LRAB Chapter 297 Idiot! Don't just go into places like this!
Chapter 297 Idiot! Don't just go into places like this!
Chapter 297 Idiot! Don't just go into places like this!
From the main street to the Hokage Building, it's only a short distance, but Naruto walked in a daze.
His mind was a complete mess.
His arms were stuffed with vegetables, fruits—and even a bouquet of flowers, heavy as a weight that pressed not only on his arms but also on his heart.
With every step he took, he could feel countless eyes on him, wanting to get closer yet not daring to, like a group of adults who had just learned to apologize.
Naruto instinctively wanted to hunch his shoulders, but with too many things in his arms, he could only force himself to keep walking forward.
Xiang quietly followed beside him.
She could sense Naruto's confusion and helplessness. This sudden act of kindness was probably more difficult for Naruto to process than the blatant malice he had experienced in the past.
The two finally arrived at the Hokage Building.
Next to the building entrance, there is a bulletin board for posting important notices from within the village.
Normally, small groups of villagers would gather here, chatting about tasks, complaining about the weather, and casually inquiring about gossip.
Today, the crowd in front of the bulletin board was much denser than usual.
People were gathered there whispering amongst themselves, buzzing around your ears like mosquitoes.
When someone noticed Naruto and Kaori approaching, the noise paused for a moment.
Immediately afterwards, the crowd spontaneously parted to make way for them.
Naruto stopped in his tracks.
He subconsciously looked up.
A brand-new notice was posted in the center of the bulletin board, with the Hokage Building's special red seal pressed against the corners.
The notice, titled in bold and large font, reads "Official Statement Regarding Naruto Uzumaki's Identity and Achievements."
The statement, delivered in an extremely official tone, formally confirmed that Naruto Uzumaki is the orphan of Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage of Konoha, and his wife Kushina Uzumaki.
The latter part of the statement is even more important. It clarifies Naruto's enormous contributions and sacrifices as the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki to the village, stating directly that it was because Naruto sealed the Nine-Tails with himself that Konoha was able to survive the disaster twelve years ago.
He was also a hero who protected the village.
"Great! Naruto!"
After reading the entire announcement, Xiang's eyes lit up as if they were about to burst, and she excitedly grabbed Naruto's arm.
"Look, it's true! Lady Tsunade really did release the announcement! The whole village knows!"
"You are a hero—the son of the Fourth Hokage!"
She spoke slowly and deliberately, as if she had been holding it in for a long time and was finally able to catch her breath.
But Naruto did not respond.
He stood stiffly in front of the bulletin board, as if time had stopped at that moment.
"----Um."
Naruto nodded blankly.
The truth has finally come to light, which should have been his happiest moment.
But when it actually arrived, he couldn't find the slightest bit of the joy he had imagined.
The Hokage's office.
The atmosphere in the office was somewhat somber.
The Fifth Hokage, Tsunade, stood with her arms crossed in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window, her silhouette cast by the sunlight streaming in from outside, creating a strong and heavy outline.
Shizune stood quietly behind her, holding Tun Tun in her arms. Tun Tun nestled in her arms and let out a small breath, seemingly sensing the slightly uneasy atmosphere in the room.
"In summary."
Tsunade turned around, her voice weary: "This dream world—the discrepancy between it and reality is growing larger and larger."
"There are even some characters and settings that completely subvert our understanding."
"Hmm." Jiraiya gently swirled his teacup, sat on the sofa, and unusually serious-looking. "This is unsettling."
Kakashi, standing to the side, looked out the window and said warily, "And its impact on reality is deepening; at least Naruto's life—has been completely changed."
No sooner had he finished speaking than a knock sounded on the door.
Boom boom boom!
"Enter."
Tsunade responded.
The door was gently pushed open a crack.
Xiang's head peeked in first. She cautiously peered inside and saw that everyone standing and sitting in the office was an important person. She immediately pushed up her glasses nervously.
"Um, that—Lady Tsunade, everyone—"
Before she could finish speaking, Naruto, carrying the pile of things, squeezed in from behind.
The serious atmosphere in the office was abruptly shattered by this scene.
"Hey, quite a haul." Jiraiya chuckled as he stood up, walked over to Naruto, and took the pile of things from him. He casually weighed the items in his hand and teased, "How does it feel to be chased around and stuffed with things?"
"Perverted Sage—" Naruto said somewhat awkwardly, "I—I'm not quite used to it."
Everything was so unfamiliar, so unfamiliar that it made Naruto uneasy.
Tsunade looked at his silly expression and chuckled.
"This is the life you should have, Naruto."
"Grandma Tsunade—" Naruto's eyes reddened as he rubbed them, "So—this is what it feels like."
The office fell silent for a moment.
"so----"
Kakashi, who had been quiet all along, took the opportunity to steer the conversation back to the main topic.
"Naruto, you've brought so many spoils of war to the Hokage's office; you can't just be here to show off your immense popularity, can you?"
"Ah! That's right!"
Naruto was stunned for a moment, then finally came to his senses, and his voice returned to its usual energetic and clear tone.
"Perverted immortal! Please guide me through even more rigorous training!"
"I'm already way behind!"
"Sasuke-kun has become so strong."
1
"And there's another version of myself from yesterday—"
When Naruto from his dream was mentioned, Naruto's eyes flickered slightly, and some of his suppressed emotions resurfaced.
Naruto discovers that the stimulation from comparing himself to "another version of himself" is more intense than any external enemy.
At least the enemy is clearly going to beat you up, so you can at least fight back.
But just by standing there, Naruto makes you realize that you can actually be stronger and more like the son of the Hokage.
"I don't want to live like this anymore."
The office fell silent for a moment.
Tsunade, Kakashi, and even Shizune looked at the boy in front of them with some surprise, as if he had matured a lot overnight.
Jiraiya stopped laughing, stared into Naruto's eyes, and nodded, "Yes."
Jiraiya reached out and patted Naruto's shoulder hard.
"Looks like you've really made up your mind, you brat."
He finished speaking and laughed heartily.
"Alright! Since you're so enthusiastic, I can't slack off anymore!"
"Let's leave the village for a while from now on!"
"Leave the village?" Naruto was taken aback.
"That's right." Jiraiya said with a hint of mystery in his eyes, "I'll take you to a place where you can truly be transformed."
"Mt. Myoki."
Naruto's eyes lit up immediately.
"Oh! That must be where the toads live!"
The faces of those toads were already in his mind.
Especially that toad boss who always finds fault with him.
Just then.
Kakashi seemed to remember something and said, "Speaking of which, Naruto, didn't you specifically ask Kushina-senpai a few days ago about how to better use the Nine-Tails' chakra?"
"Didn't they try or practice anything related to it later?"
The excitement on Naruto's face froze instantly.
"yes!"
He slapped his forehead hard, his voice filled with regret: "How could I forget something so important!"
"Mom said—we should become friends with Nine-Tailed Fox—"
He paused for a moment halfway through his sentence.
The word "Mom" didn't sound so awkward coming out of his mouth.
So much has happened in the last two days. First, Naruto appeared in the dream world, then we went to that bizarre dream world, plus the sudden revelation of his identity and the drastic change in the villagers' attitudes.
A series of impacts had hit him, and his mind was now in a mess.
"Make friends with the Nine-Tails?" Xiang looked somewhat worried upon hearing this. "Is this... really reliable?"
However, once Naruto's mind is awakened, his ability to act becomes extremely terrifying.
"Let's try it now!"
Naruto muttered to himself, completely disregarding the occasion, and suddenly closed his eyes.
"Hey! Wait! Naruto!"
Kakashi's eyes widened instantly. As usual, he was rarely shocked, but often his voice cracked from Naruto's antics. "Idiot! Don't try things like this in a place like this! This is too reckless! What if you lose control and the Hokage Building is destroyed?!"
pity.
It's too late.
Naruto's mind quickly sank into his own inner world, oblivious to the exclamations from the outside world.
Kakashi looked at Naruto, who was standing motionless, and sighed, rubbing his forehead. "That reckless brat—"
Hahahaha.
Jiraiya, standing to the side, let out a hearty laugh and walked over to pat Kakashi on the shoulder.
"Alright, Kakashi, since this kid is so enthusiastic, let him give it a try."
Jiraiya glanced around the Hokage's office and said confidently, "With Tsunade and me here watching over things, as long as the Nine-Tails doesn't completely go berserk and get out of control, it won't cause any trouble."
Tsunade didn't say anything.
But her posture was more relaxed than before, as if to say that it was not a big problem.
Only Xiang and Jingyin subconsciously swallowed.
Meanwhile, deep within Naruto's consciousness.
This should have been that damp, dark sewer, with water up to your ankles and metal pipes covering the walls.
But now, at the very center and top of the consciousness space, a huge, dazzling golden sphere of light is floating.
The light wasn't dazzling; instead, it was like the warm sun in winter, radiating a warmth that made people unconsciously want to get closer. Even this cold, gloomy space seemed to be softened by it.
"What is this thing?"
Naruto looked up at the golden ball of light, his mouth agape.
He had absolutely no idea what was going on.
When did this thing get into my body?
"Hmph, brat."
A haughty, hoarse, and confused voice rang out from behind Naruto.
Naruto felt a tightness in his back and turned around.
The nine-tailed fox's cage was right behind them.
The giant beast lay behind the iron bars, its beastly eyes fixed on the golden orb in the air. Surprisingly, its gaze was not fierce, but rather—a bewildered confusion.
"Where did you get this thing from?" Nine-Lama's voice was deep and muffled, his brows furrowed unusually, and his nose twitched slightly, as if he were carefully distinguishing the scent.
"This tastes just like me."
"I don't know either." Naruto looked equally confused.
He looked at the nine-tailed fox, then at the golden light, and couldn't help but reach out his hand, slowly getting closer: "But it looks—so warm, so comfortable."
The moment Naruto touched the golden ball of light, it seemed to ignite instantly.
A dazzling light suddenly erupted, but it wasn't the kind of intense light that stung the eyes; it was more like a sudden surge in temperature, penetrating directly into the body through the skin.
Then, it completely engulfed Naruto like flowing water.
Naruto only managed to utter a sound before he was completely engulfed by that golden light.
An indescribable, powerful force surged into his body, as if someone had stuffed the sun into it—scorching, surging, yet strangely stable, without any uncontrolled rage, only a firm conviction that "it should belong to you."
Inside the Hokage's office.
Naruto, who had been standing still, suddenly trembled violently.
The next instant, a powerful golden chakra, like a burning flame, erupted from his body and instantly enveloped his entire body.
The wind pressure swept through.
The documents on the table were shaken and scattered. Shizune instinctively hugged the trembling Tun Tun tightly and kept burrowing into her arms.
Karin covered her mouth and exclaimed in shock, "Naruto!"
Tsunade raised her hand and waved her chakra, stabilizing the scattered papers.
Jiraiya's eyes sharpened instantly, and he unconsciously entered a state of combat readiness.
The light dimmed slightly.
The person who appeared before Jiraiya, Tsunade, Kakashi, and Shizune was no longer the Naruto wearing an orange tracksuit.
Instead, it was a small golden figure radiating golden light.
His hair seemed to be made of pure flames, standing upright, and his body was covered with a golden chakra cloak, outlining a clear silhouette. Even his breath carried a faint golden aura.
The energy fluctuations were so strong they sent chills down one's spine, yet they were not violent at all, like a tamed beast.
Naruto slowly opened his eyes.
He looked down at his hands, which were made of gold, and paused for a moment. The next second, his eyes flashed with pure shock and excitement.
"This is----?"
"That's amazing!"
Naruto shouted it out almost instinctively, his voice filled with the excitement of experiencing true power for the first time.
"I feel like I have inexhaustible energy!"
The three top Konoha experts standing opposite him were all momentarily stunned.
Tsunade stared at him, her face filled with shock, and said, "Nine-Tails chakra?"
Kakashi muttered incredulously, "Could this be... the Perfect Jinchuriki Mode? But how is this possible?"
He looked up at Naruto, as if replaying every moment in his mind.
"He only closed his eyes for a moment, less than a minute—"
"A perfect Jinchuriki?" Tsunade stepped forward, feeling the chakra fluctuations emanating from Naruto, her face filled with disbelief. "How could the Nine-Tails lend him its power so easily? This is completely illogical."
"Hey! Naruto!"
Jiraiya rushed in front of Naruto, staring at his golden cloak, and said quickly, "What exactly did you do in the consciousness space? Did you really convince Kurama in just a few seconds? And become friends with it?!"
"No."
Naruto still looked bewildered.
He shook his head, and golden chakra traced a streak of light in the air with his movement, like leaving a thin trail of flame.
"As soon as I went in, I saw a golden thing, like the sun."
"Then it seems that even the Nine Lamas didn't know what it was."
"I just touched it out of curiosity, and that's how it happened."
"Something golden, like the sun?" Kakashi stared at the golden chakra fluctuations around Naruto, then suddenly narrowed his eyes slightly.
The shock on his face slowly faded, replaced by an extremely familiar feeling, as if some clue had suddenly made a connection.
"Wait! This chakra sensation—it's almost exactly the same as the chakra fluctuations when the other Naruto was preparing to unleash that secret technique yesterday."
He looked at Naruto, his eyes filled with complex emotions, and said, "Naruto, if I'm not mistaken, the powerful force within you right now—it's probably not yours, but his."
"That other you from your dreams may have secretly left you a gift before you left."
Upon hearing Kakashi's speculation, Jiraiya's body jolted violently.
He closed his eyes, as if carefully discerning the components within that chakra.
A moment later, Jiraiya said, "That's right, Kakashi is right, there is Kushina's chakra in here."
"Now I think I understand. It seems that the kid from the dream—left you the chakra that Kushina gave him to save his life."
When Kakashi and Jiraiya each laid out the truth before Naruto, Naruto was completely stunned.
He stood there dumbfounded, the dazzling golden chakra aura around him seeming to breathe.
"Is it—another gift I left for myself?"
Naruto subconsciously repeated the sentence, as if to make sure he hadn't misheard.
"Is there still the power of a mother inside?"
He originally thought that Naruto's departure in yesterday's dream was likely a farewell, and although he was disappointed, he forced himself to accept the fact.
But he never expected this.
Before leaving quietly, the other party even prepared such a parting gift for him.
This is not just an incomparably powerful force.
This is also a connection that transcends global barriers.
It is a deepest blessing and protection from another self.
It was a precious power that should have belonged to Naruto of that world, inherited from his mother, but now it was given to him by that Naruto in this way.
"We've only known each other for less than a day—" Naruto murmured.
He clenched his fists.
The golden chakra on his body seemed to hear his determination, and the flame-like light intensified, yet it remained firmly attached to him without any sign of going berserk, as if to say, "I am here."
He accepted this gift that transcended the world.
He will never let this power down.
time flies.
Night fell quickly.
When the night in Konoha quiets down, there is always a strange sense of peace.
In the distance, the Hokage Rock silently overlooks the village. Streetlights are lit one by one, and a gentle breeze dispels the daytime hustle and bustle, leaving only the occasional bark of a dog and the footsteps of patrolling ninjas.
Shi Yu lay on the bed, her hands behind her head, staring blankly at the ceiling for a while. Then, with a thought, the system panel unfolded in mid-air.
His eyes immediately fell on the Chaotic Dungeon.
Sure enough, the Chaotic Dungeon section had turned gray and was no longer clickable.
But what caught Shi Yu's eye was a new progress bar that appeared below the chaotic instance.
The progress bar clearly shows 10%.
"Hmm?" Shigure stroked his chin. "It feels like a separate level—it even has a progress bar."
Shi Yu flipped through the target list, her gaze landing on one name.
"Obito".
"It's been a long time since I've seen you perform."
Rain-Hidden Village.
Obito leaned against the hard bed, his mask covering most of his face.
He shouldn't have fallen asleep so easily.
But for some reason, I feel extremely tired tonight.
He didn't know how much time had passed before he regained consciousness.
What came into view was no longer the familiar ceiling.
It's the roof of the tent.
A faint smell of blood filled the air.
-
Obito was stunned.
The next second, a thought popped into my head.
"—I'm back in again?"
He turned his stiff neck, his vision gradually focusing, and the first thing he saw was the boy Kakashi not far away.
Most of the heavy bandages that had been wrapped around the man had been removed, leaving only a few clean dressings on his upper arm and chest.
The person was leaning against the tent, head down, intently organizing a backpack.
Hearing Obito's movement, Kakashi paused in his actions.
Without looking up, he spoke in his usual impatient tone, "Hey, Obito, now that you're awake, stop dawdling and spacing out, have you forgotten?"
"Didn't you yourself say yesterday that you were going to visit that senior colleague first thing this morning?"