Being a rogue ninja is worse than being Hokage.

Karin yawned; that was her real reason for coming to find Naruto.

Karin felt unsafe in the unfamiliar and eerie Orochimaru stronghold, surrounded by Sasuke, the Sound Four, and the annoying Suigetsu Hozuki.

The study and memorization of all the Orochimaru research materials that Naruto needed were completed during this period using shadow clones, and the level of energy consumed was unimaginable.

Even though Karin is a member of the Uzumaki clan, her chakra reserves are still limited.

Moreover, this kind of continuous and large-scale application in a short period of time.

Karin was indeed very tired, so she went to Naruto, who gave her a sense of security, and wanted to rest for a while.

"I see."

After receiving Naruto's accurate answer, Karin found a corner in the laboratory where she could lie down and sleep fully clothed.

Naruto then tossed aside the research data on the Hozuki clan's physical structure.

He took another scroll out of his ninja tool bag.

Besides Orochimaru's research on the Uchiha clan, Naruto was also very interested in Orochimaru's research on the Reaper Death Seal.

After all, the Book of Seals only records the usage formula of the Reaper Death Seal. The supplementary information about the Reaper Death Seal in the original work was completed by Orochimaru based on the information he collected.

This is a rare sealing technique in the ninja world that involves the soul.

Chapter 43 Survivors

The shadow clone actively dispelled the shadow clone technique, and the information was instantly synchronized in Naruto's mind as the original body.

Naruto paused slightly, having used up the information his shadow clones had given him, and focused his gaze once again on the scrolls in front of him that contained research on the Reaper Death Seal.

"Are you awake?"

Naruto rolled up the scroll again and put it into his ninja tool pouch, then turned to look at Karin, who was making rustling noises.

Karin put her glasses back on her nose, smoothed her messy hair, and gave a soft "hmm" in response.

Karin, who had only intended to take a short nap, unexpectedly fell into a deep sleep. Her physical fatigue and mental stress were released, and Karin felt quite good now.

"Let's go then, Sasuke and the others are waiting for us."

Naruto said.

He had previously left his shadow clones by Sasuke's side to transmit messages as quickly as possible.

The shadow clone had just brought Naruto the news of their reunion.

"Are we abandoning this base too?"

Karin moved closer to Naruto and walked out of the lab side by side with him. She had a rough idea of ​​why. "Did that Akatsuki member named Hidan reveal anything?"

Naruto nodded: "That guy named Hidan seems to have only been in the Akatsuki organization for a short time. He doesn't have much information to provide, only the names and teams of other Akatsuki members, as well as a few Akatsuki strongholds."

This is information that Sasuke obtained using the Sharingan's genjutsu (illusionary technique).

"Next, we'll start searching for other Akatsuki members based on the Akatsuki strongholds Hidan provided. If we encounter Itachi Uchiha, we'll hand him over to Sasuke; if it's someone else, we'll leave him to me."

On the way to meet up with Sasuke, Naruto shared information with Karin, who was unaware of the plan.

"This is what we need to do next. Let's speed things up; every second counts. After all, no one can guarantee whether those Akatsuki strongholds will be lost, or who the members will be if we happen to encounter them."

Naruto strode forward, glancing at Karin.

"I see!"

Karin answered loudly, following closely behind Naruto.

During the brief walk through the dimly lit underground base corridor before reuniting with Sasuke, Karin didn't have any questions she felt compelled to ask about the upcoming search for the Akatsuki organization or the possible encounter.

Naruto, however, used the distance they had traveled to think about all the details that Hidan had revealed while he was being controlled by Sasuke's genjutsu.

The information Naruto had previously given Karin had already been simplified by Naruto.

However, there is some information that is "not so important" to Sasuke and Karin, but "very important" to Naruto himself.

Naruto memorized the information he was pondering how to utilize, and it was precisely—

—The Akatsuki organization's work of capturing and distributing tailed beasts.

Among these intelligence reports was information about Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki, who were tasked by the leader of the Akatsuki organization with capturing Roshi, the Jinchuriki of the Four-Tails from Iwagakure.

There's also the "art" duo, Deidara and Sasori of the Red Sand, who are preparing to head to Sunagakure in the Land of Wind to capture Gaara, the Jinchuriki of the One-Tailed Beast...

...The Akatsuki organization's capture and distribution of tailed beasts was not much different from what Naruto knew.

In fact, Naruto didn't care about the Four-Tails, the One-Tails, or even other tailed beasts with five, six, seven, or eight tails.

A period of time has passed since the death of the immortal duo.

Most of the information Hidan presented was outdated.

For example, the Akatsuki organization's capture of the Four-Tails and the One-Tails Jinchuriki, both pieces of information from Hidan are in the "present tense".

However, with the passage of time, whether the Four-Tails and One-Tails have been captured by the Akatsuki organization has long been unknown.

The only thing Naruto was interested in was the information about the Three-Tails that Hidan had revealed.

The original work does not clearly describe when the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, who was the first Jinchuriki of the Three-Tails, died. With the death of the Jinchuriki, the Tailed Beast also disappears.

Tailed beasts, being aggregates of chakra, are not simply life forms. After they disappear, they will regenerate in nature after countless years by gathering enough chakra.

Naruto could only make a rough deduction based on the time it took for Deidara and Sasori, the art duo, to capture the One-Tailed Beast in the original work.

However, the Akatsuki organization's capture schedule for the Tailed Beasts has completely deviated from the original story.

In the original work, Gaara, the Jinchuriki of the One-Tailed Beast, was captured after the Tailed Beast was extracted from him. It was only after the immortal duo of the Akatsuki organization captured the Jinchuriki of the Two-Tailed Beast.

However, as of now, until Naruto and Sasuke teamed up to kill the immortal duo, the two Jinchuriki of the Two-Tails, Yugito Nii, have been dead for who knows how long, while Gaara, the Jinchuriki of the One-Tails, is still alive and well.

Naruto thought he would never find out when the Three-Tails would be resurrected, but he unexpectedly got this information from Hidan.

The resurrection of the Three-Tails.

Hidan's explanation was that the Akatsuki organization had sensed the Three-Tails again and was spending time searching for its exact location.

The search for and capture of the Three-Tails was carried out by Zetsu and Tobi, who, like Hidan, was a newcomer to the Akatsuki organization.

Or rather—Uchiha Obito.

"Do you need my help?"

Sasuke's sudden question interrupted Naruto's thoughts.

Before they knew it, Naruto and Karin had walked through the corridor of Orochimaru's stronghold and reunited with Sasuke and his group.

Naruto snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Sasuke.

“You’ve always preferred to think things through alone, never consulting with anyone else.” Sasuke met Naruto’s gaze, his dark eyes fixed on Naruto’s, and asked, “Among the pieces of information that Hidan gave you, is there anything that interests you?”

Even without using the Sharingan, Sasuke's eyes are sharp enough.

"What about the rest?"

Naruto did not answer Sasuke's question.

Outside Orochimaru's stronghold, neither the Sound Four nor Suigetsu Hozuki were with Sasuke.

Sasuke waited alone for Naruto and Karin to reunite.

Upon hearing Naruto's question, Sasuke stared at Naruto silently for a while, while Naruto made no attempt to hide his avoidance of Sasuke's question.

Sasuke looked away, not intending to ask any further questions.

He continued the conversation about Naruto's change of topic, saying, "According to the plan, we will proceed from the nearest Akatsuki stronghold. Time is of the essence, so I sent them ahead."

Despite saying that, Sasuke didn't rush to take any action at the moment.

Sasuke was somewhat bewildered. Freed from Orochimaru's control, Sasuke then took the initiative to delve deeper into his revenge against Itachi.

His revenge was fraught with danger, and even dying together with Itachi would be considered a successful revenge in Sasuke's mind.

He was bewildered about his future... No, Sasuke wasn't bewildered about himself, but rather about his surroundings.

such as--

"The Akatsuki organization, which has recruited a bunch of powerful rogue ninja, has a target that is the Jinchuriki who seals the Tailed Beasts. After you get rid of them, who are threatening you, what will you do next, Naruto?"

He hadn't seen Naruto for three years, and after so many years of silence, Sasuke was curious about what path Naruto had chosen.

"Back to Konoha."

Naruto's answer made Sasuke's eyes widen slightly.

That was a reaction of being well-prepared, but still unable to hide the shock.

Compared to Sasuke's surprise, Naruto's reaction was much colder: "This is the answer you wanted to hear, right? But Sasuke... you should know very well that this is impossible."

Sasuke certainly knew.

Sasuke's act of following Orochimaru, though seemingly proactive, was filled with helplessness.

The Chunin Exams, Naruto's defection, and Itachi Uchiha, who, after the night of the Uchiha's destruction, took advantage of Konoha's weakness and reappeared before Sasuke, demonstrating the terrifying power of the Mangekyou Sharingan.

If Sasuke understands that if he stays in Konoha, he might continue to be an outstanding ninja in the ninja world, bearing the title of "genius of the Uchiha clan."

But he could no longer overcome the gap in strength between himself and Itachi. His revenge... was not only his revenge, but also the promise he made with Sakura to bring Naruto back to Konoha, which he could not fulfill.

When Naruto first displayed the power of the Tailed Beasts in front of Sasuke, Sasuke realized that by staying in Konoha, he was not only giving up his revenge against Itachi, but also giving up the possibility of bringing Naruto back.

Furthermore, the cursed seal gradually eroded his spirit day after day, and Sasuke was "forced" to actively choose Orochimaru.

Naruto had already made up his mind.

Three years ago, Naruto had already shown his determination by dragging the people of Konoha into the conflicts between ninjas.

Naruto, who made the choice, will not return to Konoha.

Three years later, there is only one possibility for Naruto to return to Konoha.

"...So you, like me, chose to become an Avenger? Naruto."

Naruto's actions certainly resemble those of a vengeful figure, gathering strength to take revenge on Konoha.

Naruto wasn't surprised that Sasuke would have such thoughts.

But they are different.