Chapter 169:
Fox Spirit Cave, Namikaze Manor.
This place wasn't just Fox Spirit Hero's secret base—it was also Orochimaru's laboratory.
"Sasuke, you're staying at Namikaze Manor."
"Why!" Sasuke stared expressionlessly at Naruto, who was already dressed in the Fox Spirit Hero suit.
"By now, the entire Hidden Leaf Village probably knows that you're the Clown. If you go out like this, it'll definitely cause even more chaos."
At that moment, Orochimaru suddenly interjected, "The Foxmobile has been fully adjusted."
Fox Spirit Hero flipped into the Foxmobile.
This was a secret underground passage leading to the outskirts of the Hidden Leaf Village. Only through this route could the Foxmobile avoid being traced back to Namikaze Manor, and no one would suspect that Naruto was Fox Spirit Hero.
"..." After Naruto drove off in the Foxmobile, Sasuke stood silently, staring at Orochimaru.
"What's wrong, Sasuke?" Orochimaru smiled, meeting his gaze.
"I don't know why, but I really hate you…" Sasuke said slowly. As he finished speaking, the three-tomoe Sharingan appeared in his eyes.
"You planning to attack me, Sasuke?"
"…I'm just giving you a warning. Don't try anything, Orochimaru. If you do, I'll kill you the moment you make a move."
Orochimaru just smiled, completely unfazed by Sasuke's threat. As Sasuke turned to leave, Orochimaru asked, "Where are you going?"
Hidden Leaf Village.
"Shikamaru, another large number of the security squad has been injured."
Ino walked up to Shikamaru, holding a report in her hand.
"Damn it, where the hell are these people coming from!"
Shikamaru slammed his hand on the desk in frustration.
Even though there weren't many people wearing clown masks this time, the pressure on the Konoha Security Squad was still immense.
After all, these were Root members. Whether it was the number or quality of the jutsu they knew, or their battle experience, they were far beyond what the Security Squad could handle.
"Shikamaru—it's the Foxmobile!"
Ino suddenly pointed at the bright red vehicle crashing through the lights and into the scene.
After the Foxmobile sent someone flying, Fox Spirit Hero launched himself out of the vehicle, delivering a flying kick that took down another enemy, then turned and slammed another one's head into the ground of the Hidden Leaf Village.
"Who the hell are you people!"
Fox Spirit Hero asked in a deep, menacing voice.
"We… we're the Clown…"
"I'm warning you—my patience is wearing thin!" Fox Spirit Hero growled, slamming the person's head into the ground again by their hair.
With Fox Spirit Hero's arrival, the other criminals wearing clown masks began to retreat, and the Konoha Security Squad started to gain the upper hand.
Fox Spirit Hero continued interrogating the captured enemies in his usual brutal fashion.
Sasuke stood in the distance, silently witnessing everything.
"How does it feel to be normal again, Sasuke?"
Hearing the voice from behind, Sasuke abruptly turned around. "Sherlock Jar! Are these your people?!"
The three-tomoe Sharingan appeared in Sasuke's eyes.
"Of course not. Calm down, Sasuke. My Jar Gang is doing legitimate business these days—real estate, for example. Look, most of the places where Fox Spirit Hero appears to take down criminals are rundown areas on the village outskirts. The moment a place is labeled as one of Fox Spirit Hero's frequent zones, property values plummet. And those poor people who originally lived there? They get no economic aid from the village leadership after all the chaos."
"Buy low, then use Earth Release techniques to build residential complexes. Jar Gang members serve as security. With lower crime, Fox Spirit Hero stops showing up. With him gone, property values naturally rise again. Then we sell high and pull our security out…"
Sherlock Jar explained enthusiastically.
"You're profiting off of Fox Spirit Hero's fight against crime!"
Sasuke glared at him. If it were anyone else, he would've punched them already. But unfortunately, Sherlock Jar was one guy he couldn't beat.
"Don't say it like that, Sasuke. I pay taxes to the Hidden Leaf Village on time, you know," Sherlock Jar said, shrugging.
"…Where's your little sidekick?"
"You mean Sarada Watson? She's training with Jōnin Might Guy. You should know, Sasuke, there's nothing in this village that money can't solve. And if there is—then you just haven't spent enough yet." As he finished speaking, Sherlock Jar glanced toward Fox Spirit Hero, who was still beating up a criminal. "But don't you think he's going a little too far?"
"Fox Spirit Hero is just protecting the village."
"Protecting the village? If you ask me, that's just an excuse Fox Spirit Hero uses to unleash his violent urges. Is he really protecting the village? While he's fighting crime, he's also causing even more damage to the village… But I don't dislike Fox Spirit Hero, to be honest. Without him, I wouldn't have anywhere to make money."
Sasuke kept watching Fox Spirit Hero, so focused that he didn't even realize when Sherlock Jar left.
"Assistant! He's going to die if you keep hitting him!" Shikamaru rushed to stop Fox Spirit Hero, then turned to Ino. "Ino, call the Hidden Leaf Hospital, now!"
Fox Spirit Hero broke free from Shikamaru's grip, staggered back a few steps, leaned against the Foxmobile, held his head in his hands, and muttered to himself, "What… what have I done…"
"Are you okay, Fox Spirit Hero?" Shikamaru stepped forward. "You don't seem like yourself…"
"..." Fox Spirit Hero ignored him, jumped back into the Foxmobile, and drove away.
Namikaze Manor, Fox Spirit Cave.
Chakra gathered in Naruto's hands. Within his wind-natured chakra, there were faint traces of red—Nine-Tails chakra—even though he was no longer wearing the Fox Spirit Armor.
"The evil chakra of the Nine-Tails is affecting you," Orochimaru said, watching the chakra swirl in Naruto's hand. "It looks like you can't keep using the Fox Spirit Armor. Otherwise… I don't know what you'll become."
Naruto was silent for a moment, then abruptly changed the subject. "Where's Sasuke?"
Orochimaru shook his head. "No idea. He probably left."
…
"Who is it?" At her place, Sakura opened the door and was first surprised, then overjoyed. "Sasuke! What are you doing here? Come in, quick!"
"…Sorry, Sakura. I want to stay at your place tonight."
"O-of course…!" Sakura's face turned red as she lowered her head and replied softly.
"Thanks, Sakura."
"N-no problem at all, Sasuke. You can stay as long as you want. I'll go get the bedding ready now."
(Support me and read ahead on Patreøn: patreøn.com/craxxtranslations.
3 new chapters are released daily—thank you for your support!
Powerstone Event: For every 50 powerstones, 1 chapter will be unlocked.)