I'm Quitting

Outside.

"Ninshu, the Sage of Six Paths..."

Naruto lay on his bed with his hands behind his head, staring up at the aged ceiling, which looked worn from not having been repainted in far too long.

From what Kurama had just said, the Sage of Six Paths had truly existed.

Perhaps because he himself was already such an extraordinary being, he accepted the existence of mythological figures remarkably quickly.

Although Kurama had said that the Sage of Six Paths was already dead, he still felt that things could not be so simple.

There were ways to resurrect people even in the Undead world. He refused to believe this world had none.

"Kurama, what kind of person was the Sage of Six Paths?" Naruto suddenly asked.

"...An irritating old man."

"Is that so." Naruto glanced at the bright moon outside the window and did not ask any further questions.

In this world's myths and legends, the moon had been created by the Sage of Six Paths...

The next day.

After many days, the blazing summer finally welcomed another rainfall.

Yet no one rejoiced at the temporary retreat of the scorching heat. Traces of sorrow hung on every face.

Although Sunagakure and Otogakure's Konoha Crush Plan had failed, it had still dealt Konoha a heavy blow. The Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi had even died in battle against the Rogue Ninja Orochimaru.

Before the Konoha Memorial Stone.

Countless villagers had gathered there of their own accord, offering white flowers to the fallen heroes.

Choked sobs and quiet weeping filled the air. As the ceremony continued, people's grief did not ease. Instead, it grew ever heavier.

Naruto stood amid the crowd in the black mourning clothes he had bought not long ago, looking at the memorial stone ahead.

Soon, the ceremony reached its final part.

Following the crowd, Naruto offered a white flower to the dead as a sign of remembrance.

Rest in peace...

He did not feel much hatred for the Third Hokage, his nominal guardian, nor did he feel much love. But the man had looked after him for many years, so he ought to offer a flower.

This memorial service mourned not only the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, but also the many ninja who had died in this war against Sunagakure and Otogakure.

Once the ceremony ended, everything returned to normal.

Life had to go on.

Because Konoha's reconstruction had drawn away a considerable number of ninja, all the accumulated missions naturally fell upon the idle ones.

"...Even fledglings have to spread their wings and fly. Do your best." Naruto smiled at Raimon and Izuno.

Raimon and Izuno nodded. They had been assigned to carry out missions under an experienced Chunin.

With manpower stretched thin, the Jonin had all been assigned missions, so naturally they could no longer guide rookies like them.

But they were still beginners, and the village clearly did not fully trust them yet. Thus, it had appointed some more experienced Chunin to serve as team leaders.

This could both ease the manpower shortage and clear the backlog of missions more efficiently.

Of course, none of this had anything to do with Naruto.

Because he had been "confined."

With the Hokage position temporarily vacant, the two advisors, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, had temporarily assumed the Hokage's duties.

As veterans who had lived through the First, Second, and Third Ninja Wars, they had their own unique views on how a Jinchuriki should be handled.

In their view, Sunagakure's approach was the correct one: treat a Jinchuriki as less than human in ordinary times, then use them as a disposable tool when needed.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's approach of letting a Jinchuriki freely enter and leave the ninja village was simply absurd!

And so, naturally, Naruto was "confined" within Konoha.

After watching the two leave, Naruto headed toward his "temporary residence."

As he walked, several ANBU moved through the surrounding corners as well.

Naruto glanced at them but ignored them. After so many days, they had already seen everything they should and should not have seen.

As for being watched, all he could say was that once someone had become utterly disappointed in something, they no longer had any emotions left to spare.

Putting himself in their shoes, he could understand why the two advisors were monitoring him.

Konoha had just lost the Third Hokage, while the other ninja villages were eyeing it greedily. If something happened to him, this "Tsar Bomba," then things would really become interesting.

But understanding did not mean accepting it, especially when he was the one being watched.

After turning a corner, before the ANBU monitoring him could catch up, Naruto swiftly created a Shadow Clone. He himself quickly transformed into someone else and blended into the crowd.

He planned to leave this miserable place.

The world was so vast—where could he not go? Since this place did not treat him like a person, then he would not stay here anymore.

And do not talk about how Konoha had raised him. What bullshit. His father in this world had been a hero of Konoha too.

A person should live with an open heart, repaying kindness and revenge without restraint.

Once someone had died enough times, they could see many things far more clearly.

Before, he had not had the opportunity. Now, with Kurama at his back, he had at least a tiny bit of capital to act arrogantly.

Based on his observations over the past few days, the ANBU's surveillance of him was not completely airtight.

The higher-ups clearly had not expected a few ANBU to be able to keep him under watch anyway. Coupled with the recent manpower shortage, the ANBU assigned to monitor him were not particularly formidable.

Or rather, these people had never imagined that he, a young Jinchuriki, would even consider throwing in the towel.

After all, having been born and raised in Konoha, where else could he go after leaving it?

Monitoring him was more symbolic than practical.

After following "him" back to the residence, the ANBU each found their usual observation posts and concealed themselves.

Konoha's gates.

Although the village had just endured war, the flow of people coming and going had not diminished in the slightest.

The reason was simple. Konoha had once again "defeated" Sunagakure not long ago. As for Otogakure, the clueless onlookers merely considered them freeloaders who had come to cheer from the sidelines.

Naruto looked up at the towering gates. This might be the last time he ever passed through them.

With that thought, he slowly vanished into the end of the road along with the crowd.

Three days later.

The capital of the Land of Wind.

Naruto, now dressed in a completely different style, looked around at the local customs with great interest.

Perhaps due to the differences in terrain and geography, the people of the Land of Wind were more forthright than those of the Land of Fire. Their food was not as refined either, instead carrying a rougher, heartier quality.

Life was not only about scraping by before one's eyes; there were also poetry and distant horizons.

Traveling to different places and experiencing different customs had been a dream of his first life. But constrained by his finances, he had never fulfilled it before he died.

In his second life, in the Undead world, there had been Senpou Temple's tranquil remoteness, Ashina Depths' dark strangeness, Fountainhead Palace's novel splendor...

Although he had not initially gone to those places in pursuit of his dream, he had still walked through them and seen them.

Thus, he had no regrets about that in his second life.

In his third life—his current one—because of his status as a Jinchuriki, even when he had opportunities to leave the village, he could only travel along fixed routes and remain in fixed locations.

But things were different now.

"One serving of Four-Joy Meatballs." After watching for a while, Naruto finally decided to buy a portion and try it when the vendor called out to ask him.

"What do you plan to do next?" Kurama asked in the Mental Space.

"When in Rome, do as the Romans do." Naruto bit into a meatball. "Since I'm already in the Land of Wind, I might as well go see Gaara."

"Kurama, are you interested in seeing this world with me?"

"...Do whatever you want."

"Then let's see it together." Naruto smiled softly.

Same old rule, please vote with recommendation tickets!

Sob, sob, sob...