Just as Uzuki Yugao tried to flee, it was already too late.
No matter which direction she turned or how far she tried to run, she always found herself circling back—returning, inevitably, to Uzumaki Naruto.
"It's useless, Sister Yugao. You're already caught in my illusion."
"Illusion?" Yugao's eyes widened in shock.
When had he cast it?
Biting her lower lip in frustration, she steeled herself through the pain and bit down on the tip of her tongue. Blood trickled from the corners of her delicate lips, vivid against her pale skin. The sharp pain cleared her senses momentarily, and she could sense the disruption in her chakra flow.
"Release!"
With her hands quickly forming seals, she tried to cancel the illusion. The red-tinted sky faded back to its original blue, and the world around her shifted. Trees, rocks, the breeze—it all solidified again into a familiar location.
She was standing on the forested slopes behind Konoha.
"This should be fine now…" she muttered to herself and leapt away without hesitation. The presence watching her—the malicious, calculated gaze of Uzumaki Naruto—still lingered. She had to escape him.
But no matter how many trees she darted through, no matter how many shadows she crossed, that same blonde-haired boy stood waiting ahead of her again.
Bathed in sunlight, Naruto turned his head slowly. The light framed his face, casting him like a deity watching from above.
"This… this is…" she whispered, horrified.
"I'm still… trapped inside the illusion?"
Realization dawned like a punch to the gut. She quickly performed the release seals again.
"Release!"
But nothing happened.
"Release! RELEASE!!" she shouted in desperation.
Naruto's voice came gently, almost sympathetically. "It's no use, Sister Yugao. You can't break through my illusion."
He watched her struggle with a calm, unsettling expression. It was clear from the way he stood, from the tone of his voice—he was fully in control. Since he dared to expose the illusion so blatantly, he had already ensured she could not escape it.
"What… what do you want from me?" she asked, panic beginning to set in.
Now that she was trapped within his Genjutsu, her chakra couldn't circulate properly. She couldn't fight back. She was entirely at his mercy.
Naruto gave her a soft smile and walked toward her slowly, almost nonchalantly.
Yugao tried to step back, but it was as if her legs had turned to lead. No matter how she tried to move, she remained rooted to the ground—like her feet were submerged in invisible mud.
He stopped in front of her and raised a hand, gently brushing her face with his fingers. Then, without hesitation, he wiped away the blood at the corner of her mouth with a thumb.
From a distance, a faint cough was heard—
Moonlight Gale: "Ahem…!!"
"Sister Yugao," Naruto said calmly. "I'm not trying to make this harder than it needs to be. I know you were only following orders."
She remained silent, staring at him intently. This boy's demeanor—it wasn't childlike at all. His voice, his expressions, even his chakra—he was far more mature than his age.
No wonder so many Konoha kunoichi were drawn to him.
"Tell me," Naruto said abruptly. "Where are the things my father—the Fourth Hokage—left behind?"
Uzuki Yugao's heart skipped a beat.
She hadn't expected him to get straight to the point.
Before she could respond, Naruto continued, "I've cloaked this area with the Nine Tails' chakra. No one can hear us or sense us in here. So, Sister Yugao… you don't need to worry."
His calm voice echoed ominously in the illusion realm.
Still, she kept her lips sealed.
Naruto sighed. "If that's the case, then I have no choice."
He clapped his hands together, and in an instant, a magnificent sakura tree bloomed behind Yugao. Pink petals danced in the air, caught by a gentle wind. The sight was beautiful—almost surreal.
But beauty often hides danger.
From the sakura tree, thick pink vines sprang out and wound tightly around Yugao's arms and legs, binding her to the spot.
"You…!" she gasped.
She struggled, but the vines held fast. Even worse, her clothing—already light and form-fitting—was now being pressed tightly against her skin by the vines, outlining every curve of her body.
Naruto raised his arms and approached again.
"Now then… Sister Yugao, let's begin our interrogation."
His fingers gently traced her face again, then slid down to her slender neck.
Moonlight Gale: "Cough cough COUGH!!"
Uzuki Yugao: "Hayate… don't look. This… this isn't what I wanted. But as ninjas, we have a responsibility—to the Hokage and to the village."
Sarutobi Hiruzen: "That Naruto… he's too cunning. Using such methods at his age—who taught him this?!"
Orochimaru: "Naruto-kun is simply taking back what rightfully belongs to him. Is that so wrong?"
Jiraiya: "Down… yes, just a bit lower…"
It was unclear if Naruto heard Jiraiya's voice through the illusion, but he didn't stop.
However, just as things were about to escalate, the vision started to blur unexpectedly. The once crystal-clear image began to fade and lose focus.
Jiraiya: "Huh?? What's going on? Why is it fading out now, of all times?! You're cutting away now?! My pants…!"
Ebisu: "No, no, no—I'm going to faint again!"
Hatake Kakashi: "This… this is just shameful…"
Haruno Sakura: "These Konoha men… they're all such perverts!"
Yamanaka Ino: "Seriously! Totally embarrassing!"
Hyūga Hinata: "Naruto-kun… how could you do this to Sister Yugao…"
Mitarashi Anko: "I even got my meatballs ready and there's nothing to see?!"
Uzumaki Kushina: "That rascal Naruto… honestly!"
"Wait! Wait… I'll tell you!" Yugao finally broke down, her face flushed red.
She couldn't believe this child's palm could bring such overwhelming sensations.
How could she endure this?
Especially when Hayate, her beloved, was watching from somewhere—useless, unable to save her.
"Oh? You're willing to talk already?" Naruto said with mock disappointment.
He still had a whole arsenal of tricks to use—gentle strokes, pressure points, and other illusion-induced sensations. There was always something that worked.
"Round, soft…"
"I-I'll talk! I'll tell you everything!" Yugao interrupted in panic, her face now even redder than before.
"Alright, I'm listening." Naruto stepped back with a look of resignation, as though he had been forced to stop halfway through something exciting.
Yugao bit her lip in frustration. Was he really here to ask about the Fourth Hokage's belongings? Or was he just…?
She shook her head to clear it. No. She had almost fallen into the trap of a mere child.
"Everything that the Fourth Hokage left behind," she said carefully, "is kept in the office of the Third Hokage."
"What?" Naruto raised an eyebrow. "He just… left it in his office?"
"Yes. It's heavily guarded. There are always elite Jōnin and Anbu stationed there. It's more secure than any vault in the village."
"And what exactly did he leave behind?"
"Not valuables… but ninjutsu."
"Ninjutsu?" Naruto repeated, intrigued.
"Yes. From what I know, it includes the Fourth Hokage's signature jutsu—and your mother Kushina's sealing techniques."
"What?!"
Inside Naruto's subconscious, the Nine Tails had been napping comfortably—until that last sentence jolted him awake.
Nine Tails: "Naruto! I absolutely forbid you from retrieving those jutsu!"
Naruto blinked, stunned. "Huh?"
more chapter available in p@tréøñ(Atoki_29)