Naruto Card King

Haruto Saito took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. Suddenly, as if something had occurred to him, he whipped around and looked back.

All he saw was an endless forest stretching far into the horizon.

"You won't find it," came a muffled voice from beside him.

The speaker was Shenhe, the masked ANBU ninja.

At some point, White Fang and Aosuo had vanished—they hadn't followed them out of the ANBU base.

"Come on, I'll take you out of here. Stay close, don't wander off. Otherwise, you might not survive," Shenhe warned in his usual low, indifferent tone before turning and walking forward.

Haruto followed closely, scanning his surroundings as they moved.

He was trying to figure out where he was.

Was the ANBU base not located inside Konoha? The landscape around him was completely unfamiliar. No landmarks stood out, making it impossible for him to determine his current location.

"We're wasting too much time walking," Shenhe suddenly said. Then, without waiting for a response, he grabbed Haruto by the shoulder—and launched forward at incredible speed.

Shenhe was a Jonin.

His speed was beyond human comprehension.

For reference, an ordinary human's peak running speed is around ten meters per second. However, for a trained shinobi—especially a Jonin—their limits were far beyond that. Even though Shenhe wasn't using his full power while carrying Haruto, he was still moving at twenty to thirty meters per second with ease.

A single kilometer took him less than thirty seconds.

The wind roared against Haruto's skin, slicing against him like tiny blades. The force of the air pressed against his body, seeping into his bones.

And yet—he didn't feel cold.

This body—his new body—had endured Amegakure's brutal training regime. Although small and frail in appearance, it was incredibly resilient. 

Ten Minutes Later

"Stop! Hold on!" Haruto suddenly shouted.

"Hm?"

Shenhe came to an abrupt halt.

They had reached the edge of the forest. In front of them was a vast, open field with a large lake spanning over three hundred meters in diameter.

"I need a bath. I'm covered in filth." Haruto pointed toward the water.

Shenhe glanced him over and, after a brief pause, released his grip. "Go ahead."

The moment the words left his mouth, Haruto sprinted toward the lake like a wild dog off its leash, stripping off his filthy clothes as he ran.

There was no hesitation.

It was possibly the most satisfying bath of Haruto's life.

Because he had never been this disgustingly dirty before.

Shenhe walked to the shore but then turned his back to the lake.

Even though they were both men, watching a kid take a bath just felt wrong.

Meanwhile, Haruto was having the time of his life—scrubbing himself clean, diving underwater, holding his breath, and floating on the crystal-clear surface. The lake was pristine, its water fresh and undisturbed by pollution.

"Five minutes," Shenhe called out from the shore.

"Five minutes isn't enough!" Haruto protested, still swimming.

"You have five minutes," Shenhe repeated.

Haruto clicked his tongue in frustration before his gaze flickered with an idea. "Wait—what about my clothes?" he asked. "They're torn up and filthy. I can't put them back on! I'm a Konoha ninja now—I need proper attire."

Shenhe turned slightly and glanced at the rags Haruto had discarded.

The clothing wasn't just dirty—it was practically falling apart. There were gashes, mud stains, and dried blood everywhere.

"Stay here. Don't wander off," Shenhe ordered. "This area is safe, but if you move around recklessly, you might trigger hidden traps—and you'll die."

With that, he grabbed the tattered clothes, spun his arm, and vanished in a blur of motion.

He took the clothes with him.

Maybe to prevent Haruto from running away naked.

But Haruto didn't care—he had no plans of streaking through the forest.

His real reason for making Shenhe leave was simple:

More bath time!

"Damn, this feels amazing…" Haruto floated in the middle of the lake, arms stretched out, completely relaxed.

For someone who used to perform underwater magic tricks, swimming was second nature. The lake was deep, at least five or six meters at its lowest point, but he remained effortlessly buoyant.

A Few Minutes Later

After enjoying himself, Haruto prepared to swim back to shore—when something caught his eye.

Beneath the crystal-clear water, near the lakebed, a faint glimmer flickered.

Haruto took a deep breath, kicked downward, and dove.

As he neared the bottom, fish scattered around him, darting into the tangled clusters of aquatic plants.

And then—he saw it.

A katana.

It was half-buried beneath the lakebed's sediment and seaweed.

It was impossible to tell who had left it there or how long it had been submerged.

But despite being underwater for god-knows-how-long, its blade remained polished, reflecting light.

Haruto grabbed the hilt—and pushed off the lakebed, propelling himself back toward the surface.

Meanwhile…

On the western shore of the lake…

Whoosh!

A whirlwind spun into existence.

When the air cleared, a young girl—no older than eight or nine—stood there.

She had flaming red hair cascading down her back, and her hands were still clasped together in a hand seal from using the Body Flicker Technique.

The wind gently ruffled her hair, making it look like fire dancing in the sunlight.

Her eyes were puffy, her expression somber, and tears clung to the corners of her eyes.

"Grandma Mito…" the girl murmured, voice trembling.

She took a few steps forward, sat down on the grassy slope by the lake, hugged her knees, and stared at the water in silence.

Whoosh!

Another figure materialized behind her—a tall, cloaked ANBU ninja wearing a mask.

"Shinsuke-sama…" the girl called out softly. "Tell me… is Grandma Mito really going to…"

She couldn't finish her sentence.

Her voice choked, and she wiped her tear-streaked face with her sleeve.

"All life must come to an end," the ANBU ninja, Shinsuke, replied in a low, solemn tone. "Mito-sama has lived a long and honorable life. Passing peacefully in old age… is a blessing."

"But… I don't want her to go yet…" The girl sobbed softly.

Suddenly—

A disturbance rippled across the water.

Shinsuke's sharp instincts immediately flared.

His hand shot to his waist, gripping the handle of his blade, ready to unsheath it in an instant.

Splash!

Haruto emerged from the lake, water cascading off his body.

"Puah!" He spat out water, wiped his face, and opened his eyes—

And then—

He froze.

His gaze locked onto the red-haired girl sitting on the grass.

At the same time, the girl's eyes widened in horror as she stared at him—

A naked boy wielding a katana.

Their eyes met.

A long, heavy silence hung between them.

Then—

"Aahhhh!"

The girl clutched her head and screamed.

"PERVERTED SERIAL KILLER!!"

At the same moment—

Haruto's True Sight activated.

—Name: Kushina Uzumaki.

 —Status: Konoha Academy Student, Future Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.

 —Reputation: 322.

 —Relationship: Hostile.

Haruto: …Oh, shit.