Ah, No, I Didn't

"Sasuke has quite the influence; even the genius of the Hyuga Clan has come."

During the raid, Naruto muttered to himself.

"Heh." Neji glanced at him coldly, without saying anything.

Naruto forfeited Chunin Ninja Exams and did not fight the Konoha 12, but it is no secret that Team Seven defeated the Sand Jinchuriki.

"Naruto, shut up a bit." Kiba Inuzuka grinned, adding fuel to the fire with ill intent, "You can't beat them anyway."

"Yes, yes, you little bastard who stole Akamaru's dog food," Naruto agreed, adding insult to injury, "You've probably lost the ability to communicate with humans by now, haven't you?"

"You might be a single loser by now, even if Akamaru gets married."

"Damn it! You want to fight?" Kiba Inuzuka broke down.

"Naruto, stop talking. We're all comrades." Choji squinted his small eyes, smiled, and turned his head back to smooth things over.

"Good."

"Why do you listen to Choji so much?! Damn it!"

"Choji eats potato chips and barbecue, but he won't eat dog food." Naruto scoffed, giving Kiba Inuzuka a disdainful look, and silently said, "Damn it."

"Can you eat dog food?" Rock Lee asked curiously from the back of the line.

"Alright, alright, stop arguing." Captain Shikamaru said with a headache, his eyes wide and lifeless. "The mission is important. If we fail, we'll get a scolding when we get back."

"The existing clues don't necessarily prove that Sasuke was kidnapped. That Sasuke guy might be..."

Shikamaru's eyes turned serious. He glanced at Naruto beside him out of the corner of his eye and spoke cautiously amidst the silence of the crowd.

"It's defection."

"That kind of thing has little to do with us," Naruto broke the silence first. "As long as we bring Sasuke back, we don't need to worry about anything else."

No one spoke, not even Kiba Inuzuka was usually the most talkative.

Although they were noisy, they had deep feelings for their teammates. They were honest with themselves and knew they couldn't stand it if a teammate deserted.

Naruto could handle it; he felt absolutely nothing.

He acknowledged camaraderie; after all, humans are emotional and social animals. But when it came to the village's interests, that was none of his concern. It wasn't that he despised the village, but Konohagakure wasn't worth risking his life for.

He's willing to make normal contributions, but he'd rather not risk his life; he doesn't want to be some kind of savior.

It's as if, if the village had never given him an umbrella, he would simply run naked in the rain in the village, enjoying himself while disgusting others.

In his mind, the village was like a large gaming guild. He joined the guild and contributed benefits or labor, and the village should return corresponding resources to him.

Perhaps because he was obsessed with becoming a full-fledged employee when he transmigrated, Naruto always carried the resentment of a working-class person. More importantly, he didn't need the resources provided by the village; the system was enough for him.

In other words, he simply enjoyed the conveniences the village provided as an ordinary ninja. Aside from completing missions and protecting the village, he did nothing else.

Unless there are sufficient benefits.

Based on this, Naruto clearly understood his responsibilities and obligations: to treat his comrades sincerely, to enjoy life, to be friendly to others, and to be a truly good person.

After a few seconds of silence, Naruto spoke again.

"I'm really heartbroken that Sasuke would do something like this! I must bring Sasuke back."

This time, the password is correct.

Shikamaru, Choji, and Rock Lee all offered words of comfort, automatically ignoring Naruto's previous outrageous statement and assuming he was simply feigning composure. In reality, Naruto must have been in great pain.

In reality, Sasuke was just a tsundere colleague in Naruto's eyes. It's a bit awkward, really, because Naruto traveled to the future later and didn't have that deep bond with Sasuke.

"I'm fine," Naruto said, revealing the truth.

Seeing this, Shikamaru and Choji said nothing more, and the group simply kept their heads down and continued on their way.

About half a day later.

Neji spotted the target first, activated his Byakugan, and accurately pinpointed the enemy's location. The Hyuga Clan's ninjas are highly sought after for a reason; their advantage in pursuit operations is indeed significant.

"Four people, a sealed wooden barrel, Sasuke should be inside the barrel."

"Don't make any rash moves, follow my instructions." After thinking for a moment, Shikamaru said, "I'll control those people. Naruto, Lee, Rock Lee, and Choji will Neji keep an eye on one person. Kiba will be quick and take charge of grabbing Sasuke."

"Try to seriously injure them before we retreat."

With the plan in mind, the four of them, except for Kiba Inuzuka, each chose an opponent. Neji, aiming for absolute defensive advantage, chose Kidomaru, while Choji, considering size, opted for the chubby Jirobo.

In the end, all that was left for Rock Lee and Naruto were Sakon and Ukon, and Tayuya, Naruto said earnestly to Rock Lee.

"You choose first."

Rock Lee chose Sakon and Ukon without hesitation, while Naruto sighed and reluctantly chose Tayuya.

"At least leave me one who can fight!" he said, feigning a complaint.

"It's okay, you're letting me win this time. I don't want to fight a female ninja," Rock Lee Naruto, saying earnestly. "I'll treat you to ramen when we get back."

"Okay!" Naruto agreed readily, never missing a meal he was supposed to get for free.

He'd gotten the Flying Thunder God technique option from Rock Lee last time, and he'd remembered it ever since. Rock Lee could treat him to ramen, or even just pickled radish.

Upon hearing this, Rock Lee turned around and gave Naruto a thumbs up, revealing a set of perfectly White Fang.

"Alright, alright, that's enough." Shikamaru was disgusted by the two's passionate interaction and interrupted, "Get ready to get closer. I'll make my move as soon as I succeed!"

"Understood," everyone replied.

Shadow Possession Jutsu!

Shikamaru suddenly activated his Ninjutsu, his narrow, elongated shadow moving along the tree trunk. Just as he was about to reach the four people's feet, Kimimaro, pale-faced, descended from the sky.

With a loud bang, the ground shattered.

The slender shadow was affected and rendered ineffective. Shikamaru and the others had no choice but to dodge, letting the shockwave destroy the ground and leave a long ridge.

A large area of dense smoke and dust spread out, and the others except Neji instantly lost their sight.

"Back off!" Neji roared out the most concise instruction.

The others, including Shikamaru, didn't dare to be careless and jumped back abruptly. With their vision obscured by the smoke and dust, Neji's judgment was perfectly reasonable.

Naruto does have a Wind Release Ninjutsu, but unfortunately it's just Wind Blade. If it were a wide-range Wind Release Ninjutsu like Temari's, he might have been swept away by a single fan.

The six members of Konohagakure quickly leaped out of the smoke and dust encirclement. When the smoke and dust cleared, only Kimimaro remained, calmly watching them.

"Damn it! We can't let them get away like this!" Shikamaru shouted. "I'll stay, Naruto, you guys go after them."