Naruto: I Roamed the Ninja World as a Woman

A tall ancient tree, several tens of meters high, was knocked down by wind and rain and fell into the forest.

Its massive body lay horizontally in the mud, like a heavy wound on the earth.

However, death is not the end.

The slender branches on the sunny side are still growing, and new buds are sprouting from the decaying branches.

New branches stretched upwards, trying to reach for the sky, but then drooped helplessly from the trunk, forming a thick curtain with the moss in the shadows.

Ayane Amamiya used her ninja sword to part the curtain of branches and stepped into the shadows behind it.

The tree trunk was hollow, empty like a long-abandoned cottage, and the air was filled with the smell of decay.

Several small animals that looked like squirrels seemed to be startled by her, squeaking and scrambling away.

This is one of the safe houses that the Rain Shadows had set up in advance, a secret storage point hidden in a tree trunk.

It can be said that it makes full use of the wonders of nature.

"Phew... finally I can rest for a bit." Eagle, who followed closely behind, plopped down and let out a long sigh of relief.

"It's not time to rest yet."

The woodpecker reminded, "Even though it's a safe house, someone still needs to be on guard outside at all times."

Ayane Amamiya shook her head: "Let's rest first. The area has been cleared out, so there shouldn't be any enemies for the time being. I'll go out on night duty tonight."

People shouldn't be too stressed.

Otherwise, over time, that mental string in your heart will unknowingly snap.

Ninjas, who live on the edge of death, are actually more vulnerable than ordinary people in some ways.

Woodpecker stopped insisting when he heard Ayane Amamiya speak.

Whether it's the Anbu or a regular ninja squad on a mission, there must be only one voice in the team!

Everyone else simply needs to obey.

And Ayane Amamiya.....

The woodpecker thought that this girl was a very talented person.

The girl's talent was not only reflected in her ninja aptitude, but she also seemed to have an innate reliable quality that made people unconsciously trust her.

This kind of conviction doesn't come overnight or appear out of thin air.

Rather, it was based on the other party's outstanding abilities far beyond his age, his calm and composed judgment in the face of adversity, and the slight weakness and kindness he revealed when facing Yukio, the orphan of Maba Village...

In short, the woodpecker had gradually accepted the fact that this eleven-year-old girl was in charge of it.

After a brief arrangement.

The group lit a small fire and sat down around it.

Because the hollow tree trunk is rarely exposed to sunlight, the surrounding environment is gloomy and damp.

The eagle took out biscuits and canned food and distributed them to his teammates one by one.

At least it's not just military rations anymore.

Although Ayane Amamiya didn't say it, she was secretly thrilled.

The taste of military rations pills is dry and astringent, and eating too many can cause hidden harm to the body.

In comparison, even if the canned meat isn't that fresh, it's still delicious enough.

She smelled the aroma of the canned food, and unusually licked her lips, revealing a somewhat gluttonous and adorable expression.

Unfortunately, Ayane Amamiya doesn't have Kakashi's "lightning eating method".

She had no way of making the mask on her face switch back and forth between "wearing" and "not wearing"...

but.

The group traveled together for several days and went through several battles together.

The girl, naturally, didn't bother to hide her true appearance from the eagle any longer, so she openly took off her mask.

The blood-stained mask was removed from the face for the first time, revealing delicate and straight features behind it.

His amber eyes reflected the firelight, like burning gems; his cheekbones were prominent and defined, giving him a sharp, battle-angelic look.

The girl couldn't help but take a few deep breaths.

Count it up.

Since receiving my assignment at school and joining the Dark Division, I've only worn this mask for a little over a week.

But the heaviness it brought was even heavier than the dozens of kilograms of weight that used to be tied to my legs.

If you wear a mask long enough, you'll forget the face behind it.

The description of the "Rainy Dark Side" entry came to mind once again.

"Feed, feed..."

The eagle, watching from the side, stammered, "You're kind of ugly."

Ayane Amamiya glanced at her and made a nasal sound: "Hmm?"

"You're making me feel embarrassed to take off my mask."

The eagle's hand, which was removing its mask, froze in mid-air. Gritting its teeth, it said, "As expected, the cutest girls are those who aren't as good-looking as themselves!"

Stop being so cheeky.

Ayane Amamiya's tone was calm, yet incredibly authoritative, her words carrying the air of a wicked schoolteacher: "At your age, instead of focusing on improving your skills, all you do is gloat?"

eagle:"......."

However, that's still true.

Ayane Amamiya glanced curiously at her other teammate.

The woodpecker also took off its mask.

Behind the mask was a middle-aged man with a weathered and worn face, whose demeanor was exactly the same as those overworked office workers on the subway during rush hour in my previous life.

Ayane Amamiya nodded slightly.

With his arched eyebrows and thick lips, he looked like an honest, kind, and gentle middle-aged man, which matched my impression of him perfectly.

The eagle is making a fuss again.

"Wow! I never knew you, Woodpecker, were actually a middle-aged man!"

She squeaked and made strange noises: "No wonder he's like my dad, always talking about getting married, he's so long-winded..."

The woodpecker scratched its head sheepishly and chuckled sheepishly.

That's good now.

The sternness I felt from the senior when I was wearing the mask vanished instantly.

"Speaking of which, my son is about the same age as you, and he's quite rebellious, so getting along with him often gives me a headache."

He chuckled. "Perhaps that's why I always like to lecture? I'm truly sorry, Eagle."

The team consisted of three people, and two of them had removed their masks.

Although the eagle hesitated, it still raised its hand towards the mask on its face.

"You're not allowed to laugh at me~"

She repeatedly stated, "If you laugh at me, I will be very sad, and I won't be able to use sensory ninjutsu properly anymore."

Upon hearing this, the woodpecker honestly replied, "I definitely won't laugh."

While opening a can of food, Ayane Amamiya suppressed a laugh and said, "Well, we'll see."

The eagle snorted in dissatisfaction, but didn't say anything more.

While the other person was looking down, she closed her eyes and quickly took off the mask.

"Pfft."

Ayane Amamiya still couldn't hold back her laughter.

The eagle's face was round, like an apple, with almond-shaped eyes, milky white skin, and a touch of baby fat.

To be fair, she's not ugly; she has a fresh, girl-next-door vibe.

But the thought that this soft, cute face usually hides behind the mask of an ANBU member and says tough things makes her want to laugh.

How do I describe this feeling of contrast?

It's like Iron Man, having just defeated a supervillain, unarmoring himself, and everyone crowding around with anticipation, only to find that instead of the handsome Tony Stark, a short, scrawny, rascal-looking owner of the Krusty Krab popping out...

"I already told you not to laugh!"

The eagle was so angry it wanted to tear its hair out: "Can't the art style of ANBU ninjas be cute?"

Ayane Amamiya couldn't be bothered with her.

He simply handed her the first opened can of food, along with a spoon.

Seeing this, the eagle's eyes darted around, and it said with a grin, "Swan, how about we play a game?"

"Hmm? What game?"

"We'll guess each other's names, and whoever guesses correctly has to grant the other person a request!"

Her intentions were all too obvious.

So much so that Ayane Amamiya didn't need to think; she only needed to ponder for a moment before she immediately saw through the other party's little trick.

Did the eagle accidentally overhear your real name when you were seeing Xiyue off?

She saw through it but didn't say anything, and continued, "Okay, I'll guess first."

The eagle chuckled and reminded you, "You only need to guess one word correctly to win! I'll give you a hint: it's related to plants!"

Ayane Amamiya thought for a moment, but couldn't come up with anything, so she simply guessed randomly, "Sakura?"

From her perspective.

The character "樱" (cherry blossom) appears quite frequently in female names.

What are Kinomoto Sakura, Matou Sakura, Suzuhara Sakura, Yae Sakura...?

Oh, and we can't forget the main female character of the ninja world, Sakura Haruno...

The eagle shook its head smugly: "That's not right!"

Instead of rushing to reveal the correct answer, she said smugly, "As for your name... let me guess."

"Hmm... Swan, you're so beautiful, like a fairy. Your family must be rich, and your surname must have the character 'Gong' in it!"

The girl made up a bunch of nonsense: "Also, you look so cool when you wield your knife, like a master zither player, even killing is elegant... So, your name should have a 'sound' in it!"

"Ayane Amamiya!"

"Am I right?!"

She was completely absorbed in her own logic, hands on her hips, laughing triumphantly, and even genuinely believed that she had deduced the name herself.

"You're smart enough."

Ayane Amamiya shrugged, feigning helplessness: "What do you want? Tell me?"

She thought this guy would make some weird request, like calling her "Mom" or something.

To her surprise, the other person leaned closer, a hint of weakness appearing on their doe-like face, and whispered, "Ayane Amamiya, can you and Risa Takenaka be a team for life?"