NOVEL NEXT Chapter 2: The Future in the Sky
The chaos in the ninja world had no effect on the sky curtain, which continued to play the strange images.
["I'll use clones to deal with you!" The blonde boy made a series of hand seals, and instantly, a mass of clones appeared on the natural path of the cave, rushing towards the tentacle monster emitting black chakra.]
["Unfortunately, the human wave tactic didn't work against the countless tentacles. The black tentacles moved quickly, destroying all of the boy's clones and sending his body crashing to the ground."]
[Dust filled the air, but the blonde boy's expression showed no sign of defeat. He gritted his teeth, propped himself up, and muttered, "I... won't die!"]
Team 7 was currently in a nearby meatball shop, watching the images on the sky screen from the doorway.
Sakura carefully scanned the surroundings before lowering her voice and speaking to the others, "Doesn't the person in the sky look like Naruto?"
Naruto, bewildered, stared up at the screen. "Hey! That looks like me! Why am I up there?"
"Don't get too excited, idiot! That person's age is clearly not yours." Sasuke, though curious, remained calm, pointing out the obvious difference.
Kakashi, ever observant, considered the situation carefully. 'Sasuke is right, but despite the age difference, the boy in the sky looks exactly like Naruto.'
Some villagers in Konoha who knew Naruto also noticed the striking resemblance, though they suppressed their doubts due to the boy's age. Those who disliked Naruto immediately assumed it was the result of a Nine-Tails conspiracy.
Meanwhile, in the Pure Land, Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina both felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity with the boy in the sky. Minato, especially, seemed to have guessed the boy's identity based on his hair and eye color.
[The blonde boy moved swiftly through the air, kunai in hand, and charged toward the tentacle monster. After destroying several of the creature's tentacles, his gaze fell on a spot in the magma emitting a purple light, shaped like an eye. "An eye?"]
[In the next moment, with a sickening tearing sound, the blonde boy's eyes widened as he looked at the black tentacles around him. A few drops of bright red blood fell onto his face.]
[The scene shifted, and a tentacle pierced through the boy's body from his back, lifting him off the ground. For a few moments, he hung there, limp, before his body went still and his limbs fell motionless.]
[A girl with long beige hair knelt on the ground, watching the scene unfold with a sad expression, shouting the boy's name in sorrow.]
["Naruto!!"]
[The screen quickly rose, revealing a silhouette of a monster standing on a magma-covered path. Two lights, one white and one purple, flashed from its hollow eyes.]
"Naruto?! Even the name is the same!" Sakura stared at Kakashi in disbelief before looking back at Naruto with concern.
Kakashi, however, remained composed, his face serious. "Don't panic. It might be the enemy's scheme."
Sasuke frowned, turning to Naruto. "The name is the same. What does this mean?"
Naruto, still confused, could only stare at the screen. He didn't understand what was happening. The boy in the sky, who looked exactly like him and shared his name, was being killed by a mysterious monster.
In the Land of Tea, Jiraiya, who was traveling to gather writing material, paused as a familiar name reached his ears. "Naruto?! Is that Minato's child?"
In the Pure Land, Kushina's eyes widened as she heard the name. "That's Naruto! My Naruto!"
Minato's expression shifted from expectation to worry. "It really is Naruto's child. What is going on here?"
Meanwhile, in the Land of Demons, the current shrine maiden, Shion, tilted her head in confusion as she saw the girl with long beige hair flash across the screen.
[Under a cloudy sky, a torii bearing the Konoha symbol appeared.]
[The coffin wrapped in shimenawa rope was placed in a deep pit. The short-pink-haired girl, unable to hide her sorrow, watched as the coffin was silently buried. The words Uzumaki Naruto were etched onto a tombstone.]1
"Uzumaki... Naruto?!" Sakura's voice trembled as she read the name, her eyes locking on the sky.
The girl with the short pink hair, though a few years older than Sakura, looked familiar. Despite the changes, the family emblem and face made Sakura realize the connection.
Sasuke, too, had a similar realization. He swallowed nervously, then turned his gaze to Kakashi. "Is this... a vision of the future?"
"What! What! Why is my name in this?!" Naruto shouted, looking desperately at the sky.
Kakashi looked at Sasuke, then shook his head after a long pause. "Although it's possible, it's too early to draw conclusions. We can't take such an extraordinary vision seriously just yet."
The thought of future events being broadcast to the entire ninja world was too absurd, and even more so than any unknown enemy attack.
Back on Team 9, several members paused their daily training.
Lee raised a hand to his brow, squinting at the screen. After a moment, he spoke with certainty, "That's me and Neji!"
Tenten looked at Neji. "What's going on?"
Neji activated his Byakugan, but saw nothing. He shook his head. "We'll have to wait for Guy-sensei. Let's see if the village has issued any orders."
Meanwhile, Team 10—Ino–Shika–Chō—watched in shock.
"Sakura! That's Sakura, right? So the one in front must be Naruto!" Ino gasped, her hand clutching her chest.
"Tch, looks like things are about to get complicated," Shikamaru muttered, his usual nonchalance replaced with a hint of concern.
Choji, who had been munching on chips, paused and set them down quietly, lost in thought.
On the side of Team 8, Aburame Shino remained silent as he observed the screen. Inuzuka Kiba scratched his head, equally perplexed. But Hyuga Hinata, with her keen perception, showed a worried expression. She was one of the first to recognize that the boy in the sky was none other than Naruto.
"Naruto-kun..."
In the Hokage's office, the Third Hokage had come to a similar conclusion as Kakashi. The images in the sky seemed to represent the future, though he, like Kakashi, wasn't ready to accept such a conclusion just yet.
Still, the Hokage issued orders to prepare the village for any possible threat. A gag order was also issued to prevent panic, as the information was far too unsettling to be casually shared.