food. It is just a bit expensive. I can only eat it once in a while." He sighed, his chubby face showing a disappointed expression. "If only the Chakra Center they opened would let me in. Then I could definitely exchange for a lot of money and eat this all day long."
"Right. It is a pity the Chakra Center does not allow children. Otherwise, with the chakra we have, we could definitely exchange for money. But..." Another, somewhat skinny child nodded in agreement, then yelled at the chubby boy, "Heretic. Clearly, the savory one is more delicious. Especially that special soy sauce. It is truly too delicious."
"You are the heretic." The chubby boy immediately became displeased and said, "Those who eat the savory one are heretics."
"No, you are."
"You are."
"..."
The little girl watched the two boys leave, especially looking at the white bowls in their hands, and murmured, "Sweet? Savory?"
Although she did not understand what they meant, it looked really delicious.
"Gurgle."
The little girl rubbed her stomach. After smelling that, she seemed to have gotten even hungrier.
But...
"Very expensive?" The little girl felt her thin, nearly empty purse and murmured, "Forget it. Otherwise, tomorrow I will only be able to eat a little bit again."
And such a small bowl definitely would not fill her up.
She stood at the entrance, twitched her little nose, took a few deep breaths, then quickly restrained herself and turned to leave quickly...
I cannot eat it.
Otherwise, I will go hungry.
But at that moment...
"Little child, what is wrong?" An old woman with graying hair looked at the little girl who had been staring at her shop and said with a kind smile, "Would you like a bowl?"
The little girl, seeing the old woman at the shop entrance speaking to her, blushed and quickly shook her head, saying, "N... no."
This is so embarrassing.
The owner noticed me. Now she will definitely chase me away. After all, I am...
Thinking this, the little girl's eyes dimmed again. She was just about to hurry away.
"Haha." The old woman laughed, looked at the little girl in front of her, and said, "So cute."
She glanced at the girl's clothes, which were faded from washing and somewhat worn, and immediately understood.
Hearing the occasional 'gurgling' sound, she thought for a moment, picked up a small bowl, filled it, walked over to the girl, squatted down, and said with a gentle smile...
"Here, Grandma will treat you."
The little girl looked at the kind-faced old woman in front of her and was stunned. Especially looking at the steaming hot bowl of tofu pudding in the old woman's hand, she felt a strange feeling in her heart. She just stood there frozen...
"Don't be shy. You are so cute." The old woman reached out and patted the little girl's head, still smiling as she said, "Grandma is treating you."
"I..." The little girl snapped out of it, stared blankly at the old woman, hesitated, and with a fearful expression, lowered her head and said quietly, "Grandma, are you not afraid of me?"
You know, ever since she became a jinchuriki at age two, the people in the village had started to dislike her. No matter how hard she tried, no one acknowledged her or liked her.
"Why should I be afraid?" The old woman was puzzled by the girl's words. After a moment, she said gently, "You are so cute. How could anyone be afraid?"
"B... but..." After hearing the old woman's words, the little girl's eyes immediately turned red. She lowered her head, trying to hold back her tears, and said quietly, "Everyone says there is a monster inside me. It seems to be called the Two-Tails. So, everyone..." She could no longer hold back, and tears streamed down her face. "Says I am a monster too."
This old grandma definitely did not know her identity. Otherwise, she would definitely dislike her too.
"Poor child." Seeing the little girl cry, the old woman immediately felt heartache. She quickly took out a handkerchief and wiped the girl's tears, saying, "Don't cry. It will not look good if you keep crying." With curiosity, she asked, "Two-Tails? A Tailed Beast?"
"Yes." The little girl felt warmth in her heart that the old woman was not running away in fear but was even wiping her tears. Still looking down, she said quietly, "It is a Tailed Beast. A very scary monster."
The old grandma probably did not know how scary Tailed Beasts were, which is why she was not scared.
"Oh, so it is a Tailed Beast." The old woman suddenly nodded in understanding and said, puzzled, "What is so scary about that?"
When the little girl heard this, she was stunned. She looked up at the old woman in disbelief and was about to say something when...
"The Two-Tails, is it cute? What color is it? Does it have fur?" The old woman's face showed a trace of nostalgia as she spoke again. "When it comes to Tailed Beasts, the Four-Tails is the best to pet. It is warm. Every time I petted it, my chronic rheumatism felt much better. The Three-Tails is no good. It is not only prickly to touch but also cold. I did not like it."
As soon as she finished speaking, she looked down at the stunned little girl in front of her, with a hint of confusion...
"What is wrong? You look like you saw a ghost."
"I... I..." The little girl came back to her senses and, with an incredulous tone, looked up at the old woman and said, "Old Grandma, are you a peerless powerhouse?"
Otherwise...
Why does it sound like Tailed Beasts are just like pets in your hands?