1: Chapter 1 First Encounter! A Lonely ManifestoThe swing's chains creaked and groaned as Naruto buried his chin deep into the collar of his orange tracksuit, as if that would shut him out all the noise from the outside world.
"Ooh ooh ooh—!"
The headbands thrown up by the graduates gleamed in the setting sun, their metallic reflections stinging Naruto's eyes.
The lively atmosphere that used to excite Naruto the most was now so intense that he couldn't even muster the energy to play pranks.
"The goggles at the very bottom of the pack are the most suitable for him!"
The second-to-last person deliberately raised their voice in a sarcastic tone, which caused a new burst of laughter from the crowd.
Hinata gripped her newly received headband tightly, her fingers turning white, her pale pupils trembling uneasily.
Several times Naruto mustered the courage to try to get through the crowd, but his older brother Neji, who had come to congratulate him, blocked his view with an expressionless face.
(Click)
His fingernails dug unconsciously into the swing's wooden planks; the mockery of Iruka-sensei's "incompetence" caused Naruto even more stomach cramps.
I'm used to it.but today I really want a friend to put their arm around me, even if it's just someone like Sasuke who only says "tch" with a cold face.
Naruto's mind was filled with his past ambitions to become Hokage, and even the warm sunset couldn't stop his heart from sinking.
Along with her emotions, her consciousness gradually faded as she plummeted into the abyss, and even the surrounding noise seemed to disappear.
When Naruto came to his senses again, he was surprised to find himself in an unfamiliar place.
"Huh?Where am I?"
Naruto spun around twice.Beneath his feet was a straight, matte black road, with an endless abyss of mist on both sides and behind him.
Directly ahead, a towering, seemingly endless black wall stands majestically.At the end of the road, at the foot of the wall, a large gate emitting a soft white light stands silently.
The light wasn't dazzling; instead, it brought a long-lost warmth, like the aroma of pork bone broth simmered by Uncle Ichiraku, inexplicably drawing Naruto forward.
(Swish)
After passing through the portal, the first thing that catches the eye is an exceptionally spacious hall that seems to have no boundaries.
The portal disappeared after Naruto entered, but the hall space, now devoid of its only light source, remained remarkably clear.
Then, Naruto noticed two boy-like figures lying on the ground, who looked slightly older than him.
A man lay sprawled on his back, his red sleeveless vest revealing his chest, wearing blue knee-length shorts, and a tattered straw hat askew behind his head.
He grinned, as if laughing in a dream, and most strikingly, a huge snot bubble hung from his nose—
Naruto had never seen such exaggerated bubbles before and couldn't help but wonder if someone had stuffed bubble gum up his nostrils before he went to sleep.
In contrast, the other person's sleeping posture was much more normal.Beneath his orange frizzy hair was a handsome face, and he was wearing a long black coat, looking very.well.fashionable?
But the heavy sword he was holding, the furrowed brows he kept, and the active eyes under his eyelids, as if he were fighting a nightmare in his sleep, undoubtedly revealed that this person was extraordinary.
Strangely, Naruto was certain that he had never met the two before, but he felt a sense of familiarity with them upon their first meeting.
With a sliver of hope that he might make friends, and more importantly, with no clue about the current situation, Naruto could only try asking the two "locals" who were sleeping there.
So Naruto mustered his courage and tiptoed to the more amiable-looking straw-hat boy, staring at the exaggerated snot bubble for a long time before finally reaching out his hand—
"Smack!"
The soft popping of the bubbles was particularly crisp in the hall.
"Huh?These bubbles are real!"
Naruto squatted down next to the straw hat boy, staring wide-eyed at his snotty fingers, and wiped them disgustingly on his pants.
"Mmm.meat." The straw-hat boy smacked his lips sleepily, scratched his nose, turned over and continued sleeping.
"Hey!Wake up!" Naruto couldn't help but push his shoulder."Where am I?Who are you people?"
"Um...?"
The straw-hatted boy rubbed his eyes and sat up, his straw hat tilted to the back of his head.He looked around blankly, his gaze finally settling on Naruto's face with its six adorable mustaches, and he grinned.
"Wow!A raccoon dog, haha!"
Upon hearing this, Naruto immediately straightened his back and retorted:
"What raccoon dog?I'm a fox spirit.ah, no, that's not right."
Then Naruto slammed his thumb into his chest, grinning with his signature confident smile, his voice booming as if it would shatter the entire space:
"Listen up!I am Naruto Uzumaki—the man who will become Hokage in the future!"
And not just any Hokage, but the strongest Hokage, surpassing all previous Hokage!I will earn the recognition of the entire Hidden Leaf Village!
"Huh?"
Although Luffy didn't understand what "Hokage" meant at all, the overwhelming aura and indomitable spirit of the other party instantly ignited his fighting spirit.
He jumped up reflexively and roared back defiantly, his voice even louder than Naruto's:
"I am Monkey D.Luffy—the man who will become the Pirate King!I will surpass all previous Pirate Kings!I will let the whole world know of my existence!"
The two stared at each other for a second, then, in perfect unison, put their hands on their hips, threw their heads back, and burst into thunderous laughter:
Hahahaha!
Meanwhile, Ichigo Kurosaki had woken up the moment Naruto made the noise.He nimbly rolled over and sat up, gripping his Zanpakuto tightly with both hands, the blades instinctively aimed at the source of the sound.
Only after confirming that it was not a strangely shaped "void" did he relax slightly and point the blade at the ground.
'Two more lost souls (ordinary spirits) again.They won't let me sleep in peace.Does the Substitute Grim Reaper get overtime pay?'
Looking at the two laughing uncontrollably, Ichigo internally screamed:
"One Piece?Naruto?What kind of ridiculous chuunibyou is this?"Name?
"I just became a substitute Shinigami on my first day, and Rukia didn't teach me how to handle this kind of situation at all!"
However, out of a sense of responsibility, Ichigo gritted his teeth and interrupted their demonic laughter:
"Um, Luffy and Naruto, right?Do you have any unfulfilled wishes?Like, for you to rest in peace and ascend to heaven or something like that."
Upon hearing this, Naruto, who was enjoying himself immensely having finally encountered someone even more "out of touch" than himself, immediately protested:
"Hey, sir!Don't you know the rule of introducing yourself before talking to someone?"
"Besides, we're both perfectly healthy and lively!What's with the 'pregnancy' nonsense?" He pointed to himself and Luffy.
Luffy, oblivious to everything else, nodded vigorously in agreement: "That's right, that's right, who are you, uncle?"
Kurosaki Ichigo, who had just stepped into high school, was instantly blown away by the nicknames given to him by these two "true brats."
Prev Next