When Naruto returned home, he opened his system and checked Task Line III. The progress bar had only moved two-tenths forward, as only Yakumo and Ajisai being Jashin's Followers.
'The road ahead was long and difficult. I would soon need to find time to straighten out Yugito as well.'
Just then, Kurama came back from the balcony, striking a cool pose like Tom as it opened the glass door.
"It's really hot outside."
Naruto was a little speechless. He initially planned to ignore him. But a thought crossed his mind, and he turned to look at Kurama, "Kurama, do you believe in Jashin?"
"Jashin? Do I need to believe in something like that?" Kurama sprawled lazily on the sofa like a goofy dog, "That thing's useless. It might not even be able to beat me."
Naruto thought about it and realized Kurama had a point, so he gave up on trying to fool him. Naruto flopped onto the sofa beside Kurama, creating a peaceful scene of man and dog.
"Nothing seems to be going right lately." Naruto mumbled to himself.
"This rotten village... Why does it feel like it's under martial law recently?" Kurama said, popping open a bottle of sake with his teeth, the cap making a soft 'pop' sound.
"Something's probably happening, but it's none of your business." Naruto tilted his head and added a warning, "Don't go flaunting your little Chakra around for no reason. If you get caught, you won't have any booze to drink."
"Got it." Kurama responded with a hint of dissatisfaction, but still agreed.
With this stupid fox hound, you had to hit the right nerve. If Naruto talked about village matters or other trivial things, Kurama wouldn't care. But if he mentioned alcohol, he'd pay attention.
Annoying as he was, Kurama really did resemble a certain blonde-haired troublemaker. There's an old saying: Like master, like pet. If Kurama had a gender, it wouldn't be surprising if every female dog in the village was already swooning over him.
It's also worth noting that Naruto didn't have any close neighbors. He had deliberately chosen a place on Konoha's infamous Street 404… an area devoid of life and vegetation.
After an unproductive first day, Naruto decided to rest.
The next day…
Naruto first approached Kiba, and the two of them snuck off to a secluded place for a chat. Since they were hiding from people, the content of their conversation naturally wasn't something they wanted anyone to overhear.
"It definitely has something to do with Root, but we don't have any proof." Kiba said, clenching his fists, "It is precisely because we have no evidence that we are in such a passive position."
"This matter has been dragging on for about a year or two now, hasn't it?" Naruto asked after a brief pause.
"Yeah, it's been almost two years. After that incident, the Inuzuka Clan's vitality has really dwindled." Kiba sighed, "Who would've thought there'd be something out there impersonating our clansmen?"
"Intelligence spies are like that, nothing strange about that." Naruto glanced at Kiba. He knew that those spies were White Zetsu, but he didn't say it outright.
"They could've killed us to silence us, but for some reason, they didn't." Kiba continued.
"They probably had a backup plan but didn't get around to it." Naruto was of course aware of that part. He was the first to discover White Zetsu disguised as Kiba.
Just one look and a brief conversation had revealed the impostor. No amount of training could mask that fake from Naruto.
"There's nothing we can do now. It's hard to explain." Kiba stared at the lawn not far away. The two of them were sitting on a bench on the street like undercover agents in a spy movie.
There is some distance between them, and the surrounding area is wide-open, making it impossible for anyone to hide nearby.
"We've already understood most of the situation. Evidence isn't really that important." Naruto suddenly said, leaving Kiba momentarily stunned.
He turned to look at Naruto, "What do you mean?"
"What I mean is… evidence is made by people, so don't be so rigid about it." Naruto thought for a moment and started talking nonsense, "For example, let's say I accuse you of stealing my money. Even though I don't have a penny on me, I know how much money you have in your pocket, which is equivalent to producing evidence."
"I could defend myself, though. This money is..." Kiba began, but stopped midway, noticing Naruto's mischievous grin.
After being confused for a few seconds, Kiba suddenly caught on and couldn't help but gasp, 'Is this guy suggesting we fabricate evidence? Then see how the Root prove itself?'
If anyone else had said it, Kiba might not have believed them. But coming from Naruto, who had a reputation for being shameless, Kiba believed it. He realized Naruto was planning to fake evidence.
"Would that really work?"
"Whether it works or not, we'll know when the time comes. I just need you to help identify the suspects." Naruto didn't fully explain his plan, "Besides, the evidence isn't really on you... actually, evidence doesn't really matter. As long as we have something, it'll be enough."
"This is called…"
"Slander." Kiba finished the sentence.
"What are you talking about! This is about completing the evidence chain. Well, I won't say anymore. Anyway, you wouldn't understand." Naruto said as he got up, intending to leave. He had only come to touch base with Kiba in the first place.
"I've already told you in advance, so be prepared. This will benefit your Inuzuka Clan. You don't want to see the Inuzuka Clan fall into the hands of the branch families, do you?"
Kiba was somewhat speechless, but he also knew that such ruthless schemes could only come from Naruto. If it were someone else, they would not have the courage or the ability to do it.
After thinking about it, he nodded in agreement.
"Got it."
With that, the two parted ways. As people grow older, after being torn between ideals and reality for a while, they eventually find their own path. Naruto had never felt much affection for the village, and it was inevitable that he would drift apart from his childhood friends, who had different goals.
Fortunately, at least for now, they still maintained their friendships, even though things weren't as simple anymore. The more matters became entangled with clan interests, the less pure their relationships became.
Naruto didn't take it to heart though, as he wasn't any better off. He used to have more free time, but as more people became involved in his life, things had gotten busier.
Still, it wasn't a frantic kind of busy, just that there were more things on his plate. He also needed to take care of Ino's situation quickly, as it was just one final step away from being resolved.
Medical Department.
"Secretary?" Shizune took off her gloves and stared at Naruto in surprise, "Is that really why you're here? Tsunade-sama doesn't seem to need a secretary."
In addition to Tsunade, Shizune was also affected by the fluttering of the butterfly's wings, and remembered the bad things Naruto did when he traveled through time. But fortunately, she wasn't one to hold grudges and smiled it off.
"Of course she needs one. How could she not?" Naruto smiled and poured tea for Shizune himself, "Wouldn't it be great to have someone to run errands and serve tea?"
"Cough, the main issue is that Tsunade-sama doesn't really want to see me right now. I need a go-between."
Hearing this, Shizune was left speechless, and looked at the blonde man in front of her with complicated look. took a sip of water, and with an uncharacteristic roll of her eyes, she said, "You know why Tsunade-sama doesn't want to see you, right? Tell me, do you really think what you did was okay?"
"Uh, I already know I was wrong." Naruto scratched his head. He knew his mistake, but the matter still had to be dealt with.
He also knew Tsunade wasn't a petty girl who would ignore him just because she was angry. If approached from a different angle, he could still get things done, it was all about who played the game better.
When it came to tactics, Naruto was confident in his ability to outdo Tsunade. Shizune, however, had so many things she wanted to say but couldn't find the words.
"Your... situation is a bit complicated. I don't even know how to describe you right now." Shizune sighed, rubbing her forehead in exasperation.
"Forget it. I'll just mention it to her. But whether she agrees or not is up to Tsunade-sama."
"Great! Just bringing it up is enough." Naruto was delighted and hurriedly poured Shizune another cup of tea, "You're the best, Shizune-san. I also brought…"
Shizune didn't bother responding, thinking to herself that she was too tired to even be angry at him.
"By the way, who are you recommending?"
"Tenten."
"Tenten?" Shizune gave Naruto a long, meaningful look, which made Naruto's scalp tingle.
"W-what's wrong?"
"You're not picking Tenten just because you think she's easy to manipulate, are you?" She asked bluntly.