DETERMINATION


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In Sunagakure, the night is welcoming. The villagers were deeply grateful for their safety and that of their village leader.

Previously, they had not experienced complete peace, as their safety was all they had while Gaara, their Kazekage, was taken away by Akatsuki in critical condition after saving them. Then, at the end of the previous afternoon, they encountered an unfamiliar ninja—a blonde-haired individual who didn't provide any identification indicating their origin.

However, witnessing the ninja carrying Gaara, their Kazekage, with care brought them relief. The villagers of Sunagakure expressed their gratitude through the lines on their weary faces, reminiscent of flower petals reawakening under the sun.

Their warm hopes were realized, adorning the solemn coolness of the night. Naruto, who was expected to be the most celebrated figure for saving their Kazekage, refused to reveal himself to the villagers of Sunagakure. Naruto's act of saving the Kazekage was merely part of his plan; he did not seek tribute or gratitude from the people of Sunagakure.

Sunagakure indeed felt happiness, but there was also a sense of humility missing due to the lack of opportunity to thank Naruto directly. Nonetheless, they accepted it. Through the village elders, they hoped that Naruto would graciously accept their gratitude.

During that time, the residents of Sunagakure were engaged in various celebrations at night, some with their families and others with their comrades. One thing was certain—they were truly enjoying themselves tonight.

As they moved to a room resembling an office, several people gathered together. Among them were Naruto, Chiyo, Baki, Kankuro, and several Sunagakure village elders.

They all sat closely around a fairly large round table placed in the center of the office room.

Chiyo had managed to convince Naruto, with a little coercion, to accompany her to the village office for a discussion with the village elders of Sunagakure. Additionally, Chiyo had a desire to introduce Naruto to someone.

Upon their arrival, it was indeed true that Naruto met Ebizo, his adoptive grandfather, who now served as one of the village elders.

Similar to Chiyo, Ebizo appeared elated to reunite with Naruto. However, Ebizo wasn't as sentimental as Chiyo had been upon meeting Naruto again.

After a while, Ebizo and Naruto engaged in conversation, alleviating their longing, and Naruto introduced himself to the other village elders. Eventually, they all sat down together to engage in light discussion.

"So, Naruto, how is Konoha doing now?" Ebizo inquired, taking the lead among the others.

It is worth noting that Ebizo and Chiyo had a long-standing relationship with Konoha through their grandchildren, especially Naruto. Therefore, the incident of the Konoha invasion two years ago, in which Sunagakure was involved, made both Ebizo and Chiyo angry and saddened.

"I'm feeling pretty good, Ebizo-jiisama. I haven't been in Konoha for more than five years. Since the Sandaime Hokage, Hiruzen-sama granted me Tokubetsu Ninja rights," Naruto replied.

The village elder, along with Chiyo, Kankuro, and Baki, simply listened. As Ebizo heard Naruto's response, he became impressed.

"Tokubetsu Ninja rights? That's amazing, Naruto. It's something only given to Sannin-level ninjas."

Naruto smiled at Ebizo's praise. "I don't consider myself a ninja of that caliber, Ebizo-jiisama. Those rights were granted to me as part of an agreement. I use them to fulfill that agreement."

Ebizo furrowed his brow at Naruto's words. "Agreement? What agreement are you referring to, Naruto?"

"Ebizo!" Chiyo, who had been listening silently, suddenly snapped at Ebizo.

Ebizo and the others flinched slightly at Chiyo's outburst. "What's wrong, sister?" Ebizo was surprised by his sister's reaction. When he looked at Chiyo, he noticed her glaring at him. Then he turned to Naruto, who kept his head down.

Initially, Ebizo wore a confused expression until he realized his mistake. As soon as he saw Naruto's reaction, worry washed over him. "I'm sorry, Naruto."

Naruto raised his head and smiled at Ebizo. "It's okay, Jiisama."

Baki and Kankuro were amazed once again, while the other elders also struggled to understand the meaning behind the interaction between Naruto, Ebizo, and Chiyo.

The atmosphere instantly became awkward. Each person in the room was lost in their thoughts. Their voices seemed trapped by their respective egos, resulting in a sudden silence.

The prolonged silence frustrated Chiyo. She felt a tickle in her throat caused by something unseen, making her unable to hold back any longer.

"Alright, Naruto," Chiyo broke the silence after a moment, bringing everyone back to their senses. "We apologize in advance, Naruto. We haven't officially thanked you for your service in saving our village leader."

After saying that, Chiyo lowered her head to face Naruto, followed by the others doing the same.

"Thank you for saving our Kazekage," Chiyo said.

Naruto observed one by one as the Sunagakure ninjas bowed their heads with the same intent, which brought a smile to his face. "Please raise your heads, everyone. I am not deserving of such respect."

The Sunagakure ninjas raised their heads and looked at Naruto with humble and grateful eyes.

Naruto returned their gaze with a humble smile. "I merely happened to encounter those who were carrying the Kazekage. If I hadn't tried to save him, it would have been detrimental to the balance of the ninja world."

One of the Sunagakure village elders replied, "Nevertheless, you saved our village leader, and we should be grateful for that."

Naruto smiled. "To be honest, my true intention in saving the Kazekage was to further my plan." The Sunagakure village elders frowned in surprise at Naruto's words.

Chiyo, observing the astonishment among her village's elders, proceeded to explain Naruto's plan.

The others listened as Chiyo explained Naruto's plan. Eventually, the elders understood Naruto's intentions and expressed their satisfaction with his plan.

"That's an excellent plan, Naruto-san," said one of the elders. "However, won't it be too challenging for you to accomplish it alone? Don't you want to accept help from us?"

"It's not necessary, sir. I don't want to burden you too much with my plans. Besides, you have already agreed to support my plan, and I am already deeply grateful to all of you," Naruto replied.

Kankuro, who had remained silent, tried to voice his concerns to Naruto. "Won't it be extremely difficult for you to handle everything by yourself? What if many people try to obstruct your plans?"

Naruto paused for a moment, carefully listening to Kankuro's words. "I will manage on my own."

Kankuro stared at Naruto's response, feeling it was insufficient. "But—"

"Kankuro! It's alright, we can't do much to assist Naruto either," Ebizo interjected.

Denied by Ebizo's words, Kankuro fell silent and looked down. He clenched his fists beneath the surface of the table.

Chiyo, noticing Kankuro's anxious reaction and his acceptance of his powerlessness, offered a weak smile. "Don't worry, Kankuro. I understand that it will be challenging to face it alone. Nevertheless, I have great faith in Naruto," Chiyo shifted her gaze towards Naruto. "I truly believe he is capable of achieving it."

Ebizo also smiled, concurring with his sister's words. "That's right, trust Naruto. Among all the ninjas we've encountered, none are as determined as him." Ebizo's smile was directed at Naruto.


Naruto's mind was spinning as he rushed through the empty air, leaping over tree branches as fast as he could. He refused to stop, even as he caught his breath. Finally, his feet landed on the last tree branch, right before the open ground next to a small river.

'Shit,' Naruto thought.

He looked back to see if the two Iwagakure ninjas were still chasing him, but he couldn't spot them. However, he could feel their chakras rapidly approaching him.

Naruto's gaze returned to the field in front of him. 'There is no other choice,' he thought.

He jumped from the tree branch and moved his body as fast as possible, hiding behind one of the trees.

Not long after, two Iwagakure ninjas climbed the same tree branch that Naruto had stepped on.

"Where is that person?" Ittan asked, one of the Iwagakure ninja chasing Naruto.

"He must still be around here. If he crosses a fast-flowing river like that, we will surely catch up with him," responded his partner, Gari.

Upon hearing his colleague's response, Ittan fell silent. He jumped from the tree branch, landing gracefully on the ground. He then bent his body, touching the ground with his right palm to sense Naruto's whereabouts.

Within a moment, he noticed someone's presence behind a tree a few meters to his right.

"There!" Ittan immediately took a kunai from the pouch behind his waist and threw it toward the back of the tree.

The kunai was stuck in the ground behind the tree and was equipped with explosive tags. As soon as it hit the ground, it exploded with a fairly strong force. The tree was hit by the explosive power of the kunai and fell, creating a cloud of flying dust mixed with white smoke.

Ittan squinted, trying to see through the white smoke and dust. But before he could fully regain his vision, he finally came to his senses and gasped.

Gari also noticed the white smoke and was surprised by it. He felt a presence behind him and was shocked, trying to escape as fast as possible.

Although he couldn't fully dodge, Gari shifted his body a little, and that's when Naruto appeared from behind him with a tanto.

Naruto's tanto poked into Gari's left side of the stomach because he was too slow to dodge. Gari whimpered, and his body swayed slightly. His eyes widened as he found Naruto right next to him.

Naruto, who had stepped on the branch right next to Gari, immediately turned his body around and took advantage of Gari's shock. He delivered a hard kick to the left side of Gari's face with the heel of his left foot, sending Gari flying into the river.

After regaining his balance, Naruto looked down at Ittan below him, who stared back at him in surprise. Naruto rolled his eyes and used shunshin, appearing before Ittan.

Ittan didn't realize that Naruto was already right in front of him; he was still looking up at the branch earlier when suddenly he choked and spit.

Naruto nestled his right knee into Ittan's stomach, causing Ittan to bend his body. Then he proceeded to unsheathe the tanto, now on Ittan's left shoulder.

Ittan was shocked and screamed in pain as Naruto's tanto stabbed into his left shoulder, hitting his shoulder blade.

Growling, Ittan jerked his body up, causing Naruto to stagger away from his tanto. Ittan, without warning, immediately hit the side of Naruto's face, sending him flying to Ittan's left side.

Naruto, now floating, was surprised as his tanto shot quickly toward him. He somersaulted to avoid it, but he wasn't fast enough, and the tanto caught his upper left arm. Naruto groaned.

As soon as he landed on the ground, Naruto was surprised when someone grabbed his right shoulder. When he looked, it was Gari. Naruto's eyes widened as he brushed off Gari's hand that was gripping his shoulder. A second later, an explosion came from Gari's palm.

Naruto recoiled slightly from the explosion. Before he could catch his breath, Ittan came from Naruto's side and threw a punch at him. Naruto crossed his arms to block Ittan's punch, but Ittan growled and added more force, sending Naruto flying to the ground.

Naruto choked as his body hit the ground. Groaning, he narrowed his eyes and saw Gari about to launch another attack at him.

Swiftly, Naruto rolled to the right and crouched, immediately performing shunshin as Gari blew up the ground where Naruto had fallen earlier. Dust from the crushed earth flew around Gari, who groaned in frustration as his attack missed Naruto.

Not far away, Ittan squinted his eyes to see clearly within the dust cloud. Shocked to find only Gari alone, he cursed, "Shit."

After the dust thinned and disappeared, Gari and Ittan darted their eyes to look for Naruto's whereabouts. Ittan even channeled his chakra to the soles of his feet, trying to detect Naruto.

Moments passed, but Ittan couldn't find Naruto. Gari heard Ittan's curse and turned his eyes to his partner. As soon as he looked at Ittan, his eyes widened, and he shrieked, "Ittan, behind you!"

Taken aback by Gari's scream, Ittan quickly looked back and saw a foot heading toward his face. Unable to avoid it, the leg struck him hard, sending him flying.

Naruto stomped his feet on the ground after kicking Ittan. Then he twisted his body, swinging his right leg and planting the sole of his foot on Gari's stomach as he attempted to attack again. Gari was sent flying by Naruto's kick.

A second after kicking Gari, Naruto gathered chakra in the palm of his right hand, forming a green chakra ball; Rasengan. He moved towards Gari, but halfway through, Naruto strained his eyes and noticed Ittan enlarging his right hand, covering it with earth.

Ittan's dirt-covered hand hit Naruto's left shoulder. Naruto countered by aiming his Rasengan at the side of Ittan's face. Ittan, using his swollen and dirt-covered left hand as a shield, was sent flying as the Rasengan hit him.

Naruto was also knocked out by Ittan's punch, flying and hitting a tree behind him. His Anbu mask jumped off his face, and he slumped against the tree, holding his left shoulder and groaning.

After taking a few deep breaths, Naruto's eyes tightened, and he looked down, avoiding the palms pointing at him. Gari's palm crashed into a tree trunk behind Naruto, causing an explosion.

Taking advantage of the situation, Naruto threw his right hand and hit Gari's right rib, throwing him away.

Naruto heard a tree falling from behind him, and he crouched down and jumped away. However, his jump wasn't strong enough, and he couldn't avoid the fallen tree entirely, getting pushed by the wind from the crashing tree.

As Naruto crouched down, he straightened up with a limp. Before he could fully regain his footing, he was surprised by Ittan, who suddenly appeared in front of him, mounting with anger.

Ittan pointed his swollen and dirt-covered right hand at Naruto's chest, delivering a powerful blow that sounded like bones breaking. Naruto's face hardened as Ittan's punch struck his chest, and he was thrown away, vomiting blood from his mouth.

Naruto was thrown into the river, falling into its cold embrace. Observing this, Ittan swiftly moved towards the riverbank.

Seeing Naruto thrown into the river due to Ittan's attack, Gari tensed his leg muscles and jumped high above the middle of the river. Gripping his right wrist with his left hand, he pointed his right palm downward.

"MOVE, ITTAN!" shouted Gari.

Responding to Gari's warning, Ittan jumped away from the riverbank. Gari gathered a large amount of chakra into the palm of his right hand and took a deep breath.

"BAKUTON: JIRAIKEN!" exclaimed Gari.

An enormous explosion erupted from Gari's right palm, shooting up the river and breaking its surface, exposing the riverbed.

Ittan watched the explosion from a considerable distance, wondering if Naruto had been hit by the attack. As he contemplated Naruto's state, a piece of wood flew toward him.

Seeing the log heading his way, Ittan stretched out his swollen right hand and caught the log as it fell to the ground in front of him. He frowned and then realized, his eyes bulging.

'Kawarimi?!' thought Ittan.

Realizing that Naruto had used a substitution technique to avoid Gari's attack, Ittan immediately turned his gaze to Gari, who was standing on a large rock near the river. The water was still turbulent due to Gari's jutsu. Ittan rushed towards him.

"Careful, Gari. He's still alive," Ittan warned after reaching his partner.

Gari, hearing Ittan's words, was shocked and turned to face Ittan. He was about to deny it, but the seriousness on his partner's face left him speechless.

"He really is a strong opponent," Ittan complained.

Switching back to Naruto, he was sitting on the ground leaning against a tree, quite far from Gari and Ittan.

Clutching his right hand to the shattered part of his Anbu armor where Ittan's punch had landed earlier, Naruto covered his mouth with his left hand to muffle the sound of his coughing.

Naruto's grip on the black shirt beneath his armor tightened as the pain in his chest grew stronger, and he moaned in discomfort. It seemed that some of Naruto's ribs were broken. Ittan's punch had truly been devastating.

Suddenly, the sound of stomping reached Naruto's ears from the other side of the tree trunk against which he was leaning. The following sound made his eyes widen.

"Bakuton: Jiraiken!"

The explosion struck Naruto's back, throwing him far away, and he coughed up more blood. He managed to rotate his body in mid-air and land on his feet, though staggered, causing him to fall to the ground.

As Naruto sat on the ground, Ittan descended with a powerful punch aimed at crushing him.

Reacting quickly, Naruto pushed his body to the right, avoiding Ittan's punch, which struck the surface of the ground where Naruto had been sitting earlier. The impact shattered the ground into rubble, accompanied by a strong gust of wind that blew Naruto away, causing his back to hit a tree trunk.

Naruto choked, spitting out a little more blood. However, he quickly recovered and waved his right hand, throwing several of the ChidoriSenbon at Ittan.

Caught off guard by lightning needles, Ittan widened his eyes as he saw the dust in front of him being swept away by Naruto's attack. The Senbon pierced his upper right arm, causing numbness to spread. Ittan touched his biceps with his left arm's stump, groaning in discomfort.

Ignoring the numbness, Ittan shifted his gaze toward the direction of Naruto's attack, but Naruto was no longer there. Ittan sighed in frustration.

Gari approached Ittan, where his partner was standing, seeing him touch his drooping upper right arm, no longer covered by his Doton element, with his stump of a left hand.

"What happened to you?" Gari asked, concerned.

Ittan growled in response, "I got hit. I can't use my right hand for a while."

Frowning at Ittan's words, Gari was about to ask further, but, he felt heat coming from above their heads. He turned around and saw a large fireball aimed at both of them. Both Gari and Ittan jumped to different sides, avoiding the fireball, which exploded upon hitting the ground, shaking the surrounding trees.

Naruto fell to his knees and vomited blood on a tree branch after using the Katon jutsu to attack Gari and Ittan. He groaned, feeling his body crushed, and realized that his attack missed them. The pain was overwhelming, and he struggled to keep his consciousness.

Naruto's breaths were heavy, and he continued moaning while clutching his chest. His eyelids drooped, and his green eyes closed slowly. But just before they fully closed, they suddenly widened in a tightening response to the pain in his stomach. His eyes caught Ittan, who had kicked him in the stomach before he was thrown away.

As Naruto was dragged onto the open field without trees, he choked again, trying to sit up. He heard footsteps approaching from close in front of him. When he looked up, he saw Gari standing there, followed by Ittan, who had just arrived next to him.

"I see, so you're Naruto, one of Konoha's secret Anbu Meijin," Gari said, recognizing Naruto.

Naruto was shocked that he knew about that secret Anbu team. "You're surprised?" Gari laughed happily at Naruto's reaction.

Ittan gave an astonished expression, wondering how Gari knew about the secret team and recognizing their enemy.

Gari continued, looking interestedly at Naruto, "Well, you are amazing shinobi. I'm sure you can still fight us despite your circumstances. Or maybe ... to kill us?"

Ittan was surprised by Gari's words and looked at Naruto, who seemed battered from his injuries. He couldn't believe Naruto was considering killing them in his current state.

Naruto, standing up with effort, glared coldly at Ittan with his dull green right eye, the other eye still hidden by his hair. He clenched his right hand tightly, channeling lightning-element chakra into it. His right hand was clad in purple chakra, accompanied by crackling electricity.

Naruto focused on Ittan with his right eye, channeled the chakra to the soles of his feet, and disappeared with incredible speed.

Gari turned to Ittan and started to say something but trailed off, his eyes wide with surprise.

Ittan's face stiffened in shock. He opened his eyes and mouth wide, spitting out a large amount of blood. When he glanced down slightly, he found Naruto's right hand had penetrated his left chest, crushing his heart.

"You underestimate me," Naruto said coldly to the dying Ittan.

Gari, watching Naruto kill his comrade, hardened his face, and his teeth chattered. He stretched out his right hand and gripped Naruto's right shoulder.

"NARUTO!"

Feeling Gari's hand grip his shoulder, Naruto was shocked. He used his left hand to push Ittan's lifeless body away, freeing his right hand from Ittan's chest.

Gari tightened his grip on Naruto's shoulder, but his angry threat was cut short when Naruto used his Raiton: Shiden jutsu to sever Gari's right arm. However, Gari's severed arm remained pressed against Naruto's shoulder, swelling up with a red glow before exploding violently. The powerful blast threw Naruto far away; his body collided with a boulder, and his left temple was hit, causing blood to pour from the wound.

Despite feeling completely crushed by the impact, Naruto's consciousness clung on weakly. He couldn't feel his right arm dropping to the ground, and he noticed remnants of a small flame burning on his right shoulder. He glimpsed into his eyes and saw Gari charging towards him with rage.

As Gari closed in on Naruto, something hard struck the side of his face, sending him flying toward a distant tree. Naori had kicked him hard in the face, saving Naruto.

Hurrying over to Naruto, Naori knelt in front of him, her worry evident beneath her Anbu mask. She touched Naruto's burning right shoulder with her left hand, causing him to groan. However, when Naori tried to support him, he stopped her, trying to warn her about Gari.

Before he could speak, Gari appeared behind Naori and kicked her, sending her flying as well. Naruto dodged Gari's subsequent kick to the left. As he turned around, he saw Naori suddenly reappear and cut off Gari's left arm with a tanto.

Gari screamed loudly as he lost his left arm. He brought his two remaining arms to his face and grew hysterical when he saw that.

Naruto quickly formed another Raiton: Shiden Jutsu, in his left hand and thrust it between Gari's two ribs. Gari's scream choked in his throat, and his body staggered forward, leaning on Naruto's left shoulder.

With a weak smile, Gari whispered, "Y-you did it ... y-you really killed us."

Naruto remained silent, but Gari's last words confused him. Gari's life slipped away, and Naruto used his remaining strength to push Gari's body away. He staggered and fell to the ground beside Gari.

Breathing heavily, Naruto vomited more blood, some of it splashing onto Gari's chest. Naori shrieked in concern and kneeled behind Naruto, holding his right hand.

"Hold on, Naruto!" Naori pleaded worriedly.

Naruto was unable to reply, his consciousness fading. He could only hear Naori's cries of concern. As he struggled to hold on, he felt a foreign chakra approaching.

Naruto's eyes widened slightly, and with the last of his strength, he motioned for Naori to support him. He leaned against her back as she held him, and then quickly left Gari's body behind.

Naori hid them both behind dense trees, the cover of night aiding their concealment. Soon after, a group of ninjas dressed in typical Iwagakure attire arrived at the scene.

Naori held her breath as she looked at the group of Iwagakure ninjas approaching their location. Feeling the urgency, she turned around and closed her eyes for a few moments, gathering her focus. When she opened her eyes again, the Mangekyou Sharingan appeared to be shining brightly from behind her mask. She closed her left eye and channeled her chakra into her right Mangekyou.

Naori used her unique Mangekyou abilities. From the empty air in front of her, a purplish-black, circular distortion portal appeared. Without hesitation, she and Naruto jumped into the portal.


Amidst the unknown wilderness, a distortion portal was created. Naori and Naruto jumped out of the portal.

Naori fell to the ground with Naruto's body pressed against her. Her anbu mask was off, and she was panting heavily. Blood flowed from the corner of her right eye, which was tightly shut.

Ebizo and Chiyo were walking in the middle of the forest, with Chiyo carrying a basket filled with medicinal herbs. When they were startled by a loud noise coming from behind them, Ebizo and Chiyo simultaneously looked back, their eyes widened in surprise at the sight of Naori lying face down with Naruto on top of her.

Chiyo quickly recovered from the shock and immediately approached Naori and Naruto. She knelt beside them, taking in Naruto's state, and her eyes widened again. She then turned to look at Naori, who stared back with a sad expression in her left eye.

"What happened?" Chiyo asked Naori.

Naori didn't answer immediately. She dragged her body closer to Chiyo and then straightened up a little to hold Chiyo's right hand with both of her hands.

"I beg you, please save Naruto," whispered Naori, her face smeared with anxiety.

Even with her small eyes, Chiyo could see clearly because of the moonlight shining through the tree branches. A pool of tears was ready to fall from Naori's left eye, and tears were already falling from her closed right eye, accompanied by blood.


The sun was almost rising, its rays bursting from the edge of the horizon in front of the entrance to the village of Sunagakure. Naruto, accompanied by Ebizo and Chiyo, stood in front of the gate. He had planned to leave the village secretly early in the morning.

However, because he had rested briefly at his adoptive grandparents' house last night, Naruto was surprised to find Chiyo standing at the front door of the house, looking as if she had been waiting for him.

As the hours approached morning, Naruto, Chiyo, and Ebizo walked the deserted streets of Sunagakure.

"Are you sure you're going to Iwagakure after this, Naruto?" asked Ebizo.

Naruto smiled at Ebizo and replied, "I'm sure, Ebizo-jiisama."

When Chiyo heard Naruto's answer, she showed a worried look and said, "Wouldn't it be more dangerous if you went there first, Naruto? You could get into another fight with their village ninja."

Naruto turned his gaze to Chiyo while still smiling. "Don't worry, Chiyo-baasama. It seems there will be someone there who can help me meet the Tsuchikage in person."

Ebizo and Chiyo frowned in confusion upon hearing Naruto's statement. "And how are you going to find the person you're referring to?" asked Ebizo.

"I've crossed the border of Iwagakure several times and often explored the area. At least to infiltrate the village, I'm pretty sure I can do it," replied Naruto confidently.

Upon hearing Naruto's explanation, the two grandparents sighed tiredly. They looked wistfully at their adopted grandson, the one they cared about the most.

"You're still going alone, Naruto?" asked Chiyo.

Naruto just smiled in response to Chiyo's question. Chiyo, seeing Naruto's smile and lack of an answer, walked closer to him and hugged her grandson tightly.

"Take care of yourself, Naruto."

Naruto kept smiling and gently stroked his grandmother's back. Then they let go of each other's embrace, and Chiyo took a few steps back.

Ebizo came closer to Naruto, moved his right hand, and placed it on the top of Naruto's head.

"You will be the hero of the shinobi world, Naruto."

Naruto smiled at that, enjoying his grandfather's affectionate caress on the top of his head. "I'm doing all this for Naori, jiisama. Not to be a hero."

"Still, to us, you are a real hero. Keep living until you get that recognition from everyone," replied Ebizo.

Naruto smiled sadly at Ebizo's words. Chiyo, who saw that smile, looked at Naruto with sadness in her narrow eyes.

"Fulfill Naori's wish, Naruto," Chiyo said.

Naruto bowed his head slightly to Chiyo. Ebizo's hand was no longer stroking the top of his head. He also stepped back a little while looking at his grandparents with affection.

"I'm leaving, Obaasama, jiisama," Naruto bid farewell. The two grandparents nodded weakly, letting go of their grandson.

Naruto turned away from Ebizo and Chiyo, then started walking away from them towards the Sunagakure gate.


Gari weakly smiled. "Y-you really killed us," he whispered, coughing up blood from his mouth.

Sensing that his life was slipping away, Gari mustered the strength to deliver his final message to Naruto: "When you visit Iwa again, meet Ro-shi. I-I think you two match." With those words, Gari took his last breath.

Naruto frowned, feeling confused by Gari's message. 'Roshi? Jinchuuriki Yonbi?' He was about to ask Gari for clarification, but instead, he felt the weight of Gari's body pressing against him. It was then that Naruto realized Gari had passed away, his lifeless body leaning toward Naruto's own.

Naruto's face turned blank as he pondered the strange message from Gari, uncertain of its purpose or meaning.

.

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Thank you for reading this chapter.

I noticed that it took longer to translate this chapter due to several activities.

Nonetheless, I hope you guys enjoy reading this.

I look forward to having the opportunity to see you again on another occasion.

Regards,

schwarzhaarige.