thefictionvixens Chapter 355 Karin: No, buddy, Kuroko's showing his Kun-style kick!
Chapter 355 Karin: No, buddy, Kuroko's showing his Kun-style kick!
Chapter 355 Karin: No, buddy, Kuroko's showing his Kun-style kick!
The eyes of Xiang, Sakura, and Kakashi immediately fell on Naruto, who was waving and shouting not far away.
Although the latter's clothes were covered in grass clippings and mud, he was still full of energy and seemed fine except for looking a little disheveled. The three of them breathed a sigh of relief.
However, what followed was their attention being drawn to another boy beside Naruto.
A black-haired boy stood quietly to Naruto's side and slightly behind.
Kakashi's wary and scrutinizing gaze quickly swept over the boy. He had black hair, black eyes, and facial features that were seven or eight parts similar to Naruto's. He was wearing a dark robe, and his clothing style was quite different from that of the Konoha ninjas.
The similar appearance, coupled with the calm and aloof temperament, gave Kakashi a strange sense of déjà vu.
However, seeing Naruto standing happily side by side with the boy, Kakashi's tense nerves finally relaxed. In any case, the person had been found, and he seemed to be unharmed, conscious, and able to communicate normally, which was something to be thankful for.
Thinking of Minato and Kushina, who were exhausted from searching for their son in another world, Kakashi breathed a slight sigh of relief. As long as Naruto was alright, all the questions at hand could be answered gradually.
In contrast, Sakura felt a strange, inexplicable feeling welling up inside her.
Since they appeared, she had keenly noticed that the black-haired boy named Menma had been staring at her for most of the time.
Moreover, the way he looked at me seemed to contain a mixture of wariness and caution, as if something about me had aroused his suspicion.
Why?
Is there anything special about me?
Sakura was secretly puzzled, but she kept her face calm and did not show her doubts.
She decided to suppress her strange feeling and began to carefully examine the other person.
It must be admitted that Menma has the exact same face as Naruto, except for the difference in hair and eye color. In addition, his calm and taciturn demeanor makes him appear composed and reserved, which unexpectedly gives him a handsome look.
Hmm—does he seem a bit like Sasuke?
As Sakura thought this, she couldn't help but nudge Naruto, who was grinning adorably, with her elbow and whisper, half-jokingly and half-seriously, "Naruto, you know what, this guy Menma is actually quite handsome, unlike you who's so silly."
"Huh?!" Caught off guard by the comparison of their appearances, Naruto's smile instantly vanished. He puffed out his cheeks and complained, "Sakura, why are you saying that about me again?!"
He looked aggrieved and muttered resentfully.
Upon hearing this, Xiang couldn't help but glance at Menma a few more times. To be fair, Sakura was right.
When this black-haired Naruto stood quietly without speaking, he was indeed less impulsive and more composed than Naruto, which gave him a unique charm.
However, Xiang glanced at Naruto, who was pouting and sulking, and snorted inwardly, but still firmly stood on her side.
In her eyes, blonde idiots are the most pleasing to the eye!
Even though he's a bit silly, he's still more reliable than anyone else—Hmph, Naruto is the best!
Out of habit, and even more out of curiosity, Kaori pushed up her glasses and secretly activated her Kagura Mind's Eye.
After all, the boy in front of her was Naruto from another world. Xiang really wanted to see if his chakra was as warm and bright as her own Naruto and the Naruto in her dream, like a little sun that never goes out, full of vitality and all things flourishing.
She subtly released her senses, like invisible tentacles, cautiously reaching out to the black-haired boy O who stood quietly not far away.
However, just as their senses touched each other...
"what!"
Xiang let out a soft cry, feeling as if her mind had exploded.
In an instant, her expression changed drastically, and her originally rosy lips lost all color.
In that instant, my consciousness felt as if it had suddenly plummeted from a great height into an abyss, and an indescribable, chilling malice swept over me with overwhelming force.
In Xiang's perception, Menma's chakra outline had lost its human form, replaced by a huge black fox demon crawling in the depths of darkness.
Its size was terrifying, its nine tails swaying slowly like a giant curtain that blotted out the sky, and its whole body exuded a suffocatingly cold killing intent.
The giant fox seemed to sense Xiang's prying eyes and suddenly opened its scarlet vertical pupils to look at her.
In that brief moment of eye contact, Xiang Xin was struck by a shock. She felt as if her heart was being gripped by an invisible hand, her legs suddenly went weak, and she collapsed as if her bones had been removed.
"Karin!"
Sakura, who was standing nearby, reacted quickly and caught Kaori's arm just before she fell, asking with concern, "What's wrong?!"
"Kaori? Are you alright?!" Naruto was also taken aback and quickly went to Kaori's side, his face full of worry and confusion.
He glanced at Xiang's pale face, completely bewildered as to what had happened.
"I----"
At this moment, Xiang leaned weakly against Xiaoying, her face still showing signs of shock.
The shock of the terrifying scene lingered for a long time; her mind went blank, and her hands and feet trembled slightly from the lingering fear.
What exactly was that? Was what I just saw really Menma's chakra?
How could that be human chakra?! Could it just be an illusion—or a misperception caused by my nervousness?!
With a heart full of doubt and unease, Xiangqiang forced himself to calm his wildly pounding heart and struggled to steady himself.
She took a deep breath and carefully extended her sensory tentacles toward Mianma once again.
This time, all that remained in sight was the ordinary flow of chakra. The illusion of the nine-tailed giant fox, the chilling malice, and the suffocating oppression had all vanished without a trace, as if they had never existed.
In Xiang's perception, Menma is just like an ordinary genin, with peaceful and restrained chakra, even a little weak. Could it be that I am seeing things wrong?
Xiang stood there dumbfounded, momentarily bewildered.
The stark contrast made her begin to doubt whether the horrifying scene she had just witnessed was her imagination.
However, deep down, the biting chill from earlier still lingered, preventing her from truly feeling at ease.
"Xiang?" Seeing that Xiang's complexion was still not good and she couldn't speak for a long time, Naruto became even more worried and couldn't help but ask.
Xiang Wensheng suddenly snapped back to reality, shook her head vigorously, and tried her best to shake the unreal fear out of her mind.
She managed to stand up straight and gave Naruto and Sakura a stiff smile: "N-nothing—I was running too fast and I'm a little out of breath."
She made up an excuse on the spot to brush it off.
The perpetrator remained completely unaware of this series of unusual actions.
Mianma stood quietly in place from beginning to end, his expression calm as still water, seemingly oblivious to Xiang's unusual behavior before and after.
Seeing that Xiang had finally recovered, he even showed a gentle and harmless smile.
"You must also be a member of the Uzumaki clan, right?" His tone was just the right amount of friendly warmth.
You remind me a lot of my mother.
As he spoke, he slowly raised one hand and extended it to Xiang in a friendly manner.
It seemed he wanted to shake hands and exchange pleasantries with her.
Mianma's movements were natural, and his dark eyes seemed to be filled with sincere goodwill.
However, Xiang shivered uncontrollably, a chill suddenly running down her back.
The image of that blood-red, giant-eyed fox demon still seemed to linger in her mind, making her feel an inexplicable sense of unease when faced with the boy's friendly smile.
For a moment, she suspected that there was something terrible hidden in the palm of the outstretched hand of the man, something that would kill her if she touched it. This absurd thought made her palms sweat profusely.
She subconsciously took a half step back, without reaching out, but forced a smile and gave a vague "hmm," thus acknowledging that she possessed the bloodline of the Uzumaki clan, while cleverly avoiding direct contact with the other party.
Seeing that Xiang had finally recovered, Naruto was finally relieved.
He turned excitedly to Sakura and Kakashi, eagerly announcing, "Sakura, Kakashi-sensei, wasn't I amazing? I brought Menma back!"
Naruto's face was beaming with excitement and joy, as if Menma wasn't a stranger he had just met, but rather his long-lost brother.
Then, Naruto turned around and enthusiastically introduced Menma to everyone: "Menma, this is Kaori, this is Sakura Haruno, my teammate—and then, this is Kakashi-sensei! Our Team 7's Jonin leader. He may look a bit strange, but he's very reliable when it counts."
After introducing his companions, Naruto turned back to Kakashi and the others, recounting what had just happened, even with a hint of pride in his voice.
Naruto almost blurted out, "You were really fierce when you beat me up just now," but he quickly swallowed the words back and said instead, "Uh, we just had a quick sparring session. Menma's taijutsu is amazing!"
Kakashi coughed lightly upon hearing this, a look of helplessness in his eyes.
However, his gaze quickly returned to Xiang. The girl's face had not yet fully regained its color, and her eyes darted around warily, her vigilance evident.
Clearly, her Kagura Mind's Eye perception must have detected something unusual just now.
Thinking of this, Kakashi's smile gradually faded, and a look of seriousness appeared between his brows.
Mái Má — he doesn't seem as simple as he appears.
Naruto, being a carefree and thick-skinned guy, was completely oblivious to what was going on. But Kakashi, a seasoned Konoha technician, had already sensed something was amiss through his intuition.
At this moment, Naruto was completely unaware of Kakashi and Kaoru's wariness.
He announced to everyone with a beaming smile, "Great news! Menma is out of danger! He said he only encountered a small problem before, but everything's fine now! Once we get back, he'll be reunited with his parents!"
Kakashi frowned slightly upon hearing this, sighed softly, and reminded him, "Naruto, don't be so reckless next time. You're just charging in like an idiot by yourself. What if you run into a real enemy?"
"Hey, Kakashi-sensei, everything's been resolved, hasn't it?" Naruto chuckled and scratched his head when Kakashi said this, which was unusually serious. "Besides, it wasn't a bad guy who showed up this time, it was Menma! What's there to worry about?"
He waved his hand dismissively, his face showing complete indifference.
Seeing Naruto's optimistic demeanor, completely oblivious to the danger, Kaori couldn't help but anxiously call out, "Naruto, can you please stop—"
She stopped abruptly as soon as she spoke.
Xiang Xin grew increasingly worried. Naruto was far too careless. He treated Menma as just another younger brother who needed care, without considering what the other might be hiding.
After spending time with that dream version of Naruto, Naruto had already gotten used to calling his other self "brother," and now he naturally treated Menma in the same way—but was Menma really worthy of such complete trust?
Xiang glanced at Mianma; the boy remained standing quietly, a faint, gentle smile on his face, making him utterly impeccable.
However, the fleeting silhouette of the giant black fox made it impossible for her to truly feel at ease.
The atmosphere became tense and awkwardly frozen for a moment.
Naruto clapped his hands and enthusiastically suggested, "Alright, alright, let's not talk about that anymore! Menma rarely comes to our area, and he can only stay for a day. I want to show him around Konoha Village and let him see how our world is different from his!"
As he spoke, he turned to look at Menma, his eyes seemingly sparkling with excitement. "Menma, what do you think?"
Are you interested?
Upon hearing Naruto's suggestion, Menma raised an eyebrow slightly, looking at the enthusiastic blond boy in front of him with a half-smile.
His businesslike, indifferent smile relaxed slightly, finally revealing a more genuine expression: "Oh? Very well, I'm also quite curious—what is Konoha like in your world?"
As he spoke, he slowly raised his head and looked into the distance, his gaze sweeping over the towering Hokage Rock in the center of Konoha Village before finally settling on the statue of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze.
"It seems the difference between the two worlds is quite significant." Menma added calmly in a low voice, his tone ambiguous, neither expressing a sense of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a feeling of deep emotion) nor sarcasm.
"Then what are we waiting for! Let's go!" Naruto was overjoyed and grabbed Menma's arm, leading the way towards the village.
"Hey, Naruto, wait for us!" Sakura called out to his retreating figure with a mix of amusement and exasperation, then jogged after him with Kakashi.
Xiang also quickly started walking. Her legs were still a little weak from what she had just experienced, but she gritted her teeth and kept up with the last one.
The group of five left the training ground and headed towards the center of Konoha Village.
Xiang walked a little slower, but her eyes remained vigilantly fixed on the black figure in front of her.
Naruto affectionately linked arms with Menma, chatting and laughing like they were old friends, but Kaori still felt uneasy.
Xiang clenched her fists tightly, continuing to watch Mianma warily, not daring to be careless in the slightest.
Shops opened one after another on the streets of Konoha Village, and the number of pedestrians gradually increased.
Naruto led the way with Menma, taking on the role of a dutiful tour guide. He excitedly pointed to the shops along the roadside and the buildings in the distance, stopping at interesting spots to enthusiastically introduce them: "That forest over there, there were lots of interesting animals living in it!"
"Almost there, almost there! The red bean tricolor meatballs sold at that shop up ahead are especially delicious!"
He spoke animatedly, recounting all the anecdotes about Konoha that he knew without reservation, while Menma mostly listened quietly, occasionally nodding or giving a soft "hmm," his expression calm and unperturbed.
The boy's dark eyes slowly scanned his surroundings, taking in the entirety of this village that was both familiar and unfamiliar.
When Menma's gaze swept over the huge statue faces on the distant mountain wall again, he suddenly paused slightly, his eyes fixed on the statue of the Fourth Hokage.
"Is the Fourth Hokage truly the father of this world?"
Upon hearing this, Naruto, who had been speaking fluently, paused for a moment, then followed Menma's gaze to the Hokage Rock and nodded emphatically, saying, "That's right! My father is the Fourth Hokage!"
Naruto straightened his chest, his face filled with pride and respect.
"He is the hero who saved Konoha."
"snort."
Upon hearing this, Menma merely let out a cold snort from his nose, saying with a half-smile, "A hero, huh?"
Oh----"
The indifference and dismissive tone in his voice caused Kakashi and Sakura, who were following behind, to frown in unison.
Just then, a middle-aged man's face suddenly peeked out from a familiar shop by the roadside: "Yo! Naruto!"
The man, wearing an apron, waved enthusiastically in their direction. "Up so early today! Want to come over for a bowl of ramen? Freshly made bone broth!"
"Hehe! It's the ramen uncle!" Naruto's eyes lit up at the mention of ramen, and his stomach rumbled in agreement. He swallowed hard and returned a wide grin: "Great! I'm actually a little hungry!"
He immediately grabbed Menma's wrist excitedly and suggested with a grin, "Come on, come on, I'll treat you to Ichiraku Ramen! Their ramen in the whole Konoha region is the best!"
However, Menma was not touched by his enthusiasm. Instead, she expressionlessly pulled her hand back from Naruto's hand: "Forget it, I hate eating ramen the most."
Upon hearing this, not only Naruto was stunned, but Sakura and Kaori also couldn't help but show surprised expressions.
Naruto's eyes widened, his mouth agape in disbelief: "W-what?! Someone actually hates ramen?!"
The owner of Ichiraku Ramen also stood frozen at the entrance, and after a long while, he chuckled awkwardly, "Haha, it's okay if you don't like ramen, there are plenty of other good restaurants nearby —"
Naruto scratched his head, somewhat disappointed, and waved goodbye, "Then we won't bother you any longer, goodbye, Uncle!"
After saying that, he continued walking forward with Mianma, but the excitement on his face had faded somewhat.
Menma, however, was completely oblivious. His gaze continued to wander along both sides of the street, his expression indifferent and calm, but anyone could tell that the air pressure around him seemed to have dropped several degrees.
Actually, along the way, not only the boss, but also several villagers who passed by greeted Naruto warmly.
These warm greetings came one after another, and everyone who met Naruto had a kind smile on their face.
As Menma watched Naruto interact familiarly with the villagers and saw the genuine smiles on their faces, he felt a corner of his heart crumbling and collapsing, giving rise to dark and cold emotions.
His dark, pockmarked eyes narrowed slightly, revealing a turbulent undercurrent within them.
He silently watched the radiant Naruto beside him, feeling a tightness in his throat, a burning fire within him with nowhere to vent, searing him with pain.
Finally, he could no longer suppress it.
"Hey, Naruto—"
—
"Hmm? What's wrong? Is your face numb?"
Hearing this, Ma slowly stopped and asked, "You're so popular and well-regarded in this village—is that because of this?"
"Hmm? Because of what?"
Naruto was stunned, not understanding Menma's meaning for a moment, and turned to look at him in confusion.
Menma raised his hand and pointed to the statue of Minato on the Hokage Rock in the distance.
Menma's gaze slowly moved down, finally settling on Naruto's flat stomach.
"I can sense that you're also a Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, right?"
As his emotions surged, Menma's deliberately maintained indifferent tone became increasingly out of control.
"But why—why aren't they afraid of you, hate you, or see you as a monster?!"
One question after another poured out of Mianma's mouth.
He suddenly took half a step closer to Naruto, staring intently into the other's eyes: "You have the Nine-Tails sealed inside you, a monster that only brings disaster and hatred! Yet you can still laugh so happily. It seems you've had a very happy life since you were a child?!"
"N- ...
The pockmarked face was still exactly like his own, but now those dark eyes were filled with intense resentment and unwillingness.
In just a few words, Mianma's voice trembled with excitement, and cracks finally appeared on his calm mask, revealing a deep-seated hatred and indignation.
Kakashi and Sakura, who were following behind, both changed their expressions upon hearing this.
The two looked at each other and saw shock and pity in each other's eyes.
Yes, Menma's questioning instantly reminded them of the cold shoulders, neglect, and isolation Naruto suffered in his childhood.
For a long time, the villagers truly viewed Naruto as a vessel for a monster, avoiding him, fearing him, and hating him.
Menma's words undoubtedly indicate that in his world, he also experienced the same or even more cruel fate than Naruto.
Thinking of this, a pang of sorrow swept through their hearts.
Looking at Menma's expression, Sakura unconsciously felt less wary and more pity.
Naruto's smiling face froze as Menma questioned him angrily.
He stared blankly at the numb face, as if burned by the hatred in the other person's words, unable to speak for a long time.
After a long while, his shoulders slumped slightly, the smile on his lips faded little by little, and his once bright eyes dimmed.
He looked away, no longer meeting Mianma's bloodshot eyes, but instead lowered his head to stare at the tips of his shoes, and said in a muffled voice, "—They used to hate me too."
Naruto's voice was filled with suppressed bitterness. He had to admit that his dark childhood, when he was ostracized by the entire village, was a past he didn't want to recall but could never forget.
Upon hearing Naruto's answer, Menma's anger flickered, but he did not launch any new questions.
He pursed his lips tightly, remaining silent, but his breathing was still rapid, clearly indicating that he had not yet calmed down.
Silence followed for a long time.
Just as the atmosphere became so tense it seemed to freeze, Naruto slowly took a deep breath, raised his head, and looked directly at Menma.
"But that's all in the past! Things are completely different now!"
"Now everyone accepts and acknowledges me! All of this is thanks to that other me!"
As he said this, a radiant smile spread across his face.
"It was another version of me that changed everyone's perception of me! Without him, perhaps I wouldn't have the truly recognized life I have now."
"The other one—you?" Menma's flushed face suddenly changed, shock and doubt flashed in his eyes, but the ferocious pain on his face disappeared instantly upon hearing these words.
Menma regained his composure, only narrowing his eyes slightly as he repeated incredulously, "You mean—that troublesome guy? Isn't he your brother?"
"Brother?" Naruto was taken aback by the question, scratching his head sheepishly before stammering, "Where would I get a brother? Why do you keep thinking I have one?"
"Wait a minute!" Before Mianma could answer, Xiang suddenly shouted and took a step forward.
Her actions took everyone by surprise. In an instant, she flashed between Naruto and Menma, grabbed Naruto, and pulled him behind her, separating him from Menma.
"Smells good?!" Sakura, Naruto, and Kakashi were all startled and opened their eyes wide to look at the red-haired girl who had suddenly blocked their way.
Xiang's face was still somewhat pale, but her expression was more resolute than ever before.
She glared angrily at Mianma across from her, adopting a defensive stance.
"Menma." Kaori's voice trembled as she questioned, "How do you know about Naruto in the dream?!"
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