Inside the Principal's office of the Ninja Academy, files and books were neatly arranged on the shelves, and portraits of past principals, along with the symbol of Konoha, hung on the walls.
The spacious desk had been temporarily cleared, turning the area behind it into an impromptu meeting space.
Uzumaki Naruto stood in the center of the room, his gaze filled with confusion as he scanned the adults before him.
Standing directly in front of him were, naturally, the benevolent-looking Sarutobi Hiruzen and Kazuma.
Behind them were Mitokado Homura, Utatane Koharu, Nara Shikaku, and Hyūga Kawa.
"Go to the Daimyō's capital to study?" Naruto repeated the suggestion Hiruzen had just made, his eyes flickering, his face showing clear bewilderment and surprise.
"That's right, Naruto."
Hiruzen offered a kind smile, his tone gentle: "Your recent growth and efforts have been noticed by both me and Iruka-sensei, and we are both proud of you."
"Based on Iruka-sensei's assessment, you have completely mastered all the fundamental knowledge taught at the Ninja Academy, as well as the application of the Three Basic Jutsus."
"Normally, with the knowledge and foundational ninjutsu you currently possess, you would actually meet the standards for early graduation. The Ninja Academy has nothing more to teach you."
He paused slightly here, then spoke earnestly: "However, I've always felt that the time spent growing up with friends at school is precious."
"Considering that you are more accustomed to and familiar with the school environment, and prefer to be with your friends, I never proactively suggested you graduate early."
"I wanted you to experience this precious time step-by-step," he slightly emphasized the last sentence, clearly attempting to influence Naruto, which made Kazuma frown.
"However, now, a new choice lies before you."
Before Kazuma could react, Hiruzen timely brought the conversation back on track: "The Daimyō has great foresight."
"In order to deepen the bond and understanding between the Land of Fire and Konoha, he has proposed a 'student exchange' plan to enhance communication, and this emissary, Kazuma..."
Saying this, he looked at Kazuma beside him. Kazuma offered Naruto a gentle smile.
"After observing your combat performance today, he was deeply impressed by your potential and... well, the unique talent you displayed today."
"Therefore, on behalf of the Daimyō's capital, he would like to inquire about your personal willingness."
Hiruzen's gaze returned to Naruto, and he asked: "Are you willing to go to the Daimyō's capital for a period of exchange and study?"
The underlying tendency in his words was clearly to subtly guide Naruto to choose to "stay," and Kazuma would never allow him to do so.
Just as Hiruzen finished speaking, Kazuma leaned forward, resting his hands naturally on his knees, slightly lowering his center of gravity so that his eye level was parallel with Naruto's.
This subtle action closed the distance, dissolving the pressure imposed by his status.
"Naruto."
He looked directly into Naruto's eyes, a gentle smile on his face: "Konoha is the home where you grew up; it taught you how to be a shinobi."
"But the world is vast. Outside Konoha, there is a completely different world with different rules."
"In the capital of the Land of Fire, you will see more than just sparring and missions between shinobi. That place is the political, economic, and cultural center of the Land of Fire."
"You will be exposed to knowledge far beyond the scope of the Ninja Academy—such as the wisdom of governing a nation, the historical changes of the Ninja World, and even long-lost documents and secrets."
"The books in the library might answer many unspoken doubts in your heart."
"This will allow you to truly understand the broader meaning of the word 'protect,' not just guarding a single village or place, but understanding and participating in the operation of an entire nation."
"This will undoubtedly provide you with a broader perspective and opportunities, which will greatly benefit your future growth."
Finally, his tone was sincere: "Of course, as the Hokage said, the prerequisite for all of this is that you are truly willing to try and experience it yourself."
"The final decision is always in your hands."
Regardless of whether these promises can be fulfilled, the most important thing right now is to successfully trick this brat into going to the capital, Kazuma thought to himself.
"..."
Uzumaki Naruto remained silent, looking directly at the kind-faced man before him.
A cold, sticky malice was subtly emanating from the man, and though well-concealed, it could not escape Naruto's perception.
Countless thoughts flashed through his mind, and he quickly clarified the current situation.
The person before him was a high-ranking Daimyō's Emissary and could never harbor such intense malice toward an ordinary student.
Therefore, the root of this malice could only point to his sensitive identity, which was heavily concealed—the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki.
"It seems this Emissary, and even the Daimyō behind him, already know my true situation."
Naruto secretly mused: "They want to use me, use the power of the Great Fox, to do something. As for Third Hokage and the others..."
With this thought, his gaze swept over Hiruzen, and he thought: "They seem unaware of the other party's true intentions, still believing this is merely a simple talent exchange."
Seeing Naruto fall silent, a hesitant look on his face, Hiruzen secretly breathed a sigh of relief, assuming Naruto would choose to refuse as he had hoped.
"Naruto." The smile on his face became even kinder, and he spoke in a relaxed tone: "It's okay. If you want to go, go. If you don't, no one will blame you."
"I want to go," Naruto's clear and calm voice rang out.
"Since you don't want to go, then... huh?"
Hiruzen subconsciously nodded, following his anticipated script, but halfway through his sentence, he suddenly reacted, instantly freezing and looking at Naruto in disbelief.
"Na-Naruto? What did you just say?" He even suspected he had misheard.
"Grandpa Third," meeting the astonished gazes of the others, Naruto repeated firmly, "I said, I want to go to the Daimyō's capital."
Yes, even though he clearly sensed Kazuma's hidden malice, and even though he understood that the Daimyō's capital might be a carefully planned trap, he still decided to go.
This decision was not made on a whim but stemmed from the knowledge he had gained from those books from "another world," knowledge that far surpassed the ordinary understanding of this era.
As far as he knew, the form of rule known as the "Daimyō" had existed on this land for thousands of years.
However, in the more ancient past, they were not the supreme rulers but were more akin to "feudal lords" from the history of that "other world."
The true ruler of the nation was called the "Son of Heaven," a title that predated even the Ninshū founded by the Sage of Six Paths.
When Ninshū was first established, its nature was closer to a transcendent religion, focused on teaching the use of chakra and spiritual cultivation, and did not interfere with the succession of secular royalty.
However, with the disintegration of Ninshū, the world plunged into a long era of warfare. Shinobi clans fought independently, and the bloody battles lasted for centuries.
It was during this long period of chaos that the authority of the "Son of Heaven" was completely overturned, and the old order collapsed.
Just like the decline of the "Zhou Dynasty" in that world, powerful "feudal states" fought against each other, annexing land and population.
Ultimately, this resulted in the current structure of five Great Nations coexisting, with numerous smaller countries barely surviving, the system having slipped from "co-ruler of the world" into the "Spring and Autumn and Warring States" period.
Senju Hashirama, who ended the endless slaughter between the shinobi clans, originally had the ability, thanks to his overwhelming power, to reshape the world order and make shinobi the true masters of this world.
But his personality and the limitations of his era meant that he either did not consider or was unwilling to take that path.
He chose to cooperate with the Daimyō of the Land of Fire, forming the "One Country, One Village" agreement, which other Great Nations and their respective shinobi villages quickly emulated.
From then on, the shinobi villages and the nations became mutually dependent, and the shinobi themselves, to some extent, became the "tools" for maintaining the existing feudal rule.
Perhaps to most people in this world, all of this seemed natural and reasonable because it had always been this way since ancient times.
They had never experienced the epic "Age of Enlightenment" and the "Hundred Schools of Thought" from the history of that "other world."
Immersed in this world order that had run for thousands of years, how could they realize its inherent distortion and abnormality?
However, unlike the rest of the world, Naruto had read too many books from another world and knew how distorted and abnormal the current Ninja World truly was.
It was hard to imagine a society where some technology was approaching the near-modern level of that "other world," yet its political system and cultural concepts still remained at such a backward stage.
Therefore, Naruto wanted to see with his own eyes what a Daimyō was truly like and what the "world" outside Konoha looked like.
By continuing to stay in Konoha, his view would be blocked by high walls, forever unable to grasp the true operational脉络 of this world and unable to find the root cause of war and suffering.
He was afraid that if he stayed too long, his cognition would become narrow, turning him into someone like Uchiha Itachi.
Someone who believed his vision was long-sighted but whose perspective never extended beyond the small corner of "Konoha," ultimately trapping himself in a narrow sense of "loyalty" and a twisted "great good."
Konoha, for Naruto, was simply too small; it had become a cage for his thoughts.
---------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------
I only share the most exquisite and beautiful novels. Don't forget to check out my other novels!
p@treon DaoistWujinzi