odessanovel Chapter 392 - 392 You're Awake, The Surgery Was a Success, You're a Girl Now
Chapter 392 - 392 You're Awake, The Surgery Was a Success, You're a Girl Now
Two days later, in the desert border area between the Land of Wind and the Land of Rivers.
Four figures moved swiftly through sparse shrubs and rocks, finally landing silently on a relatively open, grassy high ground.
The leading blond young man was none other than Minato.
He crouched slightly, his gaze sweeping over the endless expanse of desert ahead.
The scorching sun baked the earth, and the air was filled with the dry scent of dust.
At the distant horizon, the outlines of some tall buildings could vaguely be seen, standing in the golden sea of sand like a mirage.
Minato took out the mission scroll from his chest, unrolled the attached map, and carefully compared it with the surrounding terrain.
After a moment, he said in a deep voice: "Based on the map and our bearings, that oasis and cluster of buildings ahead is our destination… the Land of Roran."
Standing beside him, the burly Choza also took out an intelligence scroll. As he flipped through it, he said in a deep, muffled voice: "This country's development speed is too strange. I remember about five or six years ago, I came to this area for a C-Rank escort mission. Roran at that time was just a larger nomadic tribe settlement in the desert, surviving on the oasis and limited trade."
His tone carried obvious confusion: "But the intelligence shows that within just these five or six short years, they not only established a stable government but also built a city of this scale... It's incredible."
On the other side, Shibi, wearing small round black sunglasses, remained somewhat silent.
Faint buzzing sounds of tiny wings surrounded him… the parasitic insects he controlled.
Shibi adjusted his sunglasses and spoke in a low voice: "My insects... sense a vast and peculiar Chakra permeating the city ahead. This Chakra makes them very uneasy, even somewhat wary."
Minato nodded, his expression serious as he opened another intelligence scroll specifically gathered about Roran's background.
"Shibi's feeling is probably correct. According to scattered ancient records and some legends, beneath Roran, there seems to be a massive Chakra energy source sealed, known as the Ryumyaku. Legend says the Ryumyaku contains immense power capable of altering terrain and overturning nations."
"Roran's rapid rise in such a short time is likely inseparable from this Ryumyaku. And now, with the assassination of the Queen of Roran and Minister Anrokuzan taking power... I suspect the core issue is likely the struggle for control over this Ryumyaku."
Minato closed the scroll, his brow slightly furrowed: "Unfortunately, the intelligence we currently have is still too scarce. Anrokuzan's background, the specifics of the Ryumyaku, and the role Amegakure plays in all this are still unknown."
Kakashi, who had been silently following behind the three Jonin, now also raised his somewhat lazy, dead-fish eyes, glancing at the distant Kingdom of Roran.
He didn't speak, but his hand had already instinctively rested on the short sword at his waist, his body slightly tense, entering a state of alert.
Choza put away the intelligence scroll and looked at Minato: "Minato, based on the scattered information we gathered along the way from merchant caravans and Rogue Ninja, after the Queen's death, Roran is completely controlled by Minister Anrokuzan and has rapidly entered a state of seclusion, strictly limiting all external contact and personnel movement. The checks at the city gates are definitely extremely strict. Infiltrating to gather intelligence won't be easy for us."
Minato thought briefly, then quickly formulated an action plan: "Indeed, we can't rashly force our way in or expose our identities. Alright, Choza, Shibi, the two of you will come with me to find an opportunity to infiltrate Roran. Focus on investigating Anrokuzan's movements, clues about the Ryumyaku, and any possible traces of Amegakure. We'll split up inside the city and leave coded signals at designated contact points."
He turned to Kakashi, his tone carrying trust and a task: "Kakashi, you are responsible for operating in the peripheral areas outside Roran. Gather intelligence on city defense layouts, patrol patterns, and any unusual personnel movement. Also, establish at least three hidden rendezvous points in the outer area and prepare an evacuation plan. If we encounter trouble inside the city, or if you detect any large-scale unusual activity outside, immediately send the signal according to the predetermined plan and be ready to extract us."
"Understood!" Choza and Shibi replied in deep voices.
"Yes, Minato-sensei." Kakashi also nodded gravely, his eyes turning sharp.
With the plan set, the four no longer delayed. Their figures once again turned into blurred afterimages as they sped towards the distant Roran city deep in the desert.
…
At the same time, deep underground within Roran.
This was an ancient and secret altar space, like a huge light well.
The surroundings were circular walls built from massive, rough-hewn stones, covered with the marks of time.
Above, five arranged openings projected five beams of bright light, like stage spotlights, precisely illuminating the circular altar in the central area.
Around the altar lay countless scattered, broken stone tablets, carved with indecipherable ancient runes.
Some tenacious weeds and unknown desert flowers grew stubbornly in the crevices between the stones, adding a touch of eerie vitality to this lifeless space.
Space twisted slightly, and a figure appeared without warning atop the highest broken stone tablet.
Menma, dressed in black attire, sat silently on the edge of the tablet, blending with the environment as if he had always been there.
His gaze calmly fell upon the central altar with its complex patterns, his eyes deep, as if calculating something.
'According to the original timeline, Naruto from the other parallel world should be thrown over by the Ryumyaku around this time...'
At the same moment, the sensing power of his Mind's Eye of Kagura spread out from him, with the vast majority of his attention highly focused on the altar and the deep underground of Roran.
There, a vast, slumbering Chakra was slowly flowing and surging.
Ryumyaku Chakra!
Menma was concentrating fully on sensing and analyzing the nature of this peculiar Chakra energy, attempting to glimpse the secrets of its instantaneous Space-Time Transportation.
Just then, an extremely weak Chakra Fluctuation, carrying emotions of panic and sorrow, entered the precise range of Menma's Mind's Eye of Kagura, and it was very close.
Menma tilted his head slightly, shifting part of his perception towards a wall to his side and rear.
In his perception, that seemingly seamless wall concealed intricate mechanisms.
Not long after, accompanied by the very faint sound of mechanisms turning, that wall slowly slid open, revealing a door.
A graceful figure ran in through the gap.
This was a girl around fifteen or sixteen years old. She had vibrant red hair similar to Kushina's, tied into a neat long ponytail.
She wore a slightly worn pink sweater on top, with blue shorts and black thigh-high stockings below.
Tear stains were still visible on her face, her eyes were hollow, and her whole being exuded an aura of desolate sorrow.
She staggered to the central altar, her knees giving way as she knelt on the ground.
Clasping her hands together and pressing them against her forehead, she began to whisper prayers to the ancient altar, her voice choked and full of helplessness:
"Great Ryumyaku Spirit... I beg of you... protect my people... Please tell me, what should I do... Mother... what must I do to save Roran..."
Tears fell like broken pearls, continuously streaming down her cheeks, dripping onto the cold stone floor.
Menma sat quietly on the stone tablet, like a cold bystander, watching the grieving girl below.
He recognized this girl. The Princess of Roran, Sara.
A still naive, untested young girl who hadn't even seen through who her true enemy was.
Sara prayed for a long time until her tears seemed to have dried up, then slowly opened her red, swollen eyes.
However, the moment she opened her eyes, the corner of her vision suddenly caught sight of an extra shadow on the ground that didn't belong to her, enveloping her!
"Ah!" Sara, like a startled fawn, let out a short gasp and turned around sharply!
When she saw Menma sitting high on the stone tablet, looking down at her, all color instantly drained from her face, replaced by panic and terror!
She didn't even have time to think about who this person was or why he was here. Instinct for survival made her scramble up from the ground immediately, using all her strength to stumble and run desperately towards the secret door she had just entered through!
The secret door closed rapidly behind her, cutting off the sound of her fearful panting.
Menma still didn't move or try to stop her, only following Sara's fleeing back with his calm gaze until the door was completely shut.
There was no ripple in his eyes, as if what had just happened was merely an unimportant pantomime.
However, less than a minute after Sara left...
Bzzzt!
In the center of the altar, a sudden change occurred!
The originally dormant complex patterns suddenly lit up with a mysterious purple light!
A massive, heart-palpitating Ryumyaku Chakra surged up from the ground, madly gathering and swirling above the altar, forming a small purple vortex emitting intense space-time fluctuations!
Space seemed to be torn apart, emitting groans of unbearable strain!
Menma's pupils contracted slightly, finally showing a hint of interest on his face.
The vertical slit on his forehead, which had been closed all this time, suddenly opened at this moment!
Revealing that eye containing the power of all creation, glowing with a pale golden light… the Tenseigan!
He wanted to personally see every detail of this Space-Time Transportation!
The next moment, with a thud, a figure seemed to be 'spat out' by the purple vortex, landing heavily on the hard altar floor, rolling twice before lying motionless, apparently unconscious.
The purple glow of the Ryumyaku Chakra receded like a tide, the vortex disappeared, and the altar returned to peace as if everything had been an illusion.
Menma's figure flickered, appearing at the center of the altar, standing beside the unconscious figure.
He crouched down, looking with interest at this uninvited guest.
It was a boy who looked about fifteen years old, with iconic spiky blond short hair, three whisker-like marks on each cheek, and a Konoha's forehead protector tied on.
He wore an orange and black tracksuit, with a spiral pattern on the back.
It was Uzumaki Naruto from another parallel dimension!
Looking at this being who could be considered his 'brother' in another world, a mischievous, playful smile appeared on Menma's face.
He reached out and patted Naruto's cheek not too lightly but not too heavily either.
"Hey, wake up. We've arrived."
The boy, Naruto, let out a muddled groan, his eyelashes fluttering a few times before slowly opening his clear blue eyes.
Having just woken from unconsciousness, his vision was still blurry. What came into view was a never-before-seen, unfamiliar face wearing a playful smile.
Yet, for some reason, looking at this face, an indescribably strange sense of familiarity and closeness inexplicably welled up in Naruto's heart.
He shook his still somewhat groggy head and instinctively, vaguely asked:
"You... who... are you?"
Menma, seeing Naruto's dazed look, the curve of his mouth became more pronounced, his mischievousness fully surging.
He leaned in a bit closer and said in a completely serious tone:
"You're awake? The surgery was a success. You're a girl now."
Naruto was stunned for a moment: "Huh?"
"Ha?!"