Chapter 609: Naruto the Contrarian
Seeing the forced-guidance mission appear, everyone felt that there was hope once again for changing Naruto.
The idea was to make Naruto do something first, then have him understand why he was supposed to do it along the way.
Not bad at all.
This was Kushina's final backup plan.
Of course, this wasn't the only mission.
If it were, the Tailed Beasts would definitely make a fuss.
Especially now, when Naruto was already starting to go off track.
So there was a second mission on Naruto's system panel.
[Side Mission: Prevent the birth of a furry shinobi world and reduce the shinobi world's favorable opinion of the Tailed Beasts.]
Unlike the main mission, this side mission didn't force Naruto to do anything. Its conditions were very loose.
For one thing, Kushina hadn't been very enthusiastic when she set it up.
For the Tailed Beasts, as long as she could throw together something perfunctory enough to keep them from making a fuss, that was good enough.
Secondly, Kushina genuinely had no idea what kind of mission she could set that would accomplish this.
Have Naruto gather all the jinchūriki and then form a group to fire Tailed Beast Bombs everywhere?
Naruto couldn't bring himself to do something like that, could he?
Looking at the two missions, Naruto was confused.
"What's going on? This can't be right, can it?"
Naruto was utterly puzzled.
Why were both of his missions telling him to "do bad things"?
First, he was supposed to harm ordinary villagers, and then he was supposed to make the shinobi world hate the Tailed Beasts.
That completely went against both his ninja way and his current goal!
"I understand now!"
Naruto suddenly shot up from the toilet.
Seeing Naruto once again looking as though he had reached some grand realization, the audience had already become numb to it.
Please, don't have another revelation.
Every time Naruto realized something, his thought process was unbelievably bizarre.
He always managed to approach things from some strange angle that somehow supported what he had already believed.
He wasn't actually coming to his senses at all.
Sure enough, this time was no different.
"Shiromo-nii told me earlier that a person's life isn't about how long they live, but whether their life is fulfilling and without regrets."
"These missions can indeed guide me, and I'll even receive rewards for completing them. But I absolutely can't abandon my own judgment just because of that. If I did, I'd regret it!"
"I have to stick to my ninja way. Say what I mean, and do what I say. That's my ninja way!"
"Not only will I refuse to punish everyone, I'm going to cherish everyone even more! I'll use Shadow Clones to help everyone every single day!"
"Not only will I refuse to make everyone hate the Tailed Beasts, I'm going to make everyone abandon their prejudice against them and treat the Tailed Beasts as their close companions!"
Naruto clenched his fists, looking as though he was about to burst into flames.
Kushina was already numb.
But there was still another backup plan.
Since the system's missions forcibly guided Naruto, this was Kushina's final measure. Therefore, it had to be comprehensive and leave no stone unturned.
So, in addition to rewards, the system missions also had punishments if Naruto went against them.
[Warning: If you act against the mission, the rewards will be reversed into punishments according to your progress.]
"Heh heh, punishment? Does this great Uzumaki Naruto look like someone who's afraid of punishment?"
Naruto looked completely fearless.
The audience outside, including Kushina and Kakashi, had no idea what the specific rewards and punishments were.
They were automatically generated by the will of the Engraved Tsukuyomi World.
Naruto had made an important decision in his life. Looking completely refreshed, he walked out of the bathroom.
When Naruto turned his gaze toward Shiromo, the supermarket owner, he saw a line of description.
Shiromo's name was slightly pink, indicating that his Bullying Value wasn't very high.
When he checked the details, this was what appeared:
[Shiromo: Low Bullying Value. Main bullying offense: As Uzumaki Naruto's friend, making a move on his friend's mother. Recommended punishment: Strike the testicles one hundred times.]
Hmph. Stupid system. Do you think I'm going to become your puppet and submit to you just like that?
Great Uzumaki Naruto has his own judgment!
"Shiromo-nii, here's the key to my house. I'm going to drag my dad out to watch a movie today. I'm leaving my mom to you!"
Naruto took the key from his pocket and handed it to Shiromo, speaking with a smug grin.
The system wanted him to punish Shiromo, so he was going to do the exact opposite!
"?"
Shiromo was completely dumbfounded.
What was this supposed to mean?
Could this be some kind of honey trap?
Outside, Kushina was already clutching her head in horror.
Naruto always managed to surprise her.
How did he even come up with things like this?
"Hahahaha!"
Naruto felt that his life was suddenly bright and wonderful. After handing the key to Shiromo, he threw his head back and laughed as he walked out, preparing to go home.
[Contrarian behavior detected. Punishment has arrived: -2 cm.]
Naruto's smile froze for a moment, but he quickly let it go.
"Tch, is that all? Go ahead and take off another few centimeters if you've got the guts! I might as well become a girl. Then I'll be a girl both before and after transforming."
Naruto dismissed the punishment completely.
Still feeling smug, Naruto continued laughing as he headed home.
Seeing one name after another above the heads of passersby, all red to the point of turning purple, and seeing that they seemed to want to approach him, Naruto reached toward the pouch at his waist.
The villagers looked at him with disdain.
Was he reaching for a kunai?
If you were afraid of dying and therefore refused to bully others, what difference was there between that and already being dead?
However...
What Naruto pulled out was a training balloon for the Rasengan, filled with all kinds of good stuff.
Naruto raised the balloon high above his head and shouted, "Rasengan!"
Naruto successfully completed the Ice Bucket Challenge.
The villagers stared at Naruto, who was about to be covered in shit, their eyes widening as they all backed away.
"Great Uzumaki Naruto has once again used his wisdom to defuse a bullying incident."
Reeking from head to toe, Naruto looked extremely pleased with himself as he continued walking home.
What he didn't know was that although the villagers had been too afraid of the shit to bully him, they had still reported his condition to someone.
Just as Naruto was about to reach home, the ground beneath his feet suddenly cracked open.
A wooden structure emerged from underground and trapped him inside.
"Wood Release: Four-Pillar Prison!"
Yamato formed hand seals and walked out from a nearby alley.
"Uzumaki Naruto, concerned villagers have reported that as the Nine-Tails jinchūriki, you've suffered a mental abnormality and are showing signs of going berserk. I have no choice but to restrain you!"
Yamato spoke with righteous conviction.
But in Naruto's eyes, the name above Yamato's head was still red with Bullying Value.
"Then come on, Captain Yamato. Hit me. Go ahead!"
Naruto couldn't even be bothered to argue. He simply pressed his face against the bars of the Four-Pillar Prison and stuck it out.
Smack!
It was the first time Yamato had ever encountered someone making such a request, so he slapped Naruto across the face.
Good hit!
The audience outside, especially Kushina, finally felt a little better.
She desperately hoped that the Kushina of the Engraved Tsukuyomi World could beat Naruto up again, just like she had when Naruto first entered the world, so she could vent some of her anger.
"?"
Naruto was stunned by the slap.
Wasn't shit supposed to be the nemesis of bullying?
(End of this chapter)