60. Rasa & orochimaru
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Of course, Naruto didn't perform all these elaborate tricks just for fun. Well, it wasn't *just* for fun.
For example, if a mission took him through an interesting place, Naruto could leave a Flying Thunder God mark on a landmark. Later, he could take Hinata there for a visit when they had some free time.
Of course, this kind of behaviour falls under the category of uncivilized tourism, so kids shouldn't learn from it.
Moreover, Naruto has a bigger plan. He intends to have his shadow clones travel all over the world, leaving Flying Thunder God marks at intervals and mapping the coordinates.
That way, Naruto could create a large-scale teleportation map of the Ninja World.
When the time comes, with Naruto's Kagura Mind's Eye for precise positioning, wouldn't he be able to start a logistics company?
Uzumaki Express, mission guaranteed!
The Art of Sealing is perfect for you, the Flying Thunder God Jutsu enables ultra-long-distance delivery, and the Kagura Mind's Eye ensures last-mile accuracy!
Uzumaki Logistics is the best choice in the logistics industry!
…
Back at the training ground, an excited Naruto increased his weight to 100 kilograms and started running laps around the area.
In the sealed space, Kurama yawned out of boredom. He used to think Naruto was an interesting kid.
Later, when Naruto learned the Shadow Clone Jutsu, Kurama was amazed—it turns out humans can die so happily, they can even exhaust themselves over trivial matters, and they can pose in such bizarre ways.
'This kid... so small and determined. I can feel his strength growing, even though he doesn't realize it yet. Despite everything, he keeps moving forward. It's almost admirable... No, it's inspiring! I never thought I'd see a human like this.'
'There's something special about him, something that makes me think... maybe, just maybe, he could be the one to change everything. I never thought I'd trust a human but with him... I think I might finally be ready to believe.'
After a while, Naruto, having finished his laps, drenched in sweat, took a few deep breaths, and hurried off the training ground. He needed to order some special kunai.
Naruto looked around Konoha's largest ninja tool shop but didn't see the girl with the bun hairstyle.
He wondered if this shop was owned by Tenten's family.
Naruto took out one of Minato's kunai as a sample and requested an order of 100, urgently needed.
The shopkeeper grinned. He recognized it immediately. Wasn't this the special kunai used by the Fourth Hokage? He had made these many times and was quite familiar with them.
As Naruto left the shop, he touched his shrunken frog wallet and couldn't help but sing, "I see this life like a swinging vine ~ Swing my heart across the line ~ And in my face are flashing signs ~ Seek it out and ye shall find~..."
As expected of the arms business—it's so expensive!
"Kid, you've got the scent of Shukaku on you."
"Huh?" Naruto stopped and opened his internal map. About two streets away, four chakra signatures were moving together—it was a team of Suna shinobi.
Kurama sat up with interest. "Go fight him."
Naruto refused. "Don't cause trouble. They're here for the Chunin Exams. It wouldn't be appropriate for me to beat them up without reason. It might even lead to a diplomatic incident."
"You think about stuff like that?" Kurama was surprised. This kid used to be so impulsive—what changed?
"Being reckless isn't a good thing. We can't go around causing problems like Boruto." Boruto is truly Sasuke's apprentice, doing whatever comes to mind without thinking.
As long as it's on a whim, my dad can never guess what I'll do next.
"Who's Boruto?" Kurama asked, sensing something off.
"It's said to be a non-flammable material. Throw it into Amaterasu, and Amaterasu will go out," Naruto explained with a straight face.
Kurama glared at him, grumbling something the fox didn't understand.
Naruto steered the conversation back on track. "That's not important. Anyway, when the exam starts, I'll have a legitimate reason to fight Shukaku."
"..." Kurama, who couldn't fight Shukaku for now, lay back down out of boredom. "I want some barbecue."
"..." Naruto pulled out his deflated wallet, and with tears in his eyes, he created a shadow clone, handing it the last few bills. Kurama took control of the clone and happily headed to the barbecue restaurant.
Naruto watched his clone's cheerful retreat and concluded with a life lesson—without money, you're not worthy of raising a fox.
Back at the training ground, Naruto told Kushina about the news that the Jinchuriki of the One-Tail was coming to take the Chunin Exams.
Kushina's expression turned serious. If it were just the One-Tail, she was confident she could handle it herself.
The problem was, if Sunagakure had any intentions, it couldn't be as simple as sending just the One-Tail Jinchuriki.
In that case, Konoha could suffer significant casualties, and this needed to be discussed with Minato.
Naruto's face also turned serious. He couldn't figure it out—how could this Kazekage dare to make a move?
He wasn't sure if Orochimaru was involved in this, but even if he was, would he dare to come to Konoha?
The Uchiha clan hadn't been wiped out, both the Third and Fourth Hokage were around, and Jiraiya had returned to the village.
Was he looking for his death? Did he think he could take on the village?
Naruto couldn't understand because he was thinking clearly, but Rasa wasn't.
Rasa only knew that Konoha was strong and that a real fight would likely result in a loss, but he didn't know just how strong they were.
In reality, Rasa was desperate and didn't want to take any extreme measures. If he could develop his village smoothly, who would want to risk their life in a fight? But Rasa was under immense pressure.
Sunagakure is already poor—the desert lacked everything except sand, and the Daimyo of the Land of Wind had little interest in funding their village.
As a result, Rasa, the Fourth Kazekage, had to personally use his Gold Dust technique to subsidize the village by panning for gold.
The Fifth Kazekage, Gaara, controls ordinary sand, the Third Kazekage controls iron sand, and the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, has the powerful ability to control gold dust.
When this guy fought, wealth and riches were scattered all over the battlefield. If someone were killed by him, it would certainly be called a glorious funeral.
But panning for gold could only be a temporary measure. Over time, gold would become less valuable.
To secure some benefits, Rasa had to take the risk, hoping that everyone would be satisfied.
Konoha is so strong, yet you still withhold our funds—what if the Land of Fire decides to go to war in the future?
Anyway, at most, some lives would be lost, it wouldn't be too much of a loss.
Just when Rasa was formulating a plan, a notorious figure in the ninja world, one of the Legendary Sannin, Orochimaru, betrayed the village and came to him, seeking revenge on Konoha.
It was a case of opportunity knocking at just the right time. As everyone knew, Orochimaru was once pursued by Konoha, and his desire for revenge was understandable. So, the two struck a deal.
This was the first encounter at the entrance to Sunagakure. The moment Rasa saw Orochimaru, he knew he was dealing with a snake who had lost his humanity.
If you want to know what happens next, stay tuned for the next chapter!
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