Since Naruto's true identity was fully revealed, his "romantic luck," or rather, his troubles, have increased exponentially.
With a distinguished family background, top-notch teachers, exceptional skills, a gentle personality, and good looks inherited from his father, he instantly became the ideal man in the eyes of countless people.
Not only young Ninja and ordinary girls from Konoha Village, but even some nobles sent people to Konoha to inquire about the possibility of marriage alliances, whether openly or covertly.
To completely dispel these unnecessary thoughts and to put Satsuki at ease, the "arranged marriage" that had been verbally agreed upon many years ago was officially confirmed and announced to the outside world through a very formal channel.
The effects were immediate. Although a few die-hards or fanatical fans attracted purely by appearance still exist, large-scale, purposeful "pursuit" behavior has indeed decreased sharply.
To avoid giving anyone the wrong expectations, and to accommodate Satsuki's increasingly obvious possessiveness, Naruto spends almost all of his day with Satsuki —whether it's training together, eating together, or handling village affairs.
Mikoto Uchiha even thoughtfully decorated the guest rooms in the Clan Head's Residence into Naruto's exclusive room so that he could stay there as often as possible.
However, Naruto also missed his mother Kushina, who lived alone in Minato's Old House, so he developed a habit of spending the night in the same place where he finished his activities each day, as the Flying Thunder God Technique was just too convenient.
Naruto carefully organized the newly received cards and placed them in his desk drawer before standing up. He prepared to go out for another daily training session, one of the few times of the day when he wouldn't be inseparable from Satsuki.
He first Hand Seals, creating two Shadow Clone. Then, his right pupil transformed into a [ Star Eye ].
As the Dojutsu was activated, two pitch-black portals opened in the room, [ Yomotsu Hirasaka ], behind which lay a deep and unfathomable void.
Without hesitation, the two Shadow Clone stepped into different portals, which then closed.
Then, Naruto sensed a distant coordinate and used the Flying Thunder God Technique.
With a flash of golden light, his figure vanished from the room without a trace.
Approximately twenty minutes later.
" Naruto, are you there? Mom asked me to bring you the yukata I'm going to try on at the Temple Fair..."
Uchiha Satsuki, now a graceful and beautiful seventeen-year-old, gently pushed open the door to Naruto's room, holding a neatly folded, exquisite yukata in her hands.
The room was empty; the familiar figure was nowhere to be seen.
"... Did you go out again?"
Satsuki wasn't surprised by this. Naruto occasionally had his own plans, which might be going to Ichiraku Ramen, or using the Flying Thunder God to instantly travel to Sand Village and meet up with Gaara.
As long as he doesn't disappear for an entire day without warning, Satsuki is usually able to control her latent desire for control and give him reasonable personal space.
She walked into the room, her gaze falling on the desk. She remembered that a package had been delivered by Ninja Cat Express today; it seemed to be a new product from that partner merchant association.
She walked to the desk and casually pulled open the unlocked drawer—inside, sure enough, were neatly stacked cards from the new series.
Satsuki thought to herself, since Naruto isn't here, it won't hurt for me to take a look first, and I can just ask him for the one I want when he comes back.
She picked up the cards one by one and examined them, her face remaining calm and expressionless until her fingertips touched the special card that seemed to have a slightly different texture.
"Found it."
A genuine and gentle smile finally spread across her face. She took out the card and examined it carefully.
[ Uzumaki Naruto, the Hero of Konoha ]
After putting the other cards back in their places, Satsuki carefully held this hidden card in her hand and left Naruto's room.
Instead of going straight back to report to her mother, she walked briskly back to her bedroom. After closing the door behind her, she went to the bedside, bent down, and pulled out a small metal box with a combination lock from deep under the bed.
"Click."
With practiced ease, the password was entered, and the lid popped open.
The first thing that catches the eye is a thick stack of carefully selected photos taken from various angles—all of them of Naruto, taken under various "legitimate" or clandestine circumstances.
She gently picked up the top few photos, glanced at them, her smile widening, and then carefully moved them aside.
Below the photo is a special card album with a cover featuring a subtle pattern.
She took it out, placed it on her lap, and slowly turned it open.
The album's inner pages are carefully arranged according to their release dates, and each page has a transparent card slot containing a precious card.
[ Ninja Trainee Uzumaki Naruto ]
[ Uzumaki Naruto, the Future of Konoha ]
Uzumaki Naruto, son of the Fourth Hokage
[ Genin- Uzumaki Naruto ]
[ Nine-Tails Chakra Mode -Uzumaki Naruto ]
[ Uzumaki Naruto in the Battle of Konoha Crush ]
[ Jonin Uzumaki Naruto ]
[ Natsuhi Limited Edition Uzumaki Naruto ]
They were all Uzumaki Naruto.
Different periods, different outfits, different expressions, different titles... but the core is always the same person. These exquisitely printed cards, officially produced by the Chamber of Commerce, along with her privately collected photos, became part of Uchiha Satsuki's cherished "treasures".
Satsuki carefully inserted the newly acquired [ Hero of Konoha- Uzumaki Naruto ] card into the reserved space on the latest page of his card album with great satisfaction.
Then, she hugged the card album, leaned against the bed, and gently turned the pages, a sweet smile always playing on her lips.
"Boss, their conditions are very clear: they only require a formal portrait license from us. Furthermore, they guarantee that all design drafts will be submitted to us for review before the cards are officially released, and there will be absolutely no actions that could tarnish the organization's or your personal image."
"Please, you must consider this. This is absolutely a win-win situation for us [Jin]!"
Naruto, disguised as " Menma " at the organization's secret base, felt a bit of a headache. Kakuzu, who was usually very taciturn, was unusually "talkative" at this moment, his tone filled with an uncharacteristic urgency and persuasion.
What surprised Naruto even more was that the Wan Dan group's Lian Jin organization had been found and came to him seeking cooperation.
Menma held a draft contract in his hand, which listed detailed cooperation terms—the core of which was still the authorization of portrait rights, and the price offered was astronomical.
No wonder even Kakuzu couldn't remain calm; after all, this was practically equivalent to "nodding and signing, and money rolling in."
Along with the contract, a beautifully printed sample card was also sent.
The front of the card features a striking image:
[Ember -Menma ]
The background is a deep, dark color scheme. In the center, a figure wearing Fox Mask and a black robe stands proudly, one hand outstretched, with Spiraling Ring appearing in his palm.
Behind him were nine shadows in different poses—a " Nine-Headed Beasts "?
[The founder and leader of the Ember Organization. A legendary figure who single-handedly intimidated the Five Great Nations, and whom even the Five Kage dared not easily provoke. His strength is unfathomable, seemingly surpassing even the Five Kage. His past, purpose, true identity... all remain shrouded in mystery.]
"Selling cards featuring leaders of 'terrorist organizations'... aren't they afraid of getting into trouble?"
A sense of absurdity swept through Menma's mind, but he was too lazy to delve into the Chamber of Commerce's marketing strategy.
"Hmm," Menma looked up from the cards at Kakuzu, Kakuzu was eagerly awaiting a reply, "Let's handle this according to their terms. You are fully responsible for the specific negotiations and follow-up matters."
"Yes, leader! Please rest assured, I will handle this matter properly and ensure that the organization suffers no loss whatsoever, while maximizing its benefits!"
Kakuzu suppressed his barely contained excitement, carefully took the draft contract from Menma's hands, and quickly and respectfully left the room.
After Kakuzu left, Menma looked at the card in his hand that had another version of himself printed on it, and then put it into his inner pocket.
He has more important things to deal with right now than these business collaborations.
He rose, passed through the heavily guarded passage, and arrived at a secret chamber deep within the [Ember] underground stronghold. This place, isolated from the outside world and filled with multiple layers of barriers, was where he conducted certain special experiments and training.
He had made similar attempts privately many times before. Today, he decided to finally put his long-planned plan into action.
Beneath the mask, his right eye, with its black background and golden Star Eye, quietly lit up, shimmering with a deep and strange light.
"[ Azure Moon Thousand Wings ]."
Reciting the name of the Dojutsu was not for its own energy transformation, but rather to activate a deeper level of application of this ability.
Next, he took out a Storage Scroll covered in sealing runes, unsealed it, and summoned the items stored inside.
Those were a pair of Mangekyou Sharingan that were exceptionally well-preserved and, even after being separated from their original bodies for many years, still emitted clear Yin Release Chakra Mangekyō Sharingan.
After two years of repeated practice and in-depth exploration of the [ Star Eye ] ability, Naruto finally became confident that he could take the next step.
Under the continued effect of the Dojutsu, the Mangekyō Sharingan began to tremble slightly uncontrollably, and the surface of the eyeballs seemed to ripple like water.
Finally, a glimmer of deep blue light appeared deep within the pupil of one of the Mangekyo.
Immediately afterwards, a blue origami crane slowly floated out from "inside" the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Menma reached out his hand, and the blue energy origami crane, as if returning to its nest, landed lightly in his palm, then silently merged into his body.
"... Will it take at least ten years to recover before the next time I want to perform this spell?"
Menma muttered to himself, feeling the newfound power within him, "However, once is enough. This was the only time the plan required anyway."
He adjusted his black robe and mask, and after confirming that everything was in order, he left the secret room.
Finally, Menma arrived at the prison area deep within the stronghold and stopped in front of a door reinforced with high-strength alloy and multiple Sealing Jutsu.
Behind the door lay Orochimaru, firmly imprisoned in an energy cocoon formed by layers of Eight Trigrams Seal techniques, deep in slumber.