The sun was setting, and dusk had arrived.
The setting sun, red as blood, stained the western half of the sky. The clouds, churning like a giant hand stirring a pool of blood, were a bright, fiery orange. A myriad of red rays pierced through the gaps in the clouds, painting the rolling mountains in a shade of reddish-orange.
On the summit of one of these treacherous peaks, Naruto leaned lazily against a withered tree stump, a can of soda in one hand, admiring the forge-like spectacle of the heavens. He looked as if he was truly on vacation.
Originally, he had planned to visit the Land of Rain, but a sudden thought of some unfinished business with the Land of Lightning made him change his mind. So, he took a detour and, along with Six-Tails Uchiha, headed straight for the Land of Lightning. The two of them were going to give the Cloud Village a bit of "warmth."
As he was enjoying the beautiful sunset, he suddenly frowned, feeling that something was off. A moment later, he realized what it was and muttered, "Damn it, the timing is all wrong!"
"Boss, what's wrong with the timing?" a sidekick, Six-Tails Uchiha, who was supposed to be doing this mission, poked his head out and asked in a strange tone.
It was twilight, almost night. Launching an attack just before nightfall seemed like perfect timing, didn't it?
Gulp~
Naruto tilted his head back, chugging the rest of his soda. He let out a long, satisfying burp and crumpled the empty can, making a crunching sound. "I shouldn't have come in the evening!"
"Why not?" Six-Tails was even more confused.
Naruto stood up, brushing the dust from his backside. He looked at his underling with an expression of disappointment. "You don't get it? Because something will happen sooner or later! We should have come at noon." He said this with a serious expression.
Six-Tails: "Uh..."
Weighing the aluminum can in his hand, Naruto's gaze swept over the sheer cliff face below. He raised his arm, his fingers opening. The can went over the edge!
The lightweight aluminum can was caught by a gentle breeze from the mountain peak, and it danced in the air. Suddenly, a blinding white light precisely enveloped it.
"Dust Style: Garbage Cleanup Jutsu!"
The white light flashed and disappeared in an instant, and the can was gone without a trace.
Naruto stretched his limbs, and his joints cracked. He looked out into the distance. All he could see were layers of mountains, one after another, a vast expanse of them. The rolling black silhouettes stretched all the way to the horizon, fitting perfectly with the intel about the Land of Lightning being mountainous.
There were also clouds. Thick, heavy, dark clouds hung low over the distant mountains. That area was as dark as ink, and silent, pale, branching lightning would occasionally flash deep within the clouds, illuminating a brief moment before disappearing back into the darkness. No wonder it was called the Land of Lightning.
"I heard the hot springs here are famous. I'll go soak in them after the mission is done!" A hint of anticipation appeared on Naruto's lips.
He had been transmigrated for twelve years, but aside from school and missions, he had never truly had a vacation. A vacation would be great, and he should take them often! In his last life, he was a workhorse, but now that he was invincible, why shouldn't he enjoy himself? As for the various Kage and the world-changing things... Clones were for that! It was awesome to have a bunch of workaholic clones doing all the heavy lifting!
Thinking of this, Naruto's eyes narrowed. He turned his head and gave a dangerous look at Six-Tails, who seemed a bit too leisurely. Why does this guy seem more relaxed than me?
"Six-Tails," Naruto said, lifting his chin, his tone brooking no argument. "Stop being that damn reporter of yours. The Mizukage Election team is at a critical juncture. You, Uchiha Obito Mark I, are to report for duty immediately!"
"Yes, Boss." Six-Tails bowed and responded instantly without any hesitation. He had sensed the danger!
Naruto stretched his shoulders, his gaze turning sharp as he looked in the direction of the Cloud Village. "As for now? It's time to work!"
He took a deep breath, and his immense chakra sensing spread out like an invisible tide. Within a few hundred kilometers, chakra signatures were as numerous as stars, and a few of them were particularly bright. However, there were only two with that unique, violent Tailed Beast chakra. One was large, and one was small.
He would deal with the smaller one first.
Target locked.
Then, in the ocean of his consciousness, tens of thousands of familiar space-time coordinates suddenly lit up. There was one nearby.
"Got you!"
Using the Transformation Jutsu, Naruto's appearance was instantly replaced by the grim face of Uchiha Obito. He skillfully took out the iconic tiger-striped mask from his backpack and put it on. The cold, sinister aura instantly replaced his former laziness.
He looked down at Six-Tails, his voice low and hoarse through the mask. "Let's go. It's time for the Cloud Village to feel some pain!"
Whoosh!
Space shimmered, and in the blink of an eye, two figures appeared abruptly on the roof of a tall building, the evening breeze rustling their clothes. Below was the building where the Two-Tails jinchuriki was located, standing alone with sparse guards.
His gaze swept over the few people occasionally seen around the building. Naruto couldn't help but frown, his eyes behind the mask filled with obvious surprise. "...Tsk, the 'sunbathing' effect here is a bit too strong, isn't it?"
Before, in the arena, Naruto had seen the bronze-skinned, muscular Raikage and thought he was an exception. But what he was seeing now... every person in his line of sight had a skin tone ranging from deep to light brown.
Six-Tails cautiously hid himself in the shadows, lowering his voice to remind Naruto. "Boss, the intel explicitly states that most of the Land of Lightning's residents have this dark skin. A few women, however, have fairer skin. The author of Naruto... might be hinting, no, paying tribute to a certain country, perhaps?"
Tribute?
Even through the mask, Naruto's tone was one of sudden realization. "This skin color... oh, I get it! I should have known to come here to grow cotton. It would definitely trigger a skin color memory."
He turned, staring at Six-Tails through the holes in his mask, his voice filled with certainty about the future. "Don't forget to remind me later. After the ninja world is unified, there will definitely be a massive industrial revolution. I'll make the people of the Land of Lightning specifically grow cotton."
The corner of Six-Tails's mouth twitched imperceptibly, but in the end, he chose to remain silent.
However, this sudden discovery of a 'tribute' distracted Naruto for a moment. If skin color was a 'tribute,' then his own golden hair and blue eyes as a savior... what would that make him? A not-so-subtle hint?
Never mind, back to work.
BOOM!
With a violent crash of splintering wood and flying rubble, and a sudden plume of thick smoke, Naruto brazenly tore into the room as if he were ripping through space itself!
As the smoke cleared slightly, the taut figure of Yugito Nii, the Two-Tails jinchuriki, was revealed. Her sharp black eyes narrowed, locking onto the face of the intruder. A current of fear shot through her spine.
That distinctive tiger-striped mask! That menacing Sharingan that spun eerily in the gaps of the smoke, emitting a foreboding red glow! There was no mistake. It was the butcher who had caused the Nine-Tails incident, the infamous villain of the ninja world: Uchiha Obito!
"You must be the Two-Tails jinchuriki, right?" Naruto's voice, low and hoarse through the mask, asked. His gaze shamelessly swept over Yugito. Golden hair, fair skin accentuating her beautiful features. She was indeed a beauty.
Looking at her hostile yet determined face, Naruto's mind suddenly lit up, and he had a bold idea.