Endless Space-Time (Please Bookmark and Recommend)

Endless Space-Time

The forest was silent at night. Birds had hidden in their nests, and even the cicadas had fallen quiet.

"Rustle, rustle..." Carrying Zhong Hao on her back, Kurenai walked out of the forest with steady steps, grumbling as she went. "They just had to build the training ground in such a remote place. It's already dark by the time we walk home. What if we run into wild beasts?"

Zhong Hao had long grown used to Kurenai's chatter. She had talked all the way there, and she talked all the way back. He swore that Kurenai was definitely not like this in front of other people.

They finally arrived. Five crude wooden huts stood side by side, surrounded by a crooked wooden fence as tall as a person. Built in a remote corner of Konoha, it was the home Zhong Hao and the other four had made for themselves.

The moment the two arrived, the other three eagerly came out to greet them after hearing the sound.

"Ji Mei, Da Ye, Tang Ze, hello!" Kurenai set Zhong Hao down and greeted the three with a smile.

"Hello, Sister Kurenai!" The three stood in a row, bowed neatly, and answered in unison.

Kurenai then held out a bag and handed it to Zhong Hao. "Here, Hao. Father specially prepared this for you. He said that after training taijutsu every day, your body is easily depleted. Cook these herbs together with meat to replenish your nutrition."

Zhong Hao did not take it. He stared at the bag, lost in thought.

Kurenai handed the bag to the three beside her, then looked at Zhong Hao with concern. "Hao, are you blaming Father?"

Before Zhong Hao could answer, Kurenai hurriedly continued, "Father had his reasons for sending you to the orphanage back then. Actually, Mother was like you, an ordinary person without ninja talent. Eight years ago, a village child slit her throat with a knife in the marketplace. After an investigation, it was discovered that the child had been placed under a genjutsu and controlled by someone."

"Father believed it was the work of an enemy he had made during a mission, and he has lived in regret ever since. When you were tested at the age of four and found to have no ninja talent, he was afraid you would become a target just like Mother, with no ability to resist. That was why he sent you away. For the past two years, he has actually been watching over you."

Zhong Hao was somewhat surprised. He had never known any of this. The doubts that had plagued him for the past two years vanished, and he shook his head. "I've never blamed Uncle Shinku. If he hadn't carried me out of the forest and brought me back to the village, I might have been eaten by wild beasts long ago. I'm grateful to him. I could also tell that he had no choice but to send me to the orphanage. I just never expected this to be the reason."

"Actually, this is good too. Otherwise, I would never have met Ji Mei and the others, nor would I have formed a new family with them."

"Then I can rest easy." Seeing that Zhong Hao was sincere, Kurenai let out a breath of relief and smiled again. She pinched Zhong Hao's cheek. "Big Sister is going home. If I get back too late, Father will worry."

As she spoke, she bent down slightly and brought her baby-fat cheeks closer, looking at Zhong Hao expectantly.

Zhong Hao scratched his cheek awkwardly, then stepped forward and gave Kurenai a light kiss on the face.

"Hehe—goodbye, you three." Kurenai nodded in satisfaction, bade farewell to Ji Mei and the others, and left. Her silvery laughter lingered in the night.

Zhong Hao watched Kurenai Yuhi's retreating figure until she disappeared from sight, warmth flashing through his eyes. Then he called the three inside for dinner.

That night, after extinguishing the last light, Zhong Hao returned to his bed and lay down, sinking his mind into the deepest part of his consciousness.

Within his sea of consciousness was a place as beautiful as a dream garden. Zhong Hao stood face-to-face with an incomparably beautiful young woman who looked to be around twenty, less than ten centimeters apart.

The young woman wore an exquisite emerald-green flowing dress. A jade butterfly hairpin adorned her waist-length black hair. With her hands behind her back, she blinked her lively eyes at Zhong Hao, her expression full of mischief.

Looking at the girl before him, Zhong Hao complained, "You're doing this on purpose, aren't you? Don't stand so close."

The girl gestured at the top of Zhong Hao's head, then at her own willow-slender waist, looking at him provocatively.

The two had bickered for countless years in the pitch-black, lonely Endless Space-Time, neither willing to yield. Now that Zhong Hao had become a baby and begun growing again, the girl had found a new point to attack.

Zhong Hao slapped a hand against his forehead. "Why do you have this kind of personality? Weren't you born according to my ideal image of a companion? Why are you so mischievous? Did I owe you something in my past life?"

With one hand on her hip, the girl waved the other carelessly in front of herself. "Only idiots fuss over little details. Besides, I'm Zhong Yunxi."

"I know you're Zhong Yunxi. I just want to ask, why did I transmigrate when I was living perfectly well in my previous life? I only remember drifting through the 'Endless Space-Time' for countless years, and then you suddenly appeared in my consciousness. You aren't some guy's remnant consciousness, are you? After that, I descended into Naruto and became a baby, gaining a body again and the ability to travel between different planes. But where did that ability come from?" Zhong Hao asked.

"I don't remember. If your performance satisfies me, I might remember someday." Zhong Yunxi raised her head and shook it, her eyes shifting with cunning satisfaction. She had finally found a chance to gain the upper hand over Zhong Hao, and she was not about to let it go easily.

Damn girl! That line again. Zhong Hao cursed inwardly before saying, "Forget it. How much longer until those two worlds open their doors? Have you found any new worlds?"

"No new worlds. There are still only these two within the search range." Zhong Yunxi pointed at the sky. A black dot appeared in the air and rapidly expanded into a cosmic map. It continued enlarging, revealing a blue planet before them. Most of it was ocean, while its only continent was long and narrow, circling the entire planet.

"If nothing unexpected happens, this plane will open its door in three days. The other world will take several more years." When it came to serious matters, Zhong Yunxi immediately put away her playful manner and looked at Zhong Hao.

Planes were usually closed, allowing neither entry nor exit. But every so often, they would open for ten to sixty seconds and connect to the Endless Space-Time. Zhong Yunxi called this opening the door.

"I see..." Zhong Hao rubbed his chin thoughtfully, his small body striking the pose of an adult. "Judging from this planet's bizarre geography, I'm ninety-nine percent certain that this is the world of One Piece."

"Isn't the One Piece world exactly what you need? You can't cultivate using Naruto's power system, so you can learn taijutsu, Haki, and swordsmanship in the One Piece world." Zhong Yunxi spread her arms and fell straight backward onto the soft grass. The instant she landed, her graceful body trembled slightly.

Zhong Hao could not help sneaking a glance, though he did not dare let her notice. Otherwise, she would mock him again. Besides, with his current body...

"Can we set a destination when traveling through space-time? I mean, can we arrive at a designated location?" Zhong Hao pointed to a spot on the planet.

"No. Without exact coordinates, you can only land within an approximate range." Zhong Yunxi traced a circle in the air with her finger, and a circle appeared on the floating planet, covering an area of over ten million square kilometers.

Zhong Hao frowned slightly. "With such a large range, there's more than a ninety percent chance I'll fall into the sea, isn't there? Don't tell me a Sea King will be waiting below with its mouth wide open the moment I jump in..."

Zhong Yunxi pulled Zhong Hao down beside her, then wrapped a finger around a lock of his half-long hair, occasionally plucking one out. "I think falling into the sea would actually be safer," she said softly.

Ignoring the faint sting of his hair being pulled out, Zhong Hao asked in surprise, "Why?"

Still playing with his hair, Zhong Yunxi spoke with faint disdain. "Who told you that space-time travel would definitely make you land on the ground or the sea? The circle I drew isn't a flat surface. It's a sphere. You could very well appear several thousand meters in the air."

Zhong Hao's mouth fell open. "Then I have to make a parachute? In three days, I need to prepare a parachute, a boat, fresh water, and food?"

"Not just that. You also need to figure out where to land so that you can gain a foothold in the new world for the time being. After all, you're not even seven years old yet, and your strength is far too weak. Landing somewhere dangerous could cost you your life."

Zhong Hao continued following that train of thought. "That's right. I also have to consider where I can learn taijutsu, swordsmanship, and other abilities. Without someone to teach me, there's no way I can learn those things."

Zhong Yunxi plucked out one final tuft of Zhong Hao's hair, withdrew her hand, and asked curiously, "So, have you figured out what to do?"

Zhong Hao rubbed the spot on his head where she had pulled out his hair, stood up, and quickly moved away from the damn girl. Pacing back and forth on the lawn, he said, "I have a rough idea."

Zhong Yunxi did not disturb him. She could offer suggestions in matters like this, but Zhong Hao had to make the decision himself. After all, from beginning to end, he was the master. She had been born because of him.

Zhong Hao thought carefully, muttering to himself, "The One Piece world has four major powers: pirates, Marines, the Revolutionary Army, and the World Government."

"If I want to learn something, Whitebeard, Shanks, and Rayleigh are all good choices. But they're all on the Grand Line and in the New World. Those places are far too dangerous and unpredictable. With this body of mine, I wouldn't last a day. Eliminate them."

"All pirates are eliminated. What about the Marines? Marine Headquarters is on the Grand Line, while the branches in the Four Blues are meaningless. Eliminate them too."

"As for the Revolutionary Army, never mind whether I can even find them. Even if I do, who knows how long it will take to gain their trust? Eliminate them."

"The World Government? No reason needed. I instinctively reject them. Eliminate them. If all four major powers are eliminated, then who else is there? Strong people in the Four Blues... strong people in the Four Blues..."

"Wait, Garp! A strong person I have a high chance of encountering in a fixed location within the Four Blues. That's right, Foosha Village in the Goa Kingdom. As long as I wait there, I'll definitely run into him."

The more he thought about it, the clearer it became. Zhong Hao struck his fist into his palm. "He has good character, and becoming his disciple shouldn't be too difficult. He may be a little violent and scatterbrained, but as long as I don't become a pirate, he'll be the best and most protective teacher possible. He's an expert in taijutsu and Haki, and I can also learn swordsmanship through him at Marine Headquarters. It seems his adjutant is a swordsman too. When you put it that way, Garp really is the best choice."

Seeing that he had made his decision, Zhong Yunxi sat up from the grass, took his hand, and smiled sweetly. "Looks like you've thought it through. Since there's nothing else to do now, let's play Aeroplane Chess."

The moment Zhong Hao heard "Aeroplane Chess," his eyelid twitched. Remembering how she had once forcibly dragged him into playing it all night, he gave an awkward laugh. "I... I need to sleep. I'm so tired." As he spoke, he let out an exaggerated yawn.

Zhong Yunxi grabbed Zhong Hao by the shoulders and brought her face close to his. "Cut it out. You're already sleeping outside. This is only a thread of your spiritual power, like dreaming."

"But I don't want to play Aeroplane Chess all night—how about Go instead... no? Then Chinese chess?"

"Chinese chess and Go are heresy. Aeroplane Chess is the true way, 'Sun.'"

"Bastard! Who are you calling Sun?"

"You, of course! Zhong—Sun—"

"Damn girl, you planned this back when we named each other, didn't you? You're making jokes with it now, but I'll deal with you sooner or later."

"Hmph hmph!!"