---
"By the way, why is Temari in Konoha?" Naruto asked, grabbing Katsuyu and rubbing her against his face like a stress toy.
"Please don't do that, Naruto-sama!" Katsuyu protested, wriggling in discomfort.
"The Chūnin Exams will be held soon," Temari replied, giving Naruto a blank look. "The village sent me to handle the diplomatic arrangements between Sunagakure and Konohagakure... Who knew you'd be missing in action."
"Well, I'm back now, aren't I?" Naruto grinned with a hint of sarcasm.
Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, curiosity getting the better of him. "So... what have you been doing these past two years?"
Naruto's expression immediately turned grave. He stared at Shikamaru with narrowed eyes and clenched fists.
"Two years..." he muttered darkly. "Do you even know how I've lived these two years?!"
Everyone around him straightened up, feeling the weight of his tone.
A sequence of blurry memories surfaced in Naruto's mind—
"Come~ Naruto-sama~ drink more~"
"I hate it~!"
Cough cough! No, that's not it! I was thinking something indecent again!
The First Underground Passage—
"Hey~ Sasuke~ You in there~?" Naruto called out, trailing behind Jiraiya as they explored one of Orochimaru's abandoned hideouts.
"Oi, Naruto!" Jiraiya suddenly barked. A disguised trapdoor had revealed itself in the floor.
Behind the secret entrance stood Orochimaru and Sasuke, blank-faced, holding blades ominously in their hands.
"Pervy Sage!" Naruto shouted, throwing an arm in front of Jiraiya.
"Huh?" Jiraiya paused mid-step, blinking at him in confusion. "What is it?"
Naruto frowned, looking at him with complete disdain. "It's a secret door. Hidden in plain sight. They clearly want us to walk in there. You think it's smart to walk into a trap? Let's turn around. Get out. Now."
Jiraiya: "…"
Orochimaru and Sasuke behind the door: "…"
After that—
"Master Naruto~"
"Wahahaha—"
Poof
Second underground base. Third underground base…
"Lord Orochimaru! They're at it again!" a Sound Shinobi reported in a panic.
"Just ignore them," Orochimaru said, lazily waving a hand while continuing to sip soup with Sasuke. "They'll tire themselves out eventually."
"I've been looking for Sasuke this whole time!" Naruto said with a serious face. "You don't even know how much youth—cough—how much time has been sacrificed!"
Everyone: "…"
Don't slip up now, Naruto. You were being so serious…
The veins on Sakura's and Temari's foreheads twitched dangerously.
"Don't get the wrong idea!" Naruto waved his hands frantically. "It was all Jiraiya's fault! He took me there!"
Jiraiya: "???"
"Anyway, forget it," someone sighed. "The important thing is that you made it back in one piece."
"And you, Shikamaru—how'd you end up at the Hokage building?"
"Ugh, troublesome… But I'm on the staff for the Chūnin Exams now." Shikamaru shrugged. "This time, I was sent to escort the Sand Shinobi delegation."
"Chūnin Exams, huh…" Naruto's eyes softened with nostalgia. "I really miss those days."
"By the way, Naruto—you do remember you're still a Genin, right?" Shikamaru said suddenly, smirking. "What are you planning to do about that?"
"Uh…" Naruto scratched his head. "What should I do?"
"Everyone else has been promoted to Chūnin. Neji is already a Jōnin."
"I'm a Jōnin too, Genin-kun," Temari chimed in teasingly. "Gaara's already the Kazekage. Didn't you once say you were going to become Hokage? You're still pretty far off."
"Yawn~ I'm so sleepy." Naruto turned away, walking off. As if Hokage and the man who wants to be Hokage are the same thing…
Everyone: "…"
Naruto thought to himself, Tch. Konoha's Genin are the strongest. No one demoted me for a reason. Genin life is great. No high-level missions, no paperwork.
---
Meanwhile—
Sunagakure, High-Level Council Meeting.
"Our forces have improved significantly over the past few years," Baki reported calmly. "And thanks to the joint-training program implemented with Konoha, our Genin have progressed beyond expectations."
"With the upcoming Chūnin Exams," murmured one of the senior councilors—let's just call him Executive Sand Shinobi No.1—"the results are looking promising."
"However…" another councilor interjected. This one was Yūra, a trusted executive and experienced shinobi. "There have been… troubling rumors recently."
"What kind of rumors, Yūra?" Baki asked.
"You've likely heard of the organization called Akatsuki."
Everyone in the room fell silent.
"The so-called Akatsuki," Yūra continued, "is a clandestine organization composed of rogue ninja and S-rank criminals. It is said to have multiple high-level leaders and over a thousand shinobi under its command."
"Several of their known members are on the international wanted list," he added. "Uchiha Itachi… Kisame Hoshigaki of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen… even Orochimaru, who once assassinated our Fourth Kazekage, was formerly part of this group."
"Tch. Konoha sure produces a lot of defectors," muttered Executive Sand Shinobi No.2.
Yūra coughed lightly. "Setting that aside… the organization is also known for mercenary work—participating in conflicts between nations, all for profit. And they're no joke. Some of them wield technology that resembles modern weaponry—swords that function like AK-47s, explosive scrolls like RPG launchers. Your average Chūnin doesn't stand a chance."
"The most terrifying part…" Yūra's voice lowered, "is that they're fanatics."
"They chant things like 'World Peace!' and 'Glory to the Revolution!' as they charge into battle with suicidal fervor."
"…Those people are Akatsuki?" Executive Sand Shinobi No.3 asked, stunned. "I remember during the Third Great Ninja War, some of them were hired by Ōnoki to fight against Kumogakure. The battlefield was… brutal."
Baki's brows furrowed deeply. "So, the rumors are true…"
He didn't say anything more. The weight of it sank into the room.
"This intel was brought to us by the Legendary Sannin, Jiraiya-sama," Yūra revealed. "He passed through Sunagakure with Uzumaki Naruto while investigating Orochimaru. That's when he delivered the information."
"Before this meeting began, I already ordered our ANBU to bolster security around the village." Yūra paused. "It's said that Akatsuki members wear black cloaks patterned with red clouds. ANBU are to engage immediately upon spotting such individuals."
"Then it's settled," Baki declared, standing. "This meeting is adjourned."
The elders nodded and began to disperse.
"As expected of Yūra," one of the councilors praised. "Your handling of the situation has been thorough."
"Not at all," Yūra smiled calmly. "I've been managing village security for the past four years…"
He paused mid-sentence.
"Something wrong?" the councilor asked.
"…It's nothing," Yūra replied with a thin smile. "I'm just feeling a little tired. I'll be heading out first."
He turned and walked away.
But behind that calm smile—his eyes glinted with madness.
"For world peace…"
"Your majesty…"
---
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