As Sakura was lowered into Marunomi's open maw, a part of her wanted so desperately to resist and escape. But, alas, her body refused to listen. Her strength and her spirit had been completely drained and she could think of no way out of her predicament. The only thing left for her was to take the plunge into Marunomi's gullet and join her friends in her stomach.

As she felt her hands slip into Marunomi's gluttonous throat, Sakura was filled with fear and sorrow. She felt remorse that she had been unable to save herself or her friends and that their young lives would soon be brought to an end. The only thing she could hope for was that someone or something would come along to rescue them, but deep down she knew that wouldn't happen. Sakura closed her eyes as her head descended into Marunomi's mouth, and she braced herself for the inevitable.

Happily, Marunomi continued to swallow up the young girl. She could sense that Sakura had completely given into despair, and that made her all the more delicious. Though she did wish she'd at least put up some struggle. As Sakura's waist passed her lips, Marunomi continued to lower her into her, barely even having to gulp as she slid right in. With only Sakura's legs remaining, Marunomi uncoiled her tongue and allowed gravity to send the rest of the leaf ninja into her maw. With a clamp of her teeth, Marunomi closed her mouth around the young kunoichi's feet and Sakura was completely devoured.

Her meal complete, Marunomi rubbed her stomach, which was now titanic in size. Even with her elasticity jutsu, her skin was stretched tight as a drum; she was nearly about to burst.

"Mmm, you girls sure did fill me up," Marunomi said before letting out a hearty belch.

Inside her stomach, Sakura was completely helpless and pressed tight against the moistened bodies of Hinata and Temari. Short on air, she quickly fell unconscious into a sleep from which she would never awake.

Relishing her victory and her fullness, Marunomi smiled gleefully as she stroked her belly, thinking of all the chakra she would gain from her consumed prey. Feeling a bit tired and weighed down by her colossal stomach, she sat down and leaned against a nearby tree. She looked down at the dome of her belly and rested her hand on top of it.

"You silly girls," she said. "You may have been decent fighters, but you made an exquisite dinner."

As Marunomi laughed to herself, her stomach started to gurgle and groan as it began to digest the five kunoichi within.

---

About half an hour later, the effects of Marunomi's Melting Pot had worn off and everyone within the Food Village had changed back to their normal selves. Lady Sushi did her best to calm down and reassure the populace, but she herself became concerned when she saw no sign of Temari and the others. Soon, she sent out a reconnaissance squad to search for them.

Before long, the squad came about the clearing where the five kunoichi had battled Marunomi. However, there was no sign of any of them. All that remained was some discarded weapons, Temari's fan, and the shattered remnants of the Behemoth's Tongue. Based on the evidence, they could only conclude that Temari and the others had fallen in battle and Marunomi was still at large. This left Lady Sushi with the sad task of reporting their fates to their respective villages. And, unfortunately, the threat of Marunomi still remained. But, at the very least, the Food Village was safe. For now.

---

Several miles away, Marunomi strolled through the open wilderness at a leisurely pace. She had long since fled the scene of her battle with Sakura and the others, knowing the Food Village would be searching for her before long. She didn't know where she was going or what her plan was. Her initial plan of devouring the Food Village had been botched, but now she was a rogue ninja and free to wreak her hunger and gluttony upon the world.

She looked down at her belly, which had greatly decreased in size, but was still noticeably bulgy. All that was left of the five kunoichi she had devoured was their soupy liquefied remains. Even their bones had been digested by her incredibly acidic. Marunomi smiled as she rubbed the curve of her stomach. Yes, those girls may have ruined her plan, but she felt a great deal of satisfaction knowing she had consumed them and now their chakra was running through her veins.

And, of course, tomorrow was another day. There were endless possibilities for her. Perhaps one day she would devise another plan and come back to devour the Food Village. And, at the very least, there were always plenty of other meals out there.

Speaking of which, after passing over a small hill, Marunomi spotted a small village in the distance. Her stomach gurgled in anticipation, just aching to be filled. She grinned maliciously and licked her lips as she eyed the unsuspecting village. She could always use a nice snack.


THE END