After returning to Konoha, Natsuro began reflecting on his secret agreement with Orochimaru. He pondered whether there were any flaws in his calculations.
Given Orochimaru's personality and goals, he believed that the bait of scientific research and immortality should be enough to lure him in willingly.
But he was still slightly uneasy about Orochimaru potentially exposing his true intentions. If it were just the other four villages, it wouldn't be too bad—in fact, he had even considered simply beating them into submission.
The bigger problem lay within Konoha itself. There were people in the village who probably wouldn't support him, people he didn't want to confront directly. If they firmly chose to oppose him, it would be a major headache.
At that point, Natsuro would have no choice but to first stabilize the situation inside Konoha before executing his plan.
He was still confident he could achieve his goal, but it was bound to be a long and troublesome process.
He sighed, his gaze turning a little complicated.
He started to wonder, had he changed? Had he become... darker inside?
If he didn't follow through with his ambitions, the world would likely enjoy a long period of peace after the Fourth Great Ninja War. The war would pull the Five Great Nations closer, and everyone would need time to recover. If the Ōtsutsuki clan didn't invade soon after, things would remain stable for a while.
But if he pushed forward with his plan. Even if it succeeded flawlessly, even if he demonstrated godlike power in the war, there would always be those who valued honor more than life itself. Bloodshed would be inevitable.
All of that, caused by a single thought of his. The realization that so many lives hung on his decision… That was something Natsuro hadn't considered before.
"I really am just an ordinary person," he muttered after reflecting on himself. If he were truly like the great unifiers of history, he wouldn't hesitate like this.
"But… people change."
With a quiet chuckle, he cast a transformation jutsu and wandered through the village.
It was fine to hesitate for a moment here and there. But in front of those who believed in him, he had to remain unwavering. Once the decision was made, there was no room for regret.
He had already told people like Shikaku about his goals. He was committed to this path.
"So… I've already cut off my escape route?" Natsuro murmured, his smile never fading. No one understood him better than himself.
He'd always known he might regret this someday. And sure enough, while he hadn't quite regretted it yet, he was having thoughts along those lines.
Raising his head, Natsuro looked up at the Hokage Rock. There were now six faces carved there, his own included.
He stretched out his hand, as if grasping all the Hokage heads in his palm, then clenched his fist tightly.
His gaze returned to its usual calm. Maybe… maybe he hadn't changed after all.
After all, for someone who finds amusement in chaos, what's more fun than world domination?
With that, he made his way home.
He planned to spend the next couple of days with Hina and Ino. Because soon, he wouldn't have the time.
Once the other Kage returned to their villages and made their preparations, as Supreme Commander, he couldn't afford to slack off.
Not to mention, he had his own personal agenda to pursue.
He'd be busy soon enough.
"Mom, I'm home." He called out as usual when he opened the door.
...
The next day, Natsuro received word that the five feudal lords had approved the start of the Fourth Great Ninja War.
"That fast?" Natsuro was a little surprised as he thought it over.
Although the feudal lords didn't get much screen time in the original story, the Fire Daimyō had left a solid impression. Compared to the others, he was a competent leader, supportive of Konoha and capable of governing the Land of Fire smoothly.
More importantly, he remembered him as someone with good instincts, always going with the flow of the times, and never causing trouble for the protagonist group.
Maybe it wasn't just luck. Among the five lords, he was the most composed and reliable under pressure.
Originally, he hadn't considered the high-level bureaucrats of the Land of Fire.
But now…
He realized that governing a country couldn't be left entirely to shinobi. The systems were different.
He tapped his finger on the desk in thought, but eventually shook his head. There was no point worrying about it now, he'd figure it out after the war.
Just then, Ino burst into the Hokage office, breathless.
"Natsuro! Something's happened to Sakura!"
"Huh? Calm down, Sakura doesn't have any missions lately. What happened?" Startled, he tried to soothe her while asking for details.
Ino quickly explained: during training, she saw Sakura fall from a cliff and hit the ground hard.
Panicking, Ino had rushed her to Tsunade. But now, Sakura appeared to have lost her memory.
As her friend, Ino wanted to help Sakura regain it, so she'd gathered most of the Konoha 12. All that was left were Naruto and Sasuke.
"You couldn't find Naruto at his place?" Natsuro asked while beginning to scan for the Flying Thunder God mark he'd left on Naruto.
But he soon frowned... He couldn't sense it. Naruto wasn't in the village.
As a Jinchūriki, Naruto wasn't allowed to leave without permission. If he had left, someone would have reported it.
Had Naruto run away after hearing about Natsuro's plan?
And found a way to erase the Flying Thunder God seal?
He was momentarily stunned. He hadn't expected Naruto to take such a drastic step...
But he quickly shook his head... It was just a theory. He didn't know for sure.
Then he looked at Ino and thought of what she'd said, Sakura was acting strangely. Could there be a connection to Naruto?
"Ino, take me to see Sakura. I'm her classmate too." Natsuro said, and also instructed Shikaku to notify Sasuke.
"Eh? But Natsuro, aren't you super busy right now…?" Ino had only hoped he would help locate Naruto and Sasuke... She hadn't expected him to visit Sakura himself.
"I'm not too busy today," he replied.
"Alright…" Ino nodded and led him to a training ground.
When Natsuro arrived and saw the Konoha 12… his eyes twitched.
"What… exactly is going on here?"
Someone please explain, why was Kiba wearing cat ears and meowing?
Hinata, normally shy, was blushing furiously in a very revealing cheongsam (Mandarin Gown).
Shino, the insect master, was holding a can of bug spray, spraying all over like he was afraid of bugs.
Then there was a stoic-looking Chōji and a dopey-looking Shikamaru…
Tenten seemed normal, but Neji and Lee were tied up and immobilized.
"Oh, it's because this is how Sakura remembers her teammates," Ino explained with a twitching mouth."We thought acting out her version of reality might help her recover her memory."
But no one knew why Sakura's memories were all… inverted.
Ino had heard that in Sakura's mind, she herself was a sweet, spoiled girl. Sure, Ino could accept being called gentle… But spoiled?
Yeah, no. That just wasn't her.
Maybe… maybe in private, at home with Natsuro. But in public? No way.
Just then, she called over Sakura.
When Sakura turned and saw him, she froze, her expression shifting to one of panic and anxiety.
"L-Lord Hokage… g-greetings!" Sakura said nervously.
"Are you afraid of me?" Natsuro asked curiously. He could feel the fear in her gaze.
"N-No…" Sakura stammered.
"Sakura, you don't need to be scared of Natsuro, he won't hurt you," Ino reassured her, still puzzled by the reaction.
"R-Right…" Sakura nodded nervously.
"Have you remembered anything?" Ino asked.
Sakura shook her head. "I remember being from Konoha and recognizing everyone here, but… everything feels off. All of them seem different."
At that moment, a masked figure appeared beside Natsuro. He removed his ANBU mask, it was Sasuke.
"You called me, Natsuro?" Sasuke asked, then glanced around the group. And promptly froze in confusion.
"What… is happening here?"
Even Sasuke was baffled. Had everyone been cursed or something?
Maybe that's why Natsuro had summoned him?
Ino, meanwhile, looked at Sakura expectantly. She knew how much Sakura used to admire Sasuke. If anyone could bring her memory back, it was him.
And sure enough... As soon as she saw Sasuke, Sakura's eyes widened, and she raised a finger to point at him—
Just as Ino was getting excited, Sakura suddenly spoke.
"Womanizer!!"
"Huh?"
Sasuke looked puzzled and stared at Sakura.
Ino facepalmed.
This is bad, Sakura's brain really might be damaged.
"So… can we stop pretending now?" Shikamaru chimed in as he and the others walked over.
"Natsuro, you actually had time to come?" Shikamaru looked a bit surprised.
"Yeah, just wanted to see what exactly was going on." Natsuro replied.
"So? Got any idea what's happening?" Shikamaru asked, completely baffled. He couldn't remember ever acting foolish in front of Sakura.
Looking around at the others, Shikamaru found it hard to believe they could act like that either.
"Sort of…" Natsuro said.
"Huh? Natsuro, you know what's going on?" Everyone was taken aback. They hadn't expected any answers, so his reply immediately got their attention.
Sasuke looked thoughtful. He could sense that this was definitely Sakura—
But why was her memory of everyone so wildly different?
Having experienced the Older Sasuke Incident, Sasuke had a vague idea.
"No rush. Sakura, can I ask what your impression of me is?" Natsuro asked.
"U-uh…" Sakura trembled again when he addressed her. Clearly, he brought her a great sense of fear.
"Don't be scared. I'm pretty easygoing, as you can see." Natsuro smiled warmly.
Sakura looked at his smile, and finally spoke.
"In my memory, Lord Hokage is incredibly strict. Wherever he walks, no one dares to raise their voice. Honestly, I've only seen him a few times in person…"
"I see." Natsuro nodded. "Then… could you describe your impressions of everyone else? And if there's anything else different about your world, feel free to share."
He was genuinely curious. He vaguely remembered a Naruto movie where Naruto and Sakura ended up in a mirror world with reversed personalities.
But that was the original story, this "mirror world" clearly wasn't the same, since he didn't exist in the original. Yet Sakura clearly recognized him, which meant the mirror world had a version of Natsuro too.
Seeing that he wasn't angry, Sakura continued.
First was Kiba Inuzuka, in her memory, he was a complete cat person and hated dogs. Akamaru would often bite him.
"No way! I'm 100% a dog person! And Akamaru would never bite me!" Kiba shouted, indignant.
Akamaru barked in agreement.
"Ignore him. Go on, Sakura," Natsuro said, signaling Kiba to quiet down.
Sakura glanced at Natsuro, clearly still intimidated by his presence, but continued.
Hinata Hyuga was incredibly aggressive and wore very revealing clothes. She had a fierce possessiveness over "Menma."
Hinata blushed hard and wanted to argue back but didn't know how.
Also, who's Menma?
Shino Aburame had a deep fear of insects and always carried bug spray wherever he went.
Shino simply glanced at her and adjusted his sunglasses silently.
Shikamaru Nara loved grilled meat and always acted like a ditz.
Shikamaru was speechless. That sounds more like Chōji… Thankfully, he wasn't described as fat.
Chōji Akimichi was someone who disliked trouble, enjoyed deep thinking, and was actually quite slim…
Sakura said this while glancing at Chōji's round frame.
Chōji blinked and took out a snack to munch on.
Ino Yamanaka dressed ladylike, was gentle and soft-spoken, and loved to act cute.
Ino rubbed her forehead, nope, still can't see that happening.
But Natsuro smiled and nodded slightly.
If Ino were really like that, it wouldn't be bad either.
Tenten often injured herself during training with her ninja tools.
Tenten's eyes widened.
Impossible! I'm a weapons master, how could I get hurt using my own gear?
Neji Hyuga frequently used his Byakugan to peep into the women's bathhouse, and Hinata often beat him up for it.
Sweat beaded on Neji's forehead.
Everyone's alternate version sounds kind of strange, but mine is way too much! There's no way I'd ever do that!
Rock Lee was lazy in his training, loved peeking into the women's bath, and often stole girls' clothes…
Lee's eyes bulged, and his thick eyebrows made him look even more dumbfounded.
Sasuke Uchiha was a total womanizer who flirted with girls nonstop and won most of them over with sweet talk.
Sasuke went quiet.
Yup, definitely the reverse version of me. If that's what I'm like, I don't want it…
Having gone through everyone, Sakura finally turned to Natsuro.
"Interesting… anything else? For instance, is the Hokage someone different?" Natsuro asked, curious to know what his mirror self was like, surely his experience had been different.
Sakura fell silent and looked up at the Hokage Rock, specifically, the Fourth Hokage's face.
Natsuro glanced at her and realized it, Sakura's identity had likely been swapped with Naruto's.So in the mirror world, her parents had passed away.
"Ino, take Sakura home." Natsuro said gently, then looked at Sakura.
"You'll probably find a surprise waiting for you there. Don't question it, they're real, and so are we. The only difference… is that we're opposites."
Sakura seemed to understand. She looked at Natsuro again and nodded.
Ino also looked at Natsuro, puzzled. She didn't quite understand what he was saying, but when he shook his head at her, she refrained from asking more and led Sakura away.
"Alright, everyone go home. Don't worry about Sakura, she'll recover in a couple days." Natsuro assured them.
Although everyone was still confused, they trusted Natsuro. Given his current status, he had no reason to lie.
After the crowd dispersed, Sasuke asked,
"Natsuro… is this like what happened with Boruto's group?"
"Mm. More or less, but with a few differences. Nothing to worry about though," Natsuro replied.
As for whether he was worried about this world's Naruto and Sakura?
Natsuro shook his head.
Sakura's fear of his mirror self implied that version of him was no slouch.
And even without his help, Naruto had already mastered the Nine-Tails Sage Mode.
There was no way he'd be in danger.
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Currently on Chapter 391 - The Human Sage Art