"Yawn… so it really is like this."
In the Land of Waves, inside Tazuna's house, Naruto let out a big yawn as he woke up.
Seeing the changed scenery, his earlier speculation about the crossing was confirmed.
Last night, after receiving his freshly maintained Mushoukou from Koushirou, they had held a celebration.
During the party, perhaps as an experiment to test the crossing theory, he had let himself drink freely.
Sure enough, when Naruto woke up again, he had indeed returned.
It was an unexpected yet somehow logical method of crossing worlds.
Noticing that his teammates weren't in Tazuna's house, Naruto figured they must have woken up earlier… Apparently, he was the only one who had 'overslept' due to his drinking.
So, he slowly pushed open the door, intending to greet the rest of Team7.
But just as he stepped outside, he ran into Tazuna, who looked at him with surprise.
"Ah! Naruto? You're finally back?"
Tazuna's seemingly random remark made Naruto pause for a moment, but he quickly played along.
"Ahaha… I guess I drank a bit too much. I just woke up now."
Upon hearing his words, Tazuna didn't seem suspicious at all and instead chuckled teasingly.
"Hah, you really caused your teacher a lot of trouble, kid. He spent the whole day yesterday searching everywhere for you."
Hearing this, Naruto's eyes flickered slightly.
'A whole day?'
'So, Tazuna was saying… I had disappeared?'
Naruto was a little surprised.
Because based on what happened after he 'returned' to the village for the first time, time in this world hadn't moved at all during the decades he'd spent in the other world.
When he came back, his body was still young… well, admittedly a bit more muscular.
But Naruto had assumed that was just due to the accumulated Chakra from the other side enhancing his physique.
Now, though, it seemed his physical body had genuinely left this place.
Before, the two worlds' timelines hadn't been synchronized, but this round trip had created a full day's gap.
'Did that mean future crossings would result in even longer time differences?'
'Not only that, but the act of crossing worlds made me vanish from my original location. That meant my idea of 'spending days in Konoha and vacationing in the other world at night' wouldn't work.'
'Unless…'
'And since my physical body was crossing over, why hadn't my sword or clothes come back with me?'
'Is there a way to bring things with me across worlds?'
In that brief moment, Naruto considered many possibilities, but his expression remained unchanged.
He grinned and casually continued the conversation with Tazuna.
"Hah, is that so? Guess I must've wandered pretty far while drunk… better not drink that much next time."
"Heh, you said it. Kid, if you can't handle your liquor, you shouldn't drink so much..."
Tazuna responded naturally, teasing Naruto without any real malice.
In fact, during the days he had interacted with the members of Team 7, the one he liked the most was Naruto.
Not just because the boy had been the first to agree to help him, but also because Naruto's way of speaking matched the locals' straightforward manner… unlike the aloof, distant attitude most Ninjas had.
Unlike that dark-haired brat, who always acted like he wanted nothing to do with anyone. He's not exactly the most likable type.
"Go on ahead. Your teacher said he'd wait here for you to come back, but he ended up going off to train the other two instead."
With that, Tazuna pointed toward the forest where Sasuke had been training before.
Naruto nodded and slowly made his way over.
Perhaps because of the 'relaxation' he'd had in the other world, along with certain beneficial activities for his physical and mental well-being, Naruto wasn't as irritable as before.
Now, all he wanted was to talk face-to-face with the Third Hokage one more time, to hear what the old man, who had played such a pivotal role in his life, would say in response.
It was true that the exclusion and cold treatment Naruto had suffered in his first twelve years were partly due to Hiruzen's decisions.
The old man had known about his identity as the 'hero's son', but he never revealed it to the villagers.
At the same time, he had likely suppressed some of the worst rumors about the Demon Fox, though he hadn't completely eradicated them.
But, without a doubt, the fact that Naruto had survived this long was also thanks to Hiruzen's protection.
If Hiruzen had truly harbored ill will toward him, Naruto probably would have died in his infancy.
From a personal perspective, Naruto didn't actually hate Hiruzen… if anything, the lingering resentment he'd felt had mostly faded during his time away.
Of course, Naruto still insisted that he wouldn't forgive him. But as for what he really felt deep down, only he himself knew.
Lost in thought, Naruto arrived in the forest and saw Kakashi sparring with Sasuke, while Sakura practiced her Chakra Control nearby.
Team 7 was all here.
…
Several shurikens flew out quickly, shooting straight at Sasuke's limbs, seemingly showing no mercy at all.
Yet even without using his Sharingan, Sasuke dodged them with dangerously precise movements.
At the same time, he lunged forward, his speed noticeably faster than before, making Kakashi inwardly sigh in amazement.
'Naruto's training really is effective.'
At the very least, in terms of physical ability, Sasuke was on a completely different level compared to when they first left Konoha.
Of course, that was also thanks to Sasuke's own hard work.
Blocking Sasuke's knee strike, Kakashi winced internally.
'Damn, that's heavy.'
In terms of Taijutsu, Kakashi specialized more in speed than raw power, so even a blocked strike from the improved Sasuke left his palm tingling.
Not that it hurt him, but it was a far cry from the bell test, where he'd effortlessly outclassed Sasuke.
Playing the role of a proper teacher, Kakashi adjusted his strength accordingly and flickered behind Sasuke in an instant, twisting his arms to pin him to the ground.
Unexpectedly, Sasuke reacted swiftly, stomping the ground and slamming his head backward in a brutal headbutt.
It was an inelegant but brutally effective trick he'd picked up from Naruto.
Eyes, nose, gut, groin... The human body had plenty of weak points, and in a real fight, efficiency mattered more than style.
Unless he was deliberately holding back, Naruto always went straight for the kill against real enemies.
The Demon Brothers, Kakuzu, and Arlong could certainly attest to that.
Under that influence, Sasuke had also started fighting 'dirtier', slipping lethal techniques into even minor movements.
Forced to lean back to avoid the headbutt, Kakashi loosened his grip just enough for Sasuke to break free.
Just as he was about to continue the spar, Kakashi noticed something behind Sasuke and raised a hand in greeting.
"Yo, finally sobered up? You really wandered far after getting drunk yesterday."