On the road back, Team 7's atmosphere could no longer be described as merely "strange." It was more like a seemingly tranquil abyss with turbulent undercurrents raging beneath the surface.
There was one more person in the group.
A stunningly beautiful girl who looked too ethereal for this world, making Sakura Haruno question her own appearance for the first time—Haku.
She had changed into a pale blue kimono Naruto had "casually" taken from Gato's Treasury. The blood and smoke had been washed away, and her waterfall-like hair flowed softly down her back.
Her face, once hidden behind a mask, carried the unease and apprehension of someone newly entering the world. Only when her gaze fell upon Naruto did a trace of peace called "belonging" appear.
She followed closely at Naruto's side, always half a step behind him. It was both the instinct of a tool and the dependence of a new life.
That gentle, yielding attitude of placing him above all else made Sakura's teeth itch with jealousy. She could only scream wildly in her heart, "Vixen! A scheming little slut who only knows how to please men with her face and obedience!"
Sasuke, meanwhile, wore a dark expression the entire way, silent as a block of ice.
Yet the storm in his heart was a hundred times more terrifying than Sakura's girlish jealousy.
He no longer looked at the sickeningly sweet atmosphere between those two.
His One-Tomoe Sharingan spun imperceptibly at a terrifying speed beneath the sleeve shielding it from others' notice, frantically replaying and analyzing every detail of the battle in Wave Country.
"Despair?
Resentment?"
Sasuke sneered inwardly. "Those are the emotions of the weak."
After witnessing Naruto's world-destroying power, the initial shock and helplessness had long since been replaced by an even colder, more obsessive flame—[Analysis] and [Exploitation].
"The explosive power of the Eight Gates, Monster Strength-like chakra control, an unknown dōjutsu, and now a Kekkei Genkai follower capable of instantly casting Ice Release..." Sasuke's nails dug deep into his palm, but the pain only made his mind clearer.
"Naruto Uzumaki, you yourself are a moving treasure trove—the fastest path for me to reach 'that man'!"
The path of revenge had never changed.
What had changed was his understanding of how to achieve it.
The Uchiha glory, Fire Release, and Shurikenjutsu he had once relied upon were nothing more than children's toys before the power Naruto had displayed.
But that did not mean giving up. It meant—[Taking]!
Naruto was no longer the "dead last" he needed to surpass. He was a [Hidden Treasury of Power] that Sasuke had to thoroughly analyze, learn from, and even devour!
Sasuke silently adjusted his breathing, suppressing that morbid desire beneath a cold mask.
From this day onward, he was no longer Naruto's companion fighting at his side. He was the most patient and most ravenous hunter lurking beside him.
Just then, a long-absent system notification suddenly rang out in Naruto's mind.
[Ding! Detected that the host is about to return to Konoha. Mission area changed.] [Limited-Time Bond Mission (Tenten) Remaining Time: 12 hours. Reminder: Prolonged lack of interaction carries a risk of natural affection decay.]
"Tch, I almost forgot."
Naruto raised a brow, already planning to go on a spending spree at the ninja tool shop once they returned, while getting rid of that "scrap metal," the Kubikiribōchō, along the way.
At last, Konoha's gates came into view in the distance.
The "eternal duo" stationed at the gate, Kotetsu Hagane and Izumo Kamizuki, were leaning against it and yawning.
"Hey, look, Kakashi's team is back!"
Kotetsu's sharp eyes were the first to spot that distinctive silver hair.
"Oh, this C-rank mission took quite a while..." Izumo lazily looked up, but the next second, his yawn froze in his throat.
His gaze passed over Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura, locking firmly onto the figure beside Naruto.
"Gulp."
Good heavens!
Was that a fairy descending to earth?!
Just as the two men stared with hearts in their eyes, their minds beginning to play out all sorts of inappropriate little scenarios, a chilling killing intent pierced the backs of their heads like steel needles!
Both of them jolted and instantly sobered up!
The source of that killing intent was Naruto Uzumaki, who had his hands in his pockets and had not even turned his head around!
But this time, they were afraid of more than just his murderous aura.
As seasoned gate guards, their professional instincts triumphed over their hormones.
"Wait!"
Izumo abruptly straightened and stepped in front of the group, his expression serious. "Kakashi-senpai, welcome back. But according to regulations, this unfamiliar person without a forehead protector cannot enter the village!"
Kotetsu also put away his playful grin, one hand already resting on the ninja tool pouch at his waist as he watched Haku warily. "We need to verify her identity and report it. Please cooperate."
Naruto frowned and clicked his tongue impatiently. "She belongs to me. What's the problem?"
"These are the rules, Naruto!"
Izumo refused to back down. "This concerns the village's safety. Anyone... ah!"
Before he could finish, the two gate guards suddenly froze, cold sweat breaking out across their foreheads.
To their horror, they discovered that four ANBU wearing animal masks had appeared behind them, on the rooftops, and among the treetops at some point, like ghosts. Cold chakra had locked onto everyone present.
One ANBU with a cat mask, apparently their leader, used the Body Flicker Technique to appear before Kakashi. His voice was utterly emotionless. "Kakashi Hatake, the Third Hokage requires you to immediately report all irregularities regarding the Wave Country mission. As for this... orphan of the Yuki Clan, she will temporarily be held by us pending the Hokage's interrogation and judgment."
"The Yuki Clan?!"
Kakashi's heart shook violently. So that was it!
He glanced at Naruto's displeased expression, then at Haku, who had instinctively hidden behind Naruto and begun trembling slightly after being locked onto by the ANBU's chakra presence. His head immediately began to ache.
He hurriedly tried to smooth things over. "Please wait! She is a key figure in this mission, and she has already severed ties with the missing-nin Zabuza Momochi. I, Kakashi Hatake, will vouch for her. She bears no hostility toward Konoha. I will personally take her to meet the Hokage!"
"We cannot enter your guarantee into the records."
The cat-masked ANBU refused coldly. "Our mission is to follow procedure."
As the atmosphere reached a stalemate, Naruto's impatient killing intent began to rise again.
Sasuke merely watched coldly, his Sharingan rapidly analyzing the ANBU's positions and chakra flow as he assessed Konoha's defense system.
In the end, Kakashi sighed, pulled out an orange-covered little adult book from his pocket, and waved it weakly. "All right, all right. I'll go see the Hokage first. Naruto, take Haku back to your apartment. Until I receive the Hokage's written order, both of you will be under twenty-four-hour surveillance and are not allowed to leave the village. Understand? This is the greatest authority I can secure for you as a jonin!"
The cat-masked ANBU looked at Kakashi, fell silent for a moment, then nodded. "Accepted. Target Naruto Uzumaki: alert level raised to A-rank. Target Yuki Haku: designated an S-rank surveillance target. Surveillance begins immediately."
As soon as he finished speaking, the four ANBU melted back into the shadows and vanished, as though they had never appeared.
But everyone knew that countless eyes were now watching from the darkness.
Kakashi wiped away nonexistent sweat, then vanished with the Body Flicker Technique, rushing toward the Hokage's Office as though fleeing for his life.
If he did not report in soon, he feared the Third Hokage would leap straight out of his crystal ball and start chopping people.
Sakura and Sasuke also wisely found excuses to slip away.
As Sasuke left, he gave Naruto and Haku behind him a deep look. That gaze was as complex as an abyss.
Only Naruto and Haku remained.
"Come on. I'll take you home."
Ignoring the covertly watching gazes, Naruto took Haku's slightly cool hand. The gesture was domineering, yet carried an unquestionable tenderness.
The apartment was as filthy and messy as ever.
Haku stared at the scene before her and paused slightly, but the pity in her eyes only deepened.
She said nothing. She merely rolled up her sleeves and began skillfully cleaning, as if trying to use this method to find her first foothold in this unfamiliar world.
Leaning against the doorframe, Naruto pulled out the bank card he had acquired from Gato through "robbing the rich to help the poor" and stuffed it into Haku's hand. He proclaimed boldly, "Tomorrow, I'll pay for the biggest villa in the best part of the village! From now on, this place will be our home!"
"Home..."
Haku clutched the weighty card, and tears blurred her vision once more.
But this time, they were tears of happiness.
However, just as Naruto basked in the satisfaction of "keeping a beauty in a golden house"...
On the other side of Konoha, within the Hyuga Estate.
A ninja from the Hyuga Branch Family assigned to monitor Naruto's team was using the Byakugan to simultaneously "broadcast" everything that had just happened at the village gate and in the apartment to the head of the main family—Hyuga Hiashi.
When he saw the stunning girl Naruto had held by the hand and brought home, Hiashi's expression was not yet too unpleasant. He merely thought, "That Demon Fox brat has no sense of propriety."
But when he saw Naruto casually kick aside an instant noodle cup in the image, then lean carelessly against the doorframe while that breathtakingly beautiful girl cleaned his room like an obedient wife...
An alarm called "matching social status," deeply rooted in bloodline and tradition, instantly sounded!
"Hinata..." Hiashi's mind conjured the image of his disappointing daughter, who had "Naruto-kun" on her lips all day long.
A nameless rage, mixed with the humiliation of having his dignity as the head of a prestigious clan challenged, erupted at once!
"Guards!"
Hiashi slammed his palm onto the table, his voice cold enough to pierce bone.
"Gather the clan's guard unit!"
"Come with me to that 'Demon Fox's' house!"
"I want to see what kind of vixen dares to clean house in the home of the son-in-law my Hyuga Clan has chosen!"
Before you continue