Traveling through Naruto, I am Uchiha Obito?

In the instant he turned his head away, beneath the orange mask, the corner of his mouth curled up very subtly before quickly returning to its original state.

He took in the expressions on the face of the mahjong player and the Rubik's Cube player, his amused look becoming even more pronounced. He chuckled softly:

"In this respect, you're quite different from the Rubik's Cube I know. He's a very straightforward person who dares to express his feelings."

"what?"

Rubik's Cube was completely confused, but his curiosity was piqued once again.

'What kind of person am I in this world?'

Just as Menma was about to say something, a clear, energetic shout suddenly came from the next room, along with the clatter of something being knocked over.

"Has Naruto woken up?"

The Rubik's Cube was immediately drawn to the surprise. Even Naruto was awake, so why was this old man with Hashirama's cells still sleeping like a log? Was he having some kind of deep dream and unwilling to wake up?

"Naruto...?"

Menma's eyes lit up, revealing a light that was a mixture of curiosity and subtle anticipation.

"It sounds like the me in the other world is quite a troublemaker."

He turned to the Rubik's Cube and extended an invitation:

"How about it, Mr. Rubik's Cube? Want to come over and take a look?"

"Ah! Of course!"

Rubik's Cube nodded without hesitation. After initially confirming that Obito wasn't in immediate danger (and didn't seem likely to wake up anytime soon), he was even more eager to check on Naruto's condition. Although, judging from the destructive noise next door, the kid was probably still quite lively.

Rubik's Cube didn't even bother to put on his shoes; he rushed out of the room barefoot, heading straight for the next room from which the sound was coming. Menma watched his hurried figure, smiled, and quickly followed.

The very next second after the ward door closed.

On the hospital bed, the man who should have been in a deep coma silently opened his eyes.

Obito Uchiha slowly sat up, his gaze complex as he looked towards the doorway, the boy's awkward yet concerned words still echoing in his ears. He remained silent for a moment, then let out a barely audible, ambiguous hum from beneath his mask.

Immediately, the space around him began to slowly twist and rotate.

call out--

After a slight spatial fluctuation, the man's figure completely disappeared from the ward, as if he had never been there at all.

……

The door to the next ward was suddenly pushed open, and Rubik's Cube rushed in first.

Naruto sat blankly on the hospital bed, rubbing his still-ringing head with one hand and unconsciously clutching the blanket with the other. His eyes were filled with immense confusion, as if asking, "Who am I? Where am I? What just happened?" He seemed to be trying to get out of bed, but accidentally knocked over a water glass, spilling water all over the floor, making a mess.

"Ouch...that hurts...Where's Rubik's Cube? Captain Minatsuki? How's Utaka?!"

He shook his head, instinctively asking about his companion's safety before suddenly glancing at the Rubik's Cube that had rushed in. His bright blue eyes lit up instantly, and he exclaimed in delight:

"Brother Rubik's Cube! I'm so glad you're alright!"

But his joy turned into utter astonishment when he saw the person who followed the Rubik's Cube in.

"Huh?! Wait! Who...who are you?!"

Naruto pointed at Menma, his eyes wide open and his mouth agape enough to fit an egg.

"Why do you look so much like me... no, so much like me! But we feel completely different?!"

Rubik's Cube quickly walked to Naruto's bedside, briefly checked him to make sure he was alright, and then breathed a sigh of relief, explaining succinctly:

"Calm down, Naruto. We've encountered something... beyond our wildest imagination. This isn't our original world, and this Konoha Village is different from the one we know. He is 'you' in this world, named Uzumaki Menma."

"Another...other world? Whirlpool Face?"

Naruto felt like his CPU was about to burn out. He looked at the calm Rubik's Cube, then at the composed yet inquisitive "himself," and his brain, which had grown through his training in the Hidden Mist Anbu, began to struggle to process the massive amount of information.

His surprise and confusion gradually gave way to anxiety. He lowered his voice, grabbed the Rubik's Cube's arm, and asked urgently:

"Then...how did we get here? Can we go back? Brother Rubik's Cube, what should we do now?"

His voice carried a hint of barely perceptible panic; after all, being suddenly stranded in a completely unfamiliar world, no one could remain calm immediately.

The Rubik's Cube patted him on the shoulder, signaling him to calm down, and after a moment of contemplation, said:

"There's no use in rushing. The best option now is to follow Mianma around the village and learn as much as possible about the current state of the world and its information."

He glanced at Mianma, who was standing quietly waiting beside him.

"They were able to detect and identify our identities as 'visitors from another world' immediately, which means that this world may have some research on space or parallel dimensions, and may even have related records. We need to gather intelligence, and then analyze the reason for the appearance of the black hole at that time, and find a way back."

Upon hearing this, Naruto nodded vigorously almost without hesitation.

"Okay! I'll listen to you, Rubik's Cube!"

His trust in the Rubik's Cube is absolute, no matter where he is.

Having made his decision, Naruto finally had more energy to carefully observe "himself" in this world—Menma Uzumaki. Menma was looking at him with an indescribable gaze, an undisguised interest, but deep down, there seemed to be some kind of... inexplicable loss?

Naruto felt extremely uncomfortable under that gaze. His keen intuition about stares made him uneasy, and he couldn't help but point at Menma and yell:

"Hey! I felt it! Were you looking down on me just now?!"

Mianma was slightly taken aback, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

'Such keen perception? This parallel world version of myself doesn't seem as simple as I appear on the surface...?'

He subconsciously looked away, his tone returning to its usual cool indifference, and said calmly:

No...it must be your imagination.

"Obviously there is!"

Naruto persisted.

Rubik's Cube looked at the two people who seemed to be in completely different worlds, yet had similar faces, and kept smiling while his mind was racing.

'This guy with the pockmarked face is definitely not a good person. Given his personality, he shouldn't be approaching us so proactively… What is his purpose? Is it just simple curiosity, or is there something else going on…?'

Regardless, contact is necessary at this point. Naruto's awake, and it's indeed time to take him to gather intelligence. But that old bastard Obito…'

Upon realizing this, the Rubik's Cube's expression suddenly changed!

Ok? !

He suddenly realized a serious problem that he had overlooked!

He immediately turned around and rushed back to the ward like an arrow, pushing the door open with a bang!

The room was empty. Only the disheveled bedding remained on the hospital bed; the man with the swirling mask was nowhere to be seen!

The Rubik's Cube's face instantly turned as black as the bottom of a pot, its fists clenched involuntarily, and it growled through gritted teeth:

"Just as I thought... that shameless old bastard!"

He had originally planned to use the time difference of waking up first to find a way to subdue or at least keep an eye on Obito, forcing him to behave for a while so that everyone could focus on finding a way back. He never expected to be outmaneuvered by the other side!

'Was I distracted by this sudden arrival in another world and Menma's appearance? I was careless! Damn it!'

Menma, who arrived shortly after, was somewhat surprised by the Rubik's Cube's explosive speed. Looking at the empty hospital bed, he immediately understood the situation, a hint of apology on his face, and said:

"I'm sorry, it was my oversight; I didn't allocate enough manpower..."

"this is not your fault."

The Rubik's Cube interrupted him, took a deep breath, and forcibly suppressed the frustration and anger in his heart. When he looked up again, his face had returned to its previous calm, and he even managed a helpless smile.

"It was my carelessness that led to this guy's cunning trick. Oh well, let's leave him for now."

He looked at Mianma, his tone relaxed as if nothing had happened:

"Just like you suggested, how about you show us around this 'Konoha'? I'm really curious."

Looking at the man in front of her who could quickly control his emotions and change his expression faster than flipping through a book, Menma's evaluation of him rose even higher.

'This vortex cube... is no ordinary object.'

His face regained that gentle, slightly aloof smile, and he nodded.

"Oh, of course. I'd love to."

Chapter 90 People Who Are Similar Yet Different

Chapter 90 People Who Are Similar Yet Different

The streets of Konoha were bustling with people, and the familiar noise and shop signs made Naruto and Cube feel as if they had returned to their own world. They followed Menma, moving through the familiar yet strange environment.

With steady steps, Mianma began to speak casually, starting a tentative probe into information:

"Speaking of which, how much do you two know about the Kage of Konoha? For example, our Fourth Hokage, Lord Haruno Cho."

The Rubik's Cube understood immediately and responded in a similarly casual tone:

"Haruno Cho? That sounds like a reliable name. However, I'm ashamed to say that I didn't grow up in Konoha, and I know very little about the Fourth Hokage from my own world."

He then skillfully steered the conversation in another direction.

"Our Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, was the younger brother of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, and was famous throughout the ninja world for developing forbidden techniques..."

Mianma paused almost imperceptibly, a hint of genuine surprise flashing in his eyes:

"Tobirama Senju? The First Hokage's...younger brother?"

He shook his head slightly, his tone carrying a sense of doubt as if confirming something.

"That's unheard of. As far as we know, Lord Hashirama Senju only had one younger sister named Senju Hiyoma, who was an outstanding politician and scientist in the early days of Konoha's founding. Many basic ninjutsu systems and the village's early institutions were inseparable from her contributions."

'A thousand hands amidst the mist? My little sister?'

The Rubik's Cube felt a slight tremor in its heart, but remained outwardly calm, merely revealing a hint of curiosity at just the right moment:

"Oh? It seems the differences between the two worlds are greater than we imagined."

As the two were talking, a commotion arose from ahead.

"Oh? Isn't this Menma? You went back to the village? Waaah! Akamaru! You bastard, don't bite my butt!"

Kiba Inuzuka was playing around with his smaller white ninja dog, Akamaru, or rather, being bullied by him as they rolled around in a ball.

"Welcome back, noodles..."

Shino Aburame pushed up her glasses, and just as she was about to greet him, she suddenly froze.

"...Insects, insects!! Get away! Get away!"

With astonishing speed, he pulled insect repellent from his pocket and sprayed it frantically at a tiny flying insect in the air as if facing a formidable enemy.

"Menma! You're back?! That's amazing!"

A vibrant female voice rang out, and a tall, hot girl with long, flowing blue hair and a fashionable, daring outfit rushed towards Mianma like a gust of wind, opening her arms to give him a warm hug.

With a helpless expression, Mianma precisely dodged to the side:

"Hinata, stop fooling around, there are still guests here."

The girl called Hinata pouted in dissatisfaction and said in a spoiled tone:

"Honestly, Menma is so stingy! We finally managed to meet!"

“We just saw each other at the entrance of the investigation department a few hours ago.”

The freckles ruthlessly pierced through.

"A few hours is a long time! Let's go on a date! Menma~"

Hinata persisted, clinging to Menma's arm tightly. Through the thin fabric, Menma could clearly feel the softness and warmth of Hinata's budding breasts.

He withdrew his arm without changing his expression, his gaze slightly shifting to the side, his tone remaining calm:

"No, I have a mission."

"Hmm~"

"obedient."

"...Okay~"

Hinata calmed down a bit, but still stayed close to Menma.