Naruto: I, Naruto, don't want to try anymore.

Chapter 35 Aftermath (Part 2)

After handing the camera over to the director, Naruto took a quick shower and went back to his tent to sleep.

Almost the instant his head hit the pillow, Naruto rolled his eyes and fell fast asleep.

After a whole night of turmoil, although it wasn't a true life-or-death battle, it had still taken a heavy toll on his stamina and chakra.

Even though he is in the form of an Asura Sage, he is only five years old. If it weren't for his Nine-Tails form supporting him, he wouldn't be able to withstand this level of battle. As soon as he relaxed his mind, fatigue surged over him like a tide and completely overwhelmed him.

But in order to be able to lie down peacefully later, Naruto had no choice but to listen to the clone's opinion.

The movie itself is secondary; the main reason he's willing to put in the effort is the impact it has after its release.

Whether or not the Grass Village is destroyed, it is not the outcome Naruto wants.

Releasing a tiger back into the mountains will lead to endless troubles, while eliminating it completely will only give other ambitious individuals a plausible excuse.

Whether it's probing by various villages, underground bounties, or joint warrants, dealing with them will be very troublesome.

In terms of personality, unless it's an irreconcilable issue of stance, or a situation like Karin and her mother's that even he couldn't stand, Naruto is actually unwilling to kill people indiscriminately.

But if we're going to kill them, then we must nip them in the bud!

Split the earthworm in half vertically!

Crack the eggs and scramble the yolks!

But his life's ideal is to travel around and eventually settle down in a place he likes. Such a wonderful and easy life journey can't be full of bloodshed and turmoil, can it?

This is also detrimental to the physical and mental health of teenagers!

One annihilation of one path is...

Therefore, the suggestion of splitting up to make the movie is very timely.

I'm going to reveal the entire process of the destruction of Kusagakure. I'm sure after reading it, everyone will have a clear and calm mind.

Even if we're condemning the massacre of the village from a moral standpoint, I've already found someone to take the blame. Whether you believe it or not is up to you.

But if anyone still has any questions, I can only explain to them in person how the Grass Ninja Village was destroyed.

I'm the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, a Wood Release Sage Mode user, a Fourth Hokage Flying Thunder God Technique user, and a user of the Uzumaki Sealing Technique...

A being that combines burst damage, sustain, healing, magic resistance, mobility, and reconnaissance!

Once the movie is released, besides Akatsuki, Naruto really can't think of anyone else who would dare to be so reckless as to provoke him.

and so…

Movie ×

Diplomatic language √

For a Jinchūriki to live a peaceful life, they either need to completely disappear from public view and stop causing trouble, or they need to demonstrate sufficient deterrent power.

Those who keep saying they want to keep a low profile, but then can't wait to play dumb and take advantage of others when trouble arises, are just plain crazy...

Naruto was unwilling to go into hiding, after all, he wasn't someone to be ashamed of.

Then the only thing we can do is to instill in others a strong, democratic, and civilized moral standard…

(The explanations of the plot in the first two chapters are fine if placed at the beginning for the right pacing, but they shouldn't have a significant impact.)

While Naruto was asleep, news of the destruction of Kusagakure spread rapidly around the world.

Konoha, Hokage's office...

As Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the intelligence report on the table, he sucked on his pipe even harder.

Destroying the village...

Destroy the village!

Even if Kusagakure is weak, it is still a ninja village with several thousand active ninjas!

Moreover, the Grass Ninja Village itself is not weak, after all, those that can form a ninja village are organizations with their own unique heritage.

However, this violent organization with thousands of ninjas was wiped out in less than a night!

It was their own Jinchūriki who had run away who took action...

That's right, it's our own.

Although Naruto left in a carefree manner and without any sign of lingering, Hiruzen Sarutobi insisted that Naruto was simply going out to train and have fun.

Unless Naruto personally comes back and slaps them twice, nothing anyone says will work.

Unfortunately, Konoha is no longer as powerful as it once was.

In the few days since Naruto left, news has spread throughout Konoha that the Fourth Hokage's son and the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki had left in anger due to his dissatisfaction with the village's darkness.

Moreover, barring any unforeseen circumstances, this news had already been placed on the desks of the other village directors a week ago.

Although the villagers were speechless in the face of Naruto, many of them were dissatisfied with the higher-ups because of this incident, and the credibility of the higher-ups was completely shattered as a result.

Because the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki was "out on training," the Hidden Cloud Village, which had always coveted Konoha, began to stir with ambition.

In response, Hiruzen Sarutobi could only painstakingly maintain the mess in Konoha, while issuing a statement saying that Naruto was accompanied by Jiraiya and was only away on a training trip to relax, and would return after a while.

Then, in a haste, he found a pretext to remove Danzo from his position in an attempt to ease tensions with the Uchiha clan.

However, just when he had finally managed to stabilize the situation, Naruto massacred the Grass Ninja Village…

Staring intently at the intelligence report on the table, Hiruzen Sarutobi was utterly exhausted.

He only had one question on his mind right now—was it too late to announce Naruto's defection?

"Phew... He's already got this much strength?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled a heavy puff of smoke and gave a helpless, bitter smile.

The internal politics of Kusagakure are even more corrupt than those of Konoha, so while this incident was unexpected, it was also somewhat understandable.

Having served as Hokage for so many years, he could certainly see that at this point, whether Naruto betrayed the village or not was no longer important.

The important thing is that now any country can use this opportunity to attack Konoha!

The only way to solve the problem is to pray that Jiraiya can bring Naruto back as soon as possible.

Thinking of this, he glanced in the direction of the office door and felt a surge of relief.

Thankfully, Danzo managed to hide Naruto's identity well enough, otherwise he probably would have already jumped out to make his presence known...

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Hidden Rock Village...

Onoki glanced at the intelligence report in his hand, then at his subordinate in charge of intelligence management.

His gaze swept back and forth between the two of them, his face filled with astonishment.

"The Hidden Grass Village has been destroyed?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Did the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki do it?"

"That's right..."

The subordinate honestly replied, "Based on the available intelligence and the testimonies of some survivors, the other side first fought with the Grass Ninja, and then had a major battle with an unknown enemy in the village."

"During that time, the Nine-Tails seemed to be controlled by the opponent's Sharingan, but it was subdued again by the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, and then it is unclear what happened."

"According to the survivors, the Grass Village has been completely wiped out. Only a small number of elderly people and children escaped, and they were all rescued by the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. Our spies were also wiped out as a result. This information was only managed to be relayed back by Iwabe before his death."

Onoki gasped, "So... you mean, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki can perfectly control the Nine-Tails' power, and can even subdue the Nine-Tails again when it's on the verge of death after being separated from its body, while also possessing Wood Release, the Uzumaki Sealing Technique, and the Fourth Hokage's Flying Thunder God Technique?"

The subordinate nodded: "That's right. Iwabe has experienced the Three Wars. He wouldn't mistake the Flying Thunder God Technique."

"His name is Naruto Uzumaki?"

"That's right."

"The son of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze?"

"That's right."

"Is he five years old this year?"

"That's right."

"..."

Onoki was completely numb!

If this had happened in another ninja village, he would have just laughed it off, and might have even mocked the other party for bragging.

But when he learned that the other person was from Konoha, he stopped chuckling...

Because Konoha truly produces geniuses.

Although the output and loss rate are basically the same, the frequency is too high!

Moreover, the most outrageous thing about Konoha is that they always seem to be holding back something big, with an eleven or twelve-year-old Jonin popping up all the time.

If this brat named Naruto Uzumaki truly inherited Minato Namikaze's talent, mastered the Nine-Tailed Fox's power, the Uzumaki clan's seal, and the Wood Release of the God of Shinobi...

It's not impossible to accomplish such a feat at this age.

But... why do geniuses like this always seem to appear in Konoha?!

While I've been begging and pleading for a successor, geniuses in Konoha are springing up like mushrooms after rain!

What's most hateful is that they don't cherish it!

Every time he thought of this, Onoki felt a burning rage, his eyes bloodshot from Naruto's stacked buffs!

"Fortunately, Hiruzen Sarutobi was blind to his true nature..."

Onoki waved his hand dismissively: "Immediately search for clues about the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki and try to recruit him to our village!"

"Then... what if the other party refuses—"

"Don't provoke him."

Onoki shook his head: "It's really fortunate that we received the intelligence in time. A Jinchuriki who has mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique is practically a walking natural disaster. We just need to target Konoha."

……

The Land of Lightning, Hidden in the Clouds.

Compared to Iwagakure, who were fortunate enough to receive information due to their proximity to the Land of Grass, Kumogakure only received two pieces of intelligence.

First piece of intelligence: Kusagakure has been destroyed.

The second piece of information: It belongs to Inui, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.

They knew nothing else, but they did know about the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki's identity. A few days ago, a spies from the Land of Fire had sent back a message saying that the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki had run away from the village...

As a result, the Grass Ninja Village was destroyed just a few days after they left.

When the Fourth Raikage, A, received the news a couple of days ago that a Jinchuriki from Konoha had left the village, he mocked him for a long time.

They say that the leaves of the forest are wasting resources and don't know how to cherish them.

Although Jinchuriki are not popular in Kumogakure, it's only because people fear powerful forces. The higher-ups have always treated Jinchuriki as treasures.

If Naruto were in the Hidden Cloud Village, his status as the Child of the Kage wouldn't make everyone ignore the existence of the Tailed Beasts, but at the very least, he would earn people's respect, thus establishing a relationship between the two sides.

Konoha is in a mess. The strongest tailed beast and the strongest genius were both ostracized and driven away!

The thought of this made Ai burst into laughter, slapping the table.

He had sent people to look for Naruto for several days, but after learning that the Grass Village had been destroyed, he gave up the idea.

"Mabui! Take two thousand men to the border of the Land of Fire and tie down Konoha for me!"

Ai slammed the intelligence scroll onto the table, stood up abruptly, grabbed the Raikage hat from the table, kicked open the office's French windows with a loud bang, and rushed out.

"Also, call Bee to come with me! I'm going to personally greet our Fifth Raikage!"

"The Fifth...Fifth Raikage?"

The sexy young woman with dark skin and silver hair, who had recently been promoted to Raikage's secretary, looked completely bewildered.

Similar scenes were playing out across the ninja world, but Naruto was unaware of them.

From Naruto's perspective, the ninja world he sees is always one of burning, killing, looting, and endless hatred, after all, he has watched the entire Naruto series from a god-like perspective.

Iwagakure and Kumogakure are prime examples. Sunagakure believes that because they are weak, they are justified. Kirigakure, on the other hand, is relatively peaceful, perhaps because their internal strife is even more severe than that of Konoha.

From Naruto's perspective, the mentality of these ninja villages is always the same: "This guy is too strong, we have to find a way to kill him."

So he never expected these guys to go for the soft approach.

Of course, except for Raikage A…

Naruto slept until the sun was setting in the west before yawning and sitting up.

"Naruto, you're awake!"

Kazeka Koyuki sat beside Naruto, resting her chin on her hand. When she saw Naruto wake up, a bright smile appeared on her face.

"How are you feeling? Would you like something to eat?"

"This girl has been watching over you all day."

Within the mental space, Nine-Tailed Fox laughed gleefully: "Naruto, if one day you really get killed because of emotional debts, I won't be surprised at all."

"No way..."

Naruto rubbed his eyes: "Oh right, Yukie, there's something I forgot to tell you."

"Okay, go ahead."

Kazakura Koyuki looked adorable, her bright eyes fixed on Naruto without blinking.

This guy... looks so cute when he's sleeping.

Yeah, she looks cute even when she's just woken up...

"I found my clansmen in Kusagakure and have temporarily arranged for them to stay at your home."

"Our people?"

Feng Hua Xiaoxue tilted her head: "Male or female?"

"The mother and daughter."

Naruto thought for a moment and then explained Karin and her daughter's situation in detail, since it was their house.

Upon learning of the mother and daughter's tragic plight, Fuuka Koyuki was filled with extreme rage!

"abnormal!"

"asshole!"

"brute!"

"These scumbags! They deserve to die!"

He saved so many people but could only live in a corner of the village, and was even used as a blood bag, and was almost bitten to death!

She couldn't even imagine how desperate it must have been!

They said they would take in the mother and daughter on this condition, but it was entirely voluntary on both sides.

But as a princess who had experienced power struggles and was constantly hunted down and forced to live in a foreign land, how could Feng Hua Xiaoxue not have imagined what heinous things those guys would do if the mother and daughter showed any intention of leaving?

Out of consideration for being from the same village, these guys at least managed to keep their appearance in check.

But if you want to leave, then you're probably left with nothing but beasts...

"Well done!"

As Feng Hua Xiaoxue spoke, she looked at Naruto and said, "By the way, the director has already finished editing the footage for you."

"So fast?"

Naruto was taken aback. Was his work efficiency really that high?

"It's only edited; some post-production is still needed. In addition to the battle scenes, the main storyline also needs to be fleshed out."

As Feng Hua Xiaoxue spoke, she chuckled and said, "The director was angry for a long time, saying that Naruto, you didn't film many of your shots well, but there were also a few very impressive shots."

This old man has actually taken a liking to something?

Naruto pouted, "Then next time I'll just have him stand next to me and give me instructions."

"no."

Okamura Tensai lifted the tent flap, walked in with a pipe in his mouth, and looked at Naruto with a gloomy expression.

People will die.

"Oh?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow: "Who?"

Okamura Tensai: "Me."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

(PS: The word count for each chapter will be determined based on the continuity of the plot, either 2K or 4K)

(End of this chapter)