Just as Tuogen was killed by Shinji, on another, much larger continent, a man dressed like a gentleman with a top hat suddenly raised his head as if sensing something.
"Even you failed…"
"But it doesn't matter. It was just a small probe to begin with, so failure isn't surprising. It seems humans still possess some powers and trump cards I'm unaware of."
"But next, I will personally reveal them one by one until all their trump cards are exhausted. That will be the time for us curse spirits to completely replace humans."
"Let's go, Mahito."
He adjusted the brim of his hat. His attire was out of place with the people on the street, but it met the dress code for the high-class party they were about to attend—even though he didn't need to do so.
"New toys again? I'm already tired of the last ones."
Beside him, a person squatting on the ground, playing with a disgusting doll, looked up, revealing a face covered in stitched lines.
The gentleman's face wore a bright and sincere smile. "Of course. Didn't I promise you I'd find you more and better toys? The place we're going this time has many new toys inside. I can guarantee their souls will be even uglier and more foul-smelling. You'll definitely like them."
"Great! I can't wait to reshape their souls!"
Upon hearing this, Mahito immediately showed an excited smile, eagerly got up, and casually threw away the ugly, even extremely disgusting doll.
Not long after they left, a little boy passed by and curiously picked up the doll on the ground.
"What is this?"
"Ew, what a disgusting thing. Don't pick up trash like this, throw it away quickly!"
The little boy's mother showed a disgusted expression, slapped the doll away, and then quickly pulled her crying child away.
The doll, having fallen into a sewer, had hollow, distorted features, and gradually, tears began to flow?!
"Keiko… Mutta, it's me… Don't you recognize me?"
"I hate it so much… I hate it so much…"
Under the influence of strong hatred and other negative emotions, this seemingly disgusting doll actually caused its soul to mutate. Then, the soul's mutation projected onto its physical body, instantly transforming its originally weak and deformed body into a tall and ferocious one.
"M-monster!"
"Run!"
"Where are the guards? Come protect me!"
The monster's destructive power was not insignificant. It charged in a determined direction, and anyone who stood in its way was casually sent flying, spitting out internal organ fragments upon landing, clearly dead.
"Keiko… Mutta, wait for me… I'm back."
At this moment, the monster had only this single obsession.
Close, so close… He seemed to already see the 'happy' smiles on his wife and son's faces.
"Damn it, protect the civilians!"
"Wind Style: Wind Scythe Jutsu!"
"Konoha Style Swordsmanship: Twelve Consecutive Slashes!"
Plop…
Under the combined attacks of several ninjas, its limbs were severed, and it fell to the ground.
But even so, it still turned its head to look in a certain direction, where its lifelong concern lay.
"Why… I just wanted to go home. Why are you doing this to me?"
Puff!
A sharp sword pierced directly through its head, and its thoughts froze at that moment.
"Record it. It's a monster we haven't seen before."
"Yes, Captain."
"Are you alright? Were you scared?"
The captain turned to the woman and boy beside him and asked.
"Fortunately, you arrived in time. Otherwise, we almost…" The woman choked up with tears. The captain immediately fumbled to comfort her.
But the boy in the woman's arms kept staring at the slain monster. For some reason, he always felt a faint sense of familiarity with that monster, as if he had known it for a long time.
Oh, right.
The doll he picked up by the roadside earlier also gave him that feeling.
It's just that his mother disliked the doll for being dirty and ugly and didn't let him play with it.
Speaking of which, Dad promised to bring him a big fish today. Why isn't Dad back yet…
...…
Konoha.
After countless farm chores, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura finally seemed to have reached the end.
Kakashi accepted an extremely simple C-rank mission, with the target location in a small town not far from Konoha. The request was from a wealthy individual, searching for stolen treasures. It was moderately difficult but not dangerous.
This satisfied Naruto and the others' desire to go on missions outside the village while avoiding most potential troubles. Perfect!
Just as their group was leaving the village, a strange figure in a black robe, carrying two chains on his back, walked towards the main gate of Konoha.
"Who are you? What are you here for?"
Two Konoha guards immediately stopped him.
If they let such a suspicious person in so easily, they might as well quit their jobs and go home to farm.
"I'm looking for two people."
"Looking for whom? What are their names?"
The black-robed person thought for a moment. "They call themselves Naruto and Sasuke, and they're from Konoha."
"Naruto and Sasuke?"
The two Konoha guards were a bit stunned.
Naruto, who had just left the village and hadn't walked more than a few meters, subconsciously turned around when he heard his name being called, "Huh? Who called me? Uncle, are you looking for me?"
Kakashi inwardly cursed, realizing something was wrong. He had also heard the conversation between the black-robed person and the guards. He had intended to play it off for now and wait until the person's identity was confirmed.
Who would have thought Naruto would turn around so casually?
The black-robed person turned around, his eyes filled with killing intent. Upon seeing the so-called 'Naruto,' he was stunned.
"Who are you?"
"I'm Naruto, Uzumaki Naruto. What's wrong, Uncle?"
"Naruto, step back! This guy is dangerous!"
Although it was only for a moment, Kakashi had captured that terrifying killing intent and immediately shielded Naruto behind him.
The black-robed person seemed to have a momentary brain freeze. After a moment of silence, he looked at Kakashi and asked, "Is your name Sasuke?"
"No, I'm Sasuke, Uchiha Sasuke. Come at me if you have something to say!"
Another brat jumped out.
The black-robed person: "…"
"Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke… I must have the wrong people."
"Huh? Is that so? Are there perhaps other Narutos and Sasukes in the village?"
Sakura, hiding at the back, immediately provided a helpful assist.
The black-robed person's entire body stiffened, then he asked, "Is this Konoha? I'm looking for Shinji Naruto and Hidan Sasuke, around 16 or 17 years old…"
He briefly described their height and appearance.
At this point, although Kakashi was still very vigilant, he had a general idea of what was happening.
This guy was clearly tricked!
____________________
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