This was a silent, one-sided farewell.
One day, when he returned, everything would remain exactly as it was. He would simply step back into his place and naturally resume this dinner as if nothing had happened.
His gaze swept over each of the women present, finally resting upon just two of them. He let out a soft sigh.
"Very well... I simply cannot bear to leave the two of you behind..."
As he spoke, Kaoru waved his hand. Instantly, among everyone frozen in time, Wan'er and Hinata were the only ones whose expressions returned to life.
"What is going on?" The two of them looked around in bewilderment at the world seemingly suspended in stillness and asked quickly.
"I have stopped time," Kaoru explained with a faint smile.
"Stopped time...? Kaoru, is there something you need to go and do?" Hinata, always sensitive and observant, had already guessed the truth before he even finished speaking.
"You are right," Kaoru nodded gently, then looked out the window toward the distant setting sun.
"You might find this hard to understand... but the world we live in is merely the tip of the iceberg within the vast multiverse. Beyond these lands, other worlds exist. In those places, people do not use chakra... but instead wield all sorts of strange and different powers..."
"So... you want to leave us and go to another world, Brother?" The clever Wan'er immediately guessed Kaoru's intention.
"Exactly..." Kaoru nodded helplessly and continued. "But among everyone here, it is you and Hinata whom I am most reluctant to part with. That is why I wish to bring you both with me to these other worlds... I wonder if you would be willing to come?"
"But what about this place...?" Hinata asked, taken aback.
"I will freeze time in this world exactly as it is now. When we return, I will simply let time flow onward again," Kaoru explained calmly.
"In that case, of course I want to go!!" Wan'er shouted excitedly. "I was actually a bit worried letting you go alone! Besides... I truly want to go and see what kind of scenery these other worlds have to offer."
"Yes... I shall go as well. It will be good to have another person by your side to share the journey," Hinata said with a smile, clasping her hands. She now carried herself with grace and confidence, completely shedding the shyness she once had.
"Excellent. If that is settled, then you two shall accompany me to the next world..." Seeing them both agree, Kaoru nodded with relief.
"With you two beside me, I have nothing else to wish for. Let us depart now..."
With that, Kaoru waved his hand.
"MAGICAL JOURNEY!!!"
The golden gateway materialized once more. But this time, it felt different — as if a door between dimensions had been opened invisibly, and the other side radiated an aura of deep mystery and unknown possibilities...
"Come, let us be off..."
Holding Hinata's left hand and Wan'er's right, Kaoru stepped into the golden passage, leaving behind the frozen scenery of the Naruto world... as if Kaoru had never existed there at all.
...
Endless, vast, and magnificent — the great ocean surged with wave after wave, crashing against a small, unremarkable island.
Yet today, this insignificant island in the middle of the sea was about to witness something extraordinary.
Suddenly, high above the island, a golden rift opened in the sky. It appeared as if a god had descended, light itself seeming to be drawn into the portal. As it stabilized, three figures stepped out from within.
This place was beautiful — clear waters, white sands, and seabirds soaring overhead.
As far as the eye could see lay the boundless blue ocean. The island itself was vast and covered in lush greenery, and deep at its heart grew a colossal, thick tree whose canopy seemed to cover almost the entire landmass.
The midday sun bathed the sea, making the rippling surface shimmer with a captivating glow. From time to time, strange and colorful fish leaped joyously from the water, swimming playfully in the waves.
"What is this place...? It is quite beautiful..." Hinata and Wan'er turned slowly, observing everything around them in wonder.
"I do not know for certain. But the golden passage we opened this time tore straight through the dimensional barrier... so this world is completely different from the one we came from," Kaoru explained calmly.
"Different laws governing the world?" Hinata froze, and suddenly her expression changed drastically. "I... I cannot sense any chakra at all!"
"What?" Shocked, Wan'er immediately focused to sense her surroundings, only to find absolutely nothing.
"Neither can I. Did we lose our chakra during the crossing?" Hinata analyzed thoughtfully. "We must have traveled a vast distance through space. But it seems safe enough for now. If our chakra is gone, we simply refine it again. With the strong foundations we have built, it should return quickly."
"No..." Kaoru opened his eyes, his scarlet irises blazing with intense light. "I am afraid you will find it impossible to refine your chakra back..."
Hinata's heart sank. She immediately tried to mold chakra, yet felt not the slightest reaction.
"FIRE STYLE..." Wan'er formed hand seals, but nothing happened.
"This is another world, and the fundamental laws of power here differ from our own. I am afraid chakra simply cannot be used naturally here..." Kaoru smiled.
"Then what do we do? Are we just ordinary people in this world now?" Wan'er frowned, feeling uneasy.
"Not necessarily..." Kaoru smiled gently. He reached out and took their hands again. Moments later, they both felt a surge of power flow into their bodies from him — it was chakra!
"Brother... why do you still possess chakra?" Wan'er was stunned as she felt the energy flowing through her, gifted to her by him.
"Do not forget, my body contains the power of the Six Paths and the essence of the Divine Tree," Kaoru explained with a grin.
"You cannot refine chakra from this world's energy, but I already hold an immense amount within me. It is true that the laws here suppress me, so I no longer have truly infinite reserves like before... But I have more than enough to cast techniques, and sharing some with you two is no trouble at all."
"Is that so...? Brother, you really are incredible!!" Hearing this, Wan'er clapped her hands in admiration.
"But even so, won't we be in great danger facing this entirely new world?" Hinata asked, thinking further ahead than Wan'er.
"You may have a lot of chakra now, but eventually it will run out. What will we do then...?"
"I have already prepared for such things..."
As he spoke, Kaoru turned his hand over. Resting in his palm appeared a fruit the size of a basketball, radiating a pure white light and an ancient, majestic aura of ultimate power.
"This is...?"
Looking at the fruit in Kaoru's hand, and sensing the ancient and supreme power contained within it, both Wan'er and Hinata felt their spirits tremble.
"This represents the ultimate form of power — a Chakra Fruit. It is the very source of all chakra in our original world," Kaoru explained calmly, staring deeply at the object in his hand. Then, a playful and confident smile appeared on his face.
"Since the laws of this world differ from ours... I shall simply remake this world. I will transform it into exactly the shape I desire..."
"Once I plant this Chakra Fruit, and wait for it to take root, grow, and bear fruit... then this world too will become a place where chakra can be wielded once more..."
Kaoru spoke with ease, as if he were already the supreme ruler of this new world.
"Brother... I think I admire you more and more every day. I never doubted that you had everything planned out perfectly!" Wan'er said, gazing at Kaoru with wide, admiring eyes.
"Alright, alright... but first, let us figure out exactly where we have arrived," Kaoru said, patting Wan'er's head helplessly.
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