After confirming he had received his reward, the system voice reminded Naruto—emotionlessly—that his challenge time had run out.
With a single thought, Naruto exited the Mirror World. Almost immediately, a wave of exhaustion washed over him, and he collapsed onto the bed, completely drained.
That night, he slept deeply—so deeply that even when an ANBU operative silently pushed open the second-floor window at 5 a.m., Naruto didn't stir.
The man was one of the surveillance agents assigned by the Third Hokage to check on Naruto three times a day, at fixed intervals.
Naruto had known about this for a long time, but he always pretended not to.
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In the past, he hadn't minded. He had nothing to hide. He even kept the window slightly open every day to make their job easier. The ANBU came in like workers punching a timecard, checked on him, then left.
But last night had been different. He had closed the window tightly and hadn't had the strength to open it again before bed.
What finally woke him wasn't the surveillance, but the internal clock he had developed across two lifetimes. As the wall clock ticked toward 6:30 a.m., his brow twitched, and he slowly opened his eyes.
Stretching lazily, every fiber of his body wanted to stay in bed—but he pushed himself upright using the edge of the mattress.
The moment his vision cleared, he saw the window.
Open.
His brows knitted together.
He wasn't upset at being monitored—that was a fact of life by now.
What irritated him was the sloppiness. The ANBU hadn't even bothered to cover their tracks. As elite shinobi, they should have left no trace.
They're not even pretending anymore.
Do they really think they have complete control?
How laughable.How… pitiful.
Naruto's gaze deepened.
After freshening up, changing clothes, and eating breakfast, Naruto left the house with calm, steady steps, locking the door behind him.
Outside, no new snow had fallen, but the ground was still blanketed in white—just like yesterday. On the surface, nothing seemed different.
But Naruto knew: everything had changed.
After scanning the surroundings, he formed a sequence of hand seals flawlessly.
He had chakra now.
And that meant it was time to live differently.
Transformation Jutsu!
Poof!
Naruto transformed into a brown-haired boy with a soft, innocent face—someone he had seen among the crowd during yesterday's commotion.
Crunching through the snow, he headed toward his destination.
"Ningu Mantendō."(Ninja Tool Supply Hall)
He softly recited the name as his eyes settled on a shop decorated with various ninja tools and weapons.
After navigating several streets, he reached the store. He had come to buy chakra paper—a special tool for testing chakra nature. Watching the stream of customers entering and leaving, Naruto quietly slipped inside.
The shelves were lined with ninja tools, scrolls, books, and materials from numerous fields.
While examining a set of kunai, a gentle voice spoke beside him.
"Hey there, little one. These aren't toys. The toy store's near Yakiniku Q. Want big sis to take you there?"
Turning slightly, Naruto saw a woman—likely a shop assistant—bent down with a polite smile.
His expression remained steady.
"Thank you, but I'm here to buy chakra paper."
"Oh! A customer—my mistake! This way."
Her smile didn't fade, but Naruto noticed a flicker of confusion. She led him to the counter.
"Here's the chakra paper. How many sheets?"
"Five, please."
"That'll be 1,000 ryō."
After leaving the shop, Naruto didn't go home immediately. It was still early—plenty of time before lunch.
He walked along a narrow, quiet street near the village's edge, secluded and dim, with almost no foot traffic.
His mind drifted back to the Mirror World and its data-collection requirement.
According to the guide, data could appear randomly on people, buildings, or objects.
Basically finding a needle in a haystack.
With data integrity stuck at 1%, Naruto couldn't help feeling frustrated.
But frustration wouldn't help. He kept walking quietly.
Before he realized it, he was alone on the street. After a quick glance around, he turned the corner.
Poof!
He released the Transformation Jutsu, preparing to head home.
"Hm?"
Shff… shff…
As the jutsu dispersed, he heard clumsy, uneven footsteps crunching through the snow.
Looking up, he saw a small figure stumbling toward him. The girl fell every few steps, barely staying upright.
Naruto stopped and listened.
Soft sobbing reached his ears.
"Pfft—"
The little figure tripped again, falling face-first into the snow. Her muffled crying grew louder. She wore a brown winter coat and a pale yellow scarf.
"What's wrong? Can you tell me?"
"I… I…"
The girl lifted her head.
Blue eyes met pale lavender.
Golden hair.
Short bangs.
White eyes.
It was Hinata.
Naruto's heart skipped a beat.
He gently helped her to her feet.
He recognized this scene.
In the original series, Hinata had been bullied for her Byakugan. Naruto had stepped in, marking their first meeting.
He wasn't that Naruto—but even if he missed the original timing, fate hadn't changed.
"Are you lost?"
Naruto brushed the snow off her scarf.
Hinata opened her mouth, closed it, then shook her head… and then nodded. Tears gathered in her eyes.
"Don't worry. I'll take you home."
Naruto smiled softly, taking her hand as they walked back the way he came.
When they exited the alley, a ninja suddenly appeared on the road—seemingly out of thin air.
His face was pale, with deep dark circles under his eyes.
Cough, cough. "Looks like it's about time I report to the Hokage."
With that, he vanished.
"We're here. This is your house, right?"
"Mm-hmm~!"
Naruto had brought Hinata to the Hyūga compound. The large gate bore a plaque reading: Hyūga.
"Well then, see you around."
He waved lightly, turned, and walked away.
He never gave his name.
Hinata stood motionless.
She didn't even know who he was.
Naruto returned home after that.
After a simple lunch, he didn't pull out the chakra paper. Instead, he sat on the bed, cross-legged, closed his eyes, and began cultivating chakra again.
After a while, he felt his consciousness sink into a dim, murky space.
Before him stood a massive iron gate—ancient, dark, with a sealing tag plastered over the top, marked with the character "Seal."
Taking a step closer, a massive fox face loomed behind the bars—its crimson eyes burning with violent intensity.
"Even though I knew the Nine-Tails existed, seeing him in person… it's overwhelming. But more than anything, I didn't think I'd reach this place so soon."
As Naruto marveled silently, the fox's enormous maw curled into a sinister grin.
"Heh… so, you've managed to come here already, brat?"
Naruto took another step forward, looked up, and said calmly:
"Pretty."
The Nine-Tails froze.
Its massive, feral eyes widened. Then its expression twisted in pure outrage.
"RAAAH! What did you just say, brat?!"
"Shhh."
Naruto raised a finger to his lips, then took a few steps back.
Suddenly, he sprinted forward—
—and leapt toward the gate.
Reaching up, he grabbed the seal tag with one hand—
—and ripped it off.
RIP!
The tag peeled away cleanly.
"NANI!!!"
Even Naruto hadn't expected it. It happened too fast for him to think.
The Nine-Tails' eyes bulged—equal parts disbelief and exhilaration. Its heart pounded with anticipation. It was just about to strike when—
A figure materialized before the gate.
Crimson pupils narrowed sharply.
"RAAHH!! YOU—!!! FOURTH HOKAGE!!!"
(End of Chapter)