Konoha: Naruto, trained by Aizen

"They clearly can't do it, yet they still come here to die!"

"This is truly incomprehensible and beyond my understanding."

Before she knew it, Inari's face was covered in tears.

"Tch, brat, don't interfere with my training." Sasuke sneered, his eyes icy and piercing.

"So what if they are strong? I will definitely defeat them. I swore an oath of honor for the Uchiha clan that I will not be afraid, I will not back down, and I will fight to the last second."

"But you, crying and whining like a woman, always thinking you're the protagonist of a tragedy."

"Let me tell you, there are too many powerful beings in this world, but that's precisely why hard work is so precious. Power itself isn't scary; what's scary is not having the will to become stronger. I will keep getting stronger, stronger than everything. The so-called Kado is just a stepping stone for me!"

“A crybaby like you can only wallow in self-pity and cry, wallowing in the pain of losing loved ones.”

In my eyes, you're a useless person!

After saying that, Sasuke ignored Inari and continued his training.

Sasuke saw a reflection of himself in Inari.

At that time, I was immersed in the pain of my clan being wiped out, and I was like a walking corpse, a useless person.

Therefore, he hates those who don't try and give up easily.

"I'm a useless person." Inari stood there stunned after being bombarded with criticism, her mind reeling from the shock.

Seeing Sasuke training relentlessly despite his injuries, a part of his heart seemed to be touched.

He wiped away his tears and stared blankly at Sasuke.

"Hmph, brat." Sasuke's lips curled into a smile as he noticed Inari's change.

Naruto, who had been quietly watching from afar, smiled and turned to leave.

Sasuke now has the mindset to become a strong person.

.......

The seventh squad has been undergoing rigorous training these past few days.

Construction of the Wave Country Bridge is also underway.

Naruto went into the forest alone to practice his sword techniques.

After a long period of intense training, he leaned against a tree to rest.

He couldn't help but think of Zabuza and that mysterious bloodstained ninja.

Ice Release is a really good bloodline limit.

Hopefully, by the time we meet again, he will be prepared to kill himself.

That's what makes it more interesting.

The outside world is wonderful; there are so many ninjas with bloodline limits.

"Finally leaving Konoha, with no surveillance at all, it's so liberating."

Feeling the warm sunshine, Naruto, who had been on edge all along, felt an unprecedented sense of ease, leaned close to his book, and fell into a deep sleep.

"You'll catch a cold sleeping here." After some time, a pair of cold little hands nudged Naruto and whispered.

'How could I have been so careless!' Naruto suddenly woke up from his dream, annoyed at his own negligence.

Sleeping outside indiscriminately, for any reason, is a very foolish thing to do.

Naruto quickly stood up and looked at Haku warily.

Long, soft black hair, a gentle smile, and familiar chakra fluctuations flowing slowly within him.

She is a great beauty.

"It's that person!" Naruto's eyes sharpened. He could tell from the familiar chakra fluctuations that Haku was the mysterious rogue ninja from Kirigakure.

"Faced with a sleeping enemy, he didn't choose to kill him, but instead woke him up. What a strange kindness," Naruto thought to himself.

However, it was precisely because he had no murderous intent that Haku did not wake Naruto.

Naruto gave Haku a gentle smile and said, "Thank you for waking me up. The sunlight was so nice that I accidentally fell asleep."

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki. What's yours?"

"My name is Bai."

"Judging from your appearance, are you a ninja?" Bai squatted down and asked softly.

"Yes, how did you end up here?"

"I'm gathering medicinal herbs."

"Were any family members injured?"

"Yes, a very important person."

Upon hearing the answer, a glint flashed in Naruto's eyes.

That important person must be Zabuza.

"What medicinal herbs do you need? I can help you." Naruto's voice was magnetic.

Haku looked at Naruto, whose smile was sunny and warm, completely unlike the blood-stained ninja Haku knew. Instead, he seemed like a caring older brother.

This made Haku quite fond of Naruto.

"It's alright, I can manage on my own, no need to trouble you." He politely declined.

"Although he's from the opposing camp, he's very gentle and kind, unlike other ninjas," Bai thought to himself.

"It's alright! Your family is more important." Naruto brushed the dirt off his clothes and smiled.

"Then I'll have to trouble you." Bai smiled radiantly, and in that instant, even the surrounding flowers paled in comparison.

"Haku, you are such a kind and gentle girl. Seeing your smile makes me feel much lighter." Naruto paused for a moment, then smiled warmly.

"Really? Thank you, Naruto, you're very kind too." Haku nodded with a smile.

"By the way, I'm a man," he added.

Naruto abruptly stopped, his previously calm eyes flashing with shock.

Are you kidding me?

Is the man that handsome?

……

Naruto and Haku chatted idly while gathering herbs.

"Bai, why did you gather so many herbs? Were your family members seriously injured?"

“Yes, he was badly injured.” Bai’s voice was low and his mood was somber: “Because he was doing something very dangerous.”

Danger? So that's how he views bounty missions.

"Then why didn't you stop him?" Naruto paused in his herb-picking motion and asked.

Upon hearing this, Bai remained silent for a moment, his expression somewhat sad: "I can't stop him. All I can do is stay by his side and become the tool he needs."

A look of reminiscence appeared in Bai's eyes as she softly said, "He was the one who took me in when I was all alone. So, as long as my life is still burning, I will fulfill the mission he gave me."

"Even if he doesn't care about your life at all?" Naruto asked in a deep voice.

"Yes." Bai revealed a perfect smile: "I just want to protect him."

With Naruto's help, the herb gathering was quickly completed. As they were leaving, Naruto watched Haku's departing figure and suddenly asked:

"Bai, if you've protected him with your life, and everything between you and him is settled, would you still be willing to start a new life?"

Bai paused, turned around, and smiled gently, "Perhaps, but I think I would have been dead by then."

Chapter 77 I'm sorry, Sasuke, this is the last time.

After leaving Konoha, Naruto saw a different side of the villagers than the villagers of Konoha.

There were traitors and renegadeers, and residents of small countries who merely eked out a living.

There are also ninjas like Haku who are kind-hearted by nature but are forced to hurt others.

There is so much pain and helplessness in this war-torn world.

Even after the end of the Ninja World War, conflicts between the various ninja villages and countries continued in secret.

Although Konoha may seem dark, it is actually much better than other ninja villages.

Naruto's mood was inevitably somewhat heavy after leaving.

This further solidified his resolve to become stronger.

Beyond ninja villages, beyond national boundaries, stand at the pinnacle of the world.

Go change the world!

.......

Aizen, inside the sealed space, had a deep look in his eyes as he was lost in memories.

In his eyes, the Soul Society now resembles Konoha, outwardly glamorous but inwardly rotten.

The Spirit King, who was clearly a supreme being, was reduced to a tool for the upper class to maintain a stable rule over the lower class.

The upper class, the nobility, and the Central Forty-Six Houses monopolized education and wealth, with the five major noble families monopolizing knowledge.

As the saying goes.

Whoever controls the past controls the future.

Whoever controls the present controls the past.

To possess the past means to control the truth of the Spirit King's existence, thus keeping the lower classes ignorant and manipulating them.

Controlling the present means that as long as one holds the power now, one can arbitrarily rewrite history.

Just like Konoha now, the so-called truth is controlled by the higher-ups, and the villagers and even ninjas at the bottom have become tools for 'starting fire'.

The corrupt upper echelons of Soul Society control all resources, leaving talented commoner Shinigami with virtually no chance of rising to prominence.