I, Naruto Uzumaki, don't need your approval.

Several Cloud Ninja felt a little regretful after hearing their squad leader's words.

If the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki were kidnapped, it would be a good thing for both the Jinchuriki himself and the Hidden Cloud Village.

Although Kumogakure also discriminates against and fears Jinchuriki, it believes more in the truth that might makes right. The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki will definitely receive enough attention and resources within Kumogakure.

Chapter 17 You Shouldn't Have Been Born into This World

After expressing their regret over the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, the Cloud Ninja continued their mission.

Before long, the Cloud Ninjas hiding in the shadows all became wary, as a masked figure approached them from a distance.

Judging from their clothing and appearance, the masked man was no different from an ordinary Konoha villager.

But at this time and place, appearing in a secluded alley, how could it be an ordinary person, unless they came specifically for them?

It seems that they have successfully attracted the attention of Konoha's Anbu.

The Cloud Ninja squad leader smiled; he had already come up with an excuse for appearing here.

Soon, the masked man arrived in front of the Cloud Ninja squad leader. The squad leader stepped forward and said with a stern face, "You are a Konoha ninja, right? Our Jonin squad leader has gone missing. Was it Konoha's doing?"

Their interactions with higher-ups these past few days have made them realize that while the lower-ranking ninjas in Konoha are tough, the higher-ups are generally weak.

All I need to do is intimidate them, and they will back down out of fear of disrupting the peace talks.

The masked man didn't reply. After sizing up the group of Cloud Ninja in front of him, he said calmly, "Very good. It seems everyone has arrived. Let's prepare to make our move. We must take down the Jinchuriki today!"

Upon hearing this, the Cloud Ninja squad leader's expression changed slightly, but the other party had already disappeared from the spot.

It's just unclear whether it's a teleportation technique or a clone technique.

The Cloud Ninja beside him looked puzzled and asked the squad leader, "Captain, has the plan changed at the last minute? Should we take action against the Jinchuriki?"

"What are you talking about? Those are spies from other villages who have infiltrated! We've been tricked."

The Cloud Ninja squad leader gritted his teeth, but it was too late to stop the masked man.

The Konoha Anbu members, who were monitoring from above, had already noticed the commotion and were leaping across rooftops, heading towards the location.

Hearing the whooshing sound of air being cut through the air, the Cloud Ninja whispered among themselves.

"Squad leader, what do we do now?"

"Try to explain to them that people from other villages want to deal with the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki..."

As they spoke, Gekko Hayate and Uzuki Yugao had already teleported in front of several Cloud Ninja, their expressions serious. "We've been watching you for a long time. Tell us why you're here."

"Konoha's Anbu, would you believe us if we said we were just strolling here?"

Halfway through his explanation, even the Cloud Ninja squad leader himself found the reason hard to believe, but he had no choice but to bite the bullet and explain, since it was the truth.

Moonlight Gale sneered, "Do you think we'd believe that? Come with us obediently."

……

At the same time.

Naruto yawned out of boredom and headed to the bathroom to wash up.

Since he can't see any excitement, he should just wash up and go to bed early. He's not strong enough to get involved in such a big event right now, and acting rashly will only arouse suspicion.

Just then, Naruto suddenly had a whim and looked toward the window.

His ability to sense malice activated; someone carrying immense malice was heading towards his location.

The Nine-Tails in the sealed space also opened its eyes and warned, "Hey, Naruto brat, someone with ill intentions is approaching you. Judging from the amount of chakra, it should be a ninja."

Naruto knew they were ninjas, but the problem was he didn't know their identities or their specific strength.

Furthermore, wasn't he a Jinchūriki? Where were those Konoha Anbu members who were monitoring him?

Guessing Naruto's thoughts, Kurama reminded him, "Those lackeys sent by the Hokage are all tied up with another group and won't be able to get here anytime soon. You'll have to face this enemy by yourself."

Upon hearing this, Naruto's expression turned serious.

As a Jinchūriki, he never thought of running away from the battle, and he never expected that he would encounter his first enemy so soon.

Is this what's known as the butterfly effect?

After calmly thinking for a moment, Naruto searched for a weapon in the room. He could now be considered a ninja to some extent, and with the enemy in the open and him in the dark, he might be able to strike first and defeat the master with a flurry of punches.

At this moment, Kurama also said in a low voice, "If you are really in mortal danger, you can hand over your body to me and I will control it. If you are controlled by my chakra, there is a possibility that you will wake up. If you die, you are really dead."

Naruto did not refute Kurama, which can be considered as tacit agreement.

……

Below the residential building.

The masked man climbed over the courtyard wall, glanced at Naruto's room, and slowly removed the headgear that concealed his identity, revealing an ordinary-looking face.

This person was none other than the dejected middle-aged ninja who had met Naruto once at Ichiraku Ramen.

However, compared to that time, the middle-aged ninja's eyes were now filled with determination, and his decadent demeanor was gone, replaced by ruthlessness.

He easily entered Naruto's room by climbing over the wall without any obstruction from the Anbu.

This was his first time in the fox spirit's room, and he looked just like an ordinary child.

However, judging from the bathroom lights and the sound of running water, the fox spirit was taking a bath and shouldn't be coming out anytime soon, so I had plenty of time.

After thinking it over, the middle-aged ninja continued to look around Naruto's room.

Upon seeing the solo headshot of Naruto placed on the bedside table, the middle-aged ninja picked up the photo, seemingly lost in some kind of memory, a faint smile appearing on his face.

But soon, the middle-aged ninja's expression turned ferocious, and he crushed the photo.

His name is Tenka, and he is an ordinary Konoha ninja. He has neither a famous teacher nor a family to rely on since childhood. If no miracle happens, he will only be able to wander between genin and chunin for the rest of his life.

But the appearance of Naruto's father, the Fourth Hokage, gave him hope to strive for success.

The Fourth Hokage was an orphan with an even lower social status than him, yet he was able to become a Jonin through talent and hard work, eventually becoming the Fourth Hokage of the village.

With such a role model in his life, he began to firmly believe that hard work would pay off.

As he had predicted, after joining the Fourth Hokage's ranks, he was quickly promoted to Chunin squad leader and even had the opportunity to become a Special Jonin.

However, everything changed on the night of the Nine-Tailed Fox.

With the death of the Fourth Hokage, his former subordinates suffered suppression. Some were sent to the front lines to carry out dangerous missions, while others were sidelined and never given important positions.

Through repeated missions, he gradually accumulated hidden injuries, making it impossible for him to become a special jonin again.

All of this was because the Fourth Hokage died in battle for no apparent reason.

Minato Namikaze, as Hokage you can die for the village, but what about us subordinates who once followed you and worked diligently for you to become Hokage?

They were unwilling, but reality left them with no way to resist, and they could only silently accept the arrangements made by the older generation.

They only felt better when they saw Naruto being bullied as a demon fox and discriminated against by the villagers. They would secretly mock him. This was the price of the Hokage's willfulness.

Coming to his senses, Tianfeng walked to the bathroom door and slowly pushed it open.

Gazing at the hazy figure in the mist, Tianfeng thrust in without hesitation, muttering to himself, "Naruto Uzumaki, if only you hadn't been born. You shouldn't have appeared in this world, you damned fox demon."

Soon, Tianfeng realized something was wrong; the kunai in his hand didn't seem to be piercing flesh, but rather air.

But the next moment, Tianfeng felt a sharp pain. A fruit knife had been stuck into the back of his foot, and blood was slowly flowing out.

At the same time, a voice rang out: "You are the one who shouldn't be in this world!"

Chapter 18 Please do me a favor

Naruto was initially bewildered when he heard what the attacker said.

He asked himself honestly, when had he ever offended this middle-aged man to the point of wanting to kill him?

At most, they would retaliate in kind when the villagers bullied them.

Even if the Akatsuki and Danzo, the Dark Lord of Konoha, were to target him, it would be because of his status as a Jinchūriki; they wouldn't act without a reason.

And this guy, right from the start, started trying to assassinate me, completely ignoring reason.

However, Naruto was surprised that this guy was so weak. How could there be such a weak assassin who didn't even take him, a Jinchuriki, seriously?

In this way, the suspicion of the Akatsuki organization can be ruled out.

Meanwhile, Tianfeng, enduring the pain, pulled out the fruit knife and looked at Naruto with disbelief in his eyes.

In his view, Naruto was a brat who hadn't even attended the Ninja Academy and had no fighting ability whatsoever. He believed that once the Anbu were lured away, he could do whatever he wanted.

But to his surprise, Naruto not only noticed his arrival, but also set up a trap in advance.

With his foot injured and poisoned by paralyzing toxins, he was no longer confident in defeating Naruto, and if he attracted the attention of the other ninjas in the village, only death awaited him.

In a moment of panic, Naruto's voice rang out again: "Who are you? Are you a ninja from an enemy country?"

"..."

Tianfeng was looking for an opportunity, but he wasn't sure if the Naruto in front of him was a shadow clone, so he could only look around, looking for a chance to counterattack or escape.

At this moment, he completely regarded Naruto as a ninja.

Shadow clones guarded the windows and doorways, and forming hand seals took several seconds.

Looking at the numerous shadow clones around him, Tianfeng knew that he was doomed to die. However, before he died, he wanted Naruto to continue to suffer, which was his revenge against the Fourth Hokage.

With a cold snort, Tianfeng's face twisted into a ferocious grin as he roared, "Who I am is unimportant, but Naruto Uzumaki, do you know your true identity? And why you're being bullied?"

Naruto frowned; he knew his own identity, of course.

Seeing that Naruto remained silent, Tianfeng continued, "Naruto, you are not a demon fox, but the son of the Fourth Hokage, the Hokage who saved the village. His son is being bullied as a demon fox. Don't you find that ridiculous?"

After saying that, Tianfeng looked at Naruto, anticipating Naruto's next interesting expression.

Unfortunately, he didn't see any confusion, bewilderment, or incomprehension on Naruto's face.

Instead, Naruto was looking at him like he was an idiot, and sneered, "I'm the Fourth Hokage's son, so what? What are you trying to say? That I should be angry?"

Tianfeng's expression turned ferocious as he shouted at Naruto, "Why aren't you angry? You're the Fourth Hokage's son, being treated like a demon fox. Shouldn't you be questioning life and the world?"

Naruto shook his head, then had his shadow clone approach Tenka, and slowly said:

"Compared to that, I care more about your identity. Why did you approach me? Are you one of the Third Hokage's men, a spy for Kumogakure or Iwagakure, or a subordinate of the Dark Lord of Konoha?"