Chapter 247 - 246: The Chunin Exams

Chapter 247: Chapter 246: The Chunin Exams

Arriving at the Konoha gates, they saw Minato’s family carrying large bags. The Nara family also dismounted their deer and went forward to greet them.

"Kano-chan, we’ve been waiting for you! Let’s head out quickly!"

Naruko waved enthusiastically at Kano, who walked over, pouted, and scolded her.

"Didn’t I tell you to spend more time with your parents? Why did you insist on following me?"

"Don’t be mad. I’m out doing a mission with my parents; this counts as spending time together."

"Then what mission did Uncle and Auntie take?"

"To assist Nara Kano in her mission."

Kano looked at Minato and Kushina with a resentful gaze, as if blaming them for going along with Naruko’s nonsense.

Minato scratched his head with a bitter smile, clearly not the one who made the decision. Kushina, on the other hand, came over to Kano’s side.

"What’s wrong? Are you not happy that my Naruko came to accompany you?"

"I am happy, but... sigh."

Naruko’s recklessness must be inherited from you!

"Morning, Fourth Hokage."

"Stop teasing me; I haven’t been the Hokage for a long time. Are you also accompanying your daughter, Shikaku?"

"Yeah, she’s only been home for a few days before running off again. As parents, we’re quite worried."

"Tell me about it. When my Naruko heard your Kano was heading out, she insisted on going. But since Naruko and Kano have a promise, Minato and I discussed it and decided to come along. This way, we don’t break your promise, and we can all go out together."

"We’re just intruding on your private time. Sorry about that."

Kushina looked at Kano as she spoke, making Kano blush.

"Naruko... I’m still not quite used to that name. Sorry, I didn’t recognize you last time. Long time no see; you’ve gotten quite a bit shorter."

"Shikamaru, you’ve grown a lot taller, though."

Shikamaru and Naruko began to chat about boys’ topics and the changes over the past two years.

Minato and Shikaku started their own conversation.

"Didn’t Yoshino come along?"

"She’s in charge of looking after the house. She hardly goes out on missions anymore. Besides, if she’s not home, there’ll be no one to take care of Kano when she returns."

"She must have been very reluctant to see her go."

"Yeah, last night she even went into our daughter’s room to sleep with her."

On the other side, Kushina grabbed Kano and started prying. She asked about Naruko’s good points, how long they’d been together, when they’d marry, if they planned to have kids... The rapid-fire questions left Kano dizzy. Luckily, Naruko was impatient and started shouting to leave while the others were still chatting, which saved Kano.

Naruko, I knew it—you’re the most reliable!

"The usual way?"

Naruko raised her arm, ready to rush toward the trees outside the village. Shikamaru knew how much his Younger Sister hated walking; she’d want to build a vehicle whenever they traveled far.

"What a drag. Give me the axe."

No matter what, Shikamaru wouldn’t let his sister chop trees, though he didn’t know just how powerful her Monstrous Strength was.

"Are we logging to build a carriage? I’ve only heard about it; this is my first time seeing it. You built one during the Chunin Exams too, right? Let me help this time; I’m very fast."

Minato put down his backpack, ready to join the logging crew.

However, before they could start, Kano stopped everyone.

"Wait, no need for logging this time. Since there are only six of us and everyone is an outstanding Ninja, we can use a different method."

"Could it be... that?"

Naruko’s eyes sparkled, clearly looking forward to what was coming. The others were confused. Had Kano come up with another good idea? Was there a more convenient way than a carriage?

"That’s right, that! Everyone, walk forward a bit and find an open space. I’m afraid of scaring the people in Konoha Village here."

Kano led the group a few hundred meters away, telling them to keep some distance.

"By the way, Dad and Big Brother, this is your first time riding. Be careful not to get scared. Shadow Dragon—!"

Kano leaped high into the air. A massive, pitch-black dragon emerged from her shadow, soaring up. Its giant wings blotted out the sun as it caught Kano steadily, circled once, and landed on the ground.

"So cool! Younger Sister, let me ride too!"

While Shikamaru was still asking, Naruko had already climbed onto the dragon’s head.

"This is my exclusive spot!"

Not just Shikamaru and Naruko, even Shikaku and Minato were deeply moved.

This was a dragon!

Kano had actually become this strong. In terms of power, Minato wasn’t worried about her and Naruko anymore. In every sense of the word, Kano could be considered an Ideal Son-in-Law.

Everyone then climbed onto the Shadow Dragon. Once they were settled and holding on tight, Kano took off without even mentioning the destination.

Since they were all Ninjas, they used Chakra to adhere themselves firmly to the dragon’s back. Feeling the whistling wind, no one noticed the direction of flight; they were all marveling at the high-altitude scenery.

"Look, I can do a handstand! Can you guys?"

Naruko started being a show-off again, but Kano grabbed her pants and pulled her down.

"Behave yourself. If you fall off like last time, I won’t save you."

"I got it."

Naruko sat down obediently, looking very submissive.

Shikaku looked at Naruko’s behavior and let out a soft chuckle. It seemed he was Henpecked. The way Kano scolded him was just like Yoshino.

"The direction we’re heading... is the Land of Water, right? Naruko only told us you were going out on a mission. I assume you want to investigate the place where you went missing."

Minato deduced Kano’s goal just from the direction of flight, which surprised the three Naras.

Kano had never said anything because Naruko, her father, and her brother already knew. Only Minato and Kushina were outsiders. Minato could guess, but Kushina didn’t quite understand.

"You’ve only just returned; why go back to such a dangerous place? What if you run into danger again?"

Kushina was more worried about everyone’s safety than the truth.

"Erm, how should I put this..."

For a moment, Kano didn’t know how to start. After all, her own family already knew and understood her.

But Minato and Kushina were different. If she told them the truth and they felt Naruko wasn’t their original child, would they stop being so close to her? If her telling the truth caused Naruko to lose this rare chance to reunite with her parents, her conscience would hurt.

"Kano-chan, just tell the truth. I believe in my parents; they’ll understand you!"

Naruko gave Kano a thumbs-up, encouraging her to speak. Her personality was straightforward; she didn’t like beating around the bush.

"Alright, then I’ll tell the truth. Prepare yourselves. Actually, the Naruto of this world hasn’t returned yet, and the me of this world might already be dead."

"What are you talking about?"

Kushina clearly didn’t understand the meaning behind her words.

"I mean, Naruko and I are from another world. The purpose of this trip is to find traces of myself and to bring back Naruto."

"Sorry, Mom and Dad. I lied to you. The me of this world didn’t actually come home."

She was already satisfied with having a day of parental love. Although the feeling was addictive, she was no longer alone and could let it go.

"What are you saying, child? Even so, I can feel it—you are my child."

Kushina pulled Naruko into an embrace, and Minato supported her. No matter which world they were from, they were their children.

This deeply moved Naruko.

"Mom."

"So, does this mean we have both a son and a daughter now?"

Kushina suddenly thought of this question.

"Hahaha, indeed."

Shikaku was also amused.

The group chatted and laughed. The whistling wind didn’t affect the composure of the Ninjas at all.

Just as they were about to reach the coast, a violent sound erupted in the distance. Everything around was destroyed by rampaging Ninjutsu, though it was clearly being held back.

Then, several Chains shot up into the sky, smashing toward a certain direction.

"There’s a battle over there. Let’s go check it out!"

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