Ōnoki unrolled the scroll.
To his surprise, there was a lot more written data than expected.
To his relief, it wasn't some outrageous declaration from that abnormal powerhouse—it was simply a "wanted list."
The Akatsuki organization had been destroyed, with most of its power wiped out. However—
There were still a few lucky ones who hadn't participated in the battle and had managed to escape with their lives.
"S-Class Rogue Ninja, Uchiha Itachi."
"Unknown Uchiha clan member."
"Zetsu."
These three were the main individuals listed on the warrant.
"Anyone who captures them, or provides effective intelligence, will be rewarded with a technique," Kurotsuchi read aloud, more focused on the reward than the list. She raised an eyebrow, "Just one technique?"
"Isn't that reward a bit..."
Out of concern for her grandfather's health and feelings, she didn't finish the sentence too bluntly.
"The research department could gain far more from just studying their corpses than from a single technique."
Ōnoki shook his head, speaking earnestly: "It's different. This is a technique from Uzumaki Naruto."
"There were reports saying his ninjutsu was strange," Kurotsuchi shrugged, her tone indifferent. "But there are plenty of bizarre secret techniques out there. Can they really rival the Sharingan?"
Ōnoki knocked on the table: "The point isn't the technique."
"It's Uzumaki Naruto."
He sighed, "You're too young. You haven't seen what a real powerhouse looks like."
Kurotsuchi tilted her head in confusion.
A real powerhouse?
"Even if Uzumaki Naruto is strong, he can't be stronger than Grandpa, right?" she refuted instantly.
Ōnoki smiled bitterly: "What kind of powerhouse am I?"
"I haven't mentioned this in a long time," he stared at the scroll, memories flooding back. In the blur of time, he once again glimpsed the eyes that had struck fear into his heart. "When I was young, I once faced Uchiha Madara head-on."
"Even now, with my mastery of the Dust Release…"
"I'm still no match for that man."
"And Uzumaki Naruto—he may not have reached Madara's level yet. But he's too young! Only fourteen or fifteen. When he reaches twenty, thirty years old, who's to say he won't become another Madara?"
Ōnoki paused, his tone cautious.
"And the most frightening thing—"
"Is that he has no allegiance."
"He refuses to call himself a Leaf ninja, even rejects being called a 'ninja' at all."
Kurotsuchi was perplexed.
"If you're like this, how can I feel at ease handing the village over to you?" Ōnoki sighed again, speaking more frankly. "Having no allegiance means he won't be bound."
"Between villages, between nations, there are endless entanglements of interests."
"Starting a war isn't easy."
"But if you offend Uzumaki Naruto, nothing can hold him back. He'll retaliate without hesitation."
"That's exactly why gaining his friendship is more valuable than anything."
"Can even a pair of Sharingan—or Rinnegan—create a ninja more powerful than Uzumaki Naruto?"
Kurotsuchi nodded thoughtfully.
Ōnoki continued unrolling the scroll. When he reached the end, his pupils dilated. His emotions surged briefly.
"What's wrong?" Kurotsuchi noticed and peeked over. "Uzumaki Naruto wants to visit Iwagakure?"
"That's not a big deal, why such a strong reaction?"
Ōnoki frowned, suddenly feeling a headache.
How could he not react strongly?
A person capable of effortlessly destroying an entire village suddenly requesting to visit—it was practically a horror story.
Ōnoki's face darkened, murmuring to himself, and perhaps to Kurotsuchi as well.
"I've already expressed goodwill to him before."
"This time..."
"Shouldn't be a bad thing."
—
In a remote region of the continent, where few ninjas roamed—
Inside a cave, Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Obito sat in silence.
Zetsu emerged from the ground, his tone dripping with bitterness: "Terrible news."
"That bastard Uzumaki Naruto has spread our information to every country."
"I found this in a small ninja village nearby,"
He pulled out a scroll and tossed it into Obito's lap.
When unrolled—
What greeted their eyes were three detailed portraits.
Their faces, exactly as they were.
"So detailed," Itachi examined his portrait. "I didn't even realize my face had so many features."
"Damn that Nagato!" Obito fumed. "To think he leaked this information before dying!"
"As the vessel of the Rinnegan, how could his mind be so small!"
If only...
He had been more ruthless that night.
He should've killed that kid too!
Minato Namikaze was difficult and sharp—an intelligent opponent.
But compared to Uzumaki Naruto—
He'd much rather deal with the Fourth Hokage.
No one replied.
Each of them harbored their own thoughts.
—
Land of Rice Fields, Hidden Sound Village.
In the training grounds, Sasuke sheathed his sword, ending a brutal spar.
Orochimaru clapped, "As expected of the Uchiha clan—you've improved quickly."
Sasuke stared at him coldly.
"I have two pieces of news for you," Orochimaru licked his lips, his eyes flickering with excitement.
Sasuke remained ice-cold.
"The organization Itachi belongs to—Akatsuki—"
"Was destroyed by Naruto."
"That truly surprised me," Orochimaru almost seemed intoxicated by the news, his voice giddy. "The leader of Akatsuki, the one called Pain, claimed to be a god."
"I fought him before. I must admit, those eyes of his did give him the bearing of a god."
"But such a man… was killed by Naruto."
Sasuke instinctively activated his Sharingan, the three tomoe spinning.
He had fought Orochimaru recently.
And he had to admit—
This seemingly frail man who Naruto had defeated was terrifyingly strong.
Even with crippled arms, he could easily overwhelm Sasuke.
But such a powerful being, one whom even Orochimaru called "god," was defeated by Naruto.
Just how far had he grown?
"What about Itachi?" Sasuke asked. Naruto was the second thought in his mind—Itachi was the first.
Orochimaru shook his head: "Itachi is strong… but lucky."
"Not only did he survive—he escaped."
"But he's now wanted by Naruto. Your time, Sasuke-kun, is running out."
Sasuke gripped his sword tightly. "Orochimaru, I want to learn Sage Mode."
"I think the Curse Mark suits you better," Orochimaru said softly, eyes narrowing. "Sage Mode… is a dangerous technique."
And that wasn't a lie.
Sage Mode had once turned Jiraiya from a nobody into someone not inferior to Orochimaru himself—of course Orochimaru was interested.
He had access to the Ryūchi Cave scrolls and had the opportunity to learn it.
However—
The price he paid resulted in a flawed version.
Not only did it not compare to Jiraiya's Sage Mode, it was even inferior to Minato's—rendering it unusable in real combat.
That's why he turned to the Jūgo clan, studying the secrets of natural energy.
"This is my choice, Orochimaru," Sasuke cut him off, firmly. "For power—I'm ready to sacrifice everything."
Orochimaru whispered, "Is that so?"
"Then don't disappoint me, Sasuke-kun."
—
At the border of the Land of Rain and the Land of Grass—
Inside a temporary shelter.
"Believe me, you're a perfect match for our religion," Hidan's head sat in a bowl, still undeterred in faith—though his tone had lost some of its old vigor. "To carry out that kind of act without flinching—"
"You were born for Jashinism!"
At the lab table, Naruto worked busily. His shadow clones assisted, recording data.
On the table lay a body.
But—
It wasn't Hidan's. It was Uzumaki Naruto's.
Naruto ignored Hidan.
Hidan rambled on: "What's up with you lately?"
"That's not a shadow clone, is it?"
"Is it after-effects from fighting Pain?"
The shadow clone had enough and whacked him hard on the head: "Shut up! You talk too much!"
"It's boring being just a head!" Hidan pouted. "And you won't even stitch my body back together!"
The shadow clone clapped, sealing Hidan's mouth with a jutsu.
"Naruto, you really don't need my help?" Karin stood behind him, her eyes full of concern.
Naruto shook his head. "No, not yet. Wait until you're more used to it."
Karin was a great assistant.
But when it came to research involving his own body, she wasn't doing well.
The separation of soul and body was too much of a shock for her.
She'd often get distracted during experiments.
Grabbing the body's face, or hand, or some random part, and then freeze up.
Karin sighed in disappointment.
So useless!
If only she had performed better, maybe she'd get more time—
She'd gotten carried away and missed such a good opportunity!
Naruto hadn't dared to go too far, since it was his own body.
He only extracted some cells for basic analysis.
His body's vitality was incredibly strong.
Even with the sealing jutsu preserving it, the chakra lingered without dissipating.
It gave Naruto an illusion—that this body was still alive.
Moreover, the chakra within it felt almost Asura-like.
It had awareness.
This didn't mean it was "alive" or had a soul or thoughts, but it was clearly imprinted with "Uzumaki Naruto's" essence. What effect that would have, Naruto didn't know yet.
Hidan's body wasn't suitable for this research.
Naruto completely sealed it off from external energies to test the limits of his "immortality."
Kakuzu's body was also unsuitable—he didn't have a true body. His form was composed entirely of those "black threads."
—
Iwagakure was restless.
Naruto said he wanted to visit, but gave no date.
For them, every day was torture.
And Naruto—
Was still studying his body and the mysteries of the Rinnegan.
Three months passed.
Naruto woke from sleep.
A scent of irises filled the air. The bright sunlight poured in.
The Soul Society—he was back.
(End of Chapter)