"Who's there!"
Chiba whipped around, sweat beading at his temples, his voice trembling with fright.
Hm? That voice... my voice? Then, in the very next second, as he turned, a flicker of confusion crossed his face, as though he had noticed something strange.
"You."
At that moment, the voice behind him answered his question bluntly.
"Me?"
Chiba's gaze settled on the speaker behind him. The instant he saw him, shock flashed across his face, and his body stiffened, as if he had seen something else equally startling.
That single word slipped from his mouth unconsciously.
"How... are there more?"
Then, the next second, he seemed to come to his senses. The corner of his mouth twitched slightly, and before the other party could speak, he spoke with helplessness in his voice.
His tone was utterly resigned.
As if this were something he had long grown used to.
"You never touched that part of your memories?"
At that moment, the young man opposite him—who looked exactly like him—slightly furrowed his brow and spoke.
That was right. Standing before him now was another version of himself.
Only, this one seemed considerably taller than him. Whenever he spoke, he looked down at him from an angle.
"Does this ever end?"
Hearing that, Chiba did not answer directly. Instead, with a bitter smile at the corner of his lips, he made a snide remark.
Hm? That voice... my voice...
So that's how it is? Is that why he said eleven or twelve years? As that thought crossed his mind, Chiba lowered his gaze slightly, looking at his visibly smaller hand. Only then did he notice that he was currently in the form of an eleven- or twelve-year-old boy—the appearance he had shown others in the Naruto World.
*No! Rather, had I never noticed that