Making friends for world peace?
Naruto stared at Nagato, genuinely speechless. Why was his senior brother so obsessed with world peace? The man couldn't let it go, constantly finding ways to connect everything back to that shattered dream.
Even something as simple and genuine as making friends somehow became a grand political strategy in Nagato's mind.
Naruto stopped walking and turned to face him fully. "Senior Brother Nagato, you're overthinking this. I already told you—making friends is just my dream. I want to have many friends. World peace has nothing to do with it."
Nagato's expression remained unconvinced. "I don't believe you."
"Fine. Don't believe me. I believe me, and that's what matters." Naruto shrugged and resumed walking.
The next destination was the Land of Hot Water, followed by the Land of Bears, the Land of Demons, and the Land of Snow. From Snow, they'd travel to the adjacent Land of Earth.
Naruto had planned the entire route carefully for maximum efficiency.
Behind him, Nagato sat in his wheelchair, lost in thought. His analytical mind couldn't let the pattern go.
Naruto says his dream is to befriend every ninja in the shinobi world. He just accomplished that in Sand. Next, he'll do the same in Cloud, Stone, Mist... When he's befriended every ninja everywhere...
His breathing quickened. Ninja are the primary productive force in this world. If Naruto controls that productivity through friendship... he won't need official titles. Won't need to conquer nations. They'll simply follow him willingly.
Sasuke appeared beside the wheelchair, reading Nagato's expression with ease. "Senior Nagato, stop overthinking. Naruto genuinely just wants friends. If you knew about his childhood, you wouldn't question it."
His voice dropped, tinged with sadness. "He's really afraid of being alone."
Nagato shook his head. "Sasuke, you're still young. There are things you don't understand."
I was the leader of Akatsuki. I controlled an entire nation. I understand politics. He glanced at Sasuke with something like pity. This twelve-year-old has been following Naruto around, completely oblivious to the larger implications.
When ninja from every village—including every Kage—became Naruto's friends, certain consequences would inevitably follow. Whether Naruto intended them or not, whether he wanted them or not, the results would manifest the same way.
The only question was whether they'd happen voluntarily or through coercion.
I need to verify this theory, Nagato decided. I'm going to start watching when Naruto makes friends. See the pattern with my own eyes.
Over the following weeks, Naruto's group traveled through the Land of Hot Water, the Land of Bears, the Land of Demons, and the Land of Snow.
As the Fifth Hokage of Konoha—one of the Five Great Nations—Naruto's status commanded respect. These smaller ninja villages couldn't compare to Konoha's power and influence.
They welcomed him enthusiastically. Even those who might have preferred otherwise understood the reality of their position. Small nations existed in the cracks between great powers. One wrong move could see them crushed.
When Naruto made his request to "become friends," the ninja in these villages showed varying degrees of confusion and concern. But for the survival and prosperity of their nations, they ultimately accepted.
And every time Naruto made friends, Nagato followed Sasuke to observe.
The change didn't escape Sasuke's notice. "Senior Nagato," he said during one session, "didn't you say watching Naruto make friends was a waste of time? So why are you here?"
Nagato didn't even look embarrassed. "You don't understand. I'm not watching Naruto make friends. I'm observing the process of world peace unfolding."
Sasuke's eye twitched. "Senior Nagato, you're really overthinking this. Naruto genuinely doesn't care about world peace."
"Just wait and see, Sasuke." Nagato's voice carried absolute certainty. "One day, this world will achieve peace because of Naruto. Whether he intends it or not."
Sasuke gave up arguing. You can't wake someone who's pretending to sleep.
What really annoyed him, though, was Nagato's shameless habit of stealing their snacks.
Every single time Sasuke and Nine-Tails prepared drinks and sunflower seeds for the viewing experience, Nagato would appear and casually help himself. No asking permission. No offering to pay them back. Just reaching over and taking whatever he wanted.
Once or twice was fine. Sasuke wasn't hurting for money anymore.
But it kept happening. Every. Single. Time.
As a senior, Nagato showed absolutely no self-awareness about freeloading.
On the third occasion, Sasuke finally snapped. "Senior Nagato, can you bring your own snacks next time?"
Nagato, eyes fixed on Naruto's friend-making below, reached into Sasuke's sunflower seed bag without even looking. "Next time. Definitely next time."
"You always say that!" Sasuke's frustration leaked through. "But when next time comes, you're freeloading again!"
If he could actually beat Nagato in a fight, Sasuke would have had a very friendly exchange with him by now.
After one particularly egregious snack-theft session, Nine-Tails leaned close to Sasuke. "Hey. What if we tell Naruto to make Nagato his friend? That'll teach him to keep stealing our sunflower seeds."
Sasuke's eyes lit up. "Kurama, that's brilliant. I'll talk to Naruto right now."
Fueled by righteous anger over stolen snacks, Sasuke tracked Naruto down during a training session in Star Village.
The Hoshikage had arranged accommodations for them in the Bear Country's primary ninja settlement. Sasuke found Naruto in the courtyard, golden energy rippling along his arm as he practiced some new technique.
"Naruto," Sasuke called. "I think you've missed something important."
Naruto stopped immediately, energy fading. "Oh? What did I miss?"
"Think about your journey so far," Sasuke said seriously. "You've befriended the ninja of Sand, of Hot Water, and now Star Village."
He paused for emphasis. "But while you've been chasing your dream everywhere, there's someone traveling right beside you who you've never befriended."
Understanding dawned on Naruto's face. "You're talking about Senior Brother Nagato."
"Exactly! You haven't become friends with him yet. Don't you want to?"
"Of course I do." Naruto shook his head quickly. "But Sasuke, you know his condition. How can I make friends with him when his legs are like that?"
Sasuke had expected this objection. "Wait. Aren't your medical skills pretty good? What if you healed Nagato's legs first, then became friends with him?"
Naruto blinked. The solution was so obvious he couldn't believe he'd missed it. "Sasuke, you're right. I've been so busy traveling and making friends, I completely forgot that was an option."
A smile spread across Sasuke's face.
He definitely wasn't smiling because of revenge for stolen snacks. No. He was smiling because Naruto would gain another friend.
Totally different motivation.
After Sasuke left, Naruto immediately communicated with the system, asking if it could provide a method to heal Nagato's leg injury.
Even though Naruto had become essentially invincible in the shinobi world, the system still seemed supernatural to him—capable of things beyond even his considerable abilities.
The system responded quickly with detailed treatment instructions.
Armed with this knowledge, Naruto headed straight for Nagato's room.
The man had no idea slight danger was approaching.
Naruto knocked. After receiving permission, he entered with a bright smile. "Senior Brother Nagato, have you solved the resurrection technique problem yet?"
"It's not that simple." Nagato shook his head, gesturing to his notes. "But I've found a promising direction. The Outer Path technique kills the user because it exhausts their chakra completely. So theoretically, if someone had unlimited chakra..."
"But nobody has unlimited chakra," Naruto pointed out.
"Exactly. Which is why I still think your idea of punching the King of Hell to death has merit." Nagato poured tea for both of them. "Anyway, what brings you here? You're usually training at this hour."
According to Nagato's observations, Naruto maintained incredible self-discipline. Aside from pursuing his friend-making dream, he spent virtually every free moment training.
No wonder he became Hokage at twelve, Nagato often thought. No wonder he dismantled my entire organization single-handedly. That level of dedication... I never stood a chance.
"I came to heal your leg injury," Naruto said simply.
If Nagato could have stood, he would have shot upright from his wheelchair in that moment. As it was, his hands clenched the armrests hard enough to make the wood creak.
"Naruto... can I really stand again?"
"Yes." Naruto's voice carried absolute certainty.
Nagato's breath caught. The prospect of standing, of walking, of being whole again... it was almost too much to hope for.
No man wanted to remain wheelchair-bound. Nagato thought about standing when he slept, when he woke, during every moment of every day. He was a man like any other, with the same desires for normalcy.
Sometimes he thought about the future. If he ever took a wife, she'd have a difficult life caring for him. He wanted to share that burden, to contribute equally.
Now Naruto was offering him that chance.
Over the following days and weeks, Naruto treated Nagato's injuries during their travels. The process was gradual, requiring multiple sessions.
What puzzled Nagato was Sasuke's behavior. Every time Naruto worked on healing him, the young Uchiha would smile. Just a faint curve of the lips, but definitely there.
He's genuinely happy for me, Nagato realized warmly. We've studied together so long, he's developed feelings of friendship. Knowing I can stand again makes him happy.
It never occurred to him that Sasuke was smiling about something else entirely.
Time passed in a blur of travel and friendship-making.
Ninja from the Lands of Hot Water, Bears, Demons, and Snow all became Naruto's friends before the group crossed into the Land of Earth.
There was one notable incident in the Land of Snow.
The daimyō, Dotō Kazahana, initially refused Naruto's friendship request. He worried it would undermine his authority and prestige within his own nation.
Naruto had encountered this problem before. The solution was straightforward: friendly exchange. If that didn't work, two friendly exchanges would do the trick.
In Dotō's case, it required three friendly exchanges before he finally lay on the ground, unable to rise, smiling beatifically as he accepted Naruto's friendship.
That same night, Dotō died under mysterious circumstances. His niece, Koyuki Kazahana, who'd been living in hiding, reclaimed her rightful position as the Land of Snow's leader.
When Naruto learned of this development, he immediately befriended Koyuki as well.
Now they stood at the border of the Land of Earth, Iwagakure Village visible in the distance.
"So this is Iwagakure," Naruto murmured, studying the architecture.
The village had been built into and around massive rock formations, creating a fortified settlement that seemed to grow organically from the stone itself. Earth-tone browns dominated the color palette, giving everything a sense of solidity and permanence.
Beside him, Ōnoki—the current Tsuchikage—smiled. Despite being barely four feet tall and appearing elderly, the man radiated quiet authority. "That's right, Hokage-sama. Welcome to Iwagakure. Please, come in."
Ōnoki would never underestimate Naruto based on age. Iwagakure's intelligence network might be slower than others, but even they'd received reports about Naruto killing Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Anyone who could kill the Professor deserved to be treated as an equal threat.
The Tsuchikage personally escorted Naruto's group through the village, pointing out landmarks and explaining Iwagakure's customs as they walked toward the meeting hall.
Upon learning the Fifth Hokage would be visiting, Ōnoki had arranged a lavish lunch to properly welcome his guests.
When the food arrived, Naruto demonstrated his appetite to the shock and awe of every Iwagakure ninja present. Plates emptied at impossible speed. Dishes kept arriving from the kitchen only to vanish moments later.
After satisfying his hunger, Naruto turned to business.
"Tsuchikage-sama," he said pleasantly, "I came here to make friends. With you, and with the ninja of Iwagakure."
Ōnoki's weathered face split into a diplomatic smile. "That request aligns perfectly with our own interests, Hokage-sama. We of Iwagakure are very happy to befriend Konoha."
In Ōnoki's long experience, there were no permanent enemies in the shinobi world. Only permanent interests.
And right now, friendship with Konoha's terrifyingly powerful young Hokage seemed like a very good interest to cultivate.
"Excellent," Naruto said, his smile widening.
He didn't mention the specifics of how that friendship would be established.
Ōnoki would find out soon enough.