Now commencing Level 2.

Sarada woke up, belly down in grass, leaves, and dirt. Raising her head wearily, she looked around to see sunlight filtering through trees. In front of her was a little white rabbit. "What happened to the castle... Where am I...?"

The rabbit sat back on his haunches and nuzzled Sarada's face.

"Wha...?"

She sat up and eyed the animal suspiciously. Shouldn't it have been afraid? But as she righted herself, she noticed more woodland creatures gathering around her: a deer, a racoon, two chipmunks... One even climbed into her lap.

Sarada found herself smiling as she pet the small creature. "Well hello to you too."

A squirrel ran in front of her, stopped, and looked back as if it was motioning for her to follow. Tilting her head once, Sarada carefully set the little chipmunk in the grass and stood to her feet to find herself in yet another floor length dress. This one was blue, a bit puffier at the bottom. The sleeves were short, coming off her shoulder to wrap tightly around her arms. Very elegant, but a bit difficult to maneuver in. If I have to fight, this will be a nightmare, she thought.

And so, she bent down and took hold of the fabric. Ripping it until the slit was halfway up the side of her thigh, she smiled. That ought to do it. Now... To figure out where I am. Level two? Are we inside of another story?

The squirrel bounded twice and then looked back again. So she followed it. Over roots and through the woods, Sarada ran, frustrated that she couldn't jump from tree to tree for fear that she would fall and not be able to catch herself with chakra.

After what felt like hours, she finally came to a cottage. "Is this where you were taking me?" She talked to the squirrel as if she expected it to respond. I must be losing it.

But when the squirrel nodded back, she thought maybe she wasn't losing it after all.

Stepping through the old wooden door, Sarada took a look around. Water dripped from the faucet onto the dirty dishes in the sink. The dust seemed to have a mind of its own, dancing about on the floor like it owned the place. There was a long table with eight chairs, although one seemed less used than the others.

At the sight of the table, Sarada's stomach growled.

There was a fridge, but quite frankly, she was scared to open it. That is, until she felt herself becoming lightheaded.

Maybe I should eat a little something...

To her surprise, the contents of the fridge were neatly organized. Seven tiny meals were located on one shelf; seven tiny water bottles stood in the door. Well if there's seven, they won't mind if one goes missing... she thought to herself. In return, I suppose I'll do the dishes and clean the house.

Once she had eaten her fill, Sarada began working on the pile of dishes in the sink. Seven plates, seven cups, and seven forks. And an unsettling feeling made its way into the pit of her stomach. It seemed as though there really were seven people living in small house. And she had just eaten one of their meals.

Hopefully they would forgive her.

The moment she finished cleaning, drowsiness overtook her. Eating a full meal with nothing prior wasn't the best idea, but it was too delicious to hold back... And simply nibbling on someone else's portion of food would have been rude.

While searching for a place to lay down, she came across a staircase. I wonder if there are seven tiny beds upstairs...

Sure enough, when Sarada made it to the top, seven beds were arranged against the wall, names inscribed on each of them.

Doc, Grumpy, Happy, Sneezy, Sleepy, Dopey, Bashful. What odd names, she thought, running her finger along the wood. I suppose I shouldn't take Sleepy's bed... And Grumpy would likely get mad at me. Sneezy sounds gross. Bashful seems like he wouldn't complain... But Happy would probably be Happy no matter what.

She climbed into Happy's bed and covered herself up, weights attaching themselves to her eyelids as she was enveloped by the soft comfort and warmth of the mattress. The moment Sarada's head hit the pillow, she fell into a deep sleep.

. . .

Shikadai returned home, along with his six new siblings. What a pain, he thought, hanging up his hat by the door.

"Hm? Sleepy, did you actually do the dishes?"

Shikadai stared at the clean sink. In this story, his name was Sleepy. It appeared as though they were in the tale Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. Luckily, they didn't start at the part where the queen was trying to kill Sarada. Thinking about how long it would have taken her to get there sounded like a drag and a half.

But judging by the clean sink and the fact that he had done no such dishes, she had already made an appearance in the cottage.

"I didn't do them. Must've been someone else," he replied, not resisting the urge to yawn. Ever since the story changed, he had been oddly... Sleepy.

If his memory served him correctly, the only thing left was for the dwarves to discover Snow White, tell her to become the housemaid, leave her at home alone, and return to find her dead on the floor. Then Boruto would show up, find her to be the most attractive woman alive, and kiss her. Shikadai chuckled. That would be the day.

They had danced together at the ball, but Shikadai knew all too well. Despite being in the perfect situation, Boruto wouldn't have the guts to kiss her. He was probably going to focus on trying to clear the game some other way first.

Wandering upstairs, he imagined the feeling of sinking into a soft mattress with each labored step he took. But when he opened the door to the bedroom, Sarada was laying in Happy's bed.

He sighed. Women are such a pain.

It wasn't his fault if the rest of the dwarves got mad. He was too tired to care anyway. He would just pretend like he hadn't seen her and sleep while he had the chance. With that thought in mind, Shikadai laid down in his own bed and fell fast asleep.

.

What felt like half an hour later, he was awoken to the sound of his brethren arguing over something.

"She can't sleep in Happy's bed! Then where will Happy sleep?!"

"I'll sleep on the floor," said Happy, aka Denki, with a cheerful smile. "She can have my bed."

"I don't like it," said Grumpy, aka Iwabee. "Some woman wanders in here and tries to steal our beds... Let's carry her outside and lock the door."

"G-Grumpy," replied Bashful, aka Metal, "that's mean... We could... Maybe... Just let her sleep there? She's pretty 'n all." He blushed, looking away.

"Someone, achoo! Needs to get her, achoo! Out of here," sniffled a young Udon. "I think I'm allergic..."

"I am indifferent to whether she stays here or not," said Dopey, aka Mitsuki, with a smile.

"Now now, let's not be too hasty. When a young woman walks into your bed, you don't complain!"

All of the dwarves groaned. Doc, aka Jiraya, had a big smile on his face.

Shikadai cracked his eyes open. Crud. I forgot we had a pervert as part of our group... I recognize the others, but who even is that guy? Sarada is going to let him have it when she wakes up... Should I... Nah... Too much of a pain...

With a yawn, he rolled back over and covered his head. But when he thought about the pain it would be later if Jiraya actually did something to Sarada, on both Boruto and Sarada's ends, he forced himself to sit up. "Leave her alone. She's probably just tired."

"Sleepy?! Since when have you been there."

"I've been here the whole time," he muttered, rubbing his stinging eyes. "What a drag..."

And as Shikadai uttered those words, Sarada's eyebrow twitched. She groaned. Stretched. And then her black eyes fluttered open to find seven little men staring back at her.