Being a rogue ninja is worse than being Hokage.

They moved unimpeded, as if the Konoha search party had vanished, showing no sign of catching up.

Since they had already left the forest and no one was chasing them, Tayuya decided to stop worrying about it for the time being.

She doesn't trust Naruto.

The Sound Four had faced the pressure Naruto exerted on them; even just the Shadow Clones made them feel like they were facing a formidable enemy.

Before Sasuke chose to cooperate with Naruto and before the Sound Four established a relationship of trust with Naruto, Naruto's demonstrated strength distorted this gradually developing trust into a kind of fear of him among the Sound Four.

The Sound Four feared many things.

They were driven by fear to become stronger.

Before Orochimaru took them away as experimental subjects, they feared starving to death on the streets.

They were kept together like venomous insects, where they were experimented on and forced to fight each other, fearing death at the hands of other experimental subjects.

They feared Orochimaru, who gave them both hope and despair;

They also feared Sasuke, who could kill Orochimaru.

These fears are the same, yet different.

The Sound Four's fear of Naruto is different from the aforementioned types, but they are not unfamiliar with the fear they feel towards Naruto.

The last time they felt this fear of Naruto was three years ago.

Three years ago, when the Sound Four still had five members... when Kimimaro was still alive.

They feared Naruto as much as they feared Kimimaro.

This fear served as a wake-up call for the Sound Four.

Kaguya Kimimaro, whom Orochimaru described as "if not for the bloodline disease, Kimimaro would have been a more suitable vessel for the Reanimation Jutsu than Uchiha Sasuke."

This is the highest praise one can receive from Orochimaru, given his twisted moral values ​​that are difficult to accept even in the cruel ninja world.

As the former absolute leader of the Sound Four, Kimimaro never regarded the four as his comrades.

No matter how long they had been together, no matter how perfectly they completed their missions, Kimimaro would not hesitate to kill all four of them immediately if it was for Orochimaru's sake.

The fear that Naruto instilled in the four was exactly the same as the fear that Kimimaro instilled.

But Naruto's attitude towards them was different from Kimimaro's.

The Sound Four had no connection with Naruto to begin with, and not long ago they were in a relationship that was more like enemies than friends.

For a ninja who roams the shadows, revealing one's true feelings after only a brief interaction is foolish.

The Sound Four didn't trust Naruto, and Naruto, of course, didn't trust them either.

They all knew that at this moment, they were nothing more than strangers acting together amidst a web of intertwined interests.

Tayuya always felt a gloomy atmosphere hanging over her heart.

Not only the four of them, but Naruto Uzumaki might also be able to abandon Sasuke-sama at any time...

But shouldn't the relationship between Sasuke and Naruto be even more...?

Their cooperation was based on mutual trust...

These are ultimately just baseless and unfounded speculations.

Helping Sasuke kill Orochimaru, fighting Deidara and Sasori, and evading the Konoha squad that came searching for information.

All signs indicate that Naruto is indeed cooperating with Sasuke without reservation.

Perhaps I'm just overthinking it...

Deep down, unseen by anyone, Tayuya regained her spirits and focused her attention on the small town before her.

"This place has been abandoned for more than ten years."

The desolate and dilapidated scenery of the town made Tayuya murmur aloud.

The small town where I used to hang out when I was young was also in such a dilapidated state.

There is no doubt that this town was once a war zone.

“During wartime, enemy ninjas may not be able to directly attack heavily guarded ninja villages, but it is easy to destroy ordinary residential areas that can provide the logistical resources needed for the war, and this can bring many ‘benefits’.”

Naruto overheard Tayuya's mutterings and glanced indifferently at the town's desolate state.

The rate at which logistical resources are consumed during wartime is unimaginable.

As the war intensified, the logistical resources stored by the ninja villages, such as food, medicine, and ninja tools, were no longer sufficient to cover the war's expenses.

The initial focus was on concentrating the resources held by ordinary residents for war purposes.

Such behavior is unsustainable for major powers and would cause domestic instability.

Therefore, once war breaks out among the five major powers, they will tacitly focus the battlefield on the territory of the smaller countries.

The Land of Rain during the Second Shinobi World War.

The Land of Grass during the Third Shinobi World War... and so on.

There are just too many "advantages" to fighting in a small country.

We will not allow the war to spread to our homeland.

Furthermore, if logistical resources cannot keep up, they can disguise themselves as ninjas from other countries and plunder smaller nations. This gives the ninjas the means to continue fighting, and the people of the smaller nations will also hold a grudge against the ninjas from other countries and help fight against them.

Therefore, it was common for ninjas from large countries to massacre residents of small countries and plunder residential areas during wars.

This resulted in the creation of countless abandoned areas in the ninja world.

There are roughly two types of abandoned areas. One type is where residents voluntarily leave their homes, leaving only sad memories, because they cannot bear the pain brought by war.

Another possibility is that they have already died at the hands of the ninjas.

Naruto's words left everyone speechless for a moment.

The Third Shinobi World War had only ended a little over a decade ago, and they were the first children born after the war.

Although they did not personally participate in the Third Shinobi World War, the aftermath of the war affected them in many ways.

The Sound Four, orphans who had to fight dogs for food, were so desperate that they couldn't see tomorrow, and saw Orochimaru as their hope.

Karin's mother, who died after having her chakra drained by ninjas from Kusagakure due to her unique medical constitution.

Even Naruto and Sasuke...

One was to prepare for the next Shinobi World War, to become the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.

The other is the Uchiha clan, whose members were gradually isolated by the Konoha leadership due to years of war, and who embarked on the extreme path of betraying Konoha. They were the orphans of the Uchiha clan who were unaware of everything.

Even though they were born in Konoha, the strongest ninja village recognized by the five great nations, they were still affected by the aftermath of the war.

"Speaking of which, my childhood dream was to become Hokage."

Naruto's topics jumped around too much.

One second we were discussing the reasons for the formation of this dilapidated town.

The next second, however, he started talking about his past dreams.

No one knew why Naruto suddenly started talking about his dream.

Only Sasuke, who had been silent all along, suddenly turned his head and stared at Naruto.

It seemed like Naruto had come specifically to discuss this topic with Sasuke. Naruto looked at Sasuke and met his gaze.

"However, I later discovered something, something that even becoming Hokage couldn't change."

Naruto revealed the sunny smile he often wore when he and Sasuke were still in Team 7.

Sasuke recognized that smile.

Karin, whom Naruto first met in the Forest of Death, is also very familiar with him.

"What is it that even the Hokage couldn't change?"

Sasuke originally wanted to ask Naruto himself.

But the talkative Hozuki Suigetsu asked first.

"This dilapidated town can be seen as a microcosm of the ninja world..."

Although it was Hozuki Suigetsu who asked the question.

Naruto's gaze remained fixed on Sasuke.

"...There is no justice in the ninja world."

How can you change something you've never had?

Chapter 56 Unexpected Ninja

No one responded to Naruto's words; they all remained silent, yet their expressions differed subtly.

Among everyone, Sasuke had the most complicated expression.

He knew Naruto's past experiences better than anyone else present, so he could better understand why Naruto would say something like "there is no justice in the ninja world".

Yet, subconsciously, he distinguishes himself from Naruto.

During the three years he followed Orochimaru, Sasuke certainly witnessed enough of the darkness of the ninja world.

Sasuke, however, always stuck to his principles and was never assimilated by Orochimaru. He regarded Orochimaru as an "evil" who needed to be eliminated, just like Itachi Uchiha.

Even now, guided by the lies fabricated by Itachi Uchiha, Sasuke firmly believes that his revenge against Itachi is a righteous act for the extinct Uchiha clan.

Unfortunately, for the Uchiha clan, who were plotting to overthrow Konoha on the eve of their extermination, even though they were influenced by various forces, including the Konoha leadership, the situation was still very different.

Ultimately, it is the Uchiha clan members themselves who will choose the future path of their clan.

The person who makes the choice bears the consequences.

The Uchiha clan also did not... take a stand as victims of bullying, speaking out about suffering and justice.

However, the discussion and definition of the word "justice" is not the topic that Naruto is currently preparing to discuss with Sasuke.

That happened later.

After Sasuke took revenge on Itachi Uchiha—