I'm Inside Naruto Manga

The lips of the man and woman touched, cool and soft...

Logan was lost in the unfamiliar sensation, but the brief kiss ended almost as soon as it began.

"..."

In sync, both Logan and Sumika took a step back. Logan's eyes widened, while Sumika's face turned a deep shade of red.

Was that considered fast or slow? One second, two seconds, the atmosphere was filled with an inexplicable, heart-racing ambiguity. No, the pressure was so immense. Logan spent a lot of effort to clear his thoughts, and then prepared to speak.

However, Sumika abruptly turned around, covered her flushed face with her hands, and then quickly lowered them.

"Now… you can tell me 'what it is', right?"

"Huh?"

Logan was stunned by her sudden shift. It took him a moment to process, 'What did kissing have to do with asking a question? Wasn't this a rather awkward way to change the subject?'

"It's about what you mentioned earlier..." Logan said cautiously. Sumika looked very panicked when she turned around. She fiddled with her hair and clothes, clearly flustered. It was obvious that her impulsive action just now made the girl, who was the initiator, lose her usual composure.

Last night, they chatted like old friends. And both of them knew the distance between them. One was a Ceremonial Envoy of a great country, and the other was a Ninja from a Ninja Village. The gap between them was immense.

Logan calmed down and touched his lips. The soft, dreamlike sensation just now seemed to still linger. He then decided to go along with Sumika's diversion.

Sumika's body was stiff. Right now, she had turned her back to the young man, with her eyes closed and a blush on her face, 'What should I do? I shouldn't have done that just now. Impulse was indeed a demon!'

"What I mentioned earlier… is a place I know of. There's not much war there, and there are no Ninjas. Although the society has many flaws, it is still moving forward positively. Most people there live quiet, peaceful lives, going to school, working, getting married, traveling... In that kind of place… I believe if you are born in that kind of place, you could easily achieve the life you want."

Logan spoke gently, and the scene of the beautiful society captivated Sumika, who turned to face him again. Her red agate eyes still looked shy as she looked at him. Although there were many differences between the two, even though the courage to stand on tiptoe just now was temporary, but such a girl is really nice and rare.

"Hattori-san, is there really such a place? Even a utopia wouldn't be as perfect, right?" The embarrassment eased as she spoke, and Sumika pursed her lips, while her eyes filled with longing.

"Yeah, that place is far away."

'The deeper I get to know you, the more I regret that girls like you, Sumika, couldn't live in the peaceful modern society you deserved. If only he could take you there...'

Logan sighed, but then another flash of inspiration struck him, 'Since I could traverse between the two worlds, what about the others? Or rather, if I figured out the principles of Space-Time in the future, and had enough power, would it be possible to bring others with me?'

It was theoretically possible. Based on his own experiences, both worlds were equally real. He refused to believe that this Ninja World was merely a figment controlled by a Manga Artist.

After considering and hesitating, Logan's heart skipped a beat when he saw the beautiful girl's seductive lips. He mustered up the courage to say, "Sumika, one day, I'll take you there!"

Sumika was momentarily stunned. The young man's expression looked very serious, a stark contrast to three years ago. "To live the life you want. Ah, I don't mean now. It's far away and not easy to reach, but maybe someday... uh, this sounds so uncertain... There will be such an opportunity."

As he spoke, Logan realized how difficult it was to explain the reality of another world. Logan also knew that what he said was very problematic under normal logic. In addition, Sumika had been waiting quietly without expressing her opinion, so his voice became softer.

"Anyway... I just think you'd be happier there..."

Logan lowered his head in defeat. He felt that it was all the fault of Anime and Novels. They only taught him how to build a harem, but did not teach the readers how to flirt with girls in a simple way. His promise just now included 'will', a word he'd failed to live up to before.

'I probably didn't have much trust left.' Just when Logan thought he'd made a fool of himself and had no hope, Sumika spoke.

"Yes, Hattori-san, I will wait for that day to come." Sumika showed a gentle smile, radiant against the backdrop of blue skies and white clouds. Logan was stunned by her beautiful smile. Whether it was a comforting lie or not, it didn't matter anymore.

"Okay, it won't be too long." Logan made a solemn promise, "I promise."

…

With their vow on the mountain complete and the conversation growing increasingly awkward, feeling like they were planning an elopement, Logan and Sumika walked hastily for a while. As the day waned, a maid came to remind them of the time, and they descended the mountain, ending their shrine visit.

Going down was harder than going up, though for Logan, it made no difference. Hanazawa, who had been forcibly left behind, was already seething with anger and kept glaring at Logan on their way down. However, after walking for a while, the little girl became too breathless to pay attention to anything else.

"What is that?"

When they walked to a slightly larger platform, there was another shrine building standing there, but this one was clearly not a main building, appearing older and seldom visited.

The group then rested here for the time being. When Logan was wandering around, he noticed a small, forlorn shrine at the edge of a steep slope. It looked very old. The paint on the small pavilion was mostly worn away, and hanging willow branches added to its desolate appearance.

"An abandoned shrine." Sumika said next to him, "I heard that before the Capital flourished and before Ogoma Shrine gained prominence, this shrine was already here. It was probably never important, being built in such a place..."

Logan nodded and examined the small shrine, which was only half a person tall. The face of the statue enshrined inside were unrecognizable. It could only be seen that they were not in human form, as the statue had outstretched wings.

After resting for a while, everyone went down the mountain again. When they arrived at the small town, Sumika and Hanazawa got on the carriage. The wheels rumbled, and Logan walked beside the carriage as they returned to the Capital, as if he was an escort.

"Strange." When they walked out of the town, Logan looked back with a serious expression on his face. The shrine on the mountain was already half-hidden among the greenery.

"That shrine... Why did it have Space-Time fluctuations?"

That's right, Logan had felt a presence similar to the 'Ring of Sky', though not identical, within that dilapidated shrine.

There was obviously something amiss, but Logan set aside his curiosity for now. After bidding a heartfelt farewell to Sumika in the Capital, as night fell, Logan returned to the small town below the shrine.