In the Ninja World—Konoha Village.
The moment Naruto returned, several ANBU members appeared around him almost instantly. One of them shouted excitedly,
"Quick, inform Hokage-sama! Uzumaki Naruto has appeared!"
During the three days Naruto had been missing, Konoha Village had been thrown into chaos.
Especially the ANBU.
Every available member had been mobilized. They had searched nearly every corner of the Village and its surroundings, yet Naruto had vanished without a trace.
Now that he had suddenly reappeared—looking perfectly normal—the tension gripping everyone finally eased.
As for why Naruto had disappeared in the first place… that was not something the ANBU were paid to speculate about.
"Naruto!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi arrived almost immediately. He stood before Naruto, his expression grave.
"Where have you been these past few days?"
"I…"
Naruto hesitated. He lowered his head and answered softly,
"I went to another world."
He couldn't mention the system.And he didn't want to lie to the Hokage he respected most.
"Another world?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned slightly and asked in a calm voice,
"Can you describe that world to me?"
At once, Naruto perked up. He began gesturing excitedly as he spoke.
"Third Hokage, it was a really amazing place! Everyone there was super tall—like giants! There were huge lion-dogs, and horned uncles who could turn into dragons! And I even made a very important friend there!"
Naruto had only spent three days in that world, and hadn't seen much, so his description was brief—but full of enthusiasm.
"I see."
Hiruzen Sarutobi listened quietly. Internally, he began comparing Naruto's description with locations he knew in the Ninja World, searching for anything that could qualify as an "other world."
On the surface, however, he simply smiled and gently patted Naruto's head.
"It sounds like you visited a very special place. Can you tell me how you got there?"
Clearly, Hiruzen Sarutobi's understanding of another world was very different from Naruto's.
In his mind, Naruto's words likely referred to a place similar to Mount Myōboku. As for Naruto's sudden disappearance, Hiruzen suspected that the Fourth Hokage might have left something behind before his death.
"This…"
Naruto tried hard to recall the sensation of being transported. After thinking for a moment, he blurted out,
"It was just—whoosh—and I disappeared from home and appeared there."
Just as I thought—Flying Thunder God.
Hiruzen Sarutobi became more convinced.
Naruto's disappearance three days ago, as reported by the ANBU, perfectly matched the characteristics of Flying Thunder God. Everything Naruto said now only reinforced that belief.
What puzzled him was where the Fourth Hokage had sent Naruto.
From Naruto's description, it clearly wasn't Mount Myōboku.
Perhaps the Fourth Hokage did this to train Naruto…
Once Hiruzen Sarutobi reached that conclusion, much of his worry eased.
The Fourth Hokage was Naruto's father. Whatever he had prepared for his child, it certainly wouldn't be malicious.
"Come here, Naruto."
Hiruzen squatted down and beckoned gently.
"Let Grandpa take a look at your body."
Even though he was already almost certain of the cause, this matter involved the Nine-Tails. It couldn't be handled carelessly.
"Oh."
Naruto nodded and obediently stepped forward.
While Hiruzen examined him carefully, Naruto quietly checked the system rewards in his mind.
Back in that other world, he'd been too busy talking with Yamato to examine them properly.
This time, the system had given him two rewards:
Infinite PhysiqueObservation Haki
But even after reading the descriptions, Naruto still didn't really understand how they worked.
Shrugging internally, he claimed them anyway.
Huh…
The moment he did, Naruto felt… different.
He couldn't explain how, but his body felt lighter, more energetic—like something subtle had changed.
"It doesn't feel like anything's different…" Naruto muttered.
"What was that?"
Hiruzen immediately looked at him.
"What change did you just mention?"
"N-no, nothing!"
Naruto shook his head quickly, poking his index fingers together and lowering his gaze guiltily.
He looked exactly like a child caught lying.
"Naruto."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression grew serious.
"Hiding things from adults is not what a good child should do."
He had already examined Naruto's seal thoroughly. There were no abnormalities, and no Flying Thunder God mark anywhere on his body.
That concerned him.
"I'm not—"
Naruto looked up, wanting to explain but unsure how.
Then he remembered the fox he had seen before losing control against Kaido. His eyes lit up.
"I saw a fox," he said quickly. "And a voice told me the fox could make me stronger. But… I didn't feel anything happen."
"A fox?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's pupils contracted slightly.
At once, a possibility formed in his mind.
The Fourth Hokage must have sent Naruto away to help him come into contact with the Nine-Tails—to prepare him for controlling its power.
As for the missing Flying Thunder God mark, it was likely integrated directly into the Nine-Tails' seal itself.
After all, Naruto's seal was far more complex than those of previous Jinchūriki. Even Hiruzen couldn't fully understand it—and the Fourth Hokage had completed it alone.
The more he thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed.
"Naruto."
Hiruzen looked at him solemnly.
"This is very important. If you hear that voice again, or see that fox again, you must tell me immediately. Do you understand?"
Hiruzen believed that anything the Fourth Hokage had left behind would never harm Naruto or endanger the Village.
Still—
As Hokage, anything he couldn't fully understand was a variable he couldn't ignore.
And this variable needed to be clarified as soon as possible.