Marvel: Raising — Chapter 139 - What Era Is This, Still Fighting Over Bells?

Soon.

"Decision made — we're heading out!"

Naruto was heading to the One Piece World to train, and he'd pick himself a Devil Fruit while he was at it.

He'd thought it through.

With chakra reserves on the level of a tailed beast and the Flying Thunder God technique, even if he ran into danger in the One Piece World, he could pull back without breaking a sweat.

And if he really couldn't win a fight?

He could always just Talk-no-Jutsu his way through, or taunt them until they froze and took the hits.

Rock solid.

No way he'd screw himself over and drag trouble back to Azu and Uncle Guan.

As for the Devil Fruit's side effects?

Nonexistent.

Once you left the One Piece World, there was no Seastone material to worry about.

"I want to test my stress tolerance," he said. "See if there's any way to lower it."

Sasuke, meanwhile, stayed behind and disclosed the Uchiha bloodline.

He volunteered himself as research material for Doctor Doom, and used the Hyperbolic Time Chamber at 200x effort to refine his chakra.

...

Three days later.

Naruto swallowed the Toshi Toshi no Mi.

The fruit originally belonged to Bonney, the absurdly broken kid. But with Doctor Doom's level of technology, replicating or artificially creating a fruit wasn't difficult.

The Toshi Toshi no Mi's primary ability is altering the age of oneself, others, animals, and objects. When the user extracts someone's age, it materializes in the shape of jewels.

But the most broken part?

Through the Toshi Toshi no Mi, the user can transform themselves into any possible future version of themselves. With enough imagination, regardless of limitations, the user can twist their body into any form they can conceive and gain that form's abilities.

For example.

Naruto could transform into a humanoid Nine-Tails and hand-craft a Tailed Beast Bomb on the spot, one of the ninja world's ultimate techniques.

But that was about the limit.

He tried transforming into Azu and Uncle Guan. Both attempts failed. Worse, Azu noticed, chased him down, and beat his ass until it swelled.

Because he simply couldn't imagine just how powerful they truly were.

In comparison, turning into a beautiful woman for his Sexy Jutsu came far more naturally to Naruto.

...

On the other side.

Inside Doctor Doom's laboratory, Sasuke's bloodline was stimulated, and the Indra chakra hidden within his body was extracted and refined.

It allowed him to successfully evolve the Mangekyo Sharingan.

He gained the ocular techniques: Amaterasu, the flames that couldn't burn anyone to death, and Kagutsuchi, the control that couldn't annoy anyone to death.

"The Mangekyo Sharingan has a hereditary condition — overuse leads to blindness."

"But no matter. I have a bottle of specially formulated eye drops here. Use them regularly in your downtime, and they'll nourish your eyes."

Doctor Doom even considerately laid out the medication and treatment schedule.

Then he added, "While I'm at it, I'll give you some forbidden magical curses for self-defense. They can ward off mental attacks. Lacking spiritual enhancement is your Sharingan's weakness."

"Hell yeah!"

Feeling his own growth, Sasuke grinned.

So this is what having a cheat ability feels like?

Amazing.

"Thank you, Doctor Doom."

Sasuke said it politely.

During his time in the lab, he hadn't been idle, he'd been online, scrolling short videos, researching firepower. The current Sasuke had his head full of sniper rifles plus Sharingan, or sniper rifles plus Amaterasu. Tactical Sasuke, online.

If you want to kill ninjas, Gatling guns are the answer.

He stood up and tossed aside his Wind Demon Shuriken scroll.

Then he sealed sniper rifles, Gatling guns, pistols, bombs, all of it, into his weapon scroll.

He and Naruto exchanged a knowing smile and headed back to the ninja world together.

Because of version updates and planetary fusion, only 3 days had passed in the ninja world as well.

In those 3 days, Sasuke and Naruto's disappearance hadn't caused a single ripple.

Sasuke was an orphan with a massive inheritance. Taking some time to himself was only natural. And Naruto, the dead-last, barely registered on anyone's radar to begin with.

Hiruzen Sarutobi cared, of course.

But in his estimation, he'd already dispatched Minato's disciple Kakashi to handle it. Bringing Naruto back should've been a piece of cake.

So when Naruto and Sasuke returned to the Leaf Village, practically holding hands, and arrived at the Ninja Academy,

"Sasuke, we've been placed in the same class!"

Sakura came rushing over, overjoyed.

"Becoming a ninja, becoming a tool — is that really something worth celebrating? Haruno Sakura, classmate."

Naruto asked, genuinely puzzled.

Come to think of it, he used to have a crush on her.

But looking at her now?

She was just... average. Innate irritability, brainless fangirling, and she actually enjoyed being a tool. She'd probably need to be sent to Uncle Guan's company for some clout-chasing rehabilitation before she could pass for a real person.

"What do you know! I was talking to Sasuke!"

The thought of being on the same team as the detestable Naruto put Sakura in a foul mood.

"Don't you dare talk about Naruto!"

But more irritable than her was Sasuke.

She'd insulted Naruto exactly once. Sasuke's eyes went red on the spot.

"Enough."

Naruto stepped in. "She's not one of the targets we're settling accounts with."

"Whatever you say."

Sasuke went docile instantly, eyes back to normal.

Among the Uchiha, he was already the one least prone to killing the innocent.

Sakura: "?"

She stood there, mouth opening and closing like a fish.

What is this intense third-wheel energy?

She opened her mouth, closed it again.

SWISH!

A man with silver hair and one visible eye appeared on the elevated platform above them.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

"I got lost."

Most of his face was hidden behind a mask. His mouth offered an apology. His eye held nothing but nonchalance.

"Let me introduce myself. My name is Kakashi Hatake. Your supervising instructor. Things I like and dislike... can't be bothered to say. My hobby is keeping up with Make-Out Paradise. Dreams? None."

"Now it's your turn," Kakashi said.

"I'm Sakura Haruno! I like Sasuke-kun, I love him so much! Sasuke-kun is my dream!"

Sakura had no filter. Every sentence circled back to Sasuke.

"Me, Naruto Uzumaki. I like farms, hot pot, barbecue, movies, short videos. My dream is to completely dismantle the ninja system, develop agricultural jutsu, and build a new nation and order. Then connect it with the outside world."

"Same here!"

Sasuke echoed, then added, "But at the same time, I will kill Itachi. I will kill Danzo. Kill them, kill them all."

Two kids barely at Genin age, speaking words that even a Kage wouldn't dare say aloud.

THUD!

Kakashi stumbled and fell right off the elevated platform.

He couldn't hold it together.

His dead-fish eye rolled back furiously.

The Team 7 assessment he'd planned for tomorrow was going to have to move up.

Kakashi coughed, produced two bells, and said lightly, "Big talk for a couple of little brats."

"If you can beat me, then you can brag. Fair warning, there are only two bells..."

SWISH. BANG.

Before the words were even out of his mouth.

Naruto hit Flying Thunder God and hand-crafted a Tailed Beast Bomb, materializing behind Kakashi and dropping the sphere on him. Sasuke's Sharingan snapped active at the same instant; he drew dual pistols and opened fire, RAT-TAT-TAT.

"?"

Either opening move alone was enough to steamroll a Jonin into the ground.

Kakashi was an elite Jonin. He was still flesh and blood.

He went down right there.

➤ Next: The Age of the Ninja Is Over