Hearing Naruto's words, everyone froze for a moment.
In an instant, everyone present recalled the incident where Naruto had been attacked before, and they all turned to look at him.
Shikamaru's face showed surprise. His eyes widened as he murmured, "Could it be... Naruto, you think Sasuke joined Las Noches, the organization matched against Akatsuki!?"
As soon as Shikamaru finished speaking, the faces of Konoha's young elites all turned pale.
At this point, they still did not know that Akatsuki now belonged to the Hollow Spirit Empire as well, but they had already witnessed the power the Hollow Spirit Empire had displayed!
The godlike Aizen had carved an indelible impression deep into each of their hearts!
Hearing Shikamaru's words, Naruto nodded lightly. His gaze dimmed for a moment, but determination swiftly flashed through it as he said in a low voice, "That's right. If Sasuke wanted power capable of defeating Itachi, then he could only choose Las Noches, an organization equal to—or even far stronger than—Akatsuki..."
"Besides... the few words he left behind during our last meeting... seemed to hint at this as well."
At that point, Naruto's gaze sharpened slightly as he said in a low voice, "I'm afraid members of Las Noches had already contacted Sasuke in secret during the Chunin Exams..."
Hearing Naruto's words, the others all looked at him with concern. After all, everyone knew that Naruto's father, the Fifth Hokage, had truly died at the hands of Aizen and Las Noches.
Seemingly noticing the concern in their eyes, Naruto forced a relaxed smile and said carelessly, "Don't worry. Even I know Las Noches isn't that easy to deal with right now. You don't need to worry about me doing anything stupid!"
Hearing that, Shikamaru gave him a serious look and said softly, "Don't worry, Naruto.