Chapter 619: Naruto's Ninja Way
"What's everyone so busy with?" Naruto wandered the street alone, hands laced behind his head, a look of utter confusion on his face.
He saw groups of people rushing about, hauling firewood and starting large bonfires.
He jumped, startled, thinking some disaster had struck. But when he learned it was an order from Tsunade, he didn't interfere.
Sasuke and Sakura were on a mission in the Land of Grass, and Kakashi had also been dispatched on an urgent assignment. With absolutely nothing to do, Naruto went to bother Iruka again.
Iruka was exasperated. He had practically been "exiled a thousand leagues" by the Hokage. Now, with Uchiha Madara attacking the shinobi world, the village had recalled nearly all its externally stationed ninja. He hadn't even had a chance to catch his breath, and the "Prince" (the Hokage's son) was already at his door.
The affair with Ino and Hinata had apparently kicked off a new trend. What trend? More competition!
This time, their friends were competing over marriage.
A whole wave of parents had begun pressuring their children.
"You're not young anymore, it's time to settle down and start a family!"
Or: "I think so-and-so's daughter is quite nice. You two should give it a try. If it works out, you can get married by the end of the year!"
Ino and Hinata, Choji and Karui, Sasuke and Sakura—these three pairs were already considered set.
The remaining single ninja were all facing intense marriage pressure from home.
Kiba Inuzuka had it the worst. It wasn't that he and Nekobaa's granddaughter didn't have feelings—on the contrary, they got along great. But they were constantly at each other's throats over the "cats vs. dogs" debate. Asking Kiba to marry her now? That was practically a death sentence.
Naruto was also deeply bothered by this. He didn't even understand the concept of marriage. He had always assumed he and Shion just clicked well, that they were good comrades and friends. But recently, even his dense self had begun to realize there was... something else, something he didn't quite get.
Jiraiya couldn't exactly explain those things in detail. What was he supposed to do? Give him a live-action, practical demonstration?
Naruto had so many questions his own father answered vaguely, so he took them to Iruka.
But how was Iruka supposed to answer those kinds of questions?
"There's no helping it... let's go get ramen!" There was no problem a bowl of ramen couldn't solve. And if it couldn't, they'd just have another.
When they entered Ichiraku Ramen, they were surprised to find another customer already there.
Iruka paused, then walked over. "Captain Yamato?"
Anbu members didn't wear their masks when off-duty. Iruka, though not a high-ranking ninja himself, knew a great number of people in the village. He'd seen Yamato around, though they weren't well-acquainted.
At this moment, "Yamato" was hunched over a large bowl, slurping his noodles noisily—sluurp, sluurp—looking as if he was thoroughly enjoying himself.
Is he really that hungry? Hasn't he eaten in days? Iruka didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Naruto, however, immediately felt a sense of camaraderie with this "Captain Yamato." In his mind, what bad intentions could a ninja who loves ramen possibly have?
He looked over with a wide grin, only to suddenly catch a glimpse of extremely dense, profound malice in "Yamato's" eyes.
Naruto trusted his instincts implicitly. In a single motion, he lunged forward and yanked Iruka backward.
The next second, "Yamato" pulled a crystal orb from his robes. Inside it swirled a bizarre, single eye. Naruto instinctively glanced at it, felt himself enveloped in a blinding white light, and instantly lost consciousness.
In a world between dream and reality, Naruto found himself living a wonderful childhood. Both his parents were alive, his family was happy, and he grew up cherished and loved. His friends all envied him. Sasuke wasn't consumed by hatred, Ino wasn't so dazzlingly prominent, and the entire world was harmonious. Finally, amid the blessings of everyone he knew, he became the Hokage.
It's so wonderful... I want to live here forever.
His soul sank into the deepest recesses of his consciousness.
Tobi put the item away.
Sealed within it was one of Obito's genjutsu.
It was a world created in reference to Itachi Uchiha's Tsukuyomi. It was Obito's original backup plan: if the Infinite Tsukuyomi failed, he would live out his days in this genjutsu world with Rin Nohara.
It was purely experimental, incredibly unstable, and riddled with flaws. Anyone with half a brain could see the inconsistencies. Obito eventually deemed it worthless and abandoned the prototype.
Zetsu had inherited most of his... legacy, and this item, which seemed more like a toy, had eventually found its way into Tobi's hands.
"Captain Yamato, what... what happened to Naruto?" Iruka asked, completely oblivious to what had transpired in that split second.
"Hahahaha! The little guy's just exhausted. He needs a few days' rest. See? He's even smiling in his sleep." Tobi gestured for Iruka to look. It was true. Naruto often smiled, but never this warmly, this peacefully. It was as if he had finally set down a thousand-ton burden and returned to being a normal seventeen-year-old.
That heartfelt smile made Iruka's heart ache. This kid... he's really carrying far too much.
"I'll take Naruto home. You head back first, Iruka." Tobi slung the unconscious Naruto over his shoulder, waved with slightly exaggerated enthusiasm, and began to walk out of the ramen shop.
Just as he was passing Iruka, Iruka suddenly spun, drawing a kunai and slamming it backward in a reverse grip, aimed straight at Tobi's heart.
"Hm? Did I give myself away?" Yamato himself was an elite Jōnin. After Tobi possessed him, his physical stats were enhanced, not to mention that Wood Release users naturally possess superior strength, speed, and constitution. To Tobi, Iruka's meticulously-timed strike was still a bit slow.
Still carrying Naruto, he formed a one-handed seal. A thick, thorny vine erupted from the floorboards, striking at Iruka's throat like a viper.
Iruka unleashed his full potential, a mere Chūnin desperately trying to maneuver against a Kage-level opponent. He gritted his teeth and ducked, but Tobi just flicked a finger, and the several-meter-long vine swept sideways.
The tables, bowls, and walls of the ramen shop were pulverized by the impact.
Teuchi was away at a ramen competition in a neighboring country. Only his 20-year-old daughter, Ayame, was working the shop.
Faced with the sudden, violent attack, the young woman froze completely.
Tobi's "Wood Release: Cutting Technique" had just demolished the shop's main load-bearing wall. The heavy roof beam began to topple... directly toward Ayame.
"Ayame!" Iruka lunged, but he was too far.
"I've got her." Minato Namikaze, leading a patrol, arrived first. He flashed in at the last possible second, snatching Ayame from the path of the collapsing rubble.
Iruka stared hard at the imposter. "Who are you? You are definitely not Captain Yamato!"
Right in front of them, Tobi's form reverted to its familiar swirling-mask shape. He had no discernible features, yet they could all feel his "gaze" fixated on them.
Shinobi began arriving from all directions.
In moments, over fifty Anbu operatives had Tobi surrounded, kunai drawn, waiting for the Hokage's command.
Tobi, still carrying Naruto, glanced left and right, showing not a single trace of fear.
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