Nine-Tails: First of All, I Didn't Provoke Anyone

"Can't you get up earlier?" she complained on the phone.

"Sure, but can you get up?" Naruto asked as he walked down the dark road. "Miss, time is tight and the mission is important. How about you come to my house now?"

"Pah! No way!" Ino spat at him, then thought for a moment, "Then I'll come find you this afternoon."

"Okay! I wholeheartedly agree." Naruto said with a smile, then hung up the phone after lingering for a while, sighing that he needed to go to bed early tonight.

Nothing was said that night.

The next day.

As dawn broke, Naruto was still fast asleep in bed. In his drowsy state, he saw a shadowy figure by the window and mistook it for Uzuki Yugao.

He rolled over without even opening his eyes, and muttered as he flicked his hand.

"Don't bother me if you need anything, I'm fully booked for today!"

Knock, knock, knock—the sound of knocking on the window rang out.

"Open the door! You bastard!" Nine-Tails was furious. "You locked the balcony, how am I supposed to get in? Damn it, you didn't do something shady last night, did you?"

Its face was pressed against the window, its eyes wide open like copper bells!

"Open the door!"

Inside the room, Naruto was fast asleep, completely unaware of the noise outside. He even had time to scratch his bottom, turn over, and continue sleeping.

In his dream, he vaguely saw the Nine-Tails. However, the dream was somewhat absurd, and the background seemed to be modern, with him sitting in a car.

Nine-Tails was pounding on the car window, seemingly shouting something. Its exaggerated gestures and movements looked somewhat comical, and it appeared quite agitated.

"Damn it, is that Nine-Tails insane? It won't even leave me alone in my dreams," Naruto muttered, rubbing his forehead. "What is this bastard even talking about?"

Outside the window, the Nine-Tails was already fed up and wanted nothing more than to smash the window. But the thought quickly faded; it understood the principle of having enough to eat at every meal.

After struggling for a while, it finally gave up and jumped off the second floor. Just as it was about to escape along the edge of the wall, it suddenly looked up and saw a familiar figure.

It stood up abruptly, squinted at the scene for a while, and then suddenly felt the urge to drink.

Hinata walked nervously toward Naruto, wrapped in her clothes. She kept glancing around, afraid of being seen.

She didn't originally need to leave so early, and after agreeing, she immediately regretted it. She hesitated for most of the night, but didn't dare tell Naruto that she wouldn't be going tomorrow.

Unable to sleep at all, after much deliberation, I finally went out as soon as it was barely light. I was on edge the whole way, my mind tense and on edge.

The Hyuga compound isn't too far from Naruto, but taking the main road might require a winding, circuitous route. However, choosing the side paths would take much less time.

Hinata emerged from the dark alleyway, just as she was about to look up, she was startled by something flashing red in front of her.

"Ah!"

"It's you." Hinata breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Nine-Tails clearly.

She crouched down and reached out to stroke Nine-Tails Fox's head. Nine-Tails- Tailed Fox looked eager, thinking, "Quickly, give me some wine! Quickly, buy me some wine! Consider it compensation."

Hinata was somewhat distracted today, and having not slept all night, she was both sleepy and nervous. Looking down, she didn't notice Nine-Tails's unusual behavior, rubbed its head, and let it go.

"Alright, I'm leaving now." Hinata stood up, smoothed her skirt, and prepared to go.

Nine-Tails stood there dumbfounded; things weren't going as it had imagined. Shouldn't it be feeding itself alcohol as before?

Women are so fickle.

It gazed in the direction Hinata had left, its narrow eyes squinting. That's the direction that woman wouldn't go looking for that brat, huh? Heh heh, she can't get in.

Nine-Tails shook its head and walked away with a hint of schadenfreude.

Naruto had opened Hinata's heart and was about to have a heart-to-heart talk with her when he suddenly noticed that something was wrong with Hinata's condition. He frowned and asked with a worried expression.

What's wrong with you?

"I'm fine." Hinata turned her face to the other side, her hand outwards. "I'm just a little sleepy and don't have much energy?"

"Didn't you sleep last night?" Naruto raised an eyebrow, pulled Hinata up, and tidied her hair. "Then why didn't you tell me sooner? You didn't have to force yourself like this."

"No, I was just a little nervous and couldn't sleep." She seemed a little guilty. "It should be fine, so... I thought about it and decided to come."

"Silly, really," Naruto pinched Hinata's cheek.

"Pain."

Naruto: "."

He didn't understand what a woman's sore spot was; it didn't hurt before, but pinching her cheek hurt now. However, he also understood that this was just her being coquettish, and he wasn't going to discuss Hinata's future with her.

The two embraced and talked for a while, offering some comforting words, and Hinata's tense state gradually relaxed. Before long, Hinata fell asleep with steady breathing.

Naruto glanced down at Hinata, then looked out the window, and sighed silently.

It's all Kurama's Nine-Tails! If it hadn't appeared in my dream, I wouldn't have overslept! And if I hadn't overslept, I wouldn't have ignored Hinata's feelings.

As expected, details determine success or failure; my hand is numb. Hinata it as a pillow, so it's truly numb in a physical sense.

Fortunately, Hinata didn't have the habit of sleeping for long periods; perhaps she was just too tired, and was only dozing off with her eyes closed. Her beautiful eyelashes trembled slightly, her profile was adorable and charming, and she looked completely unguarded.

Naruto really wanted to reach out and touch Hinata, but he was worried about waking her, so he could only maintain this somewhat awkward posture. It wasn't until almost noon that Hinata slowly woke up.

First, her eyelashes fluttered slightly, her eyelids lifted slightly, and her small mouth parted slightly as she let out a soft moan. Her long, black, flowing hair cascaded down like a waterfall, covering half of her face.

She seemed not fully awake, slowly opening her sleepy eyes with a look of confusion in them. She was probably wondering where she was and who she was.

Seeing Hinata's silly appearance, Naruto couldn't help but look away.

"Hinata, you're awake?"

"Ah! When did I fall asleep?" Hinata blushed slightly, probably not expecting that she had actually fallen asleep. "I'm sorry, I... I had already promised you."

"It's okay, just remember to get a good night's sleep next time." He was also a little helpless.

Hinata quietly left Naruto and wandered around the streets for a while. Actually, she was still a little dazed. She stepped into a shop and asked the owner.

Do you have yarn for knitting scarves?

Ino arrived shortly after, just as Naruto finished cleaning up, ensuring not a single hair was left on the floor. Although there were some unexpected incidents, he really didn't do anything wrong.

But women are never reasonable, and he didn't want to gamble.

Ino snorted, raised her chin, glanced at him, and then rubbed her hand on the top of the shoe cabinet in the entryway, leaving a handful of dust. She immediately felt uneasy.

"Naruto!"

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" he apologized sincerely, looking remorseful.

"I knew it! Honestly, Naruto, even if you live alone, you still need to pay attention to hygiene." Ino was changing her shoes in the entryway, pouting and muttering to herself.

"Yes, yes, yes." Naruto didn't care at all and replied with a smile.

He cleaned almost the entire apartment, so how could he possibly overlook such a prominent spot as the shoe cabinet? The reason he didn't clean it was intentional on Naruto's part.

Naruto clearly remembered that Ino had mentioned the dust on top of the shoe cabinet when she last came. While cleaning, he suddenly realized that being too clean was also a suspicious thing.

Ino is much smarter than Hinata, who's so clueless. If I tidied myself up too well, she'd be suspicious. So I simply left a loophole to attract her attention.

As expected, Ino seemed very happy, and things went smoothly. The two chatted on the sofa for a while, and then went to the bathroom together to fix the showerhead.

As the sun set, casting a warm glow, Naruto slowly woke up, still feeling a bit sleepy. He glanced at Ino beside him, gave her a hug, and rolled over to go back to sleep.

The next morning.

Ino pinched Naruto's nose and frowned as she looked at him.

"What's wrong?"

"Didn't you say you were leaving on a mission yesterday?" she asked, somewhat annoyed, gritting her teeth. "I feel like you've lied to me again!"

"No, I'm on a mission, but... a day or two off won't hurt," Naruto said evasively.

"You!" Ino was a little angry. Why did she feel like she was about to fall apart, while this person was refreshed and energetic?

The matter still needed to be done. After Ino left, he tidied himself up quickly and then quietly left Konohagakure, opening the Gate of Hades in the Konoha Forest.

He stepped in, then stepped out again, and had arrived at... Naruto carefully looked around again, then suddenly realized he'd misjudged the location.

They probably made the wrong choice, as they were teleported directly from Konohagakure to the edge of the Land of Wind.

"Huh?" Naruto was dumbfounded.

Just as he was about to open the Gate of Hades again to go to Iwagakure, he suddenly remembered something: he seemed to have forgotten about the Land of Wind.

The Kazekage of Sunagakure is Gaara, but even he doesn't seem to have complete control over the Sunagakure, let alone the Land of Wind. The current Kazekage's influence is limited, and the situation remains precarious.

The thought flashed through his mind, but Naruto showed no intention of changing his plan. With a wave of his hand, the Gate of Hades opened once more.

Iwagakure is surrounded by high mountains, and the village itself is nestled among them. Almost all the Iwagakure ninja wear red headbands and worship stones.

The current Kage is the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, a short, elderly man with gray hair. He has a foul temper and is stubborn, with a very tough attitude towards people and things.

To put it bluntly, the people in this village are generally not very good-tempered. This is also thanks to the First Hokage Tsuchikage, who proposed the Will of Stone.

It means a resilient heart, never giving up.

Under the influence of the First Hokage Tsuchikage, Ōnoki grew into a powerful but ill-tempered ninja and remained in the position of Tsuchikage for decades.

Rather than a village, it's more like a small, hereditary state in a feudal context. Due to its topography, the village had virtually no contact with the outside world.

The position of Tsuchikage will, barring any unforeseen circumstances, fall to Ōnoki, Onoki's Kurotsuchi.

Naruto hid somewhere high in the mountains, looking down at Iwagakure. White clouds seemed within reach, and mist swirled around him. Honeycomb-like buildings were scattered across the mountainside below.

He glanced at it briefly; Iwagakure was built against the mountain, fortified against a natural barrier. Its high vantage point made it easy to defend and difficult to attack. He thought to himself, no wonder the First Hokage Tsuchikage and Hashirama Senju spoke with such confidence.

If this dilapidated village is destroyed, we can find a mountain and copy the same version in no time.

That's the Will of Stone! It's just a rock in a latrine, smelly and hard. We know Hashirama Senju has a good temper, so even if we anger him, he won't destroy the village.

If it were Uchiha Madara, the First Hokage, Iwagakure would have been wiped off the map of the Shinobi World. How could it have survived to this day, still at the level of the Third Hokage?

To put it bluntly, nobody wants to mess with this harsh, Kitsuchi land. With Ōnoki holding down the fort, Iwagakure can maintain its place in the Shinobi World.

"Ōnoki is just a stinky rock, there's no point in messing with him," Naruto muttered to himself. "Everyone has weaknesses. Iwagakure is in a period of transition, and the candidate for the Fourth Hokage has basically been decided."

"Kurotsuchi. Good name, the future Fourth Hokage the Leg Shadow, Ōnoki's granddaughter. If something happens to her, Ōnoki can't possibly not care."

At this time, in Iwagakure.

At a food stall, a little ninja held two portions of food, looking conflicted.

"Choose?" The girl, Kurotsuchi, had a blade of grass she'd plucked from somewhere dangling from her mouth, her face radiating the arrogance of a spoiled brat. "Of course I want them all!"

"But... you can't finish it," the person muttered softly.

"What?" Kurotsuchi's eyes lit up as if he wanted to devour someone. "You're saying I can't do it? How could I not finish it? I'll prove it to you right now!"

After saying that, Kurotsuchi grabbed two portions of food and stuffed them into his mouth, looking both arrogant and not very smart.

"Forehead"

Naruto had just sneaked into the village when Kurotsuchi and the other man brushed past each other in a hurry, leaving Naruto speechless. He thought to himself, "How come I didn't realize this guy was so clueless during the Five Kage Summit? He's like an idiot."

It just so happens that the Evil God follower are short of people, so as long as Kurotsuchi is controlled, there's no worry about Iwagakure not descending into chaos. Iwagakure's technology isn't advanced, but its population and ninja army shouldn't be underestimated.

With a penchant for militarism, Iwagakure follows a hardline war strategy, resorting to war at the slightest provocation. Even though the village is backward and has a low standard of living, it can still afford to support its army.

Naruto didn't know about the other ninja villages, but he knew that Kumogakure and Iwagakure were definitely the ones most eager for war. The war machine was set in motion, and countless treasures of gold were scattered about.

Konohagakure.

Choji looked at the person in front of him, scratched his head, and said with some difficulty.

"I really don't know where Naruto went. He rarely said goodbye to me when he left the village."

Upon hearing this, Ino put her hands on her hips and said with a hint of resentment.

"Aren't you two best friends? Choji, you're Tenten covering for him, don't think I don't know."

Upon hearing this, Choji immediately panicked. He thought to himself that he had no choice; that bastard Naruto was forcing him into this situation, and he had no other option.

"No, no." His smile was fake.

Even though he was cursing Naruto to the bone in his mind, he still didn't follow Ino's lead. He just forced a stiff smile and said...

"Why don't we ask Kakashi-sensei? He might know."

"But Ino, why did you suddenly ask that question?"

"It's nothing, because that guy rarely tells the truth, and I'm afraid he's gone off somewhere crazy again," she replied.