They Can Be Given, but They Cannot Take

Upon hearing this, Naruto instantly pictured Baki's face, half of which was covered by a white cloth.

After the Chunin Ninja Exams, Sand.

During this operation, both Konohagakure and Sand exposed each other's weaknesses. Coupled with the Kazekage's absence, this led to an alliance between Konohagakure and Sand.

The older brother is on the decline, and his former rival is losing so much money that his kidneys are almost ruined. In order to avoid being swallowed up by the Mad Dog Gang next door, the two decided to join forces.

Former enemies shake hands and make peace, undoubtedly overlooking many worldly dust. And these dust grains, falling on ordinary people, become a mountain of grudges.

Just like Uzuki Yugao before her, her lover died a glorious death for the village, which should have been the best ending for a ninja. But then, her enemy became her partner, which she could not accept.

But she could understand that this was simply a choice made in the best interests of the village. It was precisely because she understood this that she felt so repressed, and for a long time she couldn't sleep.

They couldn't swallow this insult, but they wouldn't cause trouble.

Gekko Hayate is already a hero, and has received all the posthumous honors she deserves. If she were to reappear now, how could Gekko Hayate rest in peace underground?

She struggled with this for a long time, and even became so haggard that she couldn't go on her mission.

One morning, Uzuki Yugao caught a glimpse of Kakashi returning to the village from a mission. He was walking down a crowded street, carrying a bag on his back and reading a book as he went.

His eyes would occasionally crinkle into a knowing, maternal smile.

Nikko streamed down Konohagakure Street as Kakashi walked along, seemingly oblivious to everything around him. He appeared carefree and happy even when alone.

If it weren't for the fact that Uzuki Yugao and Kakashi had known each other for many years, one would likely think that this guy naturally exudes happiness. In reality, besides a few friends, he has nothing left.

His parents and friends all died before him. Even Kakashi's father died by suicide, a fact that Kakashi found difficult to accept.

But now it seems that time has erased many things.

She stared for a while, and by the time she came to her senses, Kakashi was already gone. It was then that Uzuki Yugao became determined to throw herself into her work; as long as she worked overtime fast enough, there would be no sadness, only love.

Thus, Uzuki Yugao became a dedicated fighter in the competitive world, her diligent work Tsunade the eye of the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade. At that time, Konohagakure was in a state of flux, with no one available to take over Fifth Hokage.

Uzuki Yugao, a carefree single woman, is a hardworking and conscientious person who can even skip shower gel and go out on a mission while taking a shower. Tsunade believes that this girl has great potential.

And so, six years passed in a row. They were busy until the Fifth Hokage, Fatty Snake Skin, stepped down, and the Hokage Position was passed around to the unlucky Kakashi.

As a result, she became the Anbu Captain, and held a position in the Konoha High Command.

But in the end, she realized that even after reaching that position, she still couldn't let go of the knot in her heart. Why was Baki from Sunagakure allowed to live? Was it just because of his high status?

A life for a life—that's only right and proper.

"I want to kill him!" Uzuki Yugao paused, then repeated solemnly, "Now I think about how to get revenge every day."

"That's a bit difficult. First, you have to sneak into the Land of Wind." Naruto squatted on a stone bench, holding a beer can in his hand, and said with a grin.

"Secondly, you need to find Baki, kill him, and then leave."

"I can't do it." Uzuki Yugao slowly shook her head. So much time had passed that she no longer had much anger left in her heart, only a trace of obsession remained.

"If you can't do that, then it's troublesome. You could try offering a bounty or something." Naruto took a swig of beer. "It's a pity that the Akatsuki Organization is scattered now, otherwise they could still take on missions."

He was the one who dismantled the Akatsuki Organization, yet now he speaks of it so casually, as if it had nothing to do with him.

Uzuki Yugao turned to look at him but didn't speak. After a long silence, she finally asked.

Are these the only options?

"And what are your own thoughts?" Naruto didn't answer directly, but instead asked in return.

"Me?" Uzuki Yugao was confused, looking at the night in the distance. "I've been thinking about revenge, but I don't seem to have a concrete plan for how to do it."

"Sitting in this position is what I desire, but it is also a constraint. I can't abandon the interests of the village and put personal grudges first."

"Let's have a drink then." Naruto didn't like meddling in other people's business; this was just a casual chat between friends.

"Hmm." Uzuki Yugao opened the beer can.

The two beer cans clinked together and continued drinking. Time passed slowly, and more and more empty cans accumulated on the ground, covering the entire area.

These were just ordinary beers, not enough to get them drunk. Finally, the two stood up, their faces flushed and bodies unsteady, and said goodbye.

It was just a normal meeting and chat; nothing more. True friendship is like water, pure and simple; a good night's sleep will make everything forgotten.

Uzuki Yugao is not a self-pitying person, nor does she act on emotion.

The next day.

Naruto washed up and went downstairs, basking in the sun for a while. He saw a dog barking at him from the roadside. He narrowed his eyes slightly, walked over, and kicked the dog.

The dog immediately started whimpering and backed away.

"Who is it, bullying my dog!" someone shouted from upstairs.

"Your dad." Naruto looked up, revealing a set of white teeth, and waved with a smile. "What's wrong? Do you have any objections? Come down and talk to me first."

The villager immediately deflated upon seeing the blond-haired man. His previous bravado vanished, and he silently withdrew his head. This man was more aggressive than a dog; he couldn't be messed with.

Naruto laughed and turned to leave. He could do whatever he wanted in Konohagakure, and he could do the same outside.

Upstairs, the person shrank back.

"What just happened?" the man's friend asked from inside the room.

"Don't even mention it, I almost offended that scoundrel, I was terrified." The man patted his chest, still shaken.

"So what if you messed with him? Is he going to kill you?" my friend said nonchalantly. "It's not like the Fifth Hokage is in power now, and the Sixth Hokage isn't going to protect him too much."

"Ninjas cannot attack civilians in the village, and he is no exception."

The man immediately fell silent at his friend's boastful behavior, which was none of his business. He stared at his friend with a long face and a complicated expression.

"I haven't done anything to wrong you, have I? I wasn't involved in your cuckolding, I'm innocent."

"I know." My friend felt a little heartbroken and managed a forced, awkward smile.

Naruto hadn't wandered around the village much in a long time, so he strolled slowly toward the Hokage Building. He stopped to rest as he passed a group of people chatting and sunbathing.

The voices of those people also reached his ears; they were loud and clear.

That woman

Hokage Building.

He looked up at the Hokage Building, squinting as the sunlight stung his eyes. After a moment's pause, Naruto stepped inside.

"Kakashi-sensei, you seem quite busy?" He walked into the office, pulled out a chair, and sat down by himself.

Kakashi was slumped over his desk, looking utterly exhausted, with thick dark circles under his eyes. Nearly thirty and still unmarried, he was practically collapsing from exhaustion at his desk.

"Why are you here?" Kakashi looked up. Before this, he had specially made it convenient for Naruto to come and go, so that Naruto did not need to report his whereabouts.

Konohagakure is, after all, a ninja village. Generally speaking, even the Hokage doesn't have the authority to grant someone such a pioneering privilege. The Hokage can only make suggestions, and then the higher-ups make a collective decision.

But after discussing it, the higher-ups realized they couldn't restrict him anyway, so they simply approved it.

What a joke! The last batch of high-ranking officials who challenged Naruto are already buried in graves. The Third Hokage is dead, Danzo is dead—one died at Orochimaru's hands, the other at the hands of the Uchiha.

Even though he has nothing to do with Naruto, he is still quite feared.

Fortunately, the newly appointed Konoha High Command all had a close relationship with Naruto, although that relationship has now become somewhat strained due to someone's questionable actions.

It's clear to the naked eye that in another ten years or so, after the Konoha High Command undergoes a reshuffle, if Naruto's strength declines, or if the village matures, their attitude towards Naruto will certainly not be the same as it is now.

However, this stalemate wouldn't last long; he believed that changing circumstances would naturally alter things. Nothing is immutable; movement brings change, and change brings progress.

"Just came to look around, I'm too bored," Naruto lied.

Kakashi glanced at him, clearly not believing him. He knew his student all too well; he was a complex person, yet also rather lazy.

If you can sit, never stand; if you can lie down, never sit.

This person definitely doesn't come here unless they have a reason. Just browsing? How could he say that? He lies without batting an eye. How despicable.

"Then you can watch, but don't bother me." Kakashi stared at Naruto for a moment with his dead fish eyes.

"How does it feel to be Hokage?" Naruto asked with a hint of schadenfreude.

"Not so great, I'm busy every day." Kakashi glanced at him. "If you're really bored, you can try coming here more often and helping me out."

"Kakashi-sensei, I haven't offended you in any way, have I?" he asked.

"Why do you say that?" Kakashi asked in surprise. "However, you've offended me in many ways. If you're really so interested, you might as well consider whether you want to take over the position of the Seventh Hokage."

No, no!

The prestigious Hokage Position, a position Danzo could never attain in his entire life, is now being casually tossed around by the two of them like a piece of white tea in a market.

If Danzo knew this in the Danzo, he would surely be turning in his grave, trembling with fear!

Damn it, if you don't want it, I will!

The Hokage Position was nothing more than a hot potato in the eyes of this fake master and disciple duo. Kakashi only accepted it out of obligation to the village.

The Fifth Hokage Tsunade, Tsunade, happily ran away after the game of musical chairs.

After working for more than half a year, Kakashi felt like he was going to vomit blood all the time. The workload was simply outrageous; he was dealing with documents all day long. Only an old man like the Third Hokage, who had no desires or ambitions, could sit still like that.

Kakashi is, after all, just over thirty; he can't stand sitting for long periods. If this continues, his prostate will explode.

"Oh well, I won't be in this position for long anyway." Kakashi sighed. "I'll probably have to take a break in about two and a half years at most."

"Who can make things difficult for you?" Naruto asked.

"Those Daimyo from the Land of Fire, I guess you could say they made things difficult for me, secretly tripping me up." Kakashi sighed. "Dealing with them is exhausting. They really didn't need to do that. I never planned to stay for long anyway."

"Daimyo?" Naruto racked his brains, but he couldn't remember what the Daimyo looked like. He usually didn't associate with nobles of the Daimyo's rank.

"Why are those nobles eyeing the ninja village instead of having a proper silver party?"

"Heh." Kakashi chuckled, giving you a look that said, "The relationship between Konohagakure and the Capital City of the Land of Fire has always been complicated, and the Daimyo are not necessarily representatives of nobility."

"There are many nobles who are on good terms with Konohagakure, but there are also many nobles who hate Konohagakure. The reason why Daimyo is Daimyo is because he doesn't like Konohagakure."

"Why?" Naruto was slightly taken aback, as he rarely heard such secrets.

Even during the Fifth Hokage Tsunade's tenure, she never brought these matters up with him. It's highly likely Tsunade didn't care, after all, she was just a Fifth Hokage.

"What nobles fear most is that the Daimyo and the Hokage are of one mind, so naturally they won't elect a Daimyo who likes Konohagakure." Kakashi coughed.

"But all that doesn't matter anymore. Anyway, I'd love to step down." Kakashi rested one hand on the table and chuckled self-deprecatingly.

"I'm just worried that these next two years might not be easy, it's so frustrating."

Upon hearing this, Naruto understood and, after a moment of silence, raised his head again. He looked at Kakashi, pondered for a moment, and then spoke.

"That makes sense, but the Hokage can give, and only what is given to them is truly theirs. They can't just take it from them."

"You'll get used to it. Those nobles are always so arrogant," Kakashi said. "Just ignore them. It's not worth wasting your time getting entangled with them."

"Hmm." Naruto seemed to be deep in thought.

The Land of Snow.

A group of uninvited guests claiming to be envoys from the Land of Grass traveled a great distance to the Land of Snow, demanding to see Queen Kazahana Koyuki of the Land of Snow.

Upon receiving the message, Kazahana Koyuki was initially taken aback, but then regained her composure.

"Let's meet."

Even so, Kazahana Koyuki was still somewhat uneasy. How could those people, separated by thousands of miles, know about the Land of Snow? And why would they travel such a long distance? What were they after?

"Your Queen, the Land of Grass is not a kind and honest country," the minister reminded her. "The Land of Grass has always had a bad reputation, relying on selling intelligence and betraying trust to survive."

"Moreover, what those people love most is stealing."

"Steal?" Kazahana Koyuki blinked. She had never been to the Land of Grass. "What do you mean?"

"The Land of Grass should imitate the Ninjutsu of other countries, or even their history and culture; steal them and forcefully claim they originated from them," the retainer replied.

"This country has no sense of righteousness and no backbone. Your Majesty, please be careful. Those people have ill intentions."

Upon hearing this, Kazahana Koyuki was a little nervous, but then she remembered that she could call for backup, and she immediately calmed down.