The Hardest Thing to Bear Is a Beauty's Affection

This time, Team 17 consisted of four people, including Naruto, Yamashiro Nobiyori whose strength was still unknown), and two other lucky guys who looked disheveled, Kishita and Noma.

Naruto, under the identity of Beihiko, should theoretically be with Kishita and Noma, who are also war orphans. But in reality, those two are too weak to attract his attention at all.

Conversely, even though Yamashiro Nobiyori Naruto was unfriendly, even somewhat hostile, it didn't stop him from laughing and joking around in front of Yamashiro Nobiyori, acting as if nothing was wrong.

He didn't know the nature of the mission, but seeing Yamashiro Nobiyori's dark face all the way, he roughly guessed that he must have known about the mission in advance.

This suited him perfectly; he could use his death as a pretext to escape the consequences of his actions.

The mission management office was packed with people; he even glanced back to make sure he wasn't in the wrong place. Was this a mission or a battlefield? There was a huge crowd of people.

"What's going on? Are all these people on missions?" Naruto turned to look at Yamashiro Nobiyori.

"Um."

They didn't want to talk to him at all, and he was too lazy to bother them. Anyway, he wasn't in charge of getting tasks for Team 17, he just had to line up and leave his handprint.

While waiting in line, he glanced into the Sealing Space. Chunin Beihiko had long been pulled out of the Evil God Altar by him and left to self-exile in the Sealing Space.

He wasn't short of food and drink, but whether he survived the mission depended on his fate. If he was lucky enough to survive, Naruto wouldn't have anything to say.

If he died, it's just bad luck. Although Naruto borrowed Beihiko's identity, he at least let him live a little longer, which can be considered more than enough.

The huge second floor was packed with people, and friction was inevitable among those with weapons at their disposal. Over there, a few people started fighting because it was too crowded; ninjas in the darker period were mostly irritable.

More importantly, none of the people present were fools; they roughly understood their role was that of cannon fodder. Doing the mission was like throwing eggs against a rock, relying on sheer numbers to gamble on the mission's success rate.

When a person dies, the bird flies to the sky; when someone is about to die, their anger naturally comes out.

The scene was chaotic, Naruto stood to the side, watching the spectacle with glee. Turning his head, he saw a fat man in silk clothes standing on a table, holding a megaphone to maintain order.

His chubby, pale face was covered in sweat, which he couldn't wipe away completely.

"Stop hitting them! Arrest them all if you keep hitting them!"

Naruto chuckled upon hearing this; such clueless idiots could be found everywhere. He then remembered the fat man's sarcastic glare and, with a mischievous grin, moved forward.

A foot suddenly shot out from the crowd, and the fat man, still cursing, cried out as the table shattered. The fat man lost his balance and fell into the crowd, where Naruto seized the opportunity to stomp on his foot.

Yamashiro Nobiyori witnessed the scene, turned his head away, and said nothing. Perhaps he knew Nobi was doing something immoral and couldn't be bothered to interfere.

The fat man was eventually carried out, barely clinging to life. The stretcher, creaking and twisting like a body bag, was suddenly lowered and carried away.

He was anxiously looking at the mission scroll under the Kishita when Naruto suddenly approached, startling him so much that his face turned pale.

What are you doing?

"Just browsing," he said with a smile.

Seeing this, Kishita walked away and huddled with Noma, whispering amongst themselves. They said that the man was probably an idiot, still able to laugh even though he was almost dead.

Of course he could laugh; he'd got the files and he'd gone to sleep. With this mission complete, Beihiko's identity would disappear entirely, or he could simply disappear.

Either Beihiko goes back alive, but his unusual behavior will definitely be noticed, and going back will only mean death.

Before releasing him, explain the consequences to him and let him choose. If he's lucky, Beihiko, with a bit of sense, should know which way to escape and become a wandering ninja.

However, these days, the strength of wandering ninjas varied greatly, and most were more like beggars. They chickened out when they encountered strong opponents, but quickly drew their swords when they met weak ones.

The second floor of the Hokage Building was in chaos for a while, but things were finally settled.

Yamashiro Nobiyori remained a step ahead of Naruto, never giving him a second glance. He had been holding the mission scroll in his hand, which Naruto had also read; the mission was to go to the front lines and intercept Sand's supply lines.

A few casual words, and dozens of Cannon Fodder Unit were mobilized, a third of them at the level of Genin. Only when they actually went to the battlefield did they realize how dangerous the mission was.

The rear of Sand is not entirely undefended; there have been skirmishes between the two sides on the front lines, but no major battles have broken out yet. The Land of Fire suffered a setback at Sand some time ago, and is probably preparing for revenge.

Whether the mission will succeed is another matter, but as long as there is movement behind Sand, fighting can break out on the front lines. If both sides succeed, it will be a double victory.

Even if the mission fails, it can buy time for the front lines. The moment the Sand people move, the situation instantly comes alive, with leaks appearing everywhere.

"Hey, shouldn't the Root group be handling the frontline missions?" Kishita whispered to Noma, lagging behind Naruto.

Only Yamashiro Nobiyori ahead, all alone, clutching the mission scroll, while Naruto dangled in the middle, walking slowly. Behind them were two people, talking anxiously about something.

Just as they were about to leave the village, they suddenly saw a commotion ahead.

Naruto pondered what he had just heard about Root and wondered if he should try to Danzo up Danzo. Although eliminating Danzo would inevitably affect the timeline, tripping him up shouldn't be a problem.

Hmm... why not take advantage of the fact that this body's biological father is about to become Hokage and enact Konohagakure system that allows polygamy under certain circumstances, since the Hokage's power is unlimited.

Even if it's not infinite now, it's still possible to make it infinite if one wants to. But first, one must deal with the Third Hokage, and then the Uchiha.

After thinking about it, I realized it was too much trouble. It wasn't worth destroying the entire Heavenly Palace for a single peach.

Who is that?

"It looks like Nohara Nao!"

Noma's words snapped Naruto back to reality. What was she doing here at this time? He quickly walked forward, and when he passed Yamashiro Nobiyori, he noticed that Nobi's face was somewhat dark.

"Make way." He didn't stay idle either, and directly pushed aside Yamashiro Nobiyori.

He always felt that Yamashiro Nobiyori's last glance at him carried complex emotions, like a wire tied in a knot that was framed and hung in a museum.

The Konoha Gate were dilapidated, worn down from countless tramplings. Sometimes, the closest the Sand ever came was when they stormed into the heart of the Land of Fire.

I heard that Konohagakure was in dire straits at that time, but the Third Hokage suddenly led his men out and rushed in that direction, and the matter was settled immediately.

The Sarutobi Clan has over three thousand members; they're not a small or insignificant family. Otherwise, with so many people in Konohagakure, it would be possible for Hiruzen Sarutobi to succeed the Second Hokage Position.

The Shimura Clan had a considerable number of members, but they were still inferior to the Sarutobi Clan. In those days, with war raging, the Kage of every village were involved in the fighting; being a Kage was certainly not a peaceful or joyful job.

There are so many families in the village, everyone took off their clothes and showed off their muscles, this guy is a muscular guy, that guy is a muscular guy, and the tallest one among the short ones is the leader.

Hiruzen Sarutobi is the most muscular brute; you can tell who's the boss the moment he takes his clothes off. He's always talking about how he's invincible below the Second, and how he's utterly subservient to anyone above him.

With the Second Hiruzen Sarutobi certainly had no room to back down. As the top henchman after the Second, how could he possibly cower at the prospect of being sent to his death?

Following the Second to cover his teammates' retreat, tsk tsk, if he lived, he would be the next Hokage; if he died, his tombstone would be placed before his ancestors in the Sarutobi Clan's cemetery.

To put it simply, Danzo could never outwit the Third Hokage; his brains just weren't as sharp. Otherwise, he wouldn't have proposed the Will of Fire being passed down through Third Hokage, allowing the village's spirit to continue suppressing the dead for Third Hokage generations.

Although Naruto didn't particularly like the Third Hokage, the fact remained that he was incredibly powerful. Conversely, dealing with Danzo was much simpler; he lived a dark and solitary life.

When will we betray him, erasing half a lifetime's worth of hard work? We'll kill him not only, but also destroy his spirit, completely wiping out his existence so that in a decade or so, nobody will remember him.

For Tenten, who Danzo dreamt of achieving lasting fame, this was the most painful thing.

The crowd stood there, refusing to move forward. They were all talking and watching the spectacle, some even whistling, acting as if they'd never seen a woman before.

Nohara Nao stood on a high platform at the entrance of the village, where a huge old tree lay, like a small park, providing shade in the summer.

There were originally some shelves on top, with some words about paying attention to hygiene painted on them. The village was too big and too chaotic, with fights, brawls, and people starving to death, making it easy for diseases to spread.

She stood there, her dark dress billowing in the wind—a gesture of farewell. Her pale hand brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear as she leaned forward, looking down.

The sudden stop of the group made her a little flustered. She took two steps back, gripping the railing and cautiously searching for something.

People of this era are very distinctive: restless and passionate. However, the long-term war and oppressive atmosphere have made many people feel inferior or have distorted personalities.

People like Minato Namikaze, who openly flirt with girls, are very rare. Most people are very reserved, the kind who clearly want to get close to someone but dare not speak up.

He could only watch helplessly as the girl was carried away, and when he couldn't have her, he would curse her behind her back. In his disappointment, he felt as if he had also lost love.

When Nohara Nao boldly swept her gaze down, the group of people who had just been jeering immediately became shy and hesitant, muttering curses about which bastard was enjoying the beauty's favor.

"Make way!"

"What are you pushing for? Are you looking to die?!"

"Ah!! Who hit me!"

"Don't look at me, it's not me!"

As they parted, Naruto, always low-key but not coy, didn't hold back. There was no such thing as guilt or reluctance to see him; if he dared to draw his sword, he dared to be a scumbag.

Once you start, there's no going back.

There is absolutely no thought of being responsible for sleeping or staying here and not going back. We are all children of Jianghu. Who would believe this? Isn't this hypocritical?

There's a saying that goes, "Either be completely devoted, or be ruthlessly persistent."

"Excuse me, let me through." Naruto was patiently pushing his way through the crowd from the back of the line, Nohara Nao naturally saw him too.

In her eyes, Naruto was struggling to run towards her through the crowd. In reality, the man was quite rude, kicking several people along the way and forcibly squeezing through.

"Why are you pushing? What's it to you? I'm not looking for you!" The ninja in front shouted back impatiently as people pushed him from behind.

"Who's blind? That stick is almost poking my crotch!"

The area ahead was chaotic, but Naruto finally reached the front, leaped onto the stairs, and jumped to the top. Amidst gasps of surprise, he caught Nohara Nao in his arms.

"Who is that kid?! He deserves to die!"

The scene became even more chaotic. Someone threw a kunai, and Naruto brazenly reached out and kissed Nohara Nao on the waist in front of everyone.

The Naruto whistled through the air as Naruto, pulling the heart-pounding Nohara Nao along, scrambled inside. Anyway, nobody knew him; he could show off and run—how exciting!

Indeed, no one recognized the ninja who had suddenly appeared and picked the peach. His profile was unremarkable, and he was dressed in grime. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became, wishing she could kill that kid.

The three members of Team 17 knew Naruto and that Beihiko was their teammate. They were stunned to see the seemingly ordinary Beihiko manage to win over Nohara Nao.

Yamashiro Nobiyori didn't react much, but her complexion didn't look good.

"Let's go," he said expressionlessly, tightening his grip on his ninja tool pouch.

On the other side, Naruto pulled Nohara Nao aside and casually asked.

"Weren't you at Konoha Hospital? What are you doing here?"

"I was worried and felt restless, so I came to check on you." Nohara Nao dazed and confused, looking like she was blinded by love.

Although she was indeed a bit dazed, she felt like her brain wasn't working very well lately. The Nohara Nao used to handle things with ease was gone, and seemed very distant.

Naruto opened her heart, both physically and psychologically. He had many ways of comforting people and was patient and attentive in taking care of them.

This contrast was something she had never experienced before. It was overwhelming; she didn't have time to process what was happening. She was suddenly overwhelmed and gulped down the contents, her mind a complete blank. She looked up at him and smiled.

"It's hardest to repay the kindness of a beautiful woman," Naruto said, looking at Nohara Nao's silly grinning face. He pinched her cheek and lied without batting an eye.

"I will come back."

"Is the mission dangerous?" she asked, adding before he could answer, "Take me with you, I'm very strong too, and I'm good at Medical Ninjutsu."

"No need, just stay in the Medical Unit." Naruto gently smoothed her long hair, which was being blown about by the wind, his eyes filled with deep affection. In fact, he saw affection in everything he saw.

This happens when you're not paying attention; your mind slowly goes blank, and your eyes lose focus.

"Yes, yes, I'll be back." He comforted Nohara Nao, and before leaving, he patted her, which made Nohara Nao blush and slap him.

He turned around and jumped into the crowd in a few quick movements, disappearing from sight.

Beihiko will definitely return, probably as a corpse. He didn't say Naruto would return, and the outcome is uncertain; it's just his habit to avoid making definitive statements.

I received a rabies vaccine in February, which gave me a six-month immunity buff. I wasn't bitten, but I did fall.