Chapter 9: The Devil Unleashed

Note: Don't forget to join my patreon.com/flokixy to get access to +10 Advance Chapters and help me Translate More Chapters For You.

On the first day, Naruto changed many postures. His legs would go numb after sitting in one position for too long.

On the second day, Naruto figured that moving around too much yesterday had disrupted his rhythm. He maintained two postures, one for the morning and one for the afternoon.

This was the third day, and Naruto was still sitting cross-legged.

"Logically, this shouldn't be happening. Why still no chakra?" Naruto was a bit bewildered. He knew his own body. Year-round consumption of Black Dragon and Red Dragon meat had made his body freakishly strong, and his mental strength was also ample. The extremely vigorous life force provided by the dragon egg should have allowed him to produce chakra in no time, and not just a Kakashi-level amount, but many times that. How could he have been sitting here for so long without any? If he kept sitting like this, he'd get hemorrhoids.

"Old man feels it's your posture problem," Kurama heartily mocked Naruto. This Jinchuriki was indeed mentally challenged. Sitting in such a position would make his legs numb, impede blood circulation, and make his body sluggish. How could he refine any chakra like that?

It would be different once he could skillfully refine chakra; he could assume any posture he wanted. But the first time refining chakra required the right state. How could he succeed if he couldn't even get into a proper state?

"Don't bother me anymore, you big fox," Naruto glared at Kurama.

"It's coming!" Suddenly, a strange sensation washed over him, and peculiar energy filled his entire body.

"So this is chakra?" Naruto looked at his hands, feeling the energy within him. His dream of leaping over walls and running across rooftops was within reach. He was a bit excited.

"Big fox, I did it!" In the mental space, Naruto was practically going crazy with excitement. His mind was filled with images of himself leaping dozens of meters high, shattering the ground with a single punch, hanging upside down from rooftops, and walking on water.

He didn't know anyone here. He could only share this with the fox, and there were no outsiders here, so he could be as thrilled as he wanted.

"Old man knows."

Then Kurama fell asleep... just fell asleep...

"Uh..." Naruto felt incredibly stifled.

Images flashed in his mind: Jiraiya showing the Fourth Hokage the Rasengan, and the Fourth's casual "I see," eliciting Jiraiya's Liang Feifan-like expression [Note: Liang Feifan is a character known for being overly dramatic].

Also, Tang Youyou knowing a secret but unable to tell anyone, turning her sorrow into eating [Note: A comedic reference to a character from a Chinese drama].

He probably felt even more stifled than both of them combined right now.

Kurama squinted at Naruto, feeling a bit smug. He couldn't let this little brat get too carried away. What was so great about successfully refining chakra? The old man had so much chakra he didn't know what to do with it, and even he wasn't this happy.

Naruto decided not to stoop to the fox's level. He prepared to learn from Senior Tang Youyou and turn his sorrow into eating. He gulped down two big bottles of cola to suppress his feelings and then stuffed himself with grilled meat to fill his stomach. He decided to leave the mental space and go outside for a walk to calm down.

"Congratulations, brat."

The voice he heard before his consciousness returned made Naruto feel much better.

"Tch, that stubborn tsundere," he muttered softly, not daring to speak loudly for fear of angering the fox.

He got up and rubbed his numb legs. He really should change his posture next time; his legs felt like they were being pricked with needles.

"Are you really from the Hyuga clan?"

"Then use your Byakugan and show us!"

"Those eyes look disgusting!"

"You Byakugan monster!"

Arrogant voices of several children came from not far away, and he could faintly hear a little girl crying.

"This is... Hinata?" Judging by the voices, it was probably something about Byakugan and monsters, plus the sound of a little girl crying. Thinking about the scenes in the movies he had watched [Note: Referring to Naruto movies], Naruto quickly realized the owner of the crying voice.

"This is double the happiness!" Naruto exclaimed. He had just refined chakra and already encountered Hinata. Today was simply a lucky day.

That's right, our young Miss Hinata had once again run away from home, and predictably, she had gotten lost again.

This ability to take down the enemy's nexus single-handedly when the entire enemy team has vision hacks [Note: A gaming analogy referring to Hinata's Byakugan and her heroic actions in the Fourth Great Ninja War] was simply inhuman. Hinata had done it twice; she probably wouldn't have a third chance.

After getting lost, Hinata saw smoke rising in the distance and decided to go ask for directions. Before she could reach it, she was intercepted by three small boys who said some nasty things to her.

The gentle little girl forgot to resist, bowing her head, hugging her legs, and crying.

Naruto, in a very good mood, decided to give these little brats a profound lesson.

He took out his equipment from the warehouse, quickly changed into it, and then took out a bucket of red dye to color the equipment.

Once he was ready, Naruto walked towards the group.

"Crying makes her look even more like a monster!"

"Let's catch the monster!" One of the little brats snatched Hinata's hat, threw it on the ground, and stomped on it a few times.

"A monster like this should be..." "A ghost!"

One of the children saw Naruto and screamed out in fright. The other two followed his gaze and were also terrified, their legs shaking like sieves.

The three little brats' legs trembled violently, their minds blank.

Skeleton Fun Set, a Halloween gift from the game.

A mask that covered the entire head, clown style, with a skull face, a mouth split to the ears, huge teeth, and a cracked jaw.

A half-body armor that looked like exposed ribs wrapping around the upper body, with skulls attached to the shoulders.

A skull hammer, a round hammer covered with spiral patterns, with protruding iron nails on the hammerhead, like a morning star.

Plus the red dye, the upper body was covered in patches of blood red, the clown-like horns on both sides of the head also dripped red, and the hammer was dragged along, leaving a red line as it scraped against the snow.

Naruto's numb legs wobbled as he walked, adding to the terrifying aura.

He looked like a terrifying demon crawling out of hell, definitely having the effect of stopping children from crying. Hinata took one look and even forgot to cry.

The four children didn't dare to move their legs, watching the demon walk towards them step by step.

Naruto glanced at the hat on the ground. It was the same one he had given her last time. It seemed the little girl hadn't forgotten.

"Apologize," Naruto said to the three little brats. The voice came from inside the mask, and with Naruto deliberately suppressing his tone, it sounded like the low growl of a giant beast.

"So... sor... ry," one of the children said to Naruto tremblingly.

"To her."

"We're sorry!" the three children shouted loudly, completely dominated by fear. They would do whatever Naruto told them to do.

"Since you've apologized... then die," Naruto raised the iron hammer in his hand, about to bring it down.

"Run!" Under the fear of death, one of the children roared and turned to run, the wetness on his pants displaying his bravery.

"Run..." "It's a demon!" The other two also reacted, following the first one, their pants similarly emitting steam.

The three little brats ran off. Naruto lowered his head, picked up the stomped-on hat, and walked towards Hinata.

He hadn't intended to kill anyone; he just wanted to scare them.

"It's coming, it's coming," a mechanical voice echoed in Hinata's mind. She wanted to run but couldn't move her feet.

"Here."

The demon's voice came, and something was thrust into her hand. Her mind blank, Hinata instinctively grabbed it tightly.

After giving the Santa hat to Hinata, Naruto took out another hat and put it on the little loli Hinata. She still looked adorably cute.

A pirate hat with a gold brim and a V-shaped opening, under which was a cartoon skull.

"A valiant pirate is not born a king, but his veins flow with blood that will not let him bow his head."

"Next time you encounter something, don't lower your head and cry. Raise your head and face it bravely. You are the strongest."

The devil's whispers echoed in Hinata's ears, making her unable to understand their meaning.

"Nani [Note: Japanese for 'what']?" Hinata tilted her head in confusion.

What she saw was a purple door, with specks of starlight drifting out of it, stirring Hinata's memories.

"Someone's coming, I'm leaving," the demon's figure began to dissipate.

"Wait..." The little loli stepped forward.

However, the demon's figure still disappeared, leaving her only a clear view of the blue eyes behind the skull mask.

The little loli looked around, wanting to find the demon, the movement causing the hat on her head to fall off.

A pirate hat.

Hinata picked up the hat, recalling the demon's murmur.

"Don't bow your head... face it bravely..." the little loli murmured to herself.

"Hinata-sama, are you alright?" A Hyuga clansman rushed over and asked anxiously. The surrounding area was a mess, and it looked like something bad had just happened.

"I'm fine, Yamashiro," Hinata hugged the two hats tightly, her thoughts returning to the scene of their last meeting.

Last time she got lost, he had appeared and disappeared like an angel descended from heaven.

This time, when she was being bullied, he had stood in front of her like a demon crawling out of hell.

"Who exactly is he?" the little loli asked softly, not knowing if she was asking herself or Yamashiro.

"What?" Yamashiro didn't hear clearly.

"It's nothing. Let's go home," the little loli said with a smile, completely different from the crying girl just now.

'An angel and a demon are the same person. This feeling... is really nice.'

Chapter end