章節 271: Chapter 271 You Don’t Even Think To Call Me...
Naruto strolled down Konoha's main street, heading home. He bought a popsicle and licked it leisurely. For some reason, he felt a sense of relief. Though he had been given a second chance at life, he wasn't some immortal being trapped in a perpetual cycle.
'Growing old and dying with these people in this world didn't sound too bad.'
He took a bite of the popsicle and thought about how to tackle the mission in the Land of Rain. His head was filled with information about Pain. His plan? Just cut the head off the snake!
'What Akatsuki? Just take out Nagato, that small-time villain, and it'd be over.'
As these thoughts ran through his mind, Naruto suddenly looked up and saw a familiar figure leaning against a wall.
"Sakura? What are you doing here?"
This area was on the outskirts of Konoha, nowhere near Sakura's home. He knew that there's no way she was just passing through, and she had to be waiting for him.
"I have something to ask you." Sakura suddenly smiled, "But before that, you should think about how you're going to thank me. I've just done you a big favor."
"What?" Naruto walked up to her and stared at her for a long moment, "What favor?"
Sakura didn't respond, instead turning her head to glance at the corner of the street. She clapped her hands and said, "Come out."
Hearing this, Naruto also looked towards the corner of the street and saw a figure emerged from behind the wall. It was a beautiful woman, whose weary face could not hide her mature elegance.
Her long black hair was thick, and despite her mature appearance, she has a world-weary expression on her face.
It was none other than the long-lost Kazahana Koyuki.
"Princess Fuun!" Naruto, who usually prided himself on being calm, couldn't hold back his excitement, "You're back! (Full-level Flying Thunder God) I missed you so much."
"That…" Koyuki had a wry smile on her face.
"Princess Fuun came back to restart the Land of Snow mission, but Konoha rejected her." Sakura explained, "She was drinking alone in a tavern, and I happened to meet her on her way out."
Naruto leaned closer and caught a strong whiff of alcohol on Koyuki. But it didn't matter to him. Since Koyuki was going to restart the mission on her own initiative, it means that Naruto had the chance to get the full-level Flying Thunder God.
At that moment, in Naruto's eyes, Koyuki's whole body was emitting golden light, like the merciful goddess.
"That's right." Koyuki lowered her head and said dejectedly, "Sakura's right, Konoha didn't accept my request."
Naruto glanced at the sky, tried his best to suppress his excitement. After regaining his calm expression, he said, "This is not the place to talk. Let's talk somewhere else."
At the barbecue restaurant, Koyuki's stylish attire caught the attention of several onlookers, though their gaze quickly shifted away when they saw Sakura's forehead protector.
Civilians knew better than to get involved with Shinobi's matters.
Naruto seemed very relaxed. There weren't many people inside, and no one recognized Koyuki's true identity. Under the chandelier, he sat on the other side of the table, with Sakura and Koyuki sitting opposite him.
Koyuki placed her hands on the table, looking a little nervous. One could see the not-so-obvious blue veins on the back of her hands.
"As you know, Fujikaze Yukie is my stage name. You can call me Fuuka Kazahana Koyuki or Princess Fuun." Koyuki said nervously, "I am the former princess of the Land of Snow."
"There's no need to be so nervous. We'll help you." Sakura reassured her, noticing Koyuki's fear of rejection. She glanced at Naruto and added, "We are friends who have been through thick and thin together, right? Don't be afraid. Just speak up if you have any difficulties."
"Thank you." Koyuki replied, "I'm at my wits' end."
"My father was the Daimyo of the Land of Snow, but my uncle killed him and usurped the position. I've been in hiding ever since."
"I didn't have the courage to face my father's death, nor did I have the courage to fight my uncle. So, I became an actress, portraying the brave and fearless Princess Fuun on screen. But that version of me is not who I really am."
With a pained expression, she continued, "My acting is very good, and everyone praises me, but the more they praise me, the worse I feel. I'm not Princess Fuun, I'm just a coward."
"I'm unworthy of playing such a perfect role. Off-camera, I'm just a mess!" Koyuki became increasingly emotional, with tears welling up in her eyes.
"No matter how much I try to escape, to hide, in the end, I always think of my father's face. I lack the courage to avenge him, and I have no courage to return to my homeland."
"Konoha rejected my request because I disappeared without a word last time. Since all the people on the ship died during that mission, they said they need to investigate before they accept any request from me again."
"I know it's just an excuse. Konoha sees me as a troublesome client, even if I can afford to pay the commission."
"Then why did you run away?" Naruto asked, staring into her eyes, "Back then, we told you to wait, but you still fled. And then, there was no word from you for so long."
It was understandable why Konoha had refused Koyuki's request. The mission's difficulty wasn't the issue. It's just that, Koyuki's managaer, the one who had commissioned the mission to the Land of Snow, had concealed vital information, and even Koyuki herself had vanished afterward.
Naturally, Konoha had to consider carefully whether to accept mission from such an unstable client again.
"… I'm sorry." Koyuki lowered her head and said, "I couldn't face everything. I didn't want to drag you all into it."
"So, you never truly considered us friends." Naruto remarked, tapping his fingers on the table. This was a habit he picked up from Tsunade. It was a subtle yet authoritative gesture, and now it was his.
"I didn't…" Koyuki instinctively retorted.
"Princess Fuun, why didn't you tell us you were coming back to Konoha?" Naruto frowned and pressed again, "Sakura and I consider you a friend. I thought we were already friends."
"You saw how happy I was when I found out you returned. But even when you had nowhere else to go, you didn't come to us. If Sakura hadn't bumped into you by chance, you might have already left Konoha again by now."
"… I'm sorry." Koyuki lowered her head and said softly, "I was wrong. Please help me. I can give you anything you want."
Obviously, Koyuki regarded Naruto as her last straw, though she hadn't yet realized that he wasn't just a straw to grasp at, he was a solid tree.
"I don't need money. You don't even think to call me… cough, cough." Naruto almost let his words slip, and cleared his throat quickly. "You couldn't even admit I'm your friend." (T/N: For those who don't know, Naruto was about to say Godfather, which is a quote from Movie, the Godfather (1972).)
"I do!" Koyuki cut in immediately.
"Good." Naruto stood up and smiled, "You've asked for my help, and I'll give you justice."
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章節 272: Chapter 272 Space-Time Ninja Tool
Late into the night, Naruto lay tossing and turning in bed, unable to fall asleep. He reached into his seal space and pulled out the necklace, then stared at it for a long time. It was the key to the geothermal generator of the Land of Snow. With it, the Land of Snow could have spring-like weather all year round.
In other words, this was the source of the small nation's endless wealth.
He opened his mission panel, scrolled down a bit, and found the unfinished permanent mission for the Land of Snow. Probably because of the long journey, there was no time limit for the mission.
[Option 1: Protect Kazahana Koyuki and assist in overthrowing the tyrannical regime in the Land of Snow. Reward: Wind Release: Rasenshuriken.]
[Option 2: Threaten Koyuki Kazahana to hand over control of the geothermal generator and impose taxes on the people of the Land of Snow. Reward: Full-level Flying Thunder God (Gift: x6 Flying Thunder God Kunai that only the host can see)]
These two options were unique in that they did not conflict with each other, meaning he could complete both at the same time. If not for the incident during the previous mission, he might already have both rewards in hand by now.
But that was then, and this was now. Naruto was no longer just the Jinchuriki of the Kyubi. In Konoha, he had established himself as a higher-up. He can be said to be the 'Crown Prince' of Konoha.
After thinking for a moment, Naruto called up the system rewards.
After staring at the description of the Jashin's Hymn for a long time, his furrowed brow finally relaxed. Jashin's Hymn could negate the effects of any Dojutsu once, even Izanagi couldn't escape its grasp.
There is no need to be afraid of that old pervert Danzo anymore. In fact, Naruto hoped Danzo would make a move, giving him the perfect reason to crush both the old bastard and his Root.
The mission to the Land of Snow had been delayed for too long, and it's partly due to Koyuki's disappearance. In this world, power was the ultimate authority, but doing things legitimately was still important.
Koyuki's uncle had usurped the Daimyo's position unlawfully, making his rule illegitimate. Koyuki, as the rightful princess, had the legitimate claim to the Daimyo's position. So it was fine for Naruto to help her regain control of the Land of Snow.
Helping Koyuki reclaim the Land of Snow was not only a matter of principle, but also provided a legal basis for Naruto to claim a stake in the country's wealth.
Having made up his mind, Naruto gripped the necklace tightly before tossing it back into the seal space. He sluggishly got out of bed, slid on his slippers, and opened the door to the kitchen for a drink.
The lights in the living room were still on, and surprisingly, Kurama wasn't asleep. He sat on the couch, fiddling with a bottle of alcohol.
"What are you doing?"
Naruto asked, leaning against the kitchen door while holding a glass filled with water.
"I'm studying how to brew alcohol." Kurama replied.
"What do you need to know that for?" Naruto took a sip of water, "Isn't there enough alcohol in the house for you to drink?"
"I'm not interested in that cheap stuff anymore." Kurama looked like a scumbag dog. It seems that the saying of the dog is like the owner is true.
"There's better booze out there."
"Out there?" Naruto frowned, "Who's been giving you alcohol?"
Kurama didn't intend to hide it, and showed a sly grin and said, "Your other owner."
"My other owner? Hinata?" Naruto was stunned for a moment, "You went to the Hyuga Clan's compound? She gave you alcohol? You're unbelievable, Kurama!"
"Haha, so what? I've been sealed for so long, don't I deserve some indulgence?" Kurama argued, showing no signs of guilt, "I'm tired of the cheap knockoffs you buy. My head's been hurting from them!"
"Complain all you want. Next time, just go drink gutter water." Naruto retorted unhappily, "Do whatever you want, just don't embarrass me."
As he said that, Naruto put down his glass and was about to return to his room.
Suddenly, Kurama stood up from the couch and called out, " Why don't you just stay with that owner of yours? Don't you humans have a term for this? Marrying into the wife's family?"
"Get lost." Naruto gave Kurama the middle finger before slamming the door shut.
'That damned fox.'
…
The next day.
Naruto stepped into the Hokage Tower, then pushed open the door to the Hokage's office on the top floor. He never had the habit of knocking on Tsunade's door, so he just pushed the door open and walked in.
"What do you want this time?" Tsunade supported herself on her elbows and looked at him boredly.
Before he could say a word, Tsunade suddenly waved her hand and said, "Let's talk about what you are doing later. Now, I have an official announcement to make."
"What is it?" Naruto was taken aback. It was the first time he had seen Tsunade had spoken to him in such a formal tone.
"It concerns your identity as the Kyubi's Jinchuriki," She said as she stood up, "Since Kyubi is no longer in your body, it means that you are no longer the Kyubi's Jinchuriki, and Konoha no longer has a Biju."
"The news has already been spread, and all sides will soon react."
"It's announced to the public?" Naruto asked, "When did it happen?"
"Yes, about an hour ago." Tsunade replied calmly, "This was Jiraiya's request. The higher-ups didn't approve, but I did."
"The truth will come out sooner or later. The situation in the Shinobi World has changed. Konoha has been losing ground, but the higher-ups never realized that the real issue lies within. Konoha should rely on and trust the strength of the younger generation, rather than suppressing it."
"You're very bold, Tsunade-sama." Naruto said with a smile.
Hearing this, Tsunade rolled her eyes at him, sat back down, and said with a sigh, "Enough about that. What do you need?"
Naruto then recounted the mission in the Land of Snow. When he mentioned Koyuki, he omitted some unnecessary details as much as possible.
"But you're still scheduled to go to the Land of Rain with Jiraiya for that investigation mission. The Land of Snow is far from Konoha. Are you planning to sail there?"
"Of course not." Naruto shook his head. "I hope to borrow the village's Space-Time Ninjutsu Tool. With it, the mission time can be significantly reduced."
"Space-Time Ninja Tool?" Tsunade instinctively frowned, "That thing hasn't been used for a long time. It was half-finished creation by the Nidaime Hokage. It might have already lost functionality by now."
"I can fix it." Naruto said confidently.
"What?" Tsunade looked at Naruto in surprise and said, "Are you serious? You're not joking, right?"
"I'm serious." He nodded. "I can fix it."
By 'fixing', Naruto meant inscribing imprint, similar to the Flying Thunder God Technique's imprints he had already mastered. The principles were the same. Though he wasn't completely certain, the only way to find out was by checking.
As for why he knew about the Space-Time Ninja Tool, Naruto was mostly guessing.
Naruto just felt that with the character of Nidaime Hokage, who even developed the Impure World Reincarnation, it didn't make sense for him to lose interest in Space-Time Ninjutsu after developing Flying Thunder God Technique halfway through.
After all, Nidaime Hokage was notorious for his cunningness, being the one who combined Impure World Reincarnation with Explosive Tags to create suicide bombers out of his reanimated enemies… He's a true legend of the Shinobi World.
Shodaime Hokage, Senju Hashirama: For the peace of the ninja world, I'll humbly bow to everyone.
Nidaime Hokage, Senju Tobirama: For the peace of the ninja world, everyone should bow to me.
If that kind of Ninja Tool really exists now, Naruto can try to use it after repairing it.
The Land of Snow was indeed far away, and the investigation mission to the Land of Rain was about to begin. If it wasn't for the added security it gave for the Land of Rain's mission, Naruto would have chosen to postpone the Land of Snow's mission.
After some thought, Tsunade nodded and said, "Okay."
After getting Tsunade's approval, Naruto was led by Shizune into a secret room where he saw a massive Space-Time Ninja Tool. It was old, and it seemed like it could only transport one or two people at most.
He carefully inspected it and discovered that it did indeed operate using imprints and Chakra. However, even if it could be repaired, the distance it could cover after being fixed would still leave a considerable gap to the Land of Snow.
After confirming that it could be repaired, Naruto obtained the key from Shizune and left the secret room first.
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