Naruto sprinted through the night in the Land of Fire's capital, the unconscious Daimyo dangling from his right hand like a ragdoll.
Uzumaki Naruto, the great humanitarian… truly a kind and merciful soul. If one ignored the fact that he was hauling the Daimyo around like a chicken ready for slaughter, he almost looked the part.
After all, he was working to save the world. The Great Toad Sage couldn't even dream up the kind of revelations Naruto already knew.
Then again, that made sense… the Sage of Six Paths was an outsider, so the most the old toad could prophesize in his senile dreams was a transmigrant.
Though Naruto himself was also an outsider, after interacting with the girls of this world and making a few close friends, he might as well be a local.
The only annoying thing was that this whole world-saving gig, which should have been the ultimate flex, couldn't be flaunted right now.
Even if he told people, no one would believe him. He'd have to wait until the crisis hit before dropping the ultimate mic.
'Surprised? I've been saving the world this whole time! What's wrong with having a few fiancées? It's not like we're married yet… I can have as many as I want! When you're the savior of the world, who's going to complain?'
Thinking this, Naruto's mood improved considerably. In high spirits, he casually slapped the unconscious Daimyo twice.
He'd get the money, but he'd still have to return the Daimyo. Killing him was unnecessary, as nobles were all the same. The next Daimyo wouldn't be any different. Besides, the Uchiha Clan's word was ironclad.
He couldn't embarrass his good brother Sasuke by breaking that code. So, he'd spare this washed-up, party-incapable Daimyo.
At another treasury in the capital, Naruto dragged the now-awake Daimyo along and pointed at the vault, then drew a finger across his own neck in a 'you're dead if you mess up' gesture.
The Daimyo gulped, shrinking back in fear, 'This Uchiha Sasuke is truly ruthless.'
But with his life on the line, cooperation was the only option. He was old, too weak to even enjoy parties anymore… how could he hope to fight a Shinobi?
If spending money could buy his safety, so be it. The Land of Fire was his anyway, so wealth would keep flowing in. Like the saying goes, as long as the mountain remains, there'll be no shortage of firewood. So he'll just hand it over.
Trembling, he shuffled forward and ordered the servants to open the vault. Naruto knocked out the guards, then dragged the Daimyo inside.
He glanced at the mountains of gold and treasure, then at the Daimyo.
Daimyo: "Huh?"
The only response was Naruto's grin… before a dark shadow loomed larger in Daimyo's vision.
Bang!
The daimyo was out cold again. Naruto dumped him in a corner and began cheerfully stuffing the entire vault's contents into his sealing space.
Next stop… onward!
Same routine. The Daimyo was splashed awake with water, shivering like a leaf in a storm.
"P-please don't knock me out again… Just tie me up. One more hit and you might send me straight to my death."
Hearing this, Naruto couldn't help but curl his lips inwardly, 'No wonder this guy looks like he's in his fifties… he's ridiculously frail. But he had a point.'
This time, Naruto spared him the knockout.
"Fine, old man. Cooperate, and we'll get through this faster. It's the middle of the night, and my blood-soaked vengeance isn't so easily appeased. Push me, and I might just snap."
The daimyo's heart clenched, 'This guy is pure evil. Always talking about killing me… what rotten luck for me to run into him!'
One more knockout would send him to the afterlife, but even tied up, he had to tread carefully. One wrong move, and this lunatic might just slit his throat.
'How humiliating… the great Daimyo of the Land of Fire, reduced to this.'
"Don't worry too much." Naruto suddenly said, offering an unexpected reassurance, "The Uchiha Clan lives by one rule… our word is absolute.
Hearing this, the Daimyo relaxed slightly.
"Absolute. If we say we'll kill someone, we kill them. No exceptions."
"Ah!"
Watching the Daimyo pass out again, Naruto chuckled to himself, checking his pulse to confirm he was still alive, 'Good enough. No need to let this old bastard rest too comfortably.'
He proceeded to loot the second warehouse but paused just as he was about to head to the third. A sudden realization struck him, 'Why the hell does the Daimyo have so much wealth that even dozens of warehouses can't hold it all?'
"Damn it!" Naruto muttered under his breath before resuming his diligent 'mushroom picking' (Read: Robbery).
…
Meanwhile, the Daimyo's personal guards furrowed their brows, sensing something was wrong, 'The Daimyo's breathing sound had disappeared for too long… had something happened?'
After a brief discussion, they steeled themselves and knocked on the daimyo's door, risking his infamous temper.
Knock knock knock.
No response. No sound at all.
The guards exchanged glances, realizing things had gone wrong. They forced the door open and rushed in, only to find an empty room.
The Daimyo was gone.
Instantly, news of the daimyo's disappearance spread. Clues emerged quickly… about fifteen minutes ago, the Daimyo had last been seen at one of the warehouses.
The guards there had been knocked out, forcibly awakened with water, and were now trembling as they spilled everything they knew.
The Daimyo's guards narrowed their eyes and immediately had a lead. With a wave of their hands, they dispatched people to check the other warehouses. Sure enough, two more had been raided.
By now, the commotion had drawn not just a few guards but hundreds, nearly a thousand swarming toward the warehouses, determined to rescue the Daimyo.
Naruto had just finished clearing the fifth warehouse when a frown crossed his face, realizing something was amiss.
He didn't have time to deal with the daimyo anymore. After stuffing the last of the goods into his storage, he grabbed the Daimyo and leaped onto the rooftop.
If this were the top of a tower, he'd be the giant ape standing tall.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Rows of torches and searchlights swung toward Naruto's direction. At this moment, Naruto was disguised as his 'alt-account', Uchiha Sasuke. He wanted to howl for dramatic effect, but to maintain his cool image, he kept his face cold and aloof.
"Who is that?!"
"Release Daimyo-sama at once!"
"He looks like a Shinobi… don't approach! He's got Daimyo-sama."
"Daimyo-sama seems unconscious… damn it, what did he do to him? Hurry, get medics ready! Daimyo-sama is injured, move!"
The swarm of guards below panicked like a disturbed hornet's nest, their shouts grating on Naruto's nerves.
Without wasting words, Naruto activated his Bloody Kyubi Mode + Multi-Size Technique + Transformation Technique!
Boom!
A towering purple flame erupted over the warehouse roof, the spectacle so dramatic it felt like it came with its own Kamen Rider BGM. Every eye was drawn to it.
Naruto, the ultimate attention-seeker, was thoroughly satisfied.
In an instant, a colossal, dozens-of-meters-tall armored Susanoo materialized.
With a humming sound, the crowd below was stunned silent.
Seizing the moment, Naruto amplified his voice with Chakra, roaring at the hundreds, no, thousands of gathering guards.
"Shut up!"
"I'm Uchiha Sasuke!!!"
The sheer force of his voice sent a rush of satisfaction through him, 'Damn, my acting skills are getting too good. If I ever go back, I'd definitely win the Academy Award for Best Actor.'
The guards below froze, too terrified to move. A giant purple armored titan loomed over the rooftop, clutching an unconscious Daimyo in its grip.
Its roar was like a storm crashing against war drums… who in their right mind would dare provoke it?
The silence lasted two full minutes before the guards finally regained their senses, their courage slowly returning. They gulped nervously, eyes locked on the violet giant.
"Uchiha Sasuke, release Daimyo-sama, and we can talk this through."
"Release him?" Naruto sneered. The Susanoo responded, its left arm slamming down onto the warehouse with a deafening boom. The street below shattered, sending debris and dust flying.
"If I'm not happy, I could level this entire city. You think I'll just hand him over? Come and take him?"