Naruto slowly regained his fading consciousness, but shock still lingered clearly in his blue eyes.
A touch on the gate unveiled a secret: the Devil Fruit, like a wanderer between universes, had woven a thin thread connecting two worlds. And the gift of the Door-Door Fruit granted him the key to open that gate.
Deep within the realm of his consciousness, the gate stood majestic, towering towards the sky and splitting the ocean, radiating the characteristic blue of the One Piece world—a tangible manifestation of the intertwined destinies of both worlds.
"This... is truly a concept-level Devil Fruit," Naruto whispered in amazement. "Opening air doors, stone doors, wood doors... even world doors!"
Excitement surged within him, his eyes sparkling with hope. The free and adventurous world of One Piece felt far more enticing than Naruto's world, filled with prejudice. There, diversity was commonplace. Giants, fish-men, the Mink Tribe, long-arm tribe members, dwarves... all mingled in a strange harmony. Amidst that wonder, he was just an ordinary teenager.
Moreover, the world of One Piece was a stage for the brave. Strength was the ultimate currency. With strength, one could carve their own destiny. If the worst came to pass, joining the Marines was a guarantee of safety.
The more he lost himself in his reverie, the stronger his longing grew. Without realizing it, his consciousness touched the world gate in his mind again, trying to push it open.
However, the gate made of endless seawater remained frozen, as if the weight of a mountain held it back.
"No... with my current strength... no, with my chakra, I can't open this interdimensional door..." Naruto withdrew his consciousness with bitter disappointment.
After devouring the Devil Fruit, his power had transformed into a Kekkei Genkai. He could feel it himself; even soaking in a river no longer made him weak in the slightest. However, Kekkei Genkai was different from ninjutsu. It could be forcibly activated without chakra, but it drastically drained the body's energy.
When he pushed the gate earlier, he felt a slight tremor, a sign that the door had moved a little. But it was still far from enough to open a path to another world.
"My chakra isn't enough... I have to endure a little longer..." Naruto gritted his teeth, forcing his eyes shut. He had to purify his chakra as quickly as possible, leaving this hellish village called Konohagakure.
The next day, dawn broke.
The figure of a blonde-haired boy sitting cross-legged on the ground opened his eyes. Fatigue was clearly visible in his weary blue eyes. He had spent the entire night purifying his chakra.
"My body is wrecked..."
Naruto's brow furrowed, his hand rubbing his aching stomach. Every inch of his body protested vehemently. Purifying chakra took a very long time, and although his mind could still endure, his fragile young body could not withstand such torment.
After all, this body was just that of a five-year-old boy.
The consequences of forcing chakra were immense weakness, and if nutrition was insufficient, developmental delays would become a real threat. In the worst-case scenario, sudden death was not an exaggeration.
That thought somehow brought Naruto to the figure of Uzumaki Naruto in the original story. Although he was the protagonist, when he graduated from the Ninja Academy, his height was even below Haruno Sakura's. However, it was clearly not the original Naruto's fault. How could his body develop healthily if he only ate instant and expired food, while constantly draining energy from his body? The miracle that he didn't starve to death was thanks to the Uzumaki family's bloodline that flowed in his veins.
"I don't want to touch that garbage again..." Naruto's eyes flashed coldly, then he closed them, feeling the blue chakra pulsing within him. After a whole night, the accumulated chakra felt quite abundant.
"Then..."
Naruto took a deep breath, controlling his chakra to gather in the palm of his hand. Then, carefully, he pushed the wall beside him:
"Stone Gate!"
Creeak...
A thick and sturdy stone door was pushed out from the dilapidated wall. Seeing its almost half-meter thickness, Naruto's eyes suddenly lit up. He felt that the chakra he used to open this door was not even one-twentieth of his total chakra. That meant, after purifying himself all night, he was now able to open doors more than twenty times.
"Wood Gate!"
"Rotating Gate!"
"Sliding Gate!"
"Folding Gate!"
"Air Gate!"
The sound of doors opening creaked one after another. For a moment, Naruto was overwhelmed with uncontrollable excitement, continuously experimenting with various types of portals. The small room seemed to transform into a bizarre furniture store display, with extraordinary doors appearing out of nowhere.
Seeing the portals with various shapes and functions, Naruto even began to imagine their strategic role in future battles.
When his body's chakra was reduced to half, Naruto reluctantly stopped his experiments. With a gentle movement, he pushed the empty air in front of him:
"Air Gate!"
A transparent air door opened. Unlike before, this time Naruto stared at the transparent space and stepped inside for the first time.
As he walked through the air gate, Naruto felt a strange sensation. The inside of the gate felt like a different space, but uniquely, he could see everything outside the gate from within that space. It felt like observing the world through a thin layer of glass. In this state, his body seemed to disappear, allowing him to pass through various buildings in the real world with ease.
After experimenting for a while, until the weakness in his body became more pronounced, Naruto passed through the wall and left the room.
The streets of Konoha were still bustling with the hustle and bustle of residents and traffic, a series of noisy sounds indicating the village's prosperity. And this time, as he walked down the street, for the first time Naruto did not feel the cynical or hateful gazes. Because he was inside the space behind the door, there was an invisible distance separating him from the villagers outside, who could not see his existence at all.
"Uchiha Obito was once in a Hollow state, and this is likely what that felt like..." Naruto slightly raised the corner of his lips, then continued walking.
Throughout his journey, Naruto saw many ninjas he knew in the space behind the door. Some were buying anmitsu, washing mochi with their large hands. Akimichi Choji and his father, Akimichi Choza, seemed to be devouring meat at a yakiniku restaurant. Might Guy, with a large log on his back, was running upside down on the street while shouting about the spirit of youth.
...
These ninjas, who were usually in high and unreachable places, were completely unaware of the presence of the blonde-haired boy walking right beside them.
Just like that, Naruto managed to arrive in front of a shop. Ignoring the shop owner standing in front of the door, Naruto walked to an empty corner inside the shop. With his right hand, he slightly pushed the space behind the door:
"Air Gate!"
With a soft creaking sound that only he could hear, a small air door, only about 30 centimeters in size, opened. The door was too small, even for Naruto as a teenager, let alone an adult. However, he had no intention of passing through it.
Naruto was seen reaching his hand through the small air door and, with a swift movement, sweeping various foods from the shelves.