Chapter 434: The Name on the Slip of Paper
Naruto found himself sitting in the back row of the classroom, with Hinata to his left and Kiba and Shino to his right.
Images of a green pool, a yellow glimmer, and the faces of Hinata and Hanabi flashed through his mind, but those memories felt as if they were behind a layer of frosted glass, quickly becoming blurred and replaced by the incredibly vivid scene of the classroom before him.
"Hey, Naruto!"
A somewhat boisterous voice rang in his ear, and at the same time, his shoulder was bumped.
Naruto turned his head and saw a familiar face leaning in.
Inuzuka Kiba sported his signature spiky hair, his face wearing a look of curiosity and a bit of a mischievous smile. Beside him lay his Ninja Dog Akamaru as a puppy, tongue lolling out.
"What are you spacing out for? Whose name are you going to write for Iruka-sensei's question?"
Kiba nudged Naruto with his elbow and winked suggestively. "Don't tell me you haven't decided yet? Or is it... hehe..."
He looked toward the blushing Hinata on Naruto's left.
In the front row, a little fatty who was secretly stuffing potato chips into his mouth turned around upon hearing the commotion.
Chewing on his food, he spoke indistinctly:
"It must be Ino! Lately, I've often seen the two of them taking care of flowers together!"
As soon as Choji finished speaking, Ino Yamanaka, who was sitting diagonally in front of Naruto, spun around instantly like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. Her pretty little face flushed bright red, all the way to her ears.
She glared at Choji in embarrassment and annoyance, ignoring classroom discipline as she reached out and pulled hard on Choji's chubby cheek:
"You big idiot, don't talk nonsense! Who—who often takes care of flowers with him?! That was... just a coincidence! A coincidence!"
Ino was both angry and shy, pulling so hard that Choji's face became distorted.
Choji cried out in pain, nearly dropping the bag of potato chips in his hand.
"Yamanaka-san! Akimichi-san! No fighting in class!"
Iruka-sensei on the podium noticed the commotion. His tone was reproachful, but he felt helpless and had a bit of a headache.
These kids were always so energetic.
The other students in the classroom were also drawn to the commotion, and a wave of low laughter and whispers spread.
Hinata stole a glance at Naruto, her small face slightly red, then quickly lowered her head, her fingers twisting together nervously.
Shikamaru sat next to Ino, resting his chin on one hand as he let out a lazy yawn, muttering, "What a drag..."
Naruto watched this incredibly vivid scene, one that was familiar to his very core.
Kiba's teasing, Choji's 'honesty', Ino's embarrassment, Iruka-sensei's discipline, the classmates' cheering, and Hinata's shy glance...
It really has been a long time!
The classroom before him was so familiar it was nostalgic, these lively and noisy companions, and even the smell of chalk dust and sunlight in the air made Naruto's heart feel a warm throb.
It had been a while since he had gathered with his brothers.
Those simple and pure times, the initial loneliness and the bonds that were gradually built later, surged into his heart like a tide.
If possible, he really wanted to stay here a little longer, even if it was just watching Kiba and Choji mess around, seeing Ino's huffy look, or Iruka-sensei's helpless yet indulgent gaze, feeling that noisy tranquility unique to childhood.
However, this warm indulgence lasted only for a moment.
Wait, there are more important things waiting for me!
The green pool, the yellow glimmer, the lingering warmth of Hinata and Hanabi's hands, the Moon Passage, the Abandoned Ancient City, unknown exploration, and possible dangers...
Though the dream was beautiful, he couldn't indulge in it. Hinata and Hanabi were still by his side and needed his protection. Their journey to the moon had only just begun, and there were still unknown missions ahead waiting to be completed.
This isn't real! This is a dream brought by the passage, or some kind of illusion meant to test one's resolve!
Once he realized this, the confusion and nostalgia in Naruto's eyes instantly vanished, replaced by a determination and sharpness like quenched steel.
Under the curious or puzzled gazes of the surrounding classmates, Naruto suddenly stood up from his seat.
His movement was decisive and abrupt, breaking the somewhat lazy afternoon atmosphere of the classroom.
The chair legs scraped against the floor with a piercing sound, drawing the eyes of everyone in the class. Even Ino, who was 'teaching Choji a lesson', and Choji, who was grimacing in pain, stopped what they were doing and looked at him in shock. Iruka-sensei also stopped writing on the blackboard and turned around in confusion.
"Naruto, what's wrong?" Iruka-sensei asked with concern.
Naruto didn't answer.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, as if gathering some kind of power.
The next moment—
Golden Chakra surged out from him like a volcanic eruption.
But this Chakra wasn't chaotic or violent; it quickly condensed the moment it appeared, forming a solid Chakra Cloak over his body.
Kurama Link Mode!
Golden light and orange-red Chakra intertwined, making him look like a small sun, radiating a heart-palpitating pressure and brilliance that formed a sharp and discordant contrast with the ordinary classroom environment.
The students in the classroom were all stunned.
Naruto slowly opened his eyes.
At this moment, deep within his originally azure eyes, purple ripples began to rotate and spread. Finally, a pair of Rinnegan clearly emerged!
With Naruto at the center, the surrounding classroom scene—the desks, the blackboard, the sunlight, the surprised expressions of the students, and even the dust floating in the air—began to distort and tremble violently, like a television screen with a bad signal.
Crack!
As if glass had been struck by a heavy hammer, the entire 'classroom dream' let out a sound of overstrained shattering.
Pitch-black spatial cracks rapidly spread in all directions with Naruto as the center.
Desks and chairs, walls, the blackboard, sunlight... everything shattered inch by inch under the spreading cracks, turning into countless shimmering fragments, then quickly annihilating and vanishing like sand blown by the wind.
The dream was collapsing!
However, in the final instant before the dream completely shattered and his consciousness was about to fully return to reality, Naruto's gaze, imbued with the insight of the Rinnegan, captured two extremely brief yet incredibly clear fragments of images—
Hinata, sitting next to him, was frantically trying to hide the slip of paper on her desk, but in the moment the paper fluttered, Naruto saw the name written on it in a graceful and forceful hand:
"Uzumaki Naruto".
And Ino, who had just been embarrassed and was now looking at him in shock from diagonally in front, inadvertently let the slip of paper in her hand slide down. Naruto also caught a glimpse of it, and the name written on it was also:
"Uzumaki Naruto".
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