Obito Uchiha Was Still on His Way Here on Horseback

Wearing Anbu uniform would be the most reasonable option. Even if Konan made a big movement and was accidentally noticed, Obito Uchiha wouldn't suspect Konan.

"Hmm." She nodded, lowered her head in silence for a moment, then looked up and asked, "Can the Rinnegan really revive the dead?"

"Theoretically, yes, so what?" He glanced at Konan, his eyes slightly lowered. "You have someone you want to resurrect? It's possible, but it has to be a life for a life."

"A life for a life?" Konan frowned slightly.

"The Rinnegan can summon the souls of the dead and give them flesh and blood," Naruto patiently explained. "The only drawback is that if someone has been dead for too long, they cannot open the Yomi."

"What he can't do, I can do, so Obito Uchiha will definitely come looking for me."

"Without the Rinnegan, there's no way to revive." Konan clenched her fists unconsciously, seemingly unwilling to accept it. "If I had transplanted the Rinnegan back then, could I have asked you to revive Yahiko and Nagato?"

"That's true, but guess why Nagato specifically asked you to give me the Rinnegan after reviving you?" Naruto crossed his legs and smiled.

"Because I can't handle it?" she asked.

"You could say that. As you said before, Nagato used his last bit of life force to revive you. From that moment on, you were unable to use the Rinnegan."

"It's a limitation, but it's not the main reason."

"Nagato could guess with his eyes closed what you would do after getting the Rinnegan. He traded his life for yours, and now you want to trade your own life to bring them both back to life?"

"Isn't this just a nesting doll? Or rather, an ineffective nesting doll?"

Hearing this, Konan sighed. Naruto was right; doing this was indeed pointless. Thinking about it was just wishful thinking; she decided to give up.

"Then I won't think about it anymore," she said.

Naruto didn't know what to say, and he didn't want to delve any further into the topic. Trying to persuade him wouldn't work either, since Konan was Evil God follower he had tricked into signing.

He was also counting on Konan as a helper to do things for him, as relying solely on Hydrangea and Yakumo Kurama was not enough, as the two of them were not capable enough.

So he simply skipped the topic.

The discussion on the plan's details reached its later stages, Konan, unusually, blushed, yet remained expressionless and persisted in the discussion. They managed to finalize the plan's details and reach a preliminary understanding with Naruto.

After they finished talking, the two stopped talking and lay down on their respective sofas to rest, as if they had exhausted all their energy and entered energy-saving mode.

As night fell, Naruto woke up on the sofa and looked out the window at the darkness. He groggily opened his eyes and glanced around before realizing that Konan had already gone back to her room to rest.

After standing there for a while, he went out to find something to eat before going home. It was kind of funny, really; he was used to living alone and preferred to eat out since no one cooked for him.

Not for anything else, but for that touch of everyday life.

He went out of his house, took out his communicator, and called Choji directly. Soon after, Choji's dissatisfied voice came from the other end of the phone.

"You bastard! Last time you took all the food with you, and I waited half an hour for the second table to be served. I almost starved to death! You heartless wretch, I really am!"

Naruto moved his phone further away and waited for Choji to finish his rambling complaints before speaking.

"Choji, want to go out for a drink?"

"I'm not going!" Choji refused outright. "Damn it, you're definitely trying to trick me into paying the bill! I'm not going, you can go find someone else, I'm not going!"

The chubby Enjiro refused his invitation and expressed his dissatisfaction.

"It's my treat."

"Really?" Choji suddenly asked.

"Really, why would I lie to you?" Naruto continued to deceive him, glancing at the sky. "You haven't eaten yet, have you? Come out and eat with us, we're brothers."

"Okay, wait for me." Choji hesitated for a moment but still agreed. It wasn't that he was short of money, but he just couldn't swallow this insult.

So Choji was tricked into going out and they met at a small shop they often ran into. Choji glanced at a plate of cold dishes on the table, paused for a moment, and asked...

"Where's the food?"

"Isn't it on the table?"

"Where's the wine?"

"Wait a minute!" Naruto pulled out a small bottle of sake with a bang, completely stunning Choji.

"Naruto, you really are..." Choji's hands trembled violently, finally giving in. "Is this what you meant by 'food and drinks,' treating everyone to the meal and paying the bill'?"

"Yes, things have come to this, let's eat first," Naruto said calmly.

"I give up, I give up." Choji covered his face. "Ordering, ordering, I'll do it. You're really something, Naruto Uzumaki, can't you find someone else to mess with?"

Upon hearing this, Naruto shrugged.

"I asked Shikamaru, but he's working overtime. Kiba is on a mission, and everyone else has something to do to varying degrees. You're the only one with free time. So, you don't have a choice."

The two chatted idly while eating, as there wasn't much going on in Konohagakure anyway. Choji was genuinely bored, otherwise he wouldn't be available whenever called upon, and he didn't have any lofty ambitions to rise to the upper echelons.

Every day, the first question he faces upon waking is what to eat for lunch and what to eat for dinner. His father, Choza Akimichi, handles family matters; it's not his place, this chubby eighteen-year-old boy, to worry about them.

"Hey, I have a feeling something's not quite right in the Shinobi World lately," Choji said, his small eyes narrowing and his brows furrowing as he gripped his chopsticks with his chubby hands.

"What's wrong?" Naruto picked up a piece of meat with his chopsticks.

"Although I don't manage things much, and my sense of direction and smell are definitely not as good as Shikamaru's, I have plenty of time," Choji said seriously, putting down his chopsticks.

"I don't consider myself to be the most talented in Ninjutsu, but when it comes to food, I believe I'm second to none. Others can only obtain information through traditional channels, but I can glean some insights from food."

"For example what?" he asked.

"For example, the Land of Snow used to be famous for its snow lotus, but now it seems the yield has decreased," Choji said. "I didn't pay much attention to this before, but can you believe that the Land of Snow is a major rice producer?"

"So what?" Naruto said dismissively.

"No, no, no, you don't understand the world of foodies. The Land of Snow is located in an extremely cold region, and the plains formed by its erosion produce very little rice, but the quality is high." Choji licked his lips.

"Then what?"

"Land of Snow cannot produce that much rice; even the domestic supply is not enough. Snow Country rice that is usually traded is even more expensive, but now, there is a lot more Land of Snow rice on the market."

Choji spoke eloquently, his chubby cheeks twitching, his small eyes narrowed as he held his chopsticks and leaned forward, speaking earnestly.

"Where did the leaked snow rice come from? Something big must have happened in the Land of Snow. Either there was a coup, or the Land of Snow has risen up."

"Otherwise, how could a small country thousands of miles away, surrounded by ice and snow, with its limited production and inconvenient transportation, possibly have managed to conduct trade with the Land of Fire?"

Naruto put down his chopsticks and suddenly realized that Choji wasn't just a glutton; he was quite intelligent too. It's just that he lived in Shikamaru's shadow all day, never showing his true potential.

"A coup did indeed occur in the Land of Snow. Six years ago, I personally sent the former king away."

"Are you kidding me? If you were to—" Choji suddenly froze halfway through his sentence, abruptly looking up at Naruto and swallowing hard.

"Are you kidding me?"

"What do you think?" He put down his chopsticks and poured himself a cup of tea. "Would you be too surprised if I said the Land of Snow was mine?"

"Six years ago, you were only Genin, right? Didn't the mission to the Land of Snow fail?" Choji asked incredulously, his small eyes wide.

"Do you remember that time when the four of you were adrift at sea for a month, eventually ending up on a deserted island, and Kakashi-sensei brought you back?"

"I remember the mission should have failed. I heard that you almost got your entire ship sacrificed by those lunatics from the Land of Hot Water before you even reached the Land of Snow."

"Yes, but I went there secretly again later, only taking Kazahana Koyuki with me," Naruto said slowly. "By the way, Kazahana Koyuki is Princess Fuun."

"Princess Fuun?" Choji stood up abruptly. "No wonder the Princess Fuun movie series had such a bad ending. Did she go back to inherit the throne?"

"Pretty much. After driving out the old king, she became the Queen of the Land of Snow." Naruto nodded, his mind instantly recalling memories of that time.

Suddenly, he realized that the three women at sea all seemed to have something to do with him. Whether it was Anko, Sakura, or Kazahana Koyuki, all three seemed to have become entangled with him at crossroads due to various reasons.

Like the gears of fate, the journey began slowly from the moment the four boarded the ship after the mission to the Land of Snow commenced. Only later, looking back, did they realize that their destinies had long been intertwined and inseparable.

"So the Land of Snow really is yours?" Choji sat down, taking a deep breath. "The entire Land of Snow is yours?"

"No."

"That's good, you scared me to death! I knew it was impossible."

"Half and half," he said, but in his heart he was thinking, "Even the Queen of the Land of Snow is mine."

Choji nearly coughed up blood, clutching his heart as he spoke.

"You already had a small country six years ago? What was I doing back then? Damn it, so you're saying I'm the only one who's accomplished nothing all these years?"

On this day, Choji sadly discovers that his former companions have all achieved their own successes, and even the brothers who promised to be at the bottom of the class together have secretly formed their own small country.

"More than one."

"What?" Choji asked, looking up.

"It's nothing," Naruto waved his hand. "What use would I have for so many small countries? I'm not going to be a king. You know me, I just want to lie down."

"Don't lie there, this meal is on me. Can you find a way to get me some snow lotus from the Land of Snow?" Choji complained, pulling him aside. "My father-in-law's birthday is in a few days, can you help me out?"

"No problem, I'll send it to you in a couple of days," he readily agreed.

"Two days? That fast?" Choji was a little confused.

"Express delivery, I have to arrange it for you." Naruto didn't want to expose the Gate of Hades for the time being, so as not to damage Choji's confidence.

Although Naruto always skips out on the bill at dinner parties, which Choji finds incredibly annoying, Choji goes whenever Naruto. The disparity in their social standing is so great that it's difficult for them to become friends.

Of the former Konoha Twelve, only Naruto and Choji seem to be still loafing around. Perhaps their dreams are similar: to lie around and eat.

The two enjoyed their meal immensely, and before leaving, Naruto even packed some food to take home for Konan. Choji, then asked in confusion.

Is there anyone else in your family?

"No, it's for that Fox-dog," Naruto said casually.

"Huh? When did you become so nice to it? Didn't you say it didn't deserve to be eaten before?" Choji scratched his head, thinking to himself, "You've just had a sudden outburst of kindness."

I'm home.

Konan was probably in a bad mood, so she ate a little and went back to her room. The rest wasn't wasted; Naruto fed it to the stray dogs around the area with great interest.

The next day.

Knowing that Obito Uchiha wouldn't arrive at this time, he directly opened the Gate of Hades and traveled to the Land of Snow. Kazahana Koyuki had just finished bathing when Naruto suddenly appeared and gave her a big fright.

"You"

"My friend asked me for snow lotus, do you have any?" Naruto asked directly.

"Yes, I'll have someone prepare it." Kazahana Koyuki smiled, sat down on the sofa, and patted the edge of the sofa as she spoke.

"Come and sit down first."

Wasn't the suffering he endured last time profound enough? Naruto happened to be free anyway, and the anxiety of waiting for Obito Uchiha for many days had been lingering in his mind, so he didn't mind taking a break.

Two hours later, a large quantity of snow lotus, packed in gift boxes, was delivered.

"These need to be refrigerated, or they'll spoil." Kazahana Koyuki's voice was a little hoarse as she weakly pointed to the other half and said, "That's dried goods, so it needs to be protected from moisture."

"I understand, you don't need so many." Naruto put everything away, then turned to look at Kazahana Koyuki. "You should rest well. I'll come see you again next time."

"Mm." She nodded.

After Naruto left, Kazahana Koyuki pursed her lips, lay down on the soft bed, and gave a tired smile. Once she had a child, she wouldn't be lonely anymore.

The Akimichi Clan compound.

Choji stared blankly at the four boxes of snow lotus arranged in a row on the table for a long time. He looked up at Naruto, then looked down at the snow lotus.

"Damn, was what you bragged about yesterday true?"

"Didn't you say you needed it urgently?" Naruto leisurely sipped his tea.

"You got it in half a day if you were in such a hurry? Isn't that a bit too efficient?" Choji clicked his tongue, holding a box of snow lotus and looking at it over and over.

"It's so beautiful."

"The items have been delivered anyway. I have other things to do, so I'll be going now." Naruto got up to leave, but Choji stopped him.

"Where are you rushing off to? Aren't you going to drink today?"

"Giving gifts, I'll give Ino and Hinata a box," Naruto said, counting on his fingers. "I'll also give Kakashi-sensei a box, and Uzuki Yugao a box too. I'll need to ask the Anbu for help in a few days."

"Get out! Get out!" Choji stretched out his chubby hand and pushed him out. "Get out of here, don't show your face, get out of here! Naruto Uzumaki, you deserve to die!"

"Heh, you're just jealous. I'll talk to you again tomorrow." Naruto turned and left, thinking to himself, "Why isn't Obito Uchiha and come here, you bastard."