The sun was sinking toward the horizon, bathing the amusement park in the fading glow of evening.
Standing atop one of the observation towers was Yuriko Takagi, her long pink hair tied into a ponytail and her body clad in a specialized combat uniform.
Her brows drew together as she asked, “You’re saying Nishida Rintarō may also have been one of the Corrupted created by Dreamweaver?”
“Yes, Councilwoman Takagi.”
A male researcher wearing a full hazmat suit nodded, only his eyes visible behind the protective gear.
“We ran several comparative tests.
The pattern and progression of his corruption are identical to the other confirmed cases.”
“I understand.
You can go.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Not long after the researcher left, another figure emerged through a side door.
She was a beautiful young woman of eighteen or nineteen with long purple hair falling over her shoulders.
A fitted silver-blue suit of armor hugged her slender figure, and a katana hung at her waist.
Despite her graceful appearance, there was something unmistakably sharp and battle-hardened about her.
“Finished examining the body, Saeko?” Yuriko asked, glancing toward her.
Saeko Busujima gave a small nod.
“One attack.
Instant death.
Clean and precise.”
Her expression remained serious as she continued, “The power he used is unlike anything I recognize.
More importantly, it was extraordinarily strong.
Even using a Divine Crystal, I doubt I could suppress it.”
She took out a damaged crystal whose former radiance had completely faded and handed it to Yuriko.
“Interesting.”
A graceful smile appeared on Yuriko’s face.
“Eriri really did manage to find herself someone extraordinary.”
She handed the crystal back.
“Seal all records related to this incident.
Raise the classification to Alpha.”
“All right.”
Saeko did not ask why.
She simply nodded.
“This world keeps getting worse.”
Yuriko turned toward the sunset, her bangs stirring gently in the evening breeze.
“But when I remember that people like you are still here, I can’t quite give up on humanity yet.”
Saeko said nothing.
She merely stood quietly beside her.
…
At a café on the eastern side of the amusement park, Yukinoshita Yukino’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“What?!
The world of Naruto?”
She stared across the table.
“What kind of joke is that?
A fictional world actually exists?”
“And why would an Uchiha from the Naruto world know Kidō from Bleach?” Gokou Ruri scratched her head, equally confused.
“Could this be some kind of overlap caused by the Dark Heaven phenomenon?”
“No.
We just have a chat group that lets members from different worlds exchange abilities.”
“So he’s the childhood friend you told us about?” Kasumigaoka Utaha asked as realization dawned.
Her gaze shifted toward Riku, who was sitting a short distance away.
The tanned, spiky-haired blond was still wearing that ridiculous Hawaiian shirt.
He had at least taken off his sunglasses and tucked them into his breast pocket.
At the moment, he was holding a plant that looked suspiciously like foxtail grass while enthusiastically pitching it to Yukinoshita Yuno.
“This is called Sunroot Grass in our world.
It can slow visible aging and improve the condition of the skin.”
“It can really do that?” Yuno’s eyes brightened with interest.
“Absolutely.
It may not look impressive, but its roots contain Yang Release chakra.
You know about medical ninjutsu, right?
At its foundation, most healing techniques rely heavily on the life-giving properties associated with Yang Release.”
“I see.
Is this plant common in your world?”
“Normally, it only grows in areas where natural energy is especially concentrated.
But the Land of Rivers recently began cultivating it artificially, and the experimental fields are doing very well.”
“Is there anything I can do to help?”
“We need a production line capable of processing it into skincare creams and similar products.”
“That can be arranged.”
“Then we’ll treat your contribution as an investment.
You take forty percent, we take sixty.”
“You just saved my life.
There’s no need to divide things so formally.”
Riku gave her an aggrieved look.
“Yuno-neesan, do I really look like the kind of person who’d use saving your life as leverage?”
“But, Riku-kun—”
“Then it’s settled.
Cheers.”
He raised his coffee cup.
Yuno smiled and gently clinked hers against it.
“…?”
Yukino stared at them in utter disbelief.
She drew a slow breath.
“My mother…
smiled?”
It was almost impossible for her to process.
Ever since Yukino was little, she had known her mother as a stern, intimidating businesswoman who rarely smiled and seemed to keep everyone at arm’s length.
Yukino had developed an almost instinctive fear of her, one that had remained even after she awakened supernatural abilities of her own.
Yet today, she had discovered something almost unbelievable.
Her mother could smile.
And not one of those polite, controlled smiles she used in business.
This was genuine.
Warm and unguarded, like a white tulip opening beneath the sun.
“You have got to be kidding me,” Utaha muttered.
“They talked for a few minutes and somehow he’s already calling Aunt Yukinoshita his big sister?”
“Heh…”
Eriri wore a painfully stiff smile.
She did not even know how to respond anymore.
Could she admit she was already used to this?
Even the wife of the Fourth Hokage had failed to escape him.
‘Damn it!’
This was supposed to be her first date.
They had finally established what they were to each other.
So why had things turned out like this?
Her boyfriend was sitting over there getting along wonderfully with her teammate’s mother, while his actual girlfriend could only watch from the sidelines.
Eriri desperately wanted to march over, drag him away, or simply sit on his lap and make it painfully obvious who he belonged to.
But she could not bring herself to do any of those things.
She felt like some hopeless wife who could only sit there and watch another woman flirt with her husband.
Completely unaware of the resentment radiating from the blond girl nearby, Yuno looked curiously at Riku.
“Riku-kun, are you really an Uchiha from the world of Naruto?”
“Absolutely.
Uchiha Madara is even my great-uncle.”
Riku proudly thumped his chest.
“Then you must have awakened the Sharingan, right?”
Yuno hesitated before asking with obvious anticipation, “Would you let me see it?”
The Naruto anime had begun airing unusually early in this world, and Yuno herself had watched it when she was younger.
Back then, she had been fascinated by the Uchiha clan and deeply admired the Sharingan.
As she grew older, that childhood fascination gradually faded and was eventually buried in a forgotten corner of her memory.
“Sure.”
Riku did not hesitate.
Both of his eyes instantly turned scarlet.
“It’s beautiful…”
Yuno stared into his Sharingan, momentarily captivated.
Almost unconsciously, she reached out and gently touched the skin around one of his eyes.
Crack.
Eriri crushed the glass in her hand.
Her face turned bright red with anger.
‘Talking is one thing.
Looking is one thing.
WHY ARE YOU TOUCHING HIM?!’
His actual girlfriend was sitting right here!
If Yuno was already this bold in front of her, what would happen if the two of them were left alone?
Would they have kids by the time Eriri came back?!
Her patience finally snapped.
[Doujin Artist]: Bastard, don’t you think you’re taking this a little too far?!
@Riku-sama
[Riku-sama] [Group Owner]: What do you want me to do?!
I didn’t know she was suddenly going to touch me!
[Doujin Artist]: Bullshit!
You look like you’re enjoying every second of it!
[Riku-sama] [Group Owner]: Impossible.
My heart is currently filled with pain and humiliation!
But the Land of Rivers is still developing, and sometimes a man has to make small sacrifices for the greater cause…
[Doujin Artist]: YOU’RE GRINNING FROM EAR TO EAR!
[Riku-sama] [Group Owner]: That’s called providing emotional value to a potential investor.
Trust me!
[Notification: Merc with a Mouth has joined the group chat.]