The amount of written material was unexpectedly extensive.
To his relief, it was not a "declaration" from that exceptional strong individual but rather an unremarkable "wanted list."
With the Akatsuki organization destroyed and most of its power diminished, there were a few fortunate ones who were not part of the battle and managed to escape.
"S-class rogue ninja, Itachi Uchiha."
"An unknown member of the Uchiha clan."
"Zetsu."
These were the three main figures listed on the wanted notice.
"If you can capture them or provide effective intelligence, we are willing to exchange for a technique," Kurotsuchi read out, raising her eyebrow. "Just one technique?"
"Isn't this reward a bit too..." Considering her grandfather's physical and emotional state, she held back her words from being too harsh.
"Even just their bodies could yield more results for the research facility than one technique."
Ōnoki shook his head, speaking earnestly: "It's different, this is a technique from Naruto Uzumaki."
"The intel did mention his ninjutsu is quite extraordinary." Kurotsuchi shook her head, her tone indifferent, "But there are many strange and varied secret techniques that can rival the Sharingan."
Ōnoki knocked on the table: "The point is not the technique."
"It's Naruto Uzumaki."
He sighed, "You're too young and have never seen a true powerhouse."
Kurotsuchi tilted her head, puzzled.
A true powerhouse?
"Even if Naruto Uzumaki is strong, he can't be much stronger than Grandfather, right?" she immediately refuted.
Ōnoki smiled bitterly, "What kind of powerhouse am I?"
"I haven't brought this up for a long time," he said, staring at the scroll, as if time rewound, catching a glimpse of those eyes that instilled fear and awe in him, "In my younger days, I faced Madara Uchiha directly."
"Even with my current mastery of 'bloodline elimination,'"
"I'm still far from being a match for that man."
"And Naruto Uzumaki, even if he hasn't reached that level of Madara Uchiha yet, he's too young! Only fourteen or fifteen years old. When he reaches twenty, thirty, he might become another Madara Uchiha."
At this point, Ōnoki paused, his tone cautious.
"And the most terrifying part—"
"Is that he has no allegiance."
"He refuses to call himself a Konoha ninja, and even rejects being called a 'ninja.'"
Kurotsuchi stood there baffled, her mind filled with questions.
"How am I supposed to entrust the village to you with such unsettling assurance?" Ōnoki sighed, laying it out clearly. "He has no real ties, which means nothing holds him back."
"Villages and nations alike are entangled in too many conflicting interests."
"War doesn't break out easily."
"But if someone offends Naruto Uzumaki, nothing can restrain him from retaliating mercilessly."
"Precisely because of this, gaining his friendship is more valuable than anything else."
"Can a pair of Sharingans, or even Rinnegan, really create a ninja stronger than Naruto Uzumaki?"
Kurotsuchi nodded thoughtfully.
Ōnoki continued to unroll the scroll. As he reached its end, his pupils dilated with oscillating emotions.
"What's the matter?" Kurotsuchi noticed and leaned in. "Is Naruto Uzumaki planning to visit Iwagakure?"
"It's not a big deal. Why such a huge reaction?"
Ōnoki frowned, feeling a throbbing headache.
His reaction couldn't be small.
When someone capable of easily destroying the entire village suddenly makes a request to visit, it's like something out of a horror story.
Ōnoki maintained a stern expression, murmuring as if he was speaking to Kurotsuchi, or perhaps trying to reassure himself.
"I've already expressed goodwill towards him before."
"This time it should."
"Not be a bad thing."
In a remote, scarcely ninja-populated area of the continent, Itachi Uchiha and a masked Uchiha (Obito) sat inside a cave.
Zetsu emerged from the ground, his tone unpleasantly harsh. "Some bad news."
"Naruto Uzumaki, that guy, has spread our intel to all the nations."
"I discovered this at a small ninja village nearby."
He pulled out a scroll and tossed it to the masked Uchiha.
Unfurling it, three portraits came into view.
They depicted the likenesses of the three of them.
"Remarkably detailed." Itachi remarked, scrutinizing his own portrait. "I didn't realize my face had so many nuances."
"That Nagato, even in his final moments, managed to leak such information!" The voice of Masked Uchiha was filled with resentment. "As the vessel of the Rinnegan, he should've contained more than this!"
If only I'd known.
That night, I should've been more ruthless.
I should've killed that little guy too!
The Fourth Hokage is a difficult opponent, smart and astute.
Yet, compared to Naruto Uzumaki, I'd still rather face the former.
No one echoed his words.
The three of them each harbored their own thoughts.
In the Land of Fields, at the Hidden Sound Village.
In the training grounds, Sasuke sheathed his blade, concluding a fierce struggle.
Orochimaru clapped, "As expected of the Uchiha clan, your progress is astonishing."
Sasuke looked at him coldly.
"This time, I'm here to tell you two pieces of news." Orochimaru extended his tongue, licking his lips, excitement glinting in his eyes.
Sasuke remained icily detached.
"The organization known as 'Akatsuki,' where Itachi was,"
"has been annihilated by Naruto."
"I've fought him before. I must admit, those eyes grant him the capacity to be called a 'god.'"
"Yet, someone like that was killed by Naruto."
Instinctively, Sasuke activated his Sharingan, the three tomoe spinning.
Over this period, he had sparred with Orochimaru.
He had to admit, that this seemingly weak man, slain by Naruto, possessed terrifying strength.
Even if his hands were crippled, he could effortlessly overpower me.
But even someone whom Orochimaru called "god" couldn't surpass Naruto.
Just how high has he risen?
"What about Itachi?" Sasuke asked, the only thing besides Naruto lingering in his mind.
Orochimaru shook his head, "Itachi is indeed powerful, but it seems he is also fortunate."
"Not only survived but also escaped."
"But since Naruto's issued a warrant for him, time's running out for you, Sasuke-kun."
Sasuke tightened his grip on his sword hilt. "Orochimaru, I want to learn Sage Mode."
"I think the Curse Mark might suit you better," Orochimaru replied softly, narrowing his eyes slightly. "Sage Mode is a very dangerous technique."
This was no lie.
Sage Mode had transformed Jiraiya from a "dead last" to being as strong as they come, something that naturally piqued Orochimaru's interest.
With the "Ryuchi Cave" scroll in hand, he also had the chance to learn it.
However, he paid a certain price for what he mastered—a mere "defective version."
Not to mention being on par with Jiraiya's Sage Mode, it couldn't even compare to Minato's and was unusable in real battle.
Because of this, he sought out the "Jugo Clan," researching the secrets of "natural energy."
"This is my choice, Orochimaru," Sasuke interrupted, unabashedly. "For power, I'm prepared to give up everything."
Orochimaru smiled softly. "Is that so?"
"Then, Sasuke-kun, don't let me down."
At the border between the Land of Rain and the Land of Grass.
Inside a temporary shelter.
"Trust me, you're a perfect fit for our sect," Hidan's head, resting on a plate, didn't change his resolve, though his tone was less spirited than before. "Managing to do such things without flinching."
"You were born to be one of us!"
At the lab table, Naruto was busy, using his shadow clones to help record data.
On the table lay a body.
However, it wasn't Hidan's body, but "Naruto Uzumaki's."
Naruto ignored him.
Hidan rambled on incessantly. "What's with your current state, anyway?"
"That's not a shadow clone, is it?"
"Is it a side-effect from fighting Pain?"
Unable to hold back, a shadow clone punched him on the head. "Shut up, you're too noisy!"
"It's boring being just a head," Hidan pouted. "And you're not even stitching my body back together."
The shadow clone clapped its hands, sealing Hidan's mouth with a jutsu.
"Naruto, do you really not need my help?" Karin asked, standing behind him, watching intently.
Naruto shook his head, "No need, let's talk once you adapt."
Karin was quite a competent assistant.
But when it came to researching her own body, her performance was lackluster.
The separation of body and soul, with the soul studying the body, seemed too overwhelming for her.
She found it difficult to accept and would often space out during research.
Holding onto the body's face, hands, or just any random part, she would become bewildered.
Karin sighed in disappointment.
She felt she was letting herself down!
If only she performed better, she could have spent more time on it.
Getting a little too ahead of herself, she missed such a great opportunity!
After all, it was his own body; Naruto didn't dare to be too harsh.
He only extracted some cells for the simplest analysis.
The vitality was incredibly strong.
Although it was partly due to the preservation technique, the chakra persisted for a long time.
It gave Naruto the illusion that this body was still alive.
Moreover, the chakra within had a feeling akin to "Asura."
It possessed "awareness."
This didn't mean it had "come back to life," nor did it mean it had a "soul or consciousness," it merely bore an imprint belonging to "Uzumaki Naruto," and what impact this imprint would have, Naruto was temporarily uncertain.
Hidan's body wasn't suitable for this research.
Naruto completely sealed his body, cutting off all external energy interaction to verify the effective duration of the state of "immortality."
Kakuzu's body wasn't suitable either; he didn't have a physical body, and his entire form was comprised of "black threads."
Iwagakure was restless.
Uzumaki Naruto said he would visit, but he didn't specify when, and for them, each day felt like torture.
Meanwhile, Naruto continued his research into his own body and the mysteries of the Rinnegan.
Three months passed by like this.
Naruto awoke from a deep sleep.
The fragrance of irises inundated his senses, and warm sunlight poured in.
Returning from the Soul Society.
(End of Chapter)