The Second Girls journey in Naruto

---

Kihana Saki Yashin finished putting on her costume and looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her delicate face, her closed left eye.

She hesitated for a few seconds before slowly opening it—both her left and right eyes staring back at her.

For a moment, she was mesmerized by the sight of her heterochromatic pupils.

Over the past few months, she had gained some control over her Eyes of Death Perception and even discovered some abilities in her right eye.

She was certain now—her right eye complemented the Eyes of Death, allowing her to better control the power of her left eye.

But the real surprise was how much her body had changed in such a short time.

Under the influence of her right eye's energy, she had undergone an all-around physical enhancement.

She could feel it clearly.

At first, she could barely move a small stool.

A few days later, she found she could bend a wok handle with just a little effort.

And now?

She had no idea how strong she was—but she was confident she could punch through a wall without a problem.

She had also tested her body's resilience, reflexes, speed, and flexibility.

The results were undeniable.

She was evolving—into something beyond human.

And at this rate…

"Give it three years, and I might actually become One Punch Man."

Yashin ran a hand through her now shoulder-length hair, staring at herself in the mirror.

Her crimson right eye gleamed with determination, while her blue left eye shimmered like a sky full of stars.

She couldn't deny it—her transformation was breathtaking.

"Am I… accidentally becoming invincible?"

"Doesn't that totally ruin my carefully crafted chūni persona?"

She thought back to all the dramatic speeches and over-the-top performances she had put on lately.

At first, it was just for fun—just playing around with the idea of being an overpowered protagonist.

But somewhere along the way, she had actually started feeling it.

Maybe it was because her past life had been filled with rules and restrictions, but now that she was free to be as eccentric as she wanted, she felt truly happy.

And honestly…

She liked it.

"Who cares if it's chūni? I'm having fun!"

Her eyes fell on the blindfold her parents had carefully designed for her.

It looked simple, but the material was soft and comfortable against her skin.

She slowly put it on, feeling a gentle warmth spread through her heart.

After making sure everything was in place, she stepped out of her room—

And was immediately greeted by the sight of her parents, smiling as they waited for her at the breakfast table.

Unconsciously, Yashin found herself smiling back.

"Mom, Dad! Good morning!"

Kihana Sakinoko and Kitahara Kira exchanged a glance.

Was their daughter… acting normal today?

It felt a little strange.

But they didn't think too much about it.

"Come on, breakfast is ready."

"We made your favorite—glutinous rice meatballs! Eat up!"

Yashin popped one into her mouth, her cheeks puffing up as she chewed happily.

"Thanks, Mom!"

Her parents barely ate, instead watching her with warm smiles as she enjoyed her meal.

Yashin kept eating, but deep inside, she made a silent promise to herself.

"No matter what happens… I'll protect all of this."

...

"I'm heading out!" Kihana Saki Yashin waved to her parents, Kihana Sakinoko and Kitahara Kira.

Kihana Sakinoko smiled and nodded.

"Going to see Ino again? Go ahead, but don't forget to come back for dinner."

"Got it!"

With a quick nod, Yashin turned and left, making her way toward a small grove where she had built a little hideout out of branches.

Seeing the small shelter filled her with a sense of accomplishment—it was something she had made with her own hands.

Her own secret base.

As she approached, she immediately spotted Ino, but something was off.

Ino's face was pale.

The moment she saw Yashin, she ran toward her in a panic.

"Yashin! Yashin!"

Before she could get too close, Yashin casually reached out a hand and placed it on Ino's head, holding her at arm's length.

Ino flailed her little arms but couldn't move forward.

"Why are you so panicked?" Yashin teased. "And haven't I told you? You can't just call my real name out loud like that."

But then, Yashin noticed something—Ino's eyes were filled with tears.

Her heart sank.

The moment she let go, Ino threw herself at her.

"Yashin! Something happened at Hinata's house!"

Yashin's eyes widened. Her right eye flickered with red light.

A memory suddenly surfaced—wasn't this the time when something major happened to Hinata as a child?

The incident with the Hidden Cloud… the kidnapping attempt… and Neji's father…

Without wasting another second, Yashin and Ino ran toward the Hyuga clan compound.

When they arrived, they found the area under heavy guard.

It was the first time Yashin had seen Hinata's father in person—his expression was just as cold and unreadable as she had imagined.

"You should go home," he told them flatly. "Hinata is not feeling well."

From that alone, Yashin could tell that Hinata was physically fine.

The events had played out just as she remembered—Hinata had been rescued, but she was likely placed under strict supervision.

Months passed without any contact.

The next time Yashin saw Hinata again was on her own fourth birthday.

And when they finally met…

Hinata was different.

She seemed more withdrawn, her shyness even more pronounced.

And now, she was always accompanied by obvious, ever-present guards.

Even though Yashin and Ino reassured her that they didn't mind, Hinata barely played with them anymore.

If anything, Yashin and Ino were the ones who had to seek her out.

Another year passed.

By the time Yashin turned five, many things had changed.

One of the biggest events was Orochimaru's defection from the village.

Of course, that had nothing to do with a small civilian girl like Yashin.

But the biggest change in her world?

Ino had grown up.

She had made more friends—Shikamaru, Choji, and even Sakura.

And with that, her over-the-top chūni-style speeches had become fewer and fewer.

Probably because of embarrassment.

Still, Yashin was happy about one thing—

Ino had never abandoned her friend.

Even if…

Boom!

A cloud of white smoke burst out, covering Ino and the group in a layer of fine dust.

Even at just five years old, Shikamaru was the calmest among them. He coughed as the powder filled the air. After a moment, he realized it was just flour.

Staying on guard, he called out, "Who's there?! This is the Hidden Leaf Village! Making such a scene—aren't you afraid of the guards?"

A young girl's voice rang out from the smoke.

"It's me!"

The moment Ino heard that voice, she knew exactly who it was. She covered her face, already dreading what was coming. She braced herself for something utterly embarrassing—because with Saki Yashin, it always was.

At the same time, she silently prayed: Please don't say anything too cringey...

As the flour dust settled, Saki Yashin's figure became visible.

Even at five years old, she had a delicate, doll-like face and long, flowing hair. Her bright eyes shimmered with mischief, and her presence carried a certain flair that set her apart from other children.

But... why was she wearing an eyepatch?

Before anyone could ask, she pointed at it dramatically and declared, "I see everything!"

Shikamaru's brain stalled.

"Huh?"

Choji and Sakura exchanged confused glances.

Ino, meanwhile, was trying very hard to disappear.

Shikamaru scratched his head and frowned. "Uhh... I don't get it."

"My Eyes of Death have revealed the truth!" Saki Yashin proclaimed.

Shikamaru: ⊙_⊙

What does that even mean?

"You stole my magician away, didn't you?!" Saki Yashin accused.

Shikamaru felt like his head might explode.

"Uh... What? We didn't steal anything… Magician? What magician?"

Saki Yashin ignored him and locked eyes with Ino.

"Will you come back to me, my number one magician?"

Shikamaru followed her gaze and realized Ino was looking a little guilty.

Wait… Ino? Magic?

Saki Yashin's expression remained unreadable. She slowly shook her head.

"I see. So you've been captured by them… Then I have no choice. I must use my Eyes of Death!"

Ino flinched.

Everyone else simply watched in confusion.

Saki Yashin pulled out a small bag of flour and a handful of flower petals. She began drawing a strange pattern on the ground.

Shikamaru couldn't help but sigh.

She's really using flour? This girl is… something else.

Her movements were quick and precise, as if she had drawn similar symbols a hundred times before. When she was finished, the pattern actually looked pretty impressive.

Even Shikamaru had to admit—that does look kinda cool.

Saki Yashin stepped into the center of the symbol, took a deep breath, and dramatically announced,

"I shall awaken the Eyes of Death… and set you free!"

Ino, despite herself, was intrigued. She had never actually seen what was under Yashin's eyepatch.

Could she really have some kind of special power…?

She lowered her hands from her face just as Yashin slapped a hand onto the ground.

With a whoosh, a burst of flour and flower petals erupted into the air, swirling beautifully around the glowing pattern.

At the same time, Saki Yashin ripped off her eyepatch, revealing an intricate six-pointed star in her left eye.

"Eyes of Death—unleashed!"

For a moment, Ino was speechless.

The six-pointed star in her eye… It really did look mystical.

Just as she started to believe—

Smack!

"Ow~!"

A sharp chop landed on Yashin's head, ruffling her hair.

Yashin clutched her head, her eyes welling up with tears. She turned around—

Of course.

It was her mother, Sakinoko.

Sakinoko looked down at her daughter with an exasperated expression.

"Yashin, take that sticker off your eye."

With a pout, Yashin reluctantly peeled off the paper sticker and handed it over.

Shikamaru's mouth twitched.

It was… a sticker?!

Ino groaned and smacked her own forehead.

Why did I actually fall for it?!

Sakinoko sighed, examining the sticker's design. It was getting more and more detailed every time.

"Yashin, when I saw the flour and fireworks powder missing, I knew you were up to something. The flour is fine, but you are not to touch the fireworks. And stop causing trouble for everyone in public."

Yashin lowered her head. "Okay~"

Sakinoko watched her daughter's sulking face and tried not to laugh.

She had to maintain her motherly authority.

Clearing her throat, she continued, "Now, clean this up, and apologize to everyone."

Yashin snuck a glance at her mother before quickly looking down again.

"Mmm~"

Sakinoko shook her head and left, confident her daughter would do as she was told.

Sure enough, the moment she was gone, Yashin put her eyepatch back on, shuffled over to Shikamaru, and gave a quick bow.

"S-Sorry…"

Then, face burning red, she ran off to grab a broom and trash bag to start cleaning.

Shikamaru stood silently, watching the scene unfold.

Honestly, he had no idea what to say at this point.

Ino sighed, glancing at Muhana Saki Yashin, who was quietly sweeping the floor. After a moment of hesitation, she walked over.

Saki Yashin looked up, slightly surprised to see her. (Inner thoughts: Heh, took the bait.)

"So, the Eye of Death has already turned you to their side—mmph!"

Before she could finish, Ino clamped a hand over her mouth.

"Yashin! Yashin! There are no magicians! We're just friends now! Friends, okay?!"

Saki Yashin gave her an innocent look and nodded.

Ino sighed in relief and let go—

"Of course, we're friends! The First Magic—mmph!"

This time, Ino covered her mouth with one hand and used the other to furiously scratch her own head in frustration.

"This is too much for me!"

Just then, she noticed Shikamaru, Choji, and Sakura standing nearby, each holding a broom and grinning at her.

"You guys…?"

Shikamaru shrugged. "Hey, friends of friends are friends too. Helping out is normal."

Then, with a smirk, he added under his breath, "Magic Lord..."

Ino's face darkened.

The group burst into laughter.

Meanwhile, Saki Yashin continued struggling in Ino's grip.

Seeing that there was no stopping her, Ino sighed in defeat and let go. Her whole posture screamed exhaustion.

Saki Yashin took one look at Ino's drained expression and declared with absolute seriousness, "First Magician! Do not lose hope! This is merely your soul being—"

"Haaaah~"

Ino groaned.

She really couldn't let these embarrassing second-year moments surface in front of everyone.

She had no choice.

With one swift motion—smack!

She delivered a clean hand chop to Saki Yashin's head.

"Oww~!"

Saki Yashin clutched her head, looking up at Ino with teary eyes. "Ino~ You've changed."

"Yes!" Ino shouted, exasperated. "I am no longer a magician! We are just friends!"

The moment she said it, she realized her mistake.

She turned around—only to see three amused faces staring back at her.

Someone—she didn't even know who—mockingly echoed, "I'm not a magician~"

Ino's face drained of all color.

Absolute. Social. Death.