Chapter 186 — Gifts Across Worlds
Tanya's World
The afternoon sky above the military base was pale and quiet.
A cold wind moved across the concrete buildings, carrying the distant sounds of marching soldiers and training units. The war had slowed for now, but the atmosphere of the Empire was never truly peaceful. Even during calm days, preparation for the next conflict never stopped.
Inside one of the administrative buildings, Tanya von Degurechaff sat alone at a small table.
In front of her was a simple white plate.
On the plate were several pieces of chocolate dessert.
They looked simple by the standards of modern worlds, but in this place they were almost unbelievable luxury.
Tanya picked up a small piece with a fork and brought it to her mouth.
The moment the chocolate melted on her tongue, her body froze.
Her Azure Blue eyes widened slightly.
A faint warmth spread through her chest.
For a brief moment, her vision blurred.
Sweet…
Her mind almost refused to believe it.
This world had food, of course. But most of it lacked variety. The meals were plain and repetitive, especially in wartime. Bread, meat, soup, sometimes vegetables. Simple things, cooked in simple ways.
Military food was even worse.
Rations were dry, bland, and designed only to keep soldiers alive.
Tanya had always endured it without complaint. She was disciplined enough to live on poor food if necessary. A soldier could not afford to be picky.
But this…
This was different.
Real sugar.
Real chocolate.
Smooth, rich flavor.
Tanya slowly closed her eyes as she finished chewing.
For a second, she almost felt tears forming.
This… this is food.
Her expression remained controlled, but inside she was overflowing with happiness.
The chocolate had been sent through the multiversal chat system.
Since joining the chat group, Tanya had been extremely active.
She spoke often with the other members, carefully learning about their worlds. Every piece of information was useful. Even casual conversation could reveal valuable knowledge.
Several members had already sent her small gifts through the system.
Two of them in particular were generous.
Saeko Busujima had sent packaged snacks and sweets from her modern world.
And Mindy McCready had also sent boxes of candy and chocolate.
Compared to wartime rations, these foods felt like treasures.
Tanya slowly ate another piece.
Then another.
Her normally cold expression softened slightly.
For the first time in a long while, she felt genuine comfort.
Just then, footsteps echoed in the hallway outside.
A young soldier walked past the doorway while chewing on something.
It was Viktoriya Ivanovna Serebryakov, usually called Visha.
She held a ration bar in one hand while walking.
The dull brown bar looked dry and unpleasant.
Visha took another bite while passing the doorway.
Then she noticed something.
She stopped immediately.
Inside the room sat Tanya.
Visha's eyes widened.
Without hesitation, she swallowed the rest of the ration quickly and stood straight.
"Major!"
She saluted sharply.
But as she lowered her hand, her eyes drifted toward the table.
The plate.
The chocolate dessert.
The smell alone reached her nose.
Visha's mouth watered slightly.
Tanya noticed the look instantly.
She also noticed something else.
Her stomach was already full.
She had eaten enough.
Without saying anything at first, Tanya picked up the plate.
She held it out toward Visha.
"Take it."
Visha blinked in shock.
"Major? I— I can't"
"I'm full," Tanya said calmly.
Her tone was firm.
There was no room for argument.
Visha hesitated, unsure.
Accepting food from a superior officer felt improper.
But Tanya pushed the plate forward again.
"Take it."
Finally, Visha accepted the plate.
The chocolate dessert remained on it.
Tanya stood up and walked past her without another word.
Visha stayed frozen in place.
She watched Tanya walk down the hallway and disappear around the corner.
Her eyes shone with admiration.
Major Tanya was strict.
Cold.
Demanding.
Many soldiers feared her.
But Visha had always believed something different.
Tanya took care of her soldiers in her own way.
Moments like this only strengthened that belief.
Visha looked down at the dessert in her hands.
Then she suddenly ran.
She rushed toward the dormitory building as fast as she could. Even so, she stayed careful, making sure the chocolate dessert was safe.
She wanted to enjoy the dessert properly.
Meanwhile, Tanya returned to her office.
She entered quietly and closed the door behind her.
Stacks of reports waited on the desk.
She sat down in her chair and leaned back slightly.
For a moment she simply stared at the ceiling.
Then she sighed.
Her mind returned to the larger situation.
The war.
Even though the Empire currently held the advantage, the situation was far from stable.
She reviewed the intelligence reports she had read earlier.
The Free Republic was expanding its forces again.
More worrying was the news that survivors from the Entente Alliance and the Allied Kingdom were joining them.
Old enemies were gathering together.
Tanya understood the pattern clearly.
It would not last.
Sooner or later, war would begin again.
Her expression darkened.
Her lips twisted into an angry grimace.
"Damn you… Being X."
She slammed a hand on the desk.
She was certain of it.
Being X was responsible.
That self-righteous god was interfering again.
Trying to push her further into suffering.
Trying to force her to become a believer.
Tanya's anger slowly changed.
Her grimace stretched into a wide, almost wicked smile.
"But this time…" she whispered.
"I'm not alone."
She raised her hand.
A strange fruit appeared in her palm.
The fruit was round with swirling patterns across its surface.
It looked unnatural.
This was a Devil Fruit.
During the earlier incident in another world, the chat members had captured a powerful noble called a Celestial Dragon.
They exchanged that hostage for seven Devil Fruits.
Each member received one.
This fruit had been sent to Tanya by Tony Stark through the chat's parcel system.
Thanks to the system's identification function, Tanya already knew exactly what it was.
"The Calculation Fruit," she murmured.
She studied the fruit carefully.
Then she took a bite.
The taste was terrible.
But Tanya ignored it.
The moment she swallowed, something changed.
The room seemed to slow slightly.
But the world had not slowed.
Her mind had sped up.
Thoughts raced faster than before.
Ideas connected instantly.
Numbers, probabilities, strategies, all forming rapidly inside her head.
The power of the Calculation Fruit was not simple speed.
Its real strength was analysis.
Her brain now processed information at a much higher level.
In seconds, Tanya imagined countless possibilities.
New battle tactics.
Improved command strategies.
Logistics calculations.
Ways to train the fruit's power.
Even ways to combine it with magic.
Her smile widened slowly.
"Fufuehehe…"
Her quiet laughter filled the office.
She leaned back in her chair and looked toward the ceiling.
"Watch me, Being X."
Her eyes glinted.
"I will succeed."
"And when I do…"
"I'll retire into a peaceful life."
Naruto's World
Far away in another world, peace had also returned.
The destruction of the Akatsuki had changed the balance of power.
Many members had been killed during the earlier incident.
The remaining survivors disappeared completely.
Since then, the ninja world had been relatively calm.
There were still small border conflicts.
But nothing major.
At the training grounds of Konohagakure, a battle was taking place.
Naruto Uzumaki rushed forward with incredible speed.
Several Naruto clones surrounded Kakashi Hatake.
But something about their movements was strange.
One Naruto ran straight at Kakashi.
Then suddenly dashed sideways in an instant.
Another Naruto vanished forward and appeared behind him.
Their speed was almost impossible to follow.
Even with his Sharingan active, Kakashi struggled to keep up.
He tried forming hand signs.
But another Naruto clone appeared instantly and forced him to block.
A kick struck his shoulder.
Another punch grazed his cheek.
Naruto's attacks came again and again.
Kakashi barely had time to defend.
It was fortunate that Naruto was still a bit stiff using his newfound ability. That gave Kakashi a chance to counterattack, though he was still at a disadvantage in close combat. He barely had the chance to use any ninjutsu, constantly suppressed by Naruto's relentless strikes.
If Kakashi fought Naruto again, knowing how his new power worked, he wouldn't be so easily overwhelmed.
Nearby, several people watched the sparring match.
Tsunade, Sakura Haruno, and Shizune stood together.
Tsunade clicked her tongue.
"Tsk."
"Looks like Naruto got stronger… again."
Sakura nodded slowly.
Ever since Naruto learned Sage Mode, his strength had increased greatly.
Now he had gained another strange ability.
Shizune watched nervously.
Finally, Kakashi kicked away a clone and jumped backward.
He wiped blood from his lip.
"Enough… Naruto."
He raised a hand.
"You've gone beyond what I can handle right now."
Naruto stopped.
The clones vanished in small clouds of smoke.
He walked toward Kakashi with a wide grin.
"Aren't I strong now, Kakashi-sensei?"
Kakashi sighed.
"You were gone only a few days."
"How did you learn that strange movement?"
Tsunade and the others leaned forward slightly.
They were curious too.
Naruto scratched his head.
"You know I went to another world, right?"
Everyone nodded.
Naruto continued excitedly.
"That world was mostly ocean. There were giant people there."
Sakura blinked.
"Giants?"
Naruto nodded.
"Yeah! Huge ones!"
Then he continued.
"We actually arrived in the middle of a war."
Shizune looked worried immediately.
But Naruto waved his hand.
"Don't worry! We escaped from it."
Shizune sighed with relief.
Naruto grinned.
"After that we found an island full of auctions."
He laughed.
"So we robbed all of them."
Everyone froze.
Sakura's mouth slowly opened.
Tsunade stared at him.
"You… did what?"
Naruto continued casually.
"We took tons of treasure."
"And then we kidnapped one of the biggest nobles in that world."
Tsunade's eyes widened.
Kidnapping a noble was no small matter.
In their world, nobles held enormous influence. They controlled wealth, politics, and armies. Shinobi villages existed partly because those nobles funded them. Even the Hokage had to maintain a working relationship with the court.
Compared to that, most shinobi were simply soldiers who took missions.
The others' expressions changed as well.
Yet no one spoke.
Naruto said it so casually, without even changing his expression, as if it were nothing unusual.
"We exchanged him for seven Devil Fruits," Naruto continued.
"One for each of us."
Naruto suddenly dashed sideways in a blur.
"I got the Dash Fruit!"
"I can move instantly in any direction!"
Tsunade crossed her arms. She pushed the thought of the nobles aside. Even if they held power and influence, she had never thought highly of them anyway.
"What about the treasure?"
Naruto grinned widely.
He stretched his hand toward the ground.
Suddenly piles of gold and weapons appeared.
Jewels glittered in the sunlight.
Sakura gasped.
Shizune stared in shock.
Naruto picked up a small box from the pile.
He walked over to Tsunade and handed it to her.
"Granny, this one is yours."
Tsunade opened the box slowly.
Inside was a strange fruit with swirling patterns.
Naruto explained.
"If you eat it, you can turn into a tiger."
"Your body will become stronger too."
Tsunade studied the fruit carefully.
Her first thought was simple.
She could cut it into pieces.
Let several people share the power.
But Naruto raised a finger.
"Oh yeah."
"Only one person can eat it."
Tsunade stopped.
She closed the box carefully.
~~~
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