Chapter 587: Mrs. Kushina Smoking Behind the Supermarket
After reading Shiromo's file, Naruto didn't find anything unusual.
In fact, compared to the Shiromo from the real ninja world, this version was almost too ordinary.
He was born in Amegakure, came to Konoha to work, and after saving enough money, opened a supermarket.
As far as his background and life story went, he wasn't much different from Uncle Teuchi.
After returning the file, Naruto thought about it for a moment. The reason he kept having to come back and gather more information was mainly his own fault.
He had no memories of this world's original self, so he had to rely on intelligence to fill in the gaps. Otherwise, it would be very easy for something to go wrong.
So, under the archivist's speechless gaze, Naruto simply requested a file on himself.
He wanted to check his relationships with everyone and then memorize everything using the Shadow Clone Memory Method. That way, he wouldn't have to worry anymore.
After reading his own file, Naruto felt a headache coming on.
In this world, Shiromo really was his friend.
The problem was that in this world, he was practically a social butterfly. He had far too many friends.
They were spread all over the ninja world.
Fortunately, he had the Shadow Clone Memory Method. Otherwise, there was no way he could have memorized them all.
That made Naruto think of his father, Namikaze Minato, who had been slapped by his mother yesterday. Had he inherited his father's social butterfly nature in this world?
As for the phrase, "Just going out to buy a pack of cigarettes is enough to run into nine people who've slept with you," Naruto only paid attention to the second half.
He had no idea whether his mother smoked in the real ninja world.
As far as he was concerned, adults could do whatever they wanted.
He had only ever met two living Hokage.
The Third smoked.
The Fifth drank.
Now that his mom was Hokage too, smoking didn't seem strange at all.
Naruto was happily celebrating the fact that he had so many friends in this world.
What he never imagined was that the very foundation of the Engraved Tsukuyomi world was to make him deeply understand the harm caused by bullying and realize that kindness without judgment only becomes an accomplice to evil.
So, next...
Naruto shamelessly finished every snack he had bought from the supermarket while sitting in the library. He was afraid that if he brought them home, his mom would beat him up.
After leaving the library, Naruto decided it was time to start training. The first thing he needed to do was master the Nine-Tails' chakra.
He had experienced the power of Nine-Tails Chakra Mode in the real world.
As far as he was concerned, if he wanted to survive in this ninja world, the first step was reclaiming his power.
Since he himself was the incarnation of the demon fox in this world, using his own power should be easy, right?
Naruto found a training ground and began practicing.
While training, he remembered a line from his personal file that he simply couldn't understand.
"The report says Mom had red hair when she was little and was also the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki, so people gave her the nickname 'Little Fox Spirit Matchmaker.'
Then why is my nickname 'Little Fox Spirit Trap'? What does that even mean?"
As he trained, Naruto kept thinking about those words, completely confused.
Wasn't a trap Kirigakure's specialty?
He, the great Uzumaki Naruto, was a manly man! How did he resemble some delicate little trap?
However...
"Huh?"
Naruto suddenly opened his eyes.
While training, he suddenly felt short of breath and a tightness in his chest. Looking down, he discovered that... somehow, there was a little something extra on his chest.
Naruto was completely stunned. He hurriedly checked for the switch to Sage Mode.
Sure enough, it was gone.
"What's going on? I didn't use the Sexy Jutsu!"
Naruto was utterly dumbfounded.
He wondered if he had unconsciously used the Transformation Jutsu, but after trying to dispel it, he still failed.
What on earth was happening?
At least he really could use the Nine-Tails' chakra now.
But in the real ninja world, he had been able to use both Nine-Tails Chakra Mode and Sage Mode at the same time.
And Sage Mode was the one he was most familiar with. Mastering it again in this world should have taken only minutes.
But now the switch was gone.
What was he supposed to do?
Wait.
A thought suddenly flashed through Naruto's mind.
Now forcibly transformed into Naruko, Naruto left the training ground. After wandering around the village, he discovered that Konoha didn't even have the famous Bottle-Kun Ninja Tools Shop from the real ninja world.
With no other choice, Naruto headed to his old standby—the supermarket—planning to buy a cucumber as a temporary substitute.
After all the delays, evening had already fallen, and the supermarket was closing.
Naruto was just about to hurry over and call out to Shiromo, asking him to wait until after he finished shopping before closing up, when he suddenly spotted a familiar figure.
Naruto immediately covered his mouth and hid to the side.
—It was his Mother, Kushina!
Naruto was already terrified of her.
Not just because of the beating she had given him, but because of her overwhelming presence and everything her files had revealed between the lines.
He didn't dare resist her at all.
If it had been some other dictator Hokage, Naruto might have tried to fight back with the Talk-no-Jutsu of justice.
But Kushina was his mother.
How could he dare?
Besides, in his current trap appearance, wouldn't he get beaten up the moment she saw him?
Wait.
He couldn't even call himself a trap anymore.
He had completely become a girl!
The thought filled Naruto with despair.
'Impossible! My 2D body was unbeatable!'
'My 2D body! Please come back! I swear I'll never hit you again!'
Naruto secretly watched from his hiding place.
As the supermarket owner, Shiromo had already pulled down the shutter. Inside, his mother, who had come to buy cigarettes, was helping tidy up. Then, right in front of Shiromo, she casually pocketed a pack of cigarettes from the counter.
Oh, right.
Naruto remembered.
Yesterday, Mom had mentioned that just going out to buy a pack of cigarettes...
Wait!
Naruto's eyes widened in horror.
Could Shiromo be one of those nine people who had slept with Dad?
Fortunately, Naruto was worrying for nothing. What happened next immediately erased that fear.
Mrs. Kushina stood behind the supermarket, leaning comfortably against the doorway while smoking.
After taking a few leisurely drags, she shifted her gaze toward Shiromo.
Kushina slowly walked over.
Watching this, Naruto trembled with fear and silently mourned for Shiromo.
'Looks like Shiromo-nii is about to become another victim of Mom.'
Kushina pressed Shiromo against the wall with a kabedon. She blew a mouthful of smoke directly into his face, narrowed her eyes, and questioned him.
"What happened between you and the Mizukage yesterday? We finished the Five Kage Summit, and that's what you went off to do?"
"She said I looked like the man of her dreams."
"So?"
"So you gave it to her?"
"She insisted."
"She insisted, so you gave it to her?!"
Obviously, with Naruto's level of education, he had absolutely no idea what that conversation actually meant.
But even if he didn't understand the words, he understood what happened next.
After getting angry, Kushina maintained the kabedon position and directly pressed Shiromo's head against the wall with her own forehead.
"Thank goodness. At least Shiromo-nii isn't involved with my dad."
Seeing that, Naruto immediately let out a sigh of relief.
"Huh?"
"Wait... something feels wrong..."
(End of this chapter)