The Calm Before the Storm

Hidden Leaf. 6:40 PM.

On the second floor of Naruto's apartment, warm yellow light shone through the curtains onto the floor.

The air was filled with the rich aroma of bone broth. Shiro, wearing an apron, stood in the kitchen, slowly stirring the clay pot with a long-handled wooden spoon. The soup was bubbling gently, containing angelica and black chicken soup that she had simmered for three hours according to Hinata's recipe.

Naruto was reclining on the living room sofa, his right arm draped over the backrest, his eyes closed.

Tayuya knelt at his feet, casually patting his calf muscles with both hands. The force was just right, neither too strong nor too weak.

"You've been too well-behaved today." Naruto without opening his eyes, a lazy smile playing on his lips.

Tayuya paused, then pouted, "... Enough talk, just enjoy yourself. I don't get into a good mood very often."

While saying this, their hands unconsciously became even gentler.

Haku poked half his body out of the kitchen, his apron stained with soup, and said softly, "Naruto, the soup will be ready in twenty minutes. Would you like a glass of water first?"

"Need not."

Naruto raised his left hand and beckoned to her with his finger.

Bai was stunned for a moment, then obediently walked over.

Before he could even stand still, his wrist was grabbed, and he was pulled so hard that he stumbled and fell into Naruto's arms. The apron tie brushed against his chin.

"My lord... Tayuya is still here..."

"So what if I'm here?" Naruto rested his chin on the top of her head, his tone as casual as if he were commenting on the Tenten.

Tayuya rolled her eyes and massaged her leg a little harder.

Quiet.

Outside the window, the autumn wind swept withered leaves across the eaves, making a soft rustling sound.

A very brief, everyday scene belonging to the Uzumaki Clan.

Then--

Naruto opened his eyes.

Without any warning, his pupils contracted sharply, and something within the depths of his azure iris suddenly became sharp.

His back lifted off the cushion, and his upper body leaned slightly forward.

The hand resting on Bai's waist tightened by an inch.

Haku sensed it. She looked up and saw Naruto's profile.

She had seen that expression before.

On the bridge in the Wave Country, just a second before he raised his hand to catch the Kubikiribōchō.

That's the expression.

"Naruto?"

Tayuya also stopped. Although she was carefree, as a former Sound Four, her sense of danger was ingrained in her bones. The air had changed; she could feel it—the aura emanating from Naruto was like an undercurrent suddenly surging up from the deep sea.

Naruto did not answer.

His consciousness extended outward.

The Perfect Uzumaki Sage Body's bio-sensory radar, combined with Mind's Eye of the Kagura at max level, instantly covered the entire Hidden Leaf and continued to expand outwards.

Five kilometers. Ten kilometers. Fifteen kilometers --

Locking.

Seventeen kilometers northeast of the outer edge of the Hidden Leaf Village barrier.

Two streams of Chakra.

A chilling, deep aura emanated from it, like a thousand Crow circling above a withered tree, their flapping wings carrying the decaying aura of death. Precise, restrained, and concealed to the extreme—but that very concealment was itself a form of exposure. It was like someone deliberately extinguishing their torch on a street full of torches, only to become the most conspicuous black dot.

Another force—vast, damp, and aggressive—like a shark lurking in the deep sea, its surrounding water pressure enough to crush the bones of ordinary prey. The sheer magnitude of this Chakra made Naruto raise an eyebrow.

Not much less than One-Tail.

That's interesting.

Two streams of Chakra were moving towards Hidden Leaf at a steady pace, neither too fast nor too slow, like two tourists taking a stroll.

But Naruto smelled it.

It wasn't a real smell. It was something more primal than smell—the underlying tone of murderous intent. It was skillfully concealed, but under Mind's Eye of the Kagura's full-spectrum scan, that disguise was as thin as a sheet of paper.

They came looking for him.

A blue pop-up window from the system lit up in the field of vision.

[Urgent Warning!]

[Two high-risk energy entities of S-rank or higher have been detected approaching Hidden Leaf!]

[Energy signature matching with Akatsuki member profiles--]

[Target 1: Itachi Uchiha, Mangekyō Sharingan user. Threat level: Super S.]

[Target 2: Kisame Hoshigaki. Samehada user, Chakra reserves comparable to Tailed Beast. Threat level: S+.]

[The host is advised to immediately enter combat readiness mode.]

Naruto stared at those two lines of text for three seconds.

Then he laughed.

It's not mockery, it's not amusement.

It's a pure, instinctive excitement.

One second they were frowning over the situation in Hidden Sand, and the next second an even bigger prey was delivered right to their doorstep.

This luck is incredible!

"Itachi Uchiha..."

He murmured the name, the last syllable rising slightly.

Sasuke's unfortunate older brother, a genius who wiped out his clan, an undercover agent for the Akatsuki —no, in this world he's currently just an assassin for the Akatsuki.

But it doesn't matter.

Regardless of who sent him or what his purpose was—

If you step into Naruto Uzumaki's territory, you'd better be prepared to leave something behind.

Naruto stood up.

His movements were slow, like a beast stretching after just waking up. He moved his neck, and his cervical spine made a crisp cracking sound.

Within his body, the Chakra circuits of the Sage Art Yin–Yang Release Five Elements Body automatically switched to combat readiness mode. The energy, interwoven with gold and silver, flowed silently through his meridians, and the underlying laws of the five elements lay dormant in every cell, waiting to be released.

Bai straightened up from his embrace, the light reflecting in her silvery-white eyes, her voice steady. "There are enemies."

It is not a question.

"Two." Naruto reached out and pinched her chin, his thumb brushing against the corner of her lips. "S-rank or higher."

Bai's expression remained unchanged. She simply took a step back quietly, clasped her hands in front of her, and bowed her head slightly.

"I'll go prepare Ice Release."

"Need not."

Naruto shook his head and patted the top of her head.

"You and Tayuya and keep an eye on things. Hinata can keep an eye on Neji."

He walked to the entrance and casually pulled the short black jacket off the coat rack.

Tayuya stood up from the sofa, crossed her arms, leaned against the wall, and tilted her head to look at him.

"Hey, do you want me—"

"No." Naruto said without turning his head.

"... snort."

He Opening Gate.

The autumn wind blew in, carrying the unique scent of earth and fallen leaves that characterizes Hidden Leaf. In the distance, the Fourth Hokage's statue on the Hokage Rock was bathed in the orange-red hue of the setting sun.

It was a very quiet evening.

But Naruto knew that the two black dots seventeen kilometers away were approaching at a speed of six hundred meters per minute.

He put his hands in his pockets, relaxed his shoulders slightly, and curled his lips into that chilling smile that sent shivers down the spines of all his enemies.

Step into the street.

"Crow and sharks."

The wind ruffled his blond hair.

"Perfect timing—I haven't tried using the Yin–Yang Release Five Elements Body at full power yet, so this feels great."

His pace was neither hurried nor slow.

The apartment door behind her closed softly, Tayuya pursed her lips as she locked it. Shiro had already walked to the window, her gaze following the receding figure through the glass.

--

The outer perimeter of the Hidden Leaf Village barrier.

In the twilight, two figures dressed in long robes with black backgrounds and red clouds moved silently forward on the treetops.

The person in front was tall and slender, with long, jet-black hair tied back, and his Mangekyō Sharingan slowly rotating in the shadows.

He suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Kisame, carrying Samehada on his back, caught up from behind, revealing a mouthful of shark-like sharp teeth. "What's wrong? Itachi-san, were you scared by Hidden Leaf's barrier?"

Itachi Uchiha did not answer.

He was looking ahead.

In the distance, from the direction of Konoha, an extremely faint, golden light was moving towards them.

Not close.

It's coming straight at us.

The weasel's pupils contracted by a fraction of a millimeter.

"... He knew we were coming."

Kisame raised an eyebrow, his smile deepening. "Interesting. That brat's sensory range—over fifteen kilometers?"

There was a two-second silence.

Itachi took another step.

"Walk."

"Let's see what it is."

The sun completely sank below the horizon.

The forest between Hidden Leaf and the barrier was swallowed by darkness.

At the two ends of the darkness, two forces are moving towards each other.

Volume 4