Chapter 228: I Looked Down and Saw My Shoes!
As [spectators], their perspectives were restricted.
They could either remain in the main perspective, that is, near Shiromo and Uchiha Hikari, or switch to their own personal perspective.
This wasn't Uchiha Hikari being overly cautious. It was because only in these two positions could [spectators] ensure they had no contact with the illusionary world.
Otherwise, the moment contact was made, it would be equivalent to entering the Limited Tsukuyomi world.
For the people on the Amegakure Village side, this wasn't an issue at all, since Orochimaru had repeatedly explained every detail beforehand.
Everyone could see each other in the "audience seats" and communicate freely.
Some had even already started eating snacks.
But for Yugito's side, things were different.
Yugito tentatively tried to move elsewhere, only to discover an "air wall".
Thinking she was trapped, Yugito panicked, shouting while launching attacks at the empty air.
"Stop messing around. Didn't I already explain everything to you?"
"I've given you supplies. Stay here for a few days. If things go quickly, you might not even need that long before you can leave."
"If you want to speed things up, remember to switch to your perspective in that world later and tell us where you are."
Uchiha Hikari's voice echoed around Yugito, and then, out of thin air, a box of instant noodles and two large barrels of water dropped down in front of her.
"..."
Yugito stood there blankly for a moment.
"What's wrong?"
Samui stepped forward and asked with concern.
"It's nothing. I followed the instructions from that person earlier and switched perspectives. I more or less understand what kind of existence this Limited Tsukuyomi world is now."
After coming back to her senses, Yugito explained with a complicated expression.
"Oh? How do you do it?"
Samui was a little curious.
"Like this…"
Yugito began teaching Samui how to operate it.
"Once you enter that perspective, don't panic. You can't control your body, but you can feel everything."
With Yugito's reminder, Samui began to try.
There was no difficulty at all.
Almost instantly, Samui entered a "spaced-out" expression.
Her perspective changed in an instant.
It was as if space-time ninjutsu had suddenly been used.
"Huh?"
Samui let out a puzzled sound in her mind.
In her perspective, she was sparring in swordsmanship with Karui, the two of them trading blows back and forth.
Because of Yugito's prior warning, she didn't panic over the sensation of being unable to control her body. Instead, she calmly sensed and observed this illusionary world.
Then Samui noticed something very strange.
In this world, she seemed to be stronger than her original self.
Her speed in every aspect was noticeably faster than her real self.
Even her movements were extremely swift, agile, and varied.
Most importantly, her shoulders had never felt so relaxed before.
Hm?
Samui seemed to have found the reason.
Lowering her gaze, Samui saw this world's version of herself.
She could actually look down and see her own shoes!
Why?
Why was the version of herself in this world so… open and unrestrained?
Could it be…
Samui began to suspect that after their last meeting at Hōzuki Castle, that illusion user had developed feelings of envy and jealousy toward her figure, and had deliberately turned her in this world into a "flat as a board" version?
But really, after sensing this lighter version of herself, Samui felt relaxed all over.
No wonder this world's version of her was faster and more agile than her real self.
This was like removing two huge weights!
Samui's consciousness returned to her real body, and Yugito was staring at her.
"How was it?"
"Mm. This world is very strange. I don't know what they're really trying to do."
"Did you notice anything abnormal on your side?"
Right now, Samui desperately wanted to confirm something, so after giving a casual answer, she immediately asked Yugito.
"Abnormal? No. I'm still alone, training in a valley, and I can't see anyone else."
"What's wrong? Did something happen on your side?"
Yugito found Samui's mention of "abnormal" puzzling.
"Not other people. I mean… yourself in this world. Hasn't anything changed?"
As Samui spoke, she also glanced at Yugito's current figure.
To be honest, she didn't even know what Yugito would look like if she were changed.
"No?"
Yugito was confused.
"...Alright."
Samui was certain now.
Someone must be jealous of her figure. Otherwise, why hadn't Yugito changed at all, while she alone had turned into an airstrip.
Meanwhile.
Uchiha Hikari and Shiromo entered the Limited Tsukuyomi world and appeared at the gates of Konoha.
In fact, Samui had misunderstood Uchiha Hikari.
Yugito indeed hadn't changed at all, because Yugito herself was one of the "cores" of the Limited Tsukuyomi.
As long as she didn't enter the Limited Tsukuyomi world, the Yugito in this world would essentially be the same as the real-world Yugito, and wouldn't undergo changes, corruption, or anything of that sort.
On the other hand, whether a person in the Limited Tsukuyomi changed, and the direction of that change, was completely random.
It might be a body-type reversal, a personality reversal, or even a stance reversal.
In short, anything was possible.
"Did we come to the wrong place?"
Shiromo looked at Konoha's gates and spoke.
"There's no way to control that."
Uchiha Hikari pouted.
According to the original plan, they were supposed to start collecting from the One-Tail.
But since they were already here, they might as well go in first.
Even if they really captured the Nine-Tails first, it wouldn't actually be a problem.
Just because it was captured didn't mean it had to be converted immediately and sealed into the Gedo Statue in the real world.
"I wonder whether the Naruto in this world is Namikaze Menma, Uzumaki Menma, or just his original self."
Walking through Konoha's night market, Shiromo and Uchiha Hikari arrived at the classic location of Ichiraku Ramen.
Since they had decided to capture the Nine-Tails first, they naturally had to find the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki.
Ichiraku Ramen was a place where the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki often "spawned".
However…
Based on his previous memories of visiting Konoha, Shiromo arrived at this classic area, but what appeared was not Ichiraku Ramen, but Ichiraku Curry Gyūdon.
Could it be that in this world, the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki had become a mysterious masked man who loved eating curry rice?
"Should we just cause some trouble directly?"
Seeing that the fixed spawn point didn't have the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, Uchiha Hikari suggested to Shiromo.
"Causing trouble directly might not draw the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki out. What if he's a villain who'd love nothing more than Konoha being destroyed? If we help him destroy it, he wouldn't even need to act himself, and wouldn't come out at all."
Shiromo shook his head and rejected the suggestion.
"Then what should we do?"
"Let's gather some information first."
Shiromo raised his head and looked toward the distant Hokage Rock.
The Fourth Hokage's face was someone unfamiliar, which indicated that Namikaze Minato might still be alive.
A Naruto with parents indeed wouldn't often be out eating alone.
"Wait."
Uchiha Hikari grabbed Shiromo's hand just as he was about to leave: "There's information."
"From who?"
"Konan."
"Hm? What kind of information would she be sending at a time like this? Could it be that the Akatsuki are in Konoha right now?"
"Mm."
Uchiha Hikari pointed toward a sushi restaurant across from Ichiraku Curry. "She says that in her perspective, she's right there, and she can see us outside."
(End of this chapter)