After confirming the reward, the mechanical voice also stressed that he had no challenge time left.
Naruto willed himself out of the Mirror World. A tide of exhaustion crashed over him. He toppled straight onto the bed and slept deeply.
He did not stir even when, at five in the morning, an ANBU on the second floor slid the window wide open.
That man had been assigned by the Third Hokage to observe Naruto at fixed times and at close range. Three times a day, punctual without fail.
Naruto had long been aware of it. He only pretended not to know.
In the past he felt he had no secrets to hide, so he left the window half open every day. The watcher would check in like a time clock and then leave.
Last night was different. He had shut the window tight, and before sleep he lacked the strength to restore his usual setup.
What finally woke him was the habit of a body shaped by two lives. When the wall clock's hour hand reached half past six, his brows twitched and he pried his eyes open with effort.
He flexed his arms. His body wanted to keep resting, but Naruto pushed himself up by the bedframe.
Clarity returned to his eyes. He immediately saw the open window.
His brows drew together.
He knew the watcher had been here. The frown was not because being watched offended him.
The watcher was ANBU. A ninja should not forget to erase traces of his movements. It seemed these people no longer cared to keep up appearances.
You really think you can control everything
How laughable, and how pitiable.
His gaze grew deep.
As usual, he washed, changed, ate a simple breakfast, then stepped out and locked the front door.
The world lay white and still. The snow had stopped, yet the land remained draped in silver, no different to the eye from yesterday.
But from this moment on, he was no longer the boy of yesterday.
He scanned his surroundings. His hands formed a perfect seal.
Now that he had truly refined chakra, a different life should begin.
Transformation Technique
A soft puff.
Naruto became a brown haired boy with a tender face. He had memorized the look yesterday while the crowd gawked at him.
Snow creaked underfoot as he walked toward his destination.
Ninja Tools Full Point Hall
He murmured the sign as he eyed the shop that hung advertisements for every kind of shinobi weapon.
After crossing several streets he found it. He had come to buy chakra test paper. Thinking for a moment, he slipped in with a few customers going through the door.
Shelves inside were lined with kunai, scrolls, and what looked like books and materials for many fields.
As he lingered in an aisle admiring a set of dagger like tools, a gentle voice spoke beside him.
"Little one, those are not toys. The toy shop is on the street with Yakiniku Q. Do you want big sister to take you there"
He turned slightly. A smiling saleswoman was bent at the waist to meet his eyes.
Naruto's expression did not change. "Thank you. I want to buy some chakra test paper."
"So you are a customer. This way please."
Her smile stayed, but a flicker of oddness flashed in her eyes. She gestured with one hand, straightened, stepped aside, and led him to a counter.
"Here is the chakra test paper. How many would you like"
"Five sheets please."
"That will be one thousand ryo."
He left the shop but did not go straight home. Noon was still a way off. He walked along a quiet, slightly gloomy back street of the village.
He pondered the Mirror World's demand for data collection.
According to the guide, needed data would appear at random on people, buildings, or objects.
It was like searching for a needle in the sea.
With integrity sitting at just one percent, his mood dipped.
Brooding would not help. Silent, he paced the alley and thought about his next move.
Without noticing, he drifted onto a stretch where no one else walked. After a quick look around, he turned a corner.
A soft pop.
He released the Transformation and prepared to go home.
"Hm"
Rustle in the snow.
The moment he lifted the jutsu he heard an off note in the sound of footsteps. A tiny figure staggered through the snow toward him.
Naruto stopped. The small body fell every few steps, stood, then fell again. As she drew near he heard soft sobbing.
With a muffled sound, the little figure pitched forward into the snow. A girl's crying met his ears. She wore a coffee colored padded coat and a cream scarf.
"Why are you crying. Can you tell me"
"I… I…"
At his voice the girl raised her head. A pair of blue eyes met hers, clear and bright, and hair as golden as sunlight framed his face.
Their gazes locked. Naruto paused.
Short bangs. White eyes.
Hinata.
Tears pooled but would not fall. Naruto reached out and helped her up.
He remembered this episode.
Hinata had been mocked by a few village children for her Byakugan. In the original story, Uzumaki Naruto had appeared on the scene, and the two met that way.
He was not that Uzumaki Naruto. He had missed the exact scene, yet he had still met Hinata.
"Are you lost"
He asked, gently brushing the snow from her scarf.
She did not speak. She first shook her head, then nodded, and tears threatened again.
"Do not be afraid. I will take you home."
Naruto smiled, took her hand, and led her away in the opposite direction of his own home. As they stepped out of the back street, a figure in ninja garb appeared in the middle of the road as if from thin air.
The man was pale and carried heavy dark circles under his eyes.
"Ahem. It is about time to report the target's situation to the Hokage."
With that, the figure vanished the same way he had appeared.
"We are here. This is your home, right"
"Mm."
They stood before the Hyuga compound. The plaque above the gate clearly bore the two characters for Hyuga.
"Then goodbye."
Naruto waved and turned to leave. He did not give his name.
Hinata froze. She still did not know who he was.
Naruto soon returned home. After a simple lunch he did not reach for the chakra paper. Instead he sat on the bed, closed his eyes, and began refining chakra again.
After a while he found himself standing in a dim, indistinct space. A massive iron gate towered before him. At its center, high above, a sealing tag with the character Seal was pasted across the bars.
He took a step forward. A gigantic fox face pressed against the gate, filling his vision, its red vertical pupils wide open.
"Even knowing the Nine Tails is here, seeing it for the first time carries real pressure. Still, I am a little surprised. I was wondering when I would make it here."
While he muttered to himself, the fox face split a mouthful of steel fangs and spoke.
"Hehe, brat, I did not expect you to enter this place so soon."
Naruto stepped closer and looked up. "Beautiful."
The Nine Tails blinked. Then its features twisted into a snarl. "Roar. What did you say, brat"
"Hush."
Naruto put a finger to his lips, backed up a few steps, sprinted forward, leapt to the gate, and seized the sealing tag. He yanked hard.
Rip.
The paper charm tore free.
"Nani"
There had been no preparation at all. Joy came too quickly.
The fox's eyes bulged. Its heart leapt with savage delight, and it began to move. Then it froze. A second figure now stood before the gate.
Its crimson pupils shrank.
"Roar. You. The Fourth Hokage"
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