[Next Day — Hokage's Office — Pending Payment]
The morning sun burned pale through thin clouds as Naruto climbed the long stair to the Hokage's Tower.
His steps were steady — body sore beneath the skin, but stronger than days ago. Three missions in rapid succession had honed more than his blade.
Caravan escort.
Envoy delivery to Sōgen Pass.
Emergency reinforcement in Morimi Valley.
And now — the bounty for Raiga Kurosuki.
Naruto exhaled as he reached the door.
The ANBU at the entrance gave him a slight nod — no longer with suspicion. That was new.
Inside, the Hokage's clerk looked up.
"You're early," she said — almost surprised.
"The Hokage will see you."
The door opened without ceremony.
Hiruzen Sarutobi stood at the window, pipe in hand, watching Konoha below.
"You move quickly, Naruto," he said. "Not many shinobi ask for their pay the day after a mission."
Naruto stepped forward and bowed lightly.
"Three missions back-to-back. I need to settle some things. And—"
A faint edge crept into his voice."—I still have to pay for Team 10's supplies from the Valley."
Hiruzen's eyes sharpened with approval.
"Pragmatic. Good."
He turned to the small desk beside him — an open ledger already waiting.
"The caravan mission: C-rank.""The envoy duty to the Mist: A-rank.""The Team 10 reinforcement: A-rank combat support.""And finally—" his voice deepened—"—the bounty for Raiga Kurosuki: confirmed."
Hiruzen slid a sealed scroll and an envelope across the desk.
"23 million ryō," he said. "Per treaty, half to the village, half to you."
Naruto blinked once.Bounty.He hadn't killed Raiga for money — but the world didn't always care why a blade was drawn.
"You'll receive 11.5 million ryō — less deductions.""And your pending salary: 4 million ryō combined."
Hiruzen's gaze lingered."I should remind you — it is customary to transfer such sums to a shinobi's bank account."
Naruto's eyes darkened — just for a moment.
"I don't have one."
A pause.
Hiruzen's pipe lowered."The bank still refuses?"
Naruto's voice was even."The owner never allowed me to open an account. Says I'm… a risk."
The unspoken truth hung in the room.The demon's vessel. The boy no one trusted.
Hiruzen's eyes narrowed, but he said nothing — not now. Instead, he pushed the envelope forward.
"Then you will receive cash — again."
Naruto accepted it without hesitation.
"Thank you, Hokage-sama."
Hiruzen studied him quietly.
"Word of Raiga's death has spread. So will your name."
A thin stream of smoke rose from the pipe.
"Be mindful of whose gaze you draw now."
Naruto nodded once."I will."
[Outside — Street Below]
Naruto stepped from the tower into morning bustle.
The envelope sat inside his flak vest — heavier than coin.Proof. Progress.
At Ichiraku's corner, shinobi whispered as he passed.
"That's him — killed a Swordsman…""…without using the Kyūbi."
Naruto walked on, jaw set.Let them talk.
[Ichiraku Ramen — Brief Respite]
Soon he was back at the familiar counter.
Teuchi beamed."Welcome back, Naruto! Heard you've been busy."
Naruto managed a faint grin."You could say that."
He slid a crisp stack of notes across.
"For me — and send a meal to Asuma-sensei and Team 10."
Teuchi nodded with warm approval."Done. Coming right up!"
As Naruto sat beneath the rising steam, a stray thought surfaced.
No account. No trust.
But also — no chains.
The cash in his vest was his alone.And so was the blade on his back.
New steel. More training. Better gear.He would need it all.
Because this path — this shinobi path — wasn't finished.
Not yet.
[Decision — The Road Beyond]
Later that day, with coin secured and the weight of recent missions fading, Naruto sat alone beneath the old training oak by the Third Training Ground.
His sword — the one recovered in Kaigan — lay across his lap.
Good steel. Good weight.But not made for him.
Hayato's words echoed:
"Efficiency matters more than power."
And he'd seen the truth of it.
If he was to keep walking this path — alongside comrades who risked everything — he needed better.
Better steel.Better armor.Better everything.
He unrolled a worn map of the Land of Fire.
Eyes drifted northward, past the old caravan roads, to a bolded symbol:The Capital — Hi no MiyakoThe Fire Capital.
A place whispered about in training halls — where master swordsmiths and elite shinobi suppliers worked under daimyo patronage.
Even Hayato had once mentioned it:
"Blades from the Capital… they cut more than flesh. They cut fate."
Naruto's gaze sharpened.
That was where he needed to go.
[Requesting Leave — Hokage's Office]
An hour later, Naruto once again stood before Hiruzen.
The old Hokage regarded him quietly."You've already returned your report. Something else?"
Naruto nodded once."I want to take leave — for a few days."
Hiruzen's brow lifted."Why?"
Naruto answered without hesitation."To travel to the Fire Capital. I need to… improve my equipment. Sword. Gear."
A pause.
Hiruzen studied him — long and hard.
Finally, a faint smile touched the old man's lips."You've learned already: a shinobi's tools are an extension of their will."
He tapped his pipe once.
"Approved. Seven days. Move quietly — the Capital is not without eyes."
Naruto bowed."Understood."
Hiruzen added one last thing.
"And Naruto — when you return… bring back not just better steel. Bring back a better blade within."
Naruto gave a rare small smile."I will."
[Departure — The Road to the Capital]
The next dawn broke cold and clear.
Naruto stood alone beneath the southern gate of Konoha.
A light travel cloak hung over his shoulders, worn to shade both blade and pack. Beneath it, the pouch of ryō rested secure against his side — hard-earned money from battle, from missions, from blood.
His sword — though tempered in Kaigan's fires — was not the blade he would trust his future to.
And the Fire Capital… that was where the blade he needed would be forged.
No ceremony.No squad escort.He had filed the leave request. The Hokage had approved. That was all that mattered.
A few shinobi at the gate glanced up as he passed.None spoke.
Naruto moved past them with steady steps, his breath pale against the morning air.
The road stretched long beyond the walls — a winding ribbon of dirt and stone that would lead first through the great northern forests, then to the merchant roads that fed into Hi no Miyako.
He didn't look back.
No reason to.The path forward mattered more.
As the sun rose higher, Naruto pressed on — alone beneath the vast sky, the weight of future steel ahead, and the faint pull of something deeper beneath his ribs.
This was not just about a sword.Not just about gear.
It was about walking forward — blade in hand — as his own man.