Naruto: I, who fooled the ninja world, was hailed as a savior.

Chapter 323 Naruto: I'm Willing
Inside the principal's office at the Ninja Academy, bookshelves are neatly stacked with files and books, and portraits of past principals and the Konoha insignia hang on the walls.

The space behind the large desk was temporarily cleared out and turned into a temporary meeting place.

Naruto Uzumaki stood in the center of the room, his gaze filled with doubt as he scanned the adults in front of him one by one.

Standing before him were, naturally, the kind-faced Hiruzen Sarutobi and Kazuma.

Behind the two were Mitokado Homura, Utatane Koharu, Nara Shikaku, and Hinata Kumokawa.

"Go to the Daimyo's residence to study?" Naruto repeated Hiruzen Sarutobi's suggestion, his eyes flickering, his face showing obvious confusion and surprise.

“That’s right, Naruto.”

Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled kindly and said gently, "Iruka-sensei and I have both seen your recent growth and efforts, and we are very proud of you."

"Based on Iruka-sensei's assessment, you have fully mastered all the basic knowledge taught at the Ninja Academy and the application of the Three Body Techniques."

"As is customary, with your current knowledge and basic ninjutsu skills, you have already met the standards for early graduation. There is nothing more the Ninja Academy can teach you."

He paused briefly, then said earnestly, "But I've always felt that the time I spent growing up with my friends at school was precious."

"Considering that you are more used to and familiar with the school environment and prefer to spend time with your friends, we have never taken the initiative to suggest that you graduate early."

“I would prefer you to spend this precious time in a structured way.” He emphasized his words, clearly trying to guide Naruto, which made Kazuma frown.

"However, now, a new option is presented to us."

Before he could react, Hiruzen Sarutobi steered the conversation back on track: "Your Highness, the Daimyo, is truly visionary."

"In order to deepen the bond and understanding between the Land of Fire and Konoha, a plan for 'student exchange' was proposed to enhance communication, and this envoy, Kazuma..."

At this point, he looked at Kazuma beside him, who gave Naruto a gentle smile.

"After watching your performance in today's match, he was very impressed with your potential and... well, the unique talent you displayed today."

"Therefore, on behalf of the Daimyo Prefecture, he would like to inquire about your personal wishes."

Hiruzen Sarutobi turned his gaze back to Naruto and asked, "Would you be willing to go to the Daimyo's residence for a period of exchange and study?"

The implicit bias in his words was clearly a covert attempt to guide Naruto to choose to "stay," and Kazuma could not possibly allow him to do so.

Just as Hiruzen Sarutobi finished speaking, Kazuma leaned forward, resting his hands naturally on his knees, lowering his center of gravity slightly so that his line of sight was level with Naruto's.

This subtle gesture bridged the gap and dispelled the sense of pressure brought by their different identities.

"Naruto."

He looked directly into Naruto's eyes with a gentle smile: "Konoha is the home where you grew up, and it taught you how to be a ninja."

"But the world is vast, and outside Konoha, there are completely different worlds and rules."

"In the capital of the Land of Fire, you will see more than just ninja sparring and missions; it 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 country, the historical changes of the ninja world, and even long-lost documents and secrets."

"The library's collection may answer many of your unspoken questions."

"This will allow you to truly understand the broader meaning of the word 'protection,' which is not just about protecting a village or a place, but about understanding and participating in the protection of a country's operations."

"This will undoubtedly provide you with a broader perspective and more opportunities, which will be of great benefit to your future growth."

Finally, he said sincerely, "Of course, as the Hokage said, all of this is based on the premise that you are genuinely willing to try and experience it."

"The final decision always rests with you."

Regardless of whether these promises can be kept, the most important thing right now is to successfully lure this brat to the capital.

Kazuma thought to himself.

"..."

Naruto Uzumaki remained silent, staring directly at the kind-smiling man before him.

A cold and sticky malice emanated from the other person, though it was well concealed, it could not escape Naruto's perception.

A multitude of thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant, and he quickly grasped the situation. The other party was a high-ranking envoy of a great lord; there was absolutely no way he would harbor such strong malice towards an ordinary student.

Therefore, the root of this malice can only point to his sensitive identity that has been concealed layer by layer—the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.

"It seems that this special envoy, and even the powerful figure behind him, already knows my true situation."

Naruto thought to himself, "They want to use me, to use the Great Fox's power, to do something. As for the Third Hokage and the others..."

Thinking of this, he glanced at Hiruzen Sarutobi and thought, "It seems that he has not realized the other party's true intentions and thought that this was just a simple exchange of talents."

Seeing Naruto fall silent and hesitate, Hiruzen Sarutobi secretly breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that Naruto had chosen to refuse as he had expected.

“Naruto.” His smile became even more benevolent, and he said in a relaxed tone, “It’s okay, go if you want to, and no one will blame you if you don’t want to.”

“I want to go,” Naruto’s clear and calm voice rang out.

"Since you don't want to go, then... um?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi subconsciously nodded in agreement with what he had expected, but halfway through his sentence, he suddenly realized what he had said and froze, looking at Naruto in disbelief.

"Naruto? What did you just say?" He even doubted that he had heard correctly.

"Third Hokage." Facing the surprised and doubtful gazes of the crowd, Naruto repeated firmly, "I said, I want to go to the Daimyo's residence."

Yes, even though he clearly sensed the malice hidden in Kama, and even though he understood that the Daimyo Prefecture might be an elaborate trap, he still decided to go.

This decision was not made on a whim, but stemmed from his understanding gained from books from "another world," which far surpassed that of ordinary people in this era.

As far as he knew, this form of rule, known as "daimyo," had existed in this land for thousands of years.

However, in the more ancient past, they were not the supreme rulers, but rather "vassals" in the history of that "other world".

The true ruler of the country was called the "Son of Heaven," which predates even the "Ninja Sect" founded by the Sage of Six Paths.

When the Ninja Sect was first established, it was more like a religion that transcended the secular world, focusing on teaching the use of chakra and cultivating one's mind, and did not intervene in the changes of secular royal power.

However, with the disintegration of the Ninja Clan, the world fell into a long period of war, with ninja clans fighting each other, and the bloody battles lasting for hundreds of years.

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 each other, annexing land and people.

Ultimately, this led to the current situation where five major powers coexist and many smaller states struggle to survive, slid from a "world-sharing ruler" to a "Spring and Autumn and Warring States" pattern.

Hashirama Senju, who ended the endless fighting between ninja clans, had the power to reshape the world order and make ninjas the true masters of this world.

However, his personality and the limitations of his era destined him to either not think of or be unwilling to take that path.

He chose to cooperate with the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, establishing a "one country, one village" agreement, which was subsequently followed by other major powers and their respective ninjas.

From then on, the ninja village and the state became interdependent, and the ninjas themselves, to some extent, became a "weapon" to maintain the existing feudal rule.

Perhaps to most people in this world, all of this is perfectly natural and taken for granted, because it has always been so.

They never experienced the momentous "enlightenment" and "hundred schools of thought contending" in the history of that "world".

How can one become aware of the inherent distortions and strangeness of this world rule that has been running for thousands of years?

However, unlike most people, Naruto had read too many books from another world and knew just how twisted and bizarre the ninja world was.

It is hard to imagine that a society whose technology has reached a level close to that of the modern world could still have such a backward political system and cultural concepts.

Therefore, Naruto wanted to see for himself what a so-called Daimyo was like, and what the "world" outside Konoha was like.

If he stays in Konoha, his vision will be blocked by the high walls, and he will never be able to grasp the true workings of this world, nor find the root of war and suffering.

He feared that if this continued, his understanding would become narrow-minded, turning him into someone like Itachi Uchiha.

Thinking he had a long-term vision, he never actually saw beyond the small corner of Konoha, and ultimately fell into narrow-minded "loyalty" and distorted "righteousness".

Konoha was far too small for Naruto; it had become a prison for his mind.

(End of this chapter)