Are you really sure you want to leave Konoha?
"Yes, I have reasons why I have to leave."
Fugaku looked at Naruto across from him and realized that Naruto didn't seem to be joking. He could only sigh helplessly and say that he understood. He just told Naruto to be careful out there.
"Sigh, alright then. Be careful out there. Should I have Itachi follow you?"
Naruto shook his head. He didn't even plan to bring Sasuke along, let alone Itachi. Although Itachi's combat strength was very high, Naruto wanted Itachi to stay in Konoha. After all, Obito Uchiha hadn't come out for so long, who knows what kind of trouble he was plotting. With Itachi staying in Konoha, the Uchiha Clan could be effectively protected.
Why did Naruto choose to protect the Uchiha Clan?
This is closely related to Naruto's upcoming plans. Remember the cloning technology he mentioned to Orochimaru? What if we cloned the Sharingan of the Uchiha as well?
If the Sharingan can be cloned, what about the Mangekyō Sharingan? Can it also be cloned? Would the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan be possible?
As for Obito Uchiha, the key reason he wanted to wipe out the entire Uchiha Clan was that the Mangekyō Sharingan's abilities were simply too overpowered. It's like opening a blind box, and Obito Uchiha just happened to be a beneficiary of this mechanism, with his Mangekyou Mangekyō Sharingan even unlocking Kamui techniques like Kamui.
This is also why Obito wanted to wipe out the entire Uchiha Clan. What if one day another Mangekyō Sharingan Dōjutsu like Kamui appeared? Then how could he possibly achieve the Eye of the Moon Plan, and how could he create a world with only Rin?
When Naruto reappeared, he had already reached the outermost edge of the village.
There was only one person waiting for him there, whose long, flowing hair swayed in the wind. Naruto recognized the person at a glance, especially when he saw the conspicuous Uchiha Clan Crest on the back of the person's clothes, which made him even more certain of who the person was.
Moreover, among the entire Uchiha, only Itachi had long, flowing hair; the rest basically all had afros.
"Itachi, how long have you been waiting here?"
"Are you leaving soon?"
"Yes."
Do you need me to come with you?
Naruto refused Itachi's question. The plan hadn't been implemented yet, and it wouldn't be too late to call on the Uchiha people after it was successfully carried out.
"No need, you'll be more useful staying in the village."
"All right."
"Ghana!"
Naruto waved and walked away into the distance, leaving Itachi with only a dashing silhouette.
Watching Naruto leave, Itachi stared for a long, long time until Naruto's figure was no longer in sight. Only then did he turn his gaze away and hurry home. Just as Itachi entered the house, Fugaku called him back.
"Itachi, he's gone?"
Itachi nodded without saying a word. Fugaku stepped forward and patted him on the shoulder. Not to mention Itachi, even he himself felt a little reluctant. After all, Naruto had practically grown up in their family, and most importantly, he was the son of an old friend. Their family had long regarded him as a member of the family, and it was somewhat difficult to get used to not seeing him suddenly.
Meanwhile, Naruto, on the other hand, traveled along the way, stopping frequently to experience the local customs and culture of the Land of Fire and take in the scenery. It was quite a pleasant journey.
"What? Still reluctant to part, kid?"
The voice of Kurama, which was inside Naruto, entered Naruto's ears.
Naruto paused for a moment, but quickly gave his answer.
"No, it's just that this is the first time I've been this far from home."
Seemingly sensing the faint sadness in Naruto's tone, Kurama pondered for a long time before finally managing to utter this sentence for Naruto:
"Kid, look towards the plains to the south."
Naruto's gaze followed Kurama's words, looking to the side. All he saw was a vast plain, which puzzled him. What was Naruto trying to show him Kurama this desolate place, far from any village or shop?
What are you looking at?
"That place used to be a towering mountain, but I leveled it all. How about that? Impressive, right?"
Naruto:...
Nine-Tails, do you think you're funny?
Naruto couldn't quite understand Kurama's words; they were a bit cold, and so awkward it made him want to dig his toes into the ground.
Seeing that Naruto was ignoring him, Kurama was a little embarrassed. He swallowed his pride and tried to ease the tension between the two, but the conversation ended as soon as he opened his mouth.
"Alright, let me tell you a joke!"
"Oh? You go ahead."
After thinking for a moment, Naruto spoke.
Do you know which animal in the zoo is the quietest?
Upon hearing this, Kurama was completely baffled. A zoo? What's that? Can you eat it?
After Naruto's explanation, Kurama understood what was going on in the zoo, but his expression was a bit strange. "You humans are really strange, actually locking up my food. How odd."
"Have no idea."
Now that he understood what Naruto meant by "zoo, "Kurama continued to answer Naruto's questions.
"Of course it's the gorilla, because when a gorilla gets angry, it 'whispers' (quietly)."
Kurama:...
Although Kurama didn't understand what these words meant, it didn't stop him from supporting Naruto.
"Ha ha."
Two dismissive laughs came from the Kurama.
"Forget it, it's not funny at all. Let's get going."
Naruto didn't say anything more and continued on his way. He took out a small white snake, roughly confirmed the Naruto, and then continued his journey. He would reach Orochimaru's base in Otogakure in at least three days.
After walking and stopping frequently, Naruto finally arrived near the Otogakure.
Just as Naruto was about to get close, someone came to greet him. As Naruto expected, it really was Kabuto Yakushi. This guy really is Orochimaru's slave, doing all sorts of work.
" Lord Naruto, you've arrived."
"Um."
Naruto glanced at Kabuto Yakushi, who was looking down. Kabuto Yakushi seemed quite harmless at the moment. No one would have guessed that he would be the one who contributed the most in the Fourth Shinobi World War.
Kabuto Yakushi led the way, with Naruto following behind, as they headed towards Orochimaru's underground Earth Flow.
The two first opened the door of a villager's house, then entered the house and opened Anbu under the bed, thus officially entering Orochimaru's underground base. The light gradually dimmed, and several torches were stuck around the passage, their light flickering constantly as the two moved...
"Sassin-kun, Naruto-kun."
After the two had walked some distance, Orochimaru personally came out to greet Naruto.
"Long time no see, Aunt Snake."