Return

"...When you throw a ninja tool, it's affected by both the initial velocity you give it and gravity, so its trajectory forms a parabola... Everyone needs to understand that the key to hitting a target lies in the combination of angle and initial velocity when you throw the tool... Sometimes 'calculation' is more important than 'technique,' so you must all remember the [Third Hokage Angle Formula]..."

"...That concludes all the courses at the Ninja Academy. The graduation exam is the day after tomorrow. I hope you all pass and become proud Konoha Ninja!"

"Class dismissed!"

As Iruka's announcement from the front of the classroom came to an end, the students below erupted into a hubbub. Most of the girls gathered around Iruka-sensei, saying how much they'd miss him, while the boys formed groups of three or five and started guessing what subjects would be on the graduation exam.

Amid the lively crowd, only one blond boy sat alone at the back of the classroom, utterly out of place. His expression was vacant and his eyes hollow, as if his mind were somewhere else.

A dark-haired boy passed behind him and pretended to casually glance at his back. He paused for a moment, but said nothing and left the classroom alone.

The commotion gradually faded with time. The setting sun crept across the empty desks, and soon only the blond boy remained in the classroom. At last, he came back to his senses and looked out at the familiar yet strange scenery. His expression twitched slightly, and a tear suddenly slid from his right eye.

"This isn't a dream."

"Did I really... come back?"

The sky, the setting sun, the breeze, people... How long had it been since he'd seen any of them?

Scenes from long ago surfaced in Naruto's mind—at least, they felt incredibly distant to him.

Back then, he'd been sleeping in class as usual. But when he woke up, he found himself inexplicably inside a movie theater.

The theater was vast and dim, sealed off on every side. No matter what Naruto tried, he couldn't find a way out. Stranger still, he couldn't sense the chakra inside him, and no matter how much time passed, he never felt hungry or thirsty. It was as though time had stopped. The only things that changed were Naruto himself and the videos that played randomly on the screen.

It seemed the only thing Naruto could do there was watch those videos.

Their contents were bizarre and varied. Sometimes they showed unknown singers performing; other times, they explained scientific technology. Every subject was completely unfamiliar to Naruto. Before then, it had never occurred to him that steel pieced together could soar through the sky, nor had he known that the Ninja World where he'd always lived was one of the stars in the night sky.

And whenever a video played, countless comments drifted across the screen above it. It was as if a group of people he couldn't see were watching the same video and chatting with one another in it. In fact, many of the concepts Naruto learned about were things he'd only understood thanks to the comments.

Even Naruto himself hadn't expected to adapt to that space so quickly.

It was lonely, but he'd been lonely in Konoha too. He'd long since grown used to it.

Besides, here he didn't have to endure cold stares and discrimination, and there were so many interesting videos to watch. Those anonymous "friends" posting comments were all talented and fun to listen to. Eventually, he even began to like the place.

The only thing Naruto regretted was that he couldn't post comments and join in. When he saw a comment he especially agreed with, being unable to reply left him pounding his chest and sighing in frustration. It was like being mute and not knowing sign language.

He didn't know how many years passed.

Just when Naruto thought nothing would ever change, a video suddenly appeared, making his eyes widen.

The video was titled:

"[Strength Comparison] Xiong Er vs. Uzumaki Naruto"

?

Naruto could barely contain himself.

What the hell?

Why was his name there?

Seriously, what was this bear?

Before Naruto could make sense of it, the video's following content left him even more dumbfounded.

Wait, that blond boy at the beginning of the video really did look like him.

So the [Sage Mode], [Nine-Tails Full Form], and [Baryon Mode] later on were all future versions of him? Was he really that cool?

That's me for you.

But what the hell was Heavenly God Bear Emperor (God-tier) [Space Manipulation]??

What kind of bear was this?

Why was he in the video?

Naruto's mind was in chaos. It wasn't until more and more videos about him appeared that he gradually pieced things together.

It turned out there was a manga called Naruto that told his story.

But in that story, the Uzumaki Naruto hadn't ended up in this movie theater.

And... he was an idiot.

Yes, Naruto had started to look down on the version of himself in that story. He'd finally realized just how foolish he'd been before all those videos had opened his mind.

But as more related videos appeared and Naruto gradually learned bits and pieces of the story in Naruto, his heart grew heavier. Each shocking revelation shattered his worldview, only for it to reassemble itself again.

So there was a demon fox inside his stomach that had attacked Konoha... No wonder the villagers...

So his father was the Fourth Hokage, and his parents had died protecting him. He was the child of heroes, and he'd become a Jinchuriki to protect the village.

But why had the Third Hokage hidden this from everyone, leaving him to suffer discrimination all this time?

So there was someone named Kakashi who'd been his father's student... But why had he never met him?

Neji... Those comments mocking him were so right. The Hokage's son became Hokage, and the scapegoat's son became a scapegoat... What a world. It made him so... angry.

Obito Uchiha... His father's student, who'd eaten food cooked by his mother—food Naruto himself had never even tasted—had killed his parents?

"...You've got to be kidding me!"

In the empty movie theater, Naruto watched the "himself" on the screen say, "Obito is the coolest." His eyes bulged with fury, and an indescribable rage crashed against his reason. He roared:

"How can you say something like that?!"

"How can I say something like that?!"

"Bastard! Bastard! You jerk!"

"You should've killed him with your own hands!!"

Flames of fury licked at his nerves. Naruto pounded the floor, unable to accept the "himself" in the picture, whose worldview was completely different from his own. How could he so easily forgive the enemy who'd killed his parents?

Were you trying to be some kind of saint?! Forgive him, my ass!

It was then that Naruto began searching again for a way out of the movie theater.

Before, he'd given up on leaving so quickly because he'd thought there was nothing in the outside world tying him down.

But now he knew there was. His parents had loved him deeply. They had died for him, and his mother's chakra was still inside him...

That's right. His mom and dad had loved him so much.

Just learning that was enough to make Naruto burst into tears.

He had to get out. He had to feel chakra again so he could see his mother.

And he swore:

He would kill Obito Uchiha.

A long, long time passed again. Naruto searched every corner of the theater, but still couldn't find an exit. Yet he never gave up or wavered. Hatred and longing gave him the resolve to keep trying.

After countless videos had shaped him and time had tempered him, the old Uzumaki Naruto, who'd loved making a fuss and couldn't control his emotions, had long since disappeared. He kept his hatred, anger, sorrow, and joy buried deep inside. Now, Naruto had a stable worldview and unwavering convictions—a strength greater than any ninjutsu.

Then, as if it were all a child's game, Naruto blinked during an ordinary moment and suddenly found himself back in Konoha, in the same classroom where he'd been sleeping.

He'd woken up.

The return was so jarring and absurd that Naruto couldn't make sense of it. That was why he'd sat there dazed for so long.

"This really is... absurd."

Back in the present, Naruto couldn't help laughing at himself. Then he let out a long sigh, his expression settling into calm.

"If I can't figure it out, I'll leave it for later."

Naruto stood up and basked in the sunlight he'd missed for so long. Even the setting sun made him feel warm all over.

"Since things have come to this, I'll go have a bowl of Ichiraku Ramen first."

"I haven't eaten in years."