"Sasuke-kun, are you okay!?"
Back in the classroom, when the students noticed Naruto was just gazing out the window peacefully, they finally worked up the courage to move.
A group of seven or eight fangirls rushed toward Uchiha Sasuke, their faces pale with fear as they carefully helped him up.
Sasuke, eyes welling with tears, stared in humiliation at the blond boy.
"Damn it…"
He ran out of the classroom without looking back.
The fangirls imdiately followed after him.
—
Ti passed.
Another half month went by.
At the Satomi Hill Manor, Naruto leaned against a tree with his eyes closed, his consciousness once again delving into his inner world.
"The resistance this ti… is at least a hundred tis worse than last ti…"
Naruto frowned as he gazed at the massive One Piece World Gate.
After a month and a half of grinding—refining chakra daily and training the Hachimon Tonkō (Eight Gates Release)—he had finally pried the gate open a two-centiter crack.
And that was already pushing it.
"This won't do…"
Taking a deep breath, he muttered,
"Hachimon Tonkō — First Gate: Kai Mon — Open!"
Chakra erupted from his body.
Muscles bulged. His blood surged.
"Ugh… hurts…"
Naruto gritted his teeth, struggling to endure the pain.
His immature body was barely able to withstand the toll of forcibly opening the Gates.
But once he adjusted, he focused all his power on the World Gate again, pouring in strength and chakra to shove it open.
The ancient door creaked under the pressure.
After a few minutes, Naruto wiped sweat from his brow, grinning.
"One centiter! I pushed it nearly a centiter this ti!"
If this pace continued, in another month, he could open it wide enough to pass through.
Opening his eyes, he saw Kurama Yakumo standing nearby, worry etched all over her face.
"Naruto-kun… are you okay!?"
He gave her a calm smile.
"I'm fine. I'm feeling great."
After stretching a bit, he turned to Yakumo and ruffled her hair.
"Yakumo, are you packed?"
At those words, Yakumo's eyes lit up, and she nodded vigorously.
"I'm ready! Naruto-kun, when do we leave!?"
After eating nourishing Sea King at for weeks, her once-frail body had now beco healthier and stronger than most kids her age.
Naruto had promised to finally take her outside.
He smiled and waved his hand—
"Right now."
A translucent space-ti portal shimred into being before them.
—
Outside Konoha, in the Land of Fire
"Waaah!"
Yakumo dashed through the open fields, eyes sparkling with wonder.
"So this is what it looks like outside the village!? It's beautiful! There are towns—so many people!"
"And there's even food stalls!"
The girl, once imprisoned in isolation, ran with arms spread wide, spinning in delight.
Naruto, anwhile, was calmly sensing his chakra flow.
"Not bad. That jump cost about ten percent of my chakra. I could still make it back instantly from much farther."
Satisfied with his calculations, he weaved a Henge no Jutsu.
His appearance shifted—black hair, black eyes, about 160cm tall. A dark cloak draped over him, and a mask covered his face.
Seeing the change, Yakumo gasped.
"Naruto-kun…?"
Naruto smiled.
"Can't walk around with my real face now, can I? From now on, call nma."
Yakumo nodded in understanding and quickly disguised herself too.
The two spent the whole day playing and exploring freely.
—
The next day
Once more, they passed through the space-ti gate—but this ti, Naruto took them farther than ever.
"Are we going out again today?" Yakumo asked eagerly.
Naruto shook his head.
"Today's for sothing important."
He unrolled a map and studied it, pointing toward a path ahead.
"If we head out now, we should reach our destination in two days. We're going there to find soone."
Yakumo's intuition kicked in. She asked suspiciously,
"Is that person… a girl?"
"Yeah."
"…Hmph."
Yakumo pouted unhappily.
Naruto glanced at her.
"Yakumo. Don't make that face. I don't like it when you resent future companions."
Yakumo froze in fear, eyes reddening.
"I'm sorry, Naruto-kun… please don't hate …"
To her, Naruto was the only light in her dark world. If he ever rejected her, she wouldn't have the will to go on.
Naruto relented and patted her head.
"That's more like it. You should be understanding—never jealous of our comrades."
Yakumo nodded furiously, pushing away her jealousy.
They continued traveling together.
Naruto eventually deed Yakumo too slow and simply carried her in his arms.
He treated it as training—using it to practice the Soru and Geppō from the Rokushiki (Six Powers).
Yakumo, nestled against him, blushed furiously as she clung to his neck, heart pounding in bliss.
—
With their shadow clones maintaining appearances back in Konoha, Naruto's true body pressed forward.
By the third day, they reached the top of a ridge overlooking a quiet village.
Yakumo reluctantly let go of him and stared down at the town.
"Naruto-kun… what is this place?"
Naruto, eyes narrowed, scanned the surroundings.
"This is the Land of Grass—one of the smaller nations in the Shinobi World. But even here, there's a hidden village. They're not weak."
"Oh…" Yakumo nodded, not really grasping what it ant.
"Is our new comrade here?"
"Yeah."
"What's her na?"
Naruto looked up toward the horizon and answered calmly—
"Uzumaki Karin."
(End of Chapter)
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