Witty Naruto Life

Chapter 216, "Konoha White Paper"

Naruto looked out the window and saw Sai eating by his hospital bed.

He had his back to the two people, and his body was thinner than before, with only his spine clearly supporting his hospital gown.

Then, seemingly noticing Naruto, he said without turning his head, "Isn't it time for the check-up yet?"

Naruto exchanged a glance with Yamanaka Fu behind him, then decisively pushed open the door and smiled at Sai: "It's me, Naruto!"

Sai turned his head and saw two familiar figures. His mouth slightly agape, he murmured, "You... what brings you here?"

For the past few days, due to the need for secrecy, Yamanaka Inoichi instructed the nurses to keep him here and not to move around freely, leading Sai to believe that he was being held in a state of soft imprisonment.

"Let's see how you are. If there are no problems, you can prepare to be discharged from the hospital," Naruto said casually, pulling up two chairs and sitting down himself, then offering one to Yamanaka Fu.

As Naruto approached Sai, he noticed a slight hollow in the flesh of his cheek and frowned.
"It seems the environment here is a bit depressing. You've lost a lot of weight... or is the food not good?"

He glanced at the hospital meal and thought, "Three dishes and a soup, it seems nutritionally balanced. Is it just my imagination...?"

“It’s my problem, I’ve had a poor appetite,” Sai explained. “Before Sakura came to me, I was having nightmares every day, but I’m much better now.” He then smiled slightly.

"This smile isn't fake at all."

"Really? I've been practicing for so long, I thought I'd never have a chance to show it off."

"By the way, hold out your hand so I can see the situation..."

Shan Zhongfeng quietly watched the two of them, and suddenly felt a sense of emotion.

Danzo's faction has always said that Naruto Uzumaki is arrogant and domineering, and acts in extreme ways, but who would have thought that he would be so friendly to his former enemy now?
On the contrary, Danzo's faction is extremely petty in its actions... Has it really fallen into decline, and its vision has also shrunk?

His thoughts wandered, and he watched as Naruto nodded to Sai.

"No problem, I'll let Haiyi know, and you can leave in the next couple of days."

Naruto suddenly remembered something and added, "Don't worry about Danzo's faction, they won't amount to anything."

“Is that so?” Sai nodded, showing no sign of lingering affection.

He had no feelings for this faction or even the root, and the organization left him with no fond memories.

On the contrary, Naruto and Sakura's unwavering support gave him a greater sense of humanity.

Upon hearing this, Yamanaka Fu instinctively opened his mouth to help settle his former junior, but before he could speak, he saw Sai staring at him:
"You are... Senior Yamanaka Fu?"

Shan Zhongfeng was somewhat flattered and nodded slowly: "I didn't expect you to still remember me."

Sai: "What is Yamanaka Fu-senpai doing right now?"

The lights in the ward flickered suddenly.

Shan Zhongfeng was stunned. This blunt question was like meeting an acquaintance on the street and suddenly asking: "Hey buddy, where have you been making your fortune lately?"
If he were doing well, he could brag about it, but now he looks so dejected...

Naruto interjected, "I've arranged a path for your senior, but he's still considering it."

Yamanaka Fu felt a chill run down his spine, suddenly understanding Naruto's intention. He looked at him and asked, "You brought me to Sai just to persuade me?"

“Of course,” Naruto said without hesitation. “I did this because I value talent, but if you really don’t want to, I won’t force you.”

"Konoha has no shortage of talented people from the mountain clans, and of course, you have no one else to rely on,"

In other words, having one more or one less of you won't have a big impact.

Silence fell all around. Sai unconsciously held his breath, and when he saw the wind in the mountains, he seemed to see himself standing at the crossroads before.

Naruto may seem to have given Yamanaka Fu a choice, but in reality, anyone who cares about their future has no choice but to rely on Naruto.

Just like in China, without a background or money, one can only choose to embrace exam-oriented education. Yamanaka Fu has no backing, and the Yamanaka clan also favors Naruto, which is equivalent to being penniless and powerless.

Naruto's methods are truly ruthless... Sai thought to himself, breaking the silence: "Senior, let's join Naruto's side."

Yamanaka Fu paused, glanced awkwardly at Sai, and muttered, "You're only saying this because you accepted his favor..."

"But you have no choice now. Embracing the trend of the times is more in our interest. Do you think you can start your own faction and become a rogue ninja?"

Yamanaka Fu's expression was unpleasant: "Sai, your words are really harsh..."

"By the way, where did you learn the phrase 'embrace the trends of the times' from?" Naruto suddenly interjected, scratching his head.

What makes him, Sai, worthy of saying such mainstream things?

"...Ah, I bought a copy of 'Naruto Uzumaki's Quotes,' which contains some of your sayings."

"What?!" Naruto's tone changed, and he quickly looked at the bedside, picked up the white book and looked at it.

The bottom of the title page reads: Produced by Konoha Newspaper, guaranteed to be of high quality.

Naruto:"……"

Konohamaru... no, it can't be entirely his fault. The blame lies with myself for arbitrarily conducting a newspaper interview, which led them to discover the secret to wealth.

So what about my royalties? What about the copyright fees? If you don't understand, can't you go to Qidian.com to learn something?
Sai smiled and said, "I found the words above quite interesting, so I memorized a few lines. I feel they are very suitable for this scenario."

"Ahem, I know you're used to learning about the world through books, but let's forget about this..." Naruto casually put it back in his pocket. He decided to go to the newspaper office later to collect his payment for the article and also to meet with Konohamaru.

Having said that, Naruto looked at Yamanaka Fuu and changed the subject:
“I’ve said everything I need to say. You’ve seen Sai’s situation. Even someone who betrayed me can join my alliance. You’ve helped me a lot this time, so it’s only natural for you to join me.”

Yamanaka Fu remained silent. He admitted that Naruto's unpretentious attitude and eagerness to recruit talent suited him well, and if he continued to refuse, he might really be being tactless.

"...What exactly will I need to do after I join you?"

Seeing that Yamanaka finally relented, Naruto raised an eyebrow and laughed, "No rush, let me discuss it with Uncle Haiyi. You've done a great service this time, so you won't be treated unfairly."

After saying this, he stood up, greeted Sai, and the two left the Konoha Mental Court.

With this, the matter between Kakuzu and Hidan came to an end.

The next thing to do is wait for news from Sasuke.

If the timing is correct, their next task is to snatch Karin, Jugo, and Suigetsu from Orochimaru.

Hmm, I remember Suigetsu mastered the Hozuki clan's Water Release technique, which should be a good thing for Sakura... Naruto decided to go with Sakura later.

……

the next day.

After getting up early and finishing his meal, Naruto rushed to the Hokage Building and found the man in white.

In the dimly lit and cramped room, he was engrossed in processing documents when he saw Naruto. He immediately stood up and gave a slight bow.

Now, Naruto can freely enter and exit the Hokage Building without permission, including various departments of the Anbu.

"What can I do for you?"

Naruto slammed several broken talismans on the table: "Contact your master who is good at making talismans and see if he can make a one-to-one replica of this for me."

The man in white took it and examined it carefully.

"I call it an illusion talisman. Just by looking at this talisman, you can forcibly pull your enemy into an illusion."

The man in white narrowed his eyes: "If it can be triggered by sight alone, then the difficulty of making this kind of talisman must be very high. I'm not sure if that person can replicate it."

Konoha has not yet developed to the era of scientific ninja tools, and the tools it produces are relatively primitive with limited technology.

Naruto didn't blame him: "Just do your best. You know I'm weak in genjutsu. It would be best if you could help me replicate it."

What Naruto didn't mention here is that he could summon Fukasaku and Shima from Mount Gamabunta and ask the two elders to help release a genjutsu.

However, since the two elders are living beings, it is not very convenient to summon them when encountering situations involving the secrets of time travelers.

The man in white nodded and took the talisman. Naruto then explained the situation of Yamanaka Fu and Sasuke, asking him to discuss with Inoichi how to arrange suitable work for the former and keep an eye on the latter's intelligence.

Since Yamanaka Kaze is part of the secret service, this matter needs to be discussed by the two of them.

"understood."

Naruto said nothing more and left the Anbu directly, heading to the Konoha News Agency.

open the door.

The sounds of typing, photocopying, and employees whispering could be heard alternately.

The newspaper office was laid out similarly to Naruto's previous company, with cubicles separating employees and spacious windows on the sides to let in sunlight.

Paper documents were piled up haphazardly at their workstations, reaching half a person's height, almost burying their figures.

They didn't notice Naruto, while Naruto looked around, seemingly not seeing Konohamaru.

"Is he on a mission..." Naruto muttered to himself. He saw a smartly dressed woman with glasses walking towards him. When she saw Naruto, her jaw almost dropped and her mouth dropped open.

"Ah... um..." She tried to control her voice, looked around, and quickly waved to Naruto, signaling him to go inside.

If it gets noisy, all the employees in the office will probably get up and scatter all the stacks of paper documents on the floor, which will be a real hassle to clean up.

Naruto walked down the somewhat narrow corridor to the reception room. The woman brewed him a pot of tea, then sat down beside him and whispered:

"I wonder what brings Lord Naruto here?"

Naruto took a sip of tea and smacked his lips. "It's nothing. I just came to find out about Konohamaru's situation and ask about the royalties."

Upon hearing the word "manuscript fee," the woman blinked and quickly asked, "Excuse me, what does 'manuscript fee' mean? Is there a problem?"

"That's right, you previously published a book about me, and some news reports also used my photos..."

"Ah...yes, yes, yes..." The woman pushed up her glasses and nodded repeatedly: "I handed over the royalties to that lord of the Dark Division as instructed. You didn't receive them?"

Naruto was taken aback, and then he vaguely realized something.

He remembered that a long time ago, he had asked Baiyi to help him manage his assets, mainly because the foundation and the Mind Court involved a lot of money, which he couldn't manage on his own.

Naruto, the hands-off manager, felt perfectly justified in his role.

(End of this chapter)