Both of them instantly tensed up. Naruto signaled Sakura to stay quiet and then pressed himself to the ground, slowly crawling toward the source of the sound.
The summer night offered no moonlight—only the gentle murmur of the stream and the faint rustling of insects. Though soft, these intermittent sounds were enough to catch their attention.
As Naruto crept closer, he caught sight of a vague black shape. He tried to advance further but accidentally stepped on a thin branch, which snapped with a crisp "crack."
Naruto's eyelids twitched. He froze in place, standing completely still. The shadow seemed startled by the noise and quickly vanished from view.
Damn it… my biggest problem right now is that I can't move freely, Naruto muttered under his breath, frustrated.
Earlier, he had attempted a sneak attack on Orochimaru with a Rasengan from behind, but it was dodged. His attack on Kin had also failed. His most powerful current tactic involved killing a giant serpent to boost morale, but he lacked any illusions or techniques to control the enemy.
This made Naruto feel that he had "a blind spot in some areas." Maybe he could clear the Naruto Maze alone, but in this "multiplayer mode," his weaknesses were far more likely to be exploited.
After this second match, I definitely need to learn some new skills.
Naruto stayed still on the ground for ten minutes. Once he was sure the shadow wouldn't return, he crawled forward, slowly stood up, and examined the area for traces the figure had left behind.
On the grass, he spotted one or two faint footprints—definitely human. Lying nearby was a note with some writing.
Not again… Naruto felt a wave of nausea. For the past couple of days, he had been dreaming of the "mad writings" carved into tree trunks, and it was beginning to take a psychological toll.
Could you just be normal for once?
Still, sensing the note might contain important information, he hesitated only briefly before picking it up.
Written in elegant Japanese calligraphy was a single line:[Ming, let's talk and clear up the misunderstanding.]
Naruto furrowed his brows. He had braced himself for something unpleasant, but the situation once again exceeded his expectations.
Another time traveler? No… if this was a new traveler, why would they use the phrase "clear up the misunderstanding"? That sounded more like someone who had already interacted with them.
The writing on the tree had been crooked and erratic—completely different from this neat, deliberate script.
Naruto didn't respond but showed the note to Sakura.
Like Naruto, she initially assumed it was a new traveler, but she quickly dismissed the idea.
"What does 'Ming' mean? Is it her code name?" Xiaoying frowned slightly.
"I suspect she originally meant something like 'Meet tomorrow at X time in X place.' I must have made noise as I got close, so the shadow ran off. Seems like she only wrote half of it," Naruto explained. He glanced around but saw nothing unusual.
Sakura whispered, "Her words have changed, her actions are cautious and logical, her thinking is normal…"
"I have a theory," Naruto suddenly said.
"Multiple personalities?" Sakura guessed.
"Ha, wow… we're thinking alike," Naruto scratched his head, slightly embarrassed by the sudden lapse of his cleverness.
"She ran with fear in her eyes. That's normal—but it's the exact opposite of her previous 'werewolf' behavior," Sakura added."If I'm right, her insane side craves our approval, while her calm side wants to resolve conflict."
Naruto finally exhaled, relieved.
In reality, he wasn't afraid of Jin's strength—he even found it somewhat amusing. But if this person were truly insane, it would be a different story. Crazy people were unpredictable; they might do things that could ruin your mental state.
As long as she behaves normally… we can proceed step by step. Sooner or later, she'll find us.
"But what if she goes crazy again? Even if she calms down, can we really get rid of her?"
Naruto remained silent. He hated the idea of killing someone mentally ill. Patients shouldn't be sent to the execution ground—they should be sent to a hospital. Unfortunately, this was the ninja world.
"All we can do is interact with her. At least we should listen to her thoughts—then we can better anticipate her actions," Naruto said.
After discussing a few possibilities, Naruto signaled Sakura to sleep while he stayed on guard. His eyes caught the faint dark circles under hers, and he pulled a small white snake from his sleeve.
Over the past two days, he had occasionally fed the little snake some fish. It remained healthy.
Naruto studied the snake for a moment. How does this thing work?
After some thought, he brought his lips close to the snake."Hey, hey, Hongdou, are you there? If you can hear me, respond."
After a moment, the little snake paused and began speaking in human language:"I'm here. What's up?"
Oh, it's a walkie-talkie.
Naruto carefully chose his words and spoke in a low voice:"According to our investigation, the Sound Village was founded by Orochimaru. The three Sound ninja participating in the Chunin Exam are all under his command. They attacked Uchiha Sasuke yesterday. Their motives are unclear."
He deliberately emphasized unclear motives, hoping Hongdou would think he wasn't all-knowing.
There was a brief silence before the snake continued in human language:"Understood. I'll keep an eye on these three. If necessary, I'll report to the Hokage."
"No need. Two of the three are already dead. Only Kin Hammer remains. I need you to locate her—she's dangerous."
The snake paused, seemingly processing the information. Naruto held it, scanning the surroundings calmly, neither rushed nor hesitant.
"...What abilities does Kin have? Why is she dangerous?"
Heh, I can't tell you everything.
Naruto thought for a moment before replying:"She can attack and disrupt with bells, and she also knows the Shadow Clone Jutsu. As for why she's dangerous… her mental state is unstable."
"Understood. I'll notify you immediately if there's news."
Hongdou ended the call, put the snake back in his pocket, and made his way to the Chunin Exam monitoring room.
It was a modern room equipped with numerous surveillance cameras. Some Chunin examiners and ANBU members had gathered to discuss exam details.
For safety, Hongdou decided to report Orochimaru's involvement but concealed her prior interactions with him and Naruto. She only stated that her curse mark had activated and reported on the death of the Kusanagi swordsman.
Meanwhile, she also checked Naruto Uzumaki's file and discovered that he had the Nine-Tails sealed within him.
I see… he must have grown up in extremely harsh conditions to develop these abilities, Hongdou thought.
But she had her own opinions about Kin.
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All the fanfiction is 30-chapter ahead but this "A Witty Life in the Naruto World" is 30 chapters ahead there