A Battle Over in an Instant; Hotaru, Come Back to Konoha with Me

"Who's there?"

Utakata stared coldly ahead, gripping his weapon tight.

Seeing him like that, Hotaru nervously drew a kunai and held it ready.

As they watched, a man slowly stepped out from behind a tree.

A faint smile rested on his face.

Now,

seeing Utakata and Hotaru braced for a fight, he spread his arms slightly. "Let me introduce myself."

"Naruto Uzumaki."

At the sound of that name, Utakata and Hotaru's pupils contracted. Their hearts began pounding.

Neither of them had imagined that the man before them...

was the legendary Naruto Uzumaki!

"You two look nervous," Naruto said softly, looking at them.

"Heh... I doubt anyone in the entire Shinobi World could stay calm in front of you."

Utakata swallowed and forced a smile.

The strongest man in the Shinobi World today, someone who had nearly unified it and whose strength surpassed even that of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju...

Compared with ordinary ninja, Utakata and Hotaru, who had traveled throughout the Shinobi World, understood what that meant all too well.

With someone like him blocking their path, who wouldn't be rattled?

"Relax."

"I didn't come here to hurt you."

Naruto leaned against a tree, looking utterly harmless.

So he came looking for us...

Utakata's heart sank.

The worst had happened.

A moment ago, he had still hoped that running into Naruto was pure coincidence.

After all,

Naruto had been busy unifying the Shinobi World. It wouldn't have been strange for him to turn up in a backwater like the Land of Tea.

But that single sentence shattered Utakata's last hope.

Naruto Uzumaki had come specifically for him!

"May I ask what you want with me?"

Utakata asked cautiously.

"I mainly came to borrow something from you."

"What?"

"The Six-Tails."

Utakata's mouth twitched at Naruto's answer.

Seriously?

Was a Tailed