In Konoha, This Naruto Has Decided To Take It Easy

Naruto, who had been quietly eating on the side, couldn't help but dumbfounded, 'Wow, that thing should be prepared for Neji. Then again, considering the rich woman's wealth, she might have bought a bunch of them.'

Tenten had always taken good care of Lee. After all, Lee was just a martial arts fanatic, and he never paid attention to many things outside of training, nor was he willing to spend time on them.

The rich girl is like the manager of Team 3. Their teacher was carefree, and her teammates were oddballs. Neji was the only normal one, so it was natural for her to develop some dependency on him.

As for the temporary member Naruto... well, there wasn't much to say about that.

"Naruto, you must have one, right?" Tenten asked, knowing that Ino was the one who developed these devices.

"Uh, yeah, I have one."

Naruto had actually wanted to say he didn't have one, as in times like this, maybe he could get something out of it. After all, it was a gift from a rich woman. But explaining that would be troublesome, so he dropped the idea.

After lunch, the three of them parted ways.

This was just a casual gathering to keep their bond strong. While Naruto liked to take things easy, he wasn't stingy about spending time with his friends. After all, there would always be returns from any investment.

Friendships only worked if you maintained them, and they wouldn't wither away with time.

After returning home, Naruto rested on the couch for a while but didn't see any sign of Kurama. So after freshening up, he used the communicator he had exclusively for Hinata to chat with her for a bit.

It was worth noting that this communicator was actually something he had tricked his sister-in-law, Hanabi, into buying for him. He paid ten times the regular price for it, and it hurt him deeply.

Even though he could access Hinata's call logs through the system, all he would see were conversations full of sisterly love. As for why they use communicators when they live together, it's probably because they are lazy.

After all, with these devices, even parents didn't need to shout to call their wayward kids for dinner anymore.

After chatting with Hinata for a while, Naruto went out when the midday sun had passed, diving into the shade of the trees. He wandered out of the village from Konoha's Main Street, without needing to report to anyone.

It was a privilege he had earned. After all, there is no second-generation in Konoha with stronger connections than him. He is strong in every aspect.

After leaving the village, Naruto wandered through the nearby forest. He didn't find any notable signs but didn't lose patience and continued searching for any trace of Sasuke.

'Sasuke was probably on a revenge mission again. I wonder if that bastard Itachi had died yet. These two foolish yet extraordinary brothers were truly a perfect match, each more insane than the other.'

"Where are you, Sasuke? You're already here, so you might as well show yourself. I've got some good news for you, you know." Naruto muttered to himself as he continued sneaking through the woods.

Time quickly passed, and before he knew it, it was nightfall, with the moon hanging high in the branches.

Naruto hadn't given up and continued tirelessly searching for the man. The last time he had been this dedicated was in the Land of Snow. But now, he was eager to find the stubborn Sasuke before leaving.

Naruto was desperate to resolve things with Danzo before he left, preferably having Sasuke deal the final blow. After all, the only good Danzō was a dead one, and the old man would also drop some loot when he went down.

"Is Suigetsu back yet?"

From deep within the forest came a low voice. The owner of the voice seemed quite young, with a cold, stern tone, though it still carried a subtle charm.

A rustling sound followed, and then a woman's voice answered.

"He'll be here soon."

Not long after, a figure approached from the distance. Upon arrival, they stumbled right into a bush, and when they saw what was happening, they froze for a moment.

"Karin, why are you taking your clothes off? You're so bold!"

"Get lost!" Karin's furious voice rang out in the darkness, followed by more rustling as she adjusted her clothing, "Why didn't you just die on your way here?"

Her attempt to seduce Sasuke had failed yet again, but Karin wasn't discouraged… it wasn't her first failure anyway. After putting on her clothes, Karin did not forget to glare at Suigetsu fiercely.

Suigetsu, with his short white hair and shark-like teeth, grinned mischievously, looking as devilish as ever.

"The people from Konoha are still too weak. There's no way they could've found me. I hid in a random hole, and no one even noticed I was there."

Karin knew about Suigetsu's liquefaction ability, a Kekkei Genkai that allowed his entire body to turn into water. She found it flashy, but to her, it just seemed like a disease.

Of course, Sasuke was the exception.

At this moment, a flicker of impatience crossed Sasuke's dark eyes.

"Enough. Stop arguing. Suigetsu, did you figure it out? Why was Kyubi able to appear alone? Has Naruto, the Kyubi's Jinchuriki, died?"

"I found out that Uzumaki Naruto is alive and well." Suigetsu opened his mouth full of sharp teeth and said with a smile, "But I heard that Kyubi has disappeared for a long time, and Uzumaki Naruto is no longer a Jinchuriki."

"Explain clearly." Sasuke said, his frustration growing.

He had just killed his own older brother, Itachi, who was also his greatest enemy. He had spent years running around the world, seeking revenge.

He had thought that everything would end after killing Itachi.

But everything that followed had been beyond his expectations. Itachi was merely a tool, and he hoped that Sasuke would carry on the hatred of their clan and take his eyes.

Itachi had implanted his ocular powers into Sasuke's eyes. The worst part was that Sasuke had accepted this burden of hatred.

Revenge had brought him nothing but endless suffering. Itachi had died by his hands, giving up his life as easily as handing over a piece of candy.

This made Sasuke furious, as if he had thrown a punch at a cloud of cotton.

Then, a masked man suddenly appeared, claiming to be the long-dead Uchiha Madara. He had rambled on and on, peeling away the ugly truths of Konoha.

After verifying everything, Sasuke had confirmed that Danzo was indeed involved in the Uchiha Clan's massacre. That's why he came to Konoha… to kill Danzo and uncover the truth of that night.

But now, it seemed his plans had been interrupted, and he had somehow crossed paths with a wild Kyubi. With Konoha so close by, Sasuke couldn't risk making a move.

As a result, they had been hiding out in the forest for several days without any progress. Sasuke felt like a savage, silently suffering in the jungle.