Scales

Even if Yuzuru managed to master every Chakra Nature Transformation, it would amount to little more than a self-congratulatory improvement. It would still be confined beneath the "ceiling" and would have no effect on the overall state of the Shinobi World.

This judgment wasn't aimed at him personally. The truth was, even a conventional ninja at the peak of their abilities was still just a conventional ninja. They didn't have the power to "reshape the world."

That said, anyone hoping to break through the ceiling first had to reach the point where they could touch it just by stretching out a hand.

Welcoming the hazy drizzle that carried a biting chill, Yuzuru returned to the tent he'd borrowed. He first brushed the rainwater off himself, then sat down in a simple chair and carefully went over everything that had happened that day...

Showing off his skills directly might create certain unforeseen risks, but it wasn't a blunder. It was simply a matter of choosing a direction.

After thinking it through, Yuzuru felt reassured. He ate a little, then prepared to rest and enter the dungeon.

It had to be said that Konoha deserved credit for at least one thing: even now, the supplies at the front-line camp remained plentiful.

That was the advantage of having the wealthy Land of Fire at its back, and it was what Sunagakure envied most.

As Yuzuru's consciousness sank, the "dungeon" quickly began loading.

But this time, something was different from before.

"Detected that the host's mind is in a deep-dive state."

"Loading the Nine-Tails' Rampage dungeon..."

"Loading map..."

"Reminder: Your dungeon objective is to kill or defeat the Mysterious Masked Man who caused the chaos, and capture or seal the Nine-Tails."

"Completing the objective will grant a substantial reward."

"Dungeon correction rate: 33%"

"Entering the Nine-Tails' Rampage. Please prepare yourself."

"What's the 'correction rate'?" Yuzuru found it baffling.

But as soon as he entered the dungeon again, he noticed something was off.

First, he had appeared somewhere different from before. This time, he was closer to the center of Konoha.

Second, some of his senses had become unusually sharp.

Yuzuru sensed a high concentration of Natural Energy in the surroundings. With almost every breath, it surged into his body.

"Hm?"

By the cool moonlight, Yuzuru looked down at his arm. A moment later, he saw a broad expanse of deathly pale skin...

It was closer to scales than skin.

In the dungeon, his Snake Transformation was more complete, making him more sensitive to Natural Energy, more efficient at absorbing it, and more uninhibited in using it.

Yuzuru pulled a Kunai out of his Ninja Tool Pouch. Using the reflection on its dark blade, he checked his face... His complexion was just as pale, and scales covered half his face.

Even his hair had turned grayish white.

"Is... this me?"

His appearance sent a shiver down Yuzuru's spine. It was all too strange. If he had a snake's head growing out of his chest or a tail sprouting from his back, he would look rather like Yakushi Kabuto later on.

Yuzuru's current appearance made him look like a bad guy at first glance, so he quickly took off his outer robe and wrapped it around his head.

"Just as I thought. After the White Snake Sage took a bite out of me, the changes to my so-called Chakra Spiritual Body wouldn't just disappear..."

"From the looks of it, Ryūchi Cave is probably a 'hidden area' in this dungeon. Meeting the White Snake Sage is a 'special event,' and obtaining Natural Energy is some kind of 'key event.'"

"There really seem to be hidden missions in this damn dungeon. So where's the mission guidance system? It's so unintuitive. This has turned from a dungeon game into a full-fledged open-world exploration game."

It didn't take much thought to realize that the "correction rate" that had appeared during the dungeon loading was related to Yuzuru's experience in Ryūchi Cave.

Then Yuzuru suddenly realized something. He immediately pricked his finger and used the Summoning Technique on the spot. And then...

"Nothing?"

In the real world, the connection between Yuzuru and Ryūchi Cave was vague and ethereal. In the dungeon, however, he had a tangible connection to it. By comparison, since Yuzuru could successfully summon a snake in the real world, he should certainly have been able to do the same in the dungeon.

But the opposite had happened.

"Was my last encounter with Ryūchi Cave an accident—or some kind of 'skipping ahead'? Does that mean it counted as cheating?"

So was Yuzuru's current predicament something like being "banned"? He tried several times, but still couldn't summon a snake. And his instincts told him that even if he returned to Orochimaru's secret laboratory, the White Snake there probably wouldn't be able to take him to Ryūchi Cave anymore.

The so-called dungeon correction was probably meant to fix this kind of bug.

While Yuzuru was investigating the changes to himself and the dungeon, the Nine-Tails roared. Its enormous form had appeared in Konoha once more.

That brought Yuzuru's wandering thoughts to an end. First, I'll check on the newborn Naruto, then confirm the dungeon's actual boundaries... If I was wrong just now and the dungeon covers the entire Shinobi World, then we're in serious trouble.

Yuzuru started moving toward the outskirts of Konoha. His attempts to deal with the Fourth Hokage's family had been a real roller coaster. The first time, he'd arrived too late, and Kushina Uzumaki had already died. The second time, he'd seen Kushina alive, but then he'd forgotten how important Naruto Uzumaki was...

Well, looking on the bright side, it at least showed that Yuzuru was a normal person. Normal people didn't try to kill a baby for no reason.

As for trying to kill the newborn baby of a teacher who had once saved your life... Well, that was a lot harder to judge.

Because of the Nine-Tails, Konoha had fallen into complete chaos. If someone wanted to take advantage of the situation and do something, it would be easy. That was why Yuzuru had been able to reach his destination so easily before.

Yuzuru had assumed things would go the same way this time, but it seemed it wouldn't be so simple after all. The dungeon's "correction rate" had risen, after all.

As Yuzuru made his way toward the outskirts of the village, two young ninjas were hurrying toward a shelter.

"Kakashi, don't overthink it right now. We should follow the instructions and head to the shelter first."

"I understand, Guy. The village is in too much chaos right now..."

The two fourteen- or fifteen-year-old ninjas were heading to a shelter as instructed by an Anbu Ninja.

After seeing the Nine-Tails, Kakashi felt even more conflicted. He was worried, and he was frightened, but he knew he couldn't let his emotions dictate his actions.

This wasn't running away. It was the right decision, because the problem Konoha faced tonight wasn't a lack of ninjas. In fact, the opposite was true.

When facing the Nine-Tails, the front line didn't need too many ninjas. Too many would only get in the way.

Numbers meant little against a Tailed Beast.

But just as the pair were obediently following their instructions, Kakashi suddenly sensed a chilling presence. A moment later, his sharp eyes caught sight of a figure sneaking along at speed.

What was that person doing...?

"Guy, go to the shelter first. I need to check something out."