Experiencing Life

The 54th year of Konoha was not easy. The shadow cast by the Nine-Tails Rebellion had not completely dissipated, and the overall peace that had been maintained for more than three years was like walking on ice in the middle of Cloud Shinobi envoy, which could be broken at any time.

For a moment, the eyes of everyone in the Shinobi World seemed to be drawn to this place. Whether the war between the Fire and Lightning Kingdoms, whose troops were stationed on the border, would ignite, or whether it would become the start of a new Shinobi World war, no one could be sure...

Meanwhile, Kato Osamu, who had traveled extensively and enjoyed the riches of the Land of Fire with Mei Terumi, met up with Orochimaru and the two children in the forest not far from Konoha...

Mei Terumi and Kato Osamu wore smiles, while Kabuto Yakushi and Kushina Uzumaki looked resentful and aggrieved.

"Kabuto, you should continue following Orochimaru- sensei. Orochimaru- sensei really likes you. Study hard under Orochimaru- sensei..."

"Yes... then, when shall we return to the Land of Grass?"

"I will go back; you should stay in the Land of Rice Fields..."

"Huh? But..."

"Don't worry, come back whenever you want to stay for a while..." Kato Osamu had only absorbed a very small portion of the Truth -Truth-Seeking Orb in his mental space, so he probably wouldn't have much time to teach Kabuto Yakushi in the coming period.

The crucial period for a ninja's growth is their adolescence. Kabuto Yakushi was someone he had high hopes for, as he was exceptionally talented and could not be allowed to lag behind. He was quite at ease entrusting him to Orochimaru's tutelage.

"Alright then..." Kato Osamu had already told Kabuto Yakushi that he would be very busy, so he didn't say anything more. Besides, Kabuto Yakushi did feel that he had learned a lot from Orochimaru...

"Orochimaru- sensei, I'm entrusting Kabuto to you..."

"If you don't meet my requirements, you'll die in the Land of Rice Fields..." Orochimaru said with a smile, but his words were terrifying. Kato Osamu knew Orochimaru's personality quite well, so he just smiled and shook his head.

"Alright, just wait a moment..." With her eyes slightly closed, a thought flashed through her mind, and a certain soul imprint buried in a distant past was activated in an instant. Kato Osamu's current mastery of Soul Secret Technique was far beyond what her naive self could ever have achieved.

A Root squad leader, who was examining a scroll deep within the Root Base, felt his eyelids grow heavy and leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes and falling asleep. At the same time, Kato Osamu read all of his recent memories and hid his soul imprint even deeper within.

"Alright, we've figured out how to activate the Konoha Barrier..."

Kato Osamu has many ways to enter Konoha, but entering using Konoha Root method would leave no trace. He didn't want to cause trouble, as he needed time—a quiet period—to fully absorb the Yin–Yang Release power within the Guide Ball.

Having lived in the Shinobi World for so many years, Kato Osamu has come to understand one principle: either kill with a single blow or wait for the right opportunity; never give your opponent a chance to linger and survive. He understands this deeply...

The barrier opened and closed quietly. Although it was late at night, the sight of thousands of lights shining brightly inside filled everyone with mixed feelings.

"Konoha..."

Orochimaru's expression was inscrutable; he simply stared silently at the Hokage Building in the distance. Kushina Uzumaki stared blankly at the Minato Namikaze Hokage Rock in the distance, her gaze fixed on the statue of Minato Namikaze. Kato Osamu's expression was gloomy as he surveyed the night scene of Konoha.

Mei Terumi and Kabuto Yakushi, both visiting Konoha for the first time, wore expressions of curiosity and scrutiny, seemingly comparing their village to their own...

"Alright, let's proceed according to plan..."

Orochimaru nodded, a strangely cruel smile on his face, and led Kabuto Yakushi into the night. Kato Osamu and Mei Terumi, along with Kushina Uzumaki, slowly headed north of Konoha.

In Konoha Year 54, six-year-old Naruto Uzumaki lived alone in a studio apartment...

At this moment, outside Naruto Uzumaki's apartment, three Anbu Ninja wearing animal masks were lurking in the bushes with a degree of vigilance.

Their eyes met, but they kept glancing towards the other side of the jungle, as if waiting for something.

About the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, there were faint sounds coming from the edge of the jungle...

"The captain is unusually punctual..."

A cool night breeze swept through the forest, rustling the fallen leaves. At the edge, a man with silver hair and wearing an animal mask slowly emerged from the darkness.

"Looks like everyone's here..."

Despite his somewhat lazy and gloomy demeanor, and the complete lack of drive in his eyes, 20-year-old Kakashi Hatake is already the strongest ninja in the Anbu.

With the departure of the Three Legendary Sannin Uchiha Clan, the various factions within the Cloud Shinobi Konoha Ninja, and a lack of promising young ninja in Konoha, coupled with the arrival of a delegation from the Hiruzen Sarutobi, Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't help but worry about the safety of the Jinchuriki, and thus dispatched his trusted lieutenant Kakashi Hatake to protect them...

"During the Cloud Shinobi delegation's visit, our team will be responsible for Jinchuriki's safety. Mission level: A-rank, automatically upgraded to S-rank in special circumstances. Everyone... is that alright...?"

Kakashi Hatake took out a mission scroll from his pocket and slowly broke the seal in front of everyone. After everyone had read the text on the scroll, it slowly turned into ashes in his hand.

"Rank A..." A member of the Anbu, his face hidden by a mask, leaning against a large tree with a hood, glanced toward Naruto Uzumaki's room.

Naruto's room was a mess, littered with various items and a half-eaten instant noodle container, and he was already fast asleep on the filthy bed...

Perhaps influenced by the overall atmosphere of Konoha, even though they, as members of the Anbu, knew more about the situation, they couldn't help but project a certain aversion onto Naruto...

Perhaps noticing their somewhat indifferent expressions, Kakashi Hatake hesitated for a moment, then turned back, glanced at the three of them briefly, and unusually said a few more words.

"As you probably already know, the Cloud Shinobi envoy is about to arrive in Konoha."

"But as things stand, the situation between the two countries is very abnormal. The Cloud Shinobi remains poised to attack at any moment. If the subsequent negotiations run into problems, it could turn into a decapitation strike rather than negotiations, or even the release of the Nine-Tails to destroy Konoha again..."

"Anything is possible..."

Seeing Kakashi Hatake's gaze turn slightly cold, the other three Anbu Ninja couldn't help but feel a chill and nodded solemnly.

Seeing that the three of them were getting serious, Kakashi Hatake no longer hesitated. He turned his head and looked at Naruto Uzumaki through the window. His expression was not visible under the mask, but his eyes revealed a complex emotion.

How could he not know that this was Minato Namikaze's child? He also knew perfectly well how Naruto Uzumaki had fared in Konoha all these years...

But he remained unmoved...

Was he resentful that Minato Namikaze hadn't saved Obito Uchiha and Rin in time? Or was he under pressure from Shimura Danzō's orders? Or perhaps he was bound by Hiruzen Sarutobi approval? Kakashi Hatake himself couldn't say for sure...

Perhaps, maybe, there's some of that...

Across from Naruto's residence, which Kakashi Hatake and the others were guarding, in another high-rise building, Kushina Uzumaki stood on a chair by the window, staring blankly at the little boy on the large bed opposite, sometimes laughing, sometimes crying, looking rather helpless...

"Kushina Uzumaki, there are three Chunin and one Jonin closely monitoring Naruto Uzumaki. If my technique hadn't concealed your Chakra fluctuations, you should know what would have happened..."

"If you want to stay here and watch, I won't stop you, but if you want to go over there, then be prepared never to see him again..."

Kato Osamu sat on the sofa with Mei Terumi in his arms, looking at Kushina Uzumaki and shaking his head slightly. He didn't want to speak, but he knew the power a mother could unleash for her child, Kushina Uzumaki's personality, she might impulsively rush out...

"When... when will I be able to talk to him... I..."

"Once your identity is forged... then you'll be a Konoha resident. How you live in Konoha is none of my concern..."

"Okay..." Kushina Uzumaki didn't turn around, her gaze still fixed on Naruto Uzumaki, as if she couldn't get enough of looking at him...

"So, what's our purpose in coming to Konoha?" Mei Terumi slapped away Kato Osamu's mischievous hand, rolled her eyes at him, and felt a little puzzled...

"To verify some things and... experience life in Konoha ..." Kato Osamu didn't seem to care, her gaze following Naruto Uzumaki's to Kushina Uzumaki, or rather, to the Nine-Tails within Naruto Uzumaki ...

"Haven't you had enough of living in Konoha after all these years?" Mei Terumi chuckled, closing the door and leaving Kushina Uzumaki alone at the living room window. With her and Kato Osamu there, if Kushina Uzumaki could leave quietly, they could simply surrender...

"No..."

"I've never experienced it..."