It has been half a month since the Heavenly Screen show ended.
The afterglow of the setting sun dyed the entire wilderness blood red. Naruto sat cross-legged on a weathered boulder, his hands forming the "Tiger" hand seal.
Chakra flowed around him like tangible flames, and sweat rolled down his forehead, gathering in strings on his chin, dripping onto the scorching rocks with a hissing sound.
"That's not enough..."
He gritted his teeth, his Chakra flow momentarily disrupted. Images from the Heavenly Screen replayed uncontrollably in his mind—
Amidst the torrential rain at the Valley of the End, the blinding light of the Chidori colliding with the Rasengan;
Pain stood in the center of the ruins of Konoha, the burning houses reflected in his Rinnegan;
And those villagers... those eyes that once despised him, but now place all their hopes on him...
(Why... why do I always...)
His knuckles turned white from the exertion, and spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the Chakra. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through his abdomen as the Nine-Tails' Chakra went berserk for a moment, out of control.
"Naruto, Lord Jiraiya said we'll be camping here tonight!"
Karin's voice came from the campsite a dozen meters away. She was carrying a bundle of firewood, her red hair standing out in the setting sun. As she adjusted her glasses, the lenses reflected the last rays of sunlight, but her gaze unconsciously swept over the Chakra burn marks around Naruto —this was the seventh one today.
Naruto opened his eyes, his azure pupils filled with unwavering determination. He habitually flashed his signature smile, "Okay! I'll practice a little longer!"
Karin pursed her lips, but softened her voice as she turned away. "Idiot... your Chakra is almost depleted."
She knew this feeling all too well. Ever since the Heavenly Screen fell two weeks ago, the atmosphere of the entire team had changed, and even Lord Jiraiya's training intensity had increased by a level.
As for Naruto... Karin glanced back at the figure trying to control his Chakra again, a hint of heartache flashing in her eyes behind her glasses. This guy who always laughed so carefree was now even forming hand seals in his sleep.
A campfire had already been lit in the distance. Jiraiya watched Naruto as he trained, and Jiraiya was writing something on a scroll.
They recalled that a few days earlier, they had passed through a small village.
The moment Naruto took off his straw hat, the village children immediately recognized him.
"It's that heroic brother from the Heavenly Screen!"
"Golden hair! Blue eyes! It really is him!"
The children excitedly gathered around, their eyes sparkling with admiration. One little girl even timidly tugged at Naruto's sleeve. "Big brother..."
Naruto crouched down, ruffled her hair, and smiled brightly.
However, in stark contrast to the children's enthusiasm, the adults stood far to the side, their eyes filled with complex emotions.
Fear, awe, doubt... these emotions were intertwined on their faces, causing them to maintain a certain distance from Naruto.
"The body shown on the Heavenly Screen is sealed with a monster..." a villager whispered among himself.
"The power he displayed in the sky is something no human could possibly possess..." another person chimed in, a hint of worry in their voice.
"What if he loses control..." someone muttered to themselves, seemingly afraid of the danger Naruto might pose.
Jiraiya watched this scene and sighed helplessly. He walked over to Naruto, patted him on the shoulder, and comforted him, "Come on, kid. Let's camp in the wild again tonight."
From then on, they almost never entered towns again, choosing instead to continue their journey through the wilderness. Although Naruto felt somewhat disappointed, he understood that the fear ordinary people had of him, due to what the Heavenly Screen was displaying, could not be eliminated overnight.
The campfire crackled and popped at night.
Jiraiya took a swig of sake and gazed at the starry sky. "Orochimaru... he's really good at hiding his true abilities."
Naruto stared at the flickering flames and whispered, "Pervy Sage, do you think Sasuke... will come back if he sees what's in the Heavenly Screen?"
"Who knows?" Jiraiya shrugged. "But knowing that kid's personality, he probably won't change his mind easily after reading it."
Naruto clenched his fist. "Then I'll beat him until he changes his mind!"
The Kakkō illuminated his resolute profile, Jiraiya, in a daze, saw the figure locked in a life-or-death struggle with Sasuke in the Heavenly Screen. He suddenly asked, "Naruto, if... I mean, if Sasuke insists on going his own way, what will you do?"
Naruto was silent for a moment, then looked up, his eyes reflecting the starry sky:
"Then I'll keep chasing him until he turns back!"
"Because this is... my Ninja Way!"
Jiraiya burst into laughter, spilling sake from his jug all over the floor. "Haha! As expected of my disciple!"
Karin silently took notes in her training journal, a smile unconsciously creeping onto her lips.
Meanwhile, in a distant underground base, Sasuke stood in the center of the Training Ground, the Chidori in his hand emitting a piercing shriek.
The image of the Heavenly Screen lingered in his mind.
That bottom-of-the-barrel guy, covered in blood but still clinging to his "bond"...
That line, "Rather than die, live and help me"...
He slammed his fist into the wall, sending shards of stone flying.
"Hateful..."
Moonlight streamed in through the vent, illuminating his trembling left hand.
On the other side...
In the dim light of the Bounty Station, two brand-new bounty posters were pinned to the most conspicuous position.
Bounty Target: Naruto Uzumaki
Reward: 50 million taels of silver
"Characteristics: Blonde hair, blue eyes, Konoha Genin, suspected Nine-Tails Jinchuriki"
Bounty Target: Sasuke Uchiha
Reward: 50 million taels of silver
"Characteristics: Black hair and black eyes, missing-nin from Konoha, and an orphan of the Uchiha Clan."
The entire Bounty Station instantly erupted in excitement.
"One hundred million taels?! These two brats?!" A rogue missing-nin wearing a brown mask slammed his fist on the table and stood up abruptly, his voice filled with greed.
An Iwagakure missing-nin a face full of scars slammed the bounty poster onto the wooden table, spilling a few drops of cheap sake from his bowl.
"Konoha Genin are worth that much now? I only Jonin 30 million when I killed a Sunagakure back then!"
A Kirigakure chuckled sinisterly beside him.
"Fool, didn't you see the Heavenly Screen? Those two brats playing the video are incredibly powerful... If you don't kill them now, once they grow stronger, you won't even have a chance to beg for mercy on your knees."
In a corner of the tavern, a missing-nin draped in a black cloak suddenly lowered his voice:
"I heard... this bounty was issued by 'those higher up'." He pointed meaningfully to the sky above, "The big shots from other villages don't want to see Konoha produce two more 'God of Shinobi'."
"That battle shown in the Heavenly Screen... is that really their future strength?" Another rogue ninja carrying a giant axe licked his lips. "They're not that strong right now!"
"Ha, even if what's being shown is the future, it's still the future!" a sinister Kirigakure missing-nin sneered. "Now, before they grow up, let's kill them, and the money is ours!"
In a corner of the Bounty Station, Black Zetsu slowly emerged from the shadows, his dark pupils sweeping over the group of restless desperados, a sinister smile curving his lips.
(Go... go to your death.)
(Once those two brats are dead, the future... will never be like it was in the Heavenly Screen again.)
Within just a few days, rogue ninjas, missing-nin, and even the Anbu of some small countries across the Shinobi World began to take action.
"I heard that blond brat has been following Jiraiya the border of the Land of Hot Water!"
"It's said that Uchiha hid the Orochimaru, but there are always clues to be found!"
Groups of greedy hunters, like jackals smelling blood, pounced on their target.
In a valley somewhere in the Land of Rivers, a group of five missing-nin are resting.
"Boss, are we really going to kill that Nine-Tails Jinchuriki?" a young missing-nin asked hesitantly. "He's Sannin's disciple, one of the Jiraiya..."
"Idiot!" The burly leader slapped him across the face. "If we don't act now, what chance will we have when they truly grow to be like those in the Heavenly Screen?"
Another female missing-nin added menacingly, "Besides... we're not going to fight head-on." She pulled out a bottle of purple potion. "This is a neurotoxin I got from Sunagakure. Just a little bit will paralyze even Jonin!"
The group exchanged glances and revealed sinister smiles.