Twin Palms

Fallen leaves drift in the wind, meeting the snow once more; another fine season of the year has arrived.

The new year soon rolled around, bringing with it the time for the lucky draw.

Uzumaki Naruto bathed and cleansed himself, his heart filled with trepidation.

Just as he was about to draw, he hesitated.

Thinking it wasn't quite safe enough, he decided to head out and perform three good deeds.

At the very least, it would provide some peace of mind.

Stepping out of his house, the world was blanketed in thick snow with few people about, save for children in the streets building snowmen and having snowball fights.

Yet, upon seeing Uzumaki Naruto, they either hurled insults or pelted him with snowballs.

This instantly soured his mood.

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

Speechless, he wandered for a long while, but found no opportunity to do any good deeds.

He turned around, prepared to head back and start the draw.

"I let everyone curse me, which surely put them in a good mood; I suppose that counts as one major good deed."

He comforted himself; there was no helping it, for luck is a fickle thing.

As the saying goes, when things reach an extreme, they turn in the opposite direction; since his luck had been so poor, it should improve soon.

Just as Uzumaki Naruto was lost in thoughts of luck, his gaze suddenly fell upon a familiar figure.

"Hinata?"

Uzumaki Naruto's voice was laced with uncertainty.

Ear-length short hair, pure white eyes, and a red scarf around her neck.

Standing before him was none other than Hinata of the Hyuga Clan.

"Naruto-kun."

Hinata was both pleasantly surprised and somewhat nervous.

As a member of the main branch of the ancient Hyuga Clan, Hinata spent nearly every day in rigorous training at home.

Hinata's world was very small; aside from her parents, the only person on her mind was Uzumaki Naruto. However, due to her personality, she could never bring herself to seek him out, so she could only wander out during the New Year, hoping to catch a glimpse of him.

Uzumaki Naruto, on the other hand, rarely left the house, especially during the New Year, preferring to hole up at home.

Coming out this year was purely a whim.

He hadn't expected to run into her. While Uzumaki Naruto liked Hinata, he didn't share her constant longing to see him.

This was because Uzumaki Naruto knew they would see each other often once school started.

There was still one year left before school began.

"Hinata-chan, long time no see."

Nevertheless, seeing her made Uzumaki Naruto genuinely happy.

He hurried forward to meet her.

Hinata's face turned beet red instantly, and she stammered, not knowing what to say.

Uzumaki Naruto didn't mind; just being able to see her was enough to make him happy.

The two chatted briefly before Hinata had to return home.

Uzumaki Naruto watched her walk away, feeling a lingering sense of reluctance.

He returned home and washed his hands to settle his mood.

"System, draw."

Nine cards flew out.

Uzumaki Naruto looked at the cards and hesitated for a moment.

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

A flash of special effects swept across the room.

Skill: Twin Palms

Uzumaki Naruto's eyes lit up, his expression one of utter disbelief.

"How is this possible? It's really Twin Palms?"

Uzumaki Naruto could hardly believe it himself.

It felt surreal, and he even wondered if Hinata was a lucky charm for him.

While Uzumaki Naruto was dazed, the Twin Palms skill transformed into a golden light and entered his body.

The knowledge of the skill instantly flooded his mind.

Name: Uzumaki Naruto

Bloodline: Uzumaki Bloodline

Cultivation Method: Triple Inversion

Skills: Fire Style, Twin Palms

Restriction: Cinnabar Mark

Lottery: 0

After fully digesting the memories in his mind, Naruto Uzumaki wore a look of shock.

Twin Palms might not be considered very strong in other worlds, but it was incredibly useful in the Naruto Uzumaki world.

In this world, bloodlines and abilities could all be obtained through this skill.

"Perhaps the plan should change."

Naruto Uzumaki's eyes lit up. In his original plan, he wasn't going to be very active until the Third Hokage died.

But now, it seemed he could do much more.

Thinking of this, Naruto Uzumaki could no longer hide the smirk on his face.

Night.

Even in his deep sleep, the smile on Naruto Uzumaki's lips remained irrepressible.

Deep within a dark sewer inside Naruto Uzumaki's body.

Naruto Uzumaki suddenly arrived here.

"Where is this?"

Naruto Uzumaki frowned, unable to react for a moment.

But soon, his expression changed.

A sense of oppression emanated from the distance.

"What's going on with the Nine-Tails?"

Naruto Uzumaki was puzzled.

He didn't understand why he would encounter the Nine-Tails at this time.

Naruto Uzumaki had always subconsciously ignored the matter of the Nine-Tails because, until now, he didn't know how to deal with this troublesome fellow.

According to Naruto Uzumaki's plan, if he had the chance to obtain an ability similar to Six Treasury Immortal Thief in the future, he would simply devour the Nine-Tails.

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

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

Naruto Uzumaki's mental energy was already very strong. Combined with the fact that he was a soul-transmigrator who had merged with the original soul of Naruto Uzumaki, and having gained cultivation methods like Twin Palms and Triple Inversion that perfected both body and spirit, his mental strength had grown to an unknown degree.

"Do you want power, brat?"

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

"Heh, since that's the case, let's meet."

Naruto Uzumaki chuckled and walked forward.

This space was dark and narrow, and coupled with the overwhelming pressure of the Nine-Tails, it became even more terrifying.

Even though Naruto Uzumaki knew he was safe, a sense of fear gradually began to rise within him.

Walking out of the sewer, the space ahead suddenly opened up, revealing a massive iron gate of unseen height.

Behind the iron gate, a pair of enormous red eyes were staring at him.

Meeting those eyes for the first time, Naruto Uzumaki subconsciously took a few steps back.

As his eyes adjusted, he saw the creature's full appearance.

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

The Nine-Tails.

Seeing the creature, Naruto Uzumaki opened his mouth slightly.

"Can this be considered a mythical creature?"

He was shocked. Although it was still far from the creatures in myths, both its appearance and the pressure it exerted were sufficiently shocking compared to an ordinary person like him.

After the shock came excitement. If such a thing as a mythical creature existed, then he must surely achieve the same.

Becoming an immortal had become Naruto Uzumaki's obsession.

"I want to become an immortal."

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

"Brat, do you want power? Remove that seal, and all of my power will be yours."

The Nine-Tails pointed at the talisman on the gate.

Naruto Uzumaki frowned and glanced at the sky.

"So you are the Nine-Tails demon fox they speak of."

Naruto Uzumaki retorted.

The Nine-Tails let out a cold, secretive snort.

A wave of chakra pressure bore down directly upon Naruto Uzumaki.

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

"Do you not desire power?" the Nine-Tails asked, looking at the brat before him.

For a moment, he couldn't even tell what the boy truly wanted.

"Naturally I do, but now is not the time."

Naruto Uzumaki said nothing more and turned to leave.

If he had sufficient strength, he would use Twin Palms to control the Nine-Tails directly.

Unfortunately, now was not the time; he could not afford to be rash.

The night passed without dreams, and he rose the next day.

For the first time in a long while, Naruto Uzumaki went out and began wandering aimlessly through the village.

After visiting many places, he ended up feeling somewhat disappointed.

"Damn it, they're watching so closely."

Feeling the gazes of those behind him, Naruto Uzumaki furrowed his brows.

Because of the Uchiha clan, Naruto Uzumaki was currently being watched by four people.

Two from the Anbu and two from Root.

They were there specifically to prevent the Uchiha clan from doing anything desperate.

This meant Naruto Uzumaki could do nothing under their watchful eyes.

Most crucially, these people were rotated every two days, so even if Naruto Uzumaki wanted to control them, he never had the opportunity.

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

With Twin Palms, there was so much he could accomplish.

Besides, he only had half a year left before he was due to start school.

Night fell.

Two figures crouched on a distant treetop, blending into the darkness.

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

This was not their first time on such a mission, so neither was particularly tense.

They were both quite relaxed.

Meanwhile, inside Naruto Uzumaki's room.

Naruto Uzumaki suddenly opened his eyes.

"Time to act."

Triple Inversion activated.

In an instant, a massive amount of white steam erupted from Naruto Uzumaki's body.

His figure vanished in a blink.

The two on the tree suddenly sensed chakra.

Startled, they instinctively moved to defend themselves.

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

Their bodies stiffened.

Their consciousnesses ceased.

Naruto Uzumaki's body materialized out of thin air.

"Looks like I need to be quick."

Naruto Uzumaki's gaze flickered.

He began to rapidly rewrite their memories.

The ability of the blue hand was incredibly overbearing, modifying things directly at the level of the soul.

He didn't need to change much; he only needed to alter their perception.