Disclaimer:
Naruto and all of its characters belong to Shueisha and Masashi Kishimoto.
I own nothing but the original characters I create.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 44: Open the door
Strings of words and symbols entered his Mind Palace.
Every letter, every line appeared to be alive. They shone in golden light as they floated around.
Once all the contents were there, Naruto created a container for that knowledge and stored it in the safety of his own soul.
He repeated the same method with the other two scrolls and by the time he was done, he knew every detail there was to know about them, up until the last word, symbol, or mark that had been written on them.
And he would never forget about them. That knowledge had now become a part of him.
Once he was done, he felt his consciousness fading away and his eyes wanting to seal shut.
He had to make full use of his willpower to stand up once more, bring the three scrolls to the kitchen, and burn them down, using the stove.
Then… he passed out, right there on the kitchen floor.
There was a good reason he did not use this method very often.
Engraving information into your soul is not something to take lightly. It should only be used with the knowledge that you feel is of extreme importance, for the amount of time this method can be used is very limited.
During his previous life as a wandering cultivator, he must have learned thousands of techniques.
But not even one hundred of them had been engraved.
As for the rest…some things he still remembers, like those low-rank techniques he had used previously, like the illusionary fist or the fire seal.
Their simplicity made them easy to remember.
But for the most complex concepts, only those that had been recorded remain with him.
A loud banging on the door woke him up from his slumber.
"Urg…" He groaned.
It was unknown to him for how long he had been sleeping, but how terrible he felt right now, he could conclude that…it had not been enough.
"Naruto, open up!" He did not immediately recognize the owner of the voice, but it sounded somewhat familiar.
The bangs were getting louder and louder.
"Come on, I know you are there, and I don't have all day for this!"
With great effort, he stood up from the kitchen floor and walked to the door.
"Finally!" The voice said after hearing the noises of the door being unlocked.
When Naruto opened up, he found himself face to face with Ino Yamanaka.
"Huh?..." He was not expecting a visit from this girl. The last time he saw her was during his encounter with her father at the shopping district.
"What took you so…ahhh!" Ino just realized that Naruto was not wearing anything except for his underwear.
He glanced down and realized this too. "When did I take off the robes?" He didn't know either.
"Go get dressed!" Ino yelled.
Naruto left the girl waiting at the entrance and put on his only piece of clothing.
"There, I'm dressed," he said to the girl, who had been trying her best to look away.
Ino's blue eyes were now fixated on him. "You look like a farmer. Where did you get those clothes?"
"From a farmer," Naruto told her.
Ino huffed in annoyance.
"What are you doing here so early in the morning?" He asked with a frown.
'Why is she annoyed? I should be the one offended.'
"Morning?" Ino exclaimed. "It's three P.M!"
"It is?.... I did sleep a lot then…" He shouldn't be too surprised. He had been already exhausted when he got home and then he used that method to engrave the scrolls' information into his soul. That also puts a heavy toll on the body.
If Ino didn't wake him up, he might have slept until the next morning.
"You still haven't told me the reason for your visit." From what he understood from their previous meeting, this girl did not hold him in high regard. So this could not be a friendly visit.
"Let me make one thing clear…I only came here at the request of my father. So don't get any ideas." She pointed her finger at him while speaking in a harsh tone.
"Request?" Naruto asked.
'What does that man want from me?' He had nothing personal against Inoichi Yamanaka, but he could not feel comfortable next to someone capable of delving into his mind.
"He wanted me to accompany you on your first shopping trip," Ino told him. "I'm sure to make sure you didn't waste all of your money on ramen and ugly clothes." She felt the need to add.
Naruto frowned. "I don't need your help for that." He did not like being treated like a child. Even if he was one, at least technically speaking.
Ino looked at him up and down. "I think you do need my help." She turned around and began to walk to the door. "Come on, we only have a few hours left before it gets dark."
His stomach started to make noises, and he just realized he hadn't eaten anything in almost two days. "I'm hungry…"
"Come on, Naruto, stop complaining." She went back, grabbed him by his robes, and pulled him along. "Konoha's number one beauty came all the way here to help you out…" She glared directly into his eyes. "You are not going to waste my time…are you?..." Her intimidating gaze was very effective.
Even with his lacking senses, Naruto could almost detect strands of energy coming from her pupil-less blue eyes.
'Not bad…maybe this girl has some potential after all.'
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