Shihouin Naraku casually swung Kurikara, then held the pitch-black blade upright before his eyes to examine it carefully. A black dragon breathing fire seemed to dance across the dark surface, its form shifting between visibility and shadow, occasionally revealing only glimpses of scales and claws!
"So magnificent!"
"But why can't I feel the weight anymore? At first, it still felt heavy, but now it seems to have returned to its most comfortable weight!"
"System?"
[Kurikara's weight remains unchanged! As the host, Zanpakutō attunes itself to you and will maintain whatever weight feels appropriate to you, while bearing the excess weight itself!]
"Perfect!"
He casually performed a sword flourish and returned Kurikara to its sheath!
Shihouin Naraku continued studying his attribute panel, muttering to himself:
"My physique, chakra volume, and control have all increased, but why are there so many plus signs? It looks unnecessarily complicated."
"And this Magnet Style? Where did that come from... Oh, it must be from the One-Tailed Shukaku's Chakra. As expected, I knew Shukaku's chakra couldn't be that simple."
"Besides, I drew Shukaku's Chakra this time. If I draw the chakra of another tailed beast next time and continue until I collect one-thousandth of the chakra from all nine-tailed beasts, wouldn't I essentially become a miniature Juubi jinchūriki?"
Shihouin Naraku shook his head slightly. For some reason, he felt his speculation might actually come true.
"Kurikara devoured both the Black Knife Qiu Shui and Zanpakutō: God's Punishment. My soul has been elevated again, and my spirit directly promoted to the highest level."
"My spiritual attributes have reached their limit. No one can stand against me in that realm anymore."
"System, can Distinguished Heavenly Gods and Infinite Tsukuyomi still affect me?"
[Host's spiritual attributes have reached the maximum limit. No genjutsu can affect the Host, including Distinguished Heavenly Gods and Infinite Tsukuyomi! For additional benefits, please explore on your own!]
"That's reassuring. The threat posed by Infinite Tsukuyomi is truly significant."
Shihouin Naraku preferred not to leave his fate in others' hands. Even if Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke eventually saved the world, he wouldn't simply sit idle and wait.
After years in this new life, Naraku had realized the shinobi world wasn't merely an animation but a genuine reality. If he had truly regarded this world as an illusion, he would have perished long ago.
The fate of Shihouin Naraku would remain in the hands of Shihouin Naraku alone!
Ignoring the two ninjutsu techniques he had received as rewards, Naraku stared with disappointment at the hardcover signed edition of Icha Icha Paradise and the spoiled rice balls in his hands.
Why did every lottery include something completely useless?
With a flick of his wrist, he tossed both Icha Icha Paradise and the rice balls into the trash can.
But moments later, he reached out to retrieve the book, flipped through a few pages, and despite finding it uninteresting, decided to keep it.
"This might still prove useful. Jiraiya's books have many fans throughout the shinobi world."
Even though Jiraiya frequently swindled Uzumaki Naruto out of his money, the Sannin himself was tremendously wealthy.
Jiraiya had completed more S-rank missions in Konohagakure than anyone else, with mission rewards alone totaling no less than 500 to 600 million ryo.
Of course, the majority of his wealth came from his writing. Each new release sold out immediately, purchased by his many loyal fans.
Jiraiya had even helped Tsunade pay off her gambling debts several times!
Looking at it from that perspective, why be a shinobi? The most profitable profession in the ninja world was clearly that of a writer!
...
"What? Protect Uzumaki Naruto again? I have numerous responsibilities. The ANBU and the Medical Corps both need me. Besides..."
"Bang!"
The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, tapped his pipe and said nonchalantly, "Is that so? The ANBU reported you haven't been to work for three days, and the Medical Corps claims they haven't seen you for a day. Where exactly have you been working?"
"Cough, cough, cough..."
In truth, Shihouin Naraku had been absent from work for an entire week!
He couldn't help it. His third ten-draw streak had just concluded, and he needed to master his increased powers as quickly as possible, which required dedicated practice time.
Consequently, he had completely forgotten about his regular duties.
In any case, his workload was neither excessive nor insufficient.
Most administrative tasks could be delegated to the Hokage anyway. Otherwise, why would Naruto's Shadow Clones be so exhausted to the point of near collapse after he became Hokage in the future?
But some ANBU members were disloyal. The Medical Corps only dared to report one day of absence, while ANBU claimed three!
This was asking for trouble!
It seemed he would need to find an opportunity to clean up—no, reorganize—the ANBU personnel.
After all, they were an elite shinobi unit directly under the Hokage and shouldn't become too lax in their training.
Sarutobi Hiruzen observed Naraku's reluctance and issued a direct order:
"This is Naruto's first mission outside the village. The assignment in the Land of Waves isn't difficult—just eliminating some bandits and thugs. This mission is perfectly suited for Naruto's current abilities."
"However, unexpected situations can arise, and your sole responsibility is to protect Naruto! This is your only mission! If circumstances become unmanageable, I authorize you to abandon the others and bring only Naruto back safely!"
"Your mission will not be considered a failure as long as Naruto returns unharmed!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen gave Shihouin Naraku a meaningful look, confident that the other understood his implication.
Trust!
Hatake Kakashi!
Two Hokage candidates!
Although Naraku possessed prominent status, at critical moments, he wasn't as valuable as Uzumaki Naruto, the Kyuubi jinchūriki!
"I understand. Leave it to me. But Kakashi is capable of handling most situations, so I shouldn't need to intervene."
Shihouin Naraku wasn't particularly concerned. What kind of difficult situation could possibly arise?
With his current strength, unless the entire Akatsuki organization blocked their path, along with the ignorant Black Zetsu and the misguided Uchiha Obito, he could handle any individual opponent. Only a collective effort from these forces would present a genuine challenge!
However, such concerns were unnecessary. Although Akatsuki excelled in team combat, they weren't inclined to sacrifice members in sequential individual confrontations. Such extreme scenarios wouldn't materialize!
"Oh, right..."
As Shihouin Naraku prepared to leave, Sarutobi Hiruzen offered a final reminder, "Maintain a low profile this time. I've noticed that whenever you take action, you create quite a commotion!"
"Also, if that bridge is really..."
"...got it."
Shihouin Naraku waved his hand without looking back, leaving it unclear whether he had fully heard the Hokage's words.
...
Noon, at Konohagakure's main gate!
"Alright! Let's go!"
"It's been so long since I've been outside the village. This is awesome!"
Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, and Haruno Sakura stood facing the great gate.
All three wore smiles, even the usually stoic Uchiha Sasuke, who had his hands in his pockets, displayed a subtle smile on his cool face.
Beside them stood Tazuna, the master bridge builder from the Land of Waves, clutching a bottle of sake and appearing visibly intoxicated.
He eyed Naruto and the others with concern, clearly doubting whether these young shinobi could resolve his homeland's current predicament.
"Don't worry. Despite their youth, they're capable of completing this mission!"
Hatake Kakashi stood with one hand in his pocket while holding Icha Icha Paradise in the other, occasionally turning a page.
This time, since Gato was dead, the mission simply involved eliminating some minor thugs. Tazuna had commissioned the mission honestly, though he had slightly understated the number of enemies.
Such a task was indeed appropriate for the novice Team 7. Not overly difficult, but requiring combat nonetheless.
Missions like this provided excellent training experience!
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