"Kimura, he kicked you out too, didn't he?!"
"No, how could that be? It's just that the captain wasn't in a good mood..." Kimura said with an awkward smile, defending Haruki Hyuga.
"Stop calling him captain! The mission failed, and the team has already been disbanded! There's no need for you to respect someone like him!" Having heard Haruki Hyuga's furious roar, they naturally understood what had happened and tried to persuade Kimura.
"What a pathetic sight!"
"Kimura," wearing a mocking smile, returned to the ward and looked down at Haruki Hyuga with pity.
"Kimura, don't push it too far!"
The veins on Haruki Hyuga's face bulged as he struck at "Kimura" with his palm, only for "Kimura" to catch it effortlessly.
"Is this all the strength you have now? If you want revenge, such weak power is nowhere near enough."
"Kimura's" eyes instantly turned into golden snake eyes.
He opened his mouth wide and bit Haruki Hyuga on the neck.
"Aaaaargh—!"
Amid excruciating pain, a Curse Mark appeared on Haruki Hyuga's chest. It rapidly spread outward, covering his entire body like flames before finally forming black patterns across him.
"I'll use you as a test subject... I look forward to seeing you unleash the Curse Mark's full potential..." "Kimura" vanished with a sinister grin.
After enduring pain akin to death itself, Haruki Hyuga discovered that his entire body was filled with tremendous power, even if that power was so evil.
"Hahahaha! This is power! The power to take revenge! Naruto Uzumaki! I will definitely kill you!!!" Haruki Hyuga laughed madly and struck the wall with his palm. Palm-shaped Chakra shot forth, mixed with the Curse Mark's power and bearing an eerie color.
"Boom—!"
"Lord Hokage! Haruki Hyuga injured the gate guards and fled Konohagakure!"
"What?!"
Upon hearing the news, the Third Hokage felt a chill run through him. He immediately sensed that something had happened without his knowledge.
"Take me to see the injured ninja!"
At the hospital, the gate guard lying in bed saw the Hokage arrive and forced himself to sit up, but the Third Hokage stopped him.
"Stay lying down and tell me. What condition was Haruki Hyuga in when you saw him?"
"He had a strange Curse Mark on his body. He kept shouting that he wanted revenge on Naruto Uzumaki. When we tried to stop him, he attacked us..."
"A Curse Mark?"
"It was the kind that covered his whole body. It felt cold and evil."
"Good, I understand. Focus on recovering and get plenty of rest."
The Third Hokage adjusted his hat, his expression grave.
Orochimaru, what did you do to Haruki Hyuga?
You clearly left Konohagakure, yet you're still doing this...
"Why do I have to wear a skirt?! Didn't I say you weren't allowed to spend money recklessly?!"
Naruto looked at the skirt she was wearing, then turned to the mirror. The delicately pretty girl reflected there had her messy golden hair neatly trimmed by Mikoto Uchiha. Naruto now looked as if she had transformed from a tomboyish wild child into a noble young lady, beautiful and adorable like a doll.
"Ah~! Naruto is so cute~! I've always wanted a girl!" Mikoto Uchiha happily hugged Naruto. When she had been pregnant with Sasuke, she had wished for a daughter, only to give birth to a boy. In a sense, Naruto had made up for that regret.
In the inner world, the Nine-Tails immediately assumed a guarded stance when it saw Naruto.
"Who are you?!"
"Huh? Nine-Tails, that's too much! It's me, Naruto!"
The Nine-Tails' eyes widened at the sight of Naruto. It had thought that, somehow, its Jinchuriki had been replaced without its knowledge.
"Is that really Naruto?"
Her messy hair had become neat and silky, she wore an adorable dress, and her delicate little face was rosy and soft. Only after the Nine-Tails sniffed Naruto's scent did it dare believe that this cute girl was Naruto.
Seeing the Nine-Tails' reaction, Naruto sadly covered her face, squatted down, and made crying noises.
"That's so cruel! Just because I changed clothes and dressed up a little, you don't recognize me anymore, Nine-Tails!"
"Hahaha..." The Nine-Tails laughed awkwardly. "Thinking about it carefully, no one but you could come here."
"This outfit really suits you, Naruto!"
The Nine-Tails extended its tail, wrapped it around the squatting Naruto, and placed her on its head.
Chapter Thirty: Black Market (1/2)
♂
Walking down the street, Naruto reluctantly tugged at her skirt, her face full of disgust.
"Wearing a skirt is too troublesome. It affects my movements. Mikoto, let's go back and change into pants before coming out again... I don't want to wear a skirt!"
"But Naruto looks so cute in a skirt!"
Mikoto Uchiha looked at Naruto gently with a smile.
"Cute won't fill my stomach."
Naruto rolled her eyes at Mikoto Uchiha. A skewer of dumplings was held out before her. Looking up, Naruto saw Yakushi Nonō, who had gone to gather information, and reached out to take the dumplings she offered.
"Naruto, this outfit suits you very well. You're so cute~!" Yakushi Nonō stroked Naruto's head.
"So, did you find anything out?" Naruto stared at the dumplings in her hand, deciding to endure it for the dumplings' sake and let Yakushi Nonō pat her head.
"Over the past two days, the biggest news has been that the Hyuga clan of Konohagakure produced a Rogue Ninja." Yakushi Nonō smiled mysteriously, deliberately revealing only half the story as though she were teasing Naruto.
"A Rogue Ninja from the Hyuga clan? How strange~!" Naruto wore a gleeful smile and bit into one of the dumplings. The slightly chilled glutinous rice dumpling, paired with sweet sauce, was simply delicious.
"The old Third Hokage is probably getting a headache over this~!"
Imagining the Third Hokage rubbing his bald head in distress made Naruto smile even more happily.
"By the way, what was the name of that Hyuga clan ninja who defected?"
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