"Uchiha Itachi deserves to die!" Naruto, sitting on the couch lost in thought for a long time, suddenly clenched his water cup and cursed viciously, "He seriously deserves to die!"
Well, it seemed his object of hatred had shifted from Danzo to Itachi.
Although Danzo wasn't dead yet, his life's work had been ruined, and he was essentially half-destroyed. Naruto guessed that once Sasuke learned the truth, he'd be coming for him too, so Danzo no longer has any chance.
Naruto had no desire to get involved in the mess. He didn't want to waste his time fighting a dying man like Danzo.
'That was a job better left to the ever-energetic Sasuke. Hopefully, they would both wear each other down.'
'Sasuke is also a lunatic and a huge pain in the ass.'
Naruto held no hope that Sasuke would spare him for the sake of old times. If that guy didn't try to cut him down, it would already be a sign of good mental health. If Sasuke ever found out that Naruto had been using his name to engage in all sorts of shady activities…
'Yeah, I absolutely can't let Sasuke find out.'
Time quickly passed to noon. Naruto went out to purchase a new batch of supplies, which he stored in his seal space. At the same time, he also prepared to deal with some of the older items stored inside.
Konoha Orphanage was still in operation, though it didn't occupy much space.
The orphanage director was a slightly older woman. She was somewhat surprised why Naruto would donate so many supplies to the orphanage all at once.
Naruto didn't really have a good explanation for why he had accumulated so many supplies, so he made up a vague excuse and donated everything. Keeping them was useless, but throwing them away would be a waste.
He declined the director's offer to have the orphans thank him, saying he had other matters to attend to, and quickly left. On his way out, he happened to run into a strange young man.
Naruto paused for a moment, then glanced back at the brown-haired young man wearing goggles, and frowned slightly, 'That man seemed to be an orphan taken in by the Sandaime… His name should be Mugino.'
Naruto didn't have much memory of him, but seeing the young man in a Shinobi uniform made him feel a bit emotional. For orphans, becoming a Shinobi was probably their best career option, though the chances of surviving were slim.
After leaving the orphanage, Naruto headed into Konoha's Main Street. He ordered up three bowls of ramen from Ichiraku Ramen to go, then casually made his way home.
As soon as he stepped inside and changed his shoes, he saw his two lazy subordinates, freshly washed, sitting in front of the TV with growling stomachs. When they saw him return, their eyes lit up.
Ajisai and Yakumo's break had been extended, as a reward for their long and arduous training. Naruto understood that even with tools, you had to use a gentle touch to avoid rebellion.
"Master, how much longer can we rest?" Ajisai asked, looking up from her bowl of ramen.
"You can rest for a couple more days… two, maybe three. I'm not sure." Naruto replied, glancing at her, "The training may have been a bit hard, but the results have been impressive."
"A bit hard?" Ajisai almost choked on her chopsticks and exclaimed indignantly, "I've died over three thousand times! Three thousand times!!"
"Three thousand times!!!"
"Then maybe you're just bad at it. You should reflect on your own shortcomings, Ajisai." Naruto shot her a sideways glance, "Have you already given up on your dream of becoming the next angel?"
"I…" Ajisai hesitated.
In contrast, Yakumo was much quieter. Unlike Ajisai, who was pressured into this, Yakumo had joined voluntarily. Her goal was to strengthen her body and become a competent and powerful Kunoichi.
Though the break was precious, Yakumo didn't mind the training. Naruto didn't even need to worry about her. After finishing her ramen, she even tidied up the leftover trash and offered to give Naruto a shoulder massage.
Ajisai watched in stunned silence. But she's unable to swallow her pride and follow suit, so she buried herself in her ramen instead.
Later that afternoon.
Naruto sat by the balcony, spacing out as the fan blew on him, still pondering the events of the previous night. He pulled up the system panel again and checked Task Line III, feeling the pressure of time.
He had barely completed a third of Task Line III. To finish it, he'd have to leave the village. Finding suitable candidates within the village was too risky, and there was a chance of leaking information.
Furthermore, the Uzumaki's Ten Goddess each had their own training panels, and they would all eventually become his subordinates. Choosing followers who are too weak is a complete waste of quota.
So, Task Line III had to be completed, and he needed to claim the reward, but he couldn't just pick anyone. Ajisai and Yakumo are both special talents, not random nobodies.
Even though Ajisai and Yakumo hadn't displayed overwhelming abilities yet, good blades get sharper with honing. One day, all the investment and training would pay off.
'Wait... How did I end up becoming a Kunoichi trainer? Damn it!'
Standing on the balcony for a while, Naruto's thoughts were in disarray. After a long sigh, he decided to put off dealing with Tsunade for the time being. After all, she wasn't some naive girl.
If he went to her empty-handed, what could he possibly say other than a few farewell words? After nearly thirty years, there was no better way except to get the reward for system Task Line III and gave it to her.
With that thought, Naruto left the house.
After sorting things out, the only thing left unresolved was the matter with the Hyuga Clan. Everything else was progressing steadily. Ino would soon leave the village as part of the project, as for Sakura…
Sakura's situation was somewhat delicate, and Naruto hadn't asked too much about it recently. When Tsunade eventually left the village, Sakura would undoubtedly remain behind to take charge of the Medical Department.
…
Konoha Hospital.
Outside the lab, Sakura took off her gloves and, with a look of excitement, asked, "How do you have time to come by?"
"I was just passing by. Haven't been too busy recently, so I thought I'd check on you." Naruto said with a smile, "I might have to leave the village again soon. It shouldn't be for too long."
"You said that last time, and then you were gone for almost a year or two." Sakura hugged him tightly, her hands wandering restlessly, "Can I even believe you this time?"
"Probably. If I decided not to return to the village, what would you do?" Naruto suddenly asked, wanting to know Sakura's attitude.
"Wherever you go, I'll go. It's definitely better than staying in the village." Sakura replied decisively, "From the way you're asking, I assume you've already made up your mind, haven't you?"
"The village is too small. It can't contain me." Naruto said truthfully, "I still have things I want to accomplish. Staying in the village would only restrict me."
"There are bigger challenges coming in the future. If I stay in the village, I might get caught up in an even larger mess. I don't want to sit around and do nothing… I want to act."
Sakura said with muffled voice, leaning against his chest, "What you said to me last time... So you already knew what trouble was coming, didn't you? Preparing ahead of time… I can help you with that too."
"Aren't you helping me now?" Naruto kissed her lightly on the lips and added, "It's just that our relationship can't be made public, and I'm sorry you have to deal with that."
"It's alright. I'm willing." Sakura looked up at him and smiled, "I've told you before, I never expected anything more."
"I just want to leave something behind, not create more trouble for you."