After listening to Naruto's proposal, Orochimaru asked with a strange expression:
"Naruto-kun, why go through all this? With your power, surely money isn't something you need?"
Naruto raised a finger and shook it.
"The world needs to be vibrant—only then can life feel truly precious."
Orochimaru was visibly shaken by the comment.
Having experienced war countless times, he had spent years pondering the meaning of life.
The more he thought, the more he feared death.
That's why his obsession with immortality had grown so twisted and extreme.
But Naruto's comment struck a different chord.
"You're right!
If the world is full of wonder, life itself becomes more meaningful.
But if the world is barren, then immortality becomes a curse, not a gift!"
Orochimaru's eyes gleamed with mania, nearly bursting into mad laughter.
Naruto hadn't expected such a philosophical reaction from what was really a casual remark.
Orochimaru extended his pale hand.
"Naruto-kun, let us work together—let's make this world a better place."
Naruto gave a dry smile and shook his hand.
His body temperature was naturally high, a stark contrast to Orochimaru's icy cold skin.
After parting ways, Naruto thought about Orochimaru's over-the-top reaction.
'Could the shinobi world really be reshaped… all because of one offhand comment?'
As he exited the underground base, ready to leave the Sound Village, a red-haired figure intercepted him.
Karin spun around Naruto, then gazed up at him with sparkly eyes.
"Naruto-kun! You're leaving, right? Take me with you!
I'm not like the others—Orochimaru forced me to stay here and used me like a slave. I've been so pitiful!"
Naruto glanced at her calmly and shook his head.
"Why would I bring a stranger with me?"
Karin immediately tried to sell her strengths.
"I—I'm super useful! I can sense enemies, and if you're injured, just bite me and you'll heal right up!"
"If you don't believe me, go ahead—bite me right now! Hard if you want! I don't mind!"
She pulled open her collar and leaned in toward Naruto.
That spot… was one of the later-resort biting areas for her.
Usually, she only let people bite her arm.
But Naruto still turned her down.
Even among the Uzumaki, Karin's bloodline was among the strongest.
But Naruto already possessed Mind's Eye of the Kagura and Adamantine Sealing Chains.
As for her healing-by-biting? He had no need. Fast regeneration was already a passive ability for him.
And honestly, Karin's personality and looks just weren't his type.
So in the end, all Karin could do was watch helplessly as Naruto walked away.
After leaving the Sound Village, Naruto contacted the system.
"System, what's the next mission?"
…
Silence.
"Hey?"
"Hello?"
Still nothing.
The system gave great rewards, but it wasn't like those chatty ones he'd read about in novels from his past life.
It didn't respond to small talk.
Missions came randomly.
So for now, all he could do was wait.
Naruto took out a map of the shinobi world.
After scanning it briefly, he picked a destination.
He raised his right hand—and in it appeared a Flying Thunder God kunai, as if by magic.
He flicked it forward.
The kunai shot off at supersonic speed.
With Naruto's current physique and chakra, even a simple throw carried devastating power that few could endure.
The kunai embedded itself in a tree over 800 meters away.
Flash!
Naruto appeared at the exact spot the next instant.
Standing on the tree, he yanked the kunai free and threw it forward again—fluid and seamless.
Using the Flying Thunder God Technique for travel… even Minato might've called it overkill.
Naruto was traveling at an average of 1 kilometer per second.
His figure flashed forward like bursts of golden lightning.
After a few minutes, he stopped at the base of a mountain.
From a few hundred meters away, he heard the sounds of fighting—screams, shouting… it gave him pause.
At first, he didn't care and was going to continue moving forward.
But with Mind's Eye of the Kagura, he sensed a few familiar chakra signatures from the battlefield.
So he changed direction, throwing a Flying Thunder God kunai toward the disturbance.
The kunai sliced through layers of tree branches before embedding itself into a cargo wagon.
Naruto arrived a moment later.
Just as he landed—
A Great Fireball came roaring toward him.
Naruto casually swiped his hand, generating a burst of wind that instantly dispersed the flames.
"Who are you?! Stay out of this!" barked a rough-faced man with a square jaw and an Iwagakure forehead protector.
Around him stood seven or eight more shinobi…
…but each of their headbands had a slash through them.
Missing-nin.
Lying at their feet were numerous corpses—bloodied and torn.
A tall, skinny shinobi eyed Naruto with suspicion, whispering to the leader:
"Boss… that gold flash he used just now… it looked like Konoha's Flying Thunder God."
The square-jawed leader narrowed his eyes, scanning Naruto's blond hair.
"Flying Thunder God? The Yellow Flash?
But… didn't the Fourth Hokage die already? Who could still use that technique?"
Even as he said this, unease crept into his voice.
After all, back in the day, Iwagakure had an official directive:
"If you encounter the Yellow Flash during a mission, you are permitted to abandon the task without punishment."
That's how terrifying Minato's legacy was.
"Look, mister… this is a coincidence. How about we all mind our own business, huh?" the leader forced a smile.
Naruto didn't respond.
His eyes swept over the corpses.
Face after face passed by…
Until his gaze stopped on one.
It was the body of a young girl—lying in a pool of blood, delicate features frozen in death.
Her head was slightly turned, her wide-open eyes seemingly locked onto Naruto's.
In those faded pupils, his reflection was still visible.
The blood across her face gave her an eerie, tragic beauty.
Just days ago, she had smiled while offering to make better rice balls for him…
And now she was dead, alone, discarded in the wilderness.
This world…
…was truly cruel.
"Let's call this your payment… for those two rice balls."
Naruto whispered quietly.
With a wave of his hand—
The rogue Iwa-nin hadn't even realized what was happening before they were sliced to pieces by wind blades.
Using Earth Release, Naruto dug a pit and buried the girl.
Then, with Wood Release, he formed a wooden gravestone.
He carved into it:
Grave of Nanako.