As Fierce as Ever, Keep Your Cool

Looking back, she realized that she had already gone astray from the moment she vowed to climb to a higher place in Konohagakure to see what the Third Hokage and the others were thinking.

Originally, he just wanted revenge, but it turned into a fit of pique.

Now she has finally seen the scenery that those high-ranking officials once saw, but she is also bound by her high position and is getting further and further away from the path she wants.

As the Anbu Captain, she had to consider the interests of the village first, and then her own personal interests.

Especially during wartime, it's already difficult enough for ordinary people to just survive, and she couldn't bear to strain the relationship between Konohagakure and Sand because of her own actions.

Even a small misunderstanding can lead to the deaths of many people.

Naruto lay on the sofa, his expression unchanged, without a trace of romantic feelings. He didn't care about Uzuki Yugao's sacrifice, and rested his head on his hand, looking somewhat languid.

He tapped his forehead rhythmically with his pinky finger, pondering whether he should make do with this last Evil God follower. First, he needed to find Tsunade and return the twenty years she had lost to her.

But time, that's what he lacks most right now.

The White Zetsu, lurking in the shadows, gave him no chance to breathe. Once he left Konohagakure for a while, Kabuto would most likely turn around and launch a fierce attack on Konohagakure.

He knew Kabuto all too well; a shameless scoundrel, no better than himself.

However, Kabuto, he probably would have done even more ruthlessly. But if he were Kabuto, he would never have been so foolish as to be held back by Danzo and Orochimaru.

He can't leave for now unless he keeps Kabuto busy. As long as that damned bastard has a chance to breathe, he will definitely not let him go.

He thought a lot, his thoughts drifting away from the Konohagakure and towards a more distant place.

Konohagakure had entangled him, preventing him from escaping, yet it had also provided Naruto with nourishment. Friends, teachers, and lovers, little by little, bound his personality.

What was he like before? The events before his transmigration were long ago, and his memories were hazy. For some reason, he'd been thinking about it frequently lately. Perhaps it was because the battle had reached a difficult stage; Kabuto his throat pressed down, making it hard for him to cope. The fact that they were still attacking from a distance, without actually clashing, made it even more unbearable.

Or perhaps it's simply that the time for reckoning has finally come, and the peaceful days are over. The entanglements with Itachi Uchiha and the Akatsuki Organization from a few years ago now seem like minor squabbles.

Orochimaru retired, Kabuto went even crazier, and Obito Uchiha was killed by him. But Kaguya's resurrection did not stop there, and it was unknown when the Otsutsuki would launch a counterattack on the Shinobi World.

Even bigger troubles were lined up one after another, and at this crucial moment, he couldn't do anything about it.

Before he transmigrated, he worked incredibly hard, working so hard that he was still earning money for his boss's wife even after he died. After transmigrating, life became even more dangerous than that of cattle and horses, yet he somehow became lazy.

It wasn't that he didn't want to work hard, but as the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, the village had long placed layers upon layers of constraints on him. These constraints included those in the open, and those in the shadows.

He knew all of these things, but there were some things he wasn't quite clear about, which he gradually figured out later.

Tsunade is good to him, Choji takes care of him, Hinata and Ino are actually very smart, so some of their tricks can't be hidden from them, but so far everything is calm.

The village made him Jinchuriki, intending for him to fight for the village or to serve as a nuclear weapon to deter other ninja villages. Their greatest hope was that he would risk everything to become Hokage.

Whether he ultimately becomes Hokage is not important; what truly matters is his loyalty to the village.

Therefore, Naruto is always lazy, preferring to stay still as much as possible, only getting up to do something when there's a benefit to be had. He won't even bother with anything that benefits the village but not him.

From a very early age, Naruto's ambition was to undermine the village. He only took and did nothing, spoke little, did little and slept a lot—all in preparation for this day.

He had been bedridden for many years, living a leisurely life, but it wasn't that he couldn't work anymore.

"When it comes to competition, everyone in the Shinobi World is just a junior compared to me," Naruto muttered to himself as he lay on the sofa, having already made up his mind.

With a click, the bathroom door opened.

Orange light shone out like silk threads, and Uzuki Yugao stood there in her pajamas, her expression still cold and indifferent.

Naruto stood up and stared blankly at Uzuki Yugao, as if he were in a daze.

"Where the hell did you get those pajamas?"

"I forgot to tell you, when you weren't home, I was covered in blood and could only take a shower here." Uzuki Yugao's face remained expressionless.

"I was afraid you'd get them mixed up, and I didn't want to take the pajamas with me, so I just put them in the closet in the guest room."

Naruto didn't know what to say, but suddenly realized that this was actually a good thing. With a little more patience, things would soon take a turn for the better.

As night fell, Naruto took a shower, and the two of them still sat facing each other on the sofa.

Although both of them knew exactly what was going to happen, neither of them was in a hurry. It was a transaction, and there wasn't much romance involved.

Besides, expecting Uzuki Yugao to show much emotion would be asking too much of her. Naruto hadn't seen her show much emotion; she always seemed aloof and indifferent.

From a distance, there is always a faint sense of loneliness, as if one is wearing the title of a widow.

He didn't ask what Uzuki Yugao was thinking. Ultimately, it was a transaction. Naruto did things for her, and she sold herself to Naruto from head to toe, including her soul.

Of course, there's no need to consider Uzuki Yugao's thoughts when deciding how to use it.

With a snap, Naruto closed the manga and turned to look at Uzuki Yugao, who was waiting quietly. She also looked up, and their eyes met in the air; she understood.

Before Naruto could even get up, Uzuki Yugao walked towards her room on her own. A short while later, she also got up and walked towards her room, closing the door behind her.

"You're quite tolerant, aren't you?"

"No."

"As expected of the Anbu Captain, ordinary pain is nothing to you."

"Stop talking nonsense and hurry up."

"Useless?" Naruto stood up, letting the sweat drip down his face, and looked at Uzuki Yugao with some dissatisfaction. "That's quite insulting. The Anbu Captain has a tough tongue, though."

"Hehe."

"I don't believe you can tolerate this, unless you grind your teeth to pieces."

~~

"What's that slapping sound?" Choji turned to look outside the tent, lifted the curtain and saw that it was already daylight. Tenten was struggling to catch One-Tail fish that was thrashing about.

"Tenten, what are you doing?"

"Rock Lee's injuries are quite serious. He just woke up not long ago, and I was planning to make him a pot of fish soup to help him recover," Tenten said pitifully. "But these fish are too slippery, covered in slime, and I can't catch them at all!"

Catching a fish in the dead of winter is no easy feat, as the nearby river has long been frozen over.

"I can only eat, I can't help you." Choji suddenly asked, "By the way, how's Neji? Has he woken up?"

"No." Tenten's eyes dimmed for a moment. "If Neji and Rock Lee hadn't risked their lives to cover me, I might have died there."

"Oh, this kind of thing." Choji wasn't good with words, he scratched his head, "We're partners, it's okay, Neji will wake up soon."

"Hmm," Tenten replied, clearly in low spirits.

Choji regretted leaving the tent. He really didn't know how to handle this atmosphere, so he took advantage of the fact that Tenten was still scaling the fish. Looking around to make sure no one was there, he nervously moved back into the tent.

He breathed a sigh of relief once he entered the tent.

It wasn't that he didn't care about his companions; he just didn't know how to express it or how to comfort them. Standing there awkwardly, it was rather embarrassing.

"If Naruto were here, that would be great. He's the best at this kind of thing."

After noon, snow began to fall from the sky.

Tenten carried the fish soup toward the Medical Department's main tent. Choji watched her leave before slowly emerging from the tent.

"What are you doing hiding Tenten?" Shikamaru's voice suddenly rang in his ear.

"You scared me to death, Shikamaru!"

"You were the one sneaking around here. Did you make Tenten angry?" Shikamaru asked again.

"How is that possible!"

"Then why are you hiding?"

"Let me tell you, this is what happened." Choji gestured and rattled off a bunch of things, "Tenten is in a bad mood, as you know, Neji and Rock Lee are both injured."

"If you see something like this, you can't just stay silent, otherwise it will be awkward. But I don't know what to say, which makes it even more awkward. After thinking it over, the best thing to do is to avoid it."

"Actually Rock Lee and Neji are fine; they'll be alright in a few days." He added, "Her reaction is probably out of guilt. Sigh, these kinds of things are really..."

Shikamaru sighed, thinking to himself that Choji had been spending too much time with Naruto, and his mind was filled with all sorts of random thoughts. They weren't exactly childish, but they were definitely boring.

The number of deaths has been increasing recently, and even Asuma will be going to the front lines next month. He suddenly felt that this war was absurd; after almost half a month, they still couldn't find out who was behind White Zetsu.

White Zetsu are elusive and their every move causes massive casualties. Sometimes, when White Zetsu land in towns, the ninja forces not only have to deal with the White Zetsu, but also evacuate the civilians.

Everything was done passively; the White Zetsu were completely fearless. But ninjas are human, and naturally they would feel fear when facing a fearless monster. How could they possibly fight this battle?

Even worse, he could clearly sense that the war was not over yet, and that this winter seemed to be exceptionally long.

"When is Naruto coming?" Shikamaru suddenly asked.

"I'm not going." Naruto went into the kitchen and poured himself a glass of ice water. The living room was heated, and even in the dead of winter, he was used to drinking ice water.

"You have a way, right?" Uzuki Yugao, perhaps because of her back pain, was lying on the sofa and couldn't get up. Her usually cold tone softened a bit.

"Yes." Naruto leaned against the window and opened it a crack.

A howling wind blew in, and the cold winter air chilled Naruto's fingers to the bone. He squinted, gazing at the white expanse outside the window.

"Then," Uzuki Yugao wanted to say, but suddenly her lower back ached, and she fell silent.

She was no longer just a simple Anbu Captain; everything she had belonged to the robust young man before her. One's position determines one's perspective; there was no need to hold back any longer.

Whether it's for the village's interests or the people of the Land of Fire, she made her choice yesterday.

Past events fade with the wind, and flowers bloom even without wind.

"You mean the battlefield is full of dead people, right?" Naruto, wearing only a towel around his waist, with a muscular physique as if sculpted by a knife, turned to look at Uzuki Yugao.

"So what? War is bound to kill people." His voice grew colder, seemingly echoing the rustling winter chill. "Would you believe me if I said the person controlling the White Zetsu was after me?"

"I don't believe it." Uzuki Yugao shook her head, seemingly aggravating her wound, and gasped again. "How did you offend them?"

"I greeted his mother."

"That's it?" She looked up at Naruto, a look of doubt on her face.

"That guy is rather stingy. You should know him too, he's Kabuto, Danzo's old subordinate." He explained, "He used to be an outsider of Root, but was later chosen by Danzo to be a swear word."

"His mother can't be called his mother either. Kabuto was originally an orphan, and the orphanage director at the time was Nonō. You should have heard of her, or at least have some impression of her."

"Yes." Uzuki Yugao did have a vague memory of it, but it had been so long that she couldn't quite remember.

"Kabuto treated her like a mother. Nonō could only see Kabuto's growth trajectory through photos. Danzo also secretly used some tricks."

Naruto smiled and continued.

"Nonō 'Kabuto appearance has become so blurred that even if Kabuto were standing right in front of her, she wouldn't recognize Kabuto."

"Why did Danzo do this?" Uzuki Yugao was slightly taken aback; the Anbu didn't have so many complicated details.

"Sealing Ring." Naruto uttered two words.

"Kabuto Danzo did too much dirty work for Danzo, so he's not fit to continue living."

"Nonō was also a former member of Root. She knew too many secrets that were detrimental to Danzo didn't want her to live. So he used Kabuto as a hostage to force Nonō to assassinate Kabuto."

"Nonō had already retired and was killed by Kabuto. Unfortunately, Kabuto escaped in the end, and Danzo did not successfully complete the Sealing Ring."

"You seem unusually patient today?" Uzuki Yugao suddenly said.

"Because our positions are different now, you're no longer the Anbu Captain, Captain Uzuki Yugao." Naruto turned to look at her again. "I thought you wouldn't call me that."

"You!!!" Uzuki Yugao rarely lost her composure, her hands clenched tightly, her teeth clenched as if about to break.

She wanted to say something, to retort sharply, but the thought swirled in her mind and then subsided. She wasn't good at arguing, and she couldn't be bothered to say those shameless things to him.

"Do you understand now?" Naruto brought up the previous topic again. "I have offended Kabuto to the point of no return. He will definitely take revenge on me if he lives. The White Zetsu was his doing."

"He hasn't moved, and I won't leave Konohagakure. I won't lose my composure just because a few people have died, and I won't let myself be lured around like a dog."

"Things on the battlefield must ultimately be resolved through battlefield methods, not by Tailed Beast or the power of Jinchuriki."

"Well, do you have a solution now?" she asked again.

"What should we do?" Naruto, somewhat bewildered.

"Kabuto".

"I guess so. If I see him again," he frowned, then turned fierce, "I'll definitely Impure World Reincarnation Nonō and ask her!"

"How the hell did I risk my life for such a piece of trash!"