Chapter 161: Ino’s Understanding and the Unexpected Visit

Chapter 161: Ino’s Understanding and the Unexpected Visit

Disclaimer: Naruto and all of its characters belong to Shueisha and Masashi Kishimoto. I own nothing but the original characters I create.

"Dialogue"

'Thoughts'

-Author notes-

Chapter 161: Ino's Understanding and the Unexpected Visit

Naruto continued to show Ino more memories, one after another.

Ino quickly lost her sense of time in the vast labyrinth of scrolls. However, as the hours, or perhaps days had passed, she began to understand much more about the person standing beside her.

These memories belonged to Naruto's past self, a self he had somehow regained, granting him access to an incredible wealth of knowledge.

It explained so much about his sudden transformation after leaving the Ninja Academy, and about the confidence and wisdom he now carried.

What shocked her most, though, was that this world she glimpsed through his memories wasn't their own.

In that world, there were no ninjas or samurai. Instead, there were cultivators, individuals who honed their bodies, minds, and souls in entirely different ways. They practiced techniques far removed from anything she knew.

These cultivators lived extraordinarily long lives, which explains why Naruto's library contained such an overwhelming number of memories.

'How long did his previous life last?' Ino wondered, awed by the sheer magnitude of it all.

From the fragments she absorbed, she picked up pieces of the breathing techniques used by members of the Blue Jade Sect, along with other cultivation methods. Yet she wasn't sure these techniques would work in their world, given the different nature of the energies involved.

Throughout the process, Naruto said little, simply guiding her deeper and deeper into the labyrinth of shelves and scrolls. He would occasionally stop, point to a specific scroll, and let her absorb its contents.

Finally, her curiosity got the better of her. "Naruto... why are you showing me all of this?"

Naruto paused, his gaze thoughtful. "Because I wanted you to understand me a little better," he said softly.

'I'll need to create a technique for Hinata. There are ways to enhance the quality of her yin chakra. That would make dual cultivation a lot more rewarding.'

"Naruto?" Ino's voice pulled him from his thoughts. She was watching him intently, her head tilted in curiosity.

"Sorry," Naruto said, shaking off his distraction. "I think we should end the discussion here. You probably have a lot to think about."

Ino blinked, caught off guard by the sudden shift. "Huh?"

Then a thought struck her. "Are you planning to show all of this to Hinata too?" Her tone was casual, but there was a hint of something deeper...possessiveness, perhaps?

Naruto shook his head. "No. You're the only one I can show this to."

Of course, this was because Ino was uniquely capable of delving into someone else's mind. There was no way for Hinata to do the same, and he was not able to pull someone in here by himself.

"I see..." Ino smiled, her cheeks tinged pink. At that moment, she didn't care about the reasoning behind his words, she was too happy to think clearly.

If Naruto noticed, he made no attempt to correct her.

"Then—" He was about to suggest they leave his mind when a golden light flared above them.

"Whoa!" Ino gasped, staring up in awe. "What is that? It's beautiful!"

Naruto's eyes widened, but his reaction was entirely different.

'What is the Golden Scripture doing here?' he thought, alarmed.

He hadn't intended to show Ino the Divine Artifact. In fact, he had deliberately avoided bringing it up.

This meant that the Divine Artifact had decided to move on its own and show itself before Ino.

And Naruto had no idea as to why.

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