"Bastard!"
Kiba Inuzuka's face flushed liver-purple, his eyes practically spitting fire.
Still clutching Akamaru with one arm, he slammed his free hand on the ground, flipped, and jumped back to his feet.
But in his sudden movement, he didn't notice—
Akamaru, completely unprepared, had swallowed Naruto's pendant whole.
The little pup's legs scrambled helplessly as he whined in distress.
Naruto sneered inwardly, but his gaze turned cold.
"You'd better have your dog cough up what belongs to me.
That was a gift from a senior close to the Hokage.
And if he swallowed that crystal, it might kill him."
Only now did Kiba realize Akamaru was in trouble.
Instead of thinking, he immediately shouted at Naruto:
"Damn it! What did you feed Akamaru!?"
Students gathered quickly, with Iruka at the front.
Naruto raised an incredulous brow.
"**Are you out of your mind?
Everyone saw what just happened.
Should I ask the students closest to us to recap it for you?
And if you hadn't flailed like an idiot, he wouldn't have swallowed it.**"
Kiba stiffened.
He had seen Akamaru try to bite Naruto earlier and only end up snatching the pendant.
But Naruto's words made him so furious he'd stopped thinking entirely.
"Kiba, how's Akamaru? Do we need to get him to the hospital?"
Iruka asked, already exhausted with this mess.
Kiba quickly checked Akamaru using Inuzuka-style communication.
He said a few words—
Then his expression turned from panic… to sly delight.
"He's fine, Iruka-sensei."
Naruto's eyes narrowed.
"Then have him spit out my pendant."
Iruka sensed Naruto's mood shifting sharply and jumped in:
"Kiba, hurry and have Akamaru return Naruto's property."
But Kiba grinned nastily.
"Don't worry, Sensei. I'll give it back.
But Akamaru just told me… he can't vomit it up.
He can poop it out though."
Naruto's expression chilled instantly.
"Say that again."
Kiba shrugged innocently.
"Not my fault. That's what he said."
High above, hidden behind a pillar, Yamato (Tenzo) grimaced hard.
This was not how this was supposed to go.
Iruka also felt despair creeping in.
Whether Kiba was lying or not, he clearly just wanted to humiliate Naruto.
And if Akamaru actually ended up defecating the pendant…
Naruto obviously wouldn't take it back.
And that pendant—
Naruto had just said it was a gift from someone close to the Hokage.
This was turning into a disaster.
Nara Shikamaru, watching from the crowd, frowned deeply.
He had already suspected something earlier.
When he asked Naruto in the morning about the pendant, Naruto simply wrote four words:
"Someone outside watching."
Shikamaru immediately understood:
Naruto was being monitored.
But he didn't understand why Naruto mentioned that in response to a question about the pendant—
Until Akamaru grabbed it.
Then everything snapped into place.
Naruto let the dog take it.
On purpose.
If Naruto wanted the pendant, he would never leave it exposed like that.
And Naruto's line about it being "a gift from the Hokage's people" confirmed the real issue:
The pendant was a tracking device.
Uchiha Sasuke also noticed.
He didn't need Shikamaru's analysis.
Naruto never wore any accessories—not even on the way to training earlier.
So why appear at school flaunting a crystal pendant like he wanted everyone to see it?
Because he wanted the right eyes to see it.
And he wanted it gone.
As the tension in the dojo rose, the murmurs grew louder.
Iruka was about to step in—
When Naruto suddenly took one step forward.
His voice was calm. Much too calm.
"Then you'd better hope my crystal doesn't kill your dog."
Kiba flashed a mocking grin.
"Don't worry.
Akamaru says he'll give it back as soon as… nature calls."
Naruto held his gaze for a long second—
then turned away and walked back to his corner.
Hinata hurried over, face full of worry.
Shikamaru tugged Chōji to another corner, already thinking hard.
Iruka took the chance to restore order.
"Next match! Hachii Sawaki versus Asano Tadashi!"
Students dispersed.
Hinata waited until the next match began before whispering:
"N-Naruto-kun… a-are you okay?"
Naruto smiled lightly.
"I'm fine.
But it looks like I'll need to pick a different gift for you."
Hinata's face instantly turned red again.
She opened her mouth—
"Um… N-Naruto-kun…
W-was that… Gentle Fist you used earlier?"
Nightfall
Under the gentle moonlight, the Third Hokage sat alone in his office, reviewing documents.
He took a sip of tea just as a knock sounded at the door.
"Enter."
Yamato walked in and bowed.
"Hokage-sama."
Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded.
"Yamato. Is Naruto resting?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama… however—"
Hiruzen's eyes sharpened.
"However what?"
Yamato hesitated, then handed over a written report.
Hiruzen skimmed it—
And chuckled.
His tone softened.
"**It's fine, Yamato.
Naruto doesn't actually require that sort of measure.
You were assigned only at the insistence of the advisors.
Since things happened as they did, leave it be for now.**"
He paused, then asked:
"Iruka mentioned Naruto used Hyūga-style Gentle Fist in class today?"
Yamato nodded with a strange expression.
"It looked like Gentle Fist…
But only in appearance.
The substance wasn't quite the same."
Hiruzen smiled.
"**He must have picked up a few things fighting Neji last time.
It only shows he's talented.
What do you think of his behavior at school?**"
Yamato answered seriously.
"From what I see, Kiba Inuzuka dislikes Naruto.
Your briefing also said they've clashed before.
But during their match, Naruto used excellent restraint.
So I'd say his behavior is… commendable."
Hiruzen nodded approvingly.
"Do you think Naruto could become a perfect jinchūriki like Killer B of the Hidden Cloud?"
Yamato hesitated.
"I… don't know enough yet.
And the Nine-Tails—"
Hiruzen sighed quietly.
"I hope he can."
Meanwhile — in the Land of Waves
Using Transformation Jutsu, Naruto slipped into Kado's mansion.
Kado was buried in paperwork.
"Didn't expect you to actually work as a daimyō.
So why does your son want to be a ninja?"
Kado bowed respectfully.
"You jest, my lord.
I merely carry out my duties.
As for Eiji—he wishes to serve you better.
He understands that shinobi are the true rulers of this world."
Naruto ignored the financial reports handed to him and asked:
"I need a route.
Do you have connections in the Land of Snow?"
Kado immediately nodded.
"Yes.
Our fleets cooperate frequently with the Snow Country.
We've hired Snow ninja as escorts several times."
Naruto smiled faintly.
"Kado… you really are useful.
Tomorrow, send a ship to the Land of Snow.
I want several sets of their chakra armor."
Kado blinked.
"C-chakra armor?"
Naruto tossed him several kunai marked with Flying Thunder God seals.
"The type that can fly.
Have the fleet distribute these kunai to trustworthy men."
Two Months Later
In a forest in the Land of Waves—
Naruto sat on a massive boulder, wrapped in thick black lightning.
Sasuke sat on a nearby rock, also cloaked in black lightning—but far dimmer.
Crackle—!
Naruto dispelled his lightning, eyes full of annoyance.
A shadow clone had just returned with the worst possible news:
The four chakra armors he bought for six hundred million ryō had been intercepted by Snow ninja the moment the ship left port.
The armor was confiscated, the men were sent away, and Snow Country didn't even bother refunding the money.
Two months of waiting—
only to get robbed outright.
Naruto hopped down.
"Snow Country isn't returning the equipment."
Sasuke's expression hardened as he dispelled his lightning.
"So our money is gone?"
Naruto created two shadow clones, who transformed and vanished.
"**Shame.
I originally wanted to do business with them.
But these Snow shinobi aren't even professional thieves.
They rob us and don't even kill the witnesses?
They really think no one can touch them?**"
Moments later, a clone reported back.
Sasuke walked up.
"When do we move?"
Naruto glanced at the sun.
"Two hours.
When my clones arrive, we go."
Two Hours Later
Naruto and Sasuke, now in black cloaks and masks—
appeared instantly inside a ship's cargo hold.
The ship captain didn't even flinch.
He had seen two identical men vanish into smoke earlier—clone tests.
After leading them to the deck, the captain stepped aside.
Naruto walked to the railing and stared at the six Snow ninja waiting at the harbor.
"Return to the Land of Waves.
We'll handle it from here."
He spoke—
And leapt off the deck.
In midair—
his body expanded, swelling—
and transformed into a twenty-meter-tall giant.
"What—WHAT IS THAT!?"
Sasuke's eyes nearly burst from their sockets behind his mask.
The Snow ninja at the harbor were frozen in horror.
Naruto lifted a massive hand—
his palm growing even larger—
And slammed it down.
BOOOOM!!!
The ground exploded.
All six Snow shinobi were crushed instantly—
reduced to pulp beneath a single colossal strike.
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