024 Patience and Progress

The Raikage's eyes widened. "Are you serious?"

Naruto turned to him and said firmly, "Absolutely. I wouldn't lie in front of all the Kage."

"Hmph..." The Raikage clenched his fists. In the end, his brother's safety mattered most.

Crack!

The lightning cloak faded. As he turned to leave, Raikage threw one last warning over his shoulder: "Uzumaki Naruto, I'll let you go today. But Uchiha Sasuke has killed a Cloud ninja, if I catch him, I won't spare him. And you… take care of yourself."

Naruto replied calmly, "Alright. Then let me offer you one piece of advice..."

It wasn't just a formality, Naruto and Raikage would cross paths again. 

Soon, they'd clash in a powerful Nintaijutsu battle deep within the Cloud's secret ground: Hell Valley.

Ohnoki placed the Tsuchikage hat on his head and sighed. "Quite the show. Worth the trip. Who knows when the next Five Kage Summit will be…"

Terumi Mei turned her bright eyes toward him. "Heading back so soon, Master Tsuchikage? You've come all this way to Iron Country, why not enjoy the famous hot springs? Might help that back pain."

"Wow!" Kurotsuchi's eyes lit up, and she was obviously moved.

Hot springs are everywhere and are not a specialty of the Iron Country, but the cold climate here complements the hot springs.

Ohnoki said intriguingly: "Oh, there are many villains in the ninja world now. I always feel that there are still people who are ready to make a move in places we can't see. It's better to return to the village as soon as possible..."

After all, during the summit, Danzo mentioned that the leader behind the Akatsuki was Uchiha Madara, so the claim couldn't be dismissed lightly.

The name "Madara" alone was enough to stir fear and chaos.

Terumi Mei's expression turned serious.

Ohnoki spoke firmly, "Danzo fleeing the meeting today was a disgrace. His position as Hokage is in danger, but we can't rule out the chance he'll try something else. I propose we send a joint letter to the Fire Daimyo to impeach him. What do you all think?"

Terumi Mei nodded. "I agree. The ideology of Root threatens the interests of the Hidden Mist."

Gaara remained silent, his eyes fixed on Naruto with a complicated expression.

Temari gently placed a hand on his shoulder and whispered, "No matter what, Danzo is still a traitor to Konoha. You're the Kazekage, you have to stay neutral."

"…I understand."

Gaara turned away, but in his heart, he hoped: Naruto, one day I hope you'll tell me the full truth.

Meanwhile, Suigetsu and Juugo had already slipped away unnoticed.

Now, only Naruto, Konan, Orochimaru, a few Konoha ninja, and the samurai led by Mifune remained.

Naruto stepped forward and said, "Lord Mifune, I had no choice. Please forgive my actions. I still have something important to say to the Konoha team. Could you let me stay just a little longer?"

Mifune replied, "Very well, but you must leave Iron Country before midnight."

Naruto bowed slightly. "Thank you."

"..." 

Mifune turned and left with his samurai. For a long time, the samurai had stayed neutral in the ninja world, not because they lacked conviction, but because survival often demanded it.

Though they followed the code of Bushido, they avoided entanglement in ninja conflicts unless their interests were directly threatened.

Still, Mifune was a man of principle. In a past life, when Obito declared war during the Five Kage Summit, Mifune and his samurai stepped forward to join the battle against Akatsuki, proving their courage and righteousness.

Because of that, Naruto still held a basic respect for Mifune.

Reading the mood well, Orochimaru stepped aside before Naruto could even speak.

"Naruto-kun, I'll excuse myself for now..."

"Go ahead," Naruto replied. "Wait for me at the usual place. I'll be there soon."

With that, Orochimaru and Konan withdrew.

The snowy field fell silent, with only the crackling of black flames echoing across the land.

Whether it was the eerie presence of the Amaterasu flames or the tension of facing old friends again, Naruto found himself wiping sweat from his forehead.

The Konoha group stood in awkward silence, a heavy feeling hanging in the air. 

Naruto had just addressed them as "the ninjas of Konoha" during his talk with Mifune, an obvious sign that he had drawn a clear line between them and himself.

No one spoke. The atmosphere was cold and painful.

Hinata, in particular, stood with slumped shoulders, her face hidden in shadow.

Whoosh!

A large bird turned into ink mid-air as Sai landed, supporting Shikamaru, whose right leg was in a cast.

Known for his lack of social tact, Sai asked directly, "Where is Lord Danzo?"

Naruto didn't hesitate. "He's still alive. I was going to kill him. But Sasuke showed up, he wanted to finish Danzo off himself and complete his revenge. He refused to let me do it for him... so he let Danzo go."

"!"

Everyone froze, overwhelmed by the sheer weight of what they'd just heard.

Shikamaru, always the quickest to regain his composure, narrowed his eyes and spoke sharply, 

"Whatever your reasons, Danzo is still the Hokage. Attacking him means you've officially turned against Konoha, right, Naruto?"

Naruto's gaze dimmed, but his voice was firm and cold: "Yeah… that's right."

"You bastard!!!"

Sakura couldn't hold it in anymore. She stormed forward and punched Naruto with all her strength.

He could have dodged, but he didn't.

Boom!

The hit sent him crashing to the ground.

"Why!?!"

Sakura rushed at him, grabbed his collar, and shouted, "Do you even know what you're saying!?"

Naruto looked up at her with a calm, distant expression. "Didn't I make myself clear enough?"

Sakura's anger turned to pain. "Liar! What happened to the Naruto who never gave up? The one who wanted to become Hokage no matter what!?"

Naruto glanced briefly at Hinata, who stood silently behind the group, her face full of sorrow. He swallowed his emotions and replied, "That was then… this is now."

Clack!

Sakura suddenly pulled out a kunai and held it to Naruto's neck.

"Enough jokes. Say one more word like that, and I swear I'll kill you!"

But everyone knew she wouldn't.

Her hands trembled, and slowly, she lowered the blade.

Then, eyes red and voice shaking, she asked, "Tell me the truth… is this because of the promise you made me back then? Is that why you're doing this, to keep that promise?"

It was the only reason she could think of for Naruto to go so far.

"No," Naruto answered without hesitation.

"It's not because of something that childish."

"Some things can't be explained with just a few words. Sakura… I hope you won't ask anymore. One day, you'll understand."

"I don't want to wait until 'one day'!" Sakura burst into tears. "What if I beg you, cry and plead with you—say that the promise doesn't matter anymore—and ask you to come back to Konoha?"

Naruto replied calmly, "I'd still say no."

Sakura's voice trembled with desperation: "Then what if I said… the one I like isn't Sasuke—it's you?"

"…"

Naruto didn't answer right away.

She had said those words once before, and back then, he knew they were a lie, it had hurt him deeply. But things were different now. 

He was no longer that boy. Her words stirred nothing in his heart anymore.

Still, Naruto understood her intentions. She wasn't lying to hurt him, she was just desperate, cornered, and grasping for anything.

"Enough, Sakura!" 

"Don't say things that even you don't believe. There are many things in this world we can't control. We're ninjas, we endure, and we move forward."

His voice was low as he placed his hands on her shoulders and gently pushed her back.

Sakura stood there in a daze. Naruto's distant tone and cold touch left her lost and confused.

But deep down, Naruto's words weren't just for Sakura.

He was more afraid of what he might do if Hinata broke down in front of him the same way…

"…Hah." 

Naruto let out a quiet sigh, stood up, brushed the snow from his cloak, and began walking toward Hinata.

.

.

TO BE CONTINUED

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