A Multiverse Tale: Hope in Another World!

Twilight deepened, the sky heavy with dusk. The stubborn sun clung to the western horizon, dragging out its farewell, while a gentle moon rose in the east, spilling soft light across the night. At this witching hour, where fading daylight met eager moonlight, the two converged. 

Darkness thickened.

Takuma Kirie lay in bed, his Sage Body knitting him back together as he mulled over his next moves. 

Downstairs, Mitarashi Anko's cheerful chatter drifted up, mingling with the aroma of dinner wafting through the house. It eased the tension in his chest, a rare moment of calm. 

Tap, tap, tap… 

Crisp footsteps climbed the stairs. Kirie shut his eyes, feigning sleep. 

Soon, his door creaked open. In stepped a girl with jet-black curls and ruby-bright eyes—Yuhi Kurenai.

"Kirie… Kirie…? Dinner's ready…" 

No response. Kurenai wasn't surprised. Apron-clad, she padded to his bedside, gazing down at his "sleeping" form with a helpless smile. 

"Out cold again, huh?"

Crouching beside him, she propped her cheek on her left hand, studying him. Normally, his cool demeanor alone sparked classroom whispers. But now, defenseless in "sleep," he leaned quietly against the headboard, stray bangs scattering across his face. It softened him, amplifying his charm. 

"He really is good-looking…" 

Kurenai's mind wandered to their recent days together, his warmth reserved just for her, and a soft murmur slipped out.

In the stillness, her heart thudded loud enough to hear. She reached out, fingertips brushing his cheek, sliding down until they grazed his thin lips. A jolt shot through her, and she yanked her hand back like she'd been zapped. 

"What… what was I doing? That was practically pervy!"

Her cheeks blazed. She smacked them hard, forcing down the embarrassment, then nudged Kirie as if nothing had happened.

"Kirie, Kirie, dinner's up! Get down there before Anko eats it all!" 

Without waiting for a reply, she bolted, footsteps clattering downstairs in a flustered retreat. 

Kirie cracked his eyes open, a grin tugging at his lips. 

"Didn't expect a fake nap to land me something this sweet." 

--- 

Dinner rolled on as usual. Kirie played it cool, while Kurenai turned into a Hinata-level mess—every glance his way left her blushing and fumbling.

Under the table, he couldn't resist teasing her a few times. Her lack of protest only egged him on. Meanwhile, Mitarashi Anko shoveled food obliviously, downing three bowls of red bean soup like a champ. 

"Oh, right—Anko, Kirie," Kurenai piped up after the meal, "I won't be around for the next week." 

"The academy's monthly exam is in seven days. My dad's making me train with family ninjutsu at home." 

"Whoa, time flies!" Anko shot up from her lazy sprawl on the couch, panic flashing across her face. "I'm screwed—I haven't practiced the Three Basics lately. If I embarrass Orochimaru-sensei, I'm toast!" 

She was every inch the slacker cramming before a test. 

The Ninja Academy taught theory, shuriken skills, assassination tactics, and wartime know-how. But the real spotlight? The monthly combat exams—where geniuses shone and clan kids flexed their pedigrees. 

Hatake Kakashi earned his "prodigy" rep by steamrolling peers from day one, an unstoppable force in the art of thrashing academy kids. It sounded quirky, but in the Naruto world, even pint-sized students were lethal. Back in the Second Ninja War, these same brats could've slit throats without breaking a sweat. Give Might Guy a dagger, and he'd carve through an urban battlefield like a spec-ops warlord. 

"Let's all buckle down and train this week," Kirie said, clearing the table. "After the exam, we'll celebrate together." 

He set the tone for the days ahead. 

--- 

The next day, after school: 

Mitarashi Anko and Yuhi Kurenai split off to train solo. Kirie, as usual, met Might Guy at their spot for taijutsu drills. When both collapsed by the riverbank, worn to the bone, Kirie tossed out a casual opener. 

"Guy, the monthly exam's coming up. Got a target in mind?" 

"Kakashi, obviously!" Guy's voice boomed with fervor, echoing off the water. 

"Youth doesn't slow down! This time, I'll challenge Kakashi and win!" 

"So, you haven't gotten a shot at him yet?" 

"Uh…" Guy faltered, a rare crack in his bravado. "Kakashi keeps dodging me. I haven't beaten anyone else to catch up to him either." 

"Got it," Kirie nodded, pensive. 

"Makes sense. Early ninja fights favor shuriken and ninjutsu over taijutsu. Kakashi's got the Three Basics down cold and a stack of techniques—tough to beat. For a pure taijutsu guy like you, matching him early on is a long shot." 

Guy's shoulders slumped at the blunt rundown. He was a taijutsu prodigy, but ninjutsu? He lagged behind even Obito Uchiha. A ninja who couldn't cast jutsu was a walking punchline at the academy. 

"But," Kirie added, "if you nabbed a no-hand-seal technique, it could patch that gap big-time." 

He held out his right hand. A pale blue Rasengan whirled to life in his palm, right before Guy's eyes. 

"Rasengan—a no-seal ninjutsu. It won't slow your taijutsu and pumps up your offense hard. Guy, as your buddy, I'm handing over this technique I poured my heart into—so you can take on Kakashi with blazing youth!" 

"Kirie, you… you made this?!" Guy stared, gobsmacked. 

"You're really giving it to me?" 

"Of course! We're youth-chasing brothers!" Kirie's earnest shout rang out. 

Tears streamed down Guy's face. He roared about youth and passion, then strapped on his boulder for a ten-kilometer sprint. 

Kirie's lips curled into a smirk. 

The Third Ninja War hadn't even started yet—Minato Namikaze hadn't dreamed up the Rasengan. This no-seal trick? All Kirie's "invention." 

For a multiverse-hopping transmigrator, the Rasengan wasn't some sacred treasure. It was a freebie perk—best used to trade for bigger fish. Might Guy might not grasp its worth, but Might Duy, the Eternal Genin, sure did. 

With their personalities, after a favor this huge, Duy's only repayment option would be his twenty-year masterpiece: the Eight Gates Formation. 

A taijutsu titan's personal coaching on the Eight Gates? To Kirie, that blew the Rasengan out of the water.