Door. Apprentice?
Sequence? Beyonder?
Questions flooded Naruto Uzumaki's mind, but before he could speak, he suddenly felt a violent change within his body.
The bulky white worm inside him seemed to come alive, sprouting thin tentacles that constantly stimulated every cell of his body.
In the next moment, Naruto convulsed uncontrollably and collapsed onto the ground, shaking violently as if having a spasm.
Pain, along with countless chaotic noises, filled his brain!
"Ugh ah ah ah."
Veins bulging on his forehead, his face turning bright red and purple, Naruto let out a miserable scream.
It felt as if a worm was slowly gnawing at his flesh from the inside, devouring him bit by bit until nothing was left.
The scene before his eyes quickly blurred. His soul seemed to leave his body, pulled by an unknown force, flying into a deep and mysterious space.
A dark and illusory path suddenly appeared before him. Without awareness, Naruto stepped onto it, wrapped by streaks of starlight, moving deeper and deeper.
After a moment, Naruto left that illusory path, and the view suddenly opened wide.
He found himself in an endless vast universe, filled with countless dazzling stars converging into a brilliant orb, naturally orbiting like a planet.
The flowing trails of starlight formed countless layers of intricate doors.
Beyond those layered doors lay a profound and strange world, completely beyond reason.
At this moment, his thoughts were fleeting yet clear, like a sober drunk, uncontrollably drifting toward those layers of starlight doors.
"Hold on, this is the critical moment."
Just as Naruto's consciousness dimmed, he suddenly heard Orochimaru's voice: "Do not let the Beyonder Characteristics control you, or you will be devoured by 'it'!"
Originally, Naruto was about to fall into the many layers of doors that kept folding one after another, completely drawn in.
Suddenly, he snapped back to his senses and held tightly to his willpower.
In that instant, Naruto seemed to understand those layered doors made of starlight.
At that moment, his consciousness sharply sank down and reunited with his separated body!
The starry layered doors vanished, and the blurry world suddenly dispersed. He was pulled back from the strange, mystical world into reality.
When he woke up again, the laboratory scene returned to normal.
But Naruto still felt his head swelling, as if it would burst. Everything he saw had countless overlapping afterimages.
Faint whispers of unknown origin echoed in his ears:
"Come here."
"Come here."
"Come here."
Those calls seemed to deeply imprint a starry sky onto Naruto's mind.
"What... exactly just happened?"
Naruto clenched his teeth against the sharp pain in his head, shaking his heavy, dizzy mind.
"Orochimaru, I feel awful. There's a voice inside my head." His eyes reddened, showing restless madness he could no longer hide, and his tone sounded off.
"You just absorbed the 'Beyonder Characteristics.' It's normal for the power to overflow."
Orochimaru explained calmly, "Try to imagine an object in your mind—something common and simple. Focus all your attention on it, repeating and tracing it over and over. The more details, the better. That way, you can control the overflow of your power."
Item?
Naruto instinctively imagined the Konoha forehead protector in his mind. As his imagination deepened, the wild, restless voice gradually faded away.
"Congratulations. From now on, you are a 'Beyonder'."
Orochimaru sat back down, resting his right hand on his chin, smiling. "The first thing I promised you is done, Naruto-kun."
"Is this what being a Beyonder feels like?"
Uzumaki Naruto carefully savored the feeling. Strange 'memories' were suddenly implanted into his mind.
The ability to open doors was his only 'Beyonder power' so far. Thanks to the unique nature of the spirit realm, neither walls nor doors could block his passage.
Still childish at heart, Naruto was eager to test his new power right after receiving it.
He approached the laboratory wall, gently placing his palm against it, silently meditating to connect with the spirit world.
Suddenly, a faint blue, intangible, blurry door appeared embedded in the wall. Below it, the brick marks were still visible, which was quite surprising.
Naruto swallowed nervously and tried to pass through the door.
Then, he found himself outside the laboratory. The faint blue, watery-looking door vanished without a trace.
"This is amazing!"
Uzumaki Naruto rushed into the laboratory through the nearby door, his face glowing with excitement and joy. But he quickly calmed down and looked at Orochimaru.
"It feels incredible, but... I think I can only open doors? What's the use of that?"
Although the Beyonder ability was amazing, just opening doors left Naruto a bit disappointed.
After all, while a ninja can't pass through walls or create doors out of thin air, breaking through a wall isn't such a difficult task, right?
"Heh, don't be so impatient, Naruto-kun."
Orochimaru smiled slightly and pressed down his palm, signaling him to stay calm.
"You are only at Sequence 9 right now, just stepping onto the Beyonder pathway. When you advance to Sequence 4, you will completely surpass the mortal level and enter the realm of the 'Demigod.' That will be the true beginning."
"Why are Sequence 9 and Sequence 4 counted backward?" Naruto looked at Orochimaru with confusion. "So the highest is Sequence 1?"
"No, it's 'Sequence 0.'"
A trace of longing appeared in Orochimaru's eyes. His voice became hoarse as he said, "Also called the True God, a great existence that completely transcends biological levels and stands at the peak of the rules!"
True God Sequence 0!
Inside Naruto's heart, an endless yearning suddenly arose.
"When will you tell me the truth?" he asked Orochimaru.
"Not yet. You are too weak, Naruto-kun."
Orochimaru shook his head calmly. "At your current level, knowing the truth would only bring disaster. You must at least reach Sequence 4, the Demigod level, before you're qualified to know the full truth."
"Sequence 4, huh… I understand!"
Naruto clenched his fist quietly and said in a deep voice, "I will work hard to advance to Sequence 4 as soon as possible!"
"That's good. I like your spirit, but the path of sequences must never be rushed."
Orochimaru showed a look of appreciation but shook his head. "This path is dangerous. Every step needs to be taken steadily. You must fully digest the magical potion before advancing to the next step. Otherwise, even a small mistake will cause you to be consumed by 'Madness.' You should have felt it when you absorbed the 'Beyonder Characteristics,' right?"
Hearing this, Naruto nodded with lingering fear. "Yes, I almost got consumed."
"Unfortunately, it was still a bit rough."
Looking at the struggling Naruto Uzumaki, Orochimaru seemed a little regretful. He sighed and said, "I don't have the potion for the 'door' path. The 'White Tower' path doesn't suit you either. So, you can only forcibly absorb the 'Beyonder Characteristic.' Although the process is a bit painful, it's not dangerous."
"Are there many other paths?"
Naruto asked curiously.
"Of course."
Orochimaru nodded slightly, lowering his eyelids. "There are twenty-two paths in total."
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