三章 • chapter three

part 1

“Attacked by drones!?”
Shikamaru was unusually taken a back as he listened to Naruto tell the whole story.
Drones that attack using high-powered beams are not something just one person could develop.
Unless it was backed by a Katasuke-level scientist or some international research institution, something
like this couldn’t have been developed.
“Understood, you didn’t sign any chakra, did you?”
“Not really. Thanks to the Byakugan, I didn’t make any mistakes.”
“Hmm”, Shikamaru hummed as he put his hand on his jaw in thought.
“You haven’t heard any rumors about the development of a combat drone during discussions with Dr.
Katasuke, have you? Actually, I’d venture to say we could ask Furie some trick questions so that we may
see his true intentions.”
“Tricking him into revealing his true intentions...... how would we do that?”
Shikamaru took a quick glance at the ceiling.
In the center of the machine was a donut-shaped mechanism that resembled a fire alarm but was actually a
wiretap mechanism developed by Katasuke.
Confirming that the strange detection light wasn’t turned on, Shikamaru spoke in a low voice, “this is
from the assassination attempt in the Land of Stairs from before, the mastermind behind this may be from
Kengakuin.”
“What!?”
“We’ve gotten a hold of information from the people at Anbu that there are traces of contact between
the perpetrator Yanaru and Furie.”
Naruto furrowed his eyebrows.
“......the mastermind behind all of this, do we have any solid evidence?”
“I’ve already mobilized ninja a while ago, this has troubled me from the start.”
Konoha has been in cooperation with Kengakuin, trying to decipher the documents from around Redaku.
In the meanwhile, Naruto’s medical condition was surely kept top secret, making contact with the
country (Redaku) was still dangerous.
Shikamaru scowled while crossing his arms.
“Regarding the deciphering of the ancient alphabet, Kengakuin is the highest authority...... I want no
further needless information leaked to anyone who doesn’t understand right from wrong. In regard to
their honesty with Redaku-related documents, I have no choice but to give in and rely on those guys.”
Earlier that morning, Shikamaru received an email from Kengakuin’s deciphering team. They were the
results of the documents they had received from Kakashi. Contained inside was the specific accounts
relating to the Sage of Six Paths and the process of how he cured his illness.

The Sage of Six Paths, who was afflicted by the strange disease, walked to the ends of Redaku and by
chance, met the astronomer, Tataru.

Tataru gave serious medical treatment, but the disease continued without a care.

That evening, Tataru located a meteorite approaching the earth from heavens.

The Sage of Six Paths caught the falling meteorite with one hand, splitting it into two.

The broken fragments of the meteor sparkling as it fell on the Sage.

In other words, the years-long illness of the Sage of Six Paths was caught off guard all at once.
They say if you have the chakra to split open the meteorite that fell from the heavens, you’ll have
great propitious power.

Tataru named this substance, the source of his power, “polar particles”.

In continuation, there were rough disputes with everyone around because of the power of the polar
particles, so half of the particles “fell from the sky to the earth” and the other half were hidden,
“remaining in orbit around the stars”.

The polar particles on this world, lay sleeping, protected by the stars.

If the Sage of Six Paths was the one affected by this disease, we need the power of the polar particles.
If this is the case, then his power probably came from this land.

A stranger whose whereabouts are unknown, messed around with a celestial map belonging to the land of
Redaku.

――In short, if we get Rikudou Sennin’s polar particles “that fell from the sky to the earth” and
“those remained in orbit around the stars”, we will cure Naruto’s illness.

The matter of this information has already been sent to Kakashi and Sakura via hawk.

If their investigation proceeds well, we should see even more clues from them.

Supposing the documents were written in Redaku’s ancient language, Shikamaru would acknowledge the
danger and request for assistance in the decryption from Kengakuin.
It’s for Naruto’s sake that the deliberate Shikamaru ventures to choose actions that are without risk.
Everything around crossing that dangerous bridge, I take full responsibility for―― Watching as Naruto
bit his lip in regret, Shikamaru laughed in amazement.
“Don’t give me that annoying face, that’s so like you.”
“......not really, but that’s beside the point.”
He looked away nervously, his lips still unconsciously pursed.
It was only natural that he worried about the disease, but much more than that, it was frustrating that
he couldn’t manage it on his own.
Previously, Naruto would have certainly gone by himself to Redaku, looking for his own way to cure the
disease, but right now, Naruto couldn’t do that.
The Seventh Hokage isn’t allowed to be absent from the village for long periods of time at his own
leisure. Being Hokage, there was so much more he could do but not allowed to do at the same time.
It’s a depressing situation.
“I don’t think about it too much, as usual, you work as the Hokage. That is the number one most
important thing for this village.”
“Yeah, I get that, ya know?”
With Naruto’s chin resting in his palm, he pulled a stack of documents on the edge of the desk towards
himself. A tingling pain ran down his back of his chest, he prepared himself for an episode, but this
was different. It wasn’t turning into the excruciating pain like always. A sluggish weight accompanied
with the feeling of frustration slowly pulled at the core of his body.
“Hey, Shikamaru”
“Yeah?”
“In case-”
In case I lose all my chakra......how am I supposed to protect the village?
Naruto swallowed his words before he could say them, looking for another way to follow his “in case”.
“......Since it wasn’t me that the drone attacked, I wonder if it would’ve been feasible to look into
this together”, Shikamaru thought a little.
“There’s a possibility that the true mastermind is from Kengakuin. What’s that guy’s connection to
Kengakuin?”
“It’s likely they’re affiliated as a scientist there. For some reason, there was someone
experimenting alone in the basement of a house, and not at the Kengakuin building. It was very odd.”
“However, the house was destroyed by the drones. I wonder, where are they studying now?” Naruto asked
casually, letting out a “hmm...” as he avoided meeting his gaze, it was a hard question to answer.
“...... After being acquainted with the scientist, we discussed providing her a laboratory.”
“Are you familiar with any of the scientists?”
Naruto announces the full name of the scientist, Shikamaru’s face dropped.

That afternoon.
Naruto visited Chihare’s new study to help with her experiment as promised.
Built in a cave in the ravine that sat under the iron railroad bridge. The place seemed innocent, but
the deeper into the cave you went, the heavier the air seemed to get.
The scientists here always behave poorly, but they’re all talented.
Chihare seems to have rented out one of the laboratories that belonged to Orochimaru―― Suigetsu,
Karin, and Orochimaru.
Of course, they didn’t leave her without supervision.
Yamato on surveillance keeps a close eye.
“Yesterday, Captain Yamato, you truly saved me, ya know”, there was a little echo as he talked.
Naruto crouched down and whispered in a concealed tone to Yamato, who was hiding in the shadows of a
rocky area near the cave’s entrance.
“Captain...... I’m sorry we left guarding Orochimaru’s lookout up to you.”
“I have no choice. There’s no one to take my place.” Yamato has been on surveillance for Orochimaru,
almost exclusively shouldering the responsibility since the last Hokage.
Yamato himself probably didn’t take on this mission for any profit or loss, but it’s evident that the
burden was focused on him alone.
Naruto, Shikamaru, and of course Kakashi, had been constantly discussing about improving his situation,
but coming to a consensus has proven to be difficult.
Just as Yamato says, there’s no one to replace him.
There was an indication of people stepping outside.
Naruto clung to the ceiling with Yamato stayed hidden behind a protruding rock.
“Yamato-san, thank you for your hard work,” it was Mitsuki, who appeared with such quite movements,
very uncharacteristic for a genin.
It looks like he came to visit after finishing a mission with Team Konohamaru.
Yamato looked back, keeping his crouched posture.
“Mitsuki, that was quick! How was your mission?”
“We just looked for lost cats and cleaned drains. Besides Boruto falling in a river, it went well.”
“Were they both D rank missions? Isn’t it boring if it goes free from accident?”
“Honestly, maybe. Since we finished early, Boruto, Shikadai, Inojin, and I dropped by a burger shop in
front of the station.” Naruto had a strange feeling as he looked down at the two laughing together.
It was such a friendly conversation―― it was like a conversation between an uncle and an elementary
school student.
In the end, Mitsuki politely bows and enters the laboratory.
Naruto waits for his footsteps to disappear before coming down from the ceiling.
“...... Captain Yamato, you seem to be friendly with him.”
“Oh yea, it’s like this all the time when I’m on surveillance.”
Yamato seemed to be surprised himself as he pulled his face into a bitter smile.
“Nevertheless, I can’t be negligent. These days, Orochimaru seems to be pretty obedient, I don’t know
what to feel in my gut. Even those Taka guys have their quirks. In my heart, I can’t forgive them.”
Karin then comes along behind Yamato, talking with a serious tone.
Karin place a tray she held in her hand, a cup of green tea and strawberry daifuku placed on top, on a
rock and without hesitation, Naruto watched from behind, returning to the shady rock ceiling.
“Yamato, eat this. It’s strawberry daifuku, Mitsuki bought you one too.”
“I’m okay. I’m on a mission.”
“Be quiet, Mitsuki bought ‘em, so you should just shut up and eat it. You’re not some girl on a diet,
just come back and return the plate.”
She walked back into the lab, muttering to herself.
Yamato sighed as he looked worryingly at the lightly powdered strawberry daifuku.
“...... Captain Yamato, can your heart really not forgive them?”
“If they can even be forgiven”
Naruto leaves Yamato to his surveillance mission in the rocks, and once again visits the lab. Although
he’s always told to visit this place, it’s not like he can just go and ring the doorbell with a
present in hand.
He walked in and vaguely wandered around until he came across Suigetsu.
“Uwa-, Nanadaime! I heard that you would come, but you actually came! ... And to here of all places.”
In the corner of Suigetsu’s mouth was a lightly colored powder. Strawberry daifuku.
“Where is Chihare?”
“This way this way,” Suigetsu started walking off, slowing his pace so Naruto could catch up next to
him.
His personality is as frank as ever, when he’s himself, he starts talking without thinking, about
nonsense topics like this week’s weather.
It looks like Orochimaru is in another laboratory today.
“That kid’s experiment.......it’s the development of the device that creates versatile chakra isn’t
it? It’s difficult, isn’t it? There are way too many patterns of stimuli to apply to the chakra, it
seems time consuming. It’s such a massive task for one person.”
“You should help her out, since you have the time to be eating strawberry daifuku.”
“How did you know I ate daifuku?...... Anyways, both Karin and I did ask if she needed any help, but we
were rejected.”
Rejected?
“why, still......” Naruto asks doubtfully, Suigetsu tilts his head to the side with a “huh?”
“There’s a lot of scientists who are ready to monopolize her results,” the institute was widely
frightening.
There was a large number of doors, and behind a heavy looking closed door, you could hear the sound of
croaking frogs or the sound of something violently boiling. Whatever it was, it wasn’t calm.
Each time Naruto glanced towards a door, he would shake his head as Suigetsu, with a smile that showed
off his protruding fang would ask, “wanna see inside?”
After turning a few corners and going considerably far into the lookout, Suigetsu stopped walking.
“It’s here,” he pointed towards a heavy door, seemingly made of iron at the end of the hall.
“Just saying, Orochimaru rarely rents out part of his lab to others. Certainly, you don’t think
you’re just some volunteer, do you?”
“I get it,” Naruto nods and pushes open the door.
“There’s a lot of value in what she’s researching”
Chihare sat on the linoleum floor, using her laptop placed on a low table she brought in.
There was a chair and desk near the wall, but since she wasn’t used to them, she wouldn’t be able to
get settled into them.
Turning his back around to review the last experiments, the door sounded as he opened it.
“Chihare--! I’m here--!” Naruto said. Chihare sluggishly stood up and quickly made her way through
the lines of steel shelves, her face peeking through.
“Your work is much appreciated.”
“Oh...... the bags under your eyes are huge”
“I’m not sleeping. This equipment is really good, so the experiments are moving along.”
Orochimaru’s research laboratory has at the end of a corridor, its entrance formed around rocky terrain
brimming with rustic nature, but the moment you enter the lab, it transforms into a modern-day facility.
The walls and ceiling glowed silver as it was made of stainless steel, and to sterilize the rooms, the
air conditioning adjusted the amount of humidity in 0.1 increments.
Chihare was obviously benefitting from a facility like this as she was much more efficient.
Everything was generally more convenient than that renovated basement under the house.
To start with, this place was just huge, the number of shelves that held the lines of petri dishes have
tripled.
The petri dishes were so tightly packed on the steel shelves it was almost as if they detested any gaps.
An imposing camera was installed near the ceiling.
Every step of the experiments seems to be recorded.
It means that if there is any outcome then it’ll be shared without question, but he was sure she
already figured that out when she decided to use Orochimaru’s lab.
“Let’s do this!” Naruto said powerfully as he turned the goggles on.
Even if there were clearly much more petri dishes to check, he decided not to complain and proceeded to
work with haste.
There was barely any space between the shelves causing Naruto to be pretty cramped.
“So, Suigetsu was telling me,” Naruto remembered as he spoke out, putting his foot on the edge of the
bottom shelf, clutching a petri dish with both of his hands as he looked into it on the top shelf.
“Did you tell those guys that you didn’t need their help?”
“Yes. Up until this point I was doing it on my own.”
“But, if they can help, you’ll be finished sooner.”
“It’ll be ok. It’s much more stressful with others.”
I guess that’s just how it is, Naruto thought as he silently murmured to himself, and after a moment,
he sharply turned his head at attention.
“But you asked me.”
Yeah, which reminded me. Being with someone else feels so painful, that’s why I was working on my own
in that basement―― but for some reason, the way Naruto spoke felt so genuine. Thinking deeply about
it, it’s quite a mystery. It makes me wonder why...... 。Chihare repeatedly batted her eyelids while
Naruto returned to work saying, “Wow, the goggles are so convenient.”
Oh.
That’s right, the goggles.
I really wanted to borrow the goggles, so I decided to ask Naruto.
If not, don’t even bother deciding to be in the same room as anyone else.
“...... I don’t think I’m that comfortable around other people,” Chihare idly muttered, Naruto
turned his head in curiosity.
“You like being alone? I like being around everyone.”
“Though I worry, ...... isn’t it more comfortable to be on your own?”
“Well, I guess that’s true for some guys, but it’s much more enjoyable to be with various other
people.”
“Like what?” being asked this, Naruto looked up into the air.
“Let’s see...... I still laugh and remember the time when Kakashi-sensei became the hokage!” Naruto
burst out without warning.
It was very grandiose to recall and laugh about it. With Chihare amazed, Naruto continued talking with a
big happy grin.
“...... I was ordered to this certain mission to take down a group of thieves. Sasuke had unexpectedly
returned to the village and joined me. That guys not a shinobi, strictly speaking, but he informally
helped out.” Uchiha Sasuke, as well as Hatake Kakashi.
He slipped in such amazing names during their chat, amazing Chihare to her core.
His personality strangely put her at ease, but this person was still the Seventh Hokage.

“The boss’s name was “Kinetsu”, but I always called him the wrong name, “Kitsune”, during strategy
meetings. Everyone was aware I got his name wrong, but because he was so cocky, nobody would point it
out, which made it even more funny......”
“There was no laughter?”
“I didn’t know if there was laughter or not. Then we were split up into two teams. I was on a team
with Kiba, Sakura, and then Shino. Sasuke was away at the time, and Sakura-chan said in secret, “you
got the wrong name,” then everyone went “reallyー!? He was wrongー!?” We were on duty, but I died a
little on the inside as we laughed.” After saying that, he couldn’t hold back anymore, letting out a
sneaky chuckle.
“It’s been a while since it happened, and everyone else might not remember, but I do, and it drives me
crazy.”
“...... I see,” she responded to the various memories of his teammates Naruto talked about.
Chouji and Shikamaru crying for a moment at Sai and Ino’s wedding.
New Year’s Eve, I got too enthusiastic with everyone when we were playing jinsei boardgame, I didn’t
even realize it was already the morning of the new year.
At the same time, also using our full power and tactics to pull of Kakashi-sensei’s mask to see his
true face.
Sai painting a very serious cat using super beast scroll but it turning out way too cute and everyone
was enthralled by it.
Before my wedding, Iruka-sensei and Sakura teaching me how to cook since I wasn’t very good.
“―― I only made the ones that I was able to do really well during practice. Hinata thought I could
unexpectedly cook...... actually, I’ll cook a lot of dishes under-the-table before I show it off. Fried
rice, potatoes mixed with curry...”
No matter who we talked about, Naruto seemed to have a good time.
Everything was like a little episode in the grand scheme of things. To Chihare, it was a mystery how he
could talk about other people with so much joy.
He undoubtedly loved and loved his friends unbearably.
Naruto kept his eyes firmly on the petri dishes as he chatted until he reached the last one with, “No
good――― absolutely no change!”
He exaggeratedly dropped to the floor.
“Oh, I see.”
“You see...... it’s only mildly disappointing.”
“Not getting any results is normal,” Chihare said as she lowered her gaze from his blue eyes above
her.
“The memories of your friends you were talking about just now...... they all felt absurd.” She spoke
honestly, but wondering if it’d make him feel bad.
Hearing that, Naruto laughed with his whole body, “I think so too.”
“Its weird. I enjoy the small things the most, no matter how trivial. When work tires me out, when
something irritates me because it’s not going the right way......remembering these things makes me feel
ok. That’s dumb, I’m sorry.”
Naruto ‘s smile looked innocent and carefree, making her chest warm inside.
While feeling relieved, she also felt guilty.
Naruto looked happier the more he spoke, which made her own sense of guilt grew stronger.
She just couldn’t love everything around her like him.
“You’re the kind of person who cares about the people around you.”
She had said more than enough.
“We are just different from each other, I just don’t need to have a connection with people.”
Chihare continued speaking quickly, feeling like she was making excuses for herself.
“I don’t think I’m lonely either, I was much more alone a long time ago. For someone who grew up
surround by love like yourself, you might not be able to understand.”
Naruto slightly opened his mouth to say something but ended up not saying a word.