Before Lee could step forward to check, Naruto strode over, snatched the scroll from Tenten's hands, and skimmed it. His expression immediately turned just as odd.
Suddenly, Naruto looked up at Lee.
Lee shuddered violently, his body stiffening, 'Could the message be about me?'
His voice came out dry and shaky as he asked, "What's wrong?"
Lee was the only one in the dark. Tenten, standing beside Naruto, wanted to laugh but couldn't, 'This guy is such a scoundrel. The message is clearly about him, yet he's deliberately scaring Lee.'
If it had been just some ordinary news, Tenten probably would've burst out laughing by now. But…
Her gaze flickered toward Naruto, worry creeping into her heart. This wasn't some trivial matter… it was downright absurd. The message claimed that Naruto, who had been with them the entire time, had tried to assassinate the Raikage yesterday.
That was impossible. They had eaten, slept, and done everything together except for bathroom breaks. How could Naruto have had time to assassinate the Raikage?
And what would even be the motive? It made no sense. What benefit would there be in assassinating a Kage in broad daylight while using his real identity?
But the message from the Hokage's Office was undeniable.
"Let me see." Lee finally leaned in.
His eyes scanned the scroll, and then he froze. It didn't mention him at all. It was about Naruto… After reading it carefully, Lee was dumbfounded, standing there in stunned silence.
"Naruto's been with us the whole time! How could he have assassinated the Raikage?"
"Damn it, this is framing an innocent man!" Naruto's hands trembled with anger, completely forgetting that he had framed Sasuke the same way more than once, "What a shameless bastard!"
He genuinely had no idea about this. Yesterday, Yugito had sent him a signal, but the Jashin's Contract wasn't precise enough to convey detailed messages.
They could only communicate through prearranged codes, like this meant one thing and that meant another… simple signals to relay useful information.
After all, Naruto had the Gate of the Underworld at his disposal. Sometimes, all he needed was a coordinate from those he had contracted with. The rest didn't require complex explanations.
Because of this, Yugito Nii hadn't known how to explain the situation properly. In the end, she had just sent Naruto a warning signal… without any coordinates.
Naruto had assumed that since there were no coordinates, nothing major had happened.
But now, looking at the situation…
'Holy shit… I'm the assassin who tried to kill the Raikage? This clumsy framing had to be someone's doing. But now that I think about it, who else could pull off such a stunt besides Sasuke?'
Working backward, it wasn't hard for Naruto to guess the identity of the Fake Naruto.
After all, there were only a handful of people on his level. In reality, Sasuke didn't have as many tricks up his sleeve as Naruto, and if they really fought, Sasuke wouldn't stand a chance.
Besides, Naruto didn't think Sasuke was an idiot. After being screwed over so many times, he must've figured out that Naruto was the one impersonating him and causing trouble. It was only natural for him to retaliate.
The reasoning made perfect sense, but Naruto had always assumed that only shameless schemers like himself would resort to such underhanded tactics. Who would've thought? Sasuke, with his cool face, isn't a good guy either!
"What do we do?" Tenten's expression darkened, "The Hokage's orders are… to abort the mission. Someone else will take over, and we're to escort Naruto to a prison called Hozuki Castle."
"The one who assassinated the Raikage couldn't have been Naruto, right? Right?!" Lee, standing between Shino and Tenten, asked frantically, his agitation obvious.
"Of course not. Naruto's been with us the whole time." Shino said, hands in his pockets, his round sunglasses hiding his expression. His voice was calm, betraying no emotion.
"Then why do we have to escort Naruto to prison? And what even is Hozuki Castle?" Sweat was already beading on Lee's forehead.
"Hozuki Castle is a facility in the Land of Grass… recognized by the Five Great Shinobi Nations. It's specifically for detaining Shinobi involved in diplomatic incidents." Tenten said dejectedly.
"But… there's no evidence, right?" Lee pressed.
"There isn't." Shino admitted, "But the Hokage's orders are clear: detain first, present evidence later. We have no choice. It's a direct command."
"This is too much! Naruto didn't do anything, and he still has to go to prison?!" Tenten complained.
The three of them were locked in a heated debate, but Shino's stance was firm… this was an order from the Hokage. No matter what, Shinobi had to prioritize the mission.
Lee couldn't wrap his head around it. Why should Naruto be imprisoned over something with no proof? Tenten, caught in the middle, was at a loss, occasionally glancing at Naruto.
Naruto, however, wasn't panicking at all. He didn't argue or show any signs of distress. Instead, he fell deep into thought.
'This situation feels familiar… The Raikage's assassination, Hozuki Castle in the Land of Grass… The Blood Prison movie? But some details didn't match my memories. The Fake Naruto was Sasuke in disguise. Only the Raikage had been targeted… none of the other Kage were involved. So where was the shapeshifting criminal, Kazan, who was supposed to be impersonating me?'
'If that was the case, wouldn't that mean Sasuke was actually helping the other party in getting myself into Hozuki Castle?'
"No! We absolutely can't do this! How can we send Naruto to that prison?!" Lee shouted.
Shino remained silent, his brow furrowed. As the team's leader, the Hokage's orders were directed at him. He had to carry them out.
"Stop arguing, haha… We're all comrades here!" Tenten forced a smile, trying to mediate, "Um… Shino, I also think we shouldn't…"
"It's fine. It's just staying in prison for a little while," Naruto interrupted at this time.
The man in question had spoken. All three turned to look at him. Tenten's expression darkened, and she immediately stopped mediating. She waved at Naruto, signaling him to shut up.
Without hesitation, she strode over, grabbed Naruto by the arm, and pulled him aside, lowering her voice to a whisper.
"Hozuki Castle is on a small island in the Land of Grass, surrounded by sea. Any Shinobi sent there will have a Chakra-sealing chain implanted in their body, making it impossible to use any Ninjutsu."
"If the charges are cleared, fine… they'll remove the seal and you'll be out quickly. But you can't rule out the worst-case scenario. This whole situation is shady. No one can say for sure."
Tenten's meaning was clear.
What if this was deliberate? If Naruto went in and never came out, that would be disastrous. Without the ability to resist, wouldn't he be at their mercy?
Naruto knew full well that without Sage Mode, entering would be a death sentence. But nothing was absolute.