Public Opinion

The preciousness of reward points goes without saying.

Whether it was Orochimaru, who lacked points to exchange for research materials and cutting-edge papers to deepen his foundation, or Jiraiya, who had long coveted the abilities of "One Punch Bald," both were heavy consumers of reward points.

And the "Destiny Gem" was an irreplaceable existence for Reincarnators.

Many exchanges of a slightly higher tier required paying a Destiny Gem just to qualify for purchase.

For example, the Devil Fruits from the world of One Piece, the Infinity Gauntlet from the Marvel universe, the Zanpakuto from the Grim Reaper world, the Pureblood Titan Marrow from the Attack on Titan world...

To exchange for these things, different grades of Destiny Gems were needed as a prerequisite cost.

"A team mission... perfect for testing my research results."

Orochimaru laughed darkly, signing his name on the KOF Contract.

Well, what else could Jiraiya say?

Among the Three Ninja, he was the most sentimental—how could he possibly refuse?

His brush flew across the paper, and in an instant, the ornate letters "Jiraiya" landed at the bottom of the contract.

[KOF Contract concluded. Members formed: Captain Tsunade, Member Orochimaru, Member Jiraiya.]

[When the three are in the same world, all attributes are boosted by 15%.]

[Team members cannot attack each other; otherwise, all attributes will be reduced by 50%.]

A cold voice devoid of any emotional fluctuation echoed in the minds of the Three Ninja.

In that fleeting moment, their stamina, strength, speed, agility, flexibility, Chakra reserves, Spiritual Power intensity, Thinking speed...

Everything, all at once, increased by over ten percent!

Orochimaru instantly extinguished his little schemes, silently crossing out a certain test project in his mind.

Losing half his strength didn't bother him. But having his memory, logical analysis ability, and Thinking speed halved would make it impossible to continue researching Scientific Ninjutsu—a situation Orochimaru could not tolerate.

And so...

The Three Ninja Reincarnator team was officially formed!

As the captain, Tsunade unhesitatingly issued the first command: "Let's lay our cards on the table with each other first and estimate the team's current strength."

Back in the day, their cooperation had been seamless, but so many years had passed—who didn't have a few new trump cards?

Going into battle without understanding the comrades around you...

Would get you killed.

Year 60 of Konoha, late March.

These past few days, the atmosphere in the village had been very strange.

The "Nine-Tails Fox," Naruto Uzumaki, whom everyone had once deeply despised and hated, now found himself drawing a lot of attention whenever he walked down the street.

People whispered behind his back, as if discussing something, yet there was no malice.

"This kid's features..."

"Right! You think so too, don't you! Those eyes, that hair, that nose, that mouth—they're practically identical to the Fourth Hokage's..."

"I heard that Naruto wasn't actually that Nine-Tails Fox from back then; the fox features on his face before were just because the Fourth sealed the fox inside him..."

"Thinking about it, he was just a baby at that time, right?"

"I remember now! The Fourth's wife, that red-haired Little Pepper, wasn't she a ninja from the Uzumaki Clan?"

"Uzumaki Kushina—my idiot son could only ever get second place in every sealing class, crushed by a girl for years, so I'd never forget that!"

"Wait... Uzumaki? That means... Naruto is actually the Fourth's child?"

"Tch... The Fourth and his wife were both great heroes who sacrificed themselves to save Konoha! What have I been doing all these years!"

"Wuwu... I've failed the Fourth Lord; he saved my life back then..."

"Why! Why didn't the Third Hokage tell us Naruto's true identity?!"

"Conspiracy! There must be a conspiracy!"

The Third Hokage and the Elder Council acted as if they had been hit by a Genjutsu personally cast by the Sage of Six Paths, completely ignoring the reports from the Anbu and letting this wave of public opinion run its course without any intention of intervening.

"Hehe..."

Even though people were always whispering about him, Naruto was starting to enjoy the feeling of walking around town more and more.

Now when he went out, no one threw rotten eggs or squashed tomatoes at him, no one called him a monster, and no one beat him up for no reason.

This feeling... was pretty nice...

"One bowl of Small Lucky Fish Miso Ramen! Extra large! Extra red ginger, pickled vegetables, green onions, and seafood rolls!"

Naruto, who had thoroughly studied the "Asia Makeup Evil Arts Speed Cultivation Guide," had already covered his whisker marks with concealer powder. With just a bit of light makeup, his facial features became even more refined and three-dimensional.

His golden, choppy hair fluttered in the wind, his red-and-white Wordless God Robe billowed without a breeze, and his blue eyes were as clear as the sky. He was always smiling brightly, radiating a charm that could captivate anyone.

Like a little sun, emitting boundless light and heat.

The ramen shop owner, Teuchi, stared blankly at Naruto, stirred by the scene, his eyes faintly reddening.

"Old Man Teuchi? What's wrong?"

"Haha! Nothing! Today I'm happy—no matter how much you eat, it's all on the house!"

Teuchi let out an exaggerated laugh and called to his daughter: "Ayame! Come help! We have an honored guest!"

He hadn't believed the rumors floating around the village these past two days, just treating them as idle chatter over meals.

But seeing Naruto now, he was a hundred percent certain of the answer.

Naruto Uzumaki was the Fourth Hokage's child!

Appearances could change, but the temperament etched into the marrow by bloodline couldn't be faked!

Thinking of what Naruto had endured all these years, a wave of guilt surged into his heart.

"Ooooh!!! Ayame, give it your all—I'll serve my best work to the most distinguished guest!"

"You got it!"

Though Ayame had no idea what her old man was going on about, she poured in twelve times the enthusiasm, driven by her love for the family business.

Naruto blinked and waited quietly.

The appendix of that "Quick Guide" said that imitating someone meant copying not just their appearance, but their words and actions too.

He was gradually starting to like this feeling.

He didn't know why everyone was being so warm to him, but following Sakura-chan and that cocky Sasuke's lead seemed right.

The villagers' overly eager behavior over the past two days, as they called it, was...

A compensation complex.

After filling his stomach, Naruto returned to the Uchiha Clan compound, found Sasuke's small house, and ducked inside.

These past few days, he and Sakura had been staying here.

Sasuke's place was ridiculously huge anyway, empty and eerie if only one person lived in it—like a haunted house. With a bit of tidying, they'd freed up three bedrooms.

Zzzzzt...

A crackling sound of air friction rang out from the southeast side.

"Take this!"

Sakura Haruno's figure appeared abruptly, accompanied by a sharp cry: "Rasengan!"

In her hand was a pale blue orb of light, woven from countless strands of Chakra, spinning endlessly with a soft hum—beautiful and deadly.

The Rasengan represented the pinnacle of shape transformation; even among A-rank jutsu, it was an incredibly powerful existence.

Naruto froze for half a second before the Rasengan slammed into his chest.

The spiral of light exploded!

"Uwaaaaah!"

He couldn't keep up the act anymore, switching from [Fourth Hokage Mimicry] mode back to his true self.

Pop...

A soft sound, like an underinflated balloon being pinched, and the Rasengan dissipated between heaven and earth.

Sakura looked at him with a half-smile, wiggling her fingers: "I only put in a tenth of the Chakra! Sasuke saw through it in an instant!"

Thanks to "Where's My Dried Fish" and "Ink Splashed on the Mountains and Rivers" for the tips—appreciate the support!!!