Chapter 28

YOU CAN FIND EXTRA CHAPTERS ON

patreon.com/idontsleep

Do please show support

———————-

Chapter 28: Fate

In Ryosuke's timeline, Naruto, without the influence of some extroverted and optimistic people, was frighteningly well-behaved.

Although Naruto didn't know how to make the villagers accept him, he understood what kind of person could become Hokage—a powerful and great ninja.

So, he didn't compete with Uchiha Sasuke for the first place, nor did he challenge other classmates to a fight.

Understanding one's own problems and finding ways to solve them are characteristics that Ryosuke discovered in Naruto.

This made him admire Naruto even more. He found the shadow of his previous life in this boy.

Both were orphans, and both were so strong and worked hard silently.

"Ryosuke, do you know how to control the chakra in my body?"

It was as if Naruto could sense Ryosuke's attention and appreciation, and he grew closer to him.

Although on the surface, Ryosuke didn't pay much attention to him, he just answered every question.

"Regarding chakra control, there is relevant content in the ninja learning manual. I think you have already read it."

Looking at the distressed Naruto beside him, Ryosuke explained with a smile, "Chakra control is a necessary condition to become a ninja. Even if you extract chakra, but don't have the ability to use it, you can't perform ninjutsu, so..."

"I know this, but I just want to know how to control it. Why can you all do it, but I can't?" Naruto scratched his head. "It's obviously very smooth to refine chakra. I even feel that my chakra amount is thicker than many students in the class."

"But every time I use chakra, I can feel that most of the chakra is lost during the operation, as if it is being pulled deeper into the body."

As he spoke, he stretched out his palm and unconsciously touched his abdomen.

"Every time, most of the chakra is lost here. I don't know where the chakra goes, and I can't find out."

"I don't know about these things, and there is no explanation in the ninja manual, but I think you can try to ask the Third Hokage." Ryosuke had his usual smile on his face, and he inadvertently guided Naruto to find Sarutobi Hiruzen again to ask for the truth.

There were many things he couldn't tell Naruto.

Naruto's identity is sensitive, and his existence is also sensitive.

As a weapon of war, he was able to live such a relatively free life entirely thanks to Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Therefore, Sarutobi Hiruzen valued him very much and was very vigilant about him. He always sent many ninjas to secretly monitor Naruto and even used the telescope technique from time to time to spy on Naruto's life.

With such a premise, although Ryosuke admires Naruto, he cannot teach and guide Naruto openly. He can only be a guide hiding in the dark.

Sarutobi Hiruzen hopes to control Naruto in his hands, let him inherit the will of fire, and become a ninja like Namikaze Minato.

Then Ryosuke took advantage of the situation and pushed Naruto in front of Sarutobi Hiruzen.

In general, Sarutobi Hiruzen would never hurt Naruto, at least not before he officially became a ninja.

But whether Naruto can maintain his own consciousness and judgment under Sarutobi Hiruzen's constant indoctrination depends on the ability of Naruto, who is somewhat lonely and introverted.

"Although the Third Hokage is very good to you, everyone is different. If you want to become a true Hokage and gain recognition from others, you can't follow his path completely."

After school, before leaving, Ryosuke took the opportunity to whisper to Naruto, "Otherwise, everyone in the village will only recognize you for what Sarutobi Hiruzen did, not for your efforts."

"Ryosuke..."

Naruto stared at his smile in a daze, somewhat confused.

"See you tomorrow."

Ryosuke nodded at him and left the classroom with Hinata beside him.

After he left, the Anbu ninja who had briefly ended his surveillance reappeared nearby because of class time.

Thanks to the sensory ability brought by his powerful Byakugan, every time someone appeared around monitoring Naruto, or when Sarutobi Hiruzen spied on Naruto through the telescope technique, Ryosuke could avoid him in advance.

"Ryosuke, you seem to be very optimistic about Uzumaki Naruto. Father said that you shouldn't have too much contact with him."

On the way home, only Ryosuke and Hinata were there. 

As if she had noticed Ryosuke's different attitude towards Naruto, she spoke quietly.

"I haven't had much contact with Naruto. Even though we're deskmates, we've only spoken to each other no more than twenty times in almost a month since the start of school."

Ryosuke replied casually, and as he walked, his hands slid across the air, his fingertips tapping lightly, as if there was a huge piano in front of him.

"But..."

Hinata was a little hesitant. She always felt that the relationship between Ryosuke and Naruto was not that simple.

"You know what, Hinata."

Before she could voice out the doubts in her heart, Ryosuke spoke again, "In this world, there is a theory called the theory of destiny."

"It means that everyone's fate is predetermined from the moment they are born to the moment they die. What do you think of this view?"

His tone seemed indifferent and dull, not as gentle as usual.

There was no smile on his face either. Instead, he had a calmness that looked down on everything from a superior being.

After thinking about this question carefully, Hinata replied: "...I can't accept it."

"It's normal. No one wants everything to be arranged for them."

Ryosuke's fingertips were still tapping lightly in the air, but Hinata didn't feel strange at all. She felt like he was a crazy patient.

It turns out... it's not a piano.

A chessboard suddenly appeared in front of Ryosuke, and his fingers, which had been tapping lightly, were actually pressing on the chess pieces on the board, moving their positions.

This is a genjutsu. Hinata realized it at the first moment. After all, the appearance of this chessboard was too abrupt.

But she didn't use the chakra in her body to break free from the genjutsu. She wanted to know what Ryosuke was doing.

"If this chessboard is likened to what I call fate, then these chess pieces are the people."

Ryosuke explained softly, "So every time these chess pieces change direction and move from where they were supposed to be, I will be very interested."

"I really want to know what will happen to these chess pieces that have deviated from their original destiny. In the process, I don't mind pushing them forward a step or two to make them move faster."

"…Ryosuke."

Hinata's eyes were filled with fear and uneasiness.

She felt tremendous pressure from Ryosuke.

It was like standing alone on the beach, facing the huge waves. The pressure made it impossible for her to open her mouth and finish what she was going to say.

Her whole body was trembling. Even though she was much stronger than before, she couldn't suppress the fear rising from the bottom of her heart.

"Sorry, sorry."

Realizing that something was wrong with Hinata, Ryosuke quickly suppressed the somewhat restless chakra in his body, reached out and held her little hand tightly to comfort her.

Just now... he seemed to have entered a very subtle state.

It was like being able to really see everything that will happen in the future, instead of just relying on the plot in his mind to make calculations.

It's a state in which everything is operating in the mind, including the survival of the planet.

But after waking up from that state, he seemed to have seen nothing and remembered nothing.

(End of this chapter)

YOU CAN FIND EXTRA CHAPTERS ON

patreon.com/idontsleep

Please vote more power stones