Chapter 97: Is This Really Not the World of Gala Geimu?
Naruto habitually pulled out his string of shiny, worn keys and inserted one into the lock.
"Click."
The key smoothly entered the keyhole.
Naruto twisted it to the right.
It didn't budge.
Naruto: "..."
He blinked his clear blue eyes, slightly disbelieving.
He pulled it out, aligned it, inserted it again, and twisted!
The lock core produced a dull, stuck sound, clearly signifying "rejection," and the key remained stubbornly jammed.
Naruto stared at the door, which was clearly brand new and whose door panel was much thicker, his mouth twitching, a vein throbbing faintly on his forehead.
Did the renovation team hired by that old geezer replace the door without leaving him a key? Give me back my worry from just now!
Naruto took a deep breath, resignation creeping in, and bent his fingers to knock on the pristine new door panel.
This was the first time he had to knock to get into his own home.
"Knock, knock-knock."
Just as the knocking ceased, light footsteps, quick as a sprinting fawn, sounded from inside, and then the door was pulled open.
Hyuga Hanabi's small face, beaming with a bright smile, peeked out. Her large eyes instantly sparkled like stars when she saw Naruto: "Wow! Naruto Big Brother, you're back!"
Her voice was clear and crisp, carrying the excitement unique to a young girl.
"Perfect timing! Big Sister and Ino Big Sister just finished making dinner!"
Hanabi reached out her small hand, grabbed Naruto's wrist with surprising strength, yanked him straight inside, and then slammed the door shut with a "bang," completing the action in one go.
As Naruto stepped inside, a warm draft, mixed with the aroma of food and a certain... hmm... scent of new furniture, rushed forward and instantly enveloped him.
He subconsciously looked up and around, then froze completely in the entryway.
This... was this still his home?
Brand new furniture, flooring, wallpapered walls—even the old lightbulb on the ceiling had been replaced.
He suddenly felt that he had been living a bit too haphazardly before.
Just as Naruto was immersed in this earth-shattering visual shock, a voice came from the kitchen.
Hinata's gentle call, familiar yet tinged with a nervous tremor: "Na... Naruto-kun? You're back?"
Her voice drifted through the warm air, "Hurry... hurry and wash your hands so we can eat."
The voice held unconcealed shyness, along with a hint of expectation, wanting affirmation.
Immediately following, another familiar, yet more cheerful and spirited voice rang out: "Naruto, you're back?"
Along with the voice, Ino Yamanaka emerged from the bedroom doorway.
She was holding what looked like a picture frame, a bright smile on her face, looking openly at Naruto.
"Long time no see!"
Naruto's gaze moved sluggishly around the completely renovated house, from the bright walls to the new furniture, then to Ino's brilliant smile, and finally, subconsciously, toward the kitchen doorway—he could imagine Hinata must be blushing right now.
An intense, almost dizzying sense of unreality surged like a tide, instantly overwhelming Naruto.
Is this the Ninja World or some parallel dimension's Gala Geimu?
Such an absurd thought even popped into his head.
Was he truly in reality?
Was this really not the world of Gala Geimu?
Everything before his eyes was as beautiful as a carefully woven dream.
Was he truly not under a Genjutsu?
Nine-Tailed: Are you looking down on this great one? Are you looking down on this great one?
This was the first time since Naruto arrived in the Ninja World... the first time he felt so clearly, so strongly, so undeniably—
That he had come home.
Not merely returning to a place to sleep, but returning to a harbor named "Home," wrapped in care, concern, and warmth.
"Yeah, I'm home."
During dinner, Ino brought up seeing Kakashi shopping with an unfamiliar woman earlier that day.
"We were hiding in a tree watching, but the branch Choji was standing on broke, and he fell and landed right on Kakashi-sensei's back! Kakashi-sensei and that beautiful Big Sister named Karin ended up kissing by accident!"
Things were getting weirder and weirder. First, Hiashi had a conflict with the Hyuga Clan's Old Fogeys, nearly drawing swords, and now Kakashi was shopping with a strange woman... Wait, this one is different from Hiashi's situation; it feels somewhat familiar.
Kakashi actually kissed her in the anime plot; that woman was a spy.
After dinner, the cozy bustle in the living room gradually subsided.
Naruto sat on the soft new sofa, unwrapped the long sword that had been carefully bound in cloth strips, and placed it on the armrest of the brand new couch.
Just then, Hanabi, who was wandering around the living room like a curious kitten, immediately had her attention drawn to the long sword.
She leaned closer, cautiously poking the simple cloth wrapping with her finger, her large eyes glittering with curiosity.
"Eh?!"
Hanabi gasped softly, as if she had discovered something incredible, and her movements became bolder.
She reached out both hands, picked up the sword that was nearly as tall as her, gauged its weight, and then skillfully unwrapped the cloth strips covering the hilt and the guard.
When the relatively simple yet smoothly contoured hilt and Tsuba, bearing the dark metallic sheen of age and an indescribable aura of sharpness, were fully revealed, Hanabi's pure white eyes instantly widened further, and her small mouth slightly parted.
"Th-this... is Dad's 'eighty days calamity cutter'?"
Her voice was filled with unbelievable astonishment. She abruptly looked up at Naruto, as if checking if she was seeing things.
"Dad... Dad gave this sword to Naruto Big Brother?!"
Hanabi picked up the eighty days calamity cutter and examined it closely.
"Dad gave this sword to Naruto Big Brother?"
Hanabi's voice was like a stone tossed into calm water, immediately drawing the attention of the two girls in the kitchen.
Hinata quickly walked out upon hearing the noise.
When her gaze fell upon the sword in Hanabi's hands, especially when she clearly saw the unique, micro-carved Family Crest on the Tsuba—which looked like a Sun Wheel surrounded by eight Liu Yun patterns—her body visibly stiffened, and her pale cheeks instantly filled with shock.
"It... it really is the 'eighty days calamity cutter'!"
"I remember Grandpa passed this sword down to Dad. It was forged by the same Master Craftsman who made the dainichi gatsukiri, which Uncle Hizashi cherished before his death. Although Dad rarely took these two swords out to use, he always treasured and maintained them privately!"
Ino poked her head out from the kitchen, looking bewildered. The Hyuga Clan Head's Personal Sword?
Didn't the Hyuga Clan only use Gentle Fist?
So that's it... Hearing that the dainichi gatsukiri Hiashi had mentioned earlier was Hizashi's weapon, Naruto somewhat understood Hiashi's intentions.
It looks like the Hyuga Clan Elders are going to have a rough time.
Loving Book So Far? Check Out 30+ Advanced Chapters At PA Treon
patreon.com/FictionOP