Leap! Above Kumogakure!

"How could it be the village's higher-ups, those people from the Hokage Building?" The drunkard's eyes widened, and he suddenly stopped halfway through his sentence, a cold sweat breaking out on his back.

He saw the knife behind Uzuki Yugao's back and immediately sobered up a bit.

For ordinary people, the authority of Konoha High Command is unchallengeable; they are beings they cannot reach. Even if they live in the same village, it is still a ninja village.

The higher-ups are all powerful individuals or people who have made significant contributions to the development of Konohagakure. To criticize them in front of the Anbu Ninja is simply asking for trouble.

Kazahana Koyuki stood there, opening her mouth but unable to utter a word. What she thought was completely detached from the reality she now understood.

Even though Kazahana Koyuki was just an outsider, she knew what it meant to become Konoha High Command, the head of the Five Great Shinobi Villages with the highest martial prowess in the Shinobi World.

Wow, it's inside information, so I was worried for nothing.

She glanced at the drunkards standing there dumbfounded, then suddenly smiled and pointed at a group of people.

"They won't let me leave."

Uzuki Yugao turned her head and looked at the group of drunkards.

"I'm drunk, I..." The man who started the conversation immediately turned around and staggered away, his steps unsteady.

"I just remembered I have something to do."

"I also."

The group dispersed, Uzuki Yugao said calmly.

"Let's go, we need to find another dog."

"A dog?" Kazahana Koyuki chased after him. "What, a dog?"

Walking down the street, Kazahana Koyuki clearly sensed the difference in atmosphere. Yesterday, she could occasionally hear some negative comments about Naruto, but today she couldn't hear any at all.

If the news released a few days ago that Konoha no longer has Jinchuriki of Tailed Beasts is still controversial, the attitudes of the general public are also polarized.

The news announced today has undoubtedly silenced everyone: Naruto is now one of the high-ranking officials, possibly the youngest high-ranking official in Konohagakure's history.

All the rumors and slanders crumbled like clay chickens and earthenware dogs in the face of this official announcement, collapsing in less than half an hour.

Keep quiet, that's the best attitude.

"This thing is a bit strange." Naruto muttered to himself, stroking his chin as he stared at the Second's Space Ninjutsu Tool. "Why are the locations set up in places like Kumogakure and Amegakure?"

"It looks exactly like something used for air-dropped bombs!"

After thinking for a few seconds, Naruto came to a conclusion: the Second was indeed a top-tier sixth man; he must be thinking about blowing up Kumogakure every Tenten.

Although he didn't know why the Space Ninjutsu Tool were abandoned, he managed to repair and make them usable.

After waiting in the secret room for a while, and seeing that Kazahana Koyuki hadn't arrived yet, Naruto turned around and went out to find Tsunade.

He dashed to the fifth-floor office door and craned his neck to look inside, but saw no one and was greatly disappointed. He also wanted to ask about the Second, but Tsunade wasn't there.

"Naruto?" A familiar voice suddenly came from behind.

Hearing the sound, he turned his head sharply and saw Hinata standing there, looking at him somewhat awkwardly.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, somewhat surprised.

"I am Lord Tsunade." She lowered her head and said softly, "Shino has something to do, so it's my turn to submit the mission report."

His gaze shifted downwards, and he caught a glimpse of the mission report Hinata was holding in her hand.

"Oh, okay." He stepped aside to make way and said, "Just put it inside. Anyway, Lord Tsunade will see it when she comes back."

"Okay." Hinata blushed and jogged over to hand over the mission report.

Naruto was just about to ask Nine-Tails about drinking at the Hyuga Clan when Hinata turned around, thinking Naruto blushed even more.

"Naruto, what's wrong?" she asked nervously.

"It's nothing. It's been a long time. Hinata, you seem to have grown quite a bit taller." Naruto stuck his head out and gestured above her head. "About up to my eyebrows."

"Naruto has grown taller too." Hinata mustered up her courage and raised her head, her eyes meeting Naruto's before quickly looking away.

The corridor windows were wide open, and the shade of the trees could not block out the blazing sun.

The dried leaves emitted a grassy scent, a mild aroma carried on the summer breeze. The girl, dressed in long sleeves and trousers, was a bit shorter than him.

Hinata watched as her shadow and Naruto's shadow drew close together, almost overlapping, looking as if they were kissing.

A cicada in the tree outside the window suddenly chirped loudly, and her heart skipped a beat. Hinata felt a pang of guilt, as if she had secretly taken something from her.

"And Hinata, you've become so much prettier."

"Is that so?" Hinata, her face turning even redder. "Actually, I haven't changed at all."

Naruto didn't feel embarrassed at all; he praised those who deserved it, and it was a win-win situation.

"Really, Hinata is amazing." He asked, "How's your training going? It seems like we haven't done many missions together since we parted ways last time. Is Hinata preparing for the Chunin Ninja Exams?"

Hinata blinked rapidly, her cheeks flushed, and the barrage of questions was almost too much for her to handle. Despite her embarrassment, she was secretly happy.

"I'm ready, I am."

Just as she was stammering to speak, footsteps suddenly came from the other end of the corridor. Three seconds later, Shizune appeared at the other end and waved.

"Naruto, the client has arrived, but we haven't found your dog."

"Huh?" Hinata being interrupted, but she quickly recovered. "Naruto, you go ahead and do your work. The Fox-dog should be with me."

She closed her eyes slightly, bowed her head, and turned to leave.

"It's okay." Naruto grabbed her hand, but Shizune couldn't see his movements from that angle. "Okay, Shizune- nee, I'll be there in a bit."

"Okay." Shizune turned and left.

Naruto and Hinata were left alone in the corridor once again. He could clearly feel Hinata's hands trembling. He glanced at her with some surprise; Hinata was buried deep in her hands.

He used some force to squeeze Hinata's wrist and said.

"It's alright, please continue."

"Naruto, don't you have something to do?" Hinata asked softly, not daring to look up, and tried to break free but failed.

"Yes, I do have something to do, a rather important task." His face was expressionless, which made him appear serious. "But I'd like to hear what you have to say before I go."

Hinata's body trembled slightly, and the muscles in her hands stiffened for a moment. Her expression was somewhat strange, but it didn't seem like embarrassment; it was more like shyness.

"I...I've prepared, and I've been training for a long time," she said solemnly, having tried twice before she could stop stammering. "Because Naruto said last time that you don't necessarily have to follow other people's paths, I'm trying to train the Byakugan."

"It was difficult at first, but I wanted to catch up with Naruto, and I made some progress later. I met that Fox-dog by chance; it wanted to drink alcohol, so I fed it some."

"A few days ago, the Hokage Building suddenly released that kind of news, and I was a little worried about Naruto. Fortunately, today's news says that Naruto has become a high-ranking official, and I wanted to congratulate you, but I was too embarrassed to say it."

Hinata lowered her head as if she had made up her mind, her face flushed as she spoke in a low, fragmented voice. Naruto held her wrist and listened calmly to everything she had to say.

He didn't interrupt her, but listened quietly. The girl's delicate thoughts were all written on her face, without reservation.

"I'm done talking," Hinata said softly.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Naruto said with a smile. "Actually, the higher-ups are just figureheads, but they can still be used to scare others."

He released Hinata's hand. "Anyway, thank you, Hinata."

A locked room.

"Are you alright?" Kazahana Koyuki asked.

"What could possibly happen to me? I've been staying here these past few days repairing the machine." Naruto kicked the Space Ninjutsu Tool, then turned to look at Kazahana Koyuki. "This thing is Space Ninjutsu Tool."

"What?" Kazahana Koyuki was stunned for a moment.

"Simply put, it's a ninja tool that can teleport a person from one place to another instantly," Naruto explained.

"That's amazing," Kazahana Koyuki exclaimed.

"Well, I have good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?" He walked towards the Space Ninjutsu Tool, adjusting it as he asked.

"This is good news."

"The good news is," he paused, bent down, stuck his head inside the ninja tool, and turned on the switch, his voice muffled, "This thing can fit two people, you and me."

"What's the bad news?" Kazahana Koyuki swallowed hard.

"Is that so?" Naruto pulled his body out of the machine. "The bad news is that this thing is too old. Even though I've been trying to fix it for a long time, I still haven't been able to fix it completely."

"If a jump occurs, the location is random."

"Random?" Kazahana Koyuki almost spat out blood. "Isn't that the same as not knowing where you'll be teleported to? It's like gambling with your life!"

"Not really." Naruto frowned. "I'm good at it, and this thing is durable after being repaired. I just need to try it a few more times."

Kazahana Koyuki's face turned pale, but seeing Naruto's confident expression, she was speechless.

"Fine, since you're so confident, I'll believe you."

"Trust me, I'm right." Naruto was the first to go inside, extending an invitation to Kazahana Koyuki outside, "What are you waiting for? Come on in!"

"Okay." Kazahana Koyuki was speechless, but still obediently crawled inside.

The Second's Space Ninjutsu Tool is a platform activated by Chakra. Although it has been tested many times with live chickens and fish, Naruto still made a protective shell for safety reasons.

This is something like a spherical space capsule, which can fit two people if squeezed in. Naruto engraved a mark on the surface of the ninja tool, so if he jumps to the wrong platform, he can be teleported there and then perform another Space-Time Ninjutsu.

Why are you hugging me?

"I'm afraid of dying," said Kazahana Koyuki.

"Alright then." He said somewhat helplessly, activating the Space Ninjutsu Tool.

The next moment, an iron shell suddenly appeared in the sky above the Kumogakure.