Naruto planned to leave Konoha, and he realized he wasn't alone anymore.
So Naruto told the people around him about his plan.
After hearing it, Hinata immediately expressed her willingness to follow him.
But as the Hyūga clan's eldest daughter, there were things she couldn't decide on her own.
The engagement with Naruto had already been settled.
But since they weren't officially married yet, she still needed Hiashi's approval regarding her living arrangements and leaving the village.
Naruto went to see Hiashi right away.
But Hiashi rejected him without hesitation.
Hiashi said to Naruto seriously, "Uzumaki Naruto, you have left the village before. You understand how dangerous the outside world is."
"Until you can fully guarantee Hinata's safety, whether as clan head or as her father, I will not allow Hinata to leave Konoha with you."
"Alright…" Naruto wasn't disappointed. He simply explained, "I was planning to settle in the Land of Snow. It's just not fully developed yet."
Hiashi's eyes flashed with surprise. "Then wait until it's complete. Once everything is ready, you may come pick up Hinata."
He didn't doubt Naruto because of his young age.
Because Naruto carried himself maturely.
And he was strong. If Naruto wanted to build a shinobi village—
Forget a remote Snow Country, even if Naruto chose some location out on the ocean, Hiashi believed countless merchants would invest.
Even filling the sea wouldn't be impossible if Naruto decided to do it.
In this world, power is the foundation of all rights.
And the business world's attention toward the ninja world was not weak at all.
A strong person like Naruto, wanting to establish a village but lacking funding?
There was no way merchants would ignore the investment opportunity.
For merchants, Naruto building a new ninja village—
It was like a person from modern Earth traveling back decades earlier and meeting a young man named "Ma" looking for investors.
Naruto establishing a shinobi village also meant a future safe haven for the Hyūga clan, who had long since aligned themselves with Hinata's choice.
After leaving the Hyūga compound, Naruto went to find Kurenai Yuhi.
But Kurenai's response was also firm.
As an instructor, she couldn't leave while her students still needed guidance.
And there was no chance she'd move her team to the Land of Snow.
Hinata, Kiba, and Shino were all members of Konoha's secretive clans.
If Naruto took them all away, Tsunade would definitely lose her mind.
After going around the entire village, Naruto found no one who could go with him.
But Naruto wasn't worried.
Haruno Sakura and Sasuke were safe under Tsunade and Jiraiya's protection.
Kurenai didn't have the Nine-Tails—Obito had no reason to target her.
And Naruto had placed a Flying Thunder God mark on her.
Obito wouldn't be able to touch Kurenai easily.
Finally, Naruto headed to the Hokage Building to find Tsunade.
…
Inside the Hokage's office—
A blonde woman was buried behind stacks of documents.
A delicate face, pale-gold hair, and an impressive snow-white pair resting heavily on the desk.
At first glance, she looked like a young woman. But in truth, she was several decades old.
She was Konoha's Fifth Hokage, Senju Tsunade.
Shizune and Ino were sorting documents for Tsunade to review.
As for Haruno Sakura, she was focused on training her monstrous strength.
Naruto's arrival brightened the atmosphere a little.
Ino blinked at Naruto.
Naruto smiled back.
Ino couldn't help noticing that her interactions with Naruto felt… different.
It was a strange feeling.
Naruto had changed so quickly.
How long had it been since graduation?
He seemed like a completely different person now.
And since they weren't on the same team, Sakura had the first advantage.
"A rare visitor," Tsunade said as she set aside the documents. "What brings you here?"
Naruto didn't waste time. "I want to learn the Strength of a Hundred Seal. What's the price?"
Hearing that, Tsunade immediately remembered Sakura learning it a few days earlier.
It seemed Sakura had shown off to Naruto.
Naruto must have realized how powerful the technique was.
Tsunade tested him. "Become my disciple."
"Alright!" Naruto agreed immediately. "But I won't stay in Konoha."
Tsunade chuckled. "Forget it then. Either become my disciple and stay in Konoha, or give up on learning the technique."
It was clear Tsunade had sensed the resentment between Naruto and Konoha and wanted to pull him closer.
But Naruto had already made up his mind. Not even Hashirama himself could change it.
He shook his head lightly.
Seeing this, Tsunade also shook her head. "If you want to learn the Strength of a Hundred Seal, you must either become my disciple or remain a Konoha shinobi. I've already repaid the favor you gave me by helping me secure the Hokage position."
"There is no other way for you to learn it."
"Really?" Naruto lowered his head, a bit disappointed.
But he had expected this.
Still, Naruto refused to be tied down by Konoha.
Seeing he still didn't agree, Tsunade realized the technique alone wasn't enough to tempt him.
So she added, "Of course… if you become my disciple, you would also have the right to kill a certain person in the village at any time."
Hearing that, an old gloomy face flashed in Naruto's mind.
"Haha…" Naruto smirked and turned to leave.
Tsunade was about to become Hokage—naturally, Danzo was the biggest thorn in her side.
And she clearly knew Naruto held a grudge against Danzo.
So she wanted to use Naruto's desire for the technique to borrow his hands to get rid of Danzo.
Naruto had no problem killing Danzo—
But he wasn't about to let Tsunade manipulate him into doing it.
It seemed the only difference between Tsunade and Hiruzen was that Tsunade lacked decades of political experience.
"Wait!"
Seeing Naruto about to walk out, Tsunade quickly called out.
Naruto paused and turned to look at her.
Tsunade smiled. "I have a way to get you the Strength of a Hundred Seal."
"Oh? Then tell me." Naruto asked with interest.
The relationship between the two was like that of a vendor and a customer.
The vendor named a price outside the customer's expectations.
The customer pretended to walk away to see if the vendor would lower it.
And sure enough—Tsunade caved.
"Ahem… actually, if you're willing to offer some silver, I can look the other way," Tsunade said.
Since Naruto refused to be tied to Konoha—
Tsunade figured she might as well get some profit.
And even if she didn't teach Naruto—
That nympho Sakura would absolutely teach him.
If Naruto ended up learning the Strength of a Hundred Seal for free—
Tsunade would gain nothing.
And that irritated her deeply.
"Silver?" Naruto's expression eased. "Alright. What exactly do you mean?"
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