Naruto's Story-Uzumaki Naruto and The Spiral Destiny

NARUTO
RETSUDEN
ENGLISH
Translator: nite-
baron.tumblr.com
NARUTO RETSUDEN
English Translation
Original Novel by
Jun Esaka
Translations by
https://nite-baron.tumblr.com/
TYSM!!!!
IMPORTANT NOTE:
✦ No copyright infringements intended

✦ This is simply to have it all together in one place - until
the translated novel can actually, officially be bought
✦ Which I’m (still) waiting for, just sayin’
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Translator: nite-baron.tumblr.com
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1
This unusual phenomenon started half a year ago.

This period was extremely hectic, new regulations going into
effect overlapped with a meeting of all five kage. Off and on for a few
days now, my state of health had been declining. I felt absentminded
and negligent with a slight fever, I thought it was due to my being
sleep deprived since I hadn’t been sleeping at all.
“Naruto, this is bad. Is it possible for you to put out another
shadow clone?” Shikamaru entered the hokage’s office late that
night, past 2 am with horribly dark bags under his eyes.
” At the last moment, the intelligence institute’s chakra
researched progressed. That in itself is good news by the grace of
god, but thanks to the change in figures for the conference, almost
everything has to be replaced. We don’t have sufficient hands.”
“oh――......”
Naruto replied apathetically, raising his face from his computer.
The numbers on the spreadsheet software irritate his eyes. He
leaned back into the back of his chair, repeatedly blinking his eyes as
he formed a seal (hand sign). The usual.
　――In that moment, a severe pain, as if his body was tearing
itself in two, penetrated through to the back of his chest.
「Ah-AH......！？」
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「Naruto！？」
　Naruto collapsed forward, hitting his head loudly on his desk
while his knees fell to the floor.
　The pain disappeared within a moment as it came in waves,
leaving him with just a lingering numbness.
“What’s wrong, Naruto? Is it some kind of pain?”
　Shikamaru looks at him, the skin between his eyebrows
wrinkling.
“no...... just for a moment, must have been something in my
chest.”
　Naruto unsteadily stood up.
What was that just now? It was a pain he had never
experienced.
　Was it because I formed a sign......？
Once more and slowly this time, he tried crossing his fingers into
the seal.
POOF!
A poof was heard, appearing was a clone.
“there......you’re out......”
“just now, how was that?”
“oh, it was like... this...gre-great... intense... pain, it was
overwhelming”
The clone imitated Naruto while teasing that “it didn’t seem so
painful”, all while slapping Naruto’s shoulder.
“Do you have high blood pressure? ... All you eat is ramen”
“SHUT UP! I’m not that old yet, you know!
“............”
　The two of them quarreled, Shikamaru’s facial expression was
cold as they motionlessly and fixedly stared at each other.
With this current administrative system, Shikamaru knew that
the burden of currently being hokage was too great. Amendments
were frequently being submitted to the daimyo, but their opposition
to anything that greatly changes tradition was strong.
　For more than a long time, Naruto was forced to be
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Naruto Retsuden English
unreasonable.
Despite this, it was painful not to say he needed a rest. For
starters, being hokage meant being the top position in a “shinobi
village”, which is responsible for the national defense for the Land of
Fire. As it should be, but as the era of war grew older over time, the
whole country has grown dependent on shinobi, the power of the
hokage growing proportionally as well, regardless of their intention.
Yet so the shinobi village was the head of the military, so to speak.
They were their own administration. As such, the hokage position is
extremely delicate, it greatly relies on the discretion of the
individual, and there were no substitutes.
“If you want more peace of mind, drink this.”
Shikamaru handed him over some kanpouyaku (Chinese herbal
medicine) the medical team had compounded. He swallowed it,
drinking an energy drink as it went down. He had forgotten the
pain that ran through his chest for a moment as he got back to his
work.
　A month later, the second wave of severe pain came.

　With his son Boruto, they were in the training grounds at
dusk. The five kage conference was over, he was watching over his
training. Filling in for his master who couldn’t come for a while.
“Ha! Hoh! Da! De-Ya!!”
Boruto threw shuriken four times in a row, flying cleanly while
spinning as each one pierced the east, west, north, and south.
　It was shuriken and kunai training, which Boruto was not
good at.
“Wo――――aah！　I hit the target――！”
“Yeah, it feels good! Then next, practice applying a tighter
curve.”
“Ehー? there more to this than when I learned the rasengan.”
　Boruto pouted then turned bitterly back at Naruto.
“Isn’t this more of Sarada’s thing in our team? It’d probably be
better to leave shuriken to her, you know”
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“You too. When you become a shinobi, you won’t always get to
team up with your same team.”
“I mean- I just don’t know how to get it to curve. Are there any
tips or tricks to it? A trick?!”
　Tricks......
Naruto put his hand on his hip while he thought.
“Got it! You can curve a rasengan, right?”
“A little”
“Try and get it to feel like that”
“......wh-what?”
Boruto’s blue eyes look up to Naruto, beaming with expectations.
“So, when you want to bend a rasengan you......”
　Naruto lost his train of thought.
It was like moving your hands and feet, an unconscious action.
He couldn’t find the words to verbalize the movement that made
sense.
“...... I’ll just show you; I’ll do one. Look”
I can’t say it to you.
“Ah- I got it” Boruto said surprisingly, giving a big nod.
“I get it... same feeling. So... that feel- “
　This guy... really is my kid.
　As Naruto grew happier, with all his heart he ruffled Boruto’s
blonde hair which was standing on end.
“What are you doing- stop it!”
　Boruto moved his body out from Naruto’s hand, shrugging his
shoulders. Despite acting like he hated it, his face was happy.
“Alright, back to training. Dad’s going to make obstacles with
earth style, so this time try to hit the target while avoiding them.”
“heh, heh”
Boruto turns his back to Naruto, shuriken in hand.
　Naruto clasped his hands together, his usual go to hand seal
when building up chakra.
　*heart thump*
Suddenly his heart has rapidly beating. The deep pain he
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remembered spread deep into the back of his chest.

“――――～～～Hh！！”
　As not to scream out in pain, Naruto clenched his teeth.
　He held his chest, trying deep breaths. Boruto who was turned
away from Naruto was unaware of anything happening.
“Boruto......this is bad”
　Naruto desperately concentrated his strength to his shaking
throat, disguising himself as calm.
“Dad, I’ve got kind of...... urgent business”
“Oh- ok, see you later”
Boruto looks back at the dissatisfied voice.
Before he could, Naruto kicked up at the ground. He leaves the
place at such a high speed it looked like he just disappeared.
　The training grounds were surrounded by forests meant for
practice. Running through the trees, Naruto rushed to Konoha’s old
town.
His heart beat faster and faster.
It wasn’t normal.
If he got to the hospital quick enough, Sakura-chan would
examine him.
*heart thump*
　A tremendous pain spread throughout his whole body, forcing
Naruto to dramatically slam on the ground.
He tried to pull himself together, digging his nails into the dirt,
but he couldn’t find the strength to wake his body up.
「Gu......h！」
It’s useless. There’s no way I’m going to get to the hospital.
Crawling, he managed to escape through an aviary in the forest.
It was built a long time ago to raise messenger hawks and was
active up until the shinobi world wars, but it hasn’t been used for
many years now. The walls that had been exposed to rain and winds
were close to collapsing. Naruto had leaned against the wire mesh
for support when a screw fell loose. The chain-link buckling under
him as it sent Naruto tumbling inside the shed.
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“Ha、aah......Guh、shit......”
The inside of the shed was terrible. Old feathers stained by
rainwater scattered throughout left a strange odor. Naruto crawled
his way through on the floor scatter with rotten sawdust and into
the corner of the shed as he crouched.
It’d be unlikely that any one from the village would see him in
such a figure. The miserable figure of the 7th hokage who should be
able to protect the village. He was almost certainly anxious.
“Guuh、ah、ah、Aah......h！”
A wave of severe pain rushes and spreads throughout his whole
body.
Squeezing in through the pain little by little were never-ending
spasms that welled up within his body.
Naruto rounded out his back, clenching his teeth.
“Ku......u、......hu、huーu......”
When did he get covered in mud, he thought.
　He slumped has back against the wall, looking up at the ceiling
where boards were missing as he let out a deep breath. In the
meantime, the pain went away. His face was a mess of sweat, tears,
and saliva.
“......training, I couldn’t even make it to the end”
He intended to just monologue, but there was a reply back in his
head.
――you care about that kind of thing, don’t you...
“What is it, Kurama...... did you wake up?”
――If your vessel was yelling like that, you’d wake up too.
He could hear Kurama’s voice clearly now, even though he had a

habit of waking up moody.
――Surely, I was thinking someone had attacked us... Naruto what
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the hell happened
“ok, I get it!”

　Naruto stood up with his hand on the wall after wiping his
face with his sleeve.
“just, every time I try to form a hand seal, my chest suddenly

hurts......”
　――......signing a seal？
“Yeah. It happened as soon as I tried to form a seal, both this time

and the last time.”
――Naruto.
Kurama’s voice lowered.
　
―― If you don’t start gathering some reliable friend and start
investigation this as soon as possible, you’ll regret it.
“investigate?”
Yes...
Kurama continued, nodding slowly.
　―― When the Sage of Six Paths stayed in the country of

Redaku, he had the same symptoms. At the time, it seemed to be
cured somehow... Naruto, I don’t know if that’d be the case with
you.
At the eaves of a Japanese confectionery shop in old town,

there was a sign that read “strawberry daifuku now over”.
The shop’s manager, Tami, sat at a cool table, the cherry
blossom colored haori worn by employees on the shoulder.
Large dango made on top stand out well.
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“hokage-sama”
When he noticed Naruto, he dutifully stood up and smiled.
“Yo, Tami-chan! Leaving early?”
“God willing, if it sells well today. Our second shop is
about to open.”
“Then I’ve come to your rescue. My son complains that I
don’t buy it very much.”
Letting out a laugh, Tami pointed to the back of the store.
“Everyone’s already inside, hokage-sama, you’re the last”
“Oh- “
Naruto opened the shop door with ease.
The showcase place at the storefront was made of modern-
style glass, but one step in and it’s a traditional wooden
house.
On a small shelf sat books and a soroban.
In the corner of the room sat a small flame meant to smoke
out the mosquitos, the slender streams of smoke escaping
through the opening in the transom and into the outside air.
Naruto took off his shoes and sat up onto the
agarikamachi. An ornate hairpin that replaced a bookmark in
a notebook held up by other books had been pulled out, one
of the decorations that hung below a weeping cherry tree slid
into a tiny hold in the wall.
Duun......
There was a low vibrating sound then suddenly the
clicking of a lock.
The wall which should be made of red tawny wood
instantly became permeable like some kind of acrylic board.
An invention of the intelligence institute, the wall is
usually opaque, but when a voltage becomes applied the
shape behind is revealed using crystal-like liquid particles.
These walls are able to blend in with any kind of material,
making it useful for hiding larger objects or room entrances.
Naruto pushed on the wall, turning like a revolving door and
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stepped inside.
This was a secret room.
The shop manager was Tami when Pain attacked
konohagakure, when he had failed to escape on time, Sakura
was able to help rescue him, and he’s been good to Sakura
ever since. Its why Tami’s Japanese Confectionery Shop was
provided as a meeting place for Naruto and others. Tami in
no way even suspects the 7th hokage to be in such a dire
situation like he is now. Naruto is like a celebrity; he assumes
they were just looking for a place to meet with friends away
from the public eye.
Going through the door, he walks up a narrow staircase.
At the end of the hallway, he pulled back the thick wooden
beam of the paper sliding door, revealing the narrow room
that was the attic, causing the glow of the andon lantern to
sway. Kakashi, Sasuke, Sakura, and Shikamaru sat seated
around the small flame. Naruto shut the sliding door behind
him then sat down on the tatami.
There was a lacquered round tray with tea and Japanese
sweets prepared, curtesy of Tami.
“How’s your psychical condition?” Sakura spoke first, her
anxiety-filled gaze pointed at him.
“hmmー well, no different than usual”
“You’re not getting any better. Since you’ve returned from
the Land of Stairs how many of these episodes have you
had?”
“............”
“Tell me honestly” Naruto replied reluctantly after noticing
how stern Sakura’s voice was.
“...... it’s happened twice. One was a huge one and the
other was small.”
“I see” Sakura’s voice as she listened to him was calming.
There was an air of seriousness to her caring atmosphere.
There was sever chest pain along with difficulty in
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breathing, it’d been happening the first two times when he

attempted to gather his chakra, but the third time came
suddenly when he had been doing nothing.
Moreover, the frequency at which they occurred was
increasing little by little.
Their cause is unknown.
Sakura examined him, there were no abnormalities in his
body. No bacteria or viruses could be detected, there was
nothing she could do besides warning him against using his
chakra.
There was only one clue in the situation, the Sage of Six
Paths.
Kurama spoke of the Sage of Six Paths once suffering from
the exact symptoms as Naruto.
―― Still, it was just a story about the time old man Six
Paths had the ten tailed beasts within him.
His symptoms developed while he was staying in the
countryside of a country named Redaku to the west.
What he did was still unknown.
“Despite all of this, you’ve told Hinata about all these
symptoms, right?”
Sakura asked him, Naruto shook his head silently.
I don’t want to make my family worry.
“I’ll write a report about this progress immediately,”
Shikamaru spoke out in a calm tone.
“I went through all the archives in the country looking for
anything on the country of Redaku... its existence of Redaku
itself is treated like a legend in most books, I couldn’t even
find a specific description... These are the only files we can
rely on.”
Shikamaru tossed a bunch of papers onto the tatami. They
were copies of the corresponding pages in the book.
“Unfortunately, the contents are written in some ancient
language, but it seems almost immediately easy to read........ I
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was able to pick up some proper nouns, and there seems to be

a confirmed description of the approximate time the Sage of
Six Paths was in the country of Redaku. Nevertheless, from
here on out, it’s no longer amateur friendly. I’ve just now
requested for the intelligence institute to decipher it......but
there’s no way it’d be done anytime soon.”
Ken-gakuin, the intelligence institute, is the name of the
international organization created in agreement with the five
great nations after the shinobi wars. Unlike the village’s
scientific team, it doesn’t belong to any specific nation,
instead working to promote science, culture and education.
The current headquarters was located within the Land of
Stairs.
“We’re screwed” Kakashi spoke in a soft tone, then
continued to pour tea into his cup without a care.
“At the same time, we can’t just yield either. I sent a hawk
to the king of Redaku and asked for any information
regarding the time the Sage of Six Paths stayed there but I
didn’t get an answer.”
The country of Redaku had been separated by the outside
world by four thousand meters of mountain ranges, a
nationally isolated country with a completely different sphere
of influence and culture from that of the five great nations,
especially the Land of Fire.
In recent years, Kakashi as the sixth hokage exchanged a
few letters with the king of Redaku, the first official exchange
since the dawn of history. Within the letters were only a
simple exchange of information about their own countries,
more modest correspondences between leaders rather than a
diplomatic relationship. There were already next to nothing
clues as it was.
“Just as I thought, we have no choice but to go to the actual
place.”Sasuke said, his tone mundane.
Just out of his line of sight, the luminance of the andon
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lantern shines onto the whole room, swaying as the flame

flickers.
I’ll go on my own ―― Naruto somehow swallowed those
words that almost left his mouth.
I don’t even know how many days it’ll take to get to
Redaku.
If it weren’t for the public service position of hokage, he’d
be gone for a while, but it was Kakashi who raised his bid
saying, “I’ll go”.
“Out of all of you, I’m the only one who has any kind of
relationship with Redaku’s king. I always thought I’d go see
the king face-to-face one day when I retired... and I’m free
now.”
“To the west of the five great nations from here to the
capital, if you went by Kaminari train... could we hurry up
and make it in about two weeks?
Sakura asked, Sasuke shook his head no.
“You’d need to acclimate your body to the high altitudes
oxygen level. It’d take twenty days.”
“I see, so regardless, it’d be better to leave as soon as
possible.”
“......Kakashi-sensei, you really don’t have to do that.”
Uninterested in the conversation, Naruto threw a wet
blanket over their plan.
Shikamaru turned to him, his gaze looked almost as if he
were amazed.
“Nah, I don’t know. This could be trouble.”
“Nevertheless... this is my personal affair. Kakashi-sensei...
and Sasuke, Sakura-chan, and Shikamaru are all Konoha’s
most valuable people. I can’t just ask this of you like this.”
“Is this a hokage’s order? Naruto?” Sasuke’s tone was
evidently angry as he pressed his question to Naruto.
“If a shinobi doesn’t abide by the rules, are they unfit for
their position?”
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Naruto went silent.

Kakashi immediately broke the tension.
“In that logic, you’re all unfit as shinobi. Naruto, you’re
going to inevitably get involved. Yes, it’s bad to fail to meet
expectations, but you can’t afford to lose composure over it
when you are a public face.”
Naruto slowly lifted his head up, looking at each of his
friends faces. They may not show it on their faces but being
their friends for such a long time he could tell how worried
they were.
Kurama told me to gather a few friends to help investigate
the disease, these four are the first ones I called out to. Even
so, I really didn’t want anyone to know.
I don’t want to needlessly worry about myself.
“Yeah, I understand your feelings.” Sitting cross-legged
placing his body weight on his right knee, Kakashi continued.
“No matter what you say, I’m going to Redaku. Though, if I
can go- if possible, I’d like it by form of commission from the
hokage rather than privately to save any trouble. I’ll adjust
expenses accordingly.”
Expenses probably wasn’t his reason.
Naruto stared at the tatami.
If the media found out about Kakashi’s Redaku visit later,
they’d bash him with “hokage silently operating shinobi of
the village”. However, if they kept a record of it being a
public mission, at least you can no longer be blamed for a
private dispatch.
“Naruto” Shikamaru called out, Naruto raised his head
silently. “If I may have a word as the hokage’s close aid, right
now we should be looking for the cause, even if we have
don’t have personnel to spare. If something should happen to
you, it’d be a huge lose on the village. To be frank, it’d affect
the entirety of the five great nation’s power balance.”
“This current situation is our responsibility to bear as
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well,” Kakashi continued after Shikamaru. “For a long time, I

relied on you too much. Whether it was the Fourth Shinobi
World War or the subsequent reconstruction afterwards. One
of the main reasons we have peace today is the fact that the
daimyo of other countries take one glance at the Land of
Fire’s strength and can’t even stand up to it... but as a result, I
just ended up putting these heavy things on your shoulders.”
“such a thing.......”
We were all together. Naruto looked around at his
comrades.
Shikamaru, who supports the hokage from the front and
back as chief of staff.
Sasuke, who protects Konoha from the shadows with
missions in undeveloped land.
Sakura, who was dedicated to the development of medical
care.
Kakashi, who build the foundation for the current Konoha
as the sixth hokage.
We each have different roles but bear the same amount of
responsibility.
“I’ll go, too” Sasuke suddenly declared.
“Redaku is a city state. Information isn’t always
concentrated in the capital. It’s better to have more of us on
the ground.”
“No, Sasuke” Naruto replied instantly.
“I can’t use you as back up just because I’m sick.
Absolutely no.”
Besides we already had Kakashi’s talent. On top of that,
Sasuke can’t get involved with Naruto’s personal affairs.
“Sasuke. You have another mission for the village. This
is.... this is my command as the hokage.”
“I don’t have to follow it. Officially, I’m not a shinobi. I
usually cooperate with you because
I want to.”
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“you’re full of shit, teme-!” A vein sat out above Naruto’s

eyebrow.
“The future of the village or my life, which is more
important?!”
“Your life. Otherwise the future of the village cannot be
protected. Whatever you say, I am going to do what I think is
best.”
“Who wants tea?” Sakura asked while lifting the teapot,
cutting off their argument.
“Me”, Shikamaru holds out his cup.
“Give me some, too”, Kakashi followed.
Pale green tea gently pours from the spout and into the
cup, whirling inside as it filled.
“............”
Naruto glared at Sasuke, his eyes narrowed like a fox.
Sasuke stared strongly right back at Naruto too, he was not
about to lose.
“...... Well, I’ll go to Redaku first, just to explore and get a
feel for the country.”
Kakashi said slowly, wrapping both his hands around his
steaming teacup.
“If you need help, I’ll send a hawk, so Sasuke can get there
quickly.”
“okay” Sakura nodded while picking up a strawberry
daifuku.
“Sasuke-kun, it’s been a while since you’ve watched over
Boruto and the others’ training.”
Naruto and Sasuke say nothing.
The light from the lantern between them all shakes as they
glare at each other.
“What a drag” Shikamaru sighs under his breath.
The next morning, Kakashi set off to Redaku with a stamp of
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approval of the seventh hokage, his mission recorded in the

appointment book dedicated to foreign missions.
Naruto was too busy to drag out his guilt he felt for
dispatching Kakashi and the impatience he felt towards his
unknown disease with no prognosis.
Between attending various meetings at all different
locations, his presence couldn’t take a break. He received
audit reports and financial statements, the stack of papers
looking like a mountain. Then in the afternoon, attended a
meeting on how to deal with the correspondence of an
international organization whose behavior and conduct had
been highly suspicious.
An urgent response was needed, and they should move
without leaving a trace, but other than that, their meeting had
been all right. When they finally concluded with, “continue
vigilance as before”, evening had already fallen.
After checking to see how many more documents he
needed before his work could be finished, he finally settled
into his seat. Eating a nutritional jelly that came in a tube
instead of dinner, then making a proposal for the new
curriculum at the academy.
Shikamaru walked in.
“Still not back yet?”
With his laptop open in one arm, Shikamaru continued to
ask, “Did you have any episodes today?”
“Only one”
Actually, only one in broad daylight.
Fortunately, when he was alone in the hokage’s office, the
symptoms weren’t so bad, so they subsided after hunching
over and locking the door.
“I see”, Shikamaru nodded, closing the door behind them.
“Be happy, Naruto. I got a call from the intelligence
institute. They’re progressing with the deciphering.”
“Really?!”
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Naruto jumped up, kicking his chair.

“Shizune-san joining the decoding team was a huge help.
They’re advancing at an astonishing four lines in a day”
“Oh!......”
Four lines?
Just four lines?
“I’m not really disappointed. There was a lot of
information in just these four lines. The Sage of Six Paths who
had visited Redaku, stayed at the Janmaru-Tataru
Astronomical Institute, his illness seems to have been cured
during his stay here.”
“OOH! And then?”
“and, and then...... that’s it.”
“come on......”
Naruto slumped his shoulders, returning to his chair.
A moment passed, Naruto’s face lit up with a smirk as he
noticed, “but we made a little progress!”
“Yeah. It’s a step forward. It may feel insignificant, but I’m
pleased.”
Saying that, Shikamaru pulled a trash bin next to him and
sat atop it with his feet relaxed apart.
“Send a hawk to Kakashi-sensei and let him know he
should get to the capital as planned... and then that the
criminal from last years’ assassination attempt in the Land of
Stairs committed suicide.”
Naruto’s face distorted at the word “suicide”.
“In the end, I didn’t want him to hear about it through
gossip.”
Shikamaru continued with his hard expression unchanged,
opening his laptop to display an email.
“The Land of Stairs research team has sent a question to
the seventh hokage. –What are your thoughts about it?”
“Ehh... I guess, If I have to.”
“right.”
19
As the hokage, Naruto’s position has a lot of influence in

many ways.
Inevitably, that buys you a lot of resentment.
As the era of peace continues, the memories of the Shinobi
war disappeared among the people, even Konoha’s own
villagers who behind the scenes slammed him with, “A hero
of war is still a murderer”.
“That meeting’s timing probably won’t be expressly aimed
at the Stairs’”
Shikamaru said with an angry look.
“Right now, it’s in regard to the cost of gas over there and
electricity.”
“What’s wrong with the Floor’s gas?”
“The Land of Fire invested in the research institute to
develop new forms of energy, but the Stairs don’t really like
those guys. If the demand for the Stairs’ gas drops, we won’t
be able to sustain ourselves.”
Naruto’s face frowned.
Certainly, the Land of Stairs has been repeatedly
petitioning with heavy pressure calling for the abrupt
cancellation of development towards new energy sources.
Their reason was that it’d “break the current economic
balance”, but in a “change in the market” to start with is is
only natural.
Naruto didn’t want to hurt the Land of Stairs’ economy.
However, the Land of Fire couldn’t keep relying on other
countries for their supply of energy.
“The Secretary General of the intelligence institute is very
suspicious. There’s reasonable doubt that he was the main
culprit of the assassination.”
Shikamaru launched a web browser to open up the
institute’s official site. The secretary’s portrait is posted on the
organization’s page. A nervous man with glasses.
“Samuhen Furie. Secretary General of the intelligence
20
institute, a scientist specializing in energy physics. Born in the

Land of Stairs, studied in the Land of Fire as an honor student
during the time of the sixth hokage.”
“It’s because Kakashi-sensei gave him a grant so he came
to the Land of Fire for studies, why should we scold him?”
“There is a possibility that his love for his homeland is
stronger than his favor for here.”
Shikamaru spoke while hitting a key on his laptop. The
display on screen switches to a list of shinobi belonging to
Konoha’s village.
“I don’t know whether or not if Furie was jealous, but at
any rate there was still a planned assassination. It’d be better
to send a team of surveyors to the Land of Stairs. We can’t get
genin to it with this level of difficulty, so we can form a team
with Konohamaru, Mirai, and- “
“No, let Sasuke go”, Naruto said flat out. “Would that be
fine?”
“Yeah. As long as he’s within our boundaries, I can move
him as we see fit....... but we won’t have a substitute for him,
as long as he assumes the mission for the village, when-”
“I hope that you’ll make the best decision. That mission,
will you inform him?”
“No, Shikamaru... you tell him for me. As usual.”
Knock! Knock!
Someone knocked on the door as they deliberately broke
their conversation.
Without further waiting on a reply, Moegi appeared,
calling out to Shikamaru.
Kengakuin, the intelligence institute had apparently
contacted him again.
“Naruto, I understand your intention. I’ll notify Sasuke for
you.”
Speaking that, Shikamaru left the hokage’s office.
Eventually that day, Naruto left the hokage’s office after
21
dates had changed.

“aah...... it’s been.......”
The night breeze felt surprising good as it touched his skin,
he was absolutely exhausted. His field of vision sank into
darkness as he stared at his PC monitor, he needed a break to
heal his tired eyes.
He dragged his feet along as he walked through old town,
suddenly looking up at the seven faces that lines the night
sky across from the electric lines.
The stone hokage.
It had been a long time since he had taken a look at them,
he went to go get a change of scenery. Since he couldn’t use
his own chakra, he went up onto the rocks, climbing and
sitting down on the stone image of his father’s head and
overlooked the own town. It was a modest view at night,
there were sparse lights scattered throughout from the inside
of people’s houses.
This little view was Naruto’s pride and joy.
Thinking about how there were people under each of the
softly glowing lights, eating their meals, taking baths, and so
on, made him happy.
The village was at peace.
No one was afraid that tomorrow another country could
attack and kill them, that they’d be threatened by foot
shortages, or that their father who went out on duty wouldn’t
come home. Kakashi-sensei now laughs and tells old stories
of Obito and Minato’s team, Sasuke takes Sakura and Sarada
to visit his clan’s gravesite. Even with these sad memories,
little by little, everyone is moving forward.
I wish I could show this world to my father and mother.
To pervy-sage,
to Pain,
to Neji.
Even Zabuza and Haku.
22
Konoha’s village has become so peaceful.

I really wish they were all still here in this world. I wonder,
how much better would life be if we were all able to live and
laugh together.
I wish everyone could still be alive.
There are so many people who easily suffer and die in this
world.
All Naruto could do was bring peace to the village.
So, he aimed at becoming the hokage.
Those who become hokage are acknowledged by everyone.
Naruto has always worked for the good of everyone else.
No matter what.
Getting someone to do things for you, he thought that was
a weakness.
He’d be anyone’s shield, as long as they had his back.
“............” Naruto stood up and looked down at the fourth
hokage’s nose bridge, slightly higher than his own.
Before he realized it, he had become older than Minato by
the time of his passing.
Naruto’s ninja way had never changed, even after reaching
his dream of becoming hokage.
He’d never go back on his word.
He’d continue to fulfill his dream of protecting the village
as the hokage.
For that purpose, ......he needed to stay strong.
“something bad happened”
He was muttering, there was no emotion in his voice.
He clenched his fist to push down his anxieties ―― but at
the same time, he fell to his knees.
Pain coursed through the back of his chest like the zapping
of an electric current.
His heart begins to beat fast and pain sparks behind his
temples.
“――......uuh......uah、aa......haa......h”
23
Severe pain runs throughout his whole body. He can’t

breathe as his consciousness becomes cloudy.
His usual symptoms.
Except this time, they’re deeper.
“w-what’s......hh、different......this time......?”
His limbs tremble as his back squeezes and convulses
nonstop.
It felt like all the moisture from his throat had been sucked
dry.
Every time he is about to lose consciousness, his pain pulls
him right back.
Calm down.
This is no different than usual.
Just endure this until there’s a cure.
As he warned himself, a pain struck his body from behind
like an arrowhead.
“aa......h!?”
Naruto tried to scream, but as his mouth opened there was
no sound.
His heart rampaged on, his heart was hot enough to burn a
hole through his body.
“ hh, guh, ah, aah!” His vision was painted red from the
intense heat and pain.
His chest twisted; his body so hot it felt like he was going
to burst from the inside out!!
“uaah、hh、Aa―――......hh！”
His consciousness jumped from his brain as he lost his
breath.
He fell from the stone face of the fourth hokage.
Someone caught his arm as Naruto’s body fell from
convulsing.
BAM!
From the feeling of landing on the ground that blew to his
back, Naruto’s consciousness returned.
24
Through his white cloudy vision, he could see an ankle

that was covered in a familiar tabi.
“......Sasuke......”
As Naruto was held to the ground, Sasuke proceeded to
work chakra up into his palm.
Using water style, his chakra produced water that he spilt
over Naruto’s face.
The sudden surge of water chilled the inside of Naruto’s
head which was on the brink of overheating.
Sasuke tried to leave in silence.
As Naruto wakes up, he notices his footsteps as they
walked back towards his home.
“Hold on, Sasuke”
He desperately tried to focus despite his hazy vision.
Sasuke wore a long black cloak with a collar that he always
wore on duty as he walked away.
There was bump that stuck out from where his sword sat
by his back under his cloak.
“Teme-...... Is that what I think it is? Where are you going?”
Sasuke stopped as he looked back.
“What does it look like, I’m leaving Konoha.”
“To the Astronomical Research Institute?”
“Ah”, Sasuke nodded.
The blood in his head went cold again.
“You fucker, teme-...... Shikamaru should’ve informed you.
Your next mission was to investigate the assassin behind the
Land of Stairs incident. Stop acting out on your own!”
“Don’t you get it?” Sasuke asks Naruto, even his strong
gaze feels angry.
“If you’re not hokage, there’s no point... I won’t do
anything else until we cure your illness.”
“Even so...... I can’t permit that, Sasuke.”
Naruto desperately tried to stand up, putting all his
strength into his knees did not stop them from trembling.
25
Once Sasuke has decided something, he rarely bends from

that goal.
You couldn’t stop him with all your might.
He gathered some chakra within his left palm.
Instantaneously, piercing pain struck his back through his
spine, his body seemed to jump up in response.
――Quit it、Naruto！
Kurama’s voice.
Shut up, Naruto replied in his head as he continued to knead

chakra.
The chakra takes on the form of wind and starts its
turbulent rotation.
Sasuke focused his chakra into the palm of his right hand
in response.
Visible bolts of lightning branch out, noisily chirping and
squeaking over and over.
Naruto ran with his rasengan, the pain running throughout
shattered his body.
Sasuke greeted it with his chidori in his right hand.
ZU-—KIIN!
Excruciating pain swallowed Naruto’s body whole.
Ignoring Naruto’s command, his own reflexes stop
releasing its chakra.
As his rasengan disappeared in an instant, Naruto
collapsed forward. Sasuke’s chidori jumping into Naruto’s
chest
The pale blue blitz of lightning pierced right through
Naruto’s chest.
“......aGUh!......”
Naruto tried to fall to his knees and hold a hand to the
wound on his abdomen, but there was nothing there.
26
Sasuke stood back and overlooked what happened with

calmness.
...... was this genjutsu? He fell aimlessly to his side.
It was a forced recoil of chakra, his body had absolutely no
more strength left.
Still, he struggled to raise his body from the soil below,
pushing his arm out to raise up his upper body, but he was so
exhausted all he could do was fall down on the spot.
“Take it easy......”
Naruto’s voice squeezed out while writhing on the soil.
“You’re my rival”
“It’s because we are rivals”
With his short answer, Sasuke turned his back to Naruto,
the hem of his long cloak flying out.
“Naruto. Until I come back, don’t die.”
“You’re not going anywhere”
Sasuke’s footsteps move farther away.
He was off to the Astronomy Research Institute.
Don’t go.
Don’t go.
Don’t go.
Naruto murmured again and again, looking up at the
cloudy night sky.
His voice gradually stops, only a scratchy whistle sound
could be heard from his throat.
He couldn’t stop Sasuke from leaving, being this weak was
absolutely unbearable.
Although it should’ve been the hokage protecting the
village, but it continues to be protected by those who reside
in the village.
―― “Naruto” a familiar voice rang out, Naruto’s loose
eyelids opened.
Crystal green eyes look down at him.
“Honestly, you’re as stupid as ever”
27
“......me? Sasuke?”
“I’ve decided it’s the both of you”
Sakura crouched down as she gently raised Naruto’s upper
body, contrary to her serious tone.
Touching his cheek as she poured chakra into the scratches
he got when he fell from the rock.
Since the symptoms started, Naruto’s body’s natural
healing abilities have decreased dramatically.
Before, the wounds would have healed on their own.
“...... Sasuke’s already gone”
Naruto muttered, “I know”, Sakura nodded.
“If you knew, then why didn’t you stop hi-“
“I’ve stopped, but you know that Sasuke won’t stop once
he’s decided something. If he’s decided to help you, he’s
going to do everything he can.”
Sakura removed the hairband that held onto the borders of
her hairline and hid her one hundred healings seal, then put
it back on to push back her bangs.
“I’ll follow up with Sasuke-kun soon. He probably used
Susanoo, so I won’t be able to catch up right away.
“But Sarada-“
“I’ll get someone I trust to look after her. I know Shizune-
san is currently out on the intelligence institute’s decryption
team, I’ll get someone Sasuke-kun trusts.”
Can you stand up?
Sakura asked as she put Naruto’s arm over her shoulder.
Lending her shoulder and taking one step at a time
towards the old town.
“you know what”
Walking to match Naruto’s pace, Sakura’s voice cut out in
a casual tone.
“The other day, when you came by the hospital to do a
detailed examination. Just now I came up with a result. Your
body’s completely healthy except for one abnormality......
28
your chakra system seems to be shutting down.”

“Chakra system?”
Yes, Sakura nodded before continuing.
“If I pour my chakra into you, your wounds heal properly,
and it doesn’t hurt you. Which means your body isn’t
rejecting the chakra itself. Maybe the problem in the chakra
system. If the Sage of Six Paths had the same symptoms, I
wonder is the chakra system malfunctions due to the tailed
beasts sealed in your body.”
“I see, but this is still just a hypothesis,” Naruto looked
down.
“If my chakra system shuts down...... what will happen to
me?”
“If the anomaly is your chakra tubes closing off, then you
won’t die. You just won’t be able to use chakra for the rest of
your life.”
“Just......”
Naruto’s complexion grew white as the blood drained
from his face.
Naruto’s fighting style relied heavily on the amount of
chakra he inherited from the nine tails.
Any situation where his chakra could no longer work, was
frankly lethal
“this is a serious matter”
Naruto murmured as Sakura nodded, letting out a deep
breath.
“Though, at least I’m relieved. There’s no war going on
right now, it’s ok if the hokage can’t use his chakra.”
Surely, this may be so.
However, for Naruto, who has been aiming to be hokage
since his childhood, he was always naturally remaining
strong in times like this.
Even after becoming the seventh hokage, that didn’t
change.
29
“............”
Naruto couldn’t say anything anymore, he silently dragged
his left leg along as it convulsed.
He couldn’t go home in dirty clothes so that night, Naruto

spent the night asleep in an empty room next to the Hokage’s
office. He put his dirty clothes into the laundry, wrapping
them in with thin bedding thinking that’d keep them together
in the wash all night.
If you can’t use your chakra for the rest of my life, should I
quit being hokage?
Or is it peaceful enough that the country won’t become

defiant and stay powerful.
“... both of those options seem awful...”
There are still so many more things I want to do as the

hokage.
I’m absolutely not going to half-heartedly throw this all onto

someone else at such a bad time.
Eventually, after a long sleep, the night turned into dawn,

and he went to the hokage’s office early in the morning to get
rid of his laundry then finally headed home after noon.
As he opened the front door, unfamiliar sandals were lined
up neatly on the concrete.
Hinata’s?
Well, they’re a little too big, I guess......
30
***
Himawari, who had heard the noise, jumped from out the
living room while he sat down on the doormat to take off his
shoes.
“Papaー! Welcome home!”
“Oh, Himawari. I’m home”
“oh- uh, we have guests over. I drew you this!”
Himawari held out a drawing on a paper in her hands with
a big smile. It was a crude drawing of Himawari and Hinata’s
portraits drawn in shades of soft pastel. It is so insanely good
that Naruto, who has zero artistic taste could understand.
This was the art style of a visitor... but who?
Naruto turned to the living room door to the back of the
hallway.
Sai and Inojin’s faces come to mind but the sandals on the
concrete belonged to a woman.
“Hurry up and go to the living room! The guest is waiting
for you, daddy!”
“ah...”
As his arm was pulled into the living room, his eyes were
pulled to a point.
“Oh my, you’re much slower than I thought”
Sitting at the dining room table sipping tea, his hair was
glossy black and fell right at the waist. The ever-elusive snake
demon.
――Orochimaru.
31
2
“Welcome back. You seem busy as usual.” Orochimaru

spoke, his voice just as hoarse as it was in the past, sipping
tea from his cup without a sound.
“huh............?” Naruto rubbed his eyes, wondering if he
was seeing a hallucination.
However, this sight before him was unquestionably reality.
Orochimaru sat drinking tea.
In the Uzumaki family living room.
“Naruto-kun, welcome back” Hinata said to Naruto with a
smile, standing in the dining room. “Orochimaru-san brought
strawberry zenzai, they’re so delicious. Did you want one?”
“Hi- Hinata... Orochimaru is in our living room...”
“Yes, he just dropped by.” Hinata was calm in contrast to
Naruto’s panic.
“I was surprised, too, but he saved me from playing too
much with Himawari. Naruto-kun, I have lot of errands to
run.” ......errands? Orochimaru is here for me?
We have that kind of a relationship? Despite Naruto’s
confusion, Hinata set some tea and strawberry zenzai on the
table as she said, “I’m going to go shopping for dinner, bye!”
She gently left the living room.
32
“...... o- ok. Be careful......”he muttered. After noticing he

was standing, Naruto pulled out the dining chair.
Himawari clutching colored pencils rushed up to him
with, “oro-chan, draw more!”, as she clung to his feet.
“In a little bit, daddy has to talk with him.”
“...... what did you need to talk with me about?” Naruto
asked bewildered, sitting up straight.
He had recently loosened up on his vigilance, but
Orochimaru was a man who could calmly pull off some
wicked act for no reason.
He didn’t just come here for the purpose of some leisurely
tea party in his living room.
“Could you not be so vigilant?
I came to you because I thought I could lend you
something beneficial. Orochimaru spoke as he put his hand
into the cuff of his kimono. Rustling around, he pulled out
large goggles from within his fabric. “What is it?”
“My latest invention. These goggles can house other
people’s jutsu.” Other people’s jutsu―― they can house
jutsu?
Naruto fluttered his eyelids.
In the last couple of years, the technique of separating the
ninjutsu from the caster has rapidly developed.
The pioneer in this field was Katasuke, the inventor of the
scientific ninja tool.
However, the use of kekkei genkai jutsu was said to have
been very difficult to reproduce, almost impossible to wield
with ordinary shinobi unless it was used in the form of the
scientific ninja tool. ―― Upon receiving the goggles, Naruto
stared at them intently.
“Like the scientific ninja tool, can it be used by ordinary
people who don’t use chakra?”
“Yes. The functions of these goggles have nothing to do
with the wearer’s chakra. I just had your wife help me to set
33
up its byakugan abilities.

“Byakugan?”
Naruto stared in surprise, Orochimaru’s eyes squinting
like an evil villian.
“While the goggles’ ability is set on, your wife won’t be
able to use her byakugan. ――well, try them on.” Whatever
he thought of them, it was suspicious.
Though they were more intriguing than suspicious. Naruto
tried to put on the goggles, still being wary of Orochimaru.
He could only see the living room, though slightly distorted
through the glass, the view remains unchanged.
“Nothing happened.”
“There’s a small lever on the frame. Pull it.”
Pulling on the small level to the side of the lens, instantly
his visibility was thrown into a kaleidoscope-like sight.
“Woah!” Not a kaleidoscope.
He was back to the familiar living room scene,
but he could see everything.
The sink across from him on the counter, the plates and
mugs in the cupboard, a mosquito behind the cushion placed
on the sofa, Himawari’s every movement as her hand sits on
the carpet and the other hand draws in her sketchbook, and
each of the pages one-by-one in the sketchbook.
His eyes no longer able to bear the sight, Naruto pushed
the goggles up onto his forehead.
“What was that?! I had awesome eye sight but I could see
everything behind me!”
“Your eyes can’t keep up with your brain still processing.
You need to practice with them.”
“need to practice...” Orochimaru’s intentions dawned onto
Naruto.
“I knew that was your true intention. You’re going to
experiment with me as your guinea pig.”
“I can’t just be nice and lend them to you?” Orochimaru
34
said without fooling anyone.

Naruto took off the goggles again and looked deeply at
them.
“...... but why do you need me? If you needed a guinea pig
then why not Suigetsu or Karin? Bothering to come to my
house...”
“because” Orochimaru stuck out his neck.
His neck stretching out like a serpent, putting his mouth
close to Naruto’s ear.
“―― you can’t use your chakra right now, can you?”
Orochimaru’s cold breath could be felt against the nape of
Naruto’s neck, he frowned while trying to conceal the chill he
felt down his spine.
“How do you know that?”
“A snake has good ears,” his long, cracked, tongue licks
the back of Naruto’s ear.
If he were to show his hatred or shrug his shoulders, it’d
only give Orochimaru more satisfaction. Orochimaru happily
narrowed his eyes as he looked at Naruto’s expressionless
face with folded arms. “Cooperating with me shouldn’t be
too bad, even for you.”
“And if I refuse?”
“You can’t refuse.” Exactly.
For Naruto, who couldn’t use his chakra, the goggles
seemed attractive. He figured he’d lend a hand in the name of
research.
Besides ―― I’ve always wondered what it looked like
when Hinata uses her byakugan.
Himawari, with no understanding of the situation came
over, innocently putting herself between them. “That’s so
cool! Oro-chan, you can stretch your head!? You looked like a
giraffe!!”
“No, a snake, a snake. Not a giraffe.” Orochimaru’s head
shrunk back as he took a seat.
35
He came back to the entrance without a word.

Himawari follows him with small strides as if the two were
attached.
“Oro-chan, please come again! Next time you can draw a
picture of my brother for me.”
“Yes, that’s fine. I’ll draw you anything.”
Seems I knew nothing about the guy, as usual.
Naruto sent off Orochimaru, feeling put off. His purple
and black hair like bruises swayed as he left through the
doorway.
The mysterious goggles that housed the byakugan’s power
remained in his hands.
If one could master kekkei genkai and other jutsu with
them, they were surely a great weapon.
It would be nice if there were a weapon to compensate for
his handicap of being unable to use chakra――
That night.
Naruto sunk himself into the sofa as his gaze remained
fixated on the tv.
He didn’t want his kids to see at him as he looked like an
unkept mess, but right now it was just Hinata and him alone
in the living room, so he could relax as much as he wanted.
Since Orochimaru left, he had been continuing to practice
getting used to the byakugan goggles
After training for a while, he had been left completely
exhausted.
“That was surprising......I don’t usually come home to see
that guy drinking tea in my living room.” “Hehe, me too.
When the doorbell rang, I was surprised to see Orochimaru-
san at the door.” Hinata sat down next to him, handing him a
warm mug.
Café-au-lait made from grounded coffee beans and with
36
plenty of honey and milk.

Naruto, who has very child-like taste buds, likes to drink it
this way.
Though whenever Shikamaru and he drank together in the
hokage’s office, it was always a black, darkly brewed coffee
(with an energy drink).
“Despite of being surprised, Hinata you were awfully
accepting of Orochimaru, you know?”
“It was obvious there wasn’t any hostility......I guess, he’s
more of a... mom friend.”
That Orochimaru... is a mom friend......
As Naruto sipped on his coffee, Hinata unexpectedly
touched Naruto’s wrist, her head leaning to the side.
“Naruto-kun, you seem a little thinner. Is your chakra still
not helping you recover?”
“Ah...... no, this is-”
“you’re overworking yourself again, aren’t you...”
They’ve lived together for a long time, she knows when he
was lying about how under the weather he felt, especially
with Hinata’s byakugan, its obvious to her just how low
Naruto’s chakra levels have fallen.
Naruto tried to explain his poor health by blaming it on
“this busy season overworking him”.
He didn’t want to have a seizure-like episode in front of his
family, and recently he tended to stay in the hokage’s office.
Since he hasn’t been able to come home much, his illness has
gone under the radar until now.
“On another note, I practiced using byakugan with those
goggles Orochimaru made!”
Naruto quickly tried to switch the subject.
“It didn’t really work out very well, it was honestly super
difficult. You, Grandpa Hiashi, and Hanabi are really good at
using it!” There was just way too much to look at.
The depth of the field of vision was so overwhelming and
37
distracting, he fell as his tripped over his own feet, hitting his
head on a protruding tree branches, giving him pretty nasty
gashes here and there. “Hinata-, aren’t there some tips or
tricks you can give me?” Hinata listened to him as she leaned
on him, her hair falling over his shoulder.
Tricks? Hinata thought, her finger resting on her jaw.
“I kind of just suddenly do something like this, swoosh!”
“I don’t understaaand!” Naruto threw his head back as
Hinata shrugged her shoulders, laughing with a wry smile.
“It’s hard to put into words. If you ask Hanabi, she might
be able to explain it well...”
As she murmured something she remembered, Hinata
stood up, slipping out from under Naruto’s arm.
“Can you give me a moment?”
She asks as she goes upstairs and comes back down with a
small box.
It was a wicker clothes box, covered with flakes of foil in
the shape of hinoki leaves and coated in persimmon juice.
“Oh! Hinata it’s your treasure box! Is it ok if I take a look
inside right now?”
“Yeah, It’s special.” The box was usually kept modestly in
the corner of their closet. Hinata’s cherished this “treasure
chest” since she was a child.
She had only ever shown him what’s inside the box once
when they were newlyweds. Inside there were things like a
ticket stub from a movie they saw on a date, a piece of
wrapping paper and ribbon from a present she had received,
the extra yarn from the scarf she had knitted, memories of
Naruto and her. It’s been about ten years since then.
As he opened the polished glossy lid, he noticed there was
a considerable about of new items.
A box made of paulownia wood that kept the umbilical
cords of their two children, a necklace made of acorns Boruto
had made, and pictures drawn by Himawari.
38
Inside there was still the ticket stub for the live-action teen
movie, “Icha-Icha Paradise” and the wrapping paper with
dandelions that held the earrings Naruto had gotten for her.
“There it is, I think this might help.” She pulled an old
notebook out from the bottom of the box. The four corners of
the notebook were completely frayed, the silk thread that
bound the pages together was probably ripped as well.
As the pages flipped, the array of meticulous characters
caught his eye.
“These characters, they look so familiar......”
“That’s right” Hinata smiled teasingly, she seemed to sway
like a white clover.
“This was Neji-niisan’s training diary.”

“Neji’s?” Yeah, this was Neji’s handwriting.
The moment he noticed, old memories flooded his brain
like an open faucet.
His handwriting was definitely like that of an honor
student, like he had copied Iruka sensei’s brush strokes
exactly.
Every time Naruto looked at his own messy handwriting,
his face would turn sour.
Like they say, “the messier the handwriting, the messier
the heart.”
Once again, Naruto looked back down at the pages.
There were records of his training, all written down
without missing a day.
He was that kind of guy.
Even though he was a genius, he always worked hard. He
was strict with himself and with others, never compromising.
He wasn’t careful in figuring out every chakra point that
flowed throughout the channels of the chakra system, rather
he found it more proficient to predict their next movement by
paying attention to the chakra system as a whole.
39
My present goal was to get rid of Tenten’s depression.

The two of them were particularly annoyed about the rain
that day. As soon as I looked away, the springtime of youth
theatrics began.
Tenten summoned her folded iron fan, it cut my cheek as I
was unable to avoid its path.
The next parts were about covering the byakugan’s blind
spots. Then on how he was eliminated from the first round.
That guy was surprising―― he didn’t have to use his
imagination to know he’d surpass everyone’s expectations.
The notebook was fully discolored and yellowed,
surprisingly beautiful considering its age. Proof that it was
carefully store in Hinata’s treasure chest.
“Do you think Neji would be angry? If I showed it to you?”
“But you’ve read it, right Hinata?”, Naruto retorted. “Yes”,
Hinata’s voice lowered as she awkwardly nodded her head.
“Just a little bit, when I get lonely. It’ll be our secret”, she
said in a whisper, but she was certain he heard her.
He was a fine guy.
The next morning.

Naruto got up early, stopping by the training groups before
heading off to work at the hokage’s office. He wanted to
become proficient in using the googles as soon as possible to
make up for his current situation of not being able to use his
chakra.
The weeds were wet with dew, shining as they reflected
the pale light of the morning sun.
Naruto closed his eyes and pulled down on the goggle’s
lever.
The trick wasn’t to understand every vital point that
flowed within the bodies chakra system, but rather to look at
the flow of chakra as a whole to predict the opponent’s next
move.
40
He thought over Neji’s words, slowly lifting his eyelids.

He soaked in his peripheral surroundings as it vigorously
flowed into his retinas.
“Dahhhhh!!”
Naruto shouted with renewed fighting spirit, he somehow
held his ground as his consciousness almost overwhelmed
him.
He could see everything around him, from one end to the
other.
He could feel the pulse from the blood vessel in his
temples as his heartrate began to accelerate.
Like a dam breaking, his optic nerves became overloaded
with tremendous momentum.
Easy does it.
Sift through it.
You don’t have to look at everything.
First―― birds.
Find a bird.
Naruto looked around his surroundings.
Earth, a rock, grass, ――there it is.
There was a small blue bird within a bush.
Not just one.
Two birds,
Three birds......
In total, five birds.
After confirming their number, he reached his limit.
“Da―――hh! It’s no good!!” Naruto lifted up the goggles
with brute force as he was about to fall over.
Naruto’s voice surprises the birds, causing them to fly
away.
One,
two、
three、
four、
41
five......
“There’s eight birds!”
Naruto sat his butt down on the ground where he stood.
He had overlooked 3 more birds, he still had a long way to
go. Looking up at the clouds that slowly moved across the
sky, he suddenly let out a sigh.
The blood vessels in his temples were still steadily beating
strong.
He didn’t think it’d be this difficult to handle.
Neji never let it show that he had difficulties, if he even
had any at all.
“that guy, he really was a genius......”
He gathered all of his focus and pointed it towards his
focal target.
He ignored what he could hear and smell, focusing only on
what was visible.
Naruto kept reading Neji’s nostalgic handwriting in the
journal given to him late last night.
As he thought about if Neji were alive, he’d be able to
directly teach him, the inner corner of his eye suddenly grew
hot, making him make a few wrinkles on Hinata’s secret
precious keepsake notebook. Knowing a few tips can greatly
make a difference in his training efficiency.
However, the advice Neji left behind is his notes should be
a huge help for Naruto.
“Sha!”
Naruto, full of energy, snapped up onto his feet, slapping
himself on the cheek.
“Let’s do this!”
Naruto went back to zealously training with the byakugan.
Originally, his both his motor skills and senses were above
average.
As he continued to laboriously train every day, slowly but
surely the amount of time he could withstand the byakugan
42
gradually increased.
Then one afternoon.
Naruto climbs on top of the stone Hokage faces during a
break from the Hokage’s duties.
He wanted to try training in a spot with a better view than
that of the training grounds.
Overlooking the old district of the town, he pulls down the
lever on the goggles.
With no obstructions, the amount of information to absorb
was on a whole other level.
As a bonus, there was the distracting number of chakras
from all the shinobi aimlessly walking here and there.
“nuu～......”
As he frantically surveyed his field of vision, an unnatural
chakra flow caught his attention.
He pointed his awareness towards the chakra hazily
leaking from the roots of an old camphor tree standing on a
narrow road in a residential area.
“......hn? what?”
Why is there chakra coming out from the roots of a tree?
Naruto jumped down from the stone Hokage faces, heading

to confirm.
The camphor trees stand in a quiet area of the former
urban area of town with scarce pedestrian traffic. The chakra
seemed not to be coming out from the roots of the tree itself,
but rather from a crevice in the soil.
Unless a shinobi was buried alive below, there was
probably a secret basement below the ground.
In front of the camphor trees stood a townhouse with a
shingled roof.
All the windows were broken, the gables sunken in, it
looked like the house was abandoned.
“I’m coming i-...in...”
43
Pulling open the unlocked door, the accumulated dust on

the dirt floor kicked up everywhere.
The old homeowner must have been a part of some kind of
business, considering the fallen sorabon and bookshelves
lined up by the walls.
“Are there no stairs......?”
Just past the dirt floor threshold was a large Japanese-style
room, this house appeared to be one-story with no stairs to be
found--
Naruto touched the wall by the dirt floor with his non-
artificial arm.
I knew it.
...... this feeling, it was the same liquid crystal wall as the
one in Tami’s sweets shop.
Upon closer inspection, he noticed a small black hole
among the grain and knots of the wood.
This was probably the keyhole.
If this is the case, then there should be a key somewhere—
and suspiciously, there was a bookmark sandwiched between
some old books and a pair of hibashi* stuck in the ashes of a
brazier.
Could there be a kiseru* left put up on the shelf?
On this third attempt- bingo!
There was the sound of a click he could hear behind the
hole and suddenly, the surface of the wall became
transparent.
He pressed lightly as he opened the door to the inside.
The particles within the panel dispersed as the voltage
changed their arrangement, resulting in an image appearing
on the surface-- an invention of the intelligence institute,
Kengakuin, though the technique of the jutsu used hadn’t
been released to the public for mass production yet. This
shouldn’t be out around in society.
So that means, there’s some connection to Kengakuin here.
44
On the other side of the wall stood an old-looking, wooden

staircase.
The light of the evenly spaced paper lanterns illuminated
the steps in the dark.
“This is too suspicious......”
Naruto cautiously concealed the sound of his footsteps as
he descended down the staircase.
At the foot of the bottom of the stairs was a sliding screen
door and when opened revealed a large Japanese-style room
with tatami mats spread across the floor.
A whistling kettle hung from a hook above a small sunken
hearth.
There was a hakozen* box on top of a tea caddy, below its
open lid were tea leaves being prepared for one person.
Any way you look at it, there was water boiling in
preparation to make tea.
“What is this......?”
Smoke coming from the hearth seems to be escaping
outside through a smoke vent, there looks like a fire alarm in
the thick beams that support the ceiling.
This old Japanese-style room seemed to be retrofitted with
modern amenities.
There was a presence of someone hiding from the other
side of the sliding door in the back.
As he was thinking about calling out for them to come out
without fear, the sliding door on the far side of the room
opened.
“You suspicious guy! Resign!”
What jumped out was a young woman wearing a cooking
apron.
KASHYAN!!
The sound fire came from the scientific ninja as she blew a
fireball into the confined room.
Naruto jumped up onto the beams, dodging without
45
difficulty before moving behind the woman, picking up the

scientific ninja.
“keep doing that and there’ll be a fire”
“Let me go-! Did you come to steal my research data!?”

As he kept his hold on her wrist, the woman thrashed her
arms and legs about like a rat caught in a trap.
“How dastardly! Just let me go! Thiis! Thiiiiiiiis-!!”
The fire alarm sounded with a delayed alarm as the
sprinkler attached started to jet out water.
“Well, I did come in without permission......”
He said while feeling guilty as he released his grip on her
wrist. Instead of fleeing, the woman grabbed a ballpoint pen
from the pocket of her apron and swung it in attack, shouting
“Thiis! Thiiiiiiiis-!!” With her eyes closed, it was difficult to
notice Naruto keeping his composure.
“You came to steal my research data! Didn’t you!?”
...... What was with this woman?
For five minutes, the woman used all her power to
violently struggle, only when she regained her steadiness did
she realize it was the Seventh Hokage standing before her
eyes.
“My sincerest apologies for my impoliteness, it was a slight
misunderstanding...... I am Amano Chihare. I’m a scientist
from the Land of Fire, I specialize in astrophysics.” The
woman reintroduced herself as she bowed before the Hokage.
The room was completely flooded from the earlier uproar.
The hot boiling water grew completely cold from the
sprinkler water.
Naruto and Chihare sat on the wet tatami mats as they
waited for the
boil again.
“I scared you because I entered without permission.”
“No, this was just rude behavior. I’d never think that the
46
Seventh
data.”
“Because it was a bad understanding, ya know......”
Feeling drained and not in operation, Naruto raised his
eyes towards
“So why do you do your research in a place like this?
Especially in
wall...... isn’t that expensive?”
“I don’t pay much money since I’m the one who created
them”
Chihare removed the boiling kettle from the hook and
continued to pour the thick tea.
“The liquid crystal wall is my design.”
Naruto’s eyes fluttered.
“Eh?...... Then, you’re a scientist at Kengakuin? Why are
you in a place like this?”
“I wanted to be in an environment where I could be alone
to concentrate on my experiments, this abandoned house was
owned by Kengakuin’s Secretary-General, Furie. I borrowed
and renovated the basement for research.
Why bother renovating a basement for such important
research?
Naruto looked around the whole room.
“To tell you the truth, I came here because I saw chakra
emanating from this basement. I was worried something
might be wrong. Were you doing research?”
“......you... can see chakra?”
“I see”, Chihare nods as Naruto explains the features of the
goggles.
“The chakra you observed probably came from the lab in
the back.”
“So, what was the experiment......?”
“It’d be faster if I just showed you.”
Chihare put the kettle back on the floor and stood up to
47
open the double sliding doors built in the back of the room.
“This is my laboratory.”
Naruto’s jaw dropped.
There were 30 tatami mats across the floor in a room with
tall shelves lined up in a row.
Petri dishes were lined up on the shelves without a gap
between them.
There were hundreds-- maybe even over a thousand.
The sight of seeing the same exact object lined up was
quite impressive and yet uncanny.
“These petri dishes hold a liquified chakra. My mission is
to build a device that allows the use of multipotency chakra.
“multi...potency...”
kettle lowered into the hearth to Hokage would come to
steal research
the top of the stairs.
a room behind a liquid crystal
“I’m experimenting on artificially changing chakra into any

arbitrary substance.”
Chihare picked up one of the petri dishes and gently
swished it around.
“Chakra is such a strange mystery, don’t you think? You
can do anything with it. It could be wind, fire, earth, water,
and even electricity. Depending on the person it could even
be changed to lava or rubber. These days, some ninja make
glass or jewelry just by changing the ratio of the soil’s
composition in the earth. There’s no other energy that’s that
diverse.”
“Hmm...... yes, I see”
The event of chakra change came to Naruto too easily, so
he never gave it any deep thought, but it’s exactly as she said.
“Depending on the user, it has the potential to change into
anything―― if that property of chakra can be controlled
48
using science...... like for example, turning chakra into a

valuable natural resource or a precious metal. Surely it could
do good things for society, don’t you think?”
Development of new energy?
Naruto finally understood the purpose of the experiments.
Certainly, if Chihare were to succeed with what she talks
about, there wouldn’t be a reason to destroy nature by mining
for resources, and the energy circumstances in every country
would completely change. If chakra could be used to provide
energy to the five great nations, the land of fire might jump to
the forefront of being an energy powerhouse country.
If we reall...y wanted to implement that, as her story said.
“Changing artificial-like chakra...how do you do that?”
“What about you?”
Chihare looked into Naruto’s eyes as she asked him back.
“How on earth do you transform chakra into wind?”
“oh—uhh......”
Naruto released his gaze on her.
Since his episodes started, he hasn’t transformed his
chakra into wind, much less gathered his chakra at all.
However, he’s always spreading his palm out like he was,
how was he doing that?
“I guess it’s like a BAM! and a BAN!......”
Listening to the answer she tried so hard to get out of
Naruto, Chihare let out a small sigh.
“All you ninja speak like that when you don’t understand
something well. Well, I guess it’s difficult to find the language
to verbalize the sensation...... but you should at least have an
idea of what to do to change chakra into wind. Like moving
your hands and feet, giving your brain the command to
‘knead chakra’ and then your chakra changes.”
She’s right.
Unless Naruto has the intent to “transform his chakra into
wind”, the chakra flowing within Naruto’s body will not
49
change.
“The instructions from the brain are, in a sense, like an
electrical signal. For example, that means, when you use
“rasengan”, by giving your chakra a slight stimulus, it’s
similar to an electrical signal light emitted by your brain...... It
may be possible to change artificial-like chakra into a
rasengan. That’s my experiment’s objective.”
Chihare showed the petri dish she held in her hands to
Naruto.
A clear, viscous, liquid was accumulated on the flat glass of
the dish.
“Inside this petri dish is a chakra that was liquified using a
special kind of jutsu. By investigating chakra behavior against
varied patterns of stimuli, we will be able to understand the
mechanism behind its property change.
“Stimuli?”
“A variety. Like passing an electric current through,
changing its temperature, giving it physical stimuli... anyway,
it’s a very thorough process.”
Chihare opened a note that was sat by the edge of the rack.
It appeared to be the record of the details of the
experiments so far.
Closely recorded in meticulous fine lettering were the
conditions and results at the time of the experiments.
Thermal simulation after an acidic treatment...
42.5 degrees... no reaction.
Thermal simulation after an acidic treatment... 42.6degrees...

no reaction.
T h e r m a l s i m u l a t i o n a f t e r a n a c i d i c t re a t m e n t
42.7degrees...no reaction.
Raising and lowering the temperature, administering
chemicals, running a voltage through—It seems that it takes a
long time under various conditions to even get a little by little
50
change.
“Hey, what’s this ‘Jellyfish Stimuli’ written here?”
“It’s the squeezed contents of a jellyfish. Research indicates
that it produces a stimulus similar to the electric signal
produced by the brain, so I tried administering it into the
chakra......but I didn’t get any valuable results.”
“...... so cool,” Naruto sighed in deep admiration.
What patience you must have to be able to repeat the same
task on end.
Seeing that there’s no guarantee that any results will even
be achieved, it must be difficult to keep their efforts going.
It’s only natural that she’d want to protect her research
data.
“Oh, and there’s one more thing I want to show you, its
placed outside.” Chihare spoke to him as they went up the
stairs and out of the house.
They go around to the back door that was faced at the end
of an alleyway, not the main entrance with the camphor trees.
Leaned against a hedge was a parked vehicle with two
identical tires.
“What is that? Some kind of pushcart? What a strange
shape.”
“This two-wheeled mechanism is a motorcycle. A person
can get on and move around on it, this is the seat.” Chihare
straddled herself over the seat.
She was leaning forward on top of the seat, just like she
was riding a horse.
“How do you move around on this!? This seems
unreasonably convenient!”
Unlike the versatile experiments on the chakra from earlier,
this one Naruto could immediately see the results of.
The development of vehicles for personal use had been a
major challenge since the sixth hokage was in office.
Their development had been primarily left to Katasuke’s
51
research team at Kengakuin, but the real difficulty was

finding a source of fuel.
“This bike uses gas as its fuel. The Land of Fire imports gas
primarily from the Land of Wind and the Land of Stairs, but
natural gas will be eventually exhausted if we keep taking it
like so.”
Countries who depend more on their trading continue to
mine with little to no restrictions, but in the Land of Wind,
the Kazekage is already limiting exports.
Under normal pretenses, they’d want to keep prices from
falling too low, but their aim is to prevent gas from running
out before they can develop an alternative form of energy.
Chihare lightly tapped on a small tank on the bike.
“I want to revitalize traffic for personal use, but we don’t
have enough fuel to reach everyone-- my research might
solve that issue.”
“If we can transform chakra to create artificial natural gas
to use as fuel, we will no longer need to depend on unreliable
supplies from other lands.”
“That’s great!”
Naruto was in high spirits like a child, his eyes were
sparkling.
“If this were implemented, everyone can get on things like
this and go wherever and whenever they want!”
“Hmmmm... yeah, I agree.”
Staring honestly, Chihare continued quite calmly as she
looked away.
“......If you think you could, I’d like for you to help me with
my experiments. Can you lend me your goggles for seeing
chakra?”
“Eh? These?”
Naruto runs his finger against the frame of the goggles.
Chihare takes a glass rod out from her pocket.
“I always use this to look for changes in the chakra petri
52
dishes. I put the tip of it close to the chakra in the dish and
measure any differences from the day before......either way it
takes up a lot of
time anyway. I have to measure them one by one. However, if

I could use those goggles to visually check them, I’d be
finished a lot quicker.”
“aa-...... It would be good to lend them then.”
They were borrowed from Orochimaru, but he didn’t mind
by how easily he came to a decision, “but” Naruto continued
on the contrary.
“I don’t think you’ll be able to handle these without
training. I’m a shinobi and even I can’t fully handle them
yet.”
“Ehh!?”
After hearing that even the Hokage couldn’t handle them,
Chihare’s expression grew hopeless.
“Well, I guess it’d be absolutely impossible for me then......
oh! Well, why don’t you come by here every day and check
the chakra flow for me?”
“Might as well, ya know...... I also have a lot to do.”
“Are you busy? If you use transportation jutsu, can’t you
come right away?”
“No....... I, can’t use my chakra right now.”
It was supposed to be a secret to everyone in the village,
but for some reason it spontaneously slipped out of his
mouth.
Maybe it was because it was his first meeting with this
person that made it so easy.
“huh......?”
Chihare at a loss for words, looked upon Naruto with pity.
“―― What is the significance of you being unable to use
chakra?”
Listening to her simple yet blunt question felt like a stab in
53
the heart.
“The biggest reason Uzumaki Naruto became the Seventh
Hokage was because of your reputation from your
achievements in the Shinobi World War, right? In other
words, it’s bad that you can’t use your chakra even though its
required for strength...... will you... continue to be hokage?”
I won’t give up the Hokage’s seat to anyone!
Undoubtedly, the old Naruto would’ve certainly shouted
something like that. However, now, I’m burdened with
something different from the past Hokage.
If you can no longer fight, can you continue to be the
Hokage? ―― This is something Naruto had been thinking
about continuously in his head.
“...... apart from me”
Awkwardly, Naruto took control and changed the topic.
“With helping around with the experiments, I’ll cooperate.
The Hokage’s work isn’t too hectic at the moment.
“Thank you very much! Then its decided!”
Without delay, the pair descended down the stairs with
heavy steps and back into the underground laboratory in
order to check today’s petri dish.
The racks on the wall held roughly 800 petri dishes.
Naruto stepped onto a stepladder and pulled on the
goggle’s lever.
“Hmmー......”
He looked into the chakra petri dishes one by one in
succession...... the chakra at the bottom of the glass was calm
and obedient, he couldn’t particularly see any changes.
“I don’t think there’s any of these guys moving, ya
know......”
“Yeah, you’re not going to see any results right off the bat,
I’ve been doing this for over half a year now, and I for one,
have still yet to see any change in the chakras yet.”
Half of a year―― These repeated trials and errors of the
54
science experiments were similar to his training with the

byakugan.
However, when it came to the things he wanted, he was
patient and gutsy
Naruto, burning with determination, moved his gaze back
to the petri dishes the lined the shelf. Chihare’s experiment
had the potential to make a big impact on the world.
If chakra could be freely changed into any substance and
controlled at will by non-shinobi, it’d surely make everything
in the world for convenient and enjoyable.
For example――
“Excuse me, is that the fun-giving machine? I hope its
completed.”
Naruto sandwiched the stepladder between both his feet,
moving sideways along the shelves as he spoke. “The gas
from the Land of Stairs is fine, there’s other uses for it.
Like......”
“They say its beneficial for the medical field. I understand

that.”
Chihare continued to interrupt Naruto’s words.
“If we can transform their gas into chakra, we could turn
that into organs like skin, nails, or a heart. Turning chakra
into any kind of cell will let us repair tissues lost in an
accident or from disease. It has the possibility to dramatically
extend a healthy human’s life expectancy.”
“You’re right! Though I don’t know how difficult that
would be but......when you first told me about the chakra, the
first thought I had was thinking about Sasuke’s arm or curing
Guy-sensei’s legs.” “Sasuke, perhaps”
Chihare then asked about Sasuke.
There was a sudden GASHAAAAAN! The ceiling broke in
with a thunderous roar.
Wooden boards falling smash into the shelves, petri dishes
55
sliding off and shattering on the floor. “What the......!?”

Naruto pulled on Chihare’s arm, protecting her from the
walling pieces of wood.
From a rift in the ceiling―― an unarmed aerial vehicle
with four spherical motors descended with a low buzzing
sound.
It seemed to levitate utilizing the four spherical motors.
He had read in a previous report about research currently
underway from Katasuke at Kengakuin, but it was his first
time seeing the real thing. Was this the completed thing? ――
VUUUUUUUUN!! The drone approached Naruto with a
threatening low whine, then stared at him as if it forgot the
state of the situation.
Should I shoot it down before it attacks me?
Though, I’m still not sure if the drone is hostile or not.
If it happens to be a flight experiment and I accidentally
break it, she’ll be angry......
Even more puzzling, there was the number five displayed
in the center of one of the drone’s motors. 4、
3、
2、
He watched as the number decreased.
―― a bomb!
“RUN!”
“huh?”
Naruto carried Chihare as he jumped out from the
laboratory.
He had only made it up to the fifth step in the middle of
the stair case when―― BOOM!
“Shit!”
Along with the sound of the explosion was a blast coming
from the bottom of the stairs.
Holding Chihare, he forcibly ran up the collapsing stairs
and threw himself onto the dirt floor.
56
Naruto and Chihare kicked open the sliding door and

jumped into the back alleyway, pursued by the hum of the
drone.
“What is it now?! An explosion!? Was that a drone back
there!? A real one!?”
Naruto kept quiet as Chihare screamed on his back,
pushing herself off of him.
Not long after, multiple drones appear one after the other.
There were seven of them――They were in a V-formation
with a central drone in the lead, clearly to be seen as if
someone were operating it.
The question was, by who? ―― The aforementioned
Yanaru comes to mind, but there’s no evidence that the same
mastermind is behind this.
He was certain that even if they were to explode, it
wouldn’t be enough for the abandoned house to go up in
flames.
He wanted to transport to another location, but how could
he do that without chakra in his current state? The low hum
of the twenty-eight motors make Naruto unable to
concentrate.
Nevertheless, the drones came to a halt and lined up
evenly by Naruto’s ear.
BOON!
The sound of the engine dove in.
“Get on! You can drive!” Chihare shouted from on top of
the bike’s seat while revving the engine. All seven of the
drones started to move again all at once, breaking Naruto’s
train of thought.
In an attempt to evade the drones that targeted his face,

Naruto grabbed a bucket from the alleyway and placed it on
one of the drones, completely covering it.
After that, he kicked the lid of the bucket that fell towards
57
the other drones.

After that counterattack, the drones fluttered around for a
couple of moments before quickly resetting themselves.
BARIBARI!!
The covered drone shattered the bucket with its rotating
motor, shattering everywhere.
“Daah! C’mon!”
After the wreckage of the bucket was thrown everywhere,
Naruto desperately turned his back away and sprinted
towards the bike.
He gripped the seat and he jumped over to straddle the
seat.
“Hold the lever and press down on the right pedal with
your foot!”
“which lever!?”
“this one!”
Chihare stretched her arm out from behind him and
squeezed on the lever below his right hand.
BOON! Naruto’s right foot forcefully pressed down on the
pedal, the sound of the engine making his body jump.
His body was hit with a force pushing him back.
“Daah!?”
The bike jumped forward with the force of a pinball being
launched.
His surroundings flow behind him with great momentum.
The wind blowing was so great he couldn’t even open his
eyes.
The moment he took one hand off to hit the lever on his
goggles, the bike swerved, causing the right mirror to hit the
wall and fall off behind them.
“OWAHH!!”
“Just, just keep your balance, please!”
Depite her complaint, Chihare knows deep down that that
was an unreasonable request.
58
His motor skills weren’t too good to allow him to drive

normally, considering this was his first time driving.
Naruto tried letting go with one hand again, losing his
balance though this time he didn’t swerve about. Pulling the
goggles down, pulling the level, and putting his hand back
on his grip.
He looks behind them using the byakugan, but there didn’t
seem to be any drones nearby.
“Oi, Chihare! How do we stop?”
“We can’t stop”
“Haa!?”
“I told you, it was a prototype! By the way, we can’t control
the speed either!”
While she spoke, the end of the handlebar scrapped
against the fence of someone’s house.
The alleyway was very narrow, quite impossible to ride a
bike without grinding off a part of it.
If we run out of fuel, we’ll eventually stop, right? ――
Which option would be faster? Running out of fuel or
smashing into someone’s house to the right or left and
causing a lot of damage?
He didn’t want to think about that.
Well, it is a narrow road, but I think we can just keep
driving straight....... Glancing around, a black flying object
jumping into sight at the edge of the goggles.
“Those guys chased after us......!!”
Seven drones drew near with violent momentum.
From the top of the spherical motors, a stretched-out straw
came into gunpoint.
Hnn?
Gazing steadily, he could make out its tip flashing red.
―― The photon gun seized from Yanaru emits a high-
powered ray, the tip of the gun flashing red before firing......
This was a sentence from the report of the attempted
59
assassination of Naruto from the Land of Stairs.

Shit, he followed that thought.
VUUN!
A bright red ray shoots out, followed with a low humming
noise where the photons displace molecules. Unsure of how
to operate the bike, Naruto instinctively tilted the bike with
along with his body.
The laser beam, unbent, shot straight past Naruto’s ear and
immediately hit the hedge of a private house.
BOON!
The bamboo reeds hit with such a high temperature
expand and explode.
“No way......”
If we’re hit, we die.
Realizing this, Chihare clings to Naruto’s shoulder.
“Seriously, we need to get away! The road here is too
narrow! Get onto a main street!”
“No can do, we’d involve passerby’s. We first need to get
away from the village......”
Before he could finish his sentence, a laser beam extends
out from the left.
Hitting the wall, a cat scared from the explosion jumps out
into the alley.
“Cat!”
“I know!”
The walls collapse from the explosion, the wreckage piling
in the center of the alleyway.
The bike’s front wheel climbs over the debris, Naruto
extends his arms and shifts his center of gravity behind him.
The front wheel gently lifts up.
The bike floats up into the air as if it jumped onto a spring,
leaping easily over the cat’s head and DON! Lands!
“GYAAH!”
60
The bike stops for a moment and then violently starts up

again.
Chihare screams into Naruto’s ear, her eyes tearing up as
she grits her teeth.
“Nanadaime! If you wanted to get out of the village, the
gates are the other way!”
“We can’t! We’d have to cut through the main street to get
to that gate. There’s a high possibility that we’d damage the
village.”
“Well then, how are you going to get out of the village......”
Oh well, the same way you’d leave the village by
Kaminarimon train or by boat.
“Just watch”
Naruto mumbled under his breath as he gripped the
handlebar.
On the other side of the main road, there was a
Kaminarimon train station.
At the hard-plastered long gates, there were three doors for
passageway.
It was a gift from the Kazekage to commemorate the
opening of the Kaminarimon train, and it’s now a famous
tourist attraction from its beauty, decorated with gold lacquer
and ornaments.
“Move! ――”
The Seventh Hokage plunged into one of the beautiful
large doors on the bike. The door that blew open on its hinges
hit two of the drones, taking down their number of pursuers.
The group of now five drones regroup and continue their
chase.
BUONBUONBUOOOOOOO!!
The bike’s engine noisily roared as it blasted through the
wooden across the wooden floors of the station building.
The passengers who happened to be present and were
frantically trying to get out of the way and escape from the
61
reckless driving of the bike wouldn’t even dream of thinking

the Seventh Hokage was the one operating the bike.
The tires thudded as it went down the stairs. Naruto took
the remaining left mirror and threw it at the emergency bell
on the train platform.
JIRIRIRIRI--!
The mirror hits the center of the button, sounding off a
loud alarm.
The bike that carried Naruto ran through the crowd on the
platform as agonizing shrieks and expletives were thrown
about, suddenly, they crashed onto the track to the side of the
stopped train.
“Chihare, don’t bite your tongue!”
Naruto advised, not knowing it was already too late.
Unlike the paved roads of the Old Town, the railroad
tracks were uneven, with railroad ties lined up in equal
intervals.
Each time they ran over a railroad tie, the bike would slip
sideways, but Naruto immediately responded to the
sensation by shifting his weight and fixing his posture.
“We’re going to go outside the village. We can figure out

what to do when there’s no one around!” While riding the
bike, Naruto paid attention to the pursuit continuing behind
him.
There were five drones left.
And only two of them fire photon beams.
There were a few chances for them to self-destruct but
none of them did, which means only the first one was a
bomb......
――DOKUUN!
An agonizing pulsation ran through his chest.
His right hand loosens its grip, sliding off the handlebar.
His hands rattled and shook as they convulsed. “n-
62
no...not...now......”
The pain grows stronger with every second as it throbs in
his chest. His breathing grew blurry as the pain became
agonizing before his eyes. It was as if his throat refused to let
any air pass.
Noticing an abnormal Naruto, “What’s wrong?!” Chihare
asked.
“Noth......ing!!”
Naruto looked up, using all his might.
The sweat on his brow falls to the side from the wind
hitting his head.
Naruto’s vision grew white and hazy, desperately trying to
breathe as he put his elbows on the top of the tank.
“Hey, are you in pain? Is it bad!? Would it be impossible to
switch drivers?”
A drone chased behind Chihare’s shouting.
“I’m used to it......!”
Avoiding a photon beam to his side, Naruto slams his
aching chest towards the tank. Biting down on his lip, he
could taste blood oozing.
The track reached a railroad bridge,
Below that bridge was a valley with a stream.
Two of the drones abruptly stray to the side.
What the......?
Did they give up?
Naruto tracked the drone’s movement with the byakugan.
The two drones snuck under the bride and fired their
photon lasers onto the arched beams that supported the
bridge. The iron beams start to glow with a burning red,
sparks beginning to scatter.
“You’ve got to be kidding me......”
BON!
An explosion blew out from the base of the beams.
“―― They destroyed the pillars!”
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The rails swell like the back of a caterpillar, the guardrails

break off, and the railway ties snap and fly off.
The front wheel of the bike, unsure of where to go, jumps
and slides vertically.
“Do you know how long it took to build this bridge!?”
“Are you really concerned about that, now......?”
The unsupported bridge begins to collapse from behind
them.
Naruto desperately tried to continue moving forward on
the bike, moving onto parts of the rail that looked
undamaged, but they soon reached their limit. The rear wheel
of the bike hits a screwed-up rail spike and with their current
momentum, launches Naruto and Chihare into the air.
“Damn it!......”
Why can’t I use chakra is a situation like this!?
Naruto twisted mid-air to catch Chihare’s waist, taking a
position underneath her to catch her fall. They were
surrounded by thick steel bars and steel towers, things that’ll
likely kill them as soon as they hit them, but the byakugan
seems to help with the landing.
―- and helping with peace of mind.
A drone came before them.
An opening for a photon beam.
After this thought, the tip of its gun catches Naruto’s eye.
Its end glowing red.

“......!!”
Protecting Chihare, Naruto suddenly changes his body’s
position―― suddenly a tree branch grew from below and
violently stabs the drone.
The light from the drone fades as all four of its motors stop.
Another branch grew to catch Naruto and Chihare in the
air, wrapping around them tightly.
This was a wood style jutsu.
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“No way......”
There was only one user of wood style in Konohagakure
village. Taken aback from looking back up at the collapse,
there was a huge tree stretched up from the ground that help
up the destroyed railway bridge. Vines that spirally stretched
entangled themselves firmly around the beams, actively
working to fix the damage to the bridge.
The branches of the tree that held them, like a lifelike
creature, lowered Naruto and Chihare onto the ground. The
branches loosened, a pitiful “Hey......”, slipped out from
Chihare’s mouth as she was placed back down.
“I’m alive as ever, Naruto” spoke a monotone voice, there
was the sound of gravel being stepped upon from the bottom
of the valley.
Naruto rubbed his chest to calm his episode, taking short
breaths and then turning his head.
One of the Anbu’s best stood with his back straight and his
arm stretched out, seal in tow.
His mask outlines the corners of his mask.
Along with his wood style ninjutsu, inherited from the
genes of the first Hokage. “Captain......Yamato......”
It was the man who once led Naruto on Kakashi’s behalf,
Yamato squinted reassuringly, as if to confirm to Naruto that
he was safe now.
_________________
*hibachi- metal chopsticks like tongs used for moving
65
charcoal
*kiseru- traditional Japanese smoking pipe; could also be
called a “smoke tube”, “furnace tube”, or “fire tube”
*hakozen- a box filled with tableware, the lid used as a
tray/stand for food
66
3
“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
67
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.
68
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 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 particles, so half of the particles “fell from
the sky to the earth” and “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 If this is the case, then his power probably came
from this land.
the heavens, you’ll have
the power of the polar
the other half were hidden,
power of the polar particles.
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
69
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.
70
“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.
71
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
72
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.
73
“...... 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
74
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
75
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 tripled.
The petri dishes were so tightly packed on the steel shelves
it was An imposing camera was installed near the ceiling.
held the lines of petri dishes have almost as if they detested
any gaps.
Every step of the experiments seems to be recorded.
It means that if there is any outcome then it’ll be shared
without
already figured that out when she decided to use
Orochimaru’s lab.
“Let’s do this!” Naruto said powerfully as he turned the
goggles
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
76
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
77
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
question, but he was sure she on.
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.
78
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.
79
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.
It’s been a little over two weeks since Chihare moved to

Orochimaru’s laboratory.
Naruto spent his days going back and forth between the
laboratory, the Hokage’s office and his home. The
experiments continued and the busy season was over
regarding the Hokage’s work, however, Naruto couldn’t use
his shadow clones to do the job. The symptoms of the
seizures were improving, and the frequency got visibly
reduced. Until recently, he had been crouching many times a
day, biting his lips and enduring it but he hasn’t had a seizure
for days now. According to Sakura, if the cause of the illness
was a malfunction of his chakra-system, perhaps something
has healed and things are getting better. When Naruto
became hopeful, a hawk from the Astronomical Institute
arrived at the Hokage’s office.
“It’s rather bad that the seizures are happening less
frequently.” – Shikamaru told Naruto after he read the letter
from Sakura.
80
“I’m not using my chakra, and so the seizures are gone.”

“I’m not sure. In any case, I got a clue.” – Shikamaru put a
book on his desk. On the back cover ‘astronomical drawing’
is written in gold. “I won’t go into the details, but they have
found this astronomical map at the Astronomical Institute
and also found half of the polar particles hidden in the sky
after falling to the ground.”
There was a bamboo bowl on the desk with an amulet on
it.
“It’s sealed with very strong chakra. Naruto, don’t touch
it.”
“Do you know how to release it?”
“It should be described in this book…” – Shikamaru
pointed at the book next to the bamboo bowl with his finger.
It seems to be the guidebook of a card game called “Hoshi
Narabe”.
“Unfortunately, the ink on the important part is faint and
cannot be read. Therefore, it’ll also be sent to Kengakuin for
decipherment.”
“Kengakuin…”
Even more information will flow to Kengakuin now… On
the surface, that institution is cooperating with them, but in
reality it’s very difficult to tell what the Secretary, Furie is
planning to do. Pretending to be unaware that Naruto had a
clouded expression on his face, Shikamaru placed a folded
straw paper next to the bamboo bowl.
“It seems that this “celestial map” was sandwiched
between the book.”
Naruto looked at the folded paper.
<< X month X day >> - a short sentence, with more stars
scribbled in broken letters.
“Was this book found in Redaku country? Why is the mark
of our village there?” – Naruto asked.
“Who knows…?” – answered Shikamaru. “It could be that
81
they were using a similar writing system… I can’t say

anything at this point. In any case, now that we have the
polar particles, Sasuke and Sakura should be coming back to
the village.”
It takes about 30 days at the average skilled shinobi speed
to travel from Redaku Country to the Hidden Leaf Village.
Sasuke and Sakura should be much faster than that.
“Kakashi-sensei is staying a bit longer. It appears he
supports the Prince’s coup d’etat, which may be over now as
he messaged us a while ago.”
“It has come to that?”
About a week ago, Naruto received a letter from the Prince
of Redaku Country, asking for food aid. He had been
contacted by Kakashi in advance to cooperate with them, so
he promised to support him, but he didn’t know the whole
thing developed into a coup d’etat.
“It seems that the new queen isn’t ruling well… there are
people who starve to death.”
Of course, when Naruto heard people starve to death he
became worried and he wanted to do something about it.
However, if one intervenes in another country’s internal
issues, that is like inviting them for an attack. Even though, it
is unlikely the Land of Fire is inferior to Redaku Country in
terms of strength, but Naruto didn’t want to go to war
irrespective of whether he’d win or lose.
“… is it really okay for Kakashi-sensei to support the coup
d’etat?”
“Well, as you can tell, it’s a domestic affair. It’s a country
that has been isolated for a very long time, and it’s a delicate
issue whether it’s okay to do that or not. It wouldn’t be a
problem to wipe out the shinobi hired by Redaku Country,
but it would be a big problem if we attacked the Queen or the
Prime Minister directly. There are other things too, like if it
was a direct attack, or due to self-defense… in any case, we
82
can only communicate them via hawks.”

“…I see!” – Naruto nodded with a bright tone, as if to
shake off his anxiety. He was smiling but visibly worried. As
usual, his emotions appeared on his face. Shikamaru smiled
in a bitter way and patted Naruto’s shoulders.
“Let’s get back to work already, there are lots of documents
you need to approve.”
Three days later, there was an unexpected visitor.
“There is a person who’d like to meet Hokage-sama…” –
Moegi’s facial expression was clearly confused. Naruto and
Shikamaru, who have been discussing next year’s railway
plans facing each other shook their heads. There should’ve
been no visitors today. “She insists that she’s a researcher at
Kengakuin, but has no ID card. Would you like me to let her
through?”
“What does she want to say?”
“Um… about a substance called ‘polar particles’.”
Naruto and Shikamaru looked at each other.
“Please let her through!”
The polar particles obtained by Sasuke and Sakura are
being investigated by Kengakuin. They were wondering if
the analysis was over while waiting for the visitor who was
guided there. It was Chihare.
“So, the thing is…” – waiting for Moegi to go away,
Chihare started speaking.
“I found a way to cure your illness.”
Shikamaru opened his eyes very wide and immediately
frowned at Naruto. He asked why this woman knew about
his illness, but not while she was explaining her findings.
“Really!”
Chihare nodded “yes” to Naruto, who immediately stood
up.
“At the request of Secretary Furie, we have analysed this
new substance called ‘polar particles’. We have concluded
83
that it can amplify chakra.”

“Amplify chakra?” – Shikamaru reacted immediately.
“What it means is that if a person with no chakra touches
it… the amount of chakra flowing through their body will
increase explosively. If the Seventh’s illness is a malfunction
of the chakra tubes caused by the tailed beast in his body,
touching the polar particles may improve the flow of his
chakra. However…”
Chihare’s expression became gloomy.
“The polar particles are owned by Kengakuin now, so I
can’t just take them out without permission. I’m simply
leaking information to you now. If the Hokage negotiates
directly, you may get the particles, but since the Secretary is
Furie, it may not be straightforward…”
“Ah, it was us who sent them the substance for analysis.” –
Naruto said.
“What?” – Chihare raised her head.
“It was our friends who found these polar particles. Right
now we entrusted Kengakuin with the analysis, but I’m sure
it’ll come back soon.”
Chihare was silent for about 10 seconds, then started
muttering.
“Really… I’m glad.”
“Thank you” – Naruto laughed and thanked her. Without
knowing that the clients of the polar particles were Naruto
and his friends, Chihare violated the rules and went there.
“You analysed the particles. Did the seal of the container
break? – asked Shikamaru.
“Seal? When I got to it, it was already only the polar
particles, and no seal.”
Kengakuin somehow broke the seal on the bamboo bowl.
“Where are the polar particles? Do you still have them?”
“No. I gave it to the messenger of Kengakuin this morning.
Now, Secretary Furie has them. It’s a fairly unstable
84
substance, so I think we will do a bit more detailed analyses

to find out how to handle it properly.”
“It’s unstable?” – Chihare nodded mysteriously when
asked by Shikamaru.
“It’s extremely vulnerable to water, and with just a touch, it
quickly decomposes and disappears. It also dramatically
increases chakra levels, so it’s almost poisonous for people
with lots of chakra. Once you touch it, the chakra inside your
body doubles and your body could burst.”
Shikamaru was thinking a bit. If touching the particles may
improve Naruto’s condition, it’s better to get hold of them
sooner.
“Let’s get back the polar particles from Kengakuin as soon
as possible. I’ll get in touch with Shizune-san.” - Shikamaru
left in a hurry. “Ah, Naruto, I forgot to say it but please check
the proposals I gave you earlier by tomorrow.” - With that
said, he left the Hokage’s office.
He’s a busy person. Chihare looked around in the
Hokage’s office again. The office was full of documents. The
seal of ‘Seventh Hokage’ was placed in the corner of the desk.
Inside the trash can, there are lots of empty bottles of energy
drinks and a few red pens out of ink. To think that this is the
office of the Hidden Leaf’s Hokage is kind of sad.
“Thank you, Chihare.” – not realising that she didn’t like
the room, Naruto smiled and thanked her. “Now that you’ve
told me in advance, I’m really relieved.”
“I’m the one to thank you.” – as she said that, Naruto’s
facial expression looked more relieved. The hero who
protected the lives of many people. After all, this person
probably doesn’t know that. Scientists from the five great
nations can devote themselves to research only because the
ninja wars ended. Chihare will turn 25 years old this year. She
can barely remember Pain’s invasion or the Fourth Ninja
World War, even though she should be perfectly aware of
85
what was going on. She only has vague memories of being
taken by her parents to evacuate somewhere. When she
became an adult, she saw the TV specials and magazines that
looked back on those days and that was when she realised it
for the first time what a serious situation it was. She had no
idea because she was being protected. Chihare was staying
home while the five great nations were fighting and the
shinobi protected their villages with their lives.
Disassembling light bulbs, reading sciences books, all by
herself. She constantly lived being covered by someone else’s
back. She was certain many children of the same age felt the
same.
“I’m not familiar with shinobi, but I know that there are
two, by far the most powerful human beings existing among
shinobi. One of them is you, and the other one is Sasuke. The
reason why the five great nations were able to stop the war is
because you two wanted peace. The Sixth Hokage focused
more on developing the economy to stabilise the country than
on military (like the Fifth Hokage did). It was very difficult to
adjust like that, but it became a success because of all the
backers. It also acts as a deterrent to war. Hatake Kakashi
built the peace of the present by making good use of the
economic development.
“That’s right.” - Naruto proudly nodded.
Chihare was looking at Naruto, thinking that he is even
better than the previous Hokage. That he is completely for
others.
“Before the reign of the Sixth Hokage, chakra was only
used as a tool in battle for a long time. It was an era when
protecting the country was the highest priority. But now it’s
different. Modern scientists can devote themselves to their
research. Our research results aren’t judged by whether they
are useful or not as tools for war. Many scientists are grateful
to you for creating this peace.”
86
“Is that so?” – Naruto scratched his head. “I didn’t realise

there were people who thought of it that way…”
“At least, I’m grateful, so I came here today only to be
disillusioned.”
“What?” – Naruto stopped moving.
“Is this really what the Hokage wanted to do?”
Chihare looked around in the messy office looking
frustrated.
“Working hard every day, clinging to his desk and sign
documents. You, a war hero. Is it really fun to do all this
boring work?”
“Yeah. I’ve decided it’s fun.”
“So… you decided that it’s fun…?”
Naruto took out an envelope from the middle of the
documents that appear to be randomly piled up.
“Look at this. The purchase order for forehead protectors
for the graduates from the academy this year. I was so happy
when I saw this for the first time. I’m excited just by looking
at these documents.”
“Still, I didn’t think it would be you doing this kind of
job.”
“It really is me doing it.”
Naruto closed the document and turned his eyes to the
photographs of the previous Hokage on the wall.
“Tsunade obaachan’s first job after becoming Hokage was
to treat shinobi who were injured in battle. When Kakashi-
sensei became Hokage, he was to hold a ceremony to
commemorate the war victims of the Ninja World War. I
wonder what the Fourth Hokage did as his first action… I
don’t know, but I’m sure it was unpleasant.”
Namikaze Minato had a brilliant expression in that photo
full of willpower.
“The first thing I did as Hokage was to give a business
permit to a sweets shop in the old down. That’s peace.” –
87
Naruto laughed. “I’m happy that the village has become like
this, even if desk work doesn’t suit me. Boruto, Himawari
and the next generation are growing up, it would be nice if
my only job was to do this desk work while that happens.
Also, I’ve never said that I’m a hero.”
Naruto had an amazing smile full of willpower. Chihare
was sure many people have been moved by his smile. His
smile was so powerful that it made people to want to do
things as well. It makes people to want to do better. Her
initial impression may have been wrong. The reason this
person was chosen to become Hokage may not have been
because of his strength after all.
“Why did you…” – Chihare slowly looked at Naruto.
“Why did you want to be Hokage?”
“I wanted to be recognised by everyone.” – Naruto
answered immediately.
Chihare was surprised. To be recognised by everyone?
“That doesn’t sound like an answer. If you weren’t
Hokage, there would still be as many people around you as
possible.”
“Huh? That isn’t the case at all.”
Naruto averted his eyes in a mysterious way.
“You have told me before that while growing up I was
loved and surrounded by people… to tell the truth, when I
was a kid, I was always alone. When I went to the academy, I
was with Shikamaru and Kiba, but when I got home, nobody
was there, and when I walked around the village I was really
hated.”
“You’re lying.”
“No, I mean it.”
Naruto opened a drawer, saying nothing.
“In any case, I wanted to be recognised by anyone. That
was the first reason why I wanted to be Hokage.”
He took out a brand new forehead protector from the
88
drawer. He gave it to Chihare and proudly laughed.

“Look at that. This is a sample of the new forehead
protectors for the Academy graduates. Please improve the
material, because it’s flimsier and stiffer than last years’. Is it
mould?”
“…yeah.”
Chihare traced the Konoha mark engraved on the forehead
protector with her finger. The round and round overwinding
pattern is a symbol of this village.
“You really like the people around you, don’t you?”
“Yeah!” – Naruto proudly responded.
“No good today either. Nothing has changed!” – said Naruto

after he’s taken off his goggles. Naruto got used to using the
Byakugan, although if he used it for a long time his eyes got
tired and he found it difficult to focus. No progress has been
made today either. Naruto checked tens of thousands of the
experiments but there were no results.
“Have the polar particles still not been returned by

Kengakuin?” – asked Chihare.
“No, not yet” – said Naruto with dissatisfaction. “Even

though Shikamaru rushes them, since the particles are weak
to water, they need safe transportation.”
“It is an unknown substance. They want to keep it at hand for

as long as possible to study it.”
No change, no change, no change… Chihare copied and

pasted the results of the experiments once by one.
“But where did your friends find such a rare substance?”

***
89
“There is a country to the west of the Land of Fire, called

Redaku.”
“Redaku? Amusing name.” – the number of participants in

the conversation increased by one.
Looking back, Orochimaru was standing there and they were

wondering when he entered the room. Orochimaru stretched
out his long tongue and picked up the binder that had been
dropped by the surprised Chihare.
“This is my equipment, right? Could you please take care of

it?”
“Ah… have you been to Redaku Country?”
Orochimaru nodded in agreement.
“I heard a rumour that a forbidden technique similar to

reincarnation was passed down there so I went to investigate.
It was a long time ago though. The goggles you’re wearing
were made by applying the technology I found in that
country.” – the tip of Orochimaru’s stretched tongue moved
around the goggles. Seeing Naruto pulling his body in a
creepy way, Orochimaru raised the edge of his mouth.
“The technique passed down allowed to transplant the ability

of another person’s ‘eye’. In addition, there was a folklore
created by Rikudou sennin’s blind friend, Jean-Mar-Tatar.
Originally, this technique was for blind people to gain
eyesight by using artificial eyes as a medium. I applied it to
these goggles. It’s still a prototype, but I I hoped it’d be useful
for this child’s experiment.”
***
90
“Well, it doesn’t seem to be working very well so far.”
“That’s right.” - Naruto folded his arms. “I’m doing a lot

every day and there are no results.”
“It’s difficult to come up with new technology. You just have

to try and learn from your mistakes. Edo tensei was born that
way too.” – Orochimaru smiled happily for some reason,
glaring at Naruto. “If you use it every day, you’ll probably get
used to handling those goggles. Show me how much you
improve in three days.”
“Hey, Chihare. Did you leave the Kengakuin facility at your

own will?”
As she was preparing for tomorrow’s experiment, she said

“Yes, that’s right.”
“Why did you do that?” – Naruto asked casually, and

Chihare answered after a bit of silence.
“Didn’t I say that before? I find it stressful to be around other

people.”
“Is that it?”
“Why are you asking?”
“Because this experiment you’re doing is for other people

after all.”
Chihare took a small breath and stared at Naruto’s face. She

didn’t understand why Naruto cared about her individually.
From the point of view of the Seventh Hokage, she’s just one
91
of their scientists after all. Why does he care about her when
he has so many great friends in the village? This experiment
has a great significance for the world, and perhaps he was
confident that it’s worth his cooperation. However, Naruto
was trying to confront Chihare herself who is conducting the
experiment. She was wondering if that’s how he was with
everyone.
“I found a star.” Chihare was preparing liquid chakra in a

pipette.
“A star?”
Chihare began talking.
“Originally, my speciality was astrophysics. About half a year

ago, I was observing celestial bodies and found a star with
strange movements. It changes its orbit little by little from
North to South and from South to North by going around this
other star.”
“Is it like the Moon?”
“Much faster than the Moon.”
The liquid chakra dripping from the pipette landed in the

middle of the petri dish. A distorted circle that collapsed a
little and had a tail. Like a shooting star.
“I reported its existence of Kengakuin, but nobody believed

there was such a celestial body. After all, it’s seemingly
impossible to go around like that while changing the
trajectory.”
***
92
“Shouldn’t others observe it though? They can’t deny it once

they observe it with their own eyes.”
“There was no researcher at Kengakuin with enough skills to

observe the star. There are only scientists that study ‘science
that is useful to humanity’. The upper management urged me
to pursue space research in more profitable areas. Instead of
accepting that, I left.” – as she was saying that, she became
more and more embarrassed. It seemed like a little thing, but
it also appeared so childish because she left as they didn’t
believe in the existence of a star she discovered. She was
saying she wasn’t good at cooperating with others, yet she
wants someone to approve of her work.
“I see.” – Naruto nodded. “Quite a shock.”
“……”
“I wouldn’t like that either. If it really exists, but it seems

impossible so they just deny it.”
“Well, I’m past that.”
As Chihare moved to the corner of the shelf to escape and

continue working, Naruto appeared while flipping a splash
of water from his wet hands.
“I washed the petri dishes. What should I do now?”
“Ah… please dry them.”
The footsteps that slipped through the shelves and headed for
the drying room stopped suddenly.
***
93
“Hey Chihare, it’s on this shelf, I just prepared this petri dish.
I think it’ll take some time before we get some results.”
“But it’s working.”
“Look over there. The chakra is overflowing with great

momentum.” As she approached the shelf, she heard the
sound of glass smashing in her chest pocket.
“Hm…” The chakra amount measuring instrument is

cracked. She was wondering why it broke and headed out to
get a spare one. When she checked the measuring instrument
again, the needle pointing to the scale was far off from the
maximum value. Chihare looked at Naruto’s face, looked at
the measuring instrument, the top of the shelf and then saw
Naruto’s face.
“Eh…?”
When she brought the broken measuring instrument closer to

the upper part of the shelf, the needle shook so much it broke.
There’s no mistaking it. Vaporised chakra filled the area
around the shelves. Huge amounts.
“This is the first time… that I got results.”
“Hurray…!” Naruto swung his arms up like a child.
***************************************************************
Naruto took Chihare to Ichiraku to celebrate the progress of

the experiment.
“If something good happens, I usually eat ramen.”
94
***
She didn’t know how usual that was, but it appeared the
Seventh Hokage goes to this place a lot. The curtain, which is
said to be the same as the one they used before renovating the
store was completely dirty and oil stains appeared on them.
There were 4 out of 6 seats at a table already occupied as they
entered. The child sitting in the middle turned his eyes as
soon as he saw Naruto’s face.
“Ah, Dad!”
“Ah Boruto. You’ve also come here?”
Boruto, Mitsuki, Sarada, and Iruka, the principal of the

academy sat there.
“Right now Sarada is staying with Iruka-sensei, and we came

along.”
“I’m glad, I hope Iruka-sensei is treating you well.”
Naruto and Chihare sat down in the two empty seats in the
middle.
“It’s kind of nostalgic to see Iruka-sensei and Naruto side by

side.” – said Teuchi, while preparing the noodle bowls on the
counter.
*Teuchi: you know the Ichiraku guy. I kind of forgot.
“Right… I used to take him here when he was an academy

student.”
“I still remember clearly the first time I was brought here by
95
Iruka-sensei. After class, we had some ramen. I was surprised

how good it was.”
Iruka laughed nostalgically while taking the chopsticks.
“And now you’re eating their cup ramen.”
“Yeah, Ichiraku’s ramen is the best in the world!”
The ramen that is praised by the Seventh Hokage… Chihare

was gazing down at the soup. She thought it would taste
great, so entwined the noodles, wrapped them around the
chopsticks, put them into her mouth. It was delicious but… it
was just normal ramen. Although her body warmed up.
“Is it delicious?” – she intended to be alone but she got asked

by Boruto.
“Yeah.”
Boruto nodded while whispering, so that Teuchi, who was

talking to Naruto wouldn’t hear him, and continued quietly.
“Dad and Iruka-sensei love Ichiraku Ramen, but I think

Thunder Burger is definitely better.”
Boruto glanced at Naruto as he said that and added “…it’s a

secret in front of my dad though.”
Boruto looked happy even though he’d prefer hamburgers.

Chihare was staring at the person sitting next to her. Naruto
probably likes the ramen here because he has memories of
being brought here by that kind teacher. After class they came
here and listened to him, enjoyed it, and so he got to like the
96
ramen as well. Come to think of it, Mitsuki was saying the

other day that he took a detour to a hamburger shop with
Boruto. For Boruto, it’s not a ramen shop, but a hamburger
shop. It’s fun to kill time there with good friends. He thinks
hamburger tastes better than ramen, because that’s where he
has his memories. Chihare had no favourite food.
There were always a lot of people around Naruto.
“It’s the perfect name for you, Uzumaki Naruto.”
Naruto turned happily while Chihare muttered that.
“I like it too, ‘naruto’ is a delicious thing.”
*I think he means this https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

Narutomaki
“I meant your last name. There are spiral galaxies in the

universe, and it is said there is a large black hole in the centre
of the spiral that attrackts matter. As it sucks matter in, it’ll
swirl around the centre.”
*uzumaki means spiral https://jisho.org/search/uzumaki
Iruka stopped eating and listened to their conversation.
“At the centre of the vortex, there is always something that

draws things around. One big thing that everyone is attracted
and connected to. It is exactly like you. Bringing people
together with overwhelming suction power.”
Naruto acted as if he was confused.

***
97
“Uzumaki is my mother’s last name. I’ve only talked to her

once a bit, but she’s noisy, strong and definitely like a black
hole. Her hair was red though.”
image
“Kushina-san was definitely a powerful person, just like
you, always at the centre of turmoil. The swirl mark is also a
symbol of Konoha. It really is a befitting last name for you.”
Chihare listened while looking at the forehead protector on

Boruto’s head sitting next to him.
“Why is the Konoha mark like this? It doesn’t look like a

leaf.”
“It is said that ninja in the past trained to concentrate their

chakra by putting leaves on their forehead. If you follow the
swirl from the edge, it will eventually end up in a central
point.” – said Iruka, which convinced Chihare. It certainly
looked like a pictogram that puts scattered things in one
place.
“But if you change the vector, you end up with the opposite
image.”
“Vector?” – Boruto looked at Iruka mysteriously.
“If you follow from the outside, you will reach the centre
point. On the contrary, from the centre point, what happens if
you go outwards? It spreads forever towards the outside. The
image of the pictogram is scattered forever, rather than being
gathered in one point. The swirl represents the movement
from inside to outside and from outside to inside
simultaneously.”
98
***
“But there are so many other meanings to swirls!” – Boruto
joined the conversation. “Sunflower seeds and cactus thorns
grow in a swirling shape when you look at them.”
“It’s a shape that efficiently stores long items. My parent

sometimes swirls up his tongue.” -said Mitsuki, and Sarada
continued. “There are some areas where swirls are carved in
graves, right? These swirls that keep spinning are a symbol of
eternity, so that they expect the dead to come back one day.”
“You guys are studying properly…” – Naruto seems to have

never heard of these things.
“Surely you’ve also learnt about these at the academy, dad?”
“No, I don’t think they taught these things in much detail at

that time….”
“I’m sure I taught you these things.” Iruka patted Naruto’s

back happily. “You just didn’t listen because you were busy
playing around with Kiba and Shikamaru.”
“Really, I don’t remember clearly.” – Naruto’s face looked

disappointed.
**********************************************************************
********
Chihare’s research has finally come to a conclusion. What

kind of stimuli under what circumstances affect chakra? If
one knows enough, they can make a guess by performing
multiple regression analysis. The stage of repeating the
99
experiments again and again in the dark is over. Now that

she’s come this far, the rest should be straightforward. The
chakra device was completed three days after Naruto
confirmed the increase in chakra with his Byakugan goggles.
“This afternoon, a messenger from Kengakuin will come to

pick up the prototype… This is the end of the experiment.
Thank you for your cooperation.”
“Likewise. Your research results will surely help everyone in

Konoha. Thank you, do your best!”
She came all the way to the Hokage’s office to say that, and
was smiling. After all, she wasn’t used to this person’s glare
until the end. What that in mind, she left the Hokage’s office
with a feeling of regret.
It was the afternoon of the same day. Naruto met Orochimaru

on the Hokage cliff, as promised to discuss about the
Byakugan goggles.
“You’ve become able to use it a little, right?”
“Don’t lick the Hokage faces!”
Naruto replied quickly, pulling the goggle’s bands and

snapping it into his temples. Of course, it was still a far cry
from Hinata or Hanabi. Even though, he could identify the
chakra of people he was familiar with and have a full view in
the range of a radius about 100 metres. He was able to come
this far because he kept using the goggles every day while
helping Chihare with her experiment. When Orochimaru
turned towards Naruto, he grabbed the goggles and pulled it
down.
100
***
“Guess in which part of my body I’m focusing chakra now.”
“Right hand.”
When Naruto answered immediately, Orochimaru’s long

tongue fluttered happily between his thin lips.
“And now?”
“Left foot?”
“And now?”
“Hmm.. right knee?”
Every time Naruto answered correctly, Orochimaru’s yellow

eyes approached the crescent shape.
“All correct.”
“Well, thanks…”
It was meant to be a praise, but it was creepy. Naruto

frowned, suddenly feeling strong chakra signals outside the
village and turned in that direction.
“…..!”
This chakra, it was Sasuke and Sakura. Considering the speed

of movement, they were using Susanoo. Kakashi already
safely returned to Konoha the day before. Now everyone is
back.
***
101
“What’s wrong?”
Orochimaru frowned mysteriously when he saw Naruto

suddenly looking outside the village with his eyes on him.
“Oh no, nothing!”
Naruto started looking at the old town. A familiar figure was

standing beside a half-destroyed mansion with a camphor
tree. It was Chihare. It seemed like there were two men in
white coats, who looked like scientists, walked and called out
to Chihare.
“Hmm…?”
Naruto watched the movements of the two men. Judging

from their manners and the amount of chakra they have, they
were probably both shinobi. Could it be that they are both
scientists and shinobi? The two men walked there and
smiled. As soon as they received the things presented by
Chihare, one of the men sank his fist into Chihare’s stomach.
“That guy!”
Another man put a bag on her head as her body was

collapsing. Naruto hurriedly tried to jump off the cliff, but the
snake released by Orochimaru got entangled in his ankle and
he tripped.
“Orochimaru! What are you doing!”
“I’d like to ask you the same thing. I couldn’t see anything, so
what happened?”
***
102
“Chihare was kidnapped by people from Kengakuin!”
Orochimaru wrapped around Naruto and didn’t let him go.
“Calm down. Chihare is a scientist. She won’t be killed until

they confirm that her findings are correct.”
“How long is that?!”
“Well, about three days?”
The two men ran away on the roofs. They were obviously
shinobi. One of them was carrying Chihare. Orochimaru said
she wouldn’t be killed right away, but there’s no guarantee.
Naruto was trying to chase them but Orochimaru didn’t let
him.
“The next time you try to move, I’ll kill you.”
“What does this have to do with you?!”
“You’re dealing with unidentified people. We need to find

their hideout and eradicate it. Please calm down. I’ll help
you.”
The men entered a flying ship depot on the outskirts of the

new city. On the premises there is a huge warehouse for
storing flying ships owned by the Land of Fire and a research
institute jointly funded by Kengakuin. The men entered the
laboratory. They seem to be closed today so nobody is
around.
***
103
“Hey, what are you doing?” – Orochimaru hurriedly stopped

Naruto from trying to open the window.
“Why aren’t we going inside?”
“If you invade from such a place, the alarms will go off
immediately and it’ll be troublesome. Have you never
illegally invaded an international organisation?”
Orochimaru seems to be an expert at illegal intrusion and

says not to enter through the window, instead they should
hack security first.
The two men came out of the entrance, but Chihare wasn’t
with them. Naruto and Orochimaru jumped behind them at
the same time.
“Where are you going and where is Chihare?” – asked

Naruto, holding the man’s shoulders from behind so that
they couldn’t see his face.
They raised their hands without any resistance and admitted

that Chihare is on the 27th floor of the building.
“Just outside the emergency stairs, in the electromagnetic

laboratory.”
“We were just hired. We don’t even know anything about our
employer.”
“Thank you.” – Orochimaru bit into the men’s necks in turn.

Naruto hurriedly caught the bodies of the two fallen men.
With the entry card stolen from them, Naruto and
104
Orochimaru broke through the security gate at the entrance

and invaded the laboratory. The building itself has 30 stories,
Naruto and Orochimaru ran up the emergency stairs and
jumped into the electromagnetic laboratory on the 27th floor.
“Seventh!” – Chihare was sitting on the floor in the middle of

the room, not tied up. She looked the same as when she was
taken away, and it appeared she was able to run and escape
soon.
“You can move. Why aren’t you running away?”
“I can’t move!”
“What?” – Naruto was told to look downwards. Makibishi

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Makibishi) were scattered
all over the floor. It was reddish-brown makibishi, not the
usual iron one. It wasn’t just makibishi. As soon as Naruto
stepped into the room, the makibishi started floating. Naruto
hurriedly withdrew his legs.
“What is this?!”
At first they thought it was a trap that activated only when

they stepped in, but it appeared that it was a mechanism that
started moving three-dimensionally as soon as an intruder
was detected. The bronze coloured debris was flying around
endlessly like a meteor shower, it even looked beautiful. If
one inadvertently stretches their hands forwards, their flesh
would probably be cut out though.
“I can’t move because of this!”
Only the place where Chihare sits seemed to be a safe zone,
105
as the makibishi didn’t pass through there. Meaning, she

couldn’t go anywhere because she was surrounded by
makibishi.
“I’m good, so both of you should go to the hangar! Now!”
“What’s in the hangar?”
“Secretary Furie wants to use my chakra device to duplicate

the polar particles and scatter them from the sky to Konoha!”
“Why would he do that?” – Naruto raised his eyebrows.
“He’s aiming at the shinobi…” – pointed out Orochimaru.

“Polar particles are harmless to the general public, but they
are powerful drugs to shinobi. If they touch them, it could
cause many serious problems because of the chakra tubes
enlarging.”
“Hurry up! The device should already be on board the flying

ship!”
Naruto looked back at Orochimaru. They exchanged a few

words after which Orochimaru left for the hangar.
“Seventh! You too, go to the hangar!”
“Only after helping you!”
Chihare was confused. If she was the priority now, she

needed to find a way to get out of that trap.
“I could break through it by brute force and not die.”

***
106
Naruto tried to jump in but he got injured.
“Please don’t do such a dangerous thing! Look for a magnet!”
“Magnet?”
“It should be nearby.” This makibishi trap must be using

eddy currents. Naruto looked like a mess.
“When you bring a magnet close to a metal, it creates a strong

spiral magnetic field. Perhaps there is a huge magnet
somewhere in this room. The force of that magnetic field
causes the makibishi to move! The same vortex current is also
used in the braking system of flying ships. This is a
development laboratory for flying ships, there is no doubt
there is an eddy current generator that uses a huge magnet
somewhere.”
The reason why these makibishi are made of copper is

probably because it is a material that is more susceptible to
magnetic fields than iron.
“The movement of makibishi may seem random, but if you

look closely, it moves in a combination of several swirls!”
When Naruto took a look with the Byakugan, it certainly

seemed they moved according to some pattern even though it
seemed to be messy. There are vortices in four places in the
room, and the makibishi in the room rotate along one of
these. Naruto carefully followed each makibishi’s movement
and concluded that the movement of makibishi in front of
him was just circular. It was an independent ring, not
connected to anything, unlike the spirals Iruka-sensei told
him about, which are forever scattered outwards. Like a
107
planet that orbits the Sun, it just goes around the same place
and goes nowhere. Such a simple movement should be easily
cut off. Naruto pulled the goggles’ lever.
“What are you going to do…?!”
After all, he just decided to break through by brute force. It

was surprising to see how self-assured Naruto was.
“It’s ok, I feel like I borrowed Hinata’s Byakugan.”
Aiming at a place where the flow of the makibishi is thinner,

he kicked the ground at the right time and his body floated in
the air like a jumping rope. His arm got stabbed but Naruto
ran straight through and jumped into the central windless
zone. Chihare looked up at Naruto who looked at him with a
bitter smile after checking his body.
“If you pay attention to the whole thing and anticipate the
next move, it isn’t that difficult.”
Naruto took the lead.
“What are you doing?!”
He started going back the way he came and Chihare turned

pale.
“There is a safer way to break through, find the magnet!”
“It’s a waste of time.”
“Can you break the floor? Destroy it. Anything is fine. Hit or
kick, just destroy it to the extent that it cracks.”
108
***
Eddy currents occur when a magnet is brought close to a flat
metal plate. In the case of this room, the iron floor acts as a
metal plate, so the eddy current should disappear if the
surface is destroyed to the extent that it is not flat. As Naruto
said, he slammed his clenched fist on the floor. It didn’t crash
as much as it would’ve with Sakura, but it cracked the floor.
Then, the makibishi suddenly stopped moving and scattered
on the floor.
“….What? We didn’t have to cross it then.”
Naruto ran down the stairs and headed towards the hangar.
He had a discomfort in his shoulder from being hurt by the
makibishi and pulled one out from his back as well.
Chihare didn’t understand why the Seventh Hokage got

injured for her. Why is he so kind? She felt like it was a big
mistake to protect her.
“I can’t connect with others in society. I want to stay alone

and live by doing what I like. That’s the kind of person I am,
you know?”
Naruto, who had been listening just became annoyed.
“You’re noisy. Don’t force yourself to open your heart on

demand, but you should force yourself to connect with
people a bit. In the old days, when not everyone could do
their best for the village is over. If you say you don’t want to
connect that’s fine, but we live in a peaceful society where
even people like you can live comfortably.”
Naruto softened his voice as he was running down the stairs.
109
***
“Hinata was born in a prestigious shinobi family, and in those
days she obviously had to become a shinobi. Originally, she
isn’t the type of person who fights against people and
competes for victory… if she was born now, I’m sure she
would choose a different job. I’m sure there were other
people who didn’t want to fight but didn’t have a choice. I’ve
always wanted to change that.”
This person was always relaxed when talking about his wife.
Chihare took a small breath, staring at his wide back. She was
sure Hinata was a wonderful wife.
“That’s why you really should try to connect with people. By

the way, why did Furie let you develop this device? If this
device gets completed, the demand for natural gas would
drop, wouldn’t it?”
“He would completely monopolise the energy market with

this, after having destroyed the shinobi of each country using
the polar particles and using the Land of Stair’s shinobis’
chakra to copy the gas.”
Furie’s thinking was extremely selfish, and from Naruto’s

point of view it was an unforgivable plan. Naruto didn’t say
anything, but his back got a little hot. In front of the hangar,
there was a huge shutter for the flying ship to enter and exit.
Next to it was a small gate, and Orochimaru was in front of it.
There was a familiar mechanical noise.
It’s been a month they met for the first time. A drone with
four rotors.
***
110
“It’s you again…!”
Naruto was cautious, not showing any surprise despite his

tone. It was probably Furie who sent the drones to the
underground laboratory when they were there. Was its
purpose to eliminate Naruto?
Perhaps their abilities are different individually. There is one

who self-destructs, and drones appeared one after another
from the back of the hangar. They were flying like birds and
slowly approaching. After that, a laser beam. Naruto took a
light breath and stepped to grab them, then pulled them and
hit the upper one into the central sphere of drones. These are
precision machines. If they’re hit, they break. The snake
released by Orochimaru thrust its fangs into the sphere.
The battle began. Drones VS Naruto & Orochimaru. There

were at least a hundred of them, each with different
capabilities, so it was hard to deal with them. Especially with
the laser beam type and the self-destruct type. Orochimaru
started spraying poisonous fog into the drones and ruthlessly
executed the drones around him some of which started to
self-destruct. As the tip of the frontal part of the drones
started glowing red, the countdown to their suicide bomb
started. A large number of snakes popped out of the mouth of
Orochimaru. It filled the floor and started jumping at the
drones.
“Wow!” – Naruto was surprised by the snake crawling at his

feet and he lifted his right foot. Orochimaru grabbed Naruto’s
leg and threw him up to the ceiling of the hangar up to 5
metres and was hung by a sprinkler attached to the ceiling.
“What are you doing, Orochimaru!”
111
***
“Find the pilot of the drones, it’s troublesome to deal with
them one by one.”
While some programmes may have been installed to instruct

the actions of the drones, it was more natural to think that
some pilot was instructing them real-time based on the self-
destruction pattern of the drones. Naruto looked down at the
hangar, with his arm hooked in the sprinkler. The fierce battle
of snakes VS drones was unfolding. The snakes made full use
of the small turns their bodies could handle, and Orochimaru
seemed to be having fun. Naruto wore the googles and
carefully compared the flying ships in the hangar.
“That’s it.” – he felt a sign of chakra inside the ship that

stopped near the entrance on the North side and let go of the
sprinkler and jumped off.
Instead of landing directly on the ground, he grabbed the arm

of the drone that passed by while falling. The drone that he
jumped on shook and lowered its altitude, but surprisingly
continued to fly without crashing, and on the contrary,
stretched its muzzle straight to the tip of Naruto’s nose. Its
muzzle was flashing red. Just before the laser beam was fired,
Naruto forcibly changed the direction of drone, so that it
would aim at the flying ship parked near the entrance. A few
seconds later, the laser beam fired straight at the ship as
intended. The wooden wall of the ship burnt out. The inside
of the ship was changed into a huge studio. A man holding a
laptop was near the bow. It was Furie. Naruto jumped there
immediately and tried to do this calmly but he naturally
became angry.
“It’s the first time we’re meeting face to face, Secretary Furie.”
112
***
While Furie was at the top position of an international
organisation, his reaction to Naruto was quite submissive and
his pale lips were trembling.
“You can’t pretend anymore you aren’t involved. Do you

understand that?”
Furie, frightened by Naruto’s expression nodded, opened his

laptop and hit a key. The drones flying outside landed on the
floor all at once.
“Where is Chihare’s device?”
Furie lifted his shivering finger with a stiff look and pointed
at the location of the black cubic machine behind the ship. A
round flash was connected to the machine, and silver
coloured sand was shining inside the glass sphere. Could that
be polar particles? As soon as Furie saw Naruto turn his
attention to the device, Furie fired a photon gun from the
inside of his jacket. Naturally, Naruto responded quickly and
escaped without any issues, but the beam hit Chihare’s
device. The polar particles got spilled onto the floor. As
Naruto clenched his fist, a snake with an open mouth jumped
and bit Furie’s throat. Orochimaru’s snake, which means it
was definitely poisonous. In a few seconds, Furie turned his
eyes around and became quiet.
“Hey, don’t kill him!”
Naruto rushed to Furie and confirmed he was still breathing.

Naruto was relieved.
Orochimaru entered the flying ship.
113
***
“There may be other collaborators, so I’ll leave this one to
you.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I can’t help you keeping this guy alive.”
Orochimaru picked up the photon gun lying on the floor and

giggled.
“If we kill, him, do it fast.”
“Stop!”
Naruto jumped at Orochimaru before he could pull the

trigger and they rolled on to the floor. Naruto managed to hit
the photon gun but Orochimaru’s tongue grew in size and
entwined the gun.
“Some people really don’t change!”
Orochimaru gave up the game and loosened his tongue.

Naruto kicked the gun away.
“I don’t want to keep the man alive who tried to assassinate

you.”
“Shut up!” – Naruto grabbed Orochimaru’s kimono and drew

him towards himself.
A fight ensued between Naruto and Orochimaru. Naruto

tried to become victorious using taijutsu as he was aware he
couldn’t use ninjutsu and he had no chance of winning that
114
way. The yellow snake-like eyes of Orochimaru were staring

at Naruto. Orochimaru grabbed Naruto’s wrist and his fist
sank into Naruto’s face who stopped moving for a moment.
He hit him two or three times in a row, and blood on his lips
mixed with blood from nosebleed, scattering on the floor.
When Naruto was distracted, Orochimaru escaped from
Naruto’s arms. Orochimaru picked up the photon gun and
turned its tip towards Furie. The laser beam scraped Furie’s
knees. His knees came into contact with the ultra-high
temperature burst, causing spontaneous combustion and
burning. The heat is transmitted from cell to cell, and the
flame grows spreading from the knees to his thighs, and then
hips. Furie was suffering on the floor as the flame wrapped
up to his stomach.
Naruto jumped at Orochimaru from behind and slipped the

photon gun out of Orochimaru’s hand. Orochimaru suddenly
disappeared. When Naruto realised this his neck was already
grabbed by Orochimaru’s extended arm.
Orochimaru’s whispering voice stroked his ears.
“Chihare!” – Naruto kicked the photon gun, which was

spinning on the floor. Orochimaru slowly turned his face.
“Give that to me.” – he said in a low tone, letting go of

Naruto as Orochimaru slowly walked up to the ground.”
“Chihare! Pick it up! Shoot at the ceiling!”
As the ceiling was hit by the high temperature beam, the heat
spread throughout the ceiling.
“What on Earth…” – murmured Orochimaru. The sprinkler
115
installed in the hangar is heat sensitive. The system detected

the high temperature and as a result began to sprinkle water
in a radial pattern. The flame burning Furie’s body turned
into steam. The inside of the hangar was immediately
flooded. The polar particles evaporated as well.
116
4
“So, to sum up your story…” – Sasuke was visibly angry and

in a bad mood. “You lost the polar particles so that you can
save the life of your enemy.”
“Yes, that’s what happened…” – said Naruto in an awkward

way. Naruto was very sorry that Sasuke and Sakura went all
the way to Redaku Country for the polar particles that
Naruto ended up losing. But he thought it couldn’t be helped:
otherwise, Furie would be dead.
They were in their private space at the back of Tami

Confectionary Shop. In addition to their usual crew, there was
an extra person in the meeting: Chihare.
“The Seventh came to my aid as I was abducted by Furie’s

men…”
Chihare was scared of Sasuke at first but eventually spoke up.
“I know that much, so stay silent.” - Chihare obediently shut

up.
***
117
“We can’t help what has already disappeared. We have to

think about our next move as soon as possible. We don’t have
time anyway.” – said Sakura to ease the situation.
After summarising the information they each obtained in

Redaku Country and conducting a thorough examination of
Naruto, Sakura came up with an accurate diagnoses of
Naruto’s medical condition. There was no doubt the cause of
the disease was the malfunction of chakra tubes caused by
having a tailed beast sealed in him, just like they originally
thought. The nine-tailed’s chakra only flows into Naruto’s
body when he intentionally tries to lend chakra. However,
when the lending and borrowing of all chakra is repeated
many times, the boundary between the chakra that have
adhered to each other becomes ambiguous (Naruto’s own
chakra & Kurama’s chakra), and a small amount of tailed
beast’s chakra is always in the body of a Jinchuuriki: the
chakra is in a continuous flowing state. If that continues,
Naruto’s original chakra tubes regards the nine-tail’s chakra
as a foreign body and try to eliminate it by narrowing and
closing the tubes. Naruto’s seizure was a side effect of the
chakra tubes forcibly contracting.
“The last seizure occurred half a month ago, right?” – asked

Sakura and Naruto nodded.
The fact that his seizures stopped is evidence that the chakra
tubes are closing in. If they completely close, they probably
won’t recover even with the polar particles.
“How long does it take to close completely?” – asked Sasuke.
“Let’s see, based on the results of this test, we have about

three days.”
118
***
“Is there a way to get polar particles?” - asked Shikamaru,
turning his gaze towards Sasuke and Sakura.
“Yes. Rikudou Sennin broke the polar particles in two and hid
the other half in the star that goes around without leaving,
and the other half in the ‘star that descended to the ground’.
We got the ones that ‘descended to the ground’. If you know
the whereabouts of the ‘star that goes around’, you should be
able to get the other half of the polar particles…”
However, even if they headed out right now, Naruto’s chakra

tubes may close before they get there.
“Is the remaining clue in this straw paper?” – Shikamaru put

a piece of paper with creases on the tatami mat. Chihare
stretched her neck and looked into this paper.
“What is this?”
“Ah, is this the first time you see this? This was sandwiched
between ‘astronomical drawings’.”
“The number of stars has increased by one…?”
“The meaning of that sentence is still a mystery. Moreover,

what’s even more worrisome is why it has the mark of
Konoha.”
There was no direct interaction between the Land of Fire and

Redaku Country before Kakashi started exchanging letters
with the king. Through the travellers and merchants in
between, they only occasionally heard rumours about each
other. It is too unnatural that the books found in Redaku
119
Country are engraved with signs representing Konoha, if

they were at the level of wondering if it even existed.
“The origin of the leaf mark is that shinobi trained to

concentrate energy by placing a leaf on their forehead, as we
learnt from Iruka-sensei at the academy. The paper with the
Konoha mark could mean that the other half of the polar
particles are in the Land of Fire.”- the eyes of everyone in the
room gathered at once.
“But swirl motifs have been used in various countries from

the ancient times from East to West. It just happens that
similar signs are born. To Konoha, swirls represent energy. It
may have a completely different meaning elsewhere.”
“So what is that different meaning?” – Chihare stared straight

as Shikamaru who was frustrated. “Isn’t it written in an old
document? That Rikudou Sennin took the stone and crushed
it… if so, this picture might represent the falling stone here.”
Sakura took her forehead protector off and stared at the

familiar Konoha sign again. It certainly does not seem to
represent a falling meteorite, or perhaps, the inverted triangle
at the bottom left can be seen as showing the path of the
falling meteorite.
“Orochimaru said that in Redaku Country, the spiral is a

symbol of regeneration. But meteorites don’t fall in a spiral.”
– murmured Sakura.
“’Astronomical drawings’ are written with a clear intention to

convey the whereabouts of polar particles. Therefore, there
must be a reason to add a swirl to this pictogram…”
***
120
“So what could be the reason…?” – Shikamaru also started

wondering.
“After all, this should not be the end of it. Rikudou Sennin
returned half the particles to the sky.”
It seemed crazy that half the polar particles were still orbiting
some star, but Naruto was confident for some reason.
Certainly, if it were to orbit around this star like the Moon
around the Earth, it would be a ‘star that goes around
without leaving’ and the sentence ‘the number of star has
increased by one’ would make sense. From the day Rikudou
Sennin launched the particles as a ‘moon’, the number of stars
must have had increased by one in the night sky.
“If that is the case, the orbit of this star should behave
completely different from other stars.”
“There is such a celestial body!”
Suddenly, a loud shout echoed.
“A celestial body that orbits around this star, much faster

than everything else. No doubt.”
Chihare observed this celestial body with her own eyes over
and over again.
“It is the first celestial body that passes directly above the
Land of Fire in a fixed cycle. 200km above the sky. We will be
able to observe it from Konoha tomorrow afternoon, but if we
miss it, the next occasion will be half a year later. I have been
observing this in great detail, so I can pinpoint its orbit
accurately.”
121
***
“Is there a record of observation? Can you show me right
away?” – asked Sakura.
“Of course, I’ll bring it.” – nodded Chihare, and left for the
record.
Assuming that such a ridiculous speculation that the other

half of the polar particles circulates around this star as a
moon is true, Naruto believed in it more and more. But how
are they going to get it?
“I can try making a pillar with Earth Style, and extend it to

the top.” – Kakashi, who had been silent for a long time,
suddenly started speaking. “Sasuke, Sakura, you run up the
pillar and take Naruto.”
“They can use Chihare’s motorcycle vehicle. Sakura can be in

charge of chakra control for running up the vertical wall, and
Sasuke can supply chakra to the engine.”
“The pillar is 200km above the sky… we have no choice but

to do it.” – Kakashi said in a light tone, folding his arms.
Shikamaru sighed and stared at Sasuke’s face.
“If you get to this celestial body, how are you going to break
the seal? The polar particles are probably sealed with the
same amulets as the ones you found in the lake.”
“I’ll just break it.” – said Sasuke.
“Of course…” – Shikamaru had a bitter expression in his

eyes.
122
***
“At 10 o’clock tomorrow night, the celestial body will pass
right above the training ground. At that time, Kakashi
stretches out a pillar of soil with his Earth Style, and Sakura,
Sasuke and Naruto run up on the side of the pillar with the
motorcycle. Twenty-eight ours left until the operation.
“Hey, everyone…”
“What is it, you idiot. Are you hesitating?”
“No… I’m grateful.” – Naruto bowed his head and put his
hands on his knees. “I’m really counting on you.”
Kakashi touched Naruto’s shoulders. “The Hokage shouldn’t

bow his head so easily.”
Shikamaru laughed bitterly. Chihare’s observation data was

complete and both Sakura and Shikamaru confirmed its
contents. It was almost certain that the celestial body was
launched by Rikudou Sennin. Their operation plan was now
complete and they all did their part in preparation. Sakura
went with Chihare to practice driving the motorcycle, Sasuke
decided to go home to save his physical strength. Kakashi
went to Yamato asking for help to extend the pillar. They left
the Tami Confectionary Shop one by one, so that it wouldn’t
be too obvious they had a meeting there.
“Sasuke-kun” – his name was called just as he left the Tami

Confectionary Shop. It was Hinata. It wasn’t a place she just
happened to pass by accident, she knew that Sasuke and the
others had been gathering here.
“…What’s wrong?”
123
***
“Thank you for taking care of Naruto.”
Could she have realised it? Sasuke hid his annoyance and
kept his poker face while staring at Hinata. Naruto’s
condition was meant to be a secret in front of his family. If she
had always been sensing it but considered Naruto’s wishes
and so didn’t say a thing then she really is a good wife.
“There’s no reason for you to thank me. I’m just doing this
because I want to do this.” – as he was passing by Hinata, she
threw something.
“Here.”
It was a headband with the Konoha symbol on it.
“It’s better to have your forehead protected by something like

this.”
Sasuke was staring at Hinata’s face, thinking about her. Back

in the academy days, she was always shy, and despite
working hard she had no confidence. She was only looking at
other people and he felt she had no opinion of her own, and
she only ever annoyed her. It appears Hinata changed while
he was away from the village. She had got her strength
outside that was locked inside. With that hidden strength, she
was watching over Naruto, supported Naruto, and
eventually got married to him before even became aware of
that strength.
“Strictly speaking I’m not a Konoha shinobi. There’s no

reason for me to wear this…”
***
124
“Return it properly.” – interrupting Sasuke who tried to

return the headband, Hinata turned at Sasuke.
“If you make my husband be burdened with your life, I won’t

forgive you.”
As expected, he wasn’t good at dealing with Hinata.
Kakashi rushed off to Yamato while he was on his

Orochimaru surveillance mission, and was told of this
unreasonable request to extend an Earth pillar to 200km
above the ground.
“It’s tomorrow, by the way. My chakra will run out halfway

through the pillar, but luckily I have an excellent junior here
to help me.”
“Say that again please…” – it seems he was happy to be

praised by his senior after so many years and posed like he
was making fun of him because of that compliment, but it
was a fact that Kakashi relied on Yamato here.
“My wooden pillar can withstand at most 100kg if the

motorcycle runs on it. If you save it to half the strength and
combine it with my chakra, we can extend it to 200kg. The
problem is not just the amount of chakra though…”
The two stood facing at the centre of the training ground.

There were various possible patterns for their cooperation
jutsu, but for the time being they were trying for Yamato to
grow a tree as the pillar and Kakashi was coating the
surrounding area with Earth Style. It was a collaborative
ninjutsu that required delicate chakra control.
***
125
Returning to the Hokage’s office, Naruto checked the

documents on his desk that have accumulated and started
sorting them. There were 3 mountains of documents: to the
right, stamped documents, in the middle, documents that
couldn’t be passed due to some problems and documents that
need consulting with Shikamaru to the left. Naruto wanted
the rightmost mountain of documents to be the highest, but
unfortunately, all three of them had the same height. When he
suddenly looked up, he saw his face reflected in the window
of the Hokage’s office. The glass which had protective film
coated on it will reflect more strongly inside the room than
outside, so the scenery couldn’t be seen very well. He sighed
deeply as he looked at the mountains of documents. He
wanted to see the lights of the village. To sit on the Hokage
rock, especially the 4th Hokage, right in the middle of seven
face rocks, and look at the village. However, he wanted to get
his work done by tomorrow.
…tomorrow.
Everyone will take Naruto to the place where the celestial

body will arrive.
“A person like you who has been raised in love surrounded

by others doesn’t understand it” – Chihare’s words kept
coming back to Naruto. Naruto denied at that time, but it was
true that he has been blessed by good friends. Naruto stood
up and picked up a photo frame from the shelf. It was of
Minato and Kushina side by side in sepia, and behind
another photo taken about the four members of Kakashi’s
team. Kushina walked a little bit in front of Minato with her
red hair fluttering while talking happily and Minato squints
at Kushina’s back. Another photo of Jiraiya, a photo given by
Tsunade a long time ago. Naruto stared at the faces of his
126
parents, who died younger than he is now. Naruto was

bullied in the village and gained the power of the nine-
tailed’s chakra because Minato sealed the nine-tailed fox in
Naruto. This ensured that Minato could also meet Naruto in
person, but what if Kurama hadn’t been there from the
beginning? Naruto was thinking this over and over again,
many times after he realised that he might lose the chakra
that allowed him to meet his parents, and he kept holding the
photo stronger. What can he do without chakra? If his father
hadn’t sealed Kurama’s chakra in him, Naruto wouldn’t have
had that huge amount of chakra. Still, as he’d done so far, he
could’ve helped his friends and fight the enemy. If he didn’t
have Kurama, perhaps he wouldn’t be the Hokage now…
“That’s not true” – a low voice replied at the back of his head.
“Even without me, you would’ve become the Hokage. With

your ninja way of ‘Never going back on your word’, never
giving up, and always pulling people together, you even save
your enemies. Because of that everyone recognised you, and
therefore you would’ve been picked as the Hokage. I’m
saying so, so it is how it is.”
“Did you just wake up? Lately you’ve been sleeping a lot.”
“I just got up because you were in a bad mood. I’m going

back to sleep already.”
Without Kurama, his parents could still be alive, and Naruto

wouldn’t have been bullied in the village. The Ninja World
War may not have happened, and they would be living in a
completely different world. But it doesn’t make sense to
imagine such a thing now…
***
127
“Hey, Kurama.” – he either fell asleep again, or was awake

but ignored it. If the Kurama’s chakra was gone, he was
wondering what would remain and thought about what his
mother told him long ago. He’s always been loved by
Kushina and Minato, and even now, the old team 7 members,
Shikamaru, his family and everyone in the village every day
fill him with good feelings. He has trained a lot and gained
various skills and abilities. But he always thought having
good friends was the best thing for him, and it’s fine to be
truly proud of their existence. Moreover, tomorrow, everyone
is going to try and save him.
“It’s amazing. It really is like as if it was on fire.”
“That’s right, it feels more like a ‘Land of Fire’ rather than

‘our country’.”
Looking down on the hill from the observatory of a

commercial building, Ino and Chouji conversed. The slopes of
the hills were covered by vegetation and they watched the
sunrise. The modern cityscape is becoming visible. A
promenade with a group of buildings and tiles that ‘support’
the sky.
“Let’s go and confirm the strategy.” – Shikamaru called them,

and Ino and Chouji left. Unfortunately, the reason why the
three members of Asuma’s team took the trouble to go to the
Land of Stairs was not for sightseeing. Surprised by Naruto’s
illness, Shikamaru told them about this mission while
heading to the Land of Stairs on an overnight train. They
were moreover amazed at the mission: the insane task of
sneaking into the headquarters of Kengakuin. Kengakuin is
an international company that does not belong to any of the
five great nations and is operated neutrally ‘for working
128
towards the realisation of world order without considering

the interests of any country in particular’. It will be an
international problem if it becomes known that shinobi from
the Land of Fire have invaded illegally. Shikamaru looked
calm, however, if anything goes wrong he’ll be the one to take
responsibility. He’s been involved with the staff since the
Sixth Hokage’s time.
“Hey, what kind of beans do you use for this organic coffee?”
“That coffee is really bad. Try this hot tea instead.”
They closed the menu and turned back, as Orochimaru put a

cane on the table.
“So, why have you called me all the way here?”
Indeed, this mission required a four-man cell with a Snake

added to their team. It was a strange sight, but the mysterious
great sinner who once tried to destroy Konoha somehow
mixed well with Shikamaru and his team. Shikamaru spread
a large piece of paper on the table. It was a city map where a
route was marked, and another piece of paper that is a sketch
of Kengakuin Headquarters.
“Our mission this time is to steal the release mark of the ‘star
that goes around without leaving’, that Kengakuin somehow
deciphered. This ‘star that goes around without leaving’ is a
satellite that Rikudou Sennin launched. The polar particles
hidden in it are protected by two seals. One is a mark for
dropping the satellite out of orbit, and another mark breaks
the seal on the vessel itself.”
“Don’t we know that mark? Since it should be the same that
129
Sasuke and Sakura brought back from the Astronomical

Institute.”
“Right, but unfortunately the material was too old and the
ink was rubbed, so I asked for decipherment from
Kengakuin.”
“Furie, the Secretary of Kengakuin was arrested yesterday. I

made a mistake and gave ‘Celestial Drawings’ to Furie. I
knew he was suspicious but… there was nobody else other
than Furie at that time whom we could ask to repair such a
damaged document.”
“Oh, I could have done it.” – Shikamaru looked at the

frowning Orochimaru. Shikamaru was wondering if
Orochimaru was human or not, but instead continued to talk.
“Anyway. Furie must have repaired and deciphered the
damaged part of the old document, otherwise he wouldn’t
have been able to unseal the vessel and remove the polar
particles from the inside. Moreover, he should’ve also
deciphered the ‘star that goes around without leaving’ and
not only the ‘the one has landed’”. Furie hasn’t regained
consciousness yet, and Kengakuin admitted to this top
scandal without his testimony.
“I don’t have time to negotiate. That’s why we directly hack

their computer. It’s an old document from over 100 years ago,
I don’t think it was deciphered using magnifying glass… the
deciphering must have been done on a computer.
Orochimaru, that’s why I called you.”
“I see, but don’t forget about the reward you promised.”
This reward Orochimaru reminded them of is the original
130
motorcycle developed by Chihare. He wanted to replicate

and ride it as well.
“Sure.” – Shikamaru nodded unpleasantly and turned his

gaze towards Chouji and Ino.
“The firewall of Kengakuin’s computers cannot be removed

without directly operating the terminal with authority access.
Furthermore, Furie has his own security on his computer.
From there on, it’s a separate action.”
Shikamaru put a photo on the map. A young man in an

expensive suit is shown.
“He is the director of the technical bureau of Kengakuin,

Noto. He has authority of the firewall. We need to get close to
him and somehow break through the firewall.”
“Which means…” – Ino was looking at Orochimaru, realising

the combination of teams.
“You should team up with Orochimaru to break into

Kengakuin. We then unlock the firewall, hack Furie’s PC and
get the decrypted data.”
“Nice to meet you.” – Orochimaru squinted happily.
“The limit is today at 10 o’clock, because that’s when Naruto

should reach the celestial body.”
“What if we don’t make it in time?”
“Then Sasuke will simply break it.” – Shikamaru easily

answered Chouji’s question.
131
***
“The vessel is protected by a strong amulet, but he may be
able to break it.”
“In that case it may be pointless to sneak in to Kengakuin…”

– as Ino said that, Shikamaru had trouble explaining himself
and glanced at Orochimaru.
“It’s natural to think that.” – Orochimaru shrugged a little

and continued.
“What’s in that vessel is something that amplifies chakra. If a

shinobi with a chakra as big as Sasuke is exposed, his chakra
tubes will explode and he will die instantly.”
“To do such a thing… Sasuke-kun…”
“I know…” – said Shikamaru while scratching his head.
“Quite stubborn if it’s for Naruto’s sake, without any

hesitation. He’s that kind of a man.”
“If anything happens to Sasuke-kun, then Sarada and

Sakura…”
“Well, he really thinks that as long as Naruto is okay,

everyone else will be okay. I’m just as important to my family
as he is to him.”
“Isn’t that stupid?” – said Chouji in an unfussy way and

Shikamaru nodded.”
“It’s quite troublesome. But this mission isn’t only for

Naruto’s sake, but also for Sasuke’s life.”
132
***
“We can’t mess this up.” – the three of them looked at each
other in a powerful way. It’s been a while since all three
members of their teem have come together. Moreover, since
the mission involves Naruto and Sasuke, they are even more
enthusiastic.
“Isn’t it a bit bad to be enthusiastic about this…? – asked

Orochimaru holding a cup in front of his chest. “Wouldn’t we
have to go to Redaku Country to unseal the vessel? Since it
was sealed in Redaku, that may be the place where it needs to
be broken. Based on ‘Celestial Drawings’, the code could be
tied to the alignment of the stars as seen from Redaku
Country.”
“There is someone heading to Redaku Country right now”
Orochimaru had a mysterious face, which was unusual for

someone who didn’t show much emotion. This strategy was
decided last night, even if they left for Redaku Country, they
couldn’t make it in time, he thought.
“We have the right person to do that job” – Ino said in a

proud way. “Even if someone flies faster than a bird, I can use
my Mind Transmission Technique to contact them.”
*************************************************
With that, a bird drawn by ink spread its wings and flew. This
was the fastest Super Beast Scroll operated by Sai. It was the
legendary waterfowl, so graceful that it easily crosses
mountains and rivers, and is said to have been a subject of
jealousy of travellers walking on the ground. The long and
fluttering tail feathers are particularly beautiful, and its
133
appearance is like that of a celestial maiden that has

fascinated many painters. Sai is now using it for carriage. Sai
stroked the feathers of the ink-bird in a relaxed manner. This
bird specialises in speed, originally for carrying letters and
luggage, and is not supposed to carry people. However, this
is a mission to move a distance within 20 hours that takes 20
days for a shinobi and 2 days for a hawk.
It was last night that Shikamaru approached him. He was

suddenly given a map and explained the situation. It was a
map on straw paper. He heard the detailed circumstances
while preparing the travel equipment. He was also surprised
to find out about Naruto’s illness and a bit angry that he was
hiding it. Sai was now sleepy but kept on flying, relying only
on a compass. Even with the flying abilities of the waterfowl,
it was only a bet that he’d be able to reach Redaku in time,
but he’ll receive a message from his wife using the Mind
Transmission Technique at the destination and further
information. Sometimes they do this when he’s on his way
home from work, but this is the first time they do it over such
a long distance.
Sai sighed. It has been difficult for him to breathe due to the
rapid increase in altitude. The scenery he’s used to is long
gone, and now all he could see was desolate mountains.
“I wonder if people really do live here…”
*******************************************************************
In the meantime, Naruto was restlessly looking through the

documents at the Hokage’s office.
“Along with the adoption of the new kunai throwing
134
curriculum, the fees will increase by 500,000 units as well.”
“Classic lessons will be optional and the teaching material fee

will be collected separately.”
The academy’s budget for next year, which Shino has

proposed with all his heart will be completely changed.
Time was moving rapidly, and it was already 5.30. At 8

o’clock Sakura will come to pick him up.
“Should I go home…?” – Naruto stood up with great

momentum. He hasn’t finished all his job for today, but once
everything is done he can just work overtime tomorrow and
get it done. When he got home, there was nobody there. He
just remembered now that Hinata would go to her parents’
house with Himawari today. Naruto roamed through the
empty house. He still felt uncomfortable about himself after
getting home. It’s been a long time he was at home at this
time on weekdays. He had no choice but to sit on the couch
and watch TV without his family, but then Boruto came back.
“Dad… you’re home so early.” – Boruto looked surprised as

he appeared in the living room. “Well, I’m training today,
so…”
“It’s alright.”
Boruto ran up the stairs and returned to his room. The

situation was a bit odd. Naruto was wondering if he was
angry he couldn’t train with his son, or if it was about
tonight’s mission. It was also difficult to guess the feelings of
his son. Boruto reappeared for some reason.
***
135
“I told you if you don’t come home early everyday it’s not a
problem?”
“What? Problem?” – Naruto twisted his head and Boruto

replied.
“I told you to stay home more and so on… but it’s okay now
because I’ll protect Mum and Himawari, I’ll do my best here
so that you can do your best for the village.”
Naruto finally realised. Boruto was worried that it may be his

fault that Naruto returns earlier than usual these days. It’s
embarrassing to say that to face-to-face though. He just said
what he was thinking.
“You are a kind person.”
Boruto became bright red.
8 o’clock. Sakura was on time in front of the Uzumaki

family’s house with the motorbike. Boruto, who was
surprised at the engine noise, headed out first and opened his
eyes wide as soon as he saw Sakura on the motorcycle.
“Wow! Sarada’s mum is riding a great machine! So cool!”
“This was a motorcycle, a means of transportation that can be

used by individuals. You can actually ride it at any time when
you pick one up at a station just like when you ride a thunder
car.”
“Really, I want to ride one with Mitsuki or Shikadai and run

around in the village!”
***
136
“Running around with a motorcycle around the village is not

allowed.”
Naruto came out of the house. Although, he kept it a secret he

ran on top of the railroad track rather than in the middle of
the village with Chihare.
“What about the others?”
“I headed to Sasuke-kun, and Kakashi-sensei and captain

Yamato may be a little bit late. Those two have been training
all night.” Sakura laughed bitterly when she noticed that
Naruto’s face was stiff and looked like he just woke up. Both
of them were exhausted.
“Are you nervous?”
“Not at all.” – Naruto denied it, pulling up the goggles that

were hanging around his neck and got on the motorcycle.
The bike was gradually improved, it has now a speedometer

and a brake lever that were not in the prototype. The biggest
change is the addition of converter in the engine. By
converting the chakra into natural gas and supplying it to the
fuel tank, fuel efficiency has improved dramatically. It
appears that on a full tank it can run about 2000 km.
“There are brakes, but I can’t stop suddenly. It feels like I’m
stopping slowly while slowing down.”
Sakura stepped on the pedal and pulled the lever. The engine
roared vigorously and the bike moved forward with stable
movement. Thanks to Chihare’s improvement of the bike, the
riding experience was much better than last time.
137
***
“Dad, I really like it…”
Boruto saw his father off as he went away with Sakura. The
bike arrived at the training ground in no time. Not only
Sasuke, but also Yamato and Kakashi had arrived, all
seemingly very sleepy.
“I have to attach the oxygen supplying machine. Naruto,

Sasuke-kun, please show me your abdomen.”
The two of them took their jackets off and Sakura pierced an
IV needle into the chakra tubes that ran across the side of
Sasuke’s navel. She then pierced into a blood vessel on the
side of Naruto’s torso. These two sites were connected to each
other through Chihare’s chakra device. The chakra that was
harvested from Sasuke’s chakra tubes was converted into
oxygen, a mechanism directly supplying it to the
bloodstream. Naruto was unable to supply chakra to himself
on his own, so he was directly connected to Sasuke’s chakra
tubes this way.
Chihare stayed up all night in order to make this very

compact oxygen supplying machine.
“Naruto, Sasuke-kun… no matter what, don’t get separated

from one another while we’re on our way. If this connection
breaks, Naruto won’t be able to receive a supply of oxygen at
all.”
While explaining this, Sakura fixed the base of the needles,

securing the IV needles. With this, they should be able to
breathe even at 200km altitude. In theory.
***
138
The length of the tube system connecting Naruto and Sasuke

was about 80cm. Thinking how his life depended on it,
Naruto felt uneasy.
“Yeah… I’ll make sure not to get separated from Sasuke…” –

said Naruto while staring at the IV needle piercing his torso.
“Let’s have a final strategy meeting.” – Yamato finished the

preparatory movements and called out to the four people
again. “From now on, you will run up the wall that stretches
the pillars of wood and earth style with this motorcycle. It
should be 200km up in the sky. You have to be exactly on
time, if it’s too late or too early, you cannot succeed. Because
we prioritised the strength of the pillar, the surface is rough,
so please pay attention to that while driving.”
Kakashi took over.
“So, when the celestial body approaches, Naruto will use his
Byakugan goggles as you approach the body. The polar
particles inside it will be sealed, but the Ino-Shika-Cho team
and Sai are working on that, and therefore by the time you
get there, the seal should be easy to open.”
The three were on the bike, ready to start. The person who
holds the grip at the front is the chakra controller, Sakura.
Behind her, Naruto, who is assisting in approaching the
celestial body by using his goggles, and at the back, Sasuke
who supplies chakra to the engine. The motorcycle is only
meant to seat two people, so with the three of them it was a
bit crowded. Naruto was sandwiched between a couple, and
felt like shrinking. Sakura started counting down at 8:59 as
checking her pocket watch. The time for the operation was
exactly 9 o’clock.
139
***
“3…2…1…..”
Instead of saying 0, Sakura threw her pocket watch. Yamato

and Kakashi looked at each other and started making signs.
“Earth style-‘
“Wood style-“
“Spiral pillar technique!”
The pillar of soil and tree are alternately intertwined as

extending to the sky. Shortly after being overwhelmed by the
beautiful spirals, Sakura stepped on the pedal of the
motorcycle. The bike jumped and ran up vertically on the
side of the spiral pillars with three people on board.
140
5
8 o’clock. Presenting the fake IDs at the entrance, Shikamaru

and Chouji were walking up the stairs. A nightclub in the
middle of the downtown area. Even though it was a weekday,
it was very successful and the lockers were almost full. On
the top of the dance floor, men and women were dancing.
After receiving a drink at the bar, Shikamaru and Chouji
moved to the wall to look for the target. According to their
intel, Noto loved party and nightlife, a rare trait for scientists.
It took them an unexpectedly long amount of time to find this
club, but Noto was quickly found. Noto was toasting with
two men and three women at a table while drinking liquor.
“The two guys with him are shinobi. Perhaps bodyguards?

One with glasses and another one with long hair.”
The two observed Noto for a while. Even after the three
women left their seats and went to the dance floor, the men’s
drinking pace didn’t stop. However, contrary to expectations,
Noto didn’t sit up easily. The other two guys took the
bathroom in turn, but Noto was sunk on the couch drinking
liquor. When Shikamaru began to think about another way to
approach the situation, Noto finally stood up and went to the
141
bathroom. Finally. Shikamaru and Chouji looked at each

other and moved to the bathroom and waited for Noto to
come out. After ten seconds, Shikamaru spoke to Noto.
“Yeah, it’s been a long time!” – Shikamaru crossed Noto’s

shoulders.
“Huh?”
Shikamaru put his arm around Noto’s neck. Noto took a deep
breath and lost consciousness in about seven seconds.
“Ah, why did you drink too much?” – Shikamaru held Noto’s
body and dragged him to the men’s toilet under the guise of
caring for a friend who drank too much. The toilet looked
really nice with a couple of coloured neon lights illuminating
the tiles on the floor and walls. When Shikamaru pushed
Noto into the private room in the back and examined his
body, a phone about the size of a business card case came out
of his pocket. When he touched it on the screen ‘please enter
the passcode’ came up, and four blank spaces for typing
numbers were displayed. Shikamaru sprinkled some powder
on the surface of the touchscreen. By doing this, the powder
will stick to the oil left behind by the fingers, and the
fingerprints of Noto will be clearly visible. Fingerprints are
concentrated in places where you frequently press the
touchscreen. The number icons where the powder was
concentrated are 8,1,0. The passcode is 4 digits, but there were
3 numbers. That means the same number was used twice. If
all the numbers are different, there are 24 possible
combinations, but if one of them is repeated, it will increase
to 36 possibilities. He had no choice but to try it all out.
Shikamaru impatiently started tapping the numbers.
***
142
8810, 8801, 8108, 8018, 8081, 8180…
After he tried about 10 different combinations, he heard a

voice at the entrance of the toilet.
“Noto-san? Are you okay?” – his bodyguards must have been

worried about Noto not returning. Shikamaru and Chouji
reflexively held their breath, but when they weren’t making
any noise, only one door of the toilet was closed, and six legs
were at the bottom, which was suspicious. Shikamaru
decided to invite them and made some noise on purpose.
“Are you here, Noto-san?”
As he opened the door, Chouji punched the stomach of the

man. While Shikamaru and Chouji were examining Noto in
the men’s toilet, Orochimaru impersonated a researcher and
invaded the headquarters of Kengakuin. For the time-being,
he changed his face to look like a middle-aged researcher, but
Orochimaru didn’t appear to wear any makeup. Ino was
confused what Orochimaru’s real face would really look like,
and couldn’t really believe she was walking alongside him on
a mission. She looked at the snake man walking next to her.
Mass murder, terrorist acts, human experimentation,
kidnapping… Orochimaru’s criminal record is a collection of
serious crimes. She didn’t feel like befriending such a person
along the way.
“I wonder what floor it is…” – muttered Orochimaru as they

got into the elevator.
“Um… the Secretary’s office is on the 13th floor!” – Ino

checked the display and Orochimaru pressed the button of
the elevator.
143
***
*****************************************************************
The bike with Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke made a fierce

engine nose as it was running up the wooden and soil walls.
They’ve started about five minutes ago. After passing
through some thin clouds, they couldn’t see the ground
anymore. They were about 20km above the ground. The wind
was so strong that it was hard to keep their eyes open, but the
bike itself was chakra controlled and stuck tightly to the
pillars, so it didn’t shake.
“I’m glad that the stars are bright” – muttered Sakura while
holding the grip. There were no lights on the bike, but thanks
to the bright light of the stars, the path of the pillars could be
clearly seen – but suddenly, the surroundings became dark.
Water drops blew all over her face.
“It looks like we’re inside the clouds.”
Small drops of water hit their whole bodies like a shotgun

from all directions, and the three became soaked in no time.
Eventually the water droplets turned into ice grains towards
the centre of the cloud, and it became quite painful.
“I wonder if it’s a cumulonimbus cloud… there wasn’t a

cloud right above the training ground, but I’m sure it came
from somewhere… it could be dangerous!”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cumulonimbus_cloud
As it was raining underneath, Yamato and Kakashi still

continued. The clouds were lit by a tremendous lightning for
a moment, and as it quickly disappeared, static electricity
144
began to make a crackling noise around Sasuke’s and

Sakura’s hair. It appears the cumulonimbus cloud grew into a
thundercloud. Lightning hit the motorbike and Naruto and
Sasuke flew off the bike, in different directions and the
oxygen tube almost came off.
“That’s dangerous!”
Naruto grabbed Sasuke’s shoulders and pulled himself

towards him while pulling a kunai with wires into the
spiralling towers.
“What about Sakura-chan?!”
Sakura seems to have fallen down with the bike that was
blown away by the lightning. Sasuke turned his gaze straight
down, talking to Naruto who turned pale.
“It’s okay. She’ll be back soon.”
Immediately after that, with a roaring engine sound the

motorcycle with Sakura ran up the pillar, picked Naruto and
Sasuke up while passing them and rushed towards the top
again.
“That was good, Sakura-chan… I was scared that you’d

fallen to the bottom.”
“It’s okay, but I think we’ll be hit again… I wonder how

much this bike can endure?”
The clouds were shining from the lightning and continued to

discharge.
***
145
“I can cut it.” – Sasuke stood up with his feet on top of the
bike.
“Can you really do that?”
“Did you forget the nickname of chidori?” – Sasuke replied

to Sakura, who looked at him with amazement, and Sasuke
started kneading chakra in his hand. While creating a lump of
soil and looking at it, he sharpened the outline into a kunai
shape. There was a clear sound, and the soil turned into a
glass-like structure. He created an ‘instant kunai’ using an
Earth release technique that changed the composition of soil
and the ratio of elements. Sasuke’s right hand holding the
glass kunai began to discharge. As predicted, the inner area of
the clouds was warped in thunder and lightning hit the bike
again. The noise it made was so loud they didn’t see what
happened exactly. After the lingering sound disappeared
from Sakura’s ears she looked back at Sasuke, who looked
like nothing happened.
“Did you cut it…?” – Sakura was surprised and blinking.
Sasuke didn’t say anything, perhaps because he still couldn’t

hear anything from the loud thunder, but Naruto did say
something.
“Thanks for cutting it!”
Thanks to his Byakugan goggles, he could see everything.

Sasuke fired a few moments earlier than the discharge, and
his kunai’s top cut through the lightning. Normally, kunai,
when exposed to tremendous heat, melt and evaporate
instantly, but this was a glass kunai, which is an electric
insulator and so it smashed the lightning. As the thunder
146
broke up, electric currents were created and Sasuke’s hair and
cloak ends got burnt a bit.
“Amazing…” – muttered Naruto.
Sasuke’s chidori certainly cut thunder. But they aren’t the

only ones working hard far above the ground.
*****************************************************************
Although, unlike Naruto’s movement, Sai’s movement

-who’s also part of team 7- is horizontal, not vertical, he’s also
in the sky. His altitude has risen steadily since he approached
the mountains and now he’s risen nearly 5000 metres.
“We still haven’t arrived…”
Sai was tired and leaned against his bird. He found it

difficult to breathe due to having a headache, he was
extremely fatigued and had symptoms of altitude sickness.
No matter how good you are as a shinobi, you can’t live
without oxygen. Even Sakura, Kakashi and Sasuke chose the
very same route who headed for Redaku Country, they chose
a route that did not raise the altitude so sharply and got used
to it, but Sai climbed the same altitude in a few hours only.
“This country is too far…”
Finally a cityscape made by humans appeared on a small flat

land surrounded by bare rocks, an Sai stopped sweating.
“There it is…”
Sai began descending.
147
***
*****************************************************************
The men’s toilet in the nightclub was messed up. The

bodyguard with glasses kicked into Couji’s stomach and cut
Shikamaru’s ears. Noto stuck his head in the toilet while
fainting. From then on it was a fierce battle.
“Hey, these guys are actually strong!”
They were rolling on the floor fighting. The glasses guy

grabbed Chouji’s neck. He pulled him towards himself, but
since Chouji was strong and heavy, he didn’t move, but
instead the bodyguard got slammed against the wall. Chouji
rushed to see if the guy was ok, but the he quickly turned
around and pulled the toilet out of its place. The stream of
water came up and stopped Chouji for a moment.
Immediately afterwards, a small pain ran on his back. As he
turned around to check it, a small injection needle was stuck
there. The moment he recognised that, his whole body
became numb and he knelt in one spot. The long-haired guy
pointed his gun at Chouji. Shikamaru grabbed his hair on the
back of his head and pressed it onto the flooded floor.
“Injection needle… poison or…? Chouji, are you okay?!”
“I’m fine.” – by the time Chouji said that, he had already

done did his body expansion jutsu. His body enlarged and it
was so big in couldn’t fit in the toilet, smashing its walls and
pushing up to the ceiling. The lethal dose of a drug is
determined by the size of the body. Enlarging the body will
inevitably increase the lethal dose. His body was now 5
metres tall, and now the poison of a single syringe will not
have a big effect.
148
***
“What is this….”
By the time the bodyguards noticed, Shikamaru and Chouji

weren’t there. They broke the wall and jumped out of the
bathroom.
*****************************************************************
“That was cold….”
Naruto exhaled for a long time as they got above the clouds.
How many times has Sasuke done the superhuman technique
of cutting lightning? In this below zero temperature, while his
whole body was continuously exposed to ice grains, and
parts of his body feeling frozen. Naruto was peeling off the
ice pellets stuck to Sakura’s shoulders and neck, and Sasuke
picked up the ice pellets on Naruto’s head. Nobody could do
it to Sasuke since he was at the back, so he shook his body
like a wet cat in the rain and flipped the ice off himself.
This area was calm and nothing like the situation before. The
world spread beyond the pillars and the stars were shining
like gold dust on a riverbed of a starry sky, clear like a stream.
The Moon was terrifyingly large, and the light shining from it
was so clear that they could feel like grabbing it with their
hands, but unfortunately the three of them couldn’t afford to
enjoy the scenery. Sakura looked straight down. Far below
the field of vision, clouds like the back of a sheep were
hanging down. It was highly likely that it was raining
underground.
“I hope that they are safe down there…”

***
149
Konoha was being hit by a downpour.
“This is bad…” – muttered Kakashi when he noticed the

raindrops that struck his nose, after which the rain fell in a
blink of an eye, pouring mercilessly. Both the soil and wood
became soft and wet. The surface of the soil pillar, which was
particularly vulnerable to water had already begun to
crumble. They had to use extra chakra to reinforce the wall.
“If you’re using chakra at that pace, we’ll never reach 200km!
What are you doing, senpai?”
“What should I do…”
Kakashi was poking the ground with his hands.
“We have no choice but to do our best.”
*****************************************************************
The elevator with Ino and Orochimaru made a small noise as

it arrived on the 13th floor. The Secretary’s office should be at
the end of a long corridor, but after walking for a while, their
path was blocked. Thick iron door covered the entire
corridor like a plaster wall. The security system built on the
side of the door uses fingerprint and iris authentication. An
unregistered person will trigger a security alert just by
attempting to open it.
“Security is tight. Should we break it all?”
Orochimaru shook his head. The mission of this team is

basically an intelligence-type. Even though it is
recommended to leave no trace of sneaking in somewhere,
150
this was a snake man.
“Why not breaking it? Because we can hack the surveillance

camera.”
A snake crawled out of Orochimaru’s hem of clothes. It

crawled up the wall, entwining the surveillance camera hung
from the ceiling, biting a hole into its side, thrusting a thin
tongue into it and started doing something. The appearance
of Ino and Orochimaru in front of the door has been noted.
Hence, if they stay there, someone will come sooner or later.
For the time being, Orochimaru pretended to be a scientist.
“What are you doing here?”
A woman in a grey suit walked up to them. The figure of the

snake clinging to the surveillance camera was in sight.
“This floor is off limits to unauthorised people.”
“Ah, there’s something we need to tell Secretary Furie.” –

replied Orochimaru in disguise.
“What about you…?”
“I’m Furie-sama’s Secretary.” – the woman proudly

answered.
If so, the Secretary should be able to open the security to the

Secretary’s office. Normally, Ino borrows someone’s body
without hesitation, but… while using her technique, her body
loses consciousness and becomes completely defenseless, so
she can only use it when she’s with a reliable companion… Is
Orochimaru trustworthy enough?
151
***
“We belong to the mathematics department…” – Ino pointed
at their fake badge.
“It seems that a formula we discovered can be applied to the

chakra research being promoted by Secretary Furie. That’s
why I want to consult with him.” – replied Orochimaru.
The study was done by Furie in secret, and only a few people
at Kengakuin knew about it.
“Which affiliation do you belong to?”
“Mathematical analysis team.”
“What is the project?”
“Degenerate series expression and semi-simple Lie groups.”
The secretary woman was thinking for a while.
“Show me your researcher’s card.”
“Huh? I don’t have that. I left it on my desk… but I can

explain the content of my research and prove that I am a
scholar.” – said Orochimaru, and quickly explained it.
“I’m working on the development of technology that applies

the conventional conversion formula for making a real-
valued function to the same kind of frequency analysis that is
discrete like a digital signal. I came up with a formula for the
frequency analysis. This is done by mapping a complex
function to real space by applying a unitary operator. In
practical use, when performing numerical calculations, the
152
normalisation coefficients are combined into one and scaling

is performed at the same time…”
“I understood, understood…”
The secretary woman looked disgusted.
“Furie-sama would definitely be happy to hear this, but…

you can’t meet him, as he hasn’t returned since yesterday.”
“Since yesterday?”
Orochimaru knew this of course, but pretended to be

surprised.
“That sounds worrisome… I wonder if he got involved in

something.”
“Perhaps absorbed in his research?”
Ino looked at the surveillance camera. The snake seems to

have finished hacking and is relaxing on the camera.
“That’s why, please, leave for now.” – the secretary woman

arrogantly put her hand on her hip. “I know that no scientist
has read the company rules properly, but you can’t enter
without permission. Follow the procedure properly.”
It isn’t that easy after all. Ino was still worried whether she
could trust Orochimaru but it seemed that she had no choice
but to take her body over… Ino pretended to be obedient and
turned her back to the secretary and whispered to
Orochimaru.
***
153
“Can you distract the secretary? I’ll manipulate her with my

mind transfer technique.”
“What? I don’t want to do such a troublesome thing.” –

Orochimaru lifted the cuffs of his kimono.
“Hidden snake hand!” – a giant white snake popped out

from the inside of the sleeve and wrapped around the
secretary’s body in a blink of an eye, tightening around her
body. She lost consciousness without knowing what
happened. It was a very quick job.
“You haven’t killed her, right?”
“Why don’t you check it yourself?”
*****************************************************************
9.35pm. Upon arriving in a small mountain town, Sai was

casually wandering around the city dressing in local style
using transformation technique. On the hillside of a small
rocky mountain, there is a stone royal palace overlooking the
town. The appearance of the town was consistent with the
information he had heard from Shikamaru in advance.
There is no doubt that this was Redaku Country. All Sai had
to do now was waiting for Ino to contact him. The culture of
Redaku Country seemed to be quite different from the great
five nations’, but unfortunately Sai suffering from altitude
sickness could not enjoy this different culture.
“My limbs are really numb… It’s bad.” Sai bit his tongue.
Can he really do his job in this state?
154
***
*****************************************************************
The rain falling in Konoha kept getting more intense every

moment. While pouring chakra into the spiral tower, both
Kakashi and Yamato were completely soaked to the skin. The
spiral tower was wet from the inside. They were doing their
best just to maintain the strength and withstand the rain, but
the speed at which the pillars grew was slowing down.
“Yamato, it’s dangerous…” – Kakashi looked up at the sky

and muttered.
The rain clouds were thick in the night sky and it didn’t seem
to stop. It has become doubtful for how long they will be able
to maintain the strength of the tower so that it doesn’t fall
over. Both Kakashi and Yamato have exceeded their limits.
“It’s bad!” – there was a rupture in the middle of the pillar.
“Damn… already?!”
The extension of the pillars got interrupted and they started

pouring chakra into it desperately, but there was a limit to the
amount of chakra that can be released at one time. Rainwater
soaked to the core, and the pillars of soil were collapsing from
one side. The wooden pillars however, which have become
burdensome are beginning to crack, losing the soil which
should support it. The entire tree tilted greatly. Eventually,
the spiral tower was about to collapse.
Two sets of arms cut in between Kakashi and Yamato,

touching the pillar at the ground.
***
155
Naruto’s group was also aware of the incident in the spiral

pillar.
“The speed at which the pillars grow is getting slower and

slower.”
“Something must have happened underneath.”
“Ah!” Naruto looked back and shouted, pulling the lever of

the googles. “It’s raining!”
“That is why the pillars are slowing down…”
Sakura operated the clutch to fine-tune the speed of the bike.
“At this pace, we won’t cover 200km in time.”
“It’s alright.” Naruto was in a good mood. “Kakashi sensei

and captain Yamato told me to leave it to them, so I’m sure
they’ll do something about it.”
Sakura got relaxed too.
“Well, that has been the case. They have overcome many
impossible situations. Although this strategy does have
unreasonable parts to it… the two of them will surely do
something about it.”
Yet, the speed of pillars slowed down. Not only that, the
entire pillar began to vibrate in small steps and the surface
began to crumble and peel off.
“After all, this might not work out…”

***
156
The pillars stopped growing completely, but the bike didn’t

stop suddenly.
“….!”
Sasuke immediately stoped supplying chakra to the engine,

but the engine did not stop immediately. The bike jumped
into the air with great force.
“Ah…!”
“Kakashi sensei… Captain Yamato!?”
The next moment, the pillars that stopped started stretching

again. Sakura didn’t miss it and brought the pillars and tires
together with chakra control. They regained their posture and
started moving up the pillar again.
“That was dangerous… I thought we completely stopped.” –

Sasuke wiped off the cold sweat from his forehead.
“But it looks a bit different from the pillars up until now…”
Until now, there was one wooden and one soil pillar,
alternating as extending with Yamato and Kakashi in charge.
But now, there are a total of four intertwined pillars. One
wooden, two soil and one of them was a sand pillar.
“This chakra is…”
Naruto grinned happily.
“Gaara and Kurotsuchi!”

***
157
“Aren’t those two a little bit late…”
“They were called the day before and only got here now!”
While putting her hands on the ground and pouring chakra

into the spiral tower, Kurotsuchi glanced at Kakashi.
“I was out of the country on a diplomatic mission, and came

here right away. You can’t just call us so easily!”
“Is Naruto up there?”
Gaara looked up at the sky.
“Riding on a lump of metal, above the clouds… crazy, as

usual.”
“That’s right.” – Yamato laughed bitterly.
With Kurotsuchi and Gaara’s assistance, the spiral tower

managed to regain its strength, stabilise its speed again and
continued to grow into the sky. Wooden pillars by Yamato,
soil pillars by Kakashi and Kurotsuchi and sand pillars by
Gaara. The four pillars are entwined like weaving hair,
supporting each other and extending into the sky. Compared
to the time when only two of them supported each other, the
sense of stability significantly increased.
“By the way, why does Naruto want to go up to 200km into

the sky? Is there any reason?”
“That is… a secret.”
Kurotsuchi became irritated.
158
***
“Are you really asking for this much cooperation and not tell
us the situation?”
“Alright. When all is done, ask Naruto directly.”
Gaara laughed a little and looked up at the end of the pillar.
**********************************************************************
****************
Shikamaru changed his appearance with the transformation

technique and escaped the crowded dance floor. With the
mobile phone in his jacket, he proceeded with trying the
possible passcodes.
0018, 0081, 0801, 0108…
“Hey, look over there, there’s a huge person!”
“It’s really huge!”
The drunk people at the party seemed to misunderstand the

giant Chouji. Some people leaned against him to take a
commemorative photo. Chouji needed to keep this form in
order not to be effected by the poison and for the time being
they were stuck there. If he moves with that size and weight,
he might destroy the building.
He couldn’t help it. He’s tried more than half the possibilities
but still couldn’t unlock it.
It was 9.45pm. It took time to identify Noto in the club and
159
also to fight the other two shinobi unexpectedly. They have

no time anymore and have to hurry up and break through the
firewall. The two shinobi might have regained consciousness
and went out to look for Shikamaru. The unnatural
movement of operating a mobile phone inside a jacket was
cleverly hidden by the flow of people near Chouji.
The average bodyguard would have decided that the shinobi,

who hit Noto had already escaped from the club, but
unfortunately Noto’s long-haired bodyguard was a careful
type. Standing up on the table, he pulled out his shuriken and
struck it against the ceiling. It turned and curved gently,
sticking to the clasp of the mirror ball that was hanging from
the ceiling. The clasp broke and the mirror ball fell head-on
into the crowded floor.
“Ah…!” Where it was about to fall, three women were having

fun without noticing the falling mirror ball.
The mirror ball hit the floor and fluttered greatly, and the
shattered mirror glass scattered around.
“Kyaaaah!”
People flooded towards the door.
Shikamaru turned his back to the doorway against the flow

of people and was caught by the bodyguard.
“It was you who stole Noto-san’s phone. I can’t let you
escape.” - The long-haired bodyguard had no questions and
answers, he simply pulled out the long sword hidden behind
his jacket.
***
160
What a drag.
Shikamaru dodged his word who leaned his body and

jumped, and released his transformation jutsu. He slammed
his fist into the guard’s side, stretched the shadow of his feet,
and aims at the shadow of the long-haired guy’s hair. The
pink light crossed and blocked the shadow. He tried again,
but this time the blue and green lights cast shadows too
quickly. The club’s dance floor was the worst ever place to
use shadow-binding techniques.
**************************************************
“This is Furie’s room…”
They broke into the study safely, and innocently looked

around the room while gently laying down the secretary
woman whom they had carried around. In this white room,
there were only desks and chairs with PCs.
“That looks heavy. It’s much easier if you cut off the fingers
and the eyeballs.”
Orochimaru was already hitting keys on the computer, giving

criminal advice in a tone that is indistinguishable whether it’s
a joke or a serious one. They checked the time with their
pocket watch.
**************************************************
9.50pm. Was Shikamaru and Chouji’s mission going

smoothly?
“Orochimaru, how long will it take to hack into it?”
161
***
“It’s over.”
NETWORK PROTECTED was displayed in bright red letters.
“The local security has been breached. After that, I have to

wait for those two to break through the firewall.”
Haven’t they finished yet?
9.51pm. Once Shiakmaru removes the firewall, Orochimaru

will be able to access Furie’s data. Once they get the
deciphered data, Ino sends it to Sai by using her mind body
transmission technique. Sai can then release it in Redaku
Country, after which Naruto will be able to get the polar
particles. Orochimaru added some extra anxiety to the
situation.
“If any one of them fails, the mission will collapse. Can you
even reach that far with your technique? To your husband,
who is so far away?”
“I don’t know because I’ve never done it before.”
During the ninja world war, she once connected 300 people at
once. Connecting 300 people at once in a short distance
versus connecting to 1 person far away… the latter seems
easier, but she hasn’t tried it, so there’s no guarantee it’ll
work.
“I think I can do it.”
Until Shikamaru and Chouji complete their mission, there is

nothing Ino and Orochimaru can do. Ino was just waiting,
162
alone with Orochimaru, in an other person’s office. She felt a

bit awkward… She opened her pocket watch calmly. 9:52pm.
Since last night, Inojin was staying with Sarada at Iruka
sensei’s place. She was wondering if Shikadai and Chouchou
were together today. Have they had dinner already? Come to
think of it, this guy is Mitsuki’s parent. Does that make him a
mum friend for the other mums?
“Mitsuki is a good boy.”
“What?” – Orochimaru looked at Ino.
“Inojin told me a lot, you know. Mitsuki has excellent grades,

always calm. At first they thought he was difficult to get
along with… but they realised he was a good guy.”
“Why are you saying this all of a sudden?”
“There’s no particular reason. I just thought parents would

like to know about their children. Don’t you visit him after
class?”
Orochimaru’s yellow eyes turned towards Ino. After a brief

silence, Orochimaru muttered.
“I went to a parents’ meeting once.”
***************************************************
Sai kept waiting for Ino to contact him. He felt even worse
due to the lack of oxygen. He checked the time on his pocket
watch he brought from the land of Fire and exhaled. Time
was almost up, and he hasn’t heard from her.
***
163
********************************************
9.58pm. After an hour-long drive, the bike with Naruto and

the others was finally approaching 200km in the sky. The
satellite was already in sight. In this unobstructed place, it
reflected the sunlight and shone which was very noticeable.
The silver sphere had swirls engraved on both sides,
reminiscent of the Konoha mark.
“As expected, we couldn’t quite get there.” – like Sakura said,

the orbit of the celestial body, which was going in a straight
direction, seems to deviate no longer than 50 meters to the
West from the route of the pillars.
“The polar particles may be inside that.”
“No, that round thing is a container of the container.” –

Naruto confirmed the inside with his Byakugan goggles.
“There is a Bamboo vessel in it, and the polar particles are the
inside of that. But… we can’t break the seal of the vessel.”
Shikamaru and the others weren’t on time. The polar particles

are still sealed. In the previous briefing, they decided to
suspend the strategy and return to the ground in this case,
but…
“No problem.” – shortly after saying that, Sasuke held

Naruto’s body.
“Eh?” – Naruto looked at Sasuke’s face.
Were there some secret plans? Sasuke’s facial expression was

the same as usual.
***
164
“Sasuke-kun.”
Suddenly, Sakura released both of her hands from the grip of

the bike and stood up. The upper half of her body turned
around and faced right behind. She seized the collar of
Sasuke’s clothes and pulled him towards herself.
image
(This is literally a screenshot. Since I love this fanart, I tried
very hard to embed the tweet, but I failed. For the original
tweet, it’s here: https://twitter.com/ytamanotwt/status/
1183064232796946433)
As she said that, she slipped her hand inside of Sasuke’s coat
and took out a headband, then threw it towards the satellite
that was coming closer. Naruto didn’t understand it at all.
This wasn’t supposed to be a place for kissing. If the seal can’t

be broken on time, they return to the ground. Also, whose
headband is that? Because it wasn’t Sasuke’s…
Still holding Naruto, Sasuke kicked the wheel and jumped

up. The bike that lost the chakra from its supplier, Sasuke,
lost the speed and staggered, then fell down with Sakura still
on it. The headband that Sakura threw towards the satellite
then released a spark due to the frictional resistance from the
thin atmosphere at this altitude and went up in flames
immediately. The headband that turned into charcoal started
crumbling.
“Amanotejikara!!”
Sasuke changed places of himself and Naruto with the

decaying charcoal. The satellite then approached right in
165
front of their eyes. Sasuke pulled out a long sword, and

pierced the tip of his sword into his leg armour, stabbing it
into the side of the satellite. It was a violent way of doing
things, but it got the job done. He took out a short sword
from his pocket.
“Wait, Sasuke! The seal on the vessel hasn’t been broken!”
“No problem. I’ll break the vessel.”
“You idiot! If you do that…”
His face went pale.
“Don’t tell me….”
Sasuke didn’t answer. He had his usual poker face.
“Don’t you think if you’re dead and only I’m saved, that
won’t make people happy?”
Naruto didn’t think Sasuke was this stupid. He knew he was

stupid, but didn’t think THIS stupid. If Sasuke thinks that
Naruto is the only thing that the village needs, then he’s
wrong.
This has always been the case. The willingness to sacrifice

himself without hesitation. If there is a world that everyone
except Sasuke is happy, but the people who like Sasuke are in
pain, he really thinks that world is peaceful. But that’s just
not the case. Just as Sasuke needs Naruto, Naruto needs
Sasuke, which is natural, but no matter how many years pass,
he just doesn’t seem to get that.
***
166
“Are you even listening? At least apologise to your wife!”
Sasuke pulled his sword out.
************************************
Shikamaru was battling the long-haired bodyguard while still

attempting to break the code. He was well trained as part of
the VIP escort of Kengakuin.
1180.
The passcode he entered was wrong again. This was the 35th
pattern. So, the last one should be the correct solution. It was
about 10 o’clock. Seriously dangerous. The long-haired
bodyguard rushed towards Shikamaru for the cellphone, he
pushed Shikamaru down to the floor. Shikamaru grabbed his
long hair again and smashed him to the floor.
“Chouji!”
Chouji’s body returned to its normal size, except for his arm.
“Don’t do that! The poison will kill you!”
Chouji’s whole body grew big again.
1108.
Finally, it was broken, and Shikamaru has also started

turning off the firewall.
“So troublesome!”
***
167
The long-haired bodyguard punched Shikamaru’s face.
“You bastard, I won’t forgive you…!”
Shikamaru kicked his stomach and jumped off. The mobile

device in his jacket has already returned to the lock screen.
“Damn!”
**********************************************
“It’s here!”
Ino leaned forward as she saw NETWORK PROTECTED

disappear from the screen of the PC. Orochimaru was waiting
for this moment and was already hitting the keyboard keys at
a tremendous speed. The time displayed in the corner of the
monitor was 9.59pm.
“Quickly! We have no time!”
“It’s over. This is the sequence of hand seals for breaking the
seal of the polar particles.” – Orochimaru enlarged the
display of the monitor. Ino contacted Sai.
“Sai! Can you hear me?!”
The message arrived. Sai heard the familiar voice of his wife
in Redaku Country. It was very comforting in the midst of his
altitude sickness.
“I’m going to tell you what seals to make to break the seal on
the polar particles. Horse, Dragon, Boar…”
***
168
Sai was squeezing all the chakra he had left.
**********************************************************************
**
Sasuke’s blade was charged with tremendous electricity and

kept emitting light due to lightning. He focused on the polar
particle vessel. It was literally just breaking the seal by brute
force.
“Sasuke! Quit!”
Naruto desperately kept shouting at his best friend who

didn’t even look at him. Not even the Hokage has any
authority now.
“Listen, Sasuke! Let’s go back! The operation is cancelled!”
Sasuke kicked Naruto’s stomach with his knee.
“You stay here, idiot.” He held Naruto’s weak body down

with his legs. Sasuke’s Chidori illuminated the top of the
sword, which was about to break the vessel. At that very
moment, Naruto’s Byakugan goggles saw what was going on
inside the satellite. The bamboo bowl cracked, and silver
powder scattered all over it. It opened! However, Naruto had
no time to tell Sasuke. He instead inserted his left arm into
the tip of Sasuke’s blade. Blood splattered, and Sasuke’s
current pierced through Naruto’s body. The IV needle
popped off. In the meantime, Naruto pulled out the long
sword that fixed Sasuke’s ankle, and kicked Sasuke off the
satellite.
“The seal has been broken!”
169
***
Naruto threw Sasuke’s long sword away so that he can use
Amenotejikara.
“Pick up Sakura-chan and wait underneath!”
Naruto saw that Sasuke’s expression became relieved,

however Naruto was also very angry at the same time and
felt like crying.
The oxygen supply was disconnected and Naruto couldn’t

breathe on his own anymore. Naruto tied his lips and clung
to the satellite. The wind pressure tore the goggle off which
flew away. But he didn’t need the Byakugan anymore. Naruto
broke the satellite with force and the silver coloured polar
particles popped out, wrapping Naruto’s body. The debris of
the satellite hit the spiral tower.
The impact of the satellite’s debris was transmitted through

the spiral tower to the ground. The soil and wooden pillars
were cracked. Gaara quickly spread the sand over the sky
and tried to protect the village, but spent too much chakra on
the spiral tower and he did not have enough chakra left. Dirt
and tree barks fell apart onto the ground while being swept
away by the wind.
*************************************************
Konoha was quiet. It was a weekday night, with joyful

laughter leaking from Ichiraku ramen and the other shops,
houses lit, everyone lived their usual lives and nobody
thought that a falling object like spiral towers are
approaching, about to crush a private house any moment. A
white object flew away, crushing the dirt. The object was
170
spinning around, turning like a boomerang, returning to the

thrower. It was Temari who stood on the roof that caught the
white iron fan.
She was told objects would fall from the sky, which would be
dangerous and to be on alert. She wasn’t the only one doing
it. There was also Kankuro, who rushed to the Land of Fire
with Gaara, Lee, Karui and Kiba, Tenten. There were many
falling objects. Each piece was several metres long.
Innumerable dirt and pieces of wood.
The ninjas on the roof were instantly scattered and chased the
falling objects. However, there were too many. With this
number of people, it was unlikely they could pick it all up.
“It’s bad…!” – Tenten said.
Innumerable lumps of rotating wind fell from the depths of

the clouds, crushing all the dirt and wood. The vacuum
created by the wind compressed all the crushed debris,
absorbing the debris without dropping it.
Wind style: Oodama Rasengan – One of Naruto’s specialities.
Shortly after, Uzumaki Naruto looked up at the sky and

relaxed. Standing on the face rock of the Fourth Hokage,
Naruto quietly looked down at the village.
********************************************************************
EPILOGUE
Naruto’s been having his wife’s home cooking for the first
time in a while.
171
***
“Amazing! It really is true that you get the food at home.”
The table was lined with simple Japanese food: rice, grilled
fish and several side dishes. Eggplant thinly boiled as well.
The number of fireworks launched this year has increased

from 500 to 60000. This is the result of adopting Chihare’s
chakra device as a fireworks detonator and now the cost per
shot was significantly reduced. Chihare was still at
Kengakuin. Looking at her achievements, she is the most
promising candidate for the next Secretary, but she has no
intention of doing so.
“Such a leadership is absolutely impossible for me. I’ll be fine

for the rest of my life as long as I get a private room.”
Naruto laughed a little, remembering the tone of Chihare. It

was agreed that she would get a private room as she wishes
to spend her days devoting herself to research. Although her
not wanting to interact with others doesn’t seem to change,
the results of her research are steadily changing society
affecting people.
“Naruto-kun, it’s okay if you eat slowly…”
“Papa, I’m leaving!”
After seeng Himawari off, he enjoyed Hinata’s home cooking

which was relaxing.
“There was a strange rumour in the past… that fireworks are

made from the human soul.” - said Kiba. “I just heard a voice
above my head too…”
172
***
Naruto jumped out of nowhere with great momentum.
“I’m finally here. Everyone, thank you.”
Sakura pulled out a can of cold cider from a plastic bag filled
with ice and threw it to Naruto. Sasuke and Kakashi also
arrived.
They heard a whistling sound and turned their gaze to the

sky. A large, bright red firework spilled out of the sky and
exploded. Thousands of flames scattered. And disappear in
the blink of an eye.
“Where is Hinata?” – asked Kakashi.
“She’s out with her mum friends and Himawari.”
As the goggles broke, the power of Byakugan returned to

Hinata,
Naruto, who has battled for the polar particles returned to the
village, and now has his own chakra. Forgetting about being
happy to be back, he struck Sasuke for what he was trying to
do. Did Sasuke really think he’d be happy without him?
Sasuke took a quiet ‘beating’. Kakashi and Yamato didn’t
even try to stop him. Sasuke’s right arm got visibly bruised in
the shape of a fist. Naruto felt like he really couldn’t forgive
Sasuke – from the bottom of his heart for this, however, the
truth is, he can’t get angry with Sasuke.
It couldn’t be helped. He needs everyone. He also hopes that

everyone needs him.
173

Naruto's Story-Uzumaki Naruto and The Spiral Destiny

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Naruto's Story-Uzumaki Naruto and The Spiral Destiny

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NARUTO

✦ No copyright infringements intended

This unusual phenomenon started half a year ago.

A month later, the second wave of severe pain came.

remembered spread deep into the back of his chest.

――you care about that kind of thing, don’t you...

“What is it, Kurama...... did you wake up?”

He could hear Kurama’s voice clearly now, even though he had a

――Surely, I was thinking someone had attacked us... Naruto what

the hell happened

“ok, I get it!”

“just, every time I try to form a hand seal, my chest suddenly

“Yeah. It happened as soon as I tried to form a seal, both this time

―― When the Sage of Six Paths stayed in the country of

At the eaves of a Japanese confectionery shop in old town,

breathing, it’d been happening the first two times when he

was able to pick up some proper nouns, and there seems to be

lantern shines onto the whole room, swaying as the flame

Naruto went silent.

well,” Kakashi continued after Shikamaru. “For a long time, I

“you’re full of shit, teme-!” A vein sat out above Naruto’s

The next morning, Kakashi set off to Redaku with a stamp of

approval of the seventh hokage, his mission recorded in the

Naruto jumped up, kicking his chair.

As the hokage, Naruto’s position has a lot of influence in

institute, a scientist specializing in energy physics. Born in the

dates had changed.

Konoha’s village has become so peaceful.

Severe pain runs throughout his whole body. He can’t

Through his white cloudy vision, he could see an ankle

Once Sasuke has decided something, he rarely bends from

Shut up, Naruto replied in his head as he continued to knead

Sasuke stood back and overlooked what happened with

your chakra system seems to be shutting down.”

He couldn’t go home in dirty clothes so that night, Naruto

Or is it peaceful enough that the country won’t become

“... both of those options seem awful...”

There are still so many more things I want to do as the

I’m absolutely not going to half-heartedly throw this all onto

Eventually, after a long sleep, the night turned into dawn,

Well, they’re a little too big, I guess......

“Welcome back. You seem busy as usual.” Orochimaru

“...... o- ok. Be careful......”he muttered. After noticing he

up its byakugan abilities.

said without fooling anyone.

He came back to the entrance without a word.

plenty of honey and milk.

“This was Neji-niisan’s training diary.”

My present goal was to get rid of Tenten’s depression.

The next morning.

He thought over Neji’s words, slowly lifting his eyelids.

Naruto jumped down from the stone Hokage faces, heading

Pulling open the unlocked door, the accumulated dust on

On the other side of the wall stood an old-looking, wooden

difficulty before moving behind the woman, picking up the

“Let me go-! Did you come to steal my research data!?”

“I’m experimenting on artificially changing chakra into any

using science...... like for example, turning chakra into a

Thermal simulation after an acidic treatment... 42.6degrees...

research team at Kengakuin, but the real difficulty was

time anyway. I have to measure them one by one. However, if

science experiments were similar to his training with the

“They say its beneficial for the medical field. I understand

　A month later, the second wave of severe pain came.

　―― When the Sage of Six Paths stayed in the country of