Chaos and Hunters
The ruins of the Hidden Leaf Grand Arena are still shrouded in smoke and dust.
The remaining Anbu sealed off the scene, completely surrounding the exit where Orochimaru had vanished in his snake form—they were surrounding only the air. A veteran Anbu squatted on the ground, staring at the charred mark on the ground, burned black by Yang Release. His fingers trembled as he traced the charred outline, unable to utter a sound for a long time.
Orochimaru escaped, his hands were sealed, and all the traces on the battlefield pointed to the Yang Release Kunai left by Naruto. The Anbu used physical evidence to reconstruct the battle, but the accuracy was less than 30%. In their report, Naruto as an "incalculable variable."
The edge of Hidden Leaf, a dark cave.
Orochimaru collapsed against the stone wall in a disheveled state, his hands stripped of their power by the Reaper Death Seal, now a chilling purplish-black. He gasped for breath in pain, clutching the charred wound on his neck that had yet to heal, but his snake-like eyes showed no fear of death, instead gleaming with an extreme greed for Naruto's supremely yang and powerful energy.
"Compared to Sasuke Uchiha, that flawed vessel, Naruto Uzumaki is the perfect ultimate weapon." Orochimaru chuckled hoarsely, issuing orders to Kabuto Yakushi in the shadows, "Activate all hidden channels, find a way to break 'Yang Release' at all costs, and prepare to ambush Naruto after he leaves the village."
Dou adjusted his glasses, accepted the order, turned, and disappeared into the dark passage.
At the same time, on the ground floor of the Hokage Building, at Danzo's secret hideout.
A plain-colored sedan chair was parked in an unlit alley. Danzo sat inside, his one eye slightly closed, listening to the Root agent's report.
"Suppressing the fully-formed One-Tail- handedly, using Gate of Limit- level Taijutsu, and countering Orochimaru's regeneration with Yang Release —all of this was accomplished by a mere Genin?" The tone was unreadable.
The agent paused for a moment, then said, "... Yes."
Danzo silent, the glint in his single eye more dangerous than any assassination attempt. He didn't want to kill Naruto; he wanted to possess Naruto. His fingers, hidden behind the palanquin curtain, slowly tapped against his knees, making a barely audible sound.
The agent added a final piece of intelligence, "... Furthermore, the higher-ups have lifted all coercive measures against Naruto Uzumaki."
Danzo's lips curled into a very subtle smile as he lowered the sedan curtain, "Sarutobi, your death has saved me a lot of trouble."
The name "Naruto Uzumaki" spun in his mind again. This village was about to descend into chaos. Chaos, however, presented an opportunity. He pounded the ground with his cane, muttering to himself in a fanatical tone, "As long as I can brainwash that Naruto Uzumaki and completely control him with Kotoamatsukami or the Cursed Seal, I can unify the Shinobi World!"
A few days later, at the Hidden Leaf Cemetery, a light drizzle fell.
The Third Hokage Hokage's funeral was held solemnly, with all the village ninjas dressed in white mourning clothes. The air was filled with suppressed sobs. Kakashi, Iruka, and the others looked somber, and the atmosphere was extremely grief-stricken.
The silence was broken by a series of heavy, domineering footsteps from behind the crowd.
Naruto, dressed in black, hands in his pockets, Earth Flow casually through the puddles without even an umbrella. His face showed no grief, nor any particular emotion; his eyes held only a condescending disdain, as if this were not a funeral, but his coronation. His silence was not sadness, but the silent workings of a beast's instinct, sensing change and calculating the situation.
Following behind Naruto were the stunningly beautiful Ice Release maid Hinata, the Hyuga Clan Karin, the shy red-haired Karin, and even Temari, the princess of Sunagakure, who stood silently beside Naruto with her ears reddened, despite the political pressure of the recent war between the two countries. The four exquisite women surrounded him like stars around the moon, and the entire scene was dressed in white, making his small circle of color stand out excessively, creating an extreme visual impact.
Not far away, several Genin stared intently at the scene, unable to look away, yet afraid to linger, as if they had seen something they shouldn't have, and quickly lowered their heads. Utatane Koharu, Mitokado Homura, and other high-ranking members watched with ashen faces, while the Anbu Ninja gripped their sword hilts tightly. But when they recalled the terrifying information about Naruto tearing apart the One-Tail, and the life-force aura emanating from it, which resembled that of a humanoid Tailed Beast, not one of them dared to step forward and accuse Naruto of being impolite.
On the edge of the funeral, two Root members disguised as ordinary ninjas stealthily approached Karin, attempting to probe the surviving Uzumaki Clan.
Naruto didn't even turn his head. His Perfect Sage Body instantly unleashed a wisp of Yang Release energy, and the invisible pressure directly caused the two Root to cough up blood and kneel in the mud.
"If anyone dares to look at my men again, I'll pop their eyes out."
A cold voice drowned out the sound of rain, and the entire place fell silent.
After the funeral, in the highest conference room of the Hokage Building.
The two advisors were in a state of panic, facing the threat of Orochimaru and the village's depleted fighting force, and urgently needed to elect Fifth Hokage. Danzo the opportunity to make trouble, volunteered himself, and strongly demanded that the "extremely dangerous element" Naruto Uzumaki be immediately imprisoned in Root for mind control.
Just as Danzo intense pressure, the window shattered with a crash. Jiraiya, carrying the heavy aura of Toad, burst through the window, warned Danzo with an extremely cold gaze, and then decisively rejected the higher-ups' offer to appoint him as Hokage.
"Legendary Sannin, the granddaughter of the First Hokage and one of the Tsunade!" Jiraiya declared decisively, choosing Tsunade despite opposition.
Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura exchanged a glance, neither of them speaking. They knew better than anyone what the name Tsunade meant—she was someone who had run away twenty years ago, traveling all over the world to pay off gambling debts, and no amount of persuasion could change her mind.
"Are you going to go find it?" Utatane Koharu.
"I'll go find him," Jiraiya said, then paused, "I'll bring someone with me."
As Jiraiya turned to leave, Jiraiya secretly pondered: not only to find Tsunade, but also to take Naruto away from Hidden Leaf. This kid's strength is unfathomable and he is extremely protective of his own. If he leaves him in the village, that mad dog Danzo will definitely provoke him, and Hidden Leaf might be destroyed by Naruto himself. Keeping him by his side is both protection and a test.
The meeting ended, and in the hallway, Kakashi stopped Jiraiya, lowering his voice. "Who are you planning to bring?"
Jiraiya didn't stop, glancing at him sideways. "Guess."
Kakashi remained silent for a moment, then didn't ask any more questions. His Sharingan flickered slightly beneath his blindfold—he had already guessed it, and he understood Jiraiya's logic. The question was, did Naruto himself know about this plan?
That evening, Naruto returned to his newly purchased house. Haku had already tidied up the entire yard; not a speck of dust could be seen even in the cracks between the stone slabs. He stood quietly at the door, waiting for him to enter.
Naruto changed his clothes, leaned back in his chair, and went over the day's events in his mind. The Third Hokage was dead, the higher-ups were in chaos, Danzo had probably already started making moves, Jiraiya... His gaze darkened slightly; he had already begun to play his part in this changing situation.