At the dock of the hot spring town in the Land of Hot Water, Naruto was setting up a small stove. On it, a skewer of snake meat that had been skinned and gutted was being grilled, sizzling with fragrant oil.
Although the snake was a bit small, he couldn't let it go to waste.
Neither Jiraiya nor Karin was nearby. Naruto had instructed them not to show themselves for the next period of time.
And the news of Naruto Uzumaki's high-profile appearance at this dock also spread rapidly under the promotion of certain interested parties.
The "Konoha Genin" with a bounty worth one hundred million ryo.
Without exaggeration, in some people's eyes, the head on Naruto's shoulders was now made of solid gold.
And this was one of Naruto's objectives.
These assassins were all coming after him. Karin was the one who got dragged into it.
Now with Jiraiya-sensei's protection, he could temporarily let loose.
However, the trip to the Land of Whirlpools would probably have to be postponed.
While thinking this, Naruto sprinkled seasoning powder on the grilled snake, then enjoyed himself with sips of sake and bites of meat.
"Grilled snake meat... I like eating it..."
It had to be said, although the meat quantity was small, the taste was really excellent.
Perhaps he could get Orochimaru to provide more snake meat for him?
When Kidomaru, Tayuya, and the other members of Orochimaru's Sound Four landed on this island, this was the scene they witnessed.
"Is that him? The Naruto Uzumaki that Orochimaru-sama mentioned."
Sakon looked somewhat uncertainly at the figure across from them, then at his companions.
Jirobo didn't speak, just silently stared at the small snake that Naruto had skewered into barbecue.
"He doesn't seem like much..."
Kidomaru was the most arrogant among the Sound Four.
Except for that Kimimaro guy, he didn't even submit to anyone else under Orochimaru.
Tayuya looked around. At this moment, quite a few people at the dock had turned their gazes toward them.
This was understandable.
Aside from her and Jirobo, the remaining Sakon-Ukon and Kidomaru were the type who didn't look human at first glance.
Under normal circumstances, they rarely appeared collectively in such public places.
This time was also sudden. They had received orders from Orochimaru-sama without any prior information.
The content of the order was simple: go there and bring Naruto Uzumaki to their southern island prison, where Orochimaru would be waiting for them.
Perhaps Orochimaru thought this was just a simple task, and since he would personally communicate with Naruto there, he simply didn't explain the mission details to the Sound Four.
So this group hurried out to sea and came to the Land of Hot Water.
After the hardships of the journey, having some complaints was natural.
However, because the Konoha Collapse Plan had been stillborn, these four guys hadn't had the chance to witness the strength Naruto had displayed.
Precisely because of this, in their view, Naruto was perhaps just another "vessel" that Orochimaru-sama had taken a fancy to.
"Come with us, Naruto Uzumaki."
"Orochimaru-sama will grant you power and plant a curse mark on you."
Tayuya was still relatively possessed of a subordinate's discipline, opening with a classic Orochimaru-style line.
"???"
But this statement only earned her a face full of question marks from Naruto.
"Didn't that Orochimaru guy tell you anything?"
Naruto even put down his sake gourd and asked back without any malice.
He really didn't have any malice toward Orochimaru. He just purely disliked the opponent's sinister appearance.
But these words sounded different to the Sound Four's ears.
"Watch your words."
Jirobo was actually the first to speak up.
And the hot-tempered Sakon simply took direct action.
"It seems no one taught you to show respect for Orochimaru-sama!"
With that declaration, ignoring Ukon's attempts to stop him from behind, he extended his hand toward Naruto.
He planned to give Naruto a show of force.
The Sakon-Ukon brothers mastered a secret technique that allowed them to "merge" into other people's bodies and gradually seize control of their physical functions.
This was an ability that was chilling just to think about.
Naruto seemed to see some kind of future, and the leisurely smile on his face slowly disappeared.
"Brat..."
A trace of red light appeared in Naruto's eyes, followed by an indescribable, terrifying aura emanating from his body.
This was the first time since leaving Konoha that Naruto seriously released his Conqueror's Haki.
"Who do you think you're talking to?"
At this moment, standing before them was no longer just a Konoha Genin, but a great hero of the seas!
Lightning! Fierce winds! Dark clouds!
Everyone felt as if they were enveloped by a storm at sea.
Among the four, the weaker Kidomaru and Tayuya even activated their Curse Mark Level 1 state to barely maintain their sanity.
Most other nearby passersby fell unconscious almost instantly.
The few who remained conscious were also rigid all over, unable to move.
And Sakon, who bore the brunt of it, had his mental world completely crushed by the substantial Haki in an instant.
He didn't even have time to activate his curse mark state.
If not for Ukon taking control of the body in time, he probably would have collapsed on the ground.
Kidomaru was in the best condition among them, but even now his hands and feet were ice cold.
Even Orochimaru-sama had never given them such intense pressure.
And this was still the result of Naruto deliberately holding back.
Otherwise, every single one of the surrounding onlookers would be lying here today.
Naruto's aura was only released for a few short seconds, but it left a deep impression on the few guys who remained conscious.
Suddenly, he withdrew his Haki and stood up.
"Ha, just kidding with you guys. How could I stoop to the level of kids?"
Naruto's tone was relaxed, and a leisurely smile returned to his face.
But this time, no one dared to underestimate him anymore.
"Let's go. Don't keep that Orochimaru guy waiting."
With that, he simply took the lead in boarding the small boat the group had arrived on.
The Sound Four looked at each other, then tacitly maintained their silence and boarded the boat together.
No one even mentioned replenishing supplies at this port.
After the small boat carrying the group slowly left shore, the silent crowd of onlookers gradually became noisy again.
Among them, several mysterious figures quietly turned and left the crowd.
And Naruto, who "saw" this scene on the boat, also felt relieved.
Good, this way everyone's attention would follow him toward Orochimaru's side.
The boat's journey wasn't fast, but fortunately everyone on board was a ninja. If push came to shove, they could use some ninjutsu to speed up the boat.
Of course, this task couldn't possibly fall to Naruto.
Ever since that show of force at the dock, all four members of the Sound Four had become taciturn.
Even the most hot-tempered Sakon had become much more amiable after regaining consciousness.
Facts proved that when you're strong enough, the entire world becomes more tolerant and friendly.