Naruto felt as if his heart had stopped.
It was as if he were wearing noise-canceling headphones—around him, the excited chatter, teasing, and laughter were automatically filtered out, leaving only a few words, crisp and thunderous, spelling out his failure.
"He wasn't eliminated… and he says he discovered my secret. Does he know I'm a time traveler too?"
A roar of anger surged in Naruto's mind, and his negative emotions resonated with the Nine-Tails inside him. Instantly, his consciousness plunged into the spiritual realm, gazing at the Nine-Tails from afar.
"Oh?" the Nine-Tails regarded Naruto with interest. Even this seemingly omnipotent young man seemed to be in big trouble, and the fox could sense the excitement coursing through his heart.
"Have you faced a powerful enemy before?" the Nine-Tails chuckled. "Why not release more of my power? You know, my strength alone could shake the entire ninja world!"
Naruto tightly closed his eyes and began meditating in the spiritual space.
This was his contingency plan. If his emotions spiraled out of control, he could instantly calm himself this way.
Moreover, the process helped him organize his thoughts.
Thinking carefully, there was nothing to fear. With his current abilities, he could easily escape right under the eyes of high-level ninja without a scratch.
What he feared now was simply the unknown.
"It's just hard to pinpoint the enemy," Naruto said calmly after a moment, looking at the Nine-Tails. "Nothing to worry about."
"Hmph!" the Nine-Tails snorted. Seeing Naruto regain his composure stirred a flicker of annoyance in the fox.
"Talk later," Naruto thought, returning to reality.
He looked back with his forehead protector, emotions slightly stirred.
Fortunately, he had done his best to eliminate many of the genin, preventing them from falling into the time traveler's grasp.
What was with those round eyes and the "hehe" expression? Anyone could tell he wasn't normal!
Naruto didn't claim to be a saint, but he held a simple view of life, despised pointless conflicts, and didn't want others dragged into disputes.
Yet, a thought gradually formed in his mind.
"Bang!!" Suddenly, a loud crash came from outside the window. A figure wrapped in bindings appeared, limbs restrained by kunai, pinned between ceiling and floor.
The open-minded woman wore a long coat with fishnet stockings underneath and shouted loudly:"Too early to celebrate! I'm the examiner for the second round, Mitarai Anko. Your next test awaits!"
Everyone was shocked again. Hongdou roughly counted and said calmly to Ibiki behind him, "Team 18, and there are many more."
Ibiki smiled. "Many promising candidates this year." He then glanced at Naruto, who seemed to be thinking deeply.
Hongdou also looked at Naruto. Naruto seriously thought: Should I include Hongdou in my harem plan?
Though slim in Boruto, like Mei Terumi, that was only because I wasn't around her. If I trained her myself, things would be very different!
Moreover, she would face Orochimaru in the second game. Surely, when she worries over gains and losses, her mental state would weaken, right?
When a woman is psychologically vulnerable, she instinctively looks for a reliable shoulder—this is my perfect entry point… perfect.
Naruto decided to temporarily set aside the hunt for the time traveler and engage with the cunning beauty.
"…Then let's reduce the numbers to single digits," Hongdou said with a sly smile. "I can't wait—details will be handled at the exam site."
…
Training Ground 44, entrance to the Death Forest.
The three hid in the center of the crowd, not standing at the front as in the original story, quietly listening to the rules.
Sakura glanced around and whispered to Naruto, "You said you have a plan—what is it exactly?"
Naruto whispered back, "That person handed me a note. I could tell from their arrogant tone—now it makes sense."
"What does that mean?"
"It means he or she is very likely a time traveler, possessing a specific character. Known candidates include the Twelve Strong, the Sand and Sound ninjas, Grass ninjas disguised as Orochimaru's subordinates, Hongdou, and some examiners. I suspect the traveler is in one of these teams."
"What if they're just… an eccentric person pretending to be someone else?"
"Then we proceed logically—it makes them easier to eliminate," Naruto licked his lips. "Once we enter the dungeon, we'll head to the center and wait. We'll try to lure as many teams as possible to ensure they appear."
"Wouldn't that be too conspicuous?"
"It's fine. Only Gaara and Orochimaru need to stay hidden; the rest can be eliminated indiscriminately."
"What if they come into contact with Orochimaru?"
Naruto fell silent for a moment. "…In other words, the author is no longer writing a happy story but a tragic one. I'd advise him against being so ungrateful."
"…" Sakura remained silent for a long moment before saying, "Let's consider this possibility carefully."
Sasuke approached, raising an eyebrow. "You two have had many private talks… is there really something you can't tell me?"
Naruto looked at Sasuke and suddenly remembered the Cursed Seal.
According to the original story, Sasuke would be implanted with Orochimaru's Cursed Seal in this battle—a pivotal moment in his life.
The question was, should they follow the plot? During this, could the time traveler intervene?
Sakura's gaze turned serious as she noticed this key point.
Naruto gently pushed Sasuke aside. "Brother, can we talk privately?"
Sasuke's eyebrows nearly shot up. Naruto immediately patted his shoulder seriously:
"Can't you see? We're in love now."
"Really?"
Sasuke's eyebrow twitched, and his cheek flushed slightly.
This bastard!
Unexpectedly, Naruto remained calm, continuing: "Couples should have some private space, okay?" He then confidently winked at Sakura.
Sakura glared fiercely at him. Though his sudden move caught everyone off guard, thinking back, they had indeed spoken privately at that small window far too many times.
If we explain everything with love, it all naturally falls into place. Who knows how many private conversations we'll have at that little window in the future?
Hearing Naruto's explanation, Sasuke's expression shifted slightly. Revenge filled his mind, unable to understand worldly love—but he seemed to sense a glimmer of awakening.
The aura was emanating from him…
"Fine, but if anything happens, I must attend," Sasuke said, walking a few steps away.
Naruto exhaled. Seeing Sakura still angrily glaring at him, he hurriedly explained: "Darling auntie, is now really the time to worry about such trivial matters? Let's focus on whether to apply the Cursed Seal to Sasuke."
Sakura rubbed her face, remained silent for a moment, then slowly nodded.
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