With Kabuto Yakushi subdued by Kotoamatsukami, the catastrophe that could have swept across the entire ninja world was finally halted at the gates of Amegakure.
Kurama had spent an enormous amount of chakra and was already deep asleep.
Naruto sat in the ruins, tending a small fire. The warmth seeped through his belly, while Kurama slumbered peacefully within.
Kabuto stood respectfully at his side, awaiting orders.
Naruto said, "Kabuto, after causing such a ruckus at Amegakure's gates, it's only right that you spend some time in custody."
Kabuto bowed, "That's the consequence I ought to bear, my lord."
He adjusted his glasses and added, "To be honest, Lord Naruto, I have an inside contact within Amegakure..."
Naruto's expression remained calm. "You mean Karin, don't you?"
Sparks danced up from the fire.
Kabuto's shock was impossible to hide. "My lord, you—"
Naruto tossed another piece of wood onto the brazier, voice steady. "Karin's only motivation is to protect Sasuke."
Kabuto Yakushi asked, "Then why did you allow her to remain?"
Naruto smiled faintly. "It wasn't 'allowing'—when I noticed, I spoke to Karin privately. I promised her I'd keep Sasuke safe and give him a place to belong in the future. In return, she agreed to support me."
"Kabuto, I imagine your bargaining chips with Karin were pretty similar, weren't they?"
"Sasuke's fallen deeper into the abyss of revenge, and Karin can't bear to see him fight alone."
"So she's hedged her bets—taking flak from both sides, but always thinking of Sasuke, the very man who once tried to kill her."
Naruto let out a wry smile. "Honestly, just how obsessed with Sasuke is she...?"
Kabuto was even more puzzled. "But if Karin chose to support you, why did I keep getting real intelligence about your movements? Every time I predicted your actions, Karin's intel was spot-on. That means every report she sent was true!"
Naruto countered, "What did you expect? That I'd have her send you fake intel directly?"
Kabuto pushed up his glasses. "A mix of truth and lies—real info to avoid alarming the enemy, then a single piece of false intel at a crucial moment to trap your opponent for good."
Naruto nodded. "That's the usual game. But I didn't recruit Karin to take you down. If I'd used her to send false intel and burned that bridge, how would I get firsthand updates on Sasuke through you?"
He fixed Kabuto with a look. "To keep Karin cooperative, you'd report on Sasuke's status every time you contacted her, right? That's exactly what I wanted."
Kabuto suddenly understood. "So that's it... The 'plant' I carefully inserted by your side ended up being your window into Sasuke's life!"
Naruto scratched his nose. "Maybe 'tool' is too harsh. If it had been anyone but Karin, I'd have used Kotoamatsukami without hesitation. But a girl who loves Sasuke that much... I just couldn't bring myself to do it."
He shifted the topic. "But Kabuto, back when you were searching for Senju orphans in the Land of Water, you told Karin you were in the Land of Lightning."
"After that, we searched every inch of the Land of Lightning and found nothing. It wasn't until Gaara mentioned that Suna shinobi saw Sasuke at sea while escorting a Water Country merchant ship that we realized you'd gone to the Land of Water."
"That time, we had to rely on Suna's ANBU to track you down—costing Gaara ten of his best men..."
Kabuto said, "I'm truly sorry for that. But at the time, I was convinced the Senju orphan was Asura's reincarnation—the key to Sasuke awakening the Rinnegan. I couldn't afford any slip-ups, so I lied to Karin. I never imagined you were the true reincarnation..."
Naruto said softly, "Either way, thank you, Kabuto."
Kabuto blinked in surprise. "My lord, why thank me?"
Naruto replied, "By letting Sasuke pursue revenge, I've admitted there's a kind of care I can't give him. During this time, your companionship and guidance filled that gap. So, from the bottom of my heart, thank you."
"Lord Naruto..." Kabuto was genuinely moved.
Extinguishing the fire, Naruto stood up.
"What comes next, I'll handle myself. I'll bring Sasuke back—just as he is. He'll become an eagle that truly soars the skies."
"Yes, my lord."
Kabuto couldn't help but sigh inwardly: My lord, if I may—just how deep does your obsession with Sasuke run?
Naruto said, "Go on. Spend some time in Amegakure's prison, then officially work for me. Whether it's fighting those guys or building a new shinobi world, I'll need your help."
Clank!
Shackles snapped into place as Amegakure's ANBU squad leaders, Ryūkō and Setsuna, led Kabuto away.
"Those guys? A new shinobi world?" On the way to the cell, Kabuto kept mulling over Naruto's words.
"What's the real meaning behind Lord Naruto's words? With his cunning and vision, there must be more to it..."
Bang!
The prison door closed, leaving Kabuto lost in thought.
He'd finally found a place to belong.
But the matter of the ten thousand Impure World Reincarnation clone Guys he'd left behind was a real headache!
"I'll leave that for you all to figure out..." Naruto decisively practiced energy conservation—dumping the thorny problem on everyone else and heading back to sleep with Hinata.
—
Later that night, Naruto was in the middle of some "marital communication" with Hinata.
Just as things reached their peak, he suddenly stopped.
"Na... Naruto-kun?"
"Orochimaru's contacting me."
"Then go, Naruto-kun. Duty comes first..."
With no choice, Naruto "cashed out at the summit."
Afterwards, he straightened his clothes. "Sorry, Hinata, you get some sleep first."
Hinata, cheeks flushed and still basking in afterglow, replied shyly, "I'll wait for you to come back so we can... finish what we started."
Naruto's heart skipped a beat. "Alright, when I'm back, we'll continue round two..."
Whoosh!
He vanished from the room.
Hinata rolled around on the bed, blushing furiously.
"What did I just say? Naruto-kun won't think I'm some insatiable woman, will he?"
"Kukuku..." That familiar laugh echoed.
"Since Daddy's not here, I'll keep Mommy company~!"
Roll popped out from the gap at the headboard!
"Roll, when did you—?"
"Probably around the time Daddy said, 'If one hears the Way in the morning, one can die content in the evening.' Kukuku! Mommy, can you explain what that means?"
Hinata desperately wished she could find a hole to crawl into!
—
Near Ryūchi Cave, in a long-abandoned village.
Whoosh!Naruto appeared, teleporting via a Flying Thunder God kunai infused with Orochimaru's chakra.
"How did it go?"
"Black Zetsu has already obtained Indra's blood."
"No slip-ups?"
"Relax. Everything went exactly as planned..."
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