vncnus Chapter 296 Although he's gone, he changed Konoha.
Chapter 296 Although he's gone, he changed Konoha.
Chapter 296 Although he's gone, he changed Konoha.
In his dream, Naruto's gaze remained fixed on the mask in front of him.
Suddenly, the mask moved violently.
A shadow burst out of the shadows and pounced in front of him in the next instant.
"So fast!"
Naruto's heart tightened in the dream, and he slid back, his right hand reaching for the ninja tool pouch at his waist, deftly spinning a specially made kunai in his hand.
Just as the white figure left the shadows and was fully exposed to the light, Naruto in his dream world saw the thing in its entirety.
That wasn't a person wearing a mask.
Instead, it was a fierce tiger.
Its massive body was covered in colorful tiger stripes, and its muscles bulged out as it rose and fell, like steel cables that were about to burst at any moment.
Its face was completely covered by a white mask, the edges of which were tightly fitted to the fur without any gaps, as if it were part of the skull.
The mask was pure white, with holes not only around the eye sockets but also eye-like patterns on the forehead, and three vertical pupils staring at him.
Two pointed protrusions stand upright on top, somewhat resembling fox ears, giving it an inexplicably eerie appearance, unlike a proper wild animal.
Roar!
The tiger's roar shook the surrounding environment, causing the trees to tremble.
The tiger raised its front paws, its sharp claws flashing coldly, and grabbed at Naruto's chest in the dream world.
In the dream, Naruto's kunai became a blur, constantly changing angles in the gaps, deflecting three claw attacks in succession.
"Wow, that's incredible strength!"
As he parried the tiger's attacks, he circled around it, dodging and weaving, and using the rebound from the tree trunk to change direction again, probing for a counterattack.
After a brief exchange, he figured out some things.
This three-eyed masked tiger is not only fast and powerful, but also has an exceptionally stable attack rhythm. Its claw strikes, pounces, and tail whips are almost seamless, with each round flowing smoothly together.
That's not something an ordinary wild animal could do on instinct; it requires someone manipulating it from behind, or it must possess a high level of intelligence.
"It's a summoned beast."
In his dream, Naruto stumbled, gliding away to create distance so he could observe, think, and analyze.
Since they were summoned by someone, who is the person behind them?
In the blink of an eye, he flipped his right hand, and the kunai disappeared from his palm, replaced by rapidly flowing chakra.
Blue chakra gathered in his palm, spinning rapidly and pulsating.
The airflow was twisted into tiny vortexes, spreading out in concentric circles from the center of the palm.
"Rasengan!"
Naruto in the dream flashed forward, and a golden light rushed towards the tiger.
The latter's claws swung down again, creating an air-exploding sound as they struck down, colliding head-on with the Rasengan and emitting a piercing shriek.
Sizzle sizzle sizzle —
"Get out of here!"
In an instant, the Rasengan was delivered to the tiger's chest with overwhelming force.
boom!
A blue-white light exploded in front of the tiger, and a violent chakra storm swept around, stripping off tree bark, scattering pebbles, and even uprooting several small trees nearby.
The air was stirred up into chaos, and dust swirled, obscuring the massive figure in the smoke.
Naruto landed in his dream and slid down, squinting at the dust that had been blown up, his mind racing with alarm bells.
If it were an ordinary summoned beast, taking such a direct hit would at least send it tumbling backwards and flying a great distance.
However, the center of the explosion only formed a crater that had been razed flat, with no obvious damage visible inside.
The dust and mist were blown away by the wind.
The masked tiger reappeared.
Its body did have a few scratches, and there were also minor cracks on the surface of the mask, but it still looked quite energetic overall.
"Tsk, this level of resilience is something else entirely—this isn't your average summoned beast."
Naruto's expression grew increasingly serious in the dream.
It wasn't that they were afraid of the spirit beast, but rather that they were trying to figure out the identity of the person behind it all.
The tiger roared again, its limbs bulging with muscles, and charged forward like a cannonball in the next second.
In his dream, Naruto planted one foot on the ground and slid sideways, slipping past the tiger's claws and body, grazing its ribs, before landing some distance away. As soon as he regained his footing, he shouted, "Hey!"
The three-eyed masked tiger flashed red light, its pouncing posture unwavering.
"Who are you?!" Naruto in his dream world stared calmly at the mask and said, "Did you kidnap Menma?"
The moment the words left his mouth, something strange happened.
The tiger, which had been charging forward with ferocious momentum, suddenly paused, its claws hovering in mid-air.
Naruto's eyes flickered in the dream—something was going to happen.
Immediately afterwards, a booming, deep voice slowly emerged from beneath the white mask.
"Leave Konoha."
"otherwise-"
"die.
""
'
Naruto frowned slightly in his dream.
Is this a threat? Or a warning?
In the instant he was pondering.
Another familiar voice came from the other side of the woods.
"Hey! How's it going on your end?!"
It's Naruto's voice.
Kushina and Minato's voices soon followed.
"There was an explosion over there!"
"They're the enemy!"
They were clearly alerted by the commotion of the fight and were rushing to provide support as quickly as possible.
In the dream, Naruto gripped his kunai tightly, just as he was about to warn Naruto and his "parents" to be careful, when a burst of white light suddenly erupted without warning.
The moment the white light surged forth, Naruto's heart sank in the dream.
"This light is—"
He subconsciously looked down at his body.
The skin has begun to become translucent, and the edges of its contours seem to be being erased, as if it is being peeled away from this world little by little.
This feels exactly the same as when I was teleported back to reality from my home.
"Is it time yet?"
He sighed with reluctance and regret. The matter of the pockmarked face had not yet been investigated, and the person behind the Three-Eyed Masked Tiger had only revealed the tip of the iceberg.
Naruto looked up in his dream, wanting to take a few more glances at the three-eyed masked tiger, trying to memorize the patterns on the mask, the color of its eyes, and the surrounding terrain.
But the white light didn't give him time. The colors and lines in his vision were quickly smoothed out. The trees, rocks, tiger, and Naruto's figure all turned into a soft yet cold white.
In his dream, Naruto felt as if he were hanging in the void, his five senses being extinguished one by one, leaving only his consciousness barely remaining in this pure white space.
The next moment, even that last bit of presence disappeared.
Early morning, Konoha Village.
Naruto woke up groggily from his bed.
He blinked, his head spinning, and it took him several seconds to come to his senses before he sprang out of bed.
Parents in a dream.
Myself in my dreams.
Menma was kidnapped, along with that eerie tiger wearing a three-eyed mask.
"Ugh————"
Naruto shook his slightly throbbing head vigorously, his golden hair becoming a mess.
The gap between the two worlds is ridiculously large.
It was so overwhelming that he couldn't distinguish between illusion and reality for a moment.
"Ugh."
Naruto let out a long breath, and just then, his body stiffened as he suddenly remembered something important.
—Another version of myself.
Naruto didn't bother looking for slippers in the room; he rushed out of the bedroom barefoot and ran down the hallway.
He stopped in front of the guest room door, took a deep breath, and gently pushed it open.
The door was slowly pushed open a crack. He didn't dare to push it all the way open at once, as if afraid of waking someone, and cautiously peeked inside.
The guest room was unusually quiet.
The blankets were folded neatly, and the sheets were stretched flat, showing no signs that anyone had slept in them.
"—You're gone."
Naruto leaned against the door frame, a strange sense of emptiness welling up inside him.
We've only been together for less than a day.
But I've already gotten used to the existence of another version of myself.
That feeling was like suddenly having an ideal older brother.
As it turned out, this older brother only stayed in this world for one night, and before he could even say a proper goodbye, he suddenly went back.
Naruto stood at the door with his head down, stunned for a long time, feeling a tightness in his chest.
"well----"
He sighed and was about to close the door when he suddenly heard the sound of the door hinges turning behind him.
The door to the next room was also pushed open.
"Haa—"
A yawn came from the side.
Naruto turned around and saw Kaori wearing crooked glasses, half-peeking out of the room, her red hair a mess, with a few strands of hair sticking up high.
Good morning, Naruto.
The girl still had a nasal voice, as if she hadn't woken up properly.
The next moment, her gaze moved down the corridor, stopped at the crack of the guest room door, and then fell on Naruto standing at the door.
"Um?"
The drowsiness vanished almost instantly.
She took two small steps closer and peeked into the guest room.
"He's gone."
Xiang took a deep breath and tried to adjust her facial expression to be as natural as usual.
"Isn't it normal for that guy to leave?" She tilted her head casually. "After all, he never really belonged to this world."
Naruto pursed his lips.
"But—he's so amazing, everyone likes him, yet he can only stay for one day. He couldn't finish his sentence."
Xiang looked at his sullen back and couldn't help but sigh quietly.
"You're not thinking that guy is way better than you, and that you feel inferior to him in every way, are you?"
Naruto was startled when his thoughts were exposed, and he instinctively turned his head away.
"A little bit—" He scratched his head, muttering, "It's all me, yet he can use the Flying Thunder God Technique and analyze things so calmly—even if it's you, Xiang, you'd definitely like him more!"
When she said this, Xiang's eyes froze.
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
"That Naruto—he's really amazing."
"But so what?"
Xiang bit her lip, trying to organize her thoughts.
She hesitated for a few seconds, and a faint blush involuntarily rose to her cheeks.
Not everyone will think he's better than you.
"?" Naruto looked over, his face full of question marks. "What do you mean?"
"It means exactly what it says."
Her ears were already burning red, and she looked away, refusing to look at Naruto.
"————?"
What do you mean by this?!
Seeing Naruto's completely clueless and silly expression, Xiang's blood pressure shot up, and her ears almost felt like they were about to burst into flames.
"Fool!"
Xiang stamped her foot and turned to go back to her room.
boom!
The door shook twice, the sound echoing in the corridor.
"What the heck?! What is Karin saying?!"
Naruto scratched his head, but the interruption from Kaori seemed to lessen the sense of loss he felt because of his other self leaving.
He slapped his cheeks hard, trying to cheer himself up.
Naruto's departure in the dream still left him with regret, but this regret also gave him more motivation to move forward.
Naruto shook his head vigorously and walked towards the bathroom.
After washing up, I jogged downstairs.
The living room isn't big, but the decor is increasingly resembling the home in my dream.
The sofa and dining table were in the exact same positions, and there were also many photos that only existed in dreams.
Xiang had already put on an apron at some point and brought out a plate of fried eggs from the kitchen, placing it on the table.
She saw Naruto, snorted, and pushed the plate forward.
"Have a meal."
After breakfast, the sunlight grew even brighter.
Naruto and Kaori walked out of the house one after the other.
"Naruto, are you going to the Hokage Building today too?"
-
Xiang, holding the small bag in her arms, asked casually.
In the past, Naruto would usually be at the training ground at this time.
"Um."
Naruto nodded, his eyes less playful than usual and more serious.
"I'm going to find the lecherous sage." His fist clenched unconsciously. "My current strength is far from enough!"
"Whether it's Sasuke or the other me from yesterday, they're both far stronger than me!"
"I need to step up my efforts too."
Xiang turned her head to the side, looked at his stubborn profile, and smiled slightly.
"Then I'll try my best to keep up with you."
As they talked, they walked through several alleys and soon reached the main road leading to the Hokage Building.
This is one of the busiest areas in Konoha.
At this time, many pedestrians had already come out on the street, ninjas hurried back and forth, and vendors set up their stalls, with shouts rising and falling.
The air was filled with the aroma of grilled fish balls.
As is customary, when Naruto walks in places like this, he either takes a shortcut or keeps his head down to avoid being seen by others as much as possible.
As soon as he stepped onto the street, he instinctively moved a little closer to the side of the street.
However, he soon realized that something was not right.
The streets are strangely quiet today.
The previously noisy hawking subsided, and Naruto couldn't help but slow down.
That feeling of being the center of attention is back.
This time, however, it was less about indifference and disgust, and more about a complex and indescribable emotion.
Surprise, hesitation, guilt, and awe—all mixed together, leaving one somewhat at a loss.
Pedestrians on both sides of the street quietly looked up.
There were vendors wearing headscarves, housewives carrying vegetable baskets, and a few ninjas who had just returned from a mission.
"He's here!"
"Who?"
Didn't you see the announcement from the Hokage yesterday?
"I saw it, I saw it, but—I never expected—"
"So—he's the fourth generation's child."
"Look at his blond hair, and those eyes, he really does look exactly like the Fourth Hokage!"
"For so many years, we—treated him like that, said those things to him—"
Naruto paused.
Behind his shoulder, Xiang quietly took a small step forward and stood beside him.
She gripped the strap of the small bag slung over her back and glanced around warily.
If anyone dares to say anything that makes Naruto uncomfortable at this moment, she has already figured out how to kick them smoothly.
Surprisingly, those who should have habitually shown disgust instead lowered their heads.
Some people looked up, but it was a cautious, furtive glance.
The moment their eyes met, the man was so startled that he quickly looked away.
"Let's go."
Xiang said something in a low voice.
Naruto grunted in agreement and started walking again.
Just then, the sound of a stool being moved came from in front of a vegetable shop next door.
"Um, wait, wait a minute!"
A slightly nervous female voice called out urgently.
Naruto instinctively turned around.
Xiang followed the sound and saw the shopkeeper, who often deliberately turned her back to him when he passed by, hurriedly carrying a bag of vegetables and running towards Naruto.
"Please, please accept this!"
The proprietress handed over the bag of vegetables, which was stuffed full of them, including lush green spinach and fresh tomatoes, which glistened in the sunlight as it shone on the water droplets.
Naruto was stunned.
He was completely taken aback as to why the other person would suddenly stuff such a large bag of vegetables into his hands.
"This... is it for me?"
He pointed to himself, his face filled with disbelief.
When the proprietress met his bright blue eyes, her face flushed red, and even the roots of her ears turned pink.
Her lips trembled, and after a long pause, she finally mustered her courage and stammered out, "I...I'm sorry about what happened before."
As soon as the words were spoken, the subtle atmosphere on the street gradually became awkward. Some people lowered their heads even further, while others quietly turned their faces away, not daring to look in this direction, but with their ears perked up.
Naruto looked down at the heavy bag of vegetables.
"...
'
He opened his mouth, but suddenly didn't know what to say.
In the past, when he walked this road, he would only be stared at with all sorts of strange looks, and even driven away.
Overnight, many things changed.
Although his other self has left, the village seems to be slowly changing in a certain direction under his influence.
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