Choji, Naruto, Are You Stupid?

"An evil Uchiha? Which Uchiha did you encounter? The one wearing a mask?" Naruto was somewhat taken aback and put down the glass in his hand.

"A mask?" Nine-Tails skillfully pried open the bottle cap with its fingernails. "There's no mask. Anyway, the person is already gone. What bad luck, running into that Uchiha brat as soon as I left the village."

Upon hearing this, Naruto's eyelids twitched slightly. Uchiha Sasuke had already defeated Itachi Uchiha? He hadn't even participated in such an exciting scene? It was such a shame.

While I was filled with doubt and unease, Nine-Tails was already holding two bottles of wine and showing them off. He was covered in dirt and looked extremely disheveled, as if he had been rolling around in the mud.

"Are you injured?" Naruto suddenly asked.

"Huh?" Nine-Tails was startled and took the bottle down, staring at Naruto in fear. "You're not that brat! Who are you?"

"Don't get me wrong, I just want to know just how strong Sasuke Uchiha really is now," Naruto said with a hint of disdain.

Upon hearing this, Nine-Tails was speechless. Sure enough...

"I'm not hurt," it said irritably.

"Uchiha Sasuke is no good, he can't even beat you. Has he wasted all these years?" Naruto muttered to himself, shook his head and left.

Nine-Tails stood there, feeling like he had been scolded twice.

Grass, a type of plant.

Sakura nervously pressed herself against the door, eavesdropping on Nine-Tails and Naruto's conversation in the living room, her heart pounding with anxiety. From their conversation, she seemed to have heard news about Sasuke.

Before I could hear clearly, there was a loud knocking on the door.

"Sakura, are you up yet?" Naruto asked through the door. He had no intention of hiding it from Sakura, after all, there was nothing to hide from her daily interactions with Black Sakura.

Besides, Sasuke isn't interested in women right now. Unlike Naruto, he's not good at socializing; all he cares about is revenge.

If it were anyone else, Naruto might worry, but if it were Sasuke... If it weren't for a plot device, Sasuke would probably become someone like Itachi Uchiha.

He carries everything, all for what his heart desires. Whether it's revenge or searching for the meaning of life, he is meant to be a person. Everyone else can have a happy ending, but he cannot.

Ultimately, Pink Sakura was just a one-sided simp. Now, that simp's body has been taken over by another personality, and by a twist of fate, Naruto has entered her life. (This is a metaphor for a skill that has progressed from simple to complex, reaching a very high level.)

It was all a misunderstanding, but there was no way to reverse it. So Naruto simply showed his rare sincerity, preparing to shock the Pink Sakura girl's values with the truth.

The best way to break the filter of love is to be slapped by your sweetheart, sealing your heart with cement from then on.

However, Naruto had an even more insidious trick. Because it was so wicked, he was afraid of losing merit, so he could only impersonate Sasuke Uchiha to do that.

Sakura was startled by the knocking, and then suddenly heard Naruto's voice, leaving her momentarily confused. It took her a while to react before she stammered a reply.

"Get up, I'm not dressed yet."

No clothes on? Naruto was slightly taken aback. What did this mean? Was it a reminder? Was he underestimating Naruto's self-control? Damn it.

I've already parked in the underground parking garage, so why would I do something as absurd as breaking and entering?

"It's okay, you can put on your clothes first, I'm not in a hurry."

Inside the door, Sakura shuddered; the more she listened, the stranger something seemed. What was the point of wearing clothes? But that was just a lie she'd told.

After a half-minute pause, Sakura pushed open the door and went out. She saw Naruto bringing breakfast from the kitchen, and as he watched her leave the room, he said...

"After washing up and having breakfast, I have to go now."

In the bathroom, Sakura was brushing her teeth in front of the mirror when she suddenly heard the door slam shut. A strange feeling welled up inside her; Naruto didn't seem to have changed much.

He didn't make things difficult for her at all, nor did he force her to do anything she didn't like; he completely respected her choices. His candid words made her feel a little guilty.

I don't think I should have eavesdropped.

Meanwhile, Naruto had already happily left. He knew that Pink Sakura couldn't let go of Sasuke, but as the saying goes, what you can't let go of, someone else has already let go of.

The words may be crude, but the principle is sound. Although it feels a bit out of place here, Pink Sakura's simp behavior is destined to be met with a harsh reality check. Naruto has no feelings for Pink Sakura and won't care about her at all.

Pink Sakura is at best a companion who left halfway through life, much Sasuke. Unable to share joys and sorrows, the depth of their bond is naturally questionable.

It's said that the friendship between gentlemen is as pure as water, but what's the point of a friendship if there's no water involved? Without spending time together, there's no way to build a bond, and that's all he can do.

She wants him to be Boiling Sheep to fulfill her wish of being a simp? Dream on!

"Can it really break the Caged Bird Seal?" The girl from the Branch Family was skeptical, her gaze sweeping over Naruto several times, clearly showing some fear of Naruto.

If Lord Neji hadn't been standing there, she probably would have already run away.

There's no way around it; Naruto has a fearsome reputation in Konohagakure. The large group of powerful figures above him are enough to instill fear in people. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him a top-tier second-generation hoodlum in Konohagakure, as he bullies others all day long by abusing his power.

Only those girls, who were also from wealthy families, saw beauty in his eyes; those who were slightly less familiar with him were all terrified of him.

This person is extremely scornful and holds grudges.

"Why don't you try and see? You're so young, why are you so afraid of dying?" Naruto said impatiently, arms crossed.

"You can still die?" The girl's face turned deathly pale.

"How could that be? You're overthinking it. You said those things yourself, it has nothing to do with me." Naruto denied it three times in a row, completely distancing himself from the situation.

Neji was standing to the side, couldn't stand it any longer and interrupted.

"Naruto, don't scare her."

"Hehe, I was just trying to lighten the mood since the atmosphere was a bit tense." Naruto knew when to stop, lest he scare the person away and they never dared to try.

The Hyuga Branch Family's lab rats trembled with fear, as if being toyed with by a great demon king, only able to hear his unrestrained laughter and whine in vain.

"Don't worry, he has a deep understanding of Sealing Jutsu, nothing unexpected will happen," Neji comforted her gently. The girl from the Branch Family seemed to admire Neji a lot, and nodded through gritted teeth.

"Alright, let's get started quickly and break the seal as soon as possible," Naruto urged, cracking his knuckles.

The girl removed the bandage from her forehead, revealing a bluish and ugly Caged Bird. She seemed somewhat ashamed and subconsciously took a step back.

Neji put his hand on her shoulder, offering her encouragement.

Naruto chose to ignore it, unable to bear watching the whole thing. To the girl's surprise, although Naruto was very sarcastic, he was surprisingly quick and efficient, swiftly covering the Caged Bird with his hand.

A surge of Chakra flowed into his forehead, and seven or eight seconds later, his brain felt like it had been pricked by a needle. After a brief moment of pain, veins bulged around his eyes, and his Byakugan opened uncontrollably.

The Caged Bird's mark vanished in that instant, a faint cracking sound echoing in her mind before it all ended.

The girl from the Branch Family stood there stunned for a while, then subconsciously looked at Neji. Clearly, she trusted and admired the Branch Family genius Neji more than Naruto.

"Did it work?" she asked.

She noticed Neji's serious expression as he stared at her forehead without saying a word. This made her feel uneasy, wondering if her forehead had become ugly.

Ah! If I were to become ugly in front of Lord Neji, I'd rather be dead.

Just as she was feeling uneasy, Naruto's cheeky voice came through, languid and slightly provocative, brimming with scorn.

"Sorry, it failed. You've grown horns on your head."

"Waaaaah!!" The girl from the Branch Family couldn't bear the psychological pressure and burst into tears, looking rather dim-witted.

Neji finally came to his senses, comforted the man, and said with a smile.

"He lied to you; he's already succeeded."

"It worked?" The girl from the Branch Family suddenly stopped crying, touched her forehead and didn't feel anything unusual. "Is there a mirror?"

"This..." Neji was a little embarrassed; he had forgotten to prepare.

"Here you go." Naruto suddenly handed over a mirror, which surprised the two of them.

In the mirror, Branch Family girl's forehead was completely smooth. She looked at herself in the mirror several times in disbelief, her whole body slightly dazed.

He touched his forehead, looked in the mirror, and muttered to himself.

"It's really gone."

Her expression shifted dramatically, alternating between tears of joy and sudden realizations, which plunged her into immense fear as she watched Neji tremble with terror.

"Lord Neji, I... I don't have the Caged Bird anymore. What if it's discovered...?"

"It's nothing." Neji's expression remained unchanged as he turned to look at Naruto.

"In the future, there will be more people like you, and there will be more and more birds breaking free from their cages. You don't need to be afraid."

Naruto stood to the side, saying nothing, simply watching quietly. Konohagakure wasn't in such a state of chaos that it couldn't protect the Hinata clan; the Caged Bird had both advantages and disadvantages for the weaker Branch Family.

But times have changed. In this feudal family with its patriarchal clan system, not all Branch Family are weak.

This is no longer wartime, and Branch Family doesn't require going to the battlefield. Yet the shackles remain, and no matter how we try to justify it, it's time to remove them.

Otherwise, the Hinata lineage is essentially the Main Family lineage. They can accept Branch Family whose bloodlines are impure from birth, but no one can accept being born a slave.

For the girl who was Branch Family, removing the Caged Bird meant not only becoming a free person from being a slave, but also gaining the right to say no.

After the girl carefully wrapped the bandage back around herself, Neji gave her a few more instructions and then let her leave on her own.

"Have you thought it through?" Naruto asked with a smile as he looked at Neji standing there.

"No." Neji turned to look at him, his gaze complicated. "I don't know what I'm thinking either, but I know that what I'm doing now is the right thing to do."

"Whatever." Naruto turned and left, leaving Neji his back to him, and waved goodbye.

"My task is complete. Remember to find more people next time."

Neji: "..."

He sounded like a brothel owner, even though he had just said he only needed to find someone to start things. Now he was pushing his luck... Neji stood there hesitating for a moment, frowning as he thought of the girl's frightened eyes.

He's now caught in the middle... it seems he has no choice in the matter.

Ino, at the Konohagakure Intelligence Department, smiled as she looked at Naruto waiting downstairs.

He scurried downstairs, his hands behind his back, and handed something to Naruto.

"For you!"

"What is this?" Naruto was a little confused. He opened his palm and saw that it was a communicator.

It is entirely black in appearance, about the size of a palm, and has a cool texture that feels like jade.

"This is the most special product of the Intelligence Department, which I made myself." Ino, wearing an orange cropped top, smiled and her eyes turned into crescent moons.

"There's only one?" Naruto looked at it from all angles, finding it rather novel. "How do I use it? Do I press a button and then input Chakra?"

He's been quite busy lately, and when he has nothing to do, he's been running to the Hyuga compound, so he hasn't really seen Hinata. He only found out when he asked Neji that his father-in-law was keeping an eye out for thieves.

Sakura's progress wasn't going too smoothly either; rushing things would only backfire. He was relieved to learn that Black Sakura was only temporarily dormant.

Anko went to the Ninja Academy to become a teacher, but her dream of a lazy, nine-to-five life didn't come true. Instead, due to her lack of experience, she was overwhelmed and flustered right from the start of the semester.

A series of unexpected events actually gave Naruto some free time. So he went to Ino every few days, and most of the time he could only catch a quick glimpse of her during his breaks.

They often barely exchanged a few words before Ino had to get busy again. Naruto, however, didn't seem to mind and enjoyed it.

"Not just one, humph, this is a pair." Ino pulled a communicator out of her pocket and waved it in front of him.

"This is a special custom-made item, as a reward for all the running around you these past few days."

"No buttons are needed, you just need to input Chakra, but once you input it, you can't change it. Also... this communicator can only reach me."

Personalized customization? Naruto felt that this reward was... rather useless.

"Alright then, I need to contact you anyway," Naruto said with a smile. "Hey, Ino, can we order another one?"

"What? Who else do you want to give it to?" Ino pouted and asked warily.

"You misunderstood. I'm planning to get Choji a custom-made set too. I think he'll really like it. After all, they're such a loving couple, Choji definitely needs this too."

Upon hearing this, Ino narrowed her eyes and curved them into crescent moons again before speaking.

"That's true."

"Sister-in-law, this is how you use it, yes, input Chakra... yes."

Naruto stared blankly at Choji, who was enthusiastically instructing his wife on how to use the custom communicator. This bastard... he really does everything except human affairs.

"Oh, is that so?"

Choji glanced at Ino, who was huddled with his wife, and took advantage of Naruto's moment of free time to pull him over and ask in a low voice through gritted teeth.

"Are you sick, Naruto Uzumaki?"

I went to the police station today, so I'll stop here. I've been having a lot of bad luck lately. This isn't intentionally short; I'll update tomorrow.