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In the deceptive quiet of what could only ironically be termed a forest, the dense fog seemed to devour even the trees, rendering the landscape ghostly and hidden.
As the mist began to part, Hinata emerged at the forefront, with Naruto and Tenten following closely in a tactical formation. Hinata, serving as the apex of their pyramid formation, led confidently while Naruto and Tenten formed the stable base.
"I want to try out the chat function."
Naruto's voice was low but filled with a typical eagerness that didn't quite pierce the heavy cloak of fog around them.
"I think that can wait," Tenten replied, her tone serious and focused.
As Naruto reluctantly shifted his attention from the system window, his gaze was caught by a sudden piercing light slicing through the fog.
The trio snapped to high alert, their bodies tensing in unison.
Without a moment's hesitation, Hinata activated her Byakugan.
"Coast is clear," she announced after a brief pause.
Guided by Hinata's all-clear, they advanced, stepping out of the thick fog into a courtyard which spoke of decay and long-forgotten battles.
To one side lay the corpse of a horse, its presence marked by the morbid buzz of flies.
Nearby, the remains of a broken, destroyed wagon added to the desolate tableau, its wood splintered and scattered as though it had borne the brunt of some great violence.
However, what truly captured their attention was the imposing structure ahead.
The fort loomed large and ominous.
Its massive stone walls, built high and fortified with imposing towers at each corner, suggested it had withstood many sieges.
The heavy wooden gates were slightly ajar, creaking softly as if whispering secrets of the past.
"This was built by the Uzumaki clan?" Tenten whispered, her voice tinged with uncertainty. The fort's architecture was foreign to anything she had seen in her extensive readings.
"Do you think breaking those chests would give us like cool stuff?" Naruto's voice cut through her thoughts, his eyes gleaming with curiosity as he pointed towards the scattered barrels and boxes near the broken wagon. His gamer instinct was tingling, such containers often hid valuable loot.
"We should bury this poor creature," Hinata interjected softly, her gaze fixed on the lifeless horse.
Their conversation was abruptly interrupted by the sound of barking—loud, menacing, and getting closer.
As the barking intensified, the trio felt an eerie chill; their bodies shivered, and sweat slicked their palms.
[ You have been affected by the Skill "Fear" ]
Looking up, they suddenly perceived massive figures looming over them.
"Kaiten!" Hinata yelled, channeling her chakra into her palms.
With a swift, fluid motion, she spun around, creating a protective dome of chakra that forcefully repelled the incoming shadows. The figures were sent flying back with the force of her attack.
As Hinata ceased spinning, her wide eyes focused on the assailants. They weren't monsters, but large, shaggy dogs with wiry gray coats and robust builds. The beard-like fur around their muzzles gave them a wise, rugged appearance.
[ Name: Guard Dog ]
[ Status: Insane ]
[ Title: Dungeon Monster ]
[ Level: 9 ]
[ Class: None ]
[ Race: None ]
[ HP: 2350 / 2350 ]
[ AC: 10 ]
[ CP: 1k / 1k ]
[ Lineage Traits:
- Heightened Senses
- Animal Instincts ]
[ Class Features: --- ]
[ Feats: --- ]
[ Stats: ]
- [ STR: 27 ]
- [ DEX: 15 ]
- [ CON: 25 ]
- [ INT: 1 ]
- [ WIS: 1 ]
- [ CHA: 5 ]
- [ VIT: 26 ]
- [ LUK: 1 ]
[ Allies: The Cult ]
[ Equipment: None ]
[ Description: Dogs trained by the beast mask cult to hunt down any intruder. Highly dangerous animals trained to use the skill - Howl of Fear. ]
A sudden wave of heat surged as a fireball streaked past, courtesy of Naruto, singeing one of the dogs.
Hinata didn't hesitate; she charged towards the remaining canines.
One dog lunged at her, its jaws gaping wide.
[ System Chat ]
- [ Tenten: Hinata, Duck! ]
Hinata ducked smoothly.
A kunai, thrown with deadly accuracy, flew past where her head had been and landed squarely in the dog's mouth.
"Fuin!" Tenten's voice rang out, and the head of the dog burst in a brief, grim spectacle, leaving only a spray of blood in its wake.
Hinata wiped the remnants of blood from her face, her senses heightened.
Her gaze caught movement in the fog they had just left.
She instinctively jumped back as another howl pierced the air, freezing her momentarily.
From the dense fog, four more dogs charged toward them, their eyes locked fiercely on the trio.
[ System Chat ]
- [ Naruto: I hate this skill. ]
- [ Tenten: It has a time delay. Hinata, you were the first one to break out of it, how? ]
- [ Hinata: This skill injects chakra into your mind via the inner ear bones into your brain. ]
- [ Tenten: Naruto, Genjutsu. ]
As soon as Tenten's telepathic instructions reached Naruto, understanding flickered in his eyes.
Without hesitation, he closed his eyes and initiated a Genjutsu Ensnarement. Channeling his chakra directly into Hinata and Tenten.
Naruto's mind's eyes immediately honed in on the source — the dungeon monster's chakra.
It was intricately woven into their amygdalae, the small, almond-shaped structures nestled deep within the temporal lobes of their brains
His chakra, fine as a needle, targeted the invasive presence of the dungeon monster's energy lurking within this critical region of their brains.
With precision, Naruto's chakra disrupted the foreign energy, snapping them free from the skill's deceptive effects.
Alert and ready, the trio braced as the four menacing dogs lunged at them with ferocious speed.
"Now!" Tenten commanded, her voice cutting through the tension.
She performed a swift Iai, her katana igniting in flames as she drew it from its scabbard.
Simultaneously, Hinata called upon her Kaiten technique, cleverly weaving Tenten's flames into her protective chakra dome.
As she spun, the dome enveloped them, the flames licking outward and singeing the attacking beasts, hurling them back with both force and fire.
As the flames died down, four figures of Naruto appeared in front of the dazed beasts, a result of his Flash Fist.
The first clone struck swiftly, his punch landing squarely on a dog's head, which exploded under the sheer force of his blow. Another dog snapped its jaws towards Naruto, only to meet his lightning-fast kick, which snapped its neck with a brutal crack, killing it instantly.
The third dog was no match for Naruto's axe kick; the sheer force splattered the monster into the ground, leaving a crater in its wake.
The last dog, sensing the impending danger, instinctively leaped back.
Naruto's fist missed its mark, but he seamlessly transitioned into an upward roundhouse kick.
Twirling on his feet, he delivered the kick with such power that it sent the dog flying into the fortress wall, where it met its grisly end, splattered against the cold stone.
[ Congratulations! You have defeated 6 dungeon monsters ]
[ Exp Earned ]
- [ Hinata Hyuga — 1500 EXP ]
- [ Tenten Higurashi — 1530 EXP ]
- [ Naruto Uzumaki — 3700 EXP ]
[ Dungeon Monsters have dropped items ]
- [ Fur Pelt × 6 ]
- [ Dog Meat and Bone × 12 ]
- [ Soul Shards × 6 ]
As the remains of the dungeon monsters dissolved into smoke, Hinata and Tenten looked on in surprise.
Amidst the chaos, a silver coin rolled towards Naruto, halted only by his quick footwork.
"See, my gamer instincts were right," Naruto boasted with a wide grin, picking up the coin to show a peculiar symbol—a straight vertical line with a curved appendage looping around it in a half-circle.
"What are these dungeon monsters?" Tenten asked.
Naruto, however, was already focused on the next tactical step.
"Hinata, how many enemies?" he asked, bypassing Tenten's question, which drew a frown from her.
Hinata's Byakugan flared to life, and within seconds, she sketched a mental map of the fort.
"A three-story building with 12 dungeon monsters inside," she reported methodically.
"There's also a small garden area, and beyond that, I can't see—there seems to be a barrier blocking further view."
"Anything else?"
"Yes," Hinata continued, turning to examine the side wall, "there's a passage to the basement in this wall, hidden behind an illusionary barrier."
"Got it, so what's the plan?" Tenten asked, her gaze shifting between Naruto and Hinata.
"How many enemies in the basement?" Naruto asked.
"In the basement, I detected two signatures close by and a few more in the back," Hinata updated.
"We can hide in the basement and plan our next move," Tenten suggested.
"Okay," Naruto agreed quickly, then swiftly conjured several shadow clones.
"You two go through the front and gauge the enemy's level," he instructed the clones, who nodded and darted off towards the building.
Meanwhile, the original trio, along with a few more clones, moved towards the hidden basement entrance. Naruto tasked some clones with collecting potential loot from the barrels and boxes.
As they passed the remains of the dead horse, they slipped through the wall and into the dungeon's basement.
"I want to gather the loot," Naruto declared, his attention shifting from the curious silver coin to the other scattered boxes and barrels.
"This is a safe area to do so," Tenten affirmed, her gaze sweeping across the path that led to the basement.
The old staircase was overrun with grass, mold, and sporadic clusters of mushrooms that added to the eerie, forgotten feel of the place.
"What do you think, Hinata?"
"Yeah, I'll be on the lookout," Hinata responded, her Byakugan activating as she completed her sentence.
"Hell yeah," Naruto cheered, his spirits lifted. With a swift, eager movement, he smashed open the nearest barrel.
However, what lay on the ground was far from the treasure he had anticipated. Instead, a piece of dirty, used toilet paper rolled out.
Naruto's face fell, his excitement crashing into the dirt.
His disappointment was immeasurable, and his day felt utterly ruined.
Lifting the soiled paper closer, Naruto held onto a sliver of hope that perhaps he was mistaken.
A quick sniff dispelled any remaining doubt. "Yep, that's been used," he muttered, the disbelief evident on his face.
The excitement and anticipation that had built up to this moment evaporated completely, replaced by a stinging sense of betrayal.
Naruto's gaze then shifted to the clones handling the rest of the loot, his eyes empty, devoid of any previous joy.
"Fuck you," he said under his breath towards the barrels.
Beside him, Tenten struggled to hold back giggles, her hand covering her mouth as she turned to share a laugh with Hinata.
But the laughter died in her throat when she realized something was amiss.
"Naruto, Hinata's gone!"
Naruto's head snapped around, his previous annoyance forgotten as a surge of concern took its place.
Naruto and Tenten rushed into the basement, their footsteps echoing in the sprawling underground chamber they entered.
The basement was vast and dimly lit, filled with imposing stone pillars that reached up into the shadows of the arched ceiling. Between these pillars, a weird symbol was intricately carved into the stone floor, radiating an ominous energy.
Beside it lay a rotting corpse, its presence suggesting it had been used in some dark ritual sacrifice.
The air was thick with the musty smell of decay and old stone, adding to the chamber's eerie ambiance.
However, Hinata was nowhere to be seen.
Just as Naruto was about to engage his Mind's Eye to search for her, a sound froze him in place—the creaking groan of doors swinging open.
Before them stood a monster that seemed a grotesque blend of octopus and humanoid. It shimmered in a deep purple hue, standing upright on two thick tentacles that served as legs, each lined with pulsating suction cups. From its upper body, several more tentacles extended, each gripping a different type of sword. Its attire was bizarre—a leather vest dotted with pouches over a long, tattered skirt that fluttered around its lower half.
The head was distinctly that of an octopus, large and bulbous, with two intense, piercing eyes that bore into Naruto and Tenten.
[ Name: Slave no.911 ]
[ Status: Insane ]
[ Title: Dungeon Monster ]
[ Level: 9 ]
[ Class: Semi-Incomplete Humunculus ]
[ Race: None ]
[ HP: 2350 / 2350 ]
[ AC: 30 ]
[ CP: 1k / 1k ]
[ Lineage Traits:
- Camoflauge
- 8 Limbs ]
[ Class Features: None ]
[ Feats: Deceiver ]
[ Stats: ]
- [ STR: 27 ]
- [ DEX: 35 ]
- [ CON: 25 ]
- [ INT: 23 ]
- [ WIS: 22 ]
- [ CHA: 15 ]
- [ VIT: 16 ]
- [ LUK: 1 ]
[ Allies: The Cult ]
[ Equipment:
- Normal Swords × 3
- Leather Vest
- Loincloth ]
[ Description: Sold to the cult at a young age, this nameless boy seeks to serve the cult in their pursuit of perfecting the flesh merged with the beauty of the beast. ]
"Let's do this quickly," Tenten murmured, her gaze locked on one of the tentacles as she prepared herself for the fight.
Naruto nodded, his hand tightening around the handle of his umbrella.
"Be careful," he cautioned, his voice low. "Whatever caused Hinata to disappear should be around here."
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[ Author's Note:
Our second dungeon in the story and so much is going to happen in this confined space!
Here's what's coming up:
Naruto and Uzumaki Clan Style Ninjutsu: I'm planning for Naruto to acquire some cool Uzumaki clan style ninjutsus.
I'd love to hear your ideas!
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Anyways:
Team Dynamics:
Unlike many Naruto fanfics where there's a clear leader-subordinate dynamic, I've aimed for a more collaborative team approach where each character shines by playing a crucial role.
Hinata protects with her kaitens, Tenten strategizes and plans, and Naruto delivers brutal finishes.
Each character is a vital cog in their team machine.
Do you think this dynamic is cool, or does it seem lame to you?
How would it compare if Naruto were the clear leader, giving orders to Tenten and Hinata?
Share your thoughts in the comments!
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Humor Amidst Tension:
Admittedly, the used toilet paper joke was a bit childish, but I hope it gave you a good laugh before the tension escalated.
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Hinata's Disappearance:
Hinata has disappeared.
Where do you think she went?
Why didn't Naruto or Tenten noticed?
Did I drop a hint? Yes.
I'm eager to hear your theories in the comments.
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Images: I've shared images in the comments on Webnovel, but you can also view them on these links for a better experience:
https://ibb.co/stmv6QR
https://ibb.co/7rGsG0t
https://ibb.co/DfrSZhk
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Today's chapter might not be as lengthy as the previous five chapters, which were over 5,000 words each, but I hope the 2,000 words here don't feel like too little. I've been focusing a lot on this fanfic lately, somewhat neglecting my other works. I hope you all don't mind.
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Thank you for enjoying my work and for your ongoing support. Have a blessed rest of the day, and please share your thoughts in the comments! ]