Wise Naruto

After making the journey through Mount Myōboku as a relay point.

Naruto used the Summoning Technique again. An Old Toad's enormous body crashed to the floor, filling half the fortress hall.

Naruto, Haido, and Temujin all fixed their eyes on the Old Toad's bulging belly and waited quietly.

Grrr-

A clear, loud stomach rumble broke the silence.

The next second, the toad opened his huge mouth and spat something out.

Clang!

An Electric Wheelchair landed firmly on the floor, facing away from everyone, and stood there quietly.

On the Wheelchair's backrest, a slogan printed in black on white paper stood out, both jarring and utterly earnest-[Where Konoha has love, happiness is never far away]

At the sight of that slogan, the hall fell silent for several seconds.

Haido looked at the words, a smug certainty creeping into his eyes.

In his view, a cripple who had endured the world's scorn and spent years at the bottom, suffering bullying and pain, yet still displayed a slogan like this...

Had to be a pitiful wretch desperately starved of affection and longing for peace and happiness.

The deeper someone lived in darkness, the more they yearned for light.

Ordinary people like this, mired in suffering since childhood, without anyone to rely on, sensitive and starved of affection, were the easiest to manipulate-and the easiest to brainwash.

All he had to do was sell him a grand enough dream, promise him an Ideal Country without war, bullying, or disease, and he could win him over completely.

Naruto had already said that Miki Yūya was an ordinary Konoha villager whose parents had both died when he was young, and that he had spent his entire life drowning in misery.

Someone like that was simply the perfect candidate for a puppet.

As long as he kept Miki Yūya under control, he could keep Naruto firmly on a leash.

With someone as powerful as Naruto helping him, his grand undertaking to build the Ideal Country would be more than halfway secured.

Haido quietly calculated his next moves, his expression growing ever gentler and more composed.

Everyone stared at the empty Wheelchair for a long while.

There was absolutely nothing in it.

Haido froze, then turned stiffly toward Naruto. Wait, what was the point of sending a Wheelchair over? Don't tell me this guy's friend is the Wheelchair?

"Naruto, my power only heals living flesh. I can't repair a Wheelchair..."

Naruto was so embarrassed that his toes curled. He wished he could find a crack in the floor to crawl into.

He stared at the bleary-eyed Old Toad before him, inwardly ranting.

Sure enough, the helper Gamabunta recommended is useless.

Naruto hurriedly raised a hand and reminded the toad in a low voice:

"Hey! Um... elder toad, I think there's someone you haven't spat out yet!!"

Only after hearing Naruto did the Old Toad slowly come to his senses. He said, "Oh," then opened his mouth and spat again.

Pfft-

Miki Yūya, still covered in plaster casts that had yet to be fully removed, slid out and dropped into the Wheelchair, settling firmly into the seat.

With that done, the toad wasted no time and waved a webbed hand.

"Mission complete... I'm heading back to get some grub."

Before he had even finished speaking, there was a pop and a swirl of smoke. He dismissed the summoning and vanished without a trace.

The hall finally welcomed its new guest properly.

Haido immediately put on a friendly, kindly smile and slowly approached, his voice so gentle it bordered on false:

"You must be Miki Yūya."

"Naruto told me what happened to you. It truly saddens me. Who knows how many others in this world are suffering just as you are?"

Miki Yūya glanced at Haido. What is this old bastard talking about? Wait, has Naruto been blabbing about my crap again?

Haido completely misread Miki Yūya's look. He launched into his brainwashing routine, speaking slowly, every sentence aimed at a vulnerable person's sore spots.

"In this world, the strong prey on the weak. The powerful bully the helpless at will, while the innocent suffer untold hardships."

"But we're different, Yūya.

As long as you join us, we can use the Gelel Stone's power to build a true Ideal Country."

"An Ideal Country without war, hunger, or illness, where the weak will never be bullied again.

From now on, no one will ever bully you again, and you won't have to suffer any more injustice."

Haido spoke with heartfelt sincerity, painting a vivid picture. Coupled with his expression and manner, he looked every inch a savior.

But Miki Yūya sat in his Wheelchair, utterly baffled, with nothing but pure exasperation in his eyes.

The strong bully the weak?

He tilted his head, inwardly launching into a furious rant.

Are you fucking calling me weak? I'm a man with all three types of Haki.

Besides, whether I'm weak or not doesn't matter!

What do you mean, the weak won't be bullied? Can't the weak bully the strong?!

With that narrow vision, that tiny mindset, and that rigid thinking, you want to build an Ideal Country?

Worthless old bastard. You've wasted most of your life, and you still have the nerve to lecture me?

Seeing Haido in his glasses, putting on that phony, cultured act, Miki Yūya could barely contain his anger.

Then Haido stopped talking and directly activated the Gelel Stone in his palm.

Soft, soothing energy flowed out, enveloping Miki Yūya's entire body in delicate strands.

Pure life force, far beyond even Tsunade's finest Medical Ninjutsu, seeped through the gaps in his casts, spread through his limbs and body, and finally reached his throat.

The old injury to his throat, the most serious of all, healed completely at a visible speed, leaving no lingering complications.

In just a short while, his throat was fully healed. It wasn't merely an old wound closing up, but a complete restoration, as though that part of his body had grown anew.

Once the restoration was finished, Haido immediately withdrew the stone's power. His face turned pale and his breathing grew unsteady as he deliberately feigned the weakness of someone who had overexerted himself.

"Naruto, my power is limited at present. This is all I can repair for now. His remaining injuries will need to be treated gradually, over several sessions."

Beside him, Naruto hurried forward with excitement written all over his face, staring intently at Miki Yūya.

"Yūya! Your throat's healed! You can talk now, right?!"

Miki Yūya worked his throat, feeling how freely and smoothly his vocal cords moved, then slowly drew a breath. Finally. He was finally unsealed.

"Wait a second. Let me get my words together."

Miki Yūya's face flushed, his excitement beyond description.

Haido wore a kindly smile and raised a hand slightly.

"Yūya, it was a small thing for me to do. We're companions now. There's no need to thank me."

The instant he finished speaking.

Miki Yūya erupted on the spot, opening with a hearty string of profanity, his voice loud and full of vigor:

"Thank you, my ass! You fucking idiot!"

[Ding! Conqueror's Haki +5]

[Ding! Conqueror's Haki +3]

The entire fortress hall fell deathly silent.

His thunderous curses echoed through the spacious hall, leaving everyone present frozen in place.

I said it. I finally said it.

I can talk again. This feels amazing!!

That's the feeling. That's the joy of being an obnoxious bastard.

If I don't say anything or do anything, what's the point of being alive?!!

Everything Miki Yūya had kept bottled up all this time poured out at once. He spared no one:

"You ancient fucking turtle! You think putting on glasses makes you an intellectual? Who are you trying to sell your bullshit dreams to, four-eyed dog?! If you can't do it, stop pretending! What the fuck are you showing off for? After all that, you could only heal my throat."

"You're old and feeble, so just admit it! Multiple treatment sessions? You think I'm some idiot you can keep farming?"

"And you, Naruto Uzumaki! You're nothing but a menace, you Fox Demon! If it weren't for you, how would I have gotten hurt? How would I have ended up like this? It's your own damn fault. You should get the hell out of Konoha."

"No wonder Sasuke insisted on defecting and running away! Anyone who sticks around a Fox Demon like you will end up getting screwed to death sooner or later!"

Miki Yūya didn't care about any of the details. Sure, he'd been beaten up because he insulted Gaara, but was Naruto completely blameless? If Naruto hadn't spoken to him at the village entrance, would he have gone outside?

"As if being a menace weren't enough, you worship foreigners too!"

"Konoha has the best medicine in the Shinobi World. You think they couldn't heal me? You just had to drag me over to these overseas hicks' turf? People who worship everything foreign like you are what I despise most."

Fuck!!

The scene left Haido and Temujin completely dumbfounded.

Seriously, man? Did you not notice who just healed you? And what did Naruto do wrong? What did we do wrong?

Even someone as vile as Haido was stunned at that moment.

But Miki Yūya still wasn't finished.

"And those decrepit old bastards in Konoha High Command!"

"Why the hell did they invite those monsters from Sunagakure over?!"

"Gaara's a mentally unstable lunatic, and that tanuki is so fucking aggressive!"

"Putting a ticking time bomb like that right next to Konoha? They don't give a damn about ordinary villagers' lives! Konoha High Command and you Ninja don't value our lives at all."

Even though he wasn't in Konoha, Miki Yūya kept cursing them.

Naruto's mouth twitched uncontrollably.

Sure enough, the Gelel Stone could heal flesh and cure severe injuries, but it couldn't cure Miki Yūya's mental anguish.

Faced with Miki Yūya's foul mouth, Naruto grew angry too. What's wrong with Gaara? That wasn't his fault. Hasn't Gaara suffered too? Hasn't he been tormented?

Is everything supposed to be Gaara's fault?

He looked at Miki Yūya, who was still venting, and shouted angrily.

"Yūya!! Enough..."

"Gaara didn't choose to be like that. It's... it's the tanuki inside him. Besides..."

"Besides, felines aren't even as aggressive as mustelids. You're not allowed to say that about Gaara anymore!!"

Naruto gritted his teeth and spoke fiercely. To him, both Gaara and Miki Yūya had led miserable lives. Miki Yūya shouldn't talk about Gaara that way just because he had a tanuki inside him.

"Is that the fucking point?!"

Miki Yūya's eyes widened in fury, and his voice rose again:

"You think I don't fucking know how aggressive mustelids are? Uchiha Itachi slaughtered his entire clan! You think I don't know that?!!"

"Is this the time to argue about felines and mustelids? Can your brain bend even a little?!"

Naruto shut his mouth completely, not daring to reply.

Beside them, Haido and Temujin both looked livid.

They had worked hard to heal him, earnestly spun dreams to brainwash him, and poured their hearts out about their ideals.

And in the end, he called them a worthless old bastard, a four-eyed dog, and overseas hicks, right to their faces.

Naruto, whom they had finally managed to win over, had been called a brainless foreigner-worshipper.

Everyone stood there listening to Miki Yūya spew abuse all by himself.

Savage anger surged in Temujin's eyes. His right hand instantly clamped onto the hilt of the Short Sword at his waist, murderous intent rising as his body tensed, ready to draw and strike at any moment.

"My lord!"

With a clash about to break out, Haido forcibly suppressed his anger and raised a hand to stop the impulsive Temujin.

He took a deep breath, pushed down all his displeasure, and maintained his outward composure as he ordered in a low voice:

"Take Yūya to get settled in. Give him a private room to recuperate."

Several figures in black armor immediately stepped forward and silently pushed the Wheelchair, taking the still-cursing Miki Yūya out of the hall.

Only after he was well out of sight did Haido turn toward Naruto, his voice tinged with helplessness and regret:

"Naruto, is this fellow... really your friend?"

Haido was now questioning Miki Yūya's position. If the two weren't close, he wouldn't be able to use Miki Yūya to threaten Naruto.

Naruto nodded.

"Yeah... Yūya, he... he just has some mental problems too. Lady Tsunade once said that there's currently no way in the Shinobi World to treat his mental condition."

Naruto genuinely believed there was something wrong with Miki Yūya's brain. He didn't understand the concept of simply being utterly ill-mannered. All he knew was that Tsunade had said so.

Hearing Naruto's answer, Haido breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed he could still use Miki Yūya to threaten Naruto.

"His mental problems are too severe to resolve in a short time."

"The Gelel Stone's power can only repair physical injuries. To cure all his problems completely, we'll need more Gelel Stones."

At those words, Naruto's eyes instantly lit up.

"No problem! If you need my help, I'll give it everything I've got! As long as we can cure Yūya, I'll do anything."

Just as the two finalized their plan.

Beep-

An urgent report suddenly sounded through the Communication Earpiece in Temujin's ear, the speaker talking rapidly with unmistakable alarm.

"The fleet in the Land of Wind! It's been destroyed! The entire force has been wiped out!"

Temujin's expression changed sharply, his eyes instantly turning grave.

He immediately turned to Haido and reported in a low voice:

"Lord Haido, something has happened to the fleet sent to the Land of Wind. I'll go verify the situation."

Hearing this, Naruto immediately stepped forward.

"I'll go with you!"

The two turned and hurried out of the fortress hall, heading for the battlefield in the Land of Wind.

Meanwhile, Miki Yūya was escorted by two soldiers clad entirely in black armor to a heavily guarded chamber. They called it private care, but it looked much more like they were locking him up under guard.

Only after Miki Yūya had been escorted into the secret chamber did the armored man beside him speak.

"Yūya!"

It was Naruto's voice.

Miki Yūya looked stunned. Holy shit? The Transformation Technique? Naruto had actually gotten smarter?

"Surprised, huh?"

"I'm not who I used to be, Yūya. I'm the man who's going to become Hokage.

You taught me this when we were chasing Kidomaru. I don't know many Ninjutsu techniques, but you taught me how to use my own power."

Using the Clone Technique and Transformation Technique to lure an opponent in and steal combat intel was something Miki Yūya had taught Naruto. Naruto knew he wasn't talented enough, so he had committed everything Miki Yūya had taught him to memory.

"But you really are smarter than me, Yūya. You just tore into everyone so badly that Haido definitely won't come here to see you and make a fool of himself.

So that was your plan!"

"Smart? Heh, I just felt like it.

Naruto, you must remember..."

Miki Yūya put on an act. Yes, this was his plan. As for what exactly that plan was, he didn't know either. He had simply been cooped up too long, come out for some air, and wanted to curse people out.

Now that he'd finished, he felt great.

"Remember what?"

"Never mind that for now... just remember, okay?"

How would I know what you're supposed to remember? Just remember it first, and we'll figure it out later.