Epilogue to Volume Three

The wind whistled in my ears, icy cold.

"Jump!"

The earth was approaching. The plants, flowers, and birds rapidly magnified in my pupils.

"It's hundreds of meters high here, you're dead if you fall to the ground!"

My hands and feet are ice cold. My heart is racing.

"This is your training... If you don't want to die, figure out a way yourself!"

Jiraiya's emotionless words still echoed in their ears, yet the threat of death drew ever closer.

"Naruto, this time you must open that door yourself!"

If this continues, we're really going to die!

I don't want to die--

Quickly, quickly recall how that power emerged—

Damn it, hurry up, hurry up!

Hurry, we're going to be late!

In the final moments, the immense mass of Chakra finally erupted like a waterfall at the bottom of the cliff.

"Summoning Technique!"

Boom boom boom--!

Naruto did it!

"No, this is terrible... the timing for the technique is too late!"

My vision was dim, my whole body was in excruciating pain, and sticky blood seemed to cover my entire body, as if I were soaking in warm water.

A giant Toad looked down at him from its high perch.

The large, orange-yellow eyes revealed no emotion.

The Summoning Technique seems to have succeeded?

Jiraiya- sensei, did you see that? I did it...

So tired, so exhausted, I just want to fall asleep...

The world in my field of vision has lost its color, turning into black and white.

The final scene shows three figures rushing to the scene.

"He's not dead yet! Quick, Shizune, start CPR now!"

"... Medical Ninjutsu!"

The sound seemed to be coming from the side.

Intermittent, vague, and unreal.

"Tsunade a massive fracture... massive bleeding throughout her body... intracranial hemorrhage..."

"... Hang in there... Naruto..."

"... Hold on... you... can't die..."

I just want to fall asleep like this...

So tired...

All the sounds gradually faded away.

All the images slowly disappeared.

A deathly silence of darkness. Nothing else.

It seemed that everything had come to an end.

Tick-tock, tick-tock.

Tick-tock.

The sound echoed in the cramped and desolate prison cell.

A deep, chilling voice suddenly rang out in the darkness.

"It's so dark..."

"It's so dark!"

"Why is it getting dark...? Could it be...?!"

"Hmph! My power...!"

A faint light shone again in this absolute darkness.

Gradually, one by one, it grew brighter and brighter!

You can't die!

"We can't die!"

The sound gradually became clearer.

The cool liquid dripped onto my face, feeling refreshing and itchy.

Colors and patterns returned to the world as seen through my eyes.

Ah... I'm not dead...

With difficulty, he raised his hand and grasped the precious ornament worn around Tsunade's neck.

"I won this bet... didn't I...?"

A miracle has occurred.

****************************************************************

A gentle breeze stirred the curtains in the hospital room.

The bright Amaterasu on Naruto's face, and the faint sounds of conversation and the warm sunlight woke him from his sleep.

"Naruto, you're awake! Hmph, if you keep sleeping, you'll miss your match against me!"

The speaker was a spirited young woman. Although her appearance wasn't exceptionally beautiful, her bright eyes, white teeth, and charming smile exuded a unique and imposing air.

She took out an apple with her right hand, and without any visible movement, she simply twisted her wrist, and the peel was shaving off with Wind Release Chakra.

A handsome young man in a blue shirt and white pants took the apple the girl offered, took a bite, and said with a faint smile, "What exactly were you cultivating? How did you get so badly injured!"

Naruto jumped off the hospital bed, stretched his body, and felt the power flowing through his body without any obstruction. It was as if the injuries he sustained before falling unconscious had left no trace on him; as if he hadn't been injured at all, but was simply too exhausted, and then had a good sleep, waking up refreshed. The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki's regenerative abilities were truly remarkable.

Taking the piece of apple from Sakura, Naruto smiled brightly, "You'll find out soon enough!"

He swallowed the apple chunk in one gulp, speaking indistinctly.

"Sakura, you'd better be very careful during the match! You might lose to me if you're not careful!"

The response was a sneer from the girl.

Has she learned to initially master the Nine-Tails' power? Sakura speculated based on the plot of the original work.

Now, the butterfly effect is becoming increasingly apparent, with the differences from the original work becoming more and more pronounced, and even some major trends beginning to shift.

For example, Tsunade was invited back to Konoha after the Chunin Ninja Exams, but now she's been brought back so much earlier. This shows that Konoha is more vigilant than in the original story and has already realized the potential danger.

Therefore, Sakura wasn't quite sure what Jiraiya had taught Naruto.

The culprit behind all these changes is none other than the time traveler, Sakura Haruno. Perhaps it was the information she submitted that broke through a layer of secrecy that no one wanted to believe, or perhaps it was the combat power and value she demonstrated after her battle with Orochimaru that gave her words weight, or perhaps the current situation itself is another possible future not shown in the manga...

In short, Konoha seems to have been making preparations in secret.

Although the specific details are unknown.

But things are moving in a positive direction.

Knowing this is enough.

The girl's mind was racing, but she still couldn't resist arguing with Naruto.

"Tsk tsk tsk, Naruto, you do this after every training session, it's been over a hundred times already!"

"Damn it! The past doesn't count, I'll definitely beat you this time!"

"Hehehe, the wailing of a defeated dog is truly pathetic! But even so, I won't show any mercy!"

"Don't look at me like that! I've learned a new killer move! It'll absolutely utterly crush you!"

"Hey, you two, stop causing trouble in the hospital!"

The summer sun was as passionate as the feelings between young boys and girls.

However, at the same time, thunderstorms were also quietly approaching.

An unpredictable fate—where will the future lead?

Sakura was no longer able to answer that question accurately.

But now, she has enough confidence to face the world line that is gradually diverging from the original story.

Volume 3 - The End