Naruto sat cross-legged on his bed, the dim light of the room falling over the diary in his hands. The pages were old, and a faint smell of age rose from them whenever he turned one.
At first, he had opened it with some interest.
Since it belonged to Kushina, he wanted to see if she had come across any useful opportunities in her life. Maybe a hidden technique, some secret knowledge, or something connected to the Uzumaki clan.
But after reading for a while, his expression slowly turned dull.
Most of the diary was filled with her daily life.
What she ate.
What she did.
How she spent time with Minato.
How she felt about certain people.
Normal memories.
Normal emotions.
To Naruto, it was almost painfully boring.
"Ugh, this is so boring," Naruto muttered, quickly flipping through the pages.
He turned page after page without much interest.
Then, just as the diary was about to end, his eyes suddenly caught three words.
Body.
Purification.
Pill.
His fingers stopped at once.
The boredom in his eyes disappeared.
Naruto carefully flipped the pages back, this time reading every word with focus until he found the section where the pill was described.
As he read through the details, his heartbeat quickened slightly.
The effects of the pill were almost the same as something from his previous world. Even the method of creating it was strangely similar.
His eyes narrowed.
'Why is this pill mentioned here? Could there be a reason my soul ended up in this world? Is there some connection between this place and my past life?'
For a moment, that thought stayed in his mind.
Then he shook his head.
"That might not be the case. Maybe this type of pill could be created in this world in the past."
According to Kushina's diary, the Body Purification Pill was a secret recipe passed to her by the heiress of the Kosei clan, a powerful ally of the Uzumaki clan.
The Kosei clan specialized in medical ninjutsu. They also shared common interests with the Uzumaki clan, especially because of the Uzumaki clan's strong life force and regenerative abilities. Those traits had always attracted the interest of medical clans like the Kosei.
Naruto continued reading.
The recipe listed several rare ingredients.
Akakawa Leaf.
Kokoro Seed.
Mizuneko Root.
Yūjin Mushroom.
Sakura Petal.
Beside the names, Kushina had attached small drawings of each ingredient. She had also written details about their rarity and the regions where they could be found.
Naruto leaned back against the wall, deep in thought.
'These ingredients... they're rare, but not impossible to find. If I can make this pill, all the impurities in my body will be removed. It could become the first real step toward building the strength that I need in this world. I need to investigate this further.'
The discovery pleased him.
For the first time since opening the diary, he felt that it had not been a complete waste of time.
After placing the diary aside, Naruto continued searching the room.
Beneath the bed, he found a sword, not too long one.
He pulled it out and examined it carefully. It was not the perfect weapon he wanted, but it could still be useful when necessary.
For now, that was enough.
After finishing his search, Naruto finally went to sleep.
...
The next morning, Naruto completed his usual morning exercises and finished his daily routine.
Before leaving, he took out the sealing scroll he had recently bought. He sealed food and water inside it, then placed the sword into it as well.
After that, he headed toward the training ground.
When Naruto arrived, Sasuke and Sakura were already there with Kakashi.
The mission to the Kakashi's team(team 7) assigned was painfully simple.
Catch a stray cat for a local family.
Naruto groaned, clearly unimpressed, but still followed along with the others.
It did not take long for them to find the cat.
Naruto was the first to grab it.
But instead of holding it properly, he smirked and threw it toward Sakura.
"Catch!"
Sakura barely managed to catch the startled cat, but the animal immediately scratched her hand in panic.
"Naruto!" she yelled angrily, holding her scratched hand. "What is wrong with you?!"
Naruto smirked.
"You couldn't catch it yourself, so how is this my fault?"
Sakura fumed, her frustration building quickly.
"You're impossible!"
Sasuke watched from the side with mild disinterest, clearly having no desire to get involved.
With the cat finally captured and delivered, Team 7 returned to the Hokage's office to report the mission.
The Third Hokage looked at them with his usual calm smile.
Before anyone else could speak, Sasuke finally lost his patience.
"Lord Hokage!" Sasuke blurted out. "Why do we keep getting these lame tasks? Give us something real! Something challenging to test our capabilities!"
Hiruzen chuckled.
"Oh, so you want a real challenge, do you?"
Both Sasuke and Naruto nodded.
The Hokage stroked his beard thoughtfully.
"Very well. I have a C-rank mission for you. You'll escort a guest to his destination."
Sakura immediately perked up at the mention of a guest.
"A guest? Is it someone famous? Maybe a celebrity?"
Hiruzen smiled mysteriously.
"You'll find out soon enough. Come in, please."
The doors opened.
A disheveled man stumbled inside, holding a bottle of booze. His cheeks were flushed, and his unsteady steps made it clear that he had been drinking for quite some time.
He glanced lazily at Team 7 and took another sip from the bottle.
Sakura's jaw dropped.
"Wait, this guy is the guest? Seriously?!"
The man smirked.
"What's with the look, brats? You got a problem?"
Naruto pointed an accusing finger at him.
"Yeah, I've got a problem! You're supposed to be the person we're escorting? You don't even look like you can walk straight!"
The guest laughed loudly.
"Hahahaha!"
He nearly tripped over himself before catching his balance.
"Guess you'll have to work extra hard to keep me safe then, eh?"
Sasuke sighed.
"This is going to be a disaster."
Hiruzen chuckled as though the whole situation amused him.
"Your mission is to escort this man safely to his destination. I'm sure you'll handle it just fine."
Sasuke groaned, already regretting his earlier demand for a real task.
Sakura stared at the guest in disbelief.
Naruto remained calm, but his unimpressed expression said enough.
Kakashi looked at his team.
"Alright, Team 7. Let's get started. This will be... interesting."
With that, they left the office, the drunken guest trailing behind them.
Naruto glanced at the man once and muttered under his breath.
'Why are my instincts telling me this mission is going to be more troublesome than it's worth?'
(To Be Continued...)
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