The next day, early morning.
Luo Chen walked along the white jade path outside the palace.
Kalifa accompanied him, having changed into her black uniform for daily work. She said with a smile:
"How did you feel last night? Those two kingdom princesses are much younger than us; they're at the most beautiful age for a young girl."
"That skin feels as smooth as silk, crystal clear, and whiter than snow."
"Not a single blemish. Even I'm envious watching them."
As she spoke, she plucked a few strands of pink and blue hair from the shoulder of Luo Chen's black trench coat.
These had been left there this morning when Vivi and Rebecca helped him dress.
"What reward do you want?" Luo Chen asked with a smile.
Yesterday, Kalifa had truly given him a surprise.
He hadn't expected Vivi and Rebecca to arrive together at all.
Of course, Kalifa had not forced the two women.
According to her, except for the initial group of Amazon Lily's Guardian Deities who formed the Guarding Army, the women who joined later all had "ulterior motives" toward Luo Chen.
Perhaps out of a woman's reserve, or for other reasons, they simply didn't dare to speak up or act.
Kalifa had only asked a simple question before summoning the shy and hesitant Vivi and Rebecca.
Prior to this, the two princesses hadn't realized there would be someone else.
Upon seeing the other, though they were startled and conflicted, neither had left.
They had been waiting outside the door for Kalifa's summons.
"Being able to spend more time with me is the best reward," Kalifa chuckled, not finding it cheesy at all.
She and Luo Chen had said much more explicit things to each other.
The two of them knew each other inside and out; there was nothing to be embarrassed about.
Luo Chen's smile widened upon hearing this.
Sometimes, men just fall for that kind of talk.
"Come with me to the New World today and take a look."
He asked for Kalifa's opinion.
Seeing her readily agree, Luo Chen put his arm around her waist and activated teleportation.
In the next second, the two appeared over a deserted stretch of sea within the Totto Land region.
Luo Chen communicated with the system in his mind, ordering it to open the Shinobi World.
He wasn't sure if opening a new world would cause any commotion.
For now, he was quite cautious.
Kalifa snuggled in his arms, her beautiful eyes peering through her glasses, curiously scanning the surroundings.
Where was the other world hidden?
In the depths of space?
"Buzz—"
A faint, almost imperceptible humming sound rang in their ears.
It vanished in a flash, and silence returned.
In the void ahead, a fist-sized ball of brilliant light emerged.
The blazing white orb suddenly expanded like an inflating ball, swelling to a diameter of four or five meters.
Then, the brightness in the center of the massive white orb began to fade.
A few seconds later, only the outer edge of the white orb continued to emit a dazzling glow.
The center had turned completely pitch black.
It looked like a cosmic black hole suspended high in the sky.
Luo Chen did not hesitate, stepping into it with Kalifa.
This was a world portal opened by the system.
There couldn't be any issues.
If the system wanted to harm him, he wouldn't have lived until now.
As soon as Luo Chen and Kalifa entered, the circular gateway vanished instantly.
...
The sky was as blue as if it had been washed, with a gentle breeze blowing.
Luo Chen and Kalifa stood high in the air, looking down.
Below was a dense yet orderly cluster of buildings.
One side leaned against a mountain, while the other three were surrounded by continuous forests.
A large number of houses were arranged in an organized fashion, their roofs covered in dark brown tiles that shimmered softly under the midday sun.
The streets interlaced like a spiderweb, with villagers in simple attire scurrying back and forth.
The laughter of children and the shouts of shopkeepers drifted up into the sky with the wind, carrying a peaceful and tranquil atmosphere of everyday life.
Kalifa's clear eyes narrowed behind her glasses, focusing on a dark shadow flashing across a rooftop.
"Is that a ninja?"
The shadow moved very quickly.
Clad in a pitch-black cloak and wearing a white animal-styled mask, it was clearly no ordinary person.
Luo Chen nodded slightly.
He hadn't expected the initial landing point to be Konoha.
If the village alone wasn't enough to confirm it, there was a cliff overlooking the village to the northwest.
Four massive stone statues were carved into the mountain, lined up from left to right, their faces solemn and their presence imposing.
"The iconic Hokage Rock of Konoha."
"There are only four Hokage statues, which means Tsunade hasn't returned to the village to succeed as the Fifth Hokage yet."
"Is Minato Namikaze alive or dead?"
Luo Chen could only confirm a general point in time.
He scanned the entirety of the Hidden Leaf Village and smiled. "Let's go down and take a look."
Before entering Konoha, Luo Chen sent a strand of Armament Haki into Kalifa's body.
His Armament Haki could grant immunity to all external rule-based powers.
As the special energy of the Shinobi World, Chakra was diffused in the air and within every resident of the ninja world.
Upon entering the Shinobi World, Luo Chen noticed Chakra trying to bore into his and Kalifa's bodies.
He used his Armament Haki to shield himself from the Chakra.
Kalifa, lacking sufficient strength, could not detect it.
Luo Chen had to use Armament Haki to temporarily shield her from the Chakra as well.
A sensing barrier hung over the Hidden Leaf Village.
It could detect any unfamiliar Chakra entering the village.
Luo Chen didn't want to be discovered for now, and eliminating the Chakra from their bodies was the simplest method.
After ensuring neither had any Chakra in their bodies, he teleported Kalifa to an alleyway inside the village.
Luo Chen then used the power of Yin-Yang Release to conjure clothing in the style of the Hidden Leaf.
The two then stepped out of the alley and merged into the flow of people on the main street.
"Hurry up, hurry up! The Chunin Exams are about to start!"
"We can't miss this year's Chunin Exams. The last survivor of the Uchiha family is in it."
"That's Sasuke Uchiha, right? His opponent this time is a genius from the Hidden Sand Village, someone named... Gaara?"
"I wonder who will become a Chunin this year."
"..."
On the street, the crowd was heading in one direction, all discussing the same topic.
Luo Chen's eyes flickered as a smile tugged at his lips.
It was now very clear what point in time this was.
The Chunin Exams period.
This should be the Chunin Exams right after the rookie genin graduated.
Orochimaru, disguised as the Third Kazekage, had infiltrated the village, preparing to launch the Konoha Crush plan during the exams.
This battle eventually led to the death of the Third Hokage.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, hailed as the strongest Hokage of all generations, would exhaust his life to seal the arms of his former disciple, Orochimaru.
Only after the Third Hokage's death would the story of Jiraiya and Naruto seeking out Tsunade to return and become the Fifth Hokage take place.
"Better to arrive at the right time than to arrive early."
"We'll get to witness an interesting match."
Luo Chen chuckled.
Kalifa was a bit confused.
What were the Chunin Exams?
Was the Uchiha family a clan?
Why was there only one survivor left?
And what was the Hidden Sand Village?
Filled with questions, she looked at Luo Chen. "What's going on exactly? Are we going to see these Chunin Exams?"
"Yeah, I'll explain it to you slowly." Luo Chen followed the crowd toward the Konoha Stadium.
Along the way, he familiarized Kalifa with some common knowledge about Konoha and the Shinobi World.
As for how he knew, there were plenty of explanations available.
For instance, using Mental Resonance to read the memories of others.
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