Konohagakure had been under restru for some time. The desotion from before was gradually fading, and scattered wooden frames of houses were beginning to form the outline of a vilge.

  Even Ichiraku Ramen [Temporary] had reopened, bustling with a steady stream of ers.

  In an inspicuous er, an inspicuous young man sat staring at a rge bowl of tonkotsu ramen before him, drooling untrolbly. His left hand was ed in bandages as he csped his chopsticks between his palms in a ceremonial gesture and decred, *“Itadakimasu!”* (*Let’s eat!*)

  *Slurp! Slurp!*

  Breaking apart the chopsticks, he began dev the ramen voraciously.

  Yes, this seemingly unremarkable young man was her than Naruto.

  Ba the day, after pleting his daily training, he would always reward himself with a bowl of Ichiraku Ramen. Even after being Hokage, this habit persisted.

  The taste was etched into his soul, being an inseparable part of his life.

  No ramen, no Naruto.

  So, even now, as a rogue ninja of the vilge, he couldn’t resist the temptation of that fvor. He had gone so far as to use the Transformation Jutsu to sneak bato the vilge, just to savor that familiar delicace more.

  *Slurp~~~! Slurp~~~!*

  At this moment, Naruto had fotten all about the enmities of nations and the hardships ahead. He had returo his roots, being nothing more than a diner reveling in the joy of good food.

  In just three mihe bowl was empty—down to the st drop of broth.

  *“Kada~ kada~”* (*So full, so satisfied~*)

  Leaning ba his chair, he rubbed his stomach tentedly. But wheurned his head casually, he was startled to see a familiar figure at the neighb table!

  It was Iruka-sensei.

  Naruto almost called out to him instinctively.

  For some reason, Iruka’s face was filled with worry. The steam from his bowl of ramen had already dissipated, yet he hadn’t touched it.

  Naruto’s gaze dimmed, and his outstretched hand slowly withdrew.

  The student Iruka had once pced so much hope in had now bee a rogue ninja ned by all. It must have been a heavy blow for Iruka.

  Naruto couldn’t bear to see Iruka looking so dejected, so he chose to leave.

  At that moment, Teuchi, the owner of Ichiraku Ramen, who was busy rolling dough, looked up to wipe the sweat from his brow. His gaze was drawn to the departing figure.

  “What’s wrong, Dad?” asked Ayame, Teuchi’s daughter, notig his rea.

  “That back… It looked like Naruto. But that’s impossible, right?”

  “It must’ve been my imagination,” Teuchi muttered, shaking his head as he returo his work.

  Naruto walked along the streets of the vilge at dusk. The streets bustled with people, and many familiar faces passed by, but Naruto simply walked in silence, lost in his thoughts.

  Before he realized it, he had arrived at the pce he knew best.

  When he saw the ruins before him, he snapped out of his reverie.

  "Of course, it’s gone now," he murmured to himself. After the devastation caused by Pain, Konoha had beeroyed. How could that pce have survived? "How foolish of me to think otherwise."

  Shaking his head in self-mockery, Naruto was about to turn and leave wheiced something scrawled in blood-red letters among the rubble.

  “Demon Fox,” “Traitor,” “Beast,” “Mohe twisted characters were filled with malid hatred.

  Naruto’s expression remained bnk. He had long since grown aced to the ess of the world. At this point, such misuandings and hostility no longer fazed him in the slightest.

  He stepped onto the ruins to examihem. The writing was fresh, but there were also signs of previous attempts to erase simir markings. "What’s going on here?" he wondered.

  As he pondered, a boy with a bandage on his fad a bucket of paint in hand approached, apanied by Moegi and Udon.

  Konohamaru, notig the fresh blood-red writing and the unfamiliar figure standing amidst the rubble, shouted angrily, "You’re the one who wrote that, aren’t you!?"

  Before Naruto could respond, Konohamaru tinued, "Listen up! Big Brother Naruto isn’t what you think he is! He’s the stro ninja, a maio bee Hokage!!!"

  Despite his young age, Konohamaru’s eyes held a sharp determination.

  "Konohamaru, don’t be rash," Moegi said, tugging nervously at his sleeve.

  "I know," Konohamaru replied. "As a ninja, I won’t fight over something like this."

  Even as he spoke, the bandage on his face seemed to betray his words. Ign Naruto’s presence, he poured paint over the hateful writing, erasing it.

  Naruto smiled faintly, leapt down from the ruins, and walked away with his hands in his pockets.

  His eyes glimmered with a profound light. "There’s no need for that, Konohamaru. Those who’ve weathered the storms of life won’t be blinded by mere grains of sand."

  He made his way to Konoha’s cemetery, from a distance.

  In the glow of the setting sun, Kakashi stood before the memorial stone, as always, m Obito. However, his expression was tinged with more mencholy than usual.

  Yūgao Uzuki, having finished paying her respects to her te lover and sister, approached and greeted him. "Kakashi-senpai, are you fiding in Obito about Naruto?"

  Realizing he’d beehrough, Kakashi replied, "Yūgao, you’ve caught me."

  Yūgao said, "What happened with Naruto is hard on everyone. Now that Danzō holds the position of Hokage, public opinion is even mainst him. But I believe Lady Tsunade will turn things around once she wakes up."

  Kakashi sighed. "Let’s hope so."

  Standing too far away to hear their versation, Naruto gazed at the memorial stone, his thoughts drifting to his mentor, Jiraiya.

  After his iation with Nagato, Naruto had erected a otaph for Jiraiya on his way back to the vilge.

  This time, however, he didn’t.

  After all, in his future battles with the Kara anization, Naruto had entered another version of Jiraiya.

  Kashin Koji.

  A e created by Amado, Kara’s chief stist, using Jiraiya’s cells.

  Naruto murmured, "If I could turn back time, this wouldn’t be the ideal moment. A month earlier, and maybe Ero-Sennin wouldn’t have had to die."

  But now, it no longer mattered. As long as he could find Jiraiya’s body before Amado did…

  Maniputing time had always been sidered a forbidden act for ninja.

  "I, Naruto Uzumaki, have already defied the flow of time. One more time won’t make a difference."

  As night fell, Naruto g the Hokage Rock. Beside Tsunade’s face, a new outline was being carved. He turned and walked deeper into the vilge.

  Ahead was the area where the Hokage ducted official duties. "No unauthorized personnel allowed!" Two Root members in white robes and animal masks blocked his path.

  Naruto’s expression was unreadable. "Oh? The Hokage?"

  "Lord Danzō, the Sixth Hokage!" one of them barked.

  "I see. My apologies," Naruto said, turning to leave.

  In a deserted alley, he stopped. "So, Danzō’s ba the vilge. The timing makes sense. But with such heavy security, does he really pn to stay here, waiting for Sasuke or me to e for him? Unlikely. Let’s firm."

  *Zzz!*

  Naruto entered Sage Mode.

  "Hmm?" His sensory perceptioended into the Hokage’s tent, and his expression shifted before a sly smile crept onto his face. "Heh, just as I thought."

  Pg his left hand on a nearby mppost, he left a Flying Raijin mark on it.

  *Whoosh!*

  He vanished without a trace.

  Moments ter, Shikaku, Inoichi, and Chōza—the eion of the Ino-Shika-Chō trio—walked by, supp a drunken Chōza between them.

  As they passed the mppost, Shikaku suddenly stopped, staring at it.

  "What’s wrong, Shikaku?" Inoichi asked.

  "That mark… Could it be…?"

  "It’s nothing," Shikaku replied, masking his thoughts as he moved on.

  In the forest outside Konoha, Konan, Orochimaru, and Kisame stood before a shallow pit.

  *Whoosh!*

  Naruto reappeared via Flying Raijin, dispelling his Transformation Jutsu. With a sweep of his cloak, he approached them and asked, "How did it go?"

  Before infiltrating the vilge, he had assighem aask.

  Kisame said, "My Samehada isly suited fging. That guy was indeed here, but it seems he’s already…"

  Naruto stepped to the edge of the pit and looked down.

  At the bottom y a dull, gray head with closed eyes and a lifeless demeanor.

  It was Hidan.

  *Banshō Ten’in!*

  *Whoosh!*

  Using gravitational foraruto pulled Hidan’s head from the pit and held it in his hand.

  *Snap!*

  Hidan’s eyes suddenly opened, gring fiercely at Naruto.

  But before he could say a word, Naruto shoved him into a box.

  *g! g!*

  The box shook violently, but Naruto paid it no mind.

  Orochimaru’s lips curled into a curious smile as he watched the box.

  Konan stepped forward. "What’s the move?"

  Naruto replied, "Let’s go. Baegakure."

  Annou

  The neter update is here! Additionally, the advanced chapters of this book are now avaible on Patreon, This el is expected to feature 15 books, with each book receiving an additional 3-5 early chapters updated weekly. It will always maintain a signifit lead along with extra side stories. Feel free to visit, and happy reading, everyone!

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