Chapter 290: What Lies Beneath the Egg
Naruto whipped around, eyes locked onto that egg, almost unable to believe the scene before him. He even vigorously rubbed his eyes and pinched his cheek—the clear pain sensation told him this wasn't a dream!
That egg that had accompanied him through countless days and nights, having almost become part of his life, was currently emanating a soft and steady milky-white glow! On the eggshell's surface, a clear crack was gradually spreading...
Glowing... is glowing a normal phenomenon?
How many years had it been? Naruto thought dazedly. From obtaining this egg at the Ninja Academy until now... the first part of Naruto's story was nearly reaching its conclusion!
Which legendary Pokémon could it be? Though Naruto greatly coveted Eevee and Pikachu, the system had clearly indicated back then that this was the only golden legend reward, definitely a legendary-tier Pokémon.
However... in Naruto's fuzzy memory, he seemed to remember that most legendary Pokémon weren't actually hatched from eggs, right? A trace of doubt flashed through. Could this egg be a magical product?
If it really was a legendary... who would it be? His thoughts spun rapidly... No matter who, even if what hatched was Groudon, Naruto would definitely be overjoyed.
His gaze remained locked on the eggshell. More and more cracks appeared, spreading like a spider web. Finally, a small piece of shell was pushed open from inside, revealing an opening. Through the gap, he could vaguely see some small life gently squirming within.
Naruto felt his breathing nearly stop. So many years of anticipation, companionship, and careful guardianship—was the answer finally being revealed at this moment?!
"Awooo..."
A childish cry carrying baby-like tones yet also a hint of clarity came from within the eggshell.
Immediately after, a small, fluffy blue head cautiously poked out from the broken opening. It was a creature resembling a puppy, possessing sky-blue fluffy fur like a clear sky.
It opened a pair of yellow eyes, carrying a newborn's curiosity about the world along with a trace of barely perceptible confusion, gazing toward this figure before it that felt incomparably familiar.
"This... this is..." Because the size was too small and the form somewhat different from the adult version, Naruto couldn't immediately recognize this blue puppy's identity, only feeling it extremely familiar.
Just then, the cold system notification tone rang once again in his mind.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations, Host, on successfully hatching a Legendary Pokémon!]
[Pokémon Information: Name: Zacian (♀)]
[Introduction: The Legendary Pokémon called the "Warrior of the Sword," possessing powerful strength capable of defeating and sealing tremendous calamity. The "Radiant Sword" held in its mouth, or manifested as its power's incarnation, possesses the might to sever all things in this world. Its battle form is elegant and gorgeous, able to execute techniques that even opponents become entranced by.]
[Automatically consumed 2000 system points to exchange for accompanying exclusive item!]
[Congratulations on obtaining: Rusted Sword]
[Introduction: In legends from long ago, the hero wielded this very sword to dispel calamity. Now, this legendary sword has become covered in rust from the passage of time.]
[Current Favorability Toward Host: Bond Level 4 (Dependence and Familiarity)]
[Relationship Description: Through over a thousand days and nights of careful companionship and warm protection, your scent has already been deeply imprinted in its perception depths, making it feel incomparably safe and familiar. Even for a legendary monarch, in its newborn cub stage, it will instinctively develop strong dependence toward the first existence it sees upon breaking its shell whose scent feels close.]
[Note: Because this creature does not belong to the Naruto original work characters, bond level increases cannot yield system points.]
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Though the Third Hokage and Jiraiya were still waiting for him at the Hokage Building, the birth of this little one before him was a once-in-a-millennium moment. Naruto unhesitatingly decided—to stand them up a while longer!
The small Zacian before him didn't possess the imposing majesty from Naruto's memory of the game Pokédex, nor that massive build, but rather resembled a proportionally scaled-down exquisite figurine, approximately only the size of a small Golden Retriever puppy.
It had already boldly climbed completely from the shattered eggshell, shaking off the nonexistent dust from its body, then taking somewhat tottering steps while curiously surveying this unfamiliar room.
Finally, it walked before Naruto, slightly tilting that fluffy blue little head, using those yellow eyes to focus intently on examining Naruto's face.
Too cute! Naruto really couldn't hold back anymore. He carefully extended his hand, gently stroking the little one's head. His fingertips met soft, fluffy texture. Small Zacian also seemed to greatly enjoy this intimacy, obediently closing its eyes, even releasing faint, satisfied purring sounds from its throat.
Wait... was Zacian's setting a dog or wolf again? Naruto's thinking wandered a bit. Though very small now, in the game it was an existence taller than adult humans... However, liking head pats was probably a common nature of all canines, right?
His gaze was attracted again by those two long "braids" hanging like ribbons beneath the little one's upright ears. This was actually natural? What peculiar physiological structure...
Meanwhile, within Naruto's seal space, the Nine-Tails was anxiously observing the outside world through Naruto's vision. It naturally knew about this egg—it seemed to have suddenly appeared by Naruto's side several years ago. Back then Naruto said he'd picked it up from the back mountain. The Nine-Tails hadn't paid much attention either—after all, the shinobi world had plenty of strange things. A slightly larger egg wasn't particularly rare.
But... can dogs actually hatch from eggs?! The Nine-Tails, having lived over a thousand years, felt its common sense being challenged.
However, compared to this egg's hatching method, what concerned and unsettled the Nine-Tails even more was that issue—that bastard Orochimaru's "final testament"!
Naruto... does he believe it? The Nine-Tails' heart filled with anxiety and fear. Though that masked man was the true culprit, Naruto's father... had indeed died sealing itself... It feared Naruto would ask that question it didn't know how to answer, feared this hard-won trust would develop cracks because of this.
"Good, good, so well-behaved~" Outside, Naruto had already happily picked up small Zacian entirely, lifting it before him, using his cheek to intimately nuzzle its soft fur. "Welcome to my life, little Zacian."
Being held high, small Zacian seemed to still retain a bit of the "Warrior of the Sword's" idol baggage, not displaying excessive excitement, only using its moist, cool little nose to gently nuzzle back against Naruto's cheek.
That fluffy sensation and warm body temperature made Naruto's heart melt, feeling tingly, as though all previous exhaustion and tension were healed in this moment.
"Oh right, are you hungry?" Naruto suddenly thought of a practical problem. "A creature from another world... what should you eat? Let me make you something to eat first."
He gently placed small Zacian back on the ground, preparing to open the refrigerator to see if there was milk to heat, or find some easily digestible food.
"BANG!!"
Just then, a tremendous sound suddenly came from behind! The apartment door was forcefully pushed open by great strength!
"Naruto! Are you alright?!"
An incomparably familiar female voice carrying urgency and worry immediately followed. Uchiha Satsuki, having received news immediately after the war ended, had rushed over at maximum speed. She charged into the room, her gaze quickly locking onto Naruto.
Immediately after, her line of sight lowered, having a staring contest with that blue puppy on the floor that was curiously looking up at her.
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