Twin Palms

Falling leaves danced on the wind, then snow came again. It was another lovely time of year.

Soon, the new year arrived, and it was time for another lottery draw.

Naruto bathed and cleansed himself, his heart uneasy.

He was just about to draw.

Then he thought better of it. To be safe, he decided to go out and do three good deeds.

At least it would give him some comfort.

He stepped outside. The snow lay thick, and there weren't many people around. Children were building snowmen and having snowball fights in the streets.

But when they saw Naruto, they either cursed at him or pelted him with snowballs.

Naruto's mood soured in an instant.

"Damn it, I really shouldn't have believed that crap."

He silently grumbled and wandered around for a long time, but never got the chance to do a single good deed.

He turned around and prepared to go home and draw.

"They all got to curse me out, which made them feel better. I guess that counts as one big good deed."

He consoled himself. There was no helping it; luck was hard to predict.

As the saying went, things turned around once they reached an extreme. His luck had been so bad, so things should get a little better soon.

As Naruto was thinking about luck, his eyes suddenly fell on someone familiar.

"Hinata?"

Naruto's voice was uncertain.

A bob cut, pure white eyes, and a red scarf around her neck.

The person in front of him was Hyuga Hinata.

"Naruto-kun."

Hinata looked surprised and a little nervous.

As a member of the Hyuga Clan, one of the oldest families, Hinata was part of the Main Family and spent nearly every day training hard at home.

Hinata's world was small. Apart from her parents, the only person she thought about was Naruto. But her personality made it impossible for her to seek him out, so she could only go out and look around during the New Year each year, hoping she might run into him.

Naruto rarely went out, and he especially liked to stay home during the New Year.

He had only gone out this year on a whim.

He hadn't expected to run into her. Naruto liked Hinata, but he didn't constantly long to see her the way she did him.

He knew he'd see her often once they started school.

There was still a year to go before then.

"Hinata-chan, long time no see."

Still, Naruto was happy to see her.

He hurried over.

Hinata's little face turned bright red, and she stammered, unable to think of what to say.

Naruto didn't mind. Just seeing her made him happy.

After chatting for a little while, Hinata had to go home.

Naruto watched her walk away, feeling reluctant to part.

He went home, washed his hands, and composed himself.

"System, draw."

Nine cards flew out.

Naruto hesitated as he looked at them.

He reached out and tapped the card in the middle with his right hand.

A flash of special effects passed by.

Skill: Twin Palms

Naruto's eyes lit up, and he looked almost unable to believe it.

"How is this possible? It really is Twin Palms."

Even Naruto could hardly believe it.

It all felt unreal. At that moment, he even wondered whether Hinata had brought him good luck.

As Naruto stood there stunned, Twin Palms turned into a streak of golden light and entered his body.

The skill's knowledge appeared in his mind.

Name: Uzumaki Naruto

Bloodline: Uzumaki Bloodline

Cultivation Art: Triple Inversion

Skills: Fire Style, Twin Palms

Restriction: Cinnabar Mark

Lottery Draws: 0

After fully absorbing the memories in his mind, Naruto looked utterly shocked.

Twin Palms might not be considered especially powerful in other worlds, but it was incredibly useful in the world of Naruto.

In this world, he could use the skill to obtain bloodlines and abilities alike.

"Maybe I should change my plans."

Naruto's eyes lit up. According to his original plan, he wouldn't do much until the Third Hokage died.

But now, it seemed he could do a lot more.

At the thought, Naruto could no longer hide his grin.

Night fell.

Naruto was sound asleep, but he still couldn't suppress the smile on his face.

Deep inside Naruto, in a dark sewer, Naruto suddenly appeared.

"Where is this?"

Naruto frowned, not understanding at first.

But soon, his expression changed.

A sense of oppression came from somewhere ahead.

"Nine-Tails, what's going on?"

Naruto was confused.

He didn't understand why he was meeting the Nine-Tails now.

Naruto had always avoided thinking about the Nine-Tails. So far, he had no idea how to deal with the troublesome creature.

According to Naruto's plan, once he got the chance to obtain an ability like Six Treasury Immortal Thief, he would simply devour the Nine-Tails.

He didn't like having an old fox hiding inside him.

What he hadn't expected was to meet the Nine-Tails now.

Naruto's mental strength was already considerable. On top of that, he had crossed over with his soul and fused with Naruto's original soul. Now he had Twin Palms, Triple Inversion, and other arts that cultivated both body and mind. His mental strength had grown beyond measure.

"Do you want power, brat?"

Just as Naruto stood there hesitating, a bewitching voice rang out.

"Heh. In that case, let's meet."

Naruto chuckled and walked forward.

The space was dark and narrow, and the Nine-Tails' oppressive presence made it even more terrifying.

Even though Naruto knew he was safe, fear gradually crept into him.

He emerged from the sewer, and the space ahead opened up dramatically. A huge iron gate towered beyond sight.

Behind the gate, a pair of enormous red eyes stared at him.

It was his first time looking the creature in the eye, and Naruto instinctively took a few steps back.

As his eyes adjusted, he could also make out the creature's full form.

A gigantic, fiery-red fox lay there, its nine tails blotting out the sky.

The Nine-Tailed Demon Fox.

Naruto's mouth fell slightly open at the sight.

"So this counts as a mythical creature, right?"

He was stunned. Though it was still far from the creatures of mythology, its appearance and oppressive presence were already more than enough to awe an ordinary person like him.

After the shock came excitement. If mythical creatures like this existed, then he had to become just as powerful.

Becoming an immortal had become Naruto's obsession.

"I want to become an immortal."

Not an immortal like the Sage of Six Paths, but a true immortal who would never die.

"Do you want power, brat? Unseal that gate, and all my power will be yours."

The Nine-Tails pointed to the seal on the gate.

Naruto frowned and glanced up at the ceiling.

"You're the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox they talk about."

Naruto asked in reply.

The Nine-Tails gave an imperceptible snort.

A wave of chakra pressure crashed down on Naruto.

Naruto's expression changed, and he took a step back.

"Don't you want power?" the Nine-Tails asked, watching the boy before him.

For a moment, it couldn't even tell what he wanted.

"Of course I do, but now isn't the time."

Naruto said no more and turned to leave.

If he were strong enough, he could use Twin Palms to control the Nine-Tails.

Unfortunately, now wasn't the time. He couldn't rush things.

He slept peacefully through the night. The next morning, Naruto got up.

For the first time in a long while, Naruto went out and wandered around the village.

He walked around many places, but in the end, he was disappointed.

"Damn it, they're keeping such a close eye on me."

Naruto frowned as he sensed the eyes of the people behind him.

Because of the Uchiha Clan, four people were now assigned to watch Naruto.

Two Anbu and two from Root.

They were there to prevent the Uchiha Clan from making a desperate move.

This meant Naruto couldn't do anything under their noses.

And most importantly, the guards changed every two days. Even if Naruto wanted to control them, he never got the chance.

"This won't do. I can't keep wasting time like this."

With Twin Palms, there were many things he could do.

Besides, he would be starting school in just over half a year.

Night fell.

Two people crouched in the distant treetops, blending into the darkness.

They were Anbu members, and their mission was to protect Naruto.

This wasn't their first time on such a mission, so neither of them was particularly tense.

They were both fairly relaxed.

At that moment, Naruto suddenly opened his eyes in his room.

"Time to act."

Triple Inversion activated.

In an instant, thick white smoke billowed from Naruto's body.

His body vanished.

The two people in the tree suddenly sensed chakra.

They jumped in alarm and instinctively tried to defend themselves.

But the next moment, two small hands—one red and one blue—reached out and sank directly into their bodies.

Their bodies went rigid.

Their consciousness stopped, too.

Naruto's body appeared out of thin air.

"Looks like I'll have to hurry."

A glint flashed in Naruto's eyes.

He quickly altered their memories.

Blue Hand's ability was incredibly overbearing. It directly altered things at the soul level.

He didn't need to change much. He only had to alter their perception.