Haruto Kisaragi temporarily exited the Dimensional Chat Group and sat up on his bed. Through the open window beside him, he looked out at the bustling street scene below in Konoha.
The clothing style, which was completely different from Earth's Huaguo (China), and the presence of various ninjas passing by—all of it confirmed that this was no illusion. It was all vividly real.
From his current vantage point, he could even see the legendary Hokage Rock in the distance.
There was only one year left before the Nine-Tails rampage through Konoha. As for the exact number of months… Haruto wasn't exactly sure. Even as a hardcore anime and novel otaku, there was no way he could remember that many timeline details precisely.
Especially Naruto's timeline—famous for being a complete mess.
It was filled with inconsistencies. Like Ichiraku Ramen, for instance—that one ramen shop that seemingly existed throughout Konoha's entire history without aging a day.
"The Nine-Tails... the same beast that Hashirama Senju once defeated with a head pat... and now it takes a Hokage's life and a forbidden jutsu just to seal it? If the First Hokage knew, would he explode out of his coffin in anger?"
Haruto's expression grew a little strange as he thought back to a video clip he'd once watched.
It was the scene where Orochimaru resurrected the First through Fourth Hokage using Edo Tensei. The First asked how the Fourth died, and Minato hesitated to answer.
Because he died sealing the Nine-Tails.
The comment section of that video had been flooded with:
"First Hokage: 'What?! This thing can kill people?!'"
It was a classic meme-worthy moment.
Haruto suddenly had the urge to rewatch Naruto. Too bad he was inside the Naruto world now. Watching it like a regular anime? Not happening.
"The biggest issue now is that sealing the Nine-Tails requires Minato to sacrifice himself using the Reaper Death Seal, a forbidden technique with a massive cost..."
"But before it's sealed, the Nine-Tails kills a ton of people, right? What if I end up as one of them? That'd be one hell of a cosmic joke!"
As Haruto muttered to himself, a "ding-dong" notification echoed in his mind.
Without even thinking, he immediately jumped back into the Dimensional Chat Group.
And the first thing he saw... was a glowing red envelope!
Without hesitation, he tapped on it lightning-fast.
[Edward Newgate's red envelope has been claimed. AwooSuperFierce is the Luck King!]
Haruto stared in disbelief.
Someone had actually sent a red envelope?!
And not only did he get one—but he was crowned Luck King?
Was he seriously blessed by the gods of fortune? Or… could it be that he accidentally sucked up all of Yukari's luck?
Because among the five members in the group—excluding Whitebeard who sent the envelope—only three people managed to grab it. One person didn't get anything at all.
That person… was Yukari Yakumo. The ever-unlucky gap demon.
Edward Newgate: "Gurararara! So that's how red envelopes work. You can actually stuff physical items into them and send them into the chat group!"
Edward Newgate: "It must involve some sort of space-related ability, huh?"
Lady Kaguya-sama: "Thank you, Edward-san! I grabbed a giant snail that's even bigger than my fist. It looks… edible? [Image]"
Edward Newgate: "That's called a Den Den Mushi. As for whether you can eat it… hmm, not sure. But probably?"
Forever Seventeen-Year-Old Girl: "…"
Wandering Little Planet: "Huh? I got a weird-looking fish… why does it have a turtle's head? Too bad I can't eat anything. [Image]"
Forever Seventeen-Year-Old Girl: "...I could just cry right now."
Forever Seventeen-Year-Old Girl: "WHY AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO GOT NOTHING?!"
Haruto examined the image posted by Wandering Little Planet—a huge creature.
It did resemble a fish in body, but its head looked just like a turtle's. And its size? Massive.
Haruto guessed it was bigger than his two-story house.
"That has to be a Sea King from the One Piece world."
The fact that someone could stuff that into a red envelope was mind-blowing—like something out of a high-tier xianxia novel.
Edward Newgate: "Kaguya-chan got a Den Den Mushi. The planetary consciousness got a Sea King. Which means… the Devil Fruit must've gone to the group owner!"
Lady Kaguya-sama: "Devil Fruit? That sounds… ominous."
Edward Newgate: "It is pretty ominous. Eating one means you're cursed by the sea and can never swim again."
Edward Newgate: "But in return, you gain a unique supernatural ability!"
Edward Newgate: "The one I put in was a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit. Not as rare as Logia or Mythical Zoan types, but on the black market, it'd easily fetch 500 to 600 million berries."
Wandering Little Planet: "So it grants powers? What happens if I eat one?"
Edward Newgate: "...That's... hard to say. I mean, you're a planet. How would you even eat a Devil Fruit?"
Even Whitebeard couldn't imagine it.
If a planet could somehow consume one, what kind of power would it unleash?
Like, say Earth ate the Glint-Glint Fruit. Would every single light beam it fired be the size of the Moon?
That'd be planetary extinction-level destruction.
Of course, that assumes a planet has a mouth.
If it doesn't, then it doesn't matter how amazing or rare the fruit is—there's no way to eat it.
And without eating it, there's no power.
Haruto glanced at the group messages, then looked down at the heavy, strange fruit in his hands.
He muttered, "Whitebeard really is one of the Four Emperors of the New World. A Devil Fruit—something people fight to the death over—he just casually tosses it into a red envelope."
The Devil Fruit Haruto had received resembled a cantaloupe in shape.
But its surface was covered in swirly, mysterious markings.
Its color was deep purple, giving off a creepy, mystical vibe.
Haruto used the group's photo function to snap a clear pic, then uploaded it to the chat.
AwooSuperFierce: "[Image] Yep, definitely a Devil Fruit. And it's a big one."
AwooSuperFierce: "@Edward Newgate – Thanks for the red envelope!"
Lady Kaguya-sama: "@Edward Newgate – Thank you for the red envelope!"
Wandering Little Planet: "@Edward Newgate – Much appreciated!"
Wandering Little Planet: "Ooh! The little '+1' button is weirdly addictive!"
Forever Seventeen-Year-Old Girl: "Going into hibernation now. Emotionally shattered."
"…"