In Konoha, This Naruto Has Decided To Take It Easy

Naruto was completely stunned. He had always thought the Shinobi World had entered a semi-peaceful era, with the Five Great Countries balancing each other and the Five Great Shinobi Villages holding absolute power.

The authority of the Kage was constantly challenged, occasionally facing assassination attempts by terrorists like Orochimaru.

But in reality, the Shinobi World is still a place where the strong prey on the weak.

This world still revered strength above all. As long as one can replicate the strength of Hashirama Senju, they could even trample over civilizations and reshuffle the Shinobi World.

Naruto always thought that was something only villains like Madara and Obito would do. But in this world, there are no true heroes or villains… only the strong and the weak.

'The bigger your fist, the louder your voice, and everything you do is right.'

'It turns out that the image of Sandaime had deeply influenced me, making me mistakenly believe that the Hokage was weak.'

'Fake Hokage: Sandaime! Constantly pressured by the advisors, remaining silent under Danzo's assassinations, and compromising with every sigh.'

'Real Hokage: Shodaime! Beat up Kyubi! Trampled Uchiha Madara! Gave away the Biju at will! Forcing peace in the Shinobi World!

Tsunade is not the Sandaime, and neither is Naruto. They have no personal ties to those higher-ups, so why should they accommodate them?

Strength, at its core, is still about strength.

What Tsunade just said boils down to one message: Get stronger, aim for the peak of power even higher than Hashirama's and become a legend, so that Konoha would be so quiet that only one voice could be heard.

Whether he's a Jinchuriki of a Biju or some other strange kind of person, it will no longer be an issue.

This is reality, very straightforward, but he likes it very much.

In his original vision, Tsunade should have a calmer strategy to deal with the higher-ups. Who would've thought she never planned to talk nicely from the start? The Hokage doesn't need a reason to refuse the higher-ups' suggestions.

It was never that the Hokage was incompetent, but that the Sandaime Hokage was incompetent, and even the Yondaime Hokage was not very competent. When the Shodaime and Nidaime Hokage were the Hokage, were the higher-ups even a factor?

For Tsunade, the Konoha Village isn't just her hometown, it's also the legacy left by her grandfather. The Senju Clan might be diluted among the masses, but they haven't completely disappeared.

At least she is still here, so the bloodline of Senju Clan still exists here.

In the end, Tsunade has only one meaning:

To hell with the higher-ups.

"So, do you understand now?" Tsunade's eyes narrowed and a hint of a relaxed smile appeared in her eyes. "No matter the time, power can always move people's hearts more than reason."

"I understand." Naruto nodded and his mind began to become active.

Tsunade's idea was for Naruto to become stronger, and no longer became a subject to the scrutiny of the higher-ups or other forces. To be able to protect himself and those he cares about, shielding them from harm.

But what Naruto is thinking is: 'When I become strong enough, I wouldn't need to act human anymore! Any vague or abstract moral constraints wouldn't matter to me!'

'The peak of strength is the freedom to be myself!'

'Hmm!' The two exchanged glances, nodded at the same time, and gradually began to understand everything.

After leaving the Hokage Tower, Naruto first went to Konoha Hospital and reluctantly visited Temari for the mission. Initially, he had some concerns in his heart, but Tsunade's words made him suddenly enlightened.

'Why overthink it? If the sky falls, there will be someone to hold it up. I just need to confidently move forward. The relationship between Sunagakure and Konoha? It doesn't matter.'

'If the relationship between Konoha and Sunagakure can only be maintained by a handful of individuals, then it's better to just let it fall apart.'

So, a visit is just a visit. He could say whatever he wanted, and acted however he pleased. There is no need to have any psychological burden.

Naruto pushed open the hospital room door with a creak.

Then he silently closed it again.

'Seriously, changing clothes without locking the door? Is this how casual things are in Sunagakure? Damn it, with a personality that nasty, who would've thought she'd be into pure white?'

"Cough, knock knock knock!"

Naruto stood outside the ward and knocked on the door as if nothing had happened. He knew Temari was changing inside but pretended not to know, deceiving himself!

First of all, he really wasn't a pervert!

Secondly, he didn't even like white underwear!

A few minutes later, Temari's uneasy voice came from inside the room.

"It's… It's fine now."

"Oh." Naruto pushed the door open and entered with a nonchalant look on his face, as if the scene just now had never happened.

On the other hand, Temari seemed a little restless. She was originally sitting on the bed, but as soon as Naruto entered, she stood up immediately. Her face looked a little stiff, and her eyes were slightly drooped.

Who said that catching a girl changing must lead to awkwardness and a romantic comedy? Naruto effortlessly diffused the tension without showing any emotion.

Temari's injuries seemed to have almost healed, and her blue and white striped hospital gown was neatly folded on the bed. She had changed into a loose white shirt and a modest black knee-length skirt.

Generally, this kind of outfit only appears in more formal occasions, such as signing ceremonies, or diplomatic meetings with Konoha.

Given Temari's status as the Sunagakure's Princess, Naruto could roughly guess where she was preparing to go after changing into this outfit.

"Where are you headed?" Naruto asked.

"Ah, to the Hokage Tower. Someone from Konoha has come to inform me…" Temari's face showed a bit of struggle. "You don't like it? I can change back."

"You're not fully healed yet, are you?" Naruto asked.

"Huh? I guess I'm mostly healed." Temari was indeed very nervous. She had been thinking of meeting Naruto, but she hadn't expected it to happen so suddenly. This made her hands and feet start to sweat.

"Let's leave it for today. Just go there in a few days." Naruto said with a slightly firm tone, "I'll have someone tell the people in the Hokage Tower to wait until you've recovered from your injuries before going for the talks."

Hearing this, Temari pursed her lips slightly.

"Will it be troublesome?"

"Not really. The way Konoha's higher-ups do things is always like this, so you need to learn to appropriately refuse Konoha's requests." Naruto said.

Temari let out a small gasp, unsure of what to say.

Although Naruto was speaking on her behalf, it was impossible for her to really go along with everything he said.

After all, this concerned Konoha and Sunagakure, and Naruto was still a Konoha's Shinobi. If this caused Naruto to offend Konoha's higher-ups, it wouldn't be worth it.

"That's decided, let's leave that matter aside for now." Naruto said, glancing at Temari. His eyes moved downward, and he couldn't help but frown slightly.

She was wearing shoes meant for going outside, and her eyes were a little hesitant. Perhaps she felt that it was necessary to go to the Hokage Tower to keep the appointment, and she seemed to be wavering about what Naruto said.

Naruto could understand this. After all, the lives and fates of the three Sunagakure's siblings were still somewhat tied to Konoha. With Konoha's support, Gaara's path to becoming Kazekage would be smoother.

"Temari."

"Huh?" Temari's back straightened as if she had been electrocuted. "What is it?"

Her voice carried a hint of pleading, and if she spoke any slower, a tremor could be heard. Naruto could sense her nervousness, as her whole was trembling.

"Take off your shoes." He said. And after a moment's thought, he added, "That's an order."