That Time I Got Teleported into Naruto But in the Past

Jigen settled down as he poured the young blonde man a cup of green tea.

(So this is the Naruto world, but why of all places in this hellish world?! And Jigen?! Isn't it that character in the next generations?! The one that lived a thousand years before the series even began?! Or maybe this is after the 4th- no he looks like how he was before that parasitic Isshiki possessed him! So I am a thousand years, no from what I know it's more than two thousand years behind!)

Raymond looked down at the green tea on the table as he analyzed his situation, racking his brain for any explanations he could find from his previous life's memories.

He concluded that he was in the ancient era just from seeing Jigen's appearance, probably during or before Kaguya's ascent.

But then his train of thought was interrupted by the man in front of him, who just say down cross-legged, typical asian-style.

"So Mr. Raimon, what brought you near our temple?"

"Umm...It's Raymond, not Raimon"

"Oh...Im sorry sir but I find it hard to pronounce your foreign name, please forgive me"

Raymond tried hard to clear up his name from sounding like a pokemon, but to no avail, he couldn't do so.

(What can I do, these people are Japanese through and through, but how come I can understand his speech? Was this the ability that he talks about giving me?)

He continued analyzing his situation, but in the end, he accepted that too much brain usage will tire him out. And so he put the bigger picture aside for now, proceeding to think of a way to survive from even the smallest threat, just like how Jigen finds him suspicious now.

He had thought earlier that he needed a place to stay at and be provided for with a staple amount of food to live off of. And when he saw how homey this place felt, he decided that it wasn't bad to stay here for the night.

And so, his goal now was to convince the monk that he's harmless, however, he wasn't really that good of a liar.

"I'm sorry monk Jigen, but the thing is, I just found myself on that Glade. I don't seem to remember much before that, except for my name".

To his response, the black-haired monk sipped a cup of tea.

"Hmm, so what else do you remember except for your name?"

Jigen eyed him with curiosity.

(Hmm, he's still suspecting me)

"Nothing at all, I have no idea why and how I came to be there"

He answered as plainly transparent as possible.

"You did look a bit confused and terrified when I fetched you earlier, so I believe you sir Raimon. Although I am guessing that you came from a very faraway land, I have never seen such features from anyone at all."

Jigen hinted at Raymond's golden locks and sapphire eyes.

"However, I have never really been outside this temple that much so I apologize but I can't help you identify your origins."

The monk was genuine in his unhelpfulness, wishing that if he knew better, then he could've helped the pitiful young man in front of him.

"But I also do believe that there may be a chance you recall your memories, so I am willing to let you stay here for as long as you need, which will help you slowly remember"

Jigen offered his utmost help, as a monk, and as a person, this was the best help he could give for a lost person like Raymond.

"Thank you for the hospitality, and also for believing me mister Jigen"

The Westerner didn't forget to bow, imitating the people of the East of his previous world.

"You're welcome sir Raimon, oh then let me lead you to the dining hall"

---

"Now that I notice it, why is it that you're the only monk I've seen here so far?"

Raymond asked curiously as he looked around the dining hall.

But when Jigen heard this, his face became melancholic, as if something tragic had happened.

"Y-you're right sir Raimon... There's no one here beside me... No one"

"O-oh... If you're uncomfortable speaking about it, then it's ok-"

"No, it's good for you to know, so that you could feel truly safe here... Although it still depends on you..."

As Jigen said that last part, Raimon thought that something bad must've happened. Given that Jigen is hesitant and feeling insecure about having to say it in front of him. And so, Jigen continued.

"When I was but an apprentice monk, a raid happened here. Unbeknownst to my superiors, a bandit camp has been established nearby. Unfortunately, the bandits came to the knowledge of our existence and proceeded to assault our temple, robbing us of all of us wealth, and then killing off every single human here, well... Except for me"

Hearing this, Raymond was utterly shocked and sympathetic of what happened.

"I- I'm sorry to hear that..."

"No, it's alright sir"

After that, the atmosphere at the dinner was palpable. Raymond felt so guilty for making Jigen bring back tragic memories, but he couldn't do anything about it anyways as he was an outsider.

Even so, Jigen found the resolve to get back on his feet again after dinner and showed Raymond where he would stay from now on.

---

Morning came, and Raymond awoke from a very comfortable sleep.

"Dang, i haven't been able to sleep like this, it's like my whole soul and body has been reinvigorated!"

And so, Raymond changed out from the previous ragged clothing he wore ever since last night at the Glade, to a plain Samue, a Japanese monk clothing similar to a woman's kimono but with a more simple design and coloring.

And as he exited his room, he came across Jigen holding a basket, seemingly planning to go somewhere.

"Oh good morning Monk Jigen, where might you be headed to?"

"A good morning to you sir Raimon, I'll be going to the nearby forest opposite of the Glade"

"Oh I'm guessing you're picking fruits, but aren't you wary of the bandits? They might catch you off guard"

Raymond asked of a logical question.

"A-about that, you see, it's been years since that happened, I've spent a long time in the temple after that, never going out. But one day I went out and didn't encounter them at all, although hesitant to come back outside, i needed food and some fresh air from the tragedy that happened and so after that i started coming out more"

"Oh, so you just found out that they're not here anymore, I mean that should be true since it would be more logical to immediately flee from the scene of the crime as to not alert any forces"

Raymond found Jigen's answer to hold truth in it. And then he thought of a way to repay him for letting him stay here.

Actually, earlier, he saw his reflection from yhe water fountain and found himself to be of a good age. And much earlier, when he was taking off his clothes, he noticed his lean body and good amount of muscles, he even playfully punched like a boxer would, and found that he can pack quite a punch.

"Maybe I can go with you and you know, offer some assistance and maybe even protect you?"

"Oh, would that be alright? You would be risking your life too, honestly I think it's a good idea to just stay here"

"No worries monk Jigen, look, I have a pretty good body that will be at your defense incase anyone dares"

Raymond flexed his newfound muscles, making Jigen chuckle.

"Alright sir Raimon, although I don't think you would have to fight off anyone"

And so, the two of them went outside of the temple and casually walked out of the Western gate.

As Raimon looked at the outside view of the Temple, he saw that it was quite big, like a medium-sized Japanese fortress/castle.

"It was a good thing that they didn't burn down such a beautiful temple... Oh by the way how did you survive sir Jigen?"

"Being the youngest monk, my superiors pushed me to hide in an underground passage... I'll show you the passage later Sir Raimon, in cases of emergency"

Jigen responded with the same saddened expression, but somehow, Raymond felt that it was much more lighter now. He guessed that maybe it was because they were now outside of the place where Jigen must've saw the horrors.

And as they walked into the forest, Raymond assisted Jigen with picking up fruits, berries, and other food sources even from high up the trees. And as he went on, he found that his body is crazily healthy, like an Athlete in the Olympics.

(God really blessed me with this one hehe)

He chuckled inwardly, but then he saw Jigen stopped walking in front of him with a shocked face.

"Wh-what happened here?"

Jigen's voice trembled as he looked towards what seems to be a huge clearing bathed in sunlight.

"What is it?-"

And as Raymond walked closer, he saw it in clearer detail. Jagged uplifted rocks, cracked earth, leafless, and uprooted trees in the surroundings. The view looked like a scene from the Godzilla movies where Titans must've fought.

"What in the actual fuck?"