Chapter 356: The Parallel Shinobi World
"Boruto, you're staying here."
Before entering the portal to the parallel Shinobi World, Naruto turned to Boruto and said this firmly.
"But I need to help you guide the Super Saiyan Mode."
"The first person to master Super Saiyan Mode did so without any guidance. I believe I can do it too. Besides, Boruto, I need you to stay and protect the villagers. That's your responsibility as the Eighth Hokage."
"Hokage..."
Boruto had already tossed his Hokage cloak aside.
"I've always believed that one day, you'd become a truly worthy Hokage," Naruto said with a smile, reaching out to pat Boruto's head. Then he looked toward Obito, who was standing nearby. "Captain, I'm heading out. I'll leave things here to you."
"And don't forget the communicator. Without it, I've got no way to bring you back."
Obito tossed Naruto a specialized communicator—used to locate him in the parallel Shinobi World. Only with it could Obito retrieve him later.
"Thanks, Captain."
"Naruto, be careful. Also... don't push yourself too hard trying to master Super Saiyan Mode. If you can master other powers, that's fine too."
"Got it."
Naruto nodded in agreement, gave Boruto one last look, then turned and walked into the dimensional tunnel to the parallel world.
---
Parallel Shinobi World
Falling from the sky, Naruto landed face-first into sand.
"Sand?" He spat it out, then looked around—an endless desert stretched before him. "Is this the Land of Wind?"
In the Shinobi World, the only place with vast deserts was the Land of Wind.
"This isn't the Land of Wind, cutie. It's the Land of Iron."
"Who's there?!"
Naruto immediately became alert, scanning the area, but saw no one—only endless sand.
"I'm beneath your feet, dummy."
In just moments, Naruto had earned himself two strange nicknames.
"Beneath my feet?"
Naruto looked down. Just sand.
"Dig through the sand."
Following the voice's instructions, Naruto dug down.
A lantern appeared.
Inside the lantern was a pale head with a mouth split wide into a permanent grin—oddly, the head was still alive.
"You dug me up, so now you have to grant me three wishes—wait a second, you're Naruto?! No wonder my heart kept thumping like crazy."
"Sasuke..."
Naruto frowned slightly as he looked at the lantern in his hand.
"That's right, it's me! Fate has brought us together again, little Naruto. Honestly, I'd love to hug you and rub up against you nonstop, but sadly I can't do that in my current state."
Clown Sasuke rambled on and on—probably because he hadn't spoken to anyone in a long time. Talking to himself was dull in comparison.
"Sasuke, what happened to your body?"
"My body? Oh... so you don't know? You're a Naruto from another Shinobi World, aren't you? A new visitor, huh... It's been a long time since I've seen one. What was your question again?"
"What happened to your body? And what exactly is going on here?"
Naruto patiently asked again.
"Right, right... now I remember..."
As Clown Sasuke began explaining, the truth of this parallel Shinobi World gradually unfolded before Naruto.
After the appearance of the Cosmic Devourer, one universe after another was swallowed up. Only a few survivors managed to escape, eventually gathering in this parallel world.
Driven by greed, humanity fought a brutal war. In the end, it was Skynet Naruto who emerged victorious, taking control of the land.
"I actually wanted to help Skynet Naruto at first. But he's just too righteous—so righteous that it's almost evil. I really can't stand him. And yeah, this current state of mine? His doing. But I've thought of a new idea—how about we team up and save this world together?"
Still inside the lantern, Clown Sasuke beamed with excitement as he made his proposal.
"..."
Naruto hesitated. His instincts told him this disembodied Sasuke head might not be entirely trustworthy.
"This plan is amazing! It makes me feel like I'm conspiring with a new flame to murder my old one—little fox and little Sasuke, teaming up once again!"
Clown Sasuke couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"..."
Naruto ignored him, still trying to clear his own thoughts.
"Hey, why aren't you talking? Giving me the silent treatment again? Ugh, you're still as twisted as ever. It reminds me of my little fox."
Clown Sasuke kept rambling.
"...You mean the Masked Fox?!"
When Clown Sasuke mentioned the term Masked Fox, Naruto finally reacted.
After all, that was the parallel world Sarada had once entered—the one with the Masked Fox.
"..."
Now it was Clown Sasuke's turn to fall silent.
Even though he didn't speak, Naruto was now certain—the Sasuke in his hand was from the same parallel world as the Masked Fox.
---
Heading north, Naruto traveled farther and farther, eventually arriving at a town buried by wind and sand.
Buildings lay in ruins. Half-collapsed skyscrapers loomed like ghosts of the past.
"Hide—now!"
Clown Sasuke suddenly shouted in alarm.
Years of teamwork kicked in, and Naruto instinctively dodged and hid.
"What is it?"
He cautiously peeked out to observe his surroundings.
"In the sky—that's one of Skynet Naruto's scientific ninja tools, designed specifically to detect humans on the surface."
Clown Sasuke whispered urgently.
Floating above them was a black orb, with a camera lens embedded at its center.
"So what do we do now..."
"Ah—now I remember something important," Clown Sasuke suddenly exclaimed, his frown relaxing. "That thing has chakra-sensing capabilities. In other words, just hiding behind walls won't help."
"What?!"
The moment Naruto exclaimed, three combat droids burst out of the ground behind him.
Each one bore a number—One, Two, Three—and wielded a laser sword.
"They're Force Warriors! Awesome!"
Clown Sasuke cried out excitedly.
"Force Warriors? What are they?"
In battle, knowing your enemy often determines victory or defeat.
"Different types of Force grant different powers. As for what exactly each one does—I have no clue."
Clown Sasuke admitted.
In the end, his intel proved useless. Naruto would have to gather information through direct combat.
He activated Sage Fox Mode. The Tailed Beast cloak enveloped his body.
"This feeling... You really are back, little fox..."
Inside the lantern, Clown Sasuke's eyes grew misty as he murmured emotionally.
-------
[Support me and read ahead on Patreøn: patreøn.com/craxx_real.]
[WN Exclusive Powerstone Event: For every 50 powerstones, +1 chapter.]