manynovel Chapter 354 Whirlpool Face, Arrives!
Chapter 354 Whirlpool Face, Arrives!
Chapter 354 Whirlpool Face, Arrives!
The sudden, indifferent voice was like a bucket of cold water poured over Naruto's head, instantly snapping him out of his daze. This voice—?
Naruto's heart skipped a beat; the sound seemed vaguely familiar.
He steadied himself, took a deep breath, and shouted at the figure hidden among the branches, "Are you Menma?!"
After he finished speaking, the training ground fell into a brief silence.
The only sounds were the rustling of leaves in the wind and Naruto's slightly rapid breathing.
The figure in the tree seemed to move slightly.
Immediately afterwards, Naruto clearly heard a light, amused chuckle.
After a soft laugh, an unsettling silence returned.
The figure remained standing quietly on the branch, offering no response, as if deliberately waiting for something.
Naruto felt uneasy about the eerie silence and gradually became restless.
He gritted his teeth, intending to simply jump up the tree to get a clearer view.
call out!
A sharp, piercing sound suddenly rang out!
The dark shadow on the tree moved without warning!
Without any unnecessary movements, he swooped down from the tree like a ghost.
It moved so fast that it left only a gray afterimage in mid-air, heading straight for Naruto under the tree.
not good!
Naruto's pupils suddenly contracted.
Fortunately, the special training in immortal arts during this period was not without effect; his reactions were much faster than before.
The moment the other person moved, he reacted as if by reflex.
With a sudden burst of chakra beneath his feet, Naruto's body shot backward rapidly, his arms crossed in front of his chest to protect him.
Bang! !
With a muffled thud, the opponent's powerful downward kick slammed into Naruto's arms, which he had just managed to raise!
A tremendous force surged forth, and he used it to slide back four or five steps, barely managing to dissipate the force and regain his balance.
"asshole!"
"What are you doing?!"
"Why did you suddenly attack?!"
Naruto shouted, staring in surprise and disbelief at the figure that had already landed lightly not far ahead.
Although he managed to block the sudden sneak attack, the power it contained was definitely extraordinary.
It was at this moment that Naruto finally saw what the attacker looked like.
The other person did not appear to be tall, and even had a somewhat thin, youthful appearance.
He wore a uniquely styled black robe with a circle of fluffy, soft white fur around the collar, adding to his air of mystery and untamed spirit.
What is most striking is the mask he wears. It has a white background with strange patterns outlined in bright red, and the patterns look like three eyes.
From a distance, the mask looked remarkably like the face of a cunning and sinister fox.
Naruto's breath hitched.
This fox-shaped mask with three eyes —
A strong sense of déjà vu suddenly surged into his mind; he was certain he had seen something similar somewhere before.
But for a moment, his chaotic thoughts, coupled with the tense standoff before him, prevented him from thinking clearly.
However, the masked man didn't give Naruto a chance to think carefully or ask further questions.
He ignored Naruto's questions.
After landing, he paused for less than half a second before launching another attack like a whirlwind!
This time, his movements were faster and even more unpredictable!
"So fast!"
Naruto was shocked and could only rely on instinct to parry and dodge.
However, having already lost the initiative, he was further distracted by the other party's strange mask, and his actions were ultimately a beat slower.
Boom!
A well-placed elbow strike broke through Naruto's slightly flustered defense, landing squarely on his side.
Naruto groaned and staggered backward uncontrollably.
The masked man, having gained the upper hand, pressed forward relentlessly, then spun around and delivered another swift, sweeping kick.
Naruto lost his balance, and with the blow to his abdomen, he could no longer maintain his equilibrium.
The person was swept into the air, tracing an arc in mid-air, before crashing heavily onto the grass several meters away, kicking up a cloud of dust.
"Cough, cough cough——————" Naruto clutched his stomach, struggling to turn over and try to get up, his eyes filled with disbelief and confusion.
Who on earth is this guy?!
Why did you attack so viciously the moment you met?
Seeing Naruto fall to the ground and not get up, the fox-masked man finally stopped his pursuit.
He stood there, his black robe swaying slightly in the morning breeze, the fox mask appearing even more eerie and sinister against the backdrop of his white fur collar.
He looked down at Naruto, who was struggling to get up, his gaze through the eye holes of the mask cold and indifferent.
Immediately afterwards, a calm yet undisguisedly contemptuous voice rang out again: "Too weak."
"You must be his younger brother."
Where did he go?
"Him? Brother? Who?"
"Who is he looking for?"
Naruto lay on the ground, his mind a little foggy.
His mind was buzzing, and the sharp pain in his waist intertwined with the other person's questioning, leaving him in a state of confusion.
Who exactly is this guy who suddenly appeared?
He is incredibly powerful, wears a strange fox mask, and immediately attacks himself. He also inexplicably calls himself his younger brother and keeps asking about the whereabouts of another person.
"I don't have any older brothers!"
"What nonsense are you spouting?!"
Naruto retorted angrily, baring his teeth, his eyes filled with annoyance and confusion.
"Who are you?! What gives you the right to start hitting me? Have we met before?!"
His voice was slightly hoarse from the pain and anger.
Being beaten up for no reason is bad enough, but being forced to be called a younger brother is infuriating to anyone.
Faced with Naruto's questioning, the fox-masked man seemed to remain silent for a moment.
Then, he started walking slowly towards Naruto.
With each step closer, Naruto tensed up, staring intently at his opponent, his vigilance at its peak.
The fox-masked man stopped just a few steps away from Naruto, tilted his head slightly, and carefully examined Naruto in front of him.
Through the mask, that scrutinizing gaze swept across Naruto's face.
Then, to Naruto's surprise, the oppressive aura emanating from the other party dissipated as quickly as the tide receded!
The fox-masked man's tone suddenly changed, no longer the previous disdain and contempt, but instead deliberately carried a touch of familiarity: "I am your brother from another world."
His calm tone delivered a self-introduction that instantly shut Naruto's brain down.
Immediately afterward, before Naruto could process the shocking information in those words, the fox-masked man raised his hand and slowly removed the strangely shaped fox mask.
The mask was removed, revealing a face that bore a striking resemblance to Naruto!
But the differences are equally striking; the hair is pure black, short and neat.
His eyes were also dark and deep, lacking the sunshine and vitality of Naruto's bright blue eyes, and instead possessing an indescribable coldness and aloofness.
At this moment, the face that looks so much like Naruto is trying to force a smile.
"I do have facial numbness."
While introducing himself, he gave Naruto a smile that could barely be considered friendly.
However, Naruto found the smile somewhat awkward.
"I was just joking with you, testing your skills."
His voice remained calm, with little hint of joking, but Naruto was completely oblivious.
"You—you really are Menma?!" Naruto's eyes widened as he stared in shock at the face that resembled his own but had a completely different aura.
Despite the earlier suspicions, the impact of witnessing it firsthand was still enormous!
Especially that head of black hair and those black eyes—
After the initial shock came an overwhelming sense of elation and relief.
Naruto has always been easygoing. Although the opponent's "joking" attack had caused him a lot of trouble, the joy of finding Menma instantly dispelled all the unpleasantness and doubts from before.
He didn't realize that he and the dream Naruto both descended directly into that world without using someone else's body.
Therefore, some people in that world had seen two Narutos.
Moreover, Naruto is Naruto, and Menma is Menma; they don't even have the same name.
Of course, the carefree Naruto was oblivious to these problems; he was simply overjoyed.
"Very good!"
"finally found you!"
Naruto sprang to his feet with a somersault, completely ignoring his previous disheveled state.
"That's right! I'm Naruto! Uzumaki Naruto! You know me?"
Menma looked at Naruto's unguarded and carefree appearance and snorted disdainfully.
He nodded slightly: "Yes, I know, Naruto Uzumaki."
The voice remained calm and still, without the slightest ripple.
"Menma! Where have you been all this time?!"
"Your parents are frantic with worry; they can't find you anywhere!"
Naruto eagerly stepped forward again, bombarding him with questions, his face full of genuine concern.
Upon hearing the words "Dad" and "Mom," Mianma's face suddenly darkened.
He lowered his eyelashes and replied in a calm tone, "I didn't go anywhere. I just ran into a little trouble and got stuck temporarily."
"It's all right now."
His answer was evasive and vague.
"A minor problem? What kind of problem?"
"Where are you trapped? Who did this? You—"
'
Naruto was clearly not satisfied with this perfunctory answer. He frowned and continued to press for details.
Faced with Naruto's concerned and persistent questioning, Menma narrowed his eyes.
The next second, a look of loneliness appeared on that face that resembled Naruto's but was even more composed.
He then shook his head slightly, his voice subtly tinged with disappointment and regret: "It was my fault for running off alone—"
"Right now, I really want to go back to Konoha, back to my mom and dad."
"But I don't know how I got here—"
Upon seeing this, Naruto immediately waved his hand without hesitation, interrupting Menma's self-blame.
"Oh, it's alright!"
"I'm already grateful to have found you!"
He completely forgot that he had just been beaten up by the other person, and subconsciously ignored the incongruity in the other person's words.
At that moment, all he wanted to do was quickly comfort this somewhat dejected "self": "Don't worry! You'll probably only be able to stay with us for about a day."
"You'll be able to go back by this time tomorrow!"
"one day?"
"Only one day?" Menma's lowered eyelashes trembled slightly upon hearing Naruto's words. "Is that so—"
Then, he raised his head, the look of disappointment on his face completely gone, replaced by calm.
"That's great," he said, his voice sounding as if he had truly breathed a sigh of relief, with a hint of a heavy burden on his shoulders.
Naruto was completely unaware of anything amiss, assuming that Menma's mood had improved after hearing that he would be returning soon.
Then he cheered up and grinned, "Right! So don't worry too much—"
"Naruto."
Menma suddenly spoke, interrupting Naruto before he could finish speaking.
He took a small half-step forward, closing the distance between them.
He stared into Naruto's eyes and slowly asked, "You seem quite familiar with this technique?"
Do you know how I came into this world?
"What kind of technique is this?"
"Who is the caster?"
"Is that your older brother?"
The freckles revealed an barely suppressed eagerness and anticipation.
Naruto was taken aback by his sudden barrage of questions and didn't react in time.
He was completely unaware of the change in Mianma's attitude; he was simply bewildered by the questions themselves.
"How—how did it get here?"
"What kind of technique?"
"Who did it?"
He scratched his head, a look of deep thought on his face.
He himself only had a vague understanding of how that dream world worked.
He knew nothing about the specific principles behind it, what kind of technique it was, or who was manipulating it.
Besides, he doesn't even have an older brother!
"Uh, well, I really didn't—" Naruto said awkwardly, about to tell the truth.
However, his words were once again interrupted by a sudden sound.
"Naruto!"
"Naruto, where are you?!" Xiang's anxious shouts came from the direction of the woods at the edge of the training ground, her voice growing louder as she approached, accompanied by hurried footsteps.
"Naruto!"
Then Sakura's voice rang out.
It seems that Xiang changed her clothes and came to find him, and it looks like Sakura came along too.
Upon hearing these sounds, the expectant expression on Menma's face vanished instantly.
He frowned unhappily and clicked his tongue, saying, "Tsk, what a perfect timing."
In the blink of an eye, he had returned to his previous silence, even appearing colder than before.
He didn't press further, but simply turned his head slightly and glanced out of the corner of his eye at the direction from which the sound came.
At this moment, Xiang, Sakura, and Kakashi appeared at the edge of the training field.
Seeing these people appear, Menma raised an eyebrow and smiled slightly: "It's actually Sakura-chan, and White Fang is here too? Interesting."
Menma hesitated for a moment, then put away the mask he was holding without hesitation.
Naruto noticed that Menma had somehow made the white fox mask disappear from his hands as if by magic.
After removing his mask, his face, which resembled Naruto's but had black hair and black eyes, was fully exposed to the morning light.
Instead of hiding or running away, he took a half step forward and stood quietly beside Naruto, side by side with him.
He lowered his eyelashes slightly, his gaze fixed on the ground in front of him, and his aura became much more subdued.
He was completely different from before; he now appeared somewhat quiet, even revealing a subtle restraint.
It was as if he really was just a bewildered visitor from another world who had just been found.
Menma's rapid change in attitude and behavior left Naruto completely bewildered.
He thought to himself, "This guy actually put his mask away?"
However, Naruto didn't have time to think about it and quickly waved and shouted in the direction the sound came from.
"I'm here! Kaori! Sakura! I'm okay! I found Menma!"
His voice was filled with barely concealed excitement.
At the entrance to the training ground, Kaori had already changed into her ninja outfit, and Sakura, Kakashi, and the other two quickly rushed over.
Their eyes immediately locked onto Naruto, who was waving and shouting.
Then, he naturally saw the black-haired boy standing quietly next to Naruto. The boy looked remarkably similar to Naruto, but his black hair and calm, aloof demeanor distinguished him.
Kakashi narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze sweeping over Menma from head to toe with sharp intensity.
Menma simply stood there quietly, observing everyone without making a sound.
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