"Inoichi, you should be treating us to drinks!" Shikaku said, throwing his arm around Inoichi's neck. "Having such a son-in-law makes us all jealous!"
"Next time. Today I need to finish organizing the team assignments," Inoichi replied with a smile on his face, clearly satisfied with his son-in-law as well.
Even though Natsuro said he was just relaying the Third Hokage's ideas, the fact that he could articulate everything so clearly, engage in a debate with Danzō and the advisors, and delve into the details showed that Natsuro was heavily involved in the planning.
It was not merely a case of him passing on a message, as the Third Hokage had suggested earlier.
And, given their knowledge of the Third Hokage's cautious personality, this more aggressive approach likely had less of his involvement.
"Make sure you include me next time too!" Akimichi Chōza said with a grin.
"Of course, everyone's invited," Inoichi responded cheerfully.
At that moment, Natsuro approached the group and stopped them.
"Natsuro, is there something you need?" Inoichi asked.
"Inoichi-uncle, I have some questions for Uncle Shikaku. There's something I can't quite figure out," Natsuro explained.
"Alright, let's walk and talk," Nara Shikaku replied, becoming more serious. After seeing Natsuro's performance, there was no way he would treat him like a typical thirteen-year-old.
"Okay," Natsuro nodded and began walking alongside Shikaku, explaining his theories about Orochimaru's motives and what might happen next.
"Hmm..." Shikaku furrowed his brow after listening, then said, "If Orochimaru's objective was truly what you think, then it seems he has already accomplished at least half of it."
At this, the other three were startled. Natsuro, drawing on his memories of past knowledge, hesitantly added, "Sand?"
Shikaku nodded. "Yes, in this situation, it's not just Konoha's reputation that has suffered. The biggest loser here is actually Sunagakure. Many of their shinobi were lost, and I suspect Orochimaru secretly assassinated the Kazekage. Right now, Sunagakure has become the weakest of the Five Great Ninja Villages, and their position will be unstable for some time."
"Suna's situation isn't our concern, but is Konoha in any danger?" Natsuro massaged his temples, adding, "I initially wanted to suggest that Inoichi-uncle keep Kakashi and Might Guy stationed in the village in case Orochimaru attacks again."
"Without the opportunity provided by the Chūnin Exams and the support of Sunagakure, Orochimaru is less likely to attack again," Shikaku said after thinking for a moment. "But we can't rule out the possibility entirely. We should definitely bolster our defenses. Inoichi?"
"I understand," Inoichi nodded. He had already arranged for some forces to remain in the village, but Natsuro's suggestion made it clear they needed to increase that presence.
Natsuro furrowed his brow. The idea of merely sitting back defensively was unsettling. He hoped Sunagakure could quickly find Orochimaru's hideout and strike him hard enough that he wouldn't be able to cause further trouble.
"Shikaku-uncle, can you guess what Orochimaru's next move might be?" Natsuro asked casually, not expecting a definitive answer.
"Next step, huh..." Shikaku scratched his head, looked up at the sky, and thought for a while before answering. "It could be Konoha's reputation. Right now, it's not as stable as it used to be, and Orochimaru might want to make that worse. The best way to do that would be to disrupt our missions, but that seems unlikely—he doesn't have enough manpower, nor access to our intelligence..."
Shikaku trailed off, frowning. The lack of information made it hard to pinpoint what Orochimaru might do, so this was only a vague guess.
"That's helpful enough. Thank you, Uncle Shikaku," Natsuro said sincerely.
"Haha, no problem. You're friends with Shikamaru and practically family now, so feel free to ask for advice anytime," Shikaku laughed.
After bidding farewell to the older generation of the Ino-Shika-Chō trio, Natsuro walked through the village streets alone, pondering Shikaku's speculation.
How could Orochimaru damage Konoha's reputation?
Natsuro thought about it. The most obvious hit would have been the death of the Third Hokage, but that plan had already failed. Now, even if the Hokage died of natural causes, it wouldn't have the same impact. Only an unnatural death would cause significant damage to the village's reputation.
So, who else could represent Konoha? The Sannin, of course. Jiraiya was still in the village, which Orochimaru knew.
That left only one other, Tsunade...
Rubbing his temples again, Natsuro wondered: Could Orochimaru be planning to kill Tsunade? If that was his goal, it was certainly possible.
In this critical period, if rumors of another Sannin's death or defection spread, it would deal another heavy blow to Konoha's reputation. The village would be forced to deploy even more of its forces, weakening its defenses.
At that point, Orochimaru might take the opportunity to invade Konoha again. His target? Probably Sasuke.
A full-scale attack was unlikely, though, since Orochimaru was probably still uncertain about the Third Hokage's potential last-ditch strategies and wouldn't act so brazenly.
Jiraiya should be going to find Naruto now, Natsuro thought. Instead of using the Flying Thunder God Technique, he summoned a communication toad and sent it to Jiraiya with his theory—just in case. He also advised Jiraiya to be cautious.
After all, Jiraiya's life could have the same impact as the Third Hokage's.
The uncertainty was unsettling. This was the downside of altering the original timeline. If Natsuro hadn't changed things, Orochimaru's hands would be sealed by the Reaper Death Seal, and Natsuro could confidently predict that Orochimaru would go after Tsunade.
Now, everything was just speculation. Natsuro couldn't be sure of Orochimaru's next move. Maybe he would come straight for Sasuke?
In that case, Kakashi would need to keep a close eye on Sasuke.
Hopefully, they could make it through this rough period. Once Jiraiya brought Tsunade back and Konoha's reputation stabilized, the situation would be much less precarious.
With that thought, Natsuro strolled down the damaged streets of Konoha. Thanks to his plan, the village hadn't suffered too much damage, but repairs were still necessary.
As Natsuro walked, he noticed that many eyes were on him, which puzzled him.
"Are you Lord Natsuro?" a voice suddenly called out.
"Yes, that's me," Natsuro replied, nodding.
The next moment, the whole street seemed to erupt with cheers. He stood frozen in shock, watching as the crowd chanted his name.
Later, he found out that he had saved many civilians, who had since learned about him at the shelter and recognized him as he walked down the street. That's why his name had already become so well-known.
Natsuro's fame had skyrocketed.
Most of the people Natsuro had saved were men, and they had their wives, children, and friends. As word spread, his reputation quickly grew.
He felt a bit stunned. If he had known this would happen, he would have just used the Flying Thunder God Technique to return home. But by the time he realized it, it was too late—people had already noticed him. At this point, using the technique to disappear would have been rude.
So, he did his best to smile and greet everyone warmly as he made his way home.
By the time he reached his house, Natsuro's arms were full of gifts. If it wasn't for the fact that he physically couldn't carry any more, he likely would have received even more.
When the door opened, Ino stood there, staring at him for a moment before bursting into laughter. "Natsuro, how did you end up carrying so many things back?"
"What?" Natsuro blinked, realizing what she meant. "Mom too?"
Ino nodded with a sigh. "Yes, I just helped Auntie put away all her gifts, and now you're back with even more…"
"You're amazing, Ino. Such a great wife," Natsuro teased with a grin as he walked inside and shut the door.
"Wh-Who's your wife!?" Ino's face turned bright red, clearly flustered. Even after all this time, she still couldn't help but get embarrassed when he said things like that.
At that moment, Shinai walked over and, seeing the pile of gifts Natsuro was carrying, covered her face in mild exasperation.
"Don't worry, Mom. It'll probably only happen once or twice more. After that, things will calm down. It's not like they'll keep giving us things forever. Though I imagine we'll get discounts on things for a while," Natsuro said, knowing how much his mother disliked taking advantage of people's generosity.
"I hope so," Shinai sighed, shaking her head.
"Alright, put those things down over there. Dinner is almost ready," Shinai said.
"Oh, that's right! It's almost time for dinner!" Ino exclaimed, suddenly remembering she needed to go home.
"Why don't you stay? Your parents are used to it by now," Natsuro said with a wink as he grabbed her arm to stop her from leaving.
"Hmm, I guess you're right," Ino thought for a moment, then agreed to stay.
...
On top of a high wall, two figures in black cloaks adorned with red clouds stood, looking out over Konoha.
"So, this is your village, Itachi? Looks pretty nice, doesn't seem like it was just attacked by Sunagakure and Orochimaru," one of the voices remarked.
"Hmph, Orochimaru was never capable of much. It's no surprise he failed," Itachi Uchiha, who Sasuke longed to face, said coldly, his expression devoid of any emotion as he gazed at the familiar village below.
"Tch, don't be so cold. Didn't you think about stopping by to say hello?" Kisame Hoshigaki asked casually.
"There's no need. Don't forget our mission," Itachi responded flatly.
"Fine, fine, you're no fun," Kisame said. Then, after thinking for a moment, he added, "So, how are we getting in? I assume there's some kind of defense up."
"There's a barrier," Itachi confirmed.
"Huh? I didn't see one," Kisame replied, confused.
"We've already passed through it," Itachi stated.
"What? When did that happen? And why didn't I notice..." Kisame scratched his head in bewilderment.
Itachi remained silent, unwilling to explain that the village's barrier system still hadn't been updated since he left. Though the Third Hokage had mentioned that it wouldn't be changed, Itachi hadn't expected him to actually keep that promise.
As for how they entered Konoha? Naturally, they walked through the main gate using the Sharingan...
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Currently on Chapter 195 - One Crisis Ends, Another Begins
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