Uzuki Yugao on Hokage Rock

Kabuto went mad. He discovered that although he couldn't find a place for himself, he could become Orochimaru. And with that power, he could become anyone.

"I did it! I did it!" He was overjoyed, and half of his face revealed Orochimaru's true colors.

Kabuto has never had an identity that truly belongs to him. Without an identity, he is unable to recognize himself, like a person who is invisible.

Ever since enduring Naruto's barrage of trash talk, Kabuto felt this intensified. Fortunately, Orochimaru was there to back him up; he also had the identity of being one of Orochimaru's henchmen.

But now Orochimaru is dead (Kabuto thought he was dead), so he has no identity anymore. Orochimaru's forces have either collapsed or held on.

In the past, Kabuto used a false identity when he contacted Orochimaru's subordinates, but now no one recognizes his identity and no one remembers him.

Driven by this shock, Kabuto broke down and embarked on a path of self-discovery.

In Iwagakure, having achieved his goal, Naruto smiled as he watched Kurotsuchi's staggering figure. Now that Kurotsuchi had signed the contract, how far could the fall of Iwagakure be?

The stubbornest of the Ōnoki Iwagakure has been dealt with, and even the old man Onoki is helpless. The Evil God Contract is neither detectable nor expressible.

Kurotsuchi cannot reveal any information about him to outsiders, nor can he harm his interests in any way. In fact, as long as Kurotsuchi doesn't think about rebelling, nothing will happen.

The Evil God Contract was practically meaningless; Naruto had no interest in managing his subordinates and let them do whatever they wanted. As long as they didn't interfere with what he was doing, they wouldn't be able to find him even if they tried, once everything was over.

Meanwhile, Kurotsuchi returned to the village, only to find that she couldn't bring herself to speak about any information concerning that bastard, and couldn't tell anyone else.

"What happens?"

Kurotsuchi: "."

She was stunned when she realized that all the words she had prepared in her mind had failed her. She opened her mouth, but what came out was not what she wanted to say.

After struggling several times to no avail, she simply gave up. What she thought was a harmless contract had now truly become several shackles on her body.

The Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, found his granddaughter and was relieved to see that she seemed to be unharmed and in no condition.

Iwagakure has returned to peace and tranquility, at least on the surface.

Is Kurotsuchi stupid? If there were other people present who watched the whole thing, they would naturally think she was incredibly stupid, being sold out while still obliviously counting the money for someone else.

Ultimately, however, the devil is always one step ahead of the saint, and this person's deception skills have become increasingly sophisticated. Fabricating lies to divert attention and conceal the true purpose behind his words has almost become instinctive for him.

No matter how clever Kurotsuchi, she was still inexperienced and didn't know what kind of person Jiraiya. Through a combination of sweet talk and information asymmetry, she completely fooled the young girl.

Konohagakure.

Naruto had just returned from the Gate of Hades, and without looking for anyone, he went straight home and lay in bed for a day. Having multiple partners is certainly a blessing, but adding time management makes it less appealing.

Moreover, he's been traveling non-stop these past few days; even a ninja needs a rest. The body isn't made of iron, and pushing itself too hard can easily lead to exhaustion.

When he woke up, it was already evening. The curtains in the room were drawn, and his stomach was empty. Naruto sat up in bed, barefoot, and pulled back the curtains.

The Konohagakure were bathed in the setting sun, their rolling, vibrant red color resembling an oil painting.

Gurgle, gurgle, I'm so hungry!

After standing there for a while, Naruto suddenly found the beautiful scenery rather dull. Whether it was a beautiful woman or the stunning details of life, nothing could compare to his hunger.

Since things have come to this, let's eat first.

He went downstairs and headed towards Ichiraku Ramen. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been to Ichiraku Ramen; it was too far, and he was too lazy to even cook, let alone walk there.

A lamp on the street illuminates the entire village with the warmth of cooking smoke.

Hungry, Naruto mingled in the bustling crowd, his eyes darting around the stalls. But the thought of ramen made him hold back.

Foodies have their own principles; once they've decided to eat ramen, they won't easily change their minds. He plans to eat and then go back to sleep, dealing with anything else tomorrow.

He was unwilling to go through all this trouble, but even as a bystander, he couldn't escape involvement. Whether it was Obito, Black Zetsu, or the yet-to-be-revealed Otsutsuki Clan, anything they wanted to do would inevitably involve the Nine-Tails.

Naruto wanted to erect a monument to his chastity. Damn it, I'm done with Nine-Tails a long time ago! Don't look for me!! I'll repeat this three times: Don't look for me!

But none of this mattered; the other party would come looking for him as soon as he thought of the Nine-Tails.

If the people of Konohagakure or Kumogakure were strong enough, Naruto would hand over the Nine-Tails without hesitation, giving it to whoever wanted it, without the slightest hesitation.

In reality, those righteous people are incredibly weak. If he were to actually do that, the world would be destroyed at least ten or eight times over.

This reminded him of a Chinese tokusatsu drama he'd watched before his transmigration, "Armor Hero Nawa." One person dealt 80-90% of the team's damage—who wouldn't be arrogant in that situation?

Below the boss, I am invincible; above the boss, I am one for one.

Naruto is in a similar situation now, except he's forced to shoulder these burdens. He'd rather stay home and relax than fight.

There were too many troubles; dealing with them one by one would bring a lifetime of unrest. So he chose speedrunning. Since he knew who deserved to die, he would kill them one by one.

Although the original owner of this body had a tough life, Naruto never felt obligated to avenge him. It was only when Obito was practically threatening him that he decided to take his revenge.

Minor grudges can be settled immediately, but major grudges require both physical and psychological revenge. At that time, it was impossible to kill Obito in person, but I had already laid out bait for Obito, waiting for him to come and take the bait.

Lost in thought, Naruto looked up and saw the glowing sign of Ichiraku Ramen. After a moment of confusion, he lifted the noren curtain and went inside.

As soon as he entered the ramen shop, bright lights shone on him.

"What would you like to eat, guests?"

As Ayame was handing ramen to two customers, the kitchen was bustling with activity, and everyone was so busy that they barely had time to breathe. Upon hearing any noise at the shop entrance, they would greet the customers enthusiastically without even turning their heads.

"Char siu set meal." Naruto found an empty seat and sat down.

"Okay, guest Naruto, you're here?"

Ayame was clearly pleased. She hadn't seen Naruto for a while, though Naruto wasn't a frequent visitor anyway, so she only saw him occasionally. Seeing him again after some time apart, this feeling of being trusted and relied upon by a guest made her very happy.

"Hmm." Naruto seemed rather taciturn when eating alone.

Soon, a bowl of clear broth ramen was served. After saying "Please enjoy," Ayame smiled, turned, and left, her fingers twirling lightly behind her back.

After filling his stomach, Naruto left the ramen shop but didn't go straight home. Instead, he wandered aimlessly along Konohagakure Street.

"You seem to have a lot of free time." A familiar voice rang out.

Naruto turned around and saw Uzuki Yugao standing behind him, not wearing her Anbu uniform. Instead, she was dressed in casual clothes, a dark green dress.

She still had that indifferent expression on her face, her hair was tied up with a hair clip, and she was carrying a large bag of beer in her hand.

"Don't you have to work shifts?"

"On vacation," Uzuki Yugao's simpler answer.

"Okay, then you can take your time resting." Naruto nodded and gestured towards home with his chin. "I'll go for a couple of walks and then go home to sleep."

"Hmm." Uzuki Yugao picked up the large bag and turned to leave.

The two nodded to each other; being so familiar with each other, there was no need for formalities. One went east, the other west. Naruto's mind started racing, wondering if he should go find Anko.

Anyway, that person is probably staying at home, completely lying down except for going to work.

Thinking this, Naruto and Uzuki Yugao unexpectedly met again half an hour later. This time, they met at a bend in the path behind the mountain.

It seemed the other person had headed towards the Hokage Rock. Naruto hadn't intended to go there; he was just wandering aimlessly when he happened to arrive. Looking up, he saw the Hokage Rock.

She glanced at Uzuki Yugao again; the other woman's expression remained indifferent.

"Once was luck, but to run into him again is quite a coincidence. I can't just nod and leave like before. "Naruto coughed and asked.

Where are you going?

"Hokage Rock," Uzuki Yugao said, lowering her eyes and then looking up again. She glanced at him and added, "Let's go up for a drink. Are you coming?"

Upon hearing this, Naruto paused for two seconds, initially wanting to refuse, but then he realized he was indeed quite free right now.

"OK."

"Let's go together then." Uzuki Yugao took a step forward first. "Just a quick drink, I didn't expect to run into you. I didn't buy much."

"It's okay, I have some in stock." Naruto casually followed after them.

"That would be perfect." Uzuki Yugao knew that Naruto had a spatial artifact, so she wasn't too surprised. The two of them took turns walking uphill.

The mountain path below Hokage Rock wound its way around several times, but neither of them was in a hurry. They walked up step by step like ordinary people. By the time they reached the summit, it was already dark.

On Hokage Rock, the entire village looks like a disc surrounded by light strips.

The night wind was bleak. The two climbed over the railing and sat down on the outermost stone pier. The large bag of beer lay scattered on the ground, two cans rolling off, which Naruto caught with lightning speed.

With two quick puffs, he popped the beer cap off. In the flickering light, without turning his head, he handed the beer to Uzuki Yugao, who calmly took it and took a sip.

A sip of ice-cold beer followed by a gust of hot night air instantly soaked me in sweat.

"Ah!" Naruto groaned, his eyes narrowed.

Uzuki Yugao, having taken a sip of sake before swallowing, glanced at Naruto. He let out a strange cry, immediately making her too embarrassed to speak.

Damn it, I'm getting a little annoyed.

I finally got a vacation, and this guy almost ruined it all. I should have just let it go; there's no point in drinking alone.

Uzuki Yugao doesn't know many people, and she can hardly find anyone to meet up with during her vacation. She's been working ever since Gekko Hayate died.

Six years have passed in the blink of an eye, but there's nothing particularly sad about it. The other party was a highly respected high-ranking official of Sunagakure, the Kazekage's teacher, while Konohagakure and Sand had long since made peace.

The death of Gekko Hayate was a cataclysmic event for her, but compared to the interests of the village, it was just a tiny speck of dust, a mere grain of sand in the grand scheme of things.

"What are you thinking about?" Naruto noticed the mood of the person next to him and asked casually.

"It's nothing." Uzuki Yugao gulped down her beer, then reached for another can and snapped open the tab.

"It's so much more comfortable sitting here. It's been so long since I've had a drink here." Naruto leaned back, supporting himself on a stone stool, and said with a smile as he gazed at the night view in the distance.

"Hmm." Uzuki Yugao stared coldly ahead, tilting her head back as she drank.

"You're a boring person, drinking alone and not willing to talk." He took a few sips, opened another can, glanced at her, and said, "Don't you trust me?"

"No." Uzuki Yugao frowned. "It's been too long since we've spoken, and I don't know what to say."

"What were you thinking about just now?" Naruto looked around aimlessly, his gaze wandering over the lights of countless homes in the distance. "You were envious because everyone else has a home?"

Only Naruto would dare to say something like that; he has no inhibitions. The same words might carry multiple layers of meaning when spoken by someone else, but when Naruto says them, it's just a casual question.

Uzuki Yugao was well aware of this person's character and didn't take it to heart.

"Um."

"Huh? You actually admitted it." Naruto grinned. "The Anbu Captain is busy, that's what you get in this position. Just look at Kakashi when it comes to settling down."

"I've been doing missions all year round, and I finally didn't have to run around anymore, but then I became Hokage. Isn't this just my destined life of hard work? Settling down is a distant dream."

"I probably won't get married." Uzuki Yugao looked up at the moon over the other side of the mountain, its bright, pale light shining on her face.

"Why?"

"I don't know, it's just a feeling," said Uzuki Yugao.

"Because of Gekko Hayate?" he asked casually, without any ill intent; it was just a casual chat.

Six years have passed since the Chunin Ninja Exams. Time has long since washed away everything, and there's nothing that can't be mentioned.

He had mentioned to her before whether he had ever thought about revenge, Uzuki Yugao's answer at the time was not clear, probably because she herself couldn't figure it out.

"It should be, but not entirely." Uzuki Yugao stopped what she was doing, put the beer can on the ground, and frowned as if she was thinking.

"I had resentment before, but I never showed it and kept it to myself," she said. "Hayate died for the village, but then the village allied with Sand."

"That person is of noble status; he is the Kazekage's teacher. As a member of the Anbu, I should prioritize the interests of the village and put aside my personal hatred."

"And now?" he asked.

"Now?" She laughed self-deprecatingly. "I went to great lengths to get to this position, just to see if my mindset would be different from being at the top, and maybe I would let go."

She paused, then turned to look at Naruto and said.

"Right now, all I want to do is kill that guy."