newbobooks Chapter 381 A Few Years Later
Chapter 381 A Few Years Later
Time flies, and about two years have passed in focused practice and peaceful daily life.
The crucial moment in Naruto's memory—the Akatsuki organization officially emerging and beginning a large-scale operation to capture the Tailed Beasts—is drawing ever closer.
However, Naruto is no longer the same person he once was. He has mastered all the powers that required arduous training to acquire in the original timeline, and even far exceeded expectations.
In perfect Sage Mode, Kurama has already revealed all his secrets, making him a powerful ally and source of strength with whom Kurama shares a deep understanding.
Since accidentally discovering the unique ability of the [Star Eye] to interfere with and transform natural energy while training in Sage Mode, Naruto has consciously begun to explore this new power, which he did not obtain in the "original work" and which belongs to this world, attempting to develop it to a deeper level.
As for Uchiha Satsuki, her progress was equally remarkable. With the assistance of Naruto's [Star Eye] ability and her own relentless efforts, she successfully mastered a stable Sage Mode in just over a month, achieving a state without any signs of frogification.
However, the direction of her subsequent training left Zuo Yue feeling confused and even... dissatisfied.
Following the instructions of the hermit Fukasaku, her next step was to "do nothing".
Literally, doing nothing.
It simply means sitting cross-legged in a designated meditation area on Mount Myoboku, completely emptying your mind and body, and remaining still like a real stone or plant. The only strict requirement is to remain completely still.
Fukasaku Sage explained that only through this kind of "stillness" and "emptiness" can one minimize one's own presence, allowing the body and senses to completely blend into the surrounding environment. Natural energy then more naturally and efficiently regards her body as "a part of nature," thus enabling her to enter Sage Mode more quickly when needed.
"This is to prepare for unforeseen circumstances."
"What if one day Naruto isn't by your side, and you can't immediately get his [Star Eye] support? Relying on specific conditions to enter Sage Mode can become a weakness in actual combat. You need to master the ability to activate it independently and quickly."
Satsuki understood the reasoning, but what made her feel even more uneasy was that the underlying premise of this training path seemed to implicitly accept that she might "leave Naruto's side" in the future.
Fukasaku noticed with some oddity that Satsuki seemed to have some... resistance to this arrangement, but Satsuki eventually suppressed her displeasure and obediently began this long and mentally taxing "meditation".
On the other hand, at Naruto's suggestion, Sakura Haruno also took the initiative to visit Tsunade, who had been "morally blackmailed" back to Konoha by the Fifth Hokage Jiraiya with reasons such as "the village needs top-notch medical resources" and "it's time for an old friend to come back and help out."
After Tsunade returned to the village, although she held titles such as elder and advisor, she maintained a leisurely "semi-retired" state, spending most of her time either gambling away money or killing time in izakayas.
However, she did not explicitly refuse the offer to take on a student and teach medical ninjutsu. But based on Jiraiya's understanding of his old friend, even if Tsunade agreed to teach, it would probably be a case of "teaching is one thing, but whether she takes it seriously is another."
She will most likely throw a bunch of difficult medical books and complicated chakra control exercises at her disciples, and then go off to attend to her own "important matters".
How much a disciple can learn and how far he can ultimately go depends almost entirely on his own comprehension, perseverance, and self-discipline.
Whether Sakura can truly stand out under Tsunade's "hands-off" teaching style and master medical secrets and superhuman strength depends on whether she can seize this hard-won opportunity and how much effort she puts in.
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"How many installments have we released already... these guys have actually found the key to wealth."
Naruto Uzumaki, who is about to turn seventeen, sat at his desk in his room, flipping through the profit-sharing agreement he signed a few years ago, as well as the latest package delivered by Ninja Cat Express, which bore the logo of the "Ten Thousand Eggs Merchant Guild".
Inside is a sample of the latest series of "Gekinin Densetsu Collector's Cards" that has not yet been officially released. This is a routine practice of the partners before each release, and they always send a copy to Naruto for review and collection.
He casually opened a individually sealed card holder and pulled out a card.
The card's craftsmanship is exquisite, gleaming with a unique texture and luster. The image that catches the eye is that of a ninja with flowing long hair and a serene, dignified expression, with a prominent label below.
[SSR First Hokage Hashirama Senju]
Below are a few lines of smaller print: "Founder of Konoha Village, who pacified the Warring States period and is hailed as a great pioneer of the 'God of Shinobi'."
The level of development of the light industry and entertainment industry in this world sometimes does exceed his expectations. Although he had seen television and radio before, the rise and popularity of this systematic "trading card" business model still felt somewhat surreal to him.
About a year ago, the first set of "Gekinin Densetsu Collector's Cards" was released. The shrewd head of the trading company came directly to him and persuaded Naruto to authorize the use of his image with an exorbitant endorsement fee and profit-sharing ratio. He even designed his cards as extremely rare "hidden editions".
As a result, this card set instantly became a sensation throughout the ninja world, especially among the younger generation, sparking a frenzy of collecting and resulting in explosive sales.
The revenue sharing from just the first year had already caused Naruto's personal assets and the treasury of the [Jin] organization to swell to an astonishing figure, second only to the harvest from the time when he "dealt with" the merchant Gato and took most of his estate.
As for the portrait rights of other famous ninjas... it is said that the Chamber of Commerce dispatched a negotiation team that could be described as a "diplomatic dream team", with a generous authorization fee and a complete publicity plan. They actually managed to persuade the leaders of the five major ninja villages one by one and obtain legal authorization.
Naruto didn't know exactly how they did it either.
He then pulled out another card from the card holder.
Gaara, the Fifth Kazekage
The card depicts Gaara in his Kazekage robes, looking composed. The description reads, "The youngest Kazekage in the history of the Land of Wind, a powerful ninja who wields the power of sand. He has a close relationship with Naruto Uzumaki, the disciple of the Fifth Hokage. He defeated and brought back the rogue ninja Sasori of the Red Sand, uncovering the mystery of the Third Kazekage's disappearance, and ascended to the position of Kazekage for these outstanding achievements."
Gaara did indeed become the Fifth Kazekage, just as in the original timeline, and even earlier than Naruto remembered, due to certain "opportunities."
When Gaara began actively undertaking difficult missions to build up his reputation as Kazekage, Naruto secretly helped him out with a "small favor."
Sasori's puppet core had been kept as spoils of war within the [Jin] organization, serving no practical purpose. Then, Naruto orchestrated a "coincidence," leading Gaara to "accidentally" discover Sasori's cleverly disguised, dormant core during a border mission, and successfully escort it back to Sunagakure.
This move earned Gaara the support of Granny Chiyo, a high-ranking official in Sunagakure, and paved the way for him to become the Kazekage.
Today, Naruto and Gaara's friendship remains strong, and they often meet through the Flying Thunder God Technique.
There was only one thing that Naruto found a little strange: every time he visited Sunagakure and entered Gaara's simple side room in the Kazekage's office, the lounge, or Gaara's room at home, Gaara would always seem inexplicably nervous, as if he was trying his best to hide something in the room, and would even subconsciously use his body to cover a cabinet or bookshelf.
I guess most teenage boys have some kind of 'secret' of their own...
Naruto thoughtfully thought this through and never tried to investigate or ask, giving his friend ample privacy.
He continued flipping through the newly opened cards, which contained a wide variety of ninjas.
Copy Ninja Kakashi Hatake
Minato Namikaze in Golden Flash
Jiraiya, the Fifth Hokage
[The legendary Sannin Jiraiya]... It even has versions with different periods or titles.
It's worth mentioning that after Kakashi was included in the cards, Might Guy enthusiastically made a trip to the headquarters of the Egg Merchant Guild, patting his chest and declaring that as "Kakashi's eternal rival and best friend," he was fully qualified to be one of the collectible card characters!
However, it is said that the Chamber of Commerce's market assessment personnel, perhaps out of concern about the appeal of the "tight-fitting watermelon head" image to a younger audience, politely declined Mr. Kai's enthusiastic self-recommendation.
Finally, Naruto found a card in the card pile that featured his own image and that of Sasuke.
[Hidden Version: Naruto Uzumaki, the Hero of Konoha]
【SR Uchiha Sasuke, the Last Descendant of the Uchiha Clan】
As the series' representative, Naruto's cards are always the rarest "hidden" ones. And Satsuki, with his Uchiha clan identity, outstanding strength, and... a certain public relationship, is also included in it.
Naruto looked at the description on his card; it was much more detailed than the other cards.
Naruto Uzumaki
Son of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, and a direct disciple of the Fifth Hokage, Jiraiya. The most talented and fastest-growing young ninja in Konoha's history. He endured a childhood of misunderstanding and loneliness due to the mystery surrounding his origins, yet chose to inherit his father's will. When Konoha was in peril, he stepped forward, single-handedly confronting powerful enemies and saving the village from the brink of collapse. He is truly a hero of Konoha in his time.
The description on the back of Zuoyue's card is relatively concise and highlights the key points.
【Uchiha Satsuki】
The last remaining descendant of the Uchiha clan, a genius female ninja who inherited the clan's renowned bloodline limit, the Sharingan. She possesses exceptional strength.
[She is also the fiancée of Naruto Uzumaki, the hero of Konoha, a relationship that has been officially recognized and made public by both families.]