The bell above the door chimed softly as I stepped into the high-end clothing boutique in the center of Konoha's commercial district.
Almost immediately, the head clerk and two of her assistants rushed to the front, bowing respectfully. After the massive commission I had given them the last time I was here, they practically treated me like royalty.
"Mr. Uzumaki," the clerk greeted with a warm, professional smile. "It is an absolute pleasure to see you again. How may we assist you today?"
Man, get off my di— I thought, cutting myself off as I unsealed a massive bundle of [Ninja World Cotton Fabric] from a storage scroll and placed it onto the glass counter.
The clerks' eyes immediately widened as they ran their fingers over the incredibly high-quality, chakra-conductive material. "Mr. Uzumaki, you simply must tell me where you are uncovering these fabrics from."
"I've acquired them from far-off nations," I replied. "They might be a new trade secret for all I know."
I reached into my pocket and set a heavy pouch of Ryo right next to the fabric.
"There's one hundred thousand Ryo in there," I stated smoothly. "The Chunin Exam finals are coming up, and I need a new set of combat attire. I want you to spare no expense. Use every inch of that fabric and make sure I stand out among the competition."
[-100,000 Ryo]
[RYO BALANCE: 32,907,650 Ryo → 32,807,650 Ryo]
The head clerk swallowed hard, looking at the mountain of cash before nodding fiercely. "Consider it done. It will be our absolute masterpiece."
"I'll be back for it before the finals," I waved, stepping back out into the bustling morning streets.
My next stop was Ichiraku Ramen. I slid onto my usual stool, greeting Teuchi and Ayame. While I was tending to my dungeon excursions over the past couple of days, my Soldiers in my stasis scroll had been hard at work, completing lower-ranked Gates, and I was able to gain another culinary scroll from my loot box.
I slid the recipe across the counter to Teuchi. "Try incorporating that into the pork broth," I smiled as he read it over with wide eyes.
[NOTICE: +5 INT Rewarded]
Easy money, I grinned, pulling up my status board as Ayame set a steaming bowl of miso ramen in front of me.
As I slurped the noodles, my eyes scanned the glowing blue numbers. I currently had 58 unallocated Stat Points saved up.
My [CON] stat is currently sitting at 431, I calculated mentally. If I'm going to survive having the second, Yin half of Kurama violently shoved into my chakra network, then I'll need 11 more points to reach the 500 threshold.
I quickly did the math. I also calculated the number of days I needed to break through.
Hmm... If my Soldiers continue to complete Gates, then I'll only need two days or so to get 14 SP, pushing me past the required total that I need.
I finished my bowl, slapped some Ryo on the counter, and headed back out into the streets. As I walked, I tapped into the sensory link of the three stealth-type Lizardmen Soldiers I had sent to the coastal borders of Uzushio. Through their eyes, I was able to get a perfect view of the treacherous, rocky shoreline.
"Naruto!" a voice called out, snapping me out of my visual link.
I turned around to see Sakura and Ino jogging up the street toward me.
"Hey," I greeted.
Sakura stopped and gave me a slightly disapproving look, glancing from me to the Ichiraku stand down the road. Ino just openly stared at my face.
"Naruto, shouldn't you be training?!" Sakura scolded. "The finals are in less than a month! Sasuke and the others have been pushing themselves to the limit every single day, and you're just... strolling around eating ramen?!"
"I have my own methods," I waved her off casually. "The work is being put in, that's all you need to know."
"Okay, I have to ask," Ino interrupted, pointing at my head. "What's with the weird, dark-tinted glasses? Did you steal those from Shino's closet or something?"
I reached up and tapped the rim of my [Polarized Gorgon Lenses]. "My future's so bright, I need shades just to navigate," I replied, eliciting a heavy eye roll from her. "Other than that, they're to protect my eyes during high-speed combat."
"Whatever you say," Ino conceded.
"Anyway, we were just coming back from the hospital. We went to visit Lee," Sakura interjected.
"How is he?" I asked, my tone shifting to something slightly more serious.
Since I'd intervened during the preliminaries, his body hadn't been decimated by Gaara's Sand like it was in the main timeline, I mused internally. But opening Five of the Eight Gates still messed his body up.
"He's sidelined," Sakura sighed. "The physical strain of opening the Inner Gates tore his muscle fibers to shreds. He'll recover, but the doctors said the healing process is incredibly slow. Which... actually brings us to why we flagged you down."
Ino stepped forward, looking a bit hopeful. "Those crazy healing potions you gave us in the Forest of Death... do you happen to have any more of them?"
I thought about it for a brief moment. I had a massive stockpile in my inventory, and getting Lee back on his feet sooner rather than later was good for Konoha when the invasion kicked off.
"Yea, I have a few left," I nodded.
I turned slightly, shielding my hands with my body so the girls—and anyone else watching—couldn't see where they came from. I tapped into my [Inventory], silently pulling two high-grade [Recovery Potions] into my bag before pulling them out and handing them over.
"Give one to Lee," I instructed. "And give the other one to Hinata. I know she's still recovering from her match against Neji."
And she needs to be at 100% too when those Kumo ninjas try to abduct her, I thought.
Sakura smiled warmly, taking the vials. "You're a lifesaver, Naruto. We'll make sure they get them."
"Don't mention it. See ya," I waved, turning down a different street.
As I walked away, my [Sense] flared slightly. I didn't turn my head, but I could clearly feel the faint, suppressed chakra signatures of two Root operatives tailing me from the rooftops.
Still keeping tabs on me, huh? I smirked. Well, it ain't just y'all so welcome to the club, I guess. However, you won't be able to follow me where I'm going.
I turned a corner, stepping into a heavily shadowed, dead-end alleyway perfectly out of their line of sight. I locked onto the signature of my Lizardman Soldier waiting on the distant coast.
[SKILL ACTIVATED: Shadow Exchange]
I sank directly into the shadows just as the operatives rounded the corner, leaving them to stare at an empty alley.
***********
The lingering aroma of discarded food scraps, wooden crates, and old paper scrolls in the Konoha alleyway was instantly replaced by the biting, salty sting of ocean air.
I stepped out of the shadows and onto a jagged, windswept cliffside. Two of the three Lizardmen Soldiers I had sent knelt respectfully the moment I materialized, their shadowy forms blending perfectly into the rocky terrain.
"Good work," I dismissed them, letting them sink back into my shadow.
I stepped up to the edge of the cliff and looked out.
So this is Uzushio, I thought, a quiet sense of awe and tragedy washing over me.
The land looked like a graveyard. Massive, shattered stone bridges that once connected the mainland to the islands had crumbled into the violent, churning waters below. The ruins of ancient towers and grand estates were heavily overgrown with decades of thick vegetation, completely reclaiming the stone. Craters the size of meteors scarred the landscape—a grim reminder of the sheer military force it had taken for the combined hidden villages to wipe out the clan over time.
It's crazy to really think that a group this powerful had just gotten wiped out like this, I thought, taking in the sheer scale of the destruction. If Itachi had killed Sasuke with the rest of their clan, this might have been a similar result, huh?
I reached into my [Inventory] and pulled out the [Torn Map of the Eddy].
The moment the ancient parchment hit the open air of Uzushio, it reacted. The faded ink on the map began to softly pulse with a warm, crimson light.
Oh? What's happening here? I thought, taking a slight step backward because of the intense light. When I did, the map dimmed a bit, and when I took a step forward, it brightened up some.
So you're not just a simple map, but a navigational key to the destination, I mused, holding the map out in front of me like a compass. Ight, bet. Let's see just where you lead.
I began to traverse the treacherous, broken coastline. Just as I assumed, the mechanics of the map were simple but effective—the closer I got to the hidden location, the brighter the crimson glow became. If I veered too far inland, the light dimmed to a faint flicker.
I spent the next hour navigating the ruins, leaping across massive ravines and climbing shattered stone walls, letting the map guide me ever closer to the easternmost edge of the peninsula.
By the time I reached the edge of a massive drop-off overlooking the open ocean, the sun was just beginning to dip below the horizon, painting the sky in deep streaks of violet and orange.
The map in my hand was now blindingly bright, radiating a heavy, pulsing chakra that felt oddly familiar.
I guess I'm where I need to be, I realized, looking down.
But there was nothing below me except violently crashing waves and endless, dark ocean.
I frowned, looking from the glowing map to the empty water. Is the entrance underwater? I questioned internally. Do I need to head down there and—
Suddenly, the last sliver of the sun sank below the horizon.
The map flared with an intense, blinding crimson light, shooting a concentrated beam of chakra directly into the ocean below.
"Whoa!" I let out as the earth beneath my feet violently trembled.
A deafening, thunderous roar echoed across the coastline as the ocean itself began to violently churn. Right before my eyes, the water started to rapidly spin, faster and faster, until a whirlpool the size of a small city formed off the coast.
The centrifugal force of the spinning water began to hollow out the center, parting millions of tons of ocean water and pushing it outward like a pair of massive, liquid walls.
I had to shield my eyes from the sea spray as the center of the whirlpool sank deeper and deeper into the ocean floor, revealing what had been hidden beneath the waves for decades.
Resting at the very bottom, perfectly preserved within the hollowed-out eye of the massive whirlpool, was an ancient catacomb. Massive stone pillars, spiraling architecture, and a grand entrance sealed by heavy stone doors were completely exposed to the open air.
My jaw practically hit the floor.
It's an entire submerged city, I thought, staring down into the abyss. It's like some Atlantis shit.
I carefully approached the edge of the cliff, looking down the several-hundred-foot drop into the center of the parted ocean.
No wonder nobody has ever been able to loot this place, I grinned, tucking the now-dormant map back into my inventory. You literally have to part the sea to get to the front door.
I took a deep breath, and stepped right off the edge of the cliff.
The wind roared in my ears like a jet engine as I plummeted down. The towering walls of ocean water spun violently around me, casting dark, swirling shadows over the ancient stone architecture waiting below.
As the ground rushed up to meet me, I rotated my body in mid-air and heavily concentrated my chakra into the soles of my sandals.
CRAAAAAAAACK.
I landed in a deep crouch, the force of my descent spider-webbing the ancient stone courtyard beneath my feet. I stood up slowly, dusting myself off as I looked around.
The air down here was heavy and thick with the smell of salt, damp earth, and centuries of undisturbed dust.
Directly in front of me stood the entrance to the catacombs. Unlike the grand, spiraling architecture of the courtyard, the entrance itself was surprisingly modest—a massive, flat, heavy stone door, completely devoid of any handles or keyholes. Instead, the surface of the stone was meticulously carved with thousands of dense, interlocking Fūinjutsu formulas that all connected to a blank, circular crest in the dead center.
A blood seal, I recognized instantly, walking up to the door. Simple, but considering this is the Uzumaki Clan's private vault, I'm guessing it's looking for a very specific set of signatures.
I unsheathed one of my newly forged [Ivory Shortsword], lightly slicing the palm of my left hand. Blood welled up instantly. Without hesitating, I stepped forward and slammed my bleeding palm directly onto the blank crest in the center of the door.
For a second, nothing happened. Then, a blue screen digitized in front of my face.
[ANALYZING TRIBUTE...]
[BLOODLINE VERIFIED: UZUMAKI (PARTIAL).]
[NOTICE: DUE TO PARTIAL ANCESTRY, CHAKRA DENSITY IS INSUFFICIENT. COMPENSATING WITH HOST'S HIGH VITALITY (CON STAT)...]
[ACCESS GRANTED.]
The blood on my palm was suddenly sucked into the porous stone. The intricate sealing formulas carved into the door lit up with a brilliant crimson glow. With a heavy, grinding shudder that shook dust from the ceiling, the massive stone doors slowly slid apart.
Well, I'm glad I dumped so many points into Constitution, I muttered, healing the cut on my hand and stepping through the threshold. And I always kind of forget that Naruto doesn't have the full perks of his lineage. It's sad honestly, he really had to get everything out the mud.
I found myself at the entrance of a long, dark, windowless corridor. The walls here were smooth, though faintly glowing lines of chakra seemed to be etched into the stone, pulsing weakly like dormant veins.
Hmm… wonder where this leads to, I thought, searching the entrance for any potential traps. Better leave a little safety precaution, just in case.
"COME FORTH!" I commanded, deploying two Lizardmen Soldiers.
I had one stay at this entranceway, while I sent out the other to scale the depths of the risen waters, back to the cliff where I dropped.
This way I can escape quickly if any funny bidness takes place in there, I thought, taking a confident step forward.
The millisecond my foot touched the floor of the corridor, the ambient chakra in the room spiked to a terrifying level.
"Whoa!" I exclaimed as an invisible, crushing weight dropped directly onto my shoulders like a falling skyscraper. My knees buckled instantly, slamming into the stone floor so hard the rock splintered. The air got denser and my breathing came out in ragged gasps.
[WARNING: GRAVITATIONAL FUINJUTSU TRAP ACTIVATED!]
[AMBIENT PRESSURE INCREASED BY 100x.]
[HP AND CP WILL CONTINUOUSLY DRAIN WHILE IN THIS ZONE.]
What?! Holy shit! I thought, my vision blurring as I desperately tried to push myself up off my hands and knees. The gravity in here is insane! If anyone else stepped in here, they would have been instantly crushed into paste!
I managed to get a firm grip on the wall. But I ain't just anyone! I thought, pulling myself up to a standing position.
My muscles screamed, but my massive [CON] stat flared to life, acting as a structural anchor that kept my bones from snapping under the immense pressure.
I noticed that the faintly glowing lines of chakra on the walls weren't constructed randomly. They were formed in an organized fashion like some sort of pathway that led to the very end of the corridor.
It's a puzzle, I realized, sweat pouring down my face as my CP steadily ticked down. But what kind? Some sort of chakra-control test? Am I supposed to make it down this hall while channeling my chakra into the walls to complete whatever's down this corridor?
"Only one way to find out," I said, forcing myself forward against the ever-pulling gravity. "And I ain't got a minute to spare."
[SKILL ACTIVATED: Sprint (Medium Output)]
I activated the skill and enhanced my moving speed. But even with my speed doubled, I was reduced to a grueling, heavy-footed march.
I placed both of my hands against the wall of the corridor. I flared my chakra, carefully feeding it into the etched lines as I walked. The crimson energy flowed through the stone, lighting up the corridor and slowly tracing the massive spiral pattern on the floor ahead of me.
[-1,200 CP]
[-1,450 CP]
[-1,800 CP]
The drain was massive, testing both my stamina and my reserves. But I pushed through the suffocating gravity until I reached the end of the hall. It was there that I got to see exactly what I was pushing my chakra through the pathways for: a massive, unfinished spiral that acted as a bridge to an ornate, gilded door.
I wasted no time and pushed more of my chakra through the pathways, causing the spiral floor to connect perfectly.
In an instant, a crimson light flashed, and the crushing weight vanished into thin air.
I stumbled forward, gasping for air as the sudden lack of gravity made me feel completely weightless.
[TRIAL PASSED: The Gravity Corridor]
[REWARD: +50,000 XP]
Damn, I panted, bracing my hands on my knees as I caught my breath. If that was just the security screening to get into the lobby, the actual trials for the sealing chains are going to be absolutely brutal.
I stood up straight and pulled out a [Recovery Potion]. I chugged the vial down, letting my CP gradually fill back up as my eyes locked onto the heavy, ornate door waiting for me. Once my breathing finally steadied, I placed both hands firmly against the ancient stone and pushed the doors open, stepping completely into the shadows of the catacombs to claim my well-earned prize.