Saving the Uchiha clan starts with becoming the clan leader.

But they found no bandages on the back of his hand, no through-and-through wound, not even a scar. It was as if the scene in his memory was nothing more than a terrifying nightmare, and now that he was awake, naturally...

"Your body's healing ability is amazing. When I first saw you, the wound on your right hand was still visible from the back of your hand to below your palm, but in just three days, your wound was completely healed without even a scar."

suddenly,

A soft, gentle voice reached his ears.

He turned his head in the direction the sound came from and saw a fence gleaming with the cold, steely light. Well, it seemed he wasn't dreaming. Had he become a prisoner? He quickly understood and accepted his current situation.

In this situation

Not unexpected.

As Naruto grew older, he gradually came to understand what the identity of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki represented. Moreover, his grandfather Jiraiya and the Sixth Hokage had told him more than once that this identity would bring him countless troubles.

Therefore,

He was somewhat prepared for this kind of thing.

"I wonder how Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei are doing?"

Naruto took a deep breath, temporarily setting aside these unhelpful distractions, and focused his attention on the person who had spoken.

She was a beauty!

With just one glance, this realization came to mind.

Her long, black hair, shimmering like raven feathers, was tied into a waist-length ponytail. Her skin was so fair it seemed she had never been exposed to the scorching sun since birth. She also had androgynous, handsome features. She wore a well-fitting moon-white robe and a small katana was slung across her waist.

Indeed,

It's breathtakingly beautiful!

This might be the most beautiful woman Naruto has ever seen in his life!

"Has it been three days since I fell into a coma?" Naruto suppressed the various distracting thoughts in his mind and focused his attention on the information revealed in the other person's few words.

"Lord Orochimaru captured you four days ago on the east coast of the Land of Fire." The beauty told Naruto the information he was trying to obtain directly, which made Naruto pause for a few seconds, wondering what kind of person this 'beauty' was.

"Don't worry that I'll lie to you. Lying to you would mean nothing to me. Of course, I have no evidence to prove that I'm telling the truth. Whether you believe it or not is entirely up to you. I'm just... the jailer in charge of guarding you."

The beauty added.

"You've misunderstood. Rather than questioning the truth, I'm more interested in understanding why you, Miss Jailer, are saying these things to a prisoner like me. Isn't that a big deal?" Naruto looked at the beautiful woman standing outside the cell. "Aren't you worried about angering your superior by doing this?"

"My mission is to ensure that you and your companions live well and stay here obediently. Apart from that... I am free to do whatever I want. Lord Orochimaru will not interfere with my actions. By the way, my name is 'Haku'. You can call me by my name directly. Also, I am male."

Outside the cell,

Haku looked at Naruto lying on the bed, his beautiful, black gem-like eyes filled with complex emotions.

He and Naruto didn't have any interaction.

As Orochimaru's right-hand man, the fifteen-year-old Haku is extremely loyal. He would not hesitate to offer his own body as a vessel for Orochimaru, unlike Orochimaru's other foolish subordinates who are obsessed with acquiring more power.

He possesses a strong spirit of dedication.

only--

Haku consistently opposed Orochimaru's enmity with Konoha, repeatedly and earnestly advising Orochimaru not to provoke Konoha. Even if Orochimaru had betrayed Konoha, there was no need to be hostile to Konoha. Secretly making deals with the Sixth Hokage of Konoha, as he had done before, was the proper way for a rogue ninja to survive.

Konoha is too strong now. Trying to compete with Konoha by force would only result in having your limbs broken, which would be a huge loss.

It's already quite an achievement to even survive.

The fifteen-year-old boy not only helped Orochimaru with his research, but also handled a lot of documents and data. He was even involved in the secret transactions with Konoha. So, in that vast ocean of information, he vaguely glimpsed the terrifying nature of Konoha now!

Lord Orochimaru is also very strong.

However, compared to the vast Hidden Leaf Village, it is ultimately weak and outnumbered. As for things like the Hidden Sound Village, it's better not to bring up such things and embarrass ourselves.

Unfortunately, his suggestion was not adopted by Lord Orochimaru. Blinded by the prospect of 'greater benefits,' Orochimaru went even further and captured the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki alive. This was like stirring up a hornet's nest.

He could already sense that a storm was brewing.

Therefore,

After three days of deliberation,

He decided to try and see if he could find a way to give Lord Orochimaru another way out.

If you are lucky,

Perhaps we can persuade the Sixth Hokage to show leniency towards Orochimaru.

"..."

Naruto was stunned for a full half minute before he recovered from the fact that Haku was male. "You just mentioned my comrade? Was it Sasuke? Can I ask how he is doing? Um, Haku." Naruto didn't sense the kind of malice that felt like being pricked by needles emanating from Haku.

So, he awkwardly read out Bai's name.

"I'm fine for now, and my life isn't in danger."

Bai nodded. "Of course, he can't compare to you. He doesn't have your self-healing ability, and his leg injury hasn't healed yet. Perhaps it's because of the Uchiha clan bloodline, but your companion woke up earlier than you. Also, I'm sorry, I can't take you to visit your companion."

Upon hearing this, Naruto immediately breathed a long sigh of relief.

Okay,

Sasuke is still alive.

The tension in my heart instantly eased, and my previously excited spirits waned.

"What about Kakashi-sensei? How is Kakashi-sensei?" Sasuke, relieved, became worried about Kakashi again.

"Sorry, I don't know about that."

Bai shook his head. "According to Lord Orochimaru, that 'cold-blooded Kakashi' did not die on the spot at Lord Orochimaru's hands. Instead, he escaped after being seriously injured. However, whether he can survive is still unknown."

"That's it!"

Naruto wasn't too disappointed.

Knowing that Sasuke is still alive is already a great relief. As for Kakashi-sensei... he should be alright too, right? After all, Kakashi-sensei is very strong. As for what might happen, there's nothing I can do about it. Thinking too much is just asking for trouble.

"Naruto-kun, please forgive my presumptuous address, but I must warn you not to do anything irrational. You can tell me any requests you have, and I will do my best to help you as long as conditions permit. However, remember not to even think about escaping from prison."

Bai took two steps forward.

Staring intently at Naruto, who was lying on the bed too weak to get up, he said, "Although I hate fighting and killing, I will carry out Lord Orochimaru's orders one hundred percent. As a prison guard, I will never allow prisoners to escape from their cells."

As they were speaking,

Pale ice spread out beneath his feet, and a thick layer of frost covered the steel fence.

"Naruto-kun, you've just woken up, so I won't disturb your rest any longer."

After Bai finished speaking

He nodded slightly to Naruto, then walked away along the corridor outside the iron bars. After taking a couple of steps, he stopped and added, "By the way, if you need anything, just shout. Although you probably don't have much strength to move your body right now, shouting won't hurt. The jailer's duty room is very close to here."

This time,

After saying that, Haku's figure truly disappeared from Naruto's sight.

Then--

Naruto closed his eyes, intending to take a nap first. He still felt very tired, his body was exhausted, and his mental alertness didn't last long. Strangely, he didn't feel hungry, and he wondered if he had been given some kind of nutrient solution while he was asleep.

In short, he is neither hungry nor thirsty.

I'm physically and mentally exhausted and need sleep to allow my body to recover to its best condition.

[Chapter 359. Rehearsal (Lunar New Year's Day was so much fun! Even though it's almost the second day! Haha!)]

Is it okay to do this?

What do you mean?

"Entrusting the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki to Orochimaru's subordinates for safekeeping gives one the feeling of... tying a rabbit to a wolf's teeth."

Konan stood behind Payne, her gaze drifting towards the white 'butterfly' fluttering in the air.

If you are lucky enough to get a closer look, you will find that these lifelike butterflies are origami creations. They are Konan's 'eyes' scattered throughout Amegakure, helping Pain to monitor those corners that the rain cannot cover.

She witnessed the entire process of Haku's contact with Naruto in prison.

"rabbit?"

Payne's focus seems to differ from Minami's.

"The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is not a weak and easily bullied rabbit."

“A fully grown Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is naturally not easy to bully, but this Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is still a boy, and Orochimaru has added a new seal on top of the original seal. This Nine-Tails Jinchuriki probably can’t even control his chakra freely now. Facing Orochimaru’s subordinate named Haku, I think it’s no problem to say that he is as weak as a rabbit.”

Payne turned around in surprise to look at the man's rebuttal of Xiao Nan.

His eyebrows twitched slightly. "Konan, are you worried about Orochimaru?"

"Yes, that venomous snake must have something in mind."

Xiao Nan nodded, acknowledging her concerns.

Logically speaking, Pain, who possesses the Rinnegan, should be invincible. In the face of absolute power, all schemes and tricks are useless. She still firmly believes this, but... whether it's a sixth sense or intuition at play, she can't calm down and quietly observe the changes in the situation.

A few days ago,

Orochimaru and Sasori escorted a young Uchiha clan member, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, to Amegakure.

He obediently handed over the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.

At the time, he only made one suggestion, which was to send his subordinates to help guard the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. He also had the boy named "Haku" demonstrate his superb skills on the spot. His Ice Release Kekkei Genkai was indeed impressive, but anyone could see that the boy himself was even more outstanding.

That was a boy who was qualified to join the Akatsuki organization and become a full member.

Unfortunately, the boy was Orochimaru's subordinate.

There's really no need to bring another member who's completely obedient to Orochimaru into the organization. Besides, it's not like we have to bring them into the organization to control them. Orochimaru has already offered to let his subordinates help him, hasn't he?

Payne agreed.

The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is extremely valuable, so having an extra strong guardian is not a bad thing.

Another point is that the prison where the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is imprisoned is located within Amegakure, and Pain personally inspected it, confirming that apart from the original seal and the seal added by Orochimaru, there was nothing else on the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki's body that shouldn't be there, such as markings of space-time techniques.

"Don't worry, Orochimaru has no right to run wild in Amegakure."