First Crossing (Please Bookmark and Recommend)

Uchiha Masaki's retaliation came sooner than expected.

That evening, Zhong Hao was attacked on a somewhat deserted street. There were three attackers, all wearing cloaks and masks that exposed only their eyes.

They did not even use Fire Release. One cast Lightning Release from a distance, while the other two charged Zhong Hao with blades in hand.

Zhong Hao's pupils contracted slightly, his expression turning grim as one hand settled on his sword hilt. Though the force behind all three attackers' moves far surpassed his own, he had never had a habit of meekly awaiting death.

"Ninja Art: Partial Multi-Size Technique!"

A huge, round figure suddenly appeared before Zhong Hao. His right hand swelled as if inflated, and with a sweep of his massive palm, he sent the two close-range attackers flying.

"Ninja Art: Mind Body Switch Technique!"

The ninja casting Lightning Release in the distance suddenly froze, and the Lightning Release he had been about to unleash swiftly dissipated.

"Ninja Art: Shadow Imitation Technique!"

The Lightning Release ninja's consciousness wavered for a moment, but he quickly recovered—only to find himself unable to move.

The loss of control over his body lasted only three seconds. Once he discovered that the restraint had lifted, he gave the three men standing before Zhong Hao a deep look, made a hand signal, and vanished into the night with the other two ninja.

The battle ended in less than ten seconds. The three ninja had not revealed their identities as Uchiha clan members, and the three Ino-Shika-Cho ninja had no intention of keeping them behind. Both sides tacitly understood each other and did not tear away the pretense.

Yet Ino-Shika-Cho's actions had already made their stance clear, while also issuing a silent warning. They were all old foxes; the Uchiha would surely understand.

In terms of clan strength, the three Ino-Shika-Cho families combined could not match a single Uchiha clan. But one had to remember that the three families stood as one and were also part of the Hokage's faction. If the Uchiha moved against them, the Third Hokage would be the first unable to sit still.

Zhong Hao stepped forward and thanked the three of them. "Thank you for your help, Uncle Choza, Uncle Shikaku, Uncle Inoichi."

The ones who had acted were none other than the heads of the three Ino-Shika-Cho clans. What could be more intimidating or representative than the three clan heads personally stepping in? That was also why Dingyuan had personally invited them.

Akimichi Choza rubbed his belly and grinned foolishly. "I just finished eating, and now I'm hungry again."

Yamanaka Inoichi teased him good-naturedly. "Choza, when have you ever not been hungry?"

With one hand on his hip, Nara Shikaku said seriously to Zhong Hao, "After this, they should behave themselves for a while. But we can't stay by your side forever, so you still need to be more careful and vigilant. Don't give them any chance to make a move."

Zhong Hao nodded. "Thank you for your concern, Uncle Shikaku. I've already made a series of plans."

In truth, the three of them were not much older than Zhong Hao, at most by a dozen years. But he addressed them according to Akimichi Dingyuan's generation, so calling them uncles was not wrong.

The corner of Shikaku's mouth lifted. "What a mature child. I really hope my future child will be this mature too. Then I can retire earlier and live a leisurely life."

Inoichi gave his shoulder a hard slap. "Hey, don't be so unmotivated."

After the three left, Zhong Hao went alone to Kurenai Yuhi's home. To Kurenai's immense delight, he moved in with her and was pulled into sleeping beside her.

He planned to stay there for these three days. The area was surrounded by Konoha's core forces, and no matter how arrogant the Uchiha were, they would not dare act there.

Three days later, Kurenai brought him the finished parachute. Though it differed from what he had imagined, it should work. With that, nearly all the supplies he needed were gathered. All that remained was the boat.

That morning, Zhong Hao quietly got up, lightly kissed Kurenai's forehead goodbye, left behind a note, and departed the Yūhi family home. He went alone to the carpenter's workshop, hoisted the completed boat onto his shoulder, skipped saying farewell to Ji Mei and the others at the orphanage, and headed straight for Konoha's gates.

At the gates, the Uchiha guards deliberately delayed him, and it took him half an hour to get away. Not long afterward, three shadows darted out from the gates and followed Zhong Hao, while the Uchiha guards turned a blind eye.

The moment Zhong Hao left Konoha, he immediately ran in one direction without making any effort to conceal his tracks. There was no point in doing so. The time spent covering his tracks would be longer than the time it took ninja to trace them, and he was clearly no professional compared to ninja in that regard.

He plunged into a dense thicket, and when he emerged, the boat on his shoulder had vanished, stored away in his space.

Ever since he was born, he had possessed a space he could open at any time. At first, it had only been as large as a room, but as he grew older, it expanded more and more. It now held over a thousand cubic meters. All his luggage was inside; storing a single boat was effortless. The only reason he had carried it out of Konoha before putting it away was that he did not want to attract attention.

Brat, how much longer until the One Piece world opens? Zhong Hao asked inwardly.

"Two minutes," Zhong Yunxi replied.

"Two minutes is enough for them to beat me into pulp. Can't you make it any faster?" Zhong Hao complained. He could never stay calm around that brat.

"Relax. If you die, you die. At worst, we'll drift through endless spacetime for another hundred thousand years. Isn't that how we lived before?" Zhong Yunxi was the same as always, never missing a chance to jab at him.

In endless spacetime, Zhong Hao had drifted for over a hundred thousand years. Aside from the first hundred thousand years he spent asleep, he had been tormented by loneliness in endless darkness for all the remaining time. He could not die even if he wanted to. After who knew how many years, Zhong Yunxi was born within his soul and saved his consciousness, which had nearly been worn away.

According to her, Zhong Hao had accumulated an immense longing for communication and companionship through countless years of loneliness. Empowered by the energy of endless spacetime, that vast desire had given birth to her. From another perspective, she could be said to have been created by Zhong Hao.

At some point, the two had begun bickering nonstop, continuing for who knew how many years until they collided with the Naruto world, which happened to be open at the time.

After countless years together, Zhong Hao valued her the most and trusted her the most. Though they often bickered and took every opportunity to mock each other, that was merely one way they expressed their feelings.

Second by second, time passed. Zhong Hao kept running at his greatest speed. He knew ninja would inevitably be tracking him from behind. The Uchiha would not let this chance slip away.

Suddenly, he heard the piercing sound of high-speed pursuit from behind, growing closer and closer. He hurriedly shouted inwardly, Yunxi, how much longer?

"Five seconds..."

A kunai shot toward Zhong Hao from behind, arriving in an instant.

Zhong Hao kicked off with his right leg, twisting his body as he charged forward. With a flick of his scabbard, he knocked the kunai away. At the same time, his left hand flicked, sending out a kunai of his own to buy time. The moment he landed, he swiftly turned back and resumed his mad dash. In that hurried glance during his turn, he saw three pursuers, though he had no idea what rank they were.

"Four seconds..."

"Damn it, I can die ten times in four seconds for you to see." Zhong Hao cursed as he threw himself to the right. Three shuriken sliced past his left cheek, tearing open a wound and drawing blood. After landing, he rolled across the ground and burrowed into a dense thicket.

"Three seconds..."

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

Zhong Hao did not dare linger in the thicket. The instant he emerged, a fireball engulfed the brush behind him.

"Two seconds..."

The pursuers chased him at high speed, yet they did not use any large-scale ninjutsu. They always held back at crucial moments, sending Zhong Hao fleeing in a miserable state, like cats toying with a mouse before eating it.

Damn it, what rank are these three ninja?

His legs moved frantically. Light appeared ahead in the distance. The dense, unbroken canopy overhead blocked out the sunlight, and that light represented an exit.

That looks like... a cliff? Given the size of the Land of Fire's forests, he could not possibly have reached the edge so quickly. That meant it could only be a cliff. Zhong Hao's eyes lit up at the sight of the light. He sprinted two more steps and leaped forward before reaching the exit.

The view before him suddenly opened up, filled with brilliant light. He was indeed at the edge of a cliff, and a sensation of weightlessness struck him as he rapidly fell toward the bottom.

"One second..."

"Kurenai, Ji Mei, Da Ye, Tang Ze... Once I find power, I'll come back..." In midair, Zhong Hao looked southward. He could vaguely make out Konoha's outline, and his gaze was incomparably resolute.

Above him, the three ninja leaped down at the same time. Only then did Zhong Hao clearly see their faces. All six eyes glowed with scarlet Sharingan, and one of them was unmistakably Uchiha Ang's older brother.

Unable to speak in the wind, Zhong Hao mouthed, I'll remember you.

Uchiha Ang's older brother returned a gesture, meaning, I'll wipe out your entire family.

"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"

This ninja was clearly extremely powerful. Even while plummeting through the air at high speed, he could still perform a B-rank ninjutsu.

The flames formed into a fire dragon and shot toward him. Zhong Hao could feel the searing heat washing over him. His hair curled and dried, carrying the smell of scorching. The next moment...

Zhong Yunxi's playful voice rang out. "Time's up. Spacetime traversal..."

Ripples spread across space, and Zhong Hao instantly vanished.