Naruto felt as if his heartbeat had stopped.
It was as though he had put on noise-canceling headphones. The excited conversations, laughter, and teasing around him were all automatically turned down, leaving only a few simple characters accompanied by rolling thunder, proclaiming his defeat.
"They weren't eliminated... and they said they discovered my secret. Do they know that I'm also a transmigrator?"
A voice screamed inside Naruto's heart. His negative emotions immediately resonated with the Nine-Tails within him, and his consciousness suddenly sank into his mental world, where he gazed at the Nine-Tails from afar.
"Oh?" The Nine-Tails looked at Naruto with interest. This seemingly unyielding young man appeared to have run into major trouble, to the point that even it could sense the turbulent emotions in Naruto's heart.
"Encountered a powerful enemy?" the Nine-Tails chuckled. "Why not release more of my power? You know, my strength is enough to shake the entire shinobi world!"
Naruto tightly closed his eyes and began meditating in a cross-legged position within his mental space.
This was the emergency plan he had prepared for himself. Whenever he lost control of his emotions, he would immediately use this method to calm his mind.
Moreover, this process could also help Naruto organize his thoughts.
Thinking about it carefully, there was no need to fear at all. With his current abilities, he might even be able to retreat unscathed under the eyes of a Jonin.
He was merely afraid of the unknown.
"At worst, it'll just be difficult to lock onto the enemy." After a while, Naruto spoke calmly and looked at the Nine-Tails. "Nothing worth mentioning."
"Hmph!" The Nine-Tails snorted coldly. It noticed that Naruto had once again regained control of himself, and a faint sense of frustration rose in its heart.
"Talk to you next time." With a thought, Naruto returned to reality.
He once again used his forehead protector to look toward the rear, feeling a trace of emotion in his heart.
Fortunately, he had eliminated so many Genin with all his strength, sparing them from the transmigrator's clutches.
What the hell was that? And "hee-hee" too. Anyone could tell they weren't normal!
Naruto did not claim to be a saint, but he held simple, sound values. He hated meaningless slaughter and did not want others dragged into conflicts.
However, a vague idea gradually began to form in his mind.
"Bang!!" Suddenly, a loud crash came from outside the window. A human figure wrapped up like a bundle flew in with it, kunai tied to all four ends and pinning it directly to the ceiling and floor.
A woman wearing a long trench coat over fishnet clothing, with her chest boldly exposed, shouted loudly:
"It's too early to celebrate! I'm the examiner for the second stage, Mitaraishi Anko! The next exam is waiting for you!"
Everyone was startled again. Anko roughly counted the people and said indifferently to Ibiki behind her, "Eighteen teams? Quite a lot of them remain."
Ibiki smiled. "There are a lot of promising candidates this year." As he spoke, he glanced at the pensive Naruto.
Anko also exchanged a glance with Naruto for a moment. Naruto, meanwhile, seriously considered: Should Anko be included in my great harem plan?
Although she and Mei Terumi had both let themselves go physically in Boruto, that was because I didn't exist. If I were the one training her, things would definitely be different!
Besides, she would fight Orochimaru in the second stage. She should be rather vulnerable emotionally while caught between hope and fear, right?
When a woman became emotionally vulnerable, she would instinctively look for someone to lean on. That was when I, the young master, would make my dazzling entrance... Perfect.
Naruto decided to make time to interact emotionally with the snake-and-scorpion beauty while searching for the transmigrator.
"...Since that's the case, let's reduce the number to single digits." Anko flashed an alluring smile. "I can't wait any longer. I'll explain the specific requirements once we reach the examination grounds."
Training Ground 44, entrance to the Forest of Death.
The three-person team hid in the middle of the crowd instead of standing at the front as they had in the original story. They quietly listened to the rules.
Sakura looked around and asked Naruto in a low voice, "You said you had a lead. What exactly is going on?"
Naruto also lowered his voice. "That person deliberately handed me a note just now. The tone sounded pretty arrogant, which tells us a lot."
"What does it tell us?"
"It means they most likely transmigrated into a named character. The named characters in this instance are the Konoha 12, the Sand Ninja, the Grass Ninja disguised by Orochimaru's faction, Anko and the other examiners, and so on. I suspect the transmigrator is in one of those teams."
"What if they simply have an unusual way of thinking and actually transmigrated into some random nobody?"
"Let's proceed according to normal human logic. That'll make it easier to eliminate possibilities." Naruto licked his lips. "Once we enter the instance, we'll quickly move toward the center and then lie in wait for them. We'll snatch as many teams as we can. I guarantee they'll reveal their true colors."
"Wouldn't that be too conspicuous?"
"It's fine. Aside from Gaara and Orochimaru, whom we need to avoid, we can basically slaughter everyone else."
"Hey, what if they transmigrated into Orochimaru?"
Naruto fell silent for a moment. "...That means the author stopped writing a wish-fulfillment novel and switched to a tragedy. I'd advise him not to be so ungrateful."
"..." Sakura was silent for a long while before saying, "We should still consider that possibility."
Sasuke came over from the side, his eyebrows raised high. "You two have whispered to each other many times already. Is there something you can't discuss with me?"
Naruto looked at Sasuke and suddenly thought of the Curse Mark of Heaven.
According to the original story, Orochimaru would implant Sasuke with the Curse Mark of Heaven during this battle. It would be a major turning point in his life.
The question was, should he let the plot proceed as usual? And would the transmigrator interfere during the process?
Sakura's expression also grew solemn. She had noticed this crucial point as well.
Naruto gently pushed Sasuke aside. "Bro, could you let the two of us have another private chat?"
Sasuke's eyebrows nearly flew off his face. Naruto immediately patted him on the shoulder earnestly.
"Can't you tell? We're in a relationship right now."
"Huh?"
Sakura's brows shot up, and her cheeks flushed faintly.
What a lecher!
Who knew that Naruto, without batting an eye or changing expression, continued, "You should give a couple some private space, right?" As he spoke, he unabashedly winked at Sakura.
Sakura glared viciously at Naruto. Although his sudden stunt had caught her completely off guard, when she thought about it carefully, the two of them really had privately whispered to each other far too many times.
If it were explained as dating, then everything would naturally fall into place. Besides, who knew how many more times they might privately whisper to each other afterward?
After Sasuke heard Naruto's explanation, his gaze also began to turn somewhat unnatural. His heart was filled with revenge, and he knew nothing about romance, but he had indeed sensed the presence of a third wheel.
That presence came from himself...
"Ahem, fine. But if it's official business, I need to be present as well." With that, Sasuke turned and walked several steps away.
Naruto let out a breath. Seeing Sakura still glaring at him angrily, he hurriedly explained, "My dear lady, is this really the time to worry about such minor details? We should discuss whether to let Sasuke receive the Curse Mark."
Sakura rubbed her face. After remaining silent for a moment, she slowly nodded.
Before you continue