I'm Inside Naruto Manga

The shops in Akihabara number in the thousands, and Logan quickly experienced the hustle and bustle of a Sunday crowd. Particularly when they stood at the main intersection of Chuo Avenue, various people passed by, with nerdy otaku styles mingling with the crisp, professional looks of office workers, creating an amusing spectacle.

Buildings adorned with promotional posters and artwork stretched along one side, and if Logan extended his senses, he could pick up the clatter of high heels, the steady stream of voices emerging from the subway, the music playing outside video stores, and the chilly temperature seemingly magnified in the air.

The group was first drawn into a massive figurine store. Inside, the sheer volume, quality, and variety of collectible figures left them all speechless. Diane innocently remarked, "These toy figures are so intricate."

Logan half-expected David to erupt with an impassioned tirade about the superiority of his 'waifus' and the ignorance of the 'three-dimensional world', but instead, David merely tapped the price tag smugly. Only then did Diane notice the shockingly high numbers. Her expression shifted as she looked back at the adorable figurines.

As they continued exploring, the novelty of seeing so many items previously only glimpsed on screens brought joy to everyone. At one point, David pulled Logan aside.

"Logan, help me figure out these Japanese words. I'm not entirely sure."

Logan glanced at the sign and raised an eyebrow at David, "I think you already know the answer."

Ultimately, the two decided not to descend the mysterious underground stairs veiled by a black curtain into what was clearly an adults-only store.

Under the silent yet piercing gazes of Diane and Olivia, they reluctantly moved on.

The crowds were overwhelming. After helping David purchase a limited-edition album at another shop, the group, overheated despite their down jackets, decided to take a break at a bookstore.

This particular store carried a staggering selection of manga and light novels, comprising over 80% of its inventory.

Diane leaned against a small shelf to rest her knees while David once again vanished into the depths of the shop. With a wry smile, she commented to Logan, "You and David seem so enthusiastic about this stuff. Are you both big fans of anime?"

Logan, still preoccupied with sensing his shadow clone's position from afar, gave a distracted hum of agreement, "That's right..."

At the front of the store, Olivia stood scrutinizing the light novels prominently displayed. The covers, true to market trends, prominently featured big mountains and legs.

"Why are all these girls so scantily clad?" Olivia asked in what seemed to be a genuine academic inquiry.

Logan didn't know how to answer, "Uh… I think it's just how the artists like to design them."

Diane stood up straight and fanned her flushed face with her hands, "Those figurines we saw earlier… they're so expensive. Do people actually buy them?"

"Not everyone buys the official versions." Logan replied, noticing a bead of sweat trailing down Diane's smooth, pale neck. He quickly looked away, feeling his face heat up.

Diane gave a vague nod of understanding. Meanwhile, Olivia's gaze shifted from the novels to the posters on the walls, which featured similarly dressed characters.

"Why is it that…"

Before Oliva could finish her question, Logan abruptly stepped away and waved his hand back as he said, "I'll check out the Japanese original editions, haha..."

He thought it best to let David face this social minefield.

…

The bookstore they had entered wasn't particularly large, but as a haven of otaku culture, it boasted a far more extensive inventory than most anime stores back home.

The interior was quiet, a stark contrast to the cacophony outside. When Logan entered, he quickly scanned the shop.

Of the scattered dozen or so customers, some were tourists like them, while others appeared to be local students or office workers.

The shelves were packed with countless manga volumes, so densely arranged that they seemed to spill over. As a semi-retired otaku, Logan wasn't in the mood to dive into any epic tales, so after reading the titles of some works, he subconsciously went to the Naruto section.

As one of the longest-running series, Naruto had its volumes released relatively frequently. After all, it would take several volumes to write the Land of Wave Arcs, not to mention the Chunin Exams Arc, which later sparked heated discussions among fans and established a phenomenon-level status with the climax of Hattori's defection.

Therefore, the Naruto manga published so far can occupy nearly half of the space of a bookshelf. Logan picked out one of the many single volumes, which was the Chunin Exams Arc. He through the pages until he found a familiar scene.

[Four years ago, I fought your clone. This time… let's settle this for real.]

'Oh, this is the opening line I said when facing Orochimaru on the eaves of the viewing platform.'

[Hattori Lightning Release, his aura illuminating the battlefield as he charged forward.]

[Orochimaru's face twisted into a vicious snarl.]

Logan skimmed further, recalling his life-or-death struggle against the Sannin. A small smile tugged at his lips. Each defining moment of his journey, every flash of brilliance in battle, was captured here in ink. Who knew? Someday, these memories might even come alive on a screen.

From a different perspective, Logan felt grateful to the Manga Author for preserving so many of his cherished moments.

As he contemplated flipping to the scene of Sasuke confronting Itachi, he noticed something and raised his head.

A Japanese high school girl was staring blankly at Logan. Feeling puzzled, he glanced at her skirt… of course, it's strictly for identifying her regional origin.

Unfortunately, Logan couldn't place it, but the skirt was noticeably shorter than those he'd seen in Setagaya and Nerima Wards.

Then, his gaze shifted to her hands, where she held a volume of Naruto. On its cover, to his surprise, was a striking image of Hattori in the Akatsuki's unique red clouds patterned cloak.

The atmosphere instantly turned awkward.

The girl turned to look at Logan's face, then looked down at the manga cover in her hand, then looked up at the manga Logan was holding...

Logan thought it was necessary to 'clarify' the situation. He understood his predicament, as being recognized was possible, but most wouldn't believe it outright.

"Excuse me, this..."

"Wait!" The girl exclaimed, abruptly cutting him off.

"..."

"What's wrong, Kuina-chan?" A second voice chimed in, belonging to another girl in the same school uniform, who rounded the bookshelf and joined the girl called Kuina.

Kuina seemed to regain her courage with her friend's support. Clutching her companion's arm, she exclaimed, "Mika-chan, look at that guy!"

Logan resisted the urge to hide his face with the manga. At this moment, he really wanted to run away.

As a fan of the series, the girl called Mika quickly pieced together the situation. The two otaku girls, deeply entrenched in their subculture, sparkled with excitement as they stared at Logan.

"Hat... Hattori-kun?" Mika whispered with growing enthusiasm.

"Sorry, nihongo ga wakarimasen." Logan said with confused expression, however, his inner thoughts were screaming, 'What is wrong with these Japanese schoolgirls?'

"Huh?" The two high school girls were stunned. They wondered why Hattori-kun not speak Japanese? Mika hesitantly ventured, "You don't understand?"

Logan smiled politely at them.

"Logan, you're here?"

At the critical moment, David came to the rescue. He walked leisurely from the middle of the bookshelf and glanced at the manga on Logan's hand, "Oh, reading Naruto?"

Soon, David spotted two Japanese high school girls standing next to Logan, and also saw the Naruto manga in their hands.

To Logan's relief, David didn't notice the strangeness between them, but focused on the skirts and faces of the high school girls.

"These girls are cuter than the ones we saw at the school..." David whispered in his ear, and Logan could only nod solemnly in agreement.

Indeed, their previous visit to the school had yielded only a group of top students, not exactly of high 'quality'.

David turned around with a smile on his face and said: "Kon'nichiwa, watashi wa..."

David's broken Japanese and their realization that these two were foreigners helped Kuina and Mika settle down. Kuina, perhaps due to the initial excitement, seemed to forget Logan's earlier attempt at speaking Japanese. Now calmer, both girls flushed with growing embarrassment.

Seeing David and the two high school girls having half-baked exchanges, although one of the girls still peeked at him from time to time, Logan finally felt the 'crisis' subside.

But just as he was about to relax, the unexpected struck.

The intangible thread connecting Logan and his shadow clone, a sensory link that allowed him to feel the clone's presence, suddenly snapped.

The calm that always lingered on Logan's face vanished. The subtle change in his demeanor cast a heavy air around him.

David noticed immediately, turning back with concern, "Logan… What's wrong?"

Placing the manga back on the shelf, Logan shook his head, "It's nothing." Then, without further explanation, he strode away.

"Hey, where are you going?"

The link was gone, meaning the clone had dispersed. But Logan hadn't done anything. He was standing still the entire time. How could his shadow clone disappear on its own?

'The planned time has not come yet, so the shadow clone will not disappear for no reason. That means… someone dispersed it?"

Logan could hardly believe it. Making his way through the bookstore's main hall, he ignored Diane's calls and pushed open the door to step onto the street.

The cold wind rushed to greet him, filling the void left by the warm store.

Standing on the sidewalk, Logan stared in the direction where his shadow clone had been, a chilling thought occurring to him, 'Why hadn't I received the usual feedback from the clone upon its destruction?'

As he pondered, time seemed to slow. The noise of the wind, the crowd, the traffic lights, and even the overcast sky faded into the background. His senses heightened, and he noticed something wrong.

A subtle distortion in the air caught his attention. At first small, it rapidly expanded until it encompassed his entire field of view. The environment twisted and turned.

Then, from deep within his mind, came a long-lost and familiar discomfort.

It was the dizziness of transmigration.