Ichirō Taraine laughed aloud.
Praise from his grandfather was something he rarely received. For it to be given so directly meant that this journey—and all the trouble he went through—had truly been worth it.
Just as he was feeling proud, the floating body in front of them suddenly coughed.
"Cough—!"
Naruto's chest heaved slightly, and then, very slowly, his eyelids trembled and opened.
What greeted his vision was a bright blue sky and white drifting clouds.
"…Huh?"
Naruto's mind went completely blank.
Blue sky? White clouds?
Where… was this place?
He could even feel the warmth of sunlight falling on his skin.
That alone made his heart jolt violently.
This wasn't the cold, dead emptiness of outer space.
Naruto turned his head slightly and saw something even more unbelievable—
a quiet garden, a clear pond, carefully arranged rockeries, a bamboo grove, and an elegant courtyard wall.
"…What?"
His memories surged back like a flood.
He had been fighting Ōtsutsuki Hitoshiki, along with the elite members of the Ōtsutsuki clan.
He had detonated himself using the Ōtsutsuki self-destruction technique.
By all logic—
He should be dead.
So why was he seeing this?
Before he could process it, a voice rang out nearby.
"Grandpa, he's awake!"
"Oh?" another voice replied calmly. "Let me have a look."
Naruto instinctively turned his head toward the voices.
Standing there were two figures, one old and one young.
Both of them had horns growing from their heads—distinct, unmistakable horns that belonged to the Ōtsutsuki lineage.
Naruto's body tensed instantly.
But in the next moment, his racing heart slowed down again.
Their eyes were black.
Not the Byakugan.
Not the Rinnegan.
Not the golden or pale eyes of the Ōtsutsuki clan.
They had ordinary black eyes, just like humans from Earth.
"…?"
Naruto was completely confused.
The old man smiled kindly and said,
"My friend, you're awake."
The young man beside him—Ichirō Taraine—grinned broadly, patted his chest, and said proudly,
"I saved you. No need to thank me!"
Naruto frowned deeply.
Who were these people?
What were they talking about?
Suddenly, a memory surfaced in his mind.
Before the battle, Urashiki had once said to him:
"After self-destruction, you might encounter the Ancient Clan.
They will revive you and give you a chance to change the fate of the clan.
This is what I saw in an ancient book."
At the time, Naruto had thought it sounded absurd.
He had even asked Urashiki directly,
"What if I don't meet them?"
Urashiki's answer had been simple:
"Then you lose.
You have no choice.
You can only gamble."
Did that mean…
He won the gamble?
Naruto's heart pounded violently.
Just as he tried to sit up in excitement, he suddenly realized something was very wrong.
There was no ground beneath him.
"…Huh?"
He turned his head slightly and froze.
He was floating in midair.
"NANI?!"
The next second, gravity suddenly reclaimed him.
"Ahhh—!"
Thud!
Naruto fell straight down and landed hard on his backside.
"Ow—!!! That hurts like hell!"
He clutched his lower back, face twisted in pain.
"This height isn't even that high! Why does it hurt so much?!"
The old man chuckled softly.
"Perhaps… because your body isn't what it used to be."
Naruto grit his teeth and tried to stand.
But the moment he pushed against the ground, his expression changed drastically.
"…So heavy!"
It felt as though an enormous force was pressing down on him.
He strained with all his might, hands trembling, legs shaking—barely managing to push himself upright.
Then, as his awareness fully returned, he realized something even worse.
He was completely naked.
"…AHHH!!!"
Naruto immediately covered himself and crouched down in sheer panic.
"What's going on?! Why can't I stand properly?! And why am I not wearing any clothes?!"
Ichirō frowned, thought for a moment, and said casually,
"Why can't you stand? When I resurrected you, I only reconstructed your body structure. I didn't restore your original power."
Then he added, almost as an afterthought,
"Oh right—your original power was actually pretty weak."
Naruto: "..."
The old man stroked his beard thoughtfully.
"He isn't from the Ōtsutsuki clan. The gravity of his original world should be much weaker. The gravity on this planet is far greater, so his body hasn't adapted yet."
Ichirō nodded slowly in realization.
Naruto looked at them with growing confusion and asked,
"…Where is this place?"
Ichirō straightened his chest proudly.
"This is my home!"
The old man rolled his eyes at his grandson, sighed, then turned to Naruto with a gentle smile.
"This planet is called Taraine Star.
At least, that's the name I gave it."
"Don't worry. Try to feel the natural energy between heaven and earth.
Breathe slowly. Inhale… exhale…
Once your body adjusts, try standing again."
Naruto nodded, choosing to trust him.
As he followed the instructions, the old man squatted behind him and placed both hands gently on Naruto's back.
"Inhale… exhale…
Inhale… exhale…"
As Naruto's breathing stabilized, he felt something remarkable.
The crushing gravity gradually weakened.
His muscles stopped screaming.
His body slowly began to adapt.
Ichirō watched in surprise.
Grandfather truly wasn't exaggerating.
In such a short time, Naruto was already adjusting to the environment of Taraine Star.
"My friend," the old man said gently, withdrawing his hands.
"Try standing again."
Naruto grunted and pushed himself up.
This time, although there was still pressure, it was far more manageable.
"…I can stand."
Naruto looked up, eyes filled with gratitude.
"Thank you… Grandpa."
The old man laughed heartily.
"My dear grandson, go find him some clothes."
Ichirō immediately nodded and rushed off.
After a short while, he returned with a set of simple robes.
"Try these. I picked them based on your build. Not sure if they'll fit."
Naruto accepted them sincerely.
"Thank you."
Though there was no underwear, having clothes at all felt like salvation.
After putting them on, Naruto finally felt human again.
The old man gestured to a stone table nearby.
"Come, sit."
Naruto sat down carefully, then looked at both of them and asked honestly,
"Did you save me?"
Ichirō answered instantly, eyes shining.
"Yes! Grandpa asked me to bring you back!"
The old man nodded.
Naruto hesitated, then asked cautiously,
"…Are you from the Ancient Clan?"
Ichirō looked at his grandfather in confusion.
The old man's eyes sharpened slightly.
"Who told you that?"
Naruto replied truthfully,
"A companion of mine. He said that after self-destruction, I might meet the Ancient Clan—
and that they could help change the fate of the Ōtsutsuki clan."
The moment the word Ōtsutsuki was spoken, Ichirō's expression darkened.
"Save those bastards?" he snapped.
"They deserve to die!"
Naruto stared at him in surprise—then felt an unexpected sense of relief.
Hatred toward the Ōtsutsuki meant they weren't allies.
The old man sighed and said calmly,
"Ichirō, go outside. I need to speak with him alone."
"…Huh?"
"But—"
"Go."
"…Oh."
Ichirō left reluctantly.
The old man poured Naruto a cup of tea.
"Drink."
Naruto did so, feeling warmth surge through his body.
Then the old man spoke slowly:
"Your friend wasn't wrong.
The people living here are, strictly speaking… an Ancient Clan."
Naruto's heart shook violently.
He had really gambled correctly.
But the next words froze him completely.
"However—
this Ancient Clan is merely a separated branch of the Ōtsutsuki clan."
Naruto's excitement shattered instantly.
"…What?"
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